Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Lin Kecheng asked, "This is -8? Fu Xiuning treats him better than he treats me!"

The system said, "Last time it was indeed -8."

Lin Kecheng instantly understood.

-8 was the value sent when they initiated the alliance the second time. Recently, he had been busy with the school anniversary, while Xing Shi was in rehearsal. Their alliance had expired three days ago. In other words, ten days ago Xing Shi was at -8, but that might have changed by now.

He said, "Request the favorability value right after the alliance."

After giving this instruction, he smiled at Xing Shi and said, "How are your preparations, junior?"

Xing Shi said, "Pretty good."

Lin Kecheng leaned forward and extended his hand. "Good luck, I wish you a smooth rehearsal."

Xing Shi understood and put down his fork to shake his hand.

Both systems started working at the same time, sealing the pact.

Their hands hovered slightly above the table, just in front of Fu Xiuning's line of sight.

This was the first time Fu Xiuning had seen a host form an alliance right under his nose, and it was his first time observing the scene live.

He already knew about the alliance ritual and figured it was no big deal, but the next moment he sensed an energy flow.

It was extremely subtle. If he hadn’t worked with enough hosts, he wouldn’t have noticed it.

Every time he witnessed a system leaving a host, he could feel an energy fluctuation, just like the one now.

But when the system issued punishments, he didn’t feel this kind of energy. He had thought only detachment had this effect, but apparently alliances did too.

This was likely because the biological barrier blocked the punishment from leaking out, whereas no matter how tightly they held hands, there would always be a tiny gap, which he could detect.

Was this why Xing Shi was forming an alliance?

Xing Shi pulled back his hand, satisfied with the small burst of energy flow he’d just siphoned off.

The system, having been asked to share the favorability value by the other side, asked the host’s opinion and sent it over.

Lin Kecheng didn’t want to risk someone finding him, so he didn’t immerse his consciousness and asked the system, "How much?"

The system replied, "-8."

Lin Kecheng couldn’t understand. "How is that possible?"

The system said, "The sharing process can’t be faked. Perhaps... Fu Xiuning found the cake annoying, so he gave it to someone he dislikes even more?"

Unconvinced, Lin Kecheng wanted Xing Shi to try offering another piece.

So, he pushed all the desserts towards Xing Shi, saying, "It’s my first rehearsal, I have a lot on my plate. You guys can chat while you eat."

Xing Shi thanked him with a smile and, noticing the signal Lin Kecheng gave him, gestured towards Fu Xiuning. Understanding the situation, Xing Shi picked up a piece and offered it to Fu Xiuning. "Boss, want some?"

Fu Xiuning, still lost in thought about what had just happened, looked over at him.

Xing Shi smiled and held the dessert out a bit further.

Fu Xiuning took the dessert and secretly sized him up, trying to make small talk. "What position is your performance in?"

Xing Shi replied, "In the middle."

Fu Xiuning asked, "They didn’t put you as the finale?"

Xing Shi said, "The Student Council President and the others considered it at first, but then felt it wasn’t suitable. Except for me, none of the trainees are from our school, so they put us in the middle to ensure there’s a climax during the event."

Fu Xiuning nodded, not really caring about the details.

He suspected Xing Shi was after that energy; otherwise, there would be no reason to form an alliance every week. Was Xing Shi still testing things out, or had he already figured something out?

"Beep beep."

"Current favorability: -7."

Xing Shi was about to spear a piece of fruit on the cake but paused, glancing at Fu Xiuning.

Fu Xiuning appeared normal, his gaze shifting away to the stage as he placed the dessert back on the table.

The system excitedly said, "He was looking at you! You got more points just now!"

Fortunately, after forming an alliance, both parties couldn’t see each other’s favorability changes. Otherwise, it would have definitely stopped Xing Shi from forming the alliance. His favorability always fluctuated, and even a fool could tell he was special in Fu Xiuning's eyes.

It was a good thing the points were added after the alliance this time. Otherwise, they would have had to find an excuse to explain the increase. If next time the alliance dropped back to -8, Lin Kecheng would ask again, which would be troublesome.

Lin Kecheng was feeling frustrated.

He watched helplessly as Fu Xiuning took the dessert, his mood plummeting. "So last time, it was because Xing Shi gave it to him. Why!"

The system struggled to explain, "Because Xing Shi works for his company, so even if he dislikes him, he’s still better than a random stranger?"

Lin Kecheng said, "When he was the Student Council President, I was under him too, and he still wouldn’t accept my stuff!"

The system tried to calm him down, "But look, he put it back. He didn’t eat it."

Lin Kecheng shot back, "But he didn’t reject it. He accepted it!"

The system fell silent. If it could accurately read Fu Xiuning’s mind, it would have helped the host win him over by now. They wouldn’t still be at -5.

Lin Kecheng forced himself to keep his cool. Hearing someone call him, he immediately went over, deciding to take a break from the situation.

Fu Xiuning was used to the host analyzing and comparing his small actions, so he didn’t pay much attention. Last time, he had publicly taken Xing Shi’s bag and a piece of cake, but he didn’t eat it. This time, he wasn’t planning to eat it either.

Meanwhile, Xing Shi was enjoying his dessert.

The fact that the Student Council President came over to give him more food made him even happier.

Halfway through the cake, he saw Yu Yi approaching and asked, "Did the teacher send you?"

Yu Yi shook his head and politely greeted the boss, who acknowledged him. Yu Yi then walked over to Xing Shi’s side and sat down. In a low voice, he said, "The backstage area is full of people. They’re all watching us."

Knowing that Yu Yi was introverted and only opened up once he got comfortable with people, Xing Shi pushed a piece of dessert toward him. "Have some sweets to relax."

Yu Yi glanced at Senior Lin.

Xing Shi said, "Senior Lin got it for us."

Yu Yi confidently opened the package.

They didn’t stick around for long and headed back after finishing their meal.

Lin Kecheng composed himself and returned to watch the rehearsal with Fu Xiuning, asking, "Senior, what’s your take on it?"

Fu Xiuning replied, "Not bad."

Lin Kecheng commented on the performance for a bit, then brought up some creative designs from the event, trying to showcase his abilities.

Fu Xiuning wasn’t really paying attention.

He was thinking about how to keep Xing Shi closer.

The daily routine for the trainees consisted of classes and training, and on weekends, they had to practice from morning till night at the company. They rarely got the chance to meet.

His favorability with Xing Shi was always up and down. Recently, he wasn’t worried about Xing Shi being recalled by the main system, but he still hadn’t figured out the many exceptions. The main issue was the limited time they spent together.

He thought for a moment and remembered something.

Xing Shi’s body had a father, who, according to the system, seemed to have significant status in the industry. It was unclear what the relationship between father and son was like.

If they weren’t on bad terms, the father might ask Qi Changyi to keep an eye on Xing Shi once he found out Xing Shi was at his company. And given how busy Qi Changyi is, he’d likely delegate the task to me.

The performance on stage ended, and the auditorium began to stir. Almost everyone from backstage ran to the front.

Lin Kecheng sat up straight. "The next one is the juniors' group."

Fu Xiuning refocused, hearing the music start as the first group of trainees came up.

Overall, it was decent. Some trainees lacked stage experience, and their nervousness was evident when facing the screaming crowd, causing a few slip-ups.

But this was just the first run-through. There were two more, and they should be able to adjust by then.

Lin Kecheng finally got his chance. "On the day of the official event, they’ll look even better once they put on their performance clothes."

Fu Xiuning hummed in agreement.

Lin Kecheng sighed, "I’ve been spending a lot of time with them lately, listening to their dreams for the future, and I’m kind of starting to want to become an artist too."

He half-jokingly added, "But I’m not as outstanding as they are. I could probably handle variety shows. Senior, do you think I’m cut out for it?"

Before today, Fu Xiuning might have actually considered it.

But after today, he thought it was better for Lin Kecheng to stay in school and form an alliance with Xing Shi once a week.

He said, "You’re more suited for planning."

Lin Kecheng’s expression stiffened, and he forced a laugh. "Planning all the time is exhausting. I kind of want to try something new."

Fu Xiuning gave no response.

Lin Kecheng called out to the system, "Is he saying he doesn’t want me?"

The system wasn’t too optimistic either.

Xing Shi had mentioned this once before, and now the host brought it up again. If Fu Xiuning really had any thoughts about it, this wouldn’t be his reaction.

The system thought for a moment, "If this path doesn’t work, we’ll switch to another one."

Lin Kecheng said, "What do you mean?"

The system replied, "The other boss of June Culture is Qi Changyi. If he approves your entry, you’ll be in. Once you make a name for yourself, Fu Xiuning will notice you again."

Lin Kecheng, of course, knew about Qi Changyi. An A-list actor and award-winning talent, he was extremely popular. Lin asked, "But how do I meet him?"

The system checked some information and replied, "He’s got a movie premiering soon and will be doing a promotional tour here. You should find a chance to win him over first."

Fu Xiuning didn’t bat an eye.

Qi Changyi had entered the industry at 17 and was a seasoned pro who didn’t get played easily.

He came today mainly to try and figure out the alliance situation.

Using a piece of cake as bait, he managed to keep Xing Shi around and, after gathering enough information, left after watching the company’s performance without sticking around longer.

Lin Kecheng escorted him out without bringing up his career plans, not wanting to come off as pushy.

He watched Fu Xiuning drive away and instructed the system to send a message to Xing Shi, asking him to sound out Fu Xiuning, but to discuss the wording with his side first.

At that moment, Xing Shi had just sat in the company’s car.

Normally, participants would stay until the end of the rehearsal, but due to their special status, they left early.

Hearing the system’s message, Xing Shi said, "Looks like his path to stardom isn’t exactly smooth sailing."

The system commented, "He’s not exactly striking, and his luck hasn’t been great—let’s just say he’s got a rough road ahead."

Xing Shi chuckled and was about to close his eyes when his phone buzzed.

He looked and saw a message from an internationally renowned director: "Hey kid, my new movie’s hitting theaters soon, and I’ll be in your neck of the woods for a promo tour. Want me to hold a spot for you?"

He paused for a moment before replying, "Oh, sure."

On the other side, Director He heard the notification and expected a sarcastic 'ha.'

Sighing, he opened the message, closed it after two seconds, then opened it again, only to find the reply hadn’t changed. He was shocked—did the kid actually agree?

It couldn’t be that simple!

He called his assistant, "For the show in City Z, get more security."

The assistant looked puzzled, "Wait, what? Don’t worry, we’ll ensure the artist’s safety."

Director He, with a serious face, as if defusing a bomb, said, "No, you don’t understand. Get even more security."