◎Duck head, the profile picture is me◎
If her online boasting was that effective, why bother with a solo? She could just aim for billions.
Opening a martial arts school would be easily solved, becoming a seafood tycoon would be within reach, and she could probably buy several seafood markets, right?
"Xia Xi?"
The manager's slightly puzzled voice pulled Xia Xi back to reality.
Xia Xi, who had been making a devout wish, opened her eyes.
Oh well, there was nothing in front of her, only the clean floor.
Xia Xi felt a bit regretful, but this also proved the point: don't harbor unrealistic fantasies. Only hard work and keeping your feet on the ground can create wealth!
During the warm-up song request session that followed, Xia Xi chose "Love Fight Will Win" for herself.
As the other trainees ran for their warm-up to the tune of "Three parts destined, seven parts rely on fighting spirit," they wore expressions of utter disbelief. Why were they, aspiring female idols about to debut, listening to such an old song?
Xia Xi practiced with great energy, fully focused.
Rui Ziyue looked at Xia Xi with a complex expression, frequently glancing her way. She had a bellyful of questions she wanted answered by Xia Xi, but in the end, she didn't take that step.
Outside the practice room.
"What kind of person is she, really?"
The manager could see what all the trainees in the room were doing and their current state. Watching Xia Xi, even after being in this position for many years, she couldn't help but feel curious.
She still remembered the scene when Xia Xi first approached her.
Not wanting things that didn't belong to her, not wanting to climb over others... Leaving aside whether Xia Xi and Rui Ziyue were close friends or not, even if they were, isn't backstabbing common in this industry?
The manager didn't know if such character traits were good or bad for Xia Xi, whether they would propel her to the heights or plunge her into the abyss.
However, replacing Rui Ziyue's part really wasn't suitable for Xia Xi right now. Xia Xi was improving too fast; the others were gradually becoming her backup dancers. The solo was also a result of discussions among the leadership.
It was better for the other company trainees and for Xia Xi herself.
Xia Xi had no objections to being suddenly pulled from the group dance and changed to a solo. For her, it was probably just shifting from team combat to individual combat. (?)
...
In the most prosperous center of the city, office towers soared into the clouds. On the top floor, the room with the best view was the exclusive office of Lu Chen, President of the Lu Corporation.
Rented.
The man sitting behind the computer wore a sharp, custom-tailored suit and held an expensive fountain pen. As if suddenly remembering something, he looked up and asked his assistant in a deep voice, "Why haven't I heard any news about Xia Xi lately?"
"Didn't I instruct you to block her appropriately, letting her through occasionally? I didn't tell you to block her all the time."
Lu Chen wasn't someone addicted to games, but he was human, not a work machine. He sought amusement too. At this stage, that deceitful, pretentious Xia Xi hadn't completely lost his interest yet.
The assistant replied respectfully, "I'm sorry, President Lu. We remembered, but Miss Xia Xi never came. Not once."
Lu Chen thought he misheard. Xia Xi never came? Not once?
Impossible.
He opened his phone. The eager conversations stopped several days ago. This was completely abnormal behavior. Lu Chen didn't believe she would give up on a heavyweight "fish" like him.
But soon, a knowing smile appeared on Lu Chen's cold, handsome face.
He beckoned to his assistant. "Come, take a photo of me."
She must be throwing a tantrum, right? He was partly at fault for ignoring her for so long. He was barely willing to lower his head this once.
Lu Chen directly used this photo as his WeChat profile picture.
He was sure Xia Xi would understand his meaning. He was a man of few words and didn't want to explain too much. What he had done for her already exceeded his bottom line. She should be flattered by his gesture and come to inquire after his well-being the next second.
One second later, no movement on WeChat. One hundred seconds later, still no movement on WeChat.
"..." Didn't she see it?
Man of Few Words Lu Chen decided to give Xia Xi another chance, but he still didn't want to type. So he sent over a—
Cat peeking emoji.
Timing it perfectly, he recalled it before the two-minute limit.
A heavy, low-pressure atmosphere hung over the Lu Corporation. The employee giving the report was trembling with fear and finally couldn't help but remind him.
"President Lu, your alarm went off again."
The cold-looking man skillfully lowered his head, turned off the alarm, recalled the emoji. The WeChat page was neatly lined with one-sided ["You recalled a message"] notifications.
"..."
Lu Chen had had enough. What on earth was Xia Xi doing? He decided to just spell it out.
[No. 1 Fish in City X, Lu Chen]: Girl, the profile picture is me. Not satisfied?
...
Xia Xi and the company trainees stood in a row for the camp entry check.
The two-week company training had ended, and they were about to enter the official recording of "Pick 101." All 101 trainees would move into the villa arranged by the program crew.
A staff member shouted through a loudspeaker, "Everyone, get ready in advance. Hand over your snacks and all electronic devices. No phones allowed... You, take off your shoe."
The shoe came off, revealing a phone.
From time to time, trainees trying to hide their phones were caught out. Whether hidden in shoes or in waist-high stockings, none escaped.
The scene was filled with the wails of young women. Xia Xi could only marvel. Useless knowledge increased.
So many ways to hide a phone.
The trainee from the same company beside her also wailed, "Xia Xi, won't you die of boredom without your phone?"
Xia Xi could say with certainty, "No." She wasn't very dependent on her phone. After all, most of her time before was spent on martial arts training.
Rui Ziyue: "..." One dared to ask, the other dared to answer.
Seeing how dejected the other girl was, Xia Xi comforted her, "The program's training intensity should be very high. There won't be time to play on the phone." Having one or not would make little difference.
Same-company trainee: Even more miserable!
Even though everyone was reluctant, they had to follow the rules and obediently hand over their phones. One, two... phones of different brands kept piling up in the transparent box.
It was Xia Xi's turn. She spoke up, "Sorry, please wait a moment."
The staff member looked up, squinting at this overly exquisite face. Was this dissatisfaction with handing over the phone? A troublemaker?
There were always uncooperative contestants every year. The staff was mentally prepared. But before the staff could launch into a lengthy lecture, they saw Xia Xi pull out, like magic, one, two, three... a full six phones.
Xia Xi politely indicated, "Alright now."
Staff member: ???
Xia Xi's "wait a moment" was because even prepared, pulling out six phones still took some time.
As a qualified player, multiple phones were the original owner's tribute to the game. For Xia Xi, six phones were a burden.
A bit heavy.
After handing them all over, even her walking pace felt lighter. She was probably one of the few who didn't dislike this rule, even somewhat liking it.
...
The company manager wondered what kind of person Xia Xi really was. If Rui Ziyue could tell the manager, she would say two words—
A beast.
As soon as the sky began to lighten, Xia Xi opened her eyes right on time, got up, and washed up. Her movements were very light, not making much noise, but someone had switched beds and wasn't sleeping soundly to begin with.
"Is it time to film the show?" one of the trainees asked Xia Xi, bleary-eyed.
Xia Xi, already dressed, leaned close and whispered, "No, I'm going for a morning run. Go back to sleep."
After saying that, she gently closed the other girl's eyes with her hand. Feeling reassured, the girl nodded vaguely and quickly drifted back to sleep.
Rui Ziyue, who witnessed everything from the top bunk: This is just absurd!
Glancing at the clock showing it wasn't even five yet: This is just absurd!
The official recording hadn't even started yet. This was a rare chance to rest and sleep in, so why was Xia Xi getting up so early?
Since the official recording hadn't begun, there were no class assignments yet, so the contestants were basically assigned dorm rooms based on their companies.
Their teammate could fall back asleep, but Rui Ziyue found she couldn't quite settle back down.
Meanwhile, Xia Xi, the suspected instigator of internal competition within the team, was wearing a white tracksuit, running lap after lap around the villa, seemingly tireless.
The morning air was fresh. Morning runs were a long-standing routine for her, and this body needed even more training.
At this early hour, not many people in the villa were up; most were still deep in sleep. Besides Xia Xi, there was one other person.
Right on schedule, as Xia Xi estimated, the other figure appeared in her line of sight.
She was likely also one of the 101 contestants. Unlike Xia Xi, who wore no makeup, Morning Runner No. 2 was fully covered up: black tracksuit, mask, hat—the whole works.
For several days in a row now, the two would always meet during a certain time slot, running around the villa. She hadn't greeted Xia Xi, so Xia Xi didn't approach to break that subtle harmony.
Running together, listening to each other's equally strong footsteps was enough.
Today, Xia Xi encountered this unfamiliar running partner again and gave her a faint smile. Whether Morning Runner No. 2 smiled behind her mask was impossible to tell, but she seemed to receive Xia Xi's gesture, as she nodded back at her.
The villa's security was top-notch, tasked with protecting 101 trainees, with cameras covering every corner.
The security guard on the morning shift steeped a cup of green tea, sat in front of the monitor screens, and began another beautiful day.
As usual, he saw the two figures, one in black, one in white, chasing each other around the villa.
The guard provided a dramatic voiceover for the scene, "She runs, she pursues, neither can escape."
...
Morning Runner No. 2 always finished earlier than Xia Xi. Xia Xi would continue running for nearly another hour, which was generally enough time for the rest of the villa's contestants to gradually wake up.
Also waking up were the fans of various contestants stationed not far from the villa.
Although the program hadn't released the final list, fans, resourceful as ever, had their ways. While most trainees were unknown, some already had millions of followers on Weibo.
On this day, in the topic square for "Pink 101," netizens were begging for some sneak peek photos of the well-known contestants, but the answer was negative.
[However, we discovered a beauty swift as the wind!]
[A fairy-like pretty sister, completely bare-faced, and her looks can hold up incredibly well!]
The keywords—beauty, fairy-like pretty sister, completely bare-faced and holding up well—coupled with the double exclamation marks, were enough to grab attention.
But netizens are cautious these days. No matter how excited, they insist on seeing proof.
[Where's the pic? No pic, no talk.]
[No picture, no truth.]
The poster who shared the news was also frustrated. [There are pictures, but they're all blurry. Why do you think I said 'swift as the wind'!]
