Chapter 3

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The system asked, “...Is that reliable?”

Xing Shi replied, “Otherwise? You said we don’t even know each other.”

The system checked the data. “But you’re both from Z University. Maybe you did something shady and he happened to catch you. At first glance, he didn’t recognize you, but on closer inspection... Well, I finished checking—nothing.”

That probably meant the host’s guess was right. Otherwise, it couldn’t explain why points were added first, then deducted.

The system was excited.

Over the past few years, Fu Xiuning’s emotional fluctuations had steadily decreased, and his favorability points barely changed, let alone such rapid swings. Though it’s now -10, it had first gone up by one point.

In all these years, no host had ever earned favorability points from Fu Xiuning just based on a face—never!

What did this mean?

It meant that as long as Xing Shi could get Fu Xiuning to drop his prejudice against him, this face could rack up points fast—like hitting the jackpot!

The system eagerly suggested, “You should reveal you’re a student at Z University. He might see you as a junior and maybe won’t dislike you.”

Xing Shi said, “Really? I don’t buy it.”

The system remembered it was dealing with a stubborn mule and asked, “So what do you want to do?”

Xing Shi answered, “Let it be.”

The system got anxious: “What does ‘let it be’ mean?”

Xing Shi explained, “It means I’m overwhelmed and need time to think.”

The system fell silent.

While they were talking, Feng Zifan and the others took the initiative to approach Fu Xiuning, politely asking his name.

Xing Shi heard Fu Xiuning’s voice.

Calm and gentle, just as refined and noble as his presence suggested.

“Fu Xiuning.”

Feng Zifan introduced the three of them on his side, pointed out Xing Shi was already confirmed, and asked, “Your brother is confirmed too, right?”

Fu Xiuning said, “More or less.”

Feng Zifan said, “I see you’re alone. If you don’t mind, join us?”

Fu Xiuning smiled faintly, answering evasively, “I heard there are three practice rooms, so the classes should be divided into three groups practicing simultaneously.”

Feng Zifan’s expression flickered briefly. “Is that so?”

Fu Xiuning nodded calmly and headed to the third floor.

This time, there were both male and female trainees, with boys on the third floor and girls on the fourth.

As Fu Xiuning said, three practice rooms on this floor had signs indicating class divisions. They entered one, and Feng Zifan and Dazhuang lingered briefly before heading to the restroom, leaving the group of four halved.

Xing Shi, observing, grew curious.

He looked at Fu Xiuning. “I heard the retest was also divided into several rooms, with contestants lining up and entering whichever room was free. Is the afternoon class division just as casual, letting us form groups ourselves, or will the company give us a list?”

Fu Xiuning smiled slightly, “How would I know?”

Xing Shi asked the system and got the answer: groups were assigned randomly, just done moments ago.

He chuckled inwardly.

In show business, connections are crucial.

Feng Zifan and the others befriended him, and through his confirmed status, pulled in Fu Xiuning, simply because they thought Fu Xiuning and he had good chances to debut and wanted to establish ties early.

Fu Xiuning saw through this and countered with the class division rule.

With three practice rooms dividing the trainees at once, there were two factors affecting scores: the teachers and the group members.

If the company arranged three groups, the teachers’ judging standards would be roughly equal, leaving only the group members.

If a group’s average skill was mediocre, a slightly outstanding person might get a high score thanks to the contrast.

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Even though Feng Zifan and the others knew they wouldn’t reach the top group, at the last moment they wanted to fight for it, so they didn’t want to be in the same group as the two outstanding “confirmed” trainees and quickly left, probably to gather intel and form alliances, carefully choosing a practice room to wait.

Unfortunately, unlike the retest, this time groups were assigned.

Xing Shi glanced at Fu Xiuning.

Being approached with ulterior motives, seeing through it, cutting to the heart of the matter, causing the others to temporarily shelve their schemes and rush off to hustle, only to find their efforts wasted—this target had a somewhat harsh personality.

Fu Xiuning noticed his gaze and initiated conversation: “What are you good at?”

Xing Shi said, “Eating.”

Fu Xiuning’s expression unchanged, “I meant singing and dancing.”

Xing Shi responded, “Neither.”

Fu Xiuning quietly acknowledged and waited for the system to act as he had planned.

Sure enough, the system chimed in: “How can you tell the boss you’re good at nothing? Can you chat at all?”

Xing Shi said, “It’s the truth.”

“But you have me,” the system said. “We have a lottery program. Newbies get one free spin. If you’re lucky, you might pull a skill point you need for your current situation. But it’s only level one. To upgrade later, you’ll need to exchange points.”

Fu Xiuning was very pleased with this development.

He set up the media company precisely because the “newbie lottery” pool would change with his life.

In fields demanding high expertise, a level one skill point’s effect was limited.

But in show business, as long as an artist’s ability was above passing, they could make money.

Sometimes outsiders praised June Culture’s artists for having a certain “spark” in singing or acting—and that “spark” was the level one skill point’s gift.

The manager he personally chose demanded the host be worked like a beast, driven mercilessly to make money, until someone quit or tried to sabotage him, at which point Fu Xiuning would step in.

This host was a trainee, and his skill points were likely related to talent.

Fu Xiuning maintained a serene expression, patiently planning this new beast’s future career path.

Xing Shi, eager to understand the system’s mechanism, said cheerfully, “Fine, spin the wheel.”

System: “Okay.”

[Newbie Lottery, Good Luck]

[Beep]

[Congratulations, host, you won: Thanks for your patronage]

Xing Shi: “...”

System: “?”

Fu Xiuning: “?”

Both the system and Fu Xiuning fell silent.

The system belatedly realized and broke down: Its program must be broken! No wonder the level one punishment didn’t work!

Fu Xiuning was surprised and dismayed: The newbie pool really contained “Thanks for your patronage”? He thought that only after earning favorability points and exchanging them for spins would this appear.

Xing Shi was ready to seize a big prize, but instead got a participation award.

He was puzzled: “You guys... aren’t 100% guaranteed to win?”

System: “...Yeah.”

It scanned and debugged repeatedly, finding no issues, then reported the problem. The feedback was that no prize had zero probability, only infinitesimally close to zero, so “Thanks for your patronage” could be drawn. As for the level one punishment’s ineffectiveness, it was due to individual differences. The program worked fine with no bugs.

In short: It was just unlucky.

The system was silent for a long time, until someone came to chat. Xing Shi casually pushed them to Fu Xiuning, who dismissed them with a couple of words. The system then perked up: “Don’t just stand there, chat more with Fu Xiuning, add him as a friend.”

Xing Shi watched the departing group and said, “This batch of trainees is no good. They didn’t even react when they heard Fu Xiuning’s name. Don’t they know he’s the boss?”

System: “Don’t blame them. June Culture is a joint-stock company. Fu Xiuning holds the most shares, followed by the movie king Qi Changyi.”

It briefly introduced Qi Changyi.

Qi Changyi started as an idol and was top-tier. Later, he transitioned to acting, won awards, and secured a solid position. When his old contract expired, he co-founded June Culture with friends, making headlines. His massive fanbase’s promotion led the public to assume he was the boss.

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Among these trainees, even if some had curiously researched the company, it was unlikely they’d remember an unfamiliar name. Even those who did remember wouldn’t associate the refined, “future top star” Fu Xiuning with the boss.

After the explanation, Xing Shi said “Oh” and went to the restroom.

When he returned, the entrances of the three practice rooms were surrounded by people because staff had posted the group lists.

By chance, Xing Shi’s assigned practice room was the very one he’d been in earlier, and Feng Zifan was in the same group.

Xing Shi saw him, and they entered together.

Fu Xiuning stayed where he was, smiled when they approached, and asked, “You ran into each other in the restroom?”

Xing Shi thought silently, That’s harsh—after all, they’re trainees in the same company.

Feng Zifan felt like he’d been seen through, forced a laugh, and said they’d just been chatting outside before starting to shoo people away. “I don’t see your name on the list at the door. You should be in another practice room.”

Fu Xiuning said, “No rush.”

Feng Zifan fell silent and looked down at his phone.

Moments later, staff and two teachers entered, and the practice room instantly quieted.

The two teachers were in charge of vocal and dance training. One said, “Alright, everyone, now we…”

She saw Fu Xiuning and hesitated, unsure whether to greet him.

Fu Xiuning met her gaze and nodded, “Don’t mind me. I’m just looking around.”

The staff also noticed him. Seeing he made no attempt to hide, they moved a chair toward him, but Fu Xiuning stopped them and took the initiative to find a seat. “Continue.”

The trainees were dumbfounded. Hearing staff call him “Boss Fu,” some secretly searched for June Culture’s executives on their phones and discovered the truth.

Feng Zifan was among them. Staring at a certain name in the company info, he was both shocked and regretful, quietly asking Xing Shi, “Did you know…”

Xing Shi interrupted, “He never said.”

Feng Zifan closed his mouth as the teacher’s gaze swept over, calming himself.

“...This time we’re only doing a rough class division,” the teacher said. “In a month, there will be a unified assessment, with all teachers scoring and redividing classes. So don’t be discouraged if you don’t do well now. As long as you work hard, you’ll get a chance.”

After explaining the rules, she began calling names.

Xing Shi’s group had sixteen people, and he was number five.

When his name was called and he stepped forward, all eyes turned to him.

First, because he looked outstanding; second, because he had just stood with Fu Xiuning, whose identity had been revealed, making him even more conspicuous. People speculated all sorts of things.

The two teachers had already noticed this handsome guy and brightened when they saw number five was him.

Xing Shi walked to the center. “I’ll sing.”

The teacher smiled kindly. “Good.”

Xing Shi was calm and composed, singing a song from the magical world.

Over the years of his journey, he’d only focused on survival, never having time to learn talents, but having listened a lot, he could sing. Every time he sang, it caused an uproar—it was incredibly effective.

After the song, the teachers and staff nearly cried on the spot. The system repeatedly crashed, telling him to shut up. Feng Zifan was stunned, and the other trainees were all thrown into a whirlwind.

Fu Xiuning remained composed, quietly watching from the side. Polished and elegant, his features picturesque, his demeanor like a precious work of art, inspiring silent admiration from those observing.

They thought, “No wonder he can be the boss—he’s seen everything and is always so steady!”

Only Xing Shi and the system knew his heart was far from calm—

[Beep]

[Current Favorability: -15]