While rummaging through a cabinet and chatting with the live stream audience, Wu Zhiqi said, “Anyway, let’s continue the segment from before, shall we? Ta-da—”
Wu Zhiqi displayed the tape she had just found. “Exclusive preview of unreleased footage!”
Fang Peng strolled slowly near the practice rooms, with Fu Le following beside him.
No matter how logical Yu Xi and Yi Chen sounded, he did not want to stick his neck out for these trainees. He chose to stick with Fang Peng to minimize his own presence as much as possible.
The contestants had been offline for a long time and had no idea about the live stream buzz. They focused solely on their reflections in the mirrors, endlessly preparing for the next stage performance.
Fang Peng entered one of the rooms. “Wow, you young people these days are really full of energy.”
Yu Xi and Yi Chen teamed up again.
They headed together to the classroom where the contestants had once held auditions. Their audition files were stored there as well.
They displayed content that the production team had permitted for release but had never actually aired.
The trainees’ resumes appeared on screen.
The production team required audition photos to be bare-faced. In the files, the trainees looked very youthful, without the uniform heavy makeup. Each face had its own unique character.
Yu Xi flipped through page by page until he reached Wen Yimeng.
The file briefly recorded Wen Yimeng’s family situation. His personality seemed naturally aloof, and the photo showed little expression on his face. But back then, he appeared peaceful overall, with a heart-shaped necklace hanging against his chest, right over his heart.
Yu Xi had seen that necklace before.
In the hospital.
On the boy who said he was pregnant and there for a prenatal checkup.
Yu Xi closed the file.
The live stream screen shook as Yu Xi and Yi Chen headed somewhere else. Soon, a boy appeared in front of them.
It was Wen Yimeng.
Wen Yimeng had woken up not long ago. Geng Nian had left the dorm to cooperate with filming, so Yu Xi had asked the dorm staff to arrange for Wen Yimeng to meet them in a secluded spot.
“We’re doing a live stream right now.” The moment he saw Wen Yimeng, Yu Xi told him the truth directly.
Wen Yimeng froze.
The barrage exploded in shock too.
From the audience’s view, they could not see who Yu Xi and Yi Chen were meeting—only a snow-white T-shirt, the most nondescript outfit. They could not guess who it was for the moment.
【What? Why say it right away?】
【Spoilers! You spilled it—how can the visit continue now?!】
【I haven’t gotten my fill of the follow-up yet! More fodder!】
【Who is it? Who’d you tell just like that? Someone trustworthy?!】
But Wen Yimeng only froze for an instant.
He probably knew why Yu Xi and Yi Chen had come looking for him.
That idiot Chen Manman must have been exposed.
For the bullying to persist in the Training Camp, someone had to be covering it up—someone who could silence everyone. It was obvious who, even if you used your toe to think.
“I don’t know anything,” Wen Yimeng refused to communicate, turning his head away.
“I’ve seen you at the hospital,” Yu Xi said.
Wen Yimeng looked at Yu Xi.
Yes. They had bumped into each other at the hospital.
But he had bundled himself up tightly back then. How had Yu Xi recognized him?
Yu Xi pointed at his chest—the heart-shaped necklace he had hidden inside his collar.
Yu Xi said, “The live stream will sync the next part of our conversation. You can choose to answer, not answer, or just leave directly.”
Wen Yimeng had no idea what they wanted. A flash of displeasure crossed his eyes.
But he did not leave.
“Three days before you came to the show, your parents got into a car accident,” Yi Chen spoke up. “Racing bikers cut across the mountain road. Your parents were turning a corner in a blind spot. The bikers rushed over, and to avoid them, your parents’ car lost control and plunged straight off the road. In the car at the time were your parents and your little sister.”
“Your parents died on the spot. Your sister fell into a coma.”
“Wow!” Wu Zhiqi was watching footage of Geng Nian that had not aired. “Our Captain Geng rides so cool! Did you see his motorcycle? Super badass!”
The video footage had been shot by the Chase Dream Star production team for editing purposes. What Wu Zhiqi played now was material that had not made it into the final cut.
In the footage, Geng Nian performed a flashy stunt on his motorcycle, speeding like the wind. Then he stopped, took off his helmet, and leaned against the bike. “Actually, riding a motorcycle is a very dangerous sport. I don’t recommend it for ordinary people. Me? I got into a car accident recently—dislocated my arm and nearly couldn’t make it to the show with everyone. Luckily, I’m fine.”
Yu Xi said, “Your family was actually well-off. Your parents ran a decent-sized company. But the accident was too sudden. You threw yourself entirely into caring for your comatose sister and neglected the company. Without its backbone, with no one steering the ship, the shareholders took advantage. They sold off your parents’ life’s work to some big corporation, leaving you with barely enough living expenses—not even enough for a week of your sister’s ICU stay.”
“Hey, Uncle Peng, you don’t know, but Captain Geng is really impressive!” During a break, Fang Peng chatted with the trainees. Fang Peng spoke mildly and listened attentively, so the trainees loved talking to him.
“Captain Geng told us that he got bored recently and acquired a company. He’d actually wanted that company for a long time. He waited a while, saw it run into trouble, then had his insiders start moving. I didn’t get the details of what he did, but anyway, he struck decisively. After lying low for so long, he finally hit his opponent hard. Total business war protagonist vibes!”
Wen Yimeng’s expression turned extremely ugly.
He clenched his fists tightly, so hard that his knuckles turned white, so hard that his nails dug marks into his palms, so hard that his arms trembled.
But he could not deny the facts Yu Xi and Yi Chen stated.
He did not even need to ask how they knew.
These events had been reported across various platforms. His family, his accident—they were just a tiny drop in the flood of information. But undeniably, they were etched into the internet; it was just that no one knew he was involved.
“You joined the show to make money,” Yu Xi said. “Your sister’s medical bills are too high. Luckily, you slipped in at the tail end of the auditions and got selected. No matter the final results, you’d get a decent payout. At least enough to tide you over.”
“Hey, you and Wen Yimeng were on a show together. You two don’t get along either?” Fu Le tried every way to lower his presence, but some troublemaking trainee always sidled up during chats. “I don’t like him much either. Always with that sour face. Without Captain Geng, where would he get any attention?”
Fu Le: “…”
Fu Le placated him vaguely. “Haha, really? Is that so?”
“What else?” the trainee muttered softly. “How else did Wen Yimeng get on your show? There were several people ranked above him. Why pick him and not them? He licked up to Brother Geng for it, all pitiful and begging, saying he needed money—like a beggar pretending to be proud.”
“You ran into him on the show,” Yi Chen looked into Wen Yimeng’s eyes and spoke the truth. “He caused your parents’ death, your sister’s coma, your company to be carved up, and you to lack the means to keep treating her. He took everything from you and even stripped your dignity, insulting your character.”
“You’re not really the silent type, are you?”
“You just feel disgusted—with yourself for selling your dignity, with yourself for swallowing your anger to make money.”
Wen Yimeng’s breathing quickened noticeably.
He felt disgusted. He really did.
He had met Geng Nian.
Geng Nian mocked in his ear about the couple who drove off the cliff, mocked the dogs who sold the company for petty gains, mocked the dumbass brother who missed the company’s upheaval because he was caring for his sister.
On the day he Differentiated, Geng Nian maliciously locked him in the dorm, hugged him with those disgusting hands, and forbade any resistance.
He insulted him, cursed him, beat him, forcibly took his Pheromone Blocker Patch, took his suppressants, and made him beg miserably during his Heat Period.
But after every one of those vile acts, he showered him with massive benefits.
Money, rankings, variety show gigs.
Insult him.
Disgust him.
Throw money at him.
Over and over.
But what could he do?
He needed money.
After a long while, Wen Yimeng slowly unclenched his fists.
“What can I do?”
“I could hate him. I could get revenge. I could scream and throttle him, demanding, ‘What about my sister?'”
“But she has to live first!!!”
“I struggled. I swallowed my anger. I felt disgusted. But she has to live!”
His breathing grew ragged, his chest heaving violently, his whole body shaking with agitation.
Yu Xi shoved a bottle of ice-cold cola into his hand.
Ice cola, that calorie bomb, had no business being in the Training Camp practice room. But when emotions ran high, that first sip could suppress all displeasure massively.
Yu Xi had chosen to kick Yi Chen back to the dorm and quietly bring one for Wen Yimeng.
“You need to think long-term,” Yu Xi advised sincerely.
Yu Xi asked, “He’s from a prestigious family. What’s most important to those elite clans?”
Wen Yimeng was momentarily stunned.
The answer was obvious: bloodline.
Once people had money to a certain level, they obsessed over blood ties.
Yi Chen chuckled beside Yu Xi. “His main heir is ruined. So what’s next?”
“You can take even more from him.”
