Caught off guard by the scolding.
Yun Yueming was frightened badly, his heart pounding wildly, and he came within a hair’s breadth of transforming into a giant red fox on the spot!
Fortunately, his self-control was strong enough that he didn’t reveal his original form.
The atmosphere was freezing cold. Goosebumps rose on his arms. “T-Teacher Ji, are you unhappy?”
It was just a talisman. Was that really necessary?
Little did he know, their thought processes had bypassed both A and B and landed on option C.
Ji Song was simply convinced that this beautiful vase with his loose behavior…
…was flirting with him!
Flirting with the dignified Mountain God of Peach Garden Immortal Mountain.
Absolutely audacious.
His brows and eyes were deep and cold, made even more terrifying by the suppressed anger simmering within. A faint blush had spread across his ears from the very beginning.
“Of course I am unhappy.”
“I have never encountered a man as frivolous as you.”
Ji Song’s words were measured and stern, carrying immense authority.
Yun Yueming’s moist, bright eyes grew even wider and rounder. Now he was genuinely aggrieved, and also a little scared.
“Wh-What…?”
He struggled hard, but the other man’s large hand, with its distinct knuckles, felt like welded iron, firmly gripping his wrist, holding it as fiercely as if capturing a monster’s vital point.
Yun Yueming was sure his wrist must be red and swollen by now.
How could he be so strong?
It hurts!
Ji Song spoke coldly yet obstinately: “You are still young. Do not stray onto crooked paths.”
He must have misunderstood something. Terrified, Yun Yueming felt tears welling up. He started to protest, “I’m not, I’m not!”
“I just gave Mentor Meng a worthless protective charm. I absolutely wasn’t trying to bribe her!”
“I would never break the competition rules!”
Upon hearing this, Ji Song’s expression flickered with a moment of surprise.
“A protective charm?”
He now understood that what Yun Yueming had given Meng Qi wasn’t a hotel key card at all.
Rather, having heard that Meng Qi had been having nightmares lately and was in a fragile mental state, he had gone out of his way to get a protective charm specifically for her.
“Teacher Ji, you have to believe me, I’m a good…” He almost said ‘fox’ but made a sharp turn. “…person! I’m a good person!”
Yun Yueming, with his starry eyes, looked up at him pitifully.
Gradually, Ji Song’s confusion deepened, and his perception of the man began to shift once more—
A handsome, empty-headed little simpleton, greedy and warm-hearted.
Possessing a bit of cunning, but not much.
“……”
The unbreakable grip suddenly released. Watching Yun Yueming immediately pull his hand back to rub it, the man frowned apologetically.
An apology formed on the tip of his tongue.
But a second before he could speak, Yun Yueming, wronged as he was, timidly said, “Teacher Ji, if that’s all, I’ll be going now!”
Someone scurried off quickly, not forgetting to turn back and bow.
He just wanted to be eliminated early to minimize direct contact with his master. The last thing he wanted was to be casually crushed to death by him in private!
Preserving his life was paramount!
Ji Song stared at Yun Yueming’s receding figure until it shrank to a tiny dot and vanished from sight.
The look in his eyes deepened.
·
After that night, the hundred trainees officially began training for the theme song.
The contestants were assigned to different classrooms based on their grades. They had seven days total, one of which had already been used, so everyone was working intensely to catch up.
Yun Yueming’s classroom for Class C was in the middle tier.
Inside were some who were very talented but had underperformed in the initial stage, so they were now working desperately, practicing with fierce focus.
For example, Yang Xing, who had gone into shock from nervousness during the initial stage.
Part of it was also due to overperforming; even if they didn’t truly have the skills for Class C, they ended up there by chance.
For example, Yun Yueming.
Right now, he was curiously touching the mirrored wall, marveling, “So high-end…”
To facilitate the trainees’ practice, the windows on the corridor side of the classroom were all made with special one-way mirror material, a costly feature.
That is, from inside, you couldn’t see outside—only yourself.
But from outside, you could see inside.
Yun Yueming cheerfully pulled Yang Xing, who was panting heavily, along with him. He ran outside and tapped on the glass, saying, “This is amazing! I can see you!”
“It’s practically a blessing for teachers who want to spy on their students! If it weren’t so expensive, I bet every school would want this kind of setup!”
Yang Xing was exhausted, hands on his hips, wiping away sweat.
Seeing how clueless and wide-eyed he was, Yang Xing couldn’t help but roll his eyes and yell, “You need to—”
Before he could finish, Yang Xing caught a glimpse of a graceful figure passing by the back door. His expression froze in an instant, and he reverted to the tense state he’d shown during the initial stage.
He promptly abandoned Yun Yueming without a second thought and scurried off.
Yun Yueming: “?”
Turning around, he saw Meng Qi giving him a death stare for slacking off, radiating an aura of murderous kindness.
“Not training? Are you hoping to get eliminated?”
·
From the very start of the show, it was easy to see which contestants had a higher chance of debuting.
Either they had exceptional talent, strong backing from investors, or stunning looks.
Or, they possessed an absolute ability to create buzz, making themselves the center of attention.
Yun Yueming clearly possessed at least two of those qualities.
As Meng Qi taught the group the dance, many speculated whether Mentor Meng would show favoritism towards that buzz-generating contestant today.
But half an hour passed, and nothing happened.
Meng Qi was quite professional and impartial, even speaking sternly to Yun Yueming.
“Your current pace is far too slow. You have virtually no dance foundation. If you want to avoid dropping to Class F, you’ll need to put in more effort than the average contestant.”
Yun Yueming was receptive to the advice. He showed no sign of disappointment and obediently bowed in thanks.
Seeing that the most handsome contestant received no special treatment, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, inwardly pleased.
Meng Qi understood well the dynamics of getting along with teammates.
She wasn’t showing favoritism to Yun Yueming to prevent him from repeating her own past mistake of becoming a target of resentment.
“Ask your teammates for advice on areas you struggle with. The people around you are your best teachers.”
“Yes!”
Only after the music stopped, the lesson ended, and the exhausted trainees took their breaks did Meng Qi walk over to the corner to speak with him privately.
She checked that no cameras were pointing their way, lowered her voice, but still couldn’t hide the excitement in it.
“Thank you, Yun Yueming.”
“I encountered sleep paralysis again this morning. Normally, no matter how hard I struggle, I can’t move…”
“But today, I could feel that strange thing didn’t dare come close!”
Yun Yueming was overjoyed. “No need to thank me. I’m glad I could help.”
However, as he looked closely at Meng Qi’s face, his smile couldn’t help but falter.
Though he could now see her features clearly, that eerie black mist still lingered around her, persistent and reeking of blood.
That meant the entity was still fixated on her.
The protective charm’s effectiveness was limited.
Once it broke through the charm’s protection, Meng Qi’s life would be in danger.
That thing was deeply malevolent and didn’t seem to be located within the training base itself. Yun Yueming couldn’t even tell if it was a vengeful spirit or some kind of demon.
To eradicate this problem at its root…
The only person Yun Yueming could think of was Ji Song.
But now his master didn’t recognize him, and he couldn’t easily reveal his true identity. For now, he had to rely on himself.
Yun Yueming’s expression suddenly grew a bit more composed. “Mentor Meng.”
“If you encounter any more difficulties, you can come to me. I know a thing or two about this area. Maybe I can help.”
Meng Qi let out a chuckle and asked skeptically, “So you’re a Taoist priest?”
A Taoist priest who doesn’t cultivate, coming to participate in a talent show?
If he really was what he claimed, with such a contrasting persona, the production team would surely seize on it.
Seeing that she clearly didn’t believe him, Yun Yueming grinned sheepishly.
“I’ve told fortunes under a bridge before.”
“I do have some skills.”
Meng Qi humored him with a perfunctory response, lowering her gaze with a silent sigh.
Over the past year or two of being haunted by this problem, she had sought out countless fortune-tellers and Taoist priests, both domestic and international, but most of them had been charlatans.
Now, she found it hard to trust anyone who claimed to have supernatural abilities.
Although the talisman Yun Yueming had given her was effective, she didn’t know it had come from him.
“By the way, which temple did this charm come from? I’m thinking of visiting when I have time.”
Yun Yueming stammered, “That temple is really out of the way. I’ll tell you when I get a chance!”
Since it was so remote, the protective charm must have been difficult to obtain.
Wanting to return the favor, Meng Qi offered him some guidance, hitting the nail on the head regarding his biggest current issue: “Have you ever studied expression management?”
Yun Yueming looked blank. “What’s that? Can you eat it?”
·
In the Class B practice room, a piano piece slowly came to an end, marking the conclusion of Ji Song’s lesson.
The silence was so profound you could hear a pin drop. The atmosphere was tense and serious. Though the air conditioning wasn’t on, the chill in the air seemed several times stronger than usual.
Li Rang, the last to perform, broke out in a cold sweat, biting his lip in frustration.
Everyone was staring at him.
“Throughout the entire B group, only your performance fell below the standard line.” Ji Song’s critique was merciless. His gaze as he looked at Li Rang was cold and sharp. “What do you think the reason is?”
Li Rang mumbled, wringing his hands nervously. “I…”
It must have been because he’d been feeling so down yesterday that he’d smoked too much and accidentally ruined his voice.
But he didn’t dare say that, for fear of being disqualified for breaking the rules.
Ji Song set down the few sheets of paper, stood up, and struck directly at Li Rang’s heart with one sentence.
“You haven’t even memorized the lyrics, yet you want another shot at this?”
“There are many rappers in Class B who sang more smoothly than you, a vocalist.”
Sure enough, the man’s expression became visibly awkward and dejected.
“That’s not it, Teacher Ji. I, yesterday it was because… I haven’t really settled in here yet.”
Film emperor Ji sneered. “A pathetic excuse.”
Ji Song could roughly guess at his usual habits.
It was like picking up a textbook to study but only using colored markers to doodle in it.
Then, after finishing, comforting oneself with: “I really worked hard today!”
While others strove with genuine effort, people like this only went through the motions.
His eyes were deep and cold as water, carrying a faint chill. All these impractical, flashy pretenses were useless no matter how much he did.
Moreover.
From the moment Ji Song had entered the classroom, he had noticed the dark circles under Li Rang’s eyes, the chaotic energy around him, and the mixed auras of many different people clinging to him.
It suggested that this person, who swore he wanted to be an idol, led a rather colorful private life.
“You should thank your group for bringing you directly to Class B.”
Leaving behind these cold words, Ji Song walked out of the classroom, leaving the group of students too afraid to even breathe loudly.
Half a minute later, Li Rang suddenly rushed out after him regardless of the consequences.
Ji Song looked coldly at Li Rang, who had caught up to him. “Something else?”
The man hesitated, then finally asked, “Teacher Ji, are you deliberately targeting me?”
Ji Song looked almost incredulous, his expression darkening. “What?”
Thinking about the key card that had never materialized, Li Rang felt humiliated by this aloof man, Ji Song!
To make it in the entertainment industry, even if he wasn’t breathtakingly handsome, he was still decent-looking!
So what if he didn’t sing well just this once? Why was Film Emperor Ji treating him like this?
“Then what kind do you actually like?”
Flustered and furious, Li Rang’s face flushed red, his eyes rimmed with tears. Under Ji Song’s stunned gaze, he blurted out without a shred of restraint—
“Someone like Yun Yueming?”
·
When it came to the disciples Ji Song had taken on during his time as a mountain god, the only one who had stayed by his side day after day was that little fox.
He had brought the fox back to the mountain when it was still a cub.
A small, fluffy, soft, grayish little ball.
The young mountain god, aloof and proud by nature, had only ever been exposed to ancient mythical beasts before—creatures with nine heads and serpent bodies, or human faces on deer forms.
They were frankly terrifying to look at, lacking any aesthetic appeal, and honestly, not the least bit cute.
This little fox cub was completely different from those monsters.
Ji Song had never touched such a warm, soft, adorable little creature before.
The joy and tenderness he felt back then were a secret he had never spoken aloud.
That little beast, who couldn’t understand human speech, would always watch him with its round, black-bean-like eyes. This plump little fox cub only ever seemed to think about eating.
When it was tired, it would sleep on the white, snow-like wide sleeves of the Peach Garden Mountain God.
Over the thousand years through the changing seasons, Ji Song had long since lost count of how much that beautiful red fox had come to mean to him.
Times had changed. Now he was mortal. Perhaps that little fox had long since died.
Ji Song slowly exhaled. After being pestered by that baffling trainee, he found himself missing that furry, soft touch even more.
Fortunately, his assistant had appeared just in time, otherwise, with the way Li Rang had looked like a neglected, wronged party being toyed with by Film Emperor Ji, anyone who saw it would have had something to gossip about.
His next class was Class C.
From a distance, through the one-way mirror, Ji Song spotted Yun Yueming and Meng Qi chatting by the corridor side.
The man’s attention was involuntarily drawn.
What were they up to now?
Instead of walking in directly, he stood by the door, observing from a distance with a cold, superior gaze.
Meng Qi had been making Yun Yueming practice his expressions in the mirror, but the results were minimal. Frustrated, she said, “Expression management is an essential skill for an idol. Oh dear, that’s too much. No, that’s too blank!”
She came up with an idea. “Here’s what you do. Imagine standing in front of your absolute favorite thing.”
“It could be a person, or a certain scene…”
Yun Yueming rubbed his cheeks, which were stiff from smiling so foolishly.
His favorite thing?
He closed his eyes.
Countless thoughts swirled in his mind, then suddenly, in an instant, one image crystallized—
He knew what his favorite thing was!
Korean fried chicken dusted with cheese powder.
Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside Orleans-style roast chicken.
Cold shredded chicken tossed with spices and lemon juice.
The locally famous fried iron-plate chicken frames.
And those little chicken drumsticks he craved, so crispy and crunchy!
A fluffy red fox was jumping around in his head, its little paws constantly reaching for the chicken legs circling around it.
Was this heaven?
Thinking about how after he was eliminated, he could order ten deliveries all for himself, Yun Yueming’s lips curled up involuntarily.
Just at that moment, as his assistant helped push the door open, the usually composed Film Emperor Ji suddenly found himself unexpectedly confronted by Yun Yueming’s radiant, soft, smiling eyes.
Their eyes met. That unintentional entanglement of gazes felt more intimate than a kiss.
Ji Song’s heart jolted.
Those beautiful eyes, like peach-blossom pools, their outer corners slightly upturned, seemed determined to steal away one’s very soul.
Inopportunely, Li Rang’s embarrassed, angry question echoed in his mind:
—Then what kind do you actually like?
—Someone like Yun Yueming?