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Buy one, get the second at half price, just like a ‘second cup half-off’ deal. Half-price is certainly sweet, but having someone to share that second cup with is even sweeter!

Jing Heguang smiled and said, “I’m pretty good at being thrifty and managing the household, aren’t I?”

The guy with the buzzcut glanced at the brand logo on the box and was momentarily speechless.

The other two trainees from Class A were more composed. Whether they didn’t recognize the brand or genuinely didn’t know it, their praise sounded sincere.

“Teacher Jing is so down-to-earth! I thought you’d be the aloof, untouchable type.”

“Teacher Jing is much friendlier than I imagined! Xing’an is so lucky!”

Luan Xing’an had gained exposure even before the show started, thanks to a trending topic, #JingHeguangSuspectedBoyfriend#, which had shot straight to the number one spot.

Initially, the trainees hadn’t been fond of someone who clearly had powerful connections backing them. Although they themselves had resources and pre-show publicity, Jing Heguang was a head mentor.

However, upon meeting him, they found Luan Xing’an to be sweet-faced and honest-seeming, plus he had proven his talent with excellent work.

Add to that the presence of Qu Liuguang, who flaunted his status and antagonized everyone in Class A, Luan Xing’an seemed all the more likable by comparison.

Therefore, Class A trainees lost their animosity toward Luan Xing’an and actually began to warm up to him.

While the online trio envied Luan Xing’an, Qu Liuguang, who had been cut off from the internet for extra training, began to sense something was off.

It seemed like everyone knew Jing Heguang and Luan Xing’an were close. Shouldn’t that kind of relationship be kept under wraps on a show like this?!

Confused and deciding not to chime in, Qu Liuguang grabbed the phone he’d secretly stashed away and slipped into the restroom.

***

Inside the restroom.

Qu Liuguang first messaged the woman, telling her to use his money to dig up information on Luan Xing’an, before finally searching for the name ‘Luan Xing’an’ online. A quick search cleared up his earlier confusion.

It turned out that Luan Xing’an was signed to Jing Heguang’s studio.

No wonder the two were so close. No wonder Jing Heguang wouldn’t play along whenever Qu Liuguang tried to steal the spotlight.

It wasn’t that Jing Heguang didn’t understand or lacked social savvy, it was that Qu Liuguang’s attempts to hog the limelight would harm Jing Heguang’s own interests!

Qu Liuguang felt he finally understood the situation, though he also realized that his planned strategy of leveraging connections wouldn’t work here.

He knew the heiress of Huaxing Entertainment, and they were on good terms.

But he couldn’t involve the Qu family in this matter, which meant he couldn’t let the elders at Huaxing find out. Subtle, indirect maneuvers wouldn’t shake Jing Heguang’s foundation, rendering them useless.

However, in the world of fame and fortune, the exchange of interests always works.

He could offer Jing Heguang something that Luan Xing’an could never provide.

Qu Liuguang mentally tallied the resources his family had prepared for him. He decided that once he received the definitive results, he would use one of those assets to entice Jing Heguang.

Even if Luan Xing’an had no connection to the Qu family, he had still stolen Qu Liuguang’s spotlight and disrupted his plan to become a top-tier star right out of the gate. Qu Liuguang was determined to drive him away regardless.

***

Jing Heguang chatted briefly with the others and finished filming the ‘answering minor questions’ segment for the show. Once the cameraman left, everyone washed up and went to bed.

It was very late, after all.

In the darkness…

Lying in bed, Jing Heguang and Luan Xing’an were positioned head-to-head. They could almost hear each other’s breathing.

Soon, both of them fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Qu Liuguang found himself facing Jing Heguang’s large bare feet. Although he was pointing his own feet toward the other man, he felt deeply annoyed.

He had grown up having everything go his way, even setting aside his family background, his looks alone ensured a smooth path in life. No one had ever treated him with such indifference before!

***

At nine o’clock the next morning, everyone got up to wash, freshen up, and have breakfast. Before 10:00 AM, the trainees gathered in their respective class groups.

The four mentors headed to Class A’s classroom first.

Xu Kaiwen greeted the trainees cheerfully, while the other mentors followed suit with smiles.

Holding the script, Jing Heguang made the announcement: “Over the next three days, you will be preparing for your first performance stage. As for Class A, you have been allocated three performance slots.”

“Three performances?!”

“Does that mean we can perform three acts simultaneously?”

“Or do the five of us split into three groups of varying sizes to perform separately?”

Zhang Qi smiled gently. “Three separate performances. It doesn’t mean the five of you have to appear in every single one doing all three acts together.”

“Therefore, you have a few options regarding the format.” Chu Chu grinned mischievously. “You could go with a one-two-two split, or a one-one-three split.”

Xu Kaiwen gloated, “What a thrilling competition format, I love it!”

Whether it was a one-two-two or a one-one-three split, unfairness was inevitable. And where there is unfairness, competition arises.

The five members of Class A exchanged glances, stunned by the production team’s wild idea.

Jing Heguang said, “Discuss it amongst yourselves, and once you’ve decided, write the names on the small whiteboard. See you later!”

The four mentors gave a light wave and headed off to the next class.

Class B had six members, Class C had fourteen, and Class D had fifteen.

Class B was allocated three performance slots. Class C got five, and Class D got four.

In Class B, it averaged out to two people per performance, not too bad. In Class C, it was three people per performance. By the time it reached Class D, it was nearly four people per performance. The further down the list you went, the less individual stage time each person got.

Yet, the competition was fiercest in Class A.

The trainees in Classes C and D wouldn’t dream of fighting for a solo act, that would be a jerk move. Class B’s slots were just right for group pairings, so there was no need to fight over them.

Only Class A had the option of a solo performance.

Qu Liuguang immediately claimed the solo spot. The other trainees, already dissatisfied with him, promptly started arguing with him over it.

Four handsome, tall, and long-limbed young men stood like fighting cocks, chests out, heads held high, ready to showcase their strengths and battle it out to see who would win the solo performance. Just as the tension was about to boil over, Luan Xing’an timidly raised his hand.

“Um…are we doing a 1-1-3 split or a 1-2-2 split?” What was the point of fighting over the solo slots before they’d even decided on the lineup?

They needed to reach a consensus before moving forward.

The four ‘fighting cocks’ exchanged glances.

“1-2-2?”

“1-1-3?”

“1-2-2?”

“1-1-3?”

Great, it was a two-versus-two deadlock.

Finally, all four turned to Luan Xing’an. He said, “I support the 1-1-3 split. So, that means we’ll have two solo acts and one trio act.”

“Fine,” Qu Liuguang said. “Then let’s have a battle!”

A tall, thin guy scoffed, “A battle? You want to battle? Our battles cover all three disciplines, can you even rap?”

Qu Liuguang’s rapping was actually just average, but he wasn’t about to back down. “Bring it on!”

Of the three disciplines, he was strong in two. The others had their own weaknesses too, even the standout Luan Xing’an had two weak points!

Upon hearing this, the guy with the buzz cut looked over at the quiet Luan Xing’an. “Xing’an, why don’t you be the judge?” It would be a good way to get some screen time.

It was obvious Luan Xing’an wouldn’t win a battle against the others, both dance and rap were his weak suits.

But Luan Xing’an shook his head. Speaking in a steady, moderate volume and with a determined gaze, he said, “I’m joining the battle, too.”

Brother Jing had told him: it was okay if he didn’t win the battle, but he couldn’t keep failing to put himself out there.

Besides, Luan Xing’an wanted to be famous now. He wanted more and more…he wanted more people to hear his songs!

The other four were taken aback again. Luan Xing’an seemed to have a childish stubbornness, insisting on going for it even when he knew he couldn’t win.

Still, it was his choice, so no one objected.

The five of them took turns showcasing their skills in the three categories: singing, dancing, and rapping. Their performances were captured on camera, seen by the mentors, and would eventually be seen by the audience.

Luan Xing’an handled the first task with ease and delivered a brilliant vocal performance.

However, for the second task, Luan Xing’an put on a display of flailing limbs, an effort that was earnest but undeniably comical.

Coincidentally, the other four trainees could all dance, which made Luan Xing’an appear even more clumsy by comparison.

After finishing his dance, Luan Xing’an blushed deeply. “I…I only know how to do this,” he said, looking thoroughly embarrassed.

***

Meanwhile, in the mentors’ room, Zhang Qi and Chu Chu were leaning against each other, laughing.

Zhang Qi chuckled, “That kid is just too adorable! He’s giving it his all, even if it looks a bit embarrassing.”

Chu Chu agreed, “So cute! I just want to pinch his cheeks. If only my bratty younger brother were half as well-behaved.”

Xu Kaiwen also found the boy likable and saw potential for future stardom. Just as he was about to compliment Jing Heguang on his keen eye, he glanced over and saw Jing Heguang resting his handsome face on his hand, smiling with an expression of…fatherly affection?

Xu Kaiwen mused: Perhaps Jing Heguang hadn’t sent the boy here merely to be a money-making machine, maybe, for once, he was actually doing a good deed?

***

Back in Class A classroom, the five trainees had finished showcasing their skills across all three categories.

Qu Liuguang smiled confidently, certain that one of the two solo performance slots would be his.

After all, while his rapping might not match the buzz-cut guy’s and his singing might not be quite as good as Luan Xing’an’s, he figured his rankings across the three categories would be second, second, and first, giving him the highest overall score. But to his surprise, the guy with the buzz cut pulled a small notebook from his pocket and said, “Everyone come grab a slip of paper. It’s an anonymous vote, pick two solo acts.”

“And one more thing,” the buzz-cut guy added seriously. “Xing’an can’t dance or rap. We need to consider how well he fits in. The audience has pretty high expectations for our Class A performances, after all.”

In a three-person routine, if one person falls behind, the other two suffer for it too. It was obvious that Luan Xing’an wasn’t suited for a trio performance.

The buzz-cut guy was being thorough, but his words made Qu Liuguang’s blood boil.

He had assumed the lineup would be based on ability, who knew the guy would insist on a vote? And as if the voting wasn’t bad enough, he was clearly trying to sway the vote in Luan Xing’an’s favor.

Jing Heguang was already biased toward Luan Xing’an, and now this buzz-cut guy was taking his side too!

Luan Xing’an scratched his head and said sheepishly, “Sorry, I’m holding everyone back. I’ll practice hard later.”

His coordination was actually decent, he just disliked dancing and had never really done it before.

Qu Liuguang pursed his lips, planning to corner Jing Heguang later and even if it meant making a small sacrifice, convince him to kick that annoying Luan Xing’an out.

The buzz-cut guy collected the slips, wrote down the five names, and tallied the votes next to each one.

There was a tie with three votes each, the buzz-cut guy and Luan Xing’an. While Qu Liuguang had two votes, and one of the remaining two had a single vote.

“Why are there only nine votes?” The tall, thin guy who had voted for himself felt a bit awkward, wondering: Does a self-vote not count?

The buzz-cut guy said, “Someone only cast a single vote.”

The high-definition camera captured the five slips of paper.

On one sheet, written in neat handwriting, were the names of buzz-cut guy and Qu Liuguang.

Jing Heguang covered his eyes as he saw it clearly: he had been so focused on cultivating Luan Xing’an’s skills that he’d overlooked the kid’s naivety. Maybe he should give his sweet younger brother a lesson on the tricks of the trade later?

Qu Liuguang had only voted for himself, yet the honest Luan Xing’an had actually voted for Qu Liuguang!

But if you asked Luan Xing’an, he simply thought it was only natural to vote for the two strongest performers.

What he hadn’t expected, however, was to receive three votes himself!

The people on the show were just too nice! Everyone was clearly dedicated to putting on a great performance!

Luan Xing’an said with emotion, “I’ll prepare well.”

The three guys, buzz-cut and the others, chuckled.

“Go for it, Xing’an!”

“You can do it. This is Voice of Heaven, and your singing is truly beautiful!”

“I’m just afraid I’ll burst out laughing if I see you dancing next to me! Hahaha!”

On the other side, Qu Liuguang silently lowered his head, gave his thigh a surreptitious pinch, and let his shoulders shake a little.

The camera cut sharply to him, creating a stark contrast between him and the other four.

Hearing the voices die down, Qu Liuguang blinked his stinging eyes and sniffled.

He was crying.

At that moment, a wicked thought crossed Jing Heguang’s mind, he absolutely had to get the director to cut this part! If the director refused, he’d offer three of his own outrageous stunts in exchange!

T/N: A survival talent show with a mentor battling a trainee in scheme. Go for it, AGuang. Protect Xingxing!!! (ﾉ>ω<)ﾉ :｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆ ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)