Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The rehearsal began in the afternoon.

When Xing Shi and the others got back to the company, it was just after 3:30 PM. The teacher knew they wouldn’t be in the mood for class, so he pointed out the day's issues and let them manage their time, resuming training in the evening.

Xing Shi decided to find a place to slouch and play on his phone.

A trainee, one of those who had been nervous and out of sync during the rehearsal, approached him.

He had a worried look on his face. “Brother Xing, if we don’t do well in the rehearsal, will the boss get upset?”

Xing Shi said, “No.”

The trainee looked uneasy. “Are you sure?”

Xing Shi nodded. “Sure. The boss won’t get upset over something this small.”

From what he had observed, although Fu Xiuning had a nasty personality, he wasn’t the type to get angry over minor matters. Even Lin Kecheng, who was suspected of orchestrating an assassination attempt, was still treated with a smiling face in front of him. So, it was even less likely he would care about other things.

But saying this might be a bit discouraging.

Xing Shi comforted him, “This is just a rehearsal, not the actual performance. It’s normal to make mistakes. Don’t worry.”

The trainee felt more at ease, thanked him, and went off to practice.

Someone nearby chimed in, “Why is the boss so focused on this performance? He’s even personally overseeing the rehearsal.”

Xing Shi looked at them. “Would you believe me if I said I’m not that close to him?”

Everyone gave him a silent, skeptical look. The boss personally giving out small cakes during the rehearsal, and you say you’re not close? Who would buy that?

Sometimes, silence says more than words.

Seeing their expressions, Xing Shi knew the answer and gave up trying to explain.

He thought for a moment.

If he had to guess, as long as they didn’t make a huge mess that would be ridiculed by the outside world, Fu Xiuning wouldn’t care.

He said, “Just… give it your best.”

The others pondered his words and left one by one.

The second rehearsal was a week later.

Fu Xiuning didn’t show up, much to the relief of the trainees.

The alliance between Lin Kecheng and Xing Shi had expired again, and the two renewed it.

Xing Shi’s favorability remained at -7. He and the system had prepared a reason, but this time, Lin Kecheng didn’t ask for it.

Lin Kecheng had seen through the gap between his “-8” and decided it was better to avoid it.

He asked, “Have you seen him recently?”

Xing Shi replied, “Only once at the school. I asked the system if you wanted to probe for information, but you refused.”

Lin Kecheng nodded. He felt that the interval since the last time was too short, and bringing it up again so soon would be annoying and tactless.

He leaned closer and quietly instructed, "The next time you see him, you can bring it up. Say it like this..."

Xing Shi listened and immediately agreed, "Sure thing."

The system had also heard and commented, "He really knows how to put himself on a pedestal. Do you really want to help him?"

Xing Shi said, "Of course, he's an ally. We need to keep it honest."

The system didn’t understand what he was thinking but didn’t stop him. It figured that Lin Kecheng, at most, would end up being a -4 after everything, which wasn’t a threat.

This rehearsal went more smoothly than the last one. There were barely any issues.

The trainees were happy with how they performed and headed back to the company in high spirits.

The next morning, Xing Shi went back to school for classes. After class, he was about to use the system’s location-tracking feature for the first time to check where Fu Xiuning was. As luck would have it, he spotted Fu Xiuning nearby right after leaving the building.

With the upcoming school anniversary, colorful flags were hung along the main roads, and themed posters were seen everywhere on campus. Display boards were set up showing the school’s history, the achievements of alumni from past graduations, and the award-winning accomplishments of outstanding students from this year.

In addition, the school had invited well-known alumni to give lectures, and related posters were put up.

Fu Xiuning was holding two books and looking at one of the posters.

As the weather was getting warmer, he was dressed in a white shirt and jeans, looking refined and as pleasing to the eye as ever.

Xing Shi rarely saw him so relaxed, so he smiled as he approached. "Senior, what a coincidence!"

Fu Xiuning glanced over, knowing it wasn’t a coincidence. He had come specifically to wait for Xing Shi.

He had checked Xing Shi’s class schedule and knew he had a class nearby, so he came.

In fact, he had tried to arrange a chance meeting a few days ago, but Xing Shi had skipped class. He could have gone straight to the practice rooms at the company, but that would draw too much attention, and he didn’t have a solid reason. So, he decided to meet at school to gradually build their interactions.

He nodded in response and asked, "How was the rehearsal yesterday?"

Xing Shi walked alongside him. "It was good, very smooth."

Fu Xiuning asked, "When is the final rehearsal?"

Xing Shi said, "The day after tomorrow."

He began helping his ally. "I ran into Senior Lin at the auditorium yesterday. He was collecting information about entertainment companies and had made a comparison chart, as if he was going to pick one. But our company wasn’t on the list, boss."

Fu Xiuning looked at him.

Xing Shi was serious. "I think Senior Lin is really sharp, well-connected, and emotionally intelligent—perfect for the entertainment industry. And since he’s from our prestigious Z University, he could even go the academic route."

Fu Xiuning continued to look at him, waiting for him to continue.

Xing Shi was puzzled. "I asked him why he didn’t choose our company, but he wouldn’t say. Is it because he doesn’t want to pull strings, or is there something I’m missing?"

He then concluded, "Those were his exact words. He asked me to sound you out."

The system: "Huh?"

Wait, is this what you call honesty?

Fu Xiuning had expected this and said calmly, "He really trusts you to entrust you with something like this."

The system suddenly tensed up, thinking, *Yeah, on the surface, how long had Xing Shi and Lin Kecheng known each other? How did they become so close so fast?*

Xing Shi blinked. "You probably won’t believe this."

Fu Xiuning recognized the tone. It reminded him of when the system had asked Xing Shi why he was so insistent on forming an alliance.

He looked at Xing Shi, curious about what he’d say next.

Xing Shi said, "Boss, you wouldn’t believe it. Senior Lin has a long-lost younger brother. He said that when he first saw me, he felt an immediate connection, like he was seeing his brother. That’s probably why he trusts me."

Fu Xiuning asked gently, "So, why didn’t you two get a DNA test done?"

Xing Shi replied, "I don’t think our appearances have anything to do with DNA, so I didn’t bring it up to avoid hurting his feelings."

Fu Xiuning nodded and asked again, "He trusts you like a brother, and you’re betraying him so easily?"

Xing Shi didn’t even blink. "To be honest, Senior, I’ve always wanted an older brother."

Fu Xiuning fell silent.

Xing Shi continued sincerely, "The first time I saw you, I wanted you to be my brother."

Fu Xiuning chuckled, having already guessed what was coming.

He had to admit, despite the resemblance that made him uneasy, this kid was often sharp in a way that appealed to him.

"Beep."

"Current favorability: -6."

System: "!"

This favor was pulled off perfectly!

Xing Shi felt a surge of optimism, thinking that today’s luck would make things easier moving forward.

He asked, "Want some coffee? It’s on me."

Fu Xiuning didn’t refuse.

The two went to the nearest coffee shop. After sitting down and ordering, Xing Shi first instructed the system to patch things up in case Lin Kecheng let something slip.

After understanding the core idea, the system sent a message.

"My host followed your instructions and probed Fu Xiuning’s thoughts. Fu Xiuning didn’t say anything specific, and they’re still talking. My host, to build a closer relationship with you, said that you have a long-lost younger brother, that you two hit it off like close brothers, and that you genuinely hope to conquer the entertainment industry together with your brother."

Lin Kecheng received the message and thought, *This fool actually did a decent job this time,* replying, "Good, thank him for me. From now on, he’s my real brother!"

The system thought, *If he knew what was actually said, he wouldn’t think so.*

It relayed the message back to Xing Shi.

Xing Shi complimented the system and yawned, saying, "Give me a Level Two Punishment."

The system replied, "...Ah?"

Xing Shi said, "It’s rare to sit with Fu Xiuning and gain a point. I want to boost my state and press my advantage."

Xing Shi said, "Come on, don't you want to add more points?"

The system, naturally, obliged and activated the Level Two Punishment for him.

Xing Shi's main reason for meeting Fu Xiuning today was to get the Level Two Punishment, while helping Lin Kecheng send a message was just an afterthought.

He had allied with Lin Kecheng four times, exploiting the system four times, but those tiny energy transfers were still nowhere to be found, as though they never existed. So, he decided to give this a try.

He felt the familiar energy transfer spread throughout his body and immediately tried to absorb it.

Five seconds later, the punishment ended.

The downside was that the energy transfer during the punishment was more difficult to absorb; he failed to absorb any of it.

But the pain was significantly reduced, indicating that the small amounts of energy from the previous four times hadn't vanished but were lying dormant, ready to accumulate.

Fu Xiuning sat across from him, quietly observing Xing Shi.

He could only overhear the conversation between the host and the system and feel the energy fluctuations. He had noticed that when the system interacted with others, they couldn't perceive the energy fluctuations at all.

Xing Shi was a transmigrated host using an ordinary body from this world. Why were there so many exceptions?

Moreover, was Xing Shi like him, able to sense energy, or could he do more? And what did "more" refer to?

It was a difficult question.

Because Xing Shi wouldn't discuss these things with the system, Fu Xiuning couldn't hear them and could only increase daily interactions, using bits and pieces to guess and deduce the truth.

He asked, "You're buying the coffee, so I'll buy the desserts. Want some?"

Xing Shi perked up, "Yes!"

Fu Xiuning then added two desserts.

The two sat in the café until noon and had lunch together.

In the afternoon, Xing Shi had to train and rode with Fu Xiuning to the company, where they parted ways.

Two days later, Xing Shi and the others had their final rehearsal, which went smoothly, giving everyone confidence.

They rested early and got up before six the next morning.

This was their first public performance, and even though there was no money involved, the teachers didn't slack off.

The makeup artists were ready and efficiently did their makeup, some even using disposable hair dye. After finishing their looks, they drove straight to Z University.

The Z University anniversary celebration finally commenced.