Chapter 18: Fist
Yan Zige’s thoughts at that moment were beyond words, evident to everyone present. His inner self was filled with confusion.
Unfortunately, Lou Ting acted as if nothing had happened and continued in a serious tone, “Thank you very much, mentors, for your selfless dedication. You see, who wouldn’t want to present their best side to the fans on camera? Who wouldn’t want to dress appropriately and well-fitted? But the mentors have abandoned all of that and put on the team uniforms with us. The mentors are truly remarkable.”
The crowd immediately followed suit and applauded!
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Yan Zige looked at the “youthful and beautiful” fluorescent Barbie pink and felt somewhat apprehensive. He tried to speak and discuss with Lou Ting, “Actually…”
“Mentor Yan, I understand what you mean,” Lou Ting preemptively said, “If you all don’t mind wearing these clothes, as trainees, what’s there to disdain? Everyone, let’s praise the mentors and their broad-mindedness on the public screen.”
Yu Senze hammered the back of the person in front of him.
“Cough, what are you doing?!”
“I’m typing on the keyboard.”
“…”
Mentor: “…”
This is truly embarrassing.
Yan Zige was rendered speechless by Lou Ting’s blockade. Is this kid seeking revenge or what?
Yan Zige couldn’t do anything in front of the camera, so he calmly rolled up his sleeves and said, “Lou Ting, come out with me for a moment.”
Lou Ting took off his jacket, about to go out, but Ji Huan quickly held him back. “Are you going like this? Aren’t you afraid of getting beaten up?”
Lou Ting didn’t understand Ji Huan’s meaning for a moment and asked, “Then how should I go?”
Ji Huan solemnly handed him his own fluorescent yellow team uniform. “Wear something thicker, for protection.”
The other trainees saw this and became restless.
Lou Ting: “…”
Oh boy.
Their brotherly bond has reached its limit.
Yan Zige at the entrance turned his head to look at him. “Lou Ting?”
“I’m here.” Lou Ting politely declined everyone’s gesture of giving him clothes. Just as he stepped out, Yan Zige reached out and hooked his shoulder.
Yan Zige said, “Liang Caijin’s manager isn’t a good person. If she comes looking for you, come to me first, got it?”
Lou Ting initially thought Yan Zige wanted to talk about the team uniform matter, but he didn’t expect him to be concerned about his safety. Lou Ting nodded and said, “Got it.”
“Then, next… let’s talk about the team uniforms.” As he spoke, Yan Zige slowly raised his right hand.
Lou Ting quickly evaded his grasp, wriggling out from under Yan Zige’s arm, and turned to run. “See you later, Mentor Yan!”
Yan Zige shouted, “You haven’t taken your team uniform—!”
Lou Ting waved his hand without looking back and yelled, “Leave it for the mentors! You’ll look especially handsome in it, Mentor Yan!”
Yan Zige angrily decided to go back and write about the training routine, planning to double Lou Ting’s training.
Back in the classroom, Yan Zige looked at a few young trainees and was about to speak, asking them to clean the classroom.
But those trainees sat up straight nervously and said, “We didn’t hear anything!”
Yan Zige: “…”
Lou Ting’s training will be doubled, super doubled!!!
—
The afternoon shoot ended, and Lou Ting went to the cafeteria to have a meal before returning to the dormitory. He originally had a double room, but upon returning, he noticed that someone else’s belongings had been placed inside.
Lou Ting didn’t have many belongings, and a considerable portion of them were later purchased online. So, his things were neatly placed in his own wardrobe without borrowing from another trainee.
All his belongings were placed properly, so it wouldn’t be crowded even with someone else moving in. Lou Ting sat at the table, eating his meal while habitually browsing his phone, searching for any news about himself online.
Zhan Yunqi’s presence couldn’t be found online anymore, and all of Zhan Yunqi’s works had been taken down. Fans didn’t bother mentioning him, and strangers wouldn’t persistently seek out his news.
In this age of advanced internet connectivity, forgetting about someone’s existence is the easiest thing to do. But… it feels like this matter has become too simple.
Lou Ting knew that releasing that information would deal a fatal blow to Zhan Yunqi’s popularity, but disappearing from the internet almost amounted to self-imposed banishment.
It’s just a video, not that influential. Lou Ting had a feeling that someone must be helping him from behind.
However, the memories of the original owner didn’t include such a person. If there were truly someone willing to lend him a hand in his destitute state, the assistance wouldn’t have been delayed for so long.
After pondering, the only person with such power and willingness to help him seemed to be He Yunzhou.
Lou Ting sent a message to He Yunzhou: [Thank you for what happened this time.]
He Yunzhou didn’t reply immediately, likely being busy. Lou Ting continued scrolling through Weibo.
Compared to the previous deluge of hate comments, the comment section was relatively quiet now. Although there were fewer comments, Lou Ting couldn’t help but admit that he preferred this kind of comment section.
Lou Ting posted his lunch photo.
Lou Ting V: Good afternoon, everyone.
After sending the post, comments immediately sprung up like bamboo shoots in the afternoon.
[Check-in! Good afternoon, Ting Ting!]
【Hey, husband, I’ve told you several times already, you don’t have to purposely post on Weibo. Just finish the dishes I made for you and be good.】
【??? If you had even a single peanut, you wouldn’t get this drunk.】
【All you shallow people only notice the dishes, but I’m different. My husband’s hands are so fair!】
【Hand fetish heaven.】
…
Simple interactions like these can maintain the popularity gained from the previous livestream.
They can also bring themselves closer to their fans.
As for his hand… Lou Ting didn’t realize that his hand, which held the chopsticks, was resting on the edge of the table. Just as he was considering whether to mosaic it, someone suddenly pushed open the door and walked in.
Hearing the sound, Lou Ting instinctively put his phone on standby mode.
“Lou Ting! It really is you. I didn’t believe it when the director told me that you live in this dorm.” The young boy appeared quite young, with short, curly blond hair that quivered as he moved.
The boy, named Yu Yimeng, was enthusiastic towards Lou Ting and ran over to introduce himself. “I’m Yu Yimeng, a former member of ASQ and a dance specialist.”
Lou Ting said, “Hello.”
Yu Yimeng pulled over a nearby chair and sat beside Lou Ting, saying, “I loved your performance on stage that day. You don’t seem like someone who’s very good at dancing, but for some reason, you skillfully avoided mistakes with every movement, presenting them in a different way. You’re really amazing.”
Lou Ting looked at the suddenly close Yu Yimeng and felt a vague resemblance to Yu Senze, but he still wasn’t used to this proximity. He casually stood up and said, “My basic skills are lacking, so I can only do some superficial moves.”
“Hey, where are you going?” Yu Yimeng blinked his eyes. “I wanted to chat with you.”
Lou Ting said, “I’ve finished eating, and I have training in the evening. Rest for a while after your meal.”
“Okay.” Yu Yimeng replied and began to eat with his head down.
Lou Ting covered himself with a blanket. Just as he closed his eyes, he heard Yu Yimeng say, “Have you heard? Liang Yingdi is also living in the dormitory now. It’s really strange. He clearly said he wouldn’t live in the dorm, but now he is, and we all have to live with him.”
“The one who initially refused to live together was him, but he was the first one to come back and live here. I really don’t know what the actor is thinking.”
Yu Yimeng perhaps felt that simply eating was too boring, so he started singing along with the music and occasionally hummed a tune. While eating, he would also talk and smack his lips, taking a sip of water after each sentence.
Lou Ting didn’t want to engage in gossip. He felt that this matter was somewhat related to Liang Yingdi’s (Liang Caijin) manager. He evaded the topic and said, “Hmm, you should focus on eating first.”
After a moment of silence, Yu Yimeng started again, “Do you feel like the dormitory’s temperature control system is broken? I’m so cold.”
“Hey, Lou Ting, don’t fall asleep. It’s okay if you don’t take a nap during the afternoon. Let’s chat. We have free time anyway.”
Lou Ting, who was nearly falling asleep and had been woken up by him: “…”
What’s wrong with this person?
Emotions during the half-asleep state tend to be irritable. Lou Ting glanced at Yu Yimeng, but the latter stared back blankly, seemingly confused. Seeing him sit up, Yu Yimeng appeared to have some lingering emotions.
Lou Ting put on his clothes and said, “I’m going out for a walk.”
“Okay.” Yu Yimeng obediently watched Lou Ting leave. As the door closed, the smile on Yu Yimeng’s face disappeared without a trace.
While lying down, Lou Ting felt a bit tired, but going out for a walk and feeling the cold breeze made him more awake.
As he walked, he felt his phone vibrate twice.
It was a message from He Yunzhou.
【No need to thank me.】
After sending the message, He Yunzhou immediately retracted it.
【It’s only natural.】
Lou Ting: “…?”
Even financial tycoons emphasize the art of speech.
Lou Ting walked around outside for a while, keeping track of the time, and then returned.
It’s not that he didn’t want to live with others in the dormitory, but Yu Yimeng’s behavior felt strange to him. It was a bit too enthusiastic, as if deliberately getting closer, with a purpose behind it.
Yu Senze, Ji Huan, and He Yunzhou were also enthusiastic, but it was different from Yu Yimeng. Yu Yimeng seemed to be intentionally trying to get closer, with a hidden motive.
He might be a bit overly sensitive, but there was nothing wrong with being careful; better safe than sorry.
On his way back, Lou Ting coincidentally ran into Yu Senze, who was wearing the bright yellow team uniform with white pants. At least they had the decency to make the pants a different color; it would be difficult to pull off an entirely monochrome outfit.
Seeing that Lou Ting wasn’t wearing the team uniform, Yu Senze asked, “Lou Ting, where were you just now?”
Lou Ting replied, “I couldn’t sleep at noon, so I went out for a walk.”
Yu Senze reminded him, “The director just delivered the team uniforms to the dorm. Remember to go back and put on the uniform before going to shoot the program. It wouldn’t look good if you’re not captured on camera while everyone else is wearing it.”
With a unified team uniform, if someone didn’t wear it, they could be criticized for being difficult to work with. Especially among the popular influencers and the actors, if they all wore it except for him, he would become a target for online bullying.
Lou Ting understood this principle and nodded, saying, “Alright.”
Yu Senze said, “I’ll go to the assembly first. Make sure you’re on time too.”
“Okay.” Each group had a different assembly time, so Lou Ting wasn’t in a hurry and walked back slowly.
When he pushed open the door and entered, Yu Yimeng had already changed into the team uniform and was looking at himself in the mirror.
When Yu Yimeng saw him come in, he asked, “Lou Ting, do I look good like this?”
“You look good.” Lou Ting casually responded. He unpacked the team uniform set from his bed, but as soon as he lifted it, a series of ripping and rustling sounds followed, and all that remained in his hand was a small intact piece of fabric.
“Oh no! Lou Ting, what happened to your team uniform? It’s so strange. Was it cut by someone? How unfortunate! We’re going to record the program soon, but what will you wear without a team uniform?”
Yu Yimeng walked over, looking particularly sad, and said, “You weren’t in the dorm just now, and I was the only one in the dorm. I didn’t protect your team uniform properly. You won’t blame me, will you?”
Lou Ting slowly raised his head and glanced at him.
Yu Yimeng appeared to be distressed, but in reality, his intentions were far from innocent.
Lou Ting said, “No, I won’t.”
Yu Yimeng smiled and said, “That’s good. I…”
Suddenly, Lou Ting swung his fist towards Yu Yimeng, narrowly missing his face, and it struck the support pole behind his bed with a loud “thud.”
Yu Yimeng was immediately frightened and dumbfounded.
“Since it’s just the two of us here, I thought I’d practice my martial arts skills and exercise my body. But if I accidentally disfigure you, you won’t blame me, will you?” Lou Ting sneered, letting out a mocking laugh. He raised an eyebrow slowly and stretched out his tone, saying, “Hmmm—?”
***
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