Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 54.2

On June 23rd, the four mentors arrived at the White Tower to offer guidance to the trainees as scheduled.

The mentors worked in pairs. Shi Shuyao and Zheng Qiyi were tasked with overseeing the progress of Group A's teams, while Ren Qian and Duan Mi were tasked with Group B's teams.

Song Yingshi was relieved to learn of this mentor pairing. Shi Shuyao liked Huai Xu very much, and she towered over Zheng Qiyi in status. With her eyeing Zheng Qiyi, Huai Xu shouldn't encounter any problems.

...

As Song Yingshi expected, Zheng Qiyi wasn't given any opportunities to cause trouble.

As soon as Zheng Qiyi arrived at the White Tower, at least one VJ would follow him at all times, capturing his every action on camera. When he entered the practice room of Team "Lights On," Shi Shuyao made sure to stay by his side, preventing him from troubling her favorite trainee.

In reality, even without these precautions, Zheng Qiyi wouldn't dare to openly trouble Huai Xu like he did before.

Before Zheng Qiyi arrived at the White Tower, his manager had repeatedly reminded him not to provoke Huai Xu on camera again, especially after all the damage control the company had done. Otherwise, once news got out that he was deliberately targeting specific trainees, his public image would be severely damaged.

Additionally, Zheng Qiyi noticed the impact of his previous actions on the production crew's side. When he watched the first public performance's episode, he saw that he hardly ever received any personal screen time.

Considering these consequences, Zheng Qiyi held back his anger and restrained his temper when inspecting Team "Lights On" practice.

After performing the practice room version of "Lights On," Huai Xu, as the team leader, said to the two mentors, "Please give us your opinions, instructors."

Shi Shuyao was the first to speak, starting with pointing out the poor breath control and pronunciation of Quan Yuanyuan and Qiu Zhixin. Then, after offering everyone words of encouragement, she turned to Huai Xu and said solemnly, "You have improved tremendously compared to when I first saw you perform. I can tell you are much more relaxed. I hope you can keep on maintaining this state."

"Thank you, Instructor," Huai Xu said, bowing.

When it was Zheng Qiyi's turn, he avoided looking at Huai Xu and swept his gaze across the other members of the team. Then, his gaze settled on Wan Jiao, the team's center, and said, "I think your team can consider switching to a new center."

Zheng Qiyi's comment stunned Wan Jiao. Looking visibly shocked, she asked, "Can I know why, Instructor?"

After pointing out a few shortcomings in the fluidness of Wan Jiao's dance, Zheng Qiyi said, "I think your dance is not up to standard. Maybe it'll be better for you to give your position to someone better."

Zheng Qiyi didn't mention anyone specifically, but his gaze, subtly drifting toward Huai Xu, said it all. Then, he smiled and added, "Of course, this is only a suggestion."

Learning from his past mistakes, Zheng Qiyi took a calmer approach. He realized that since his ultimate goal was to obtain Huai Xu, it wouldn't hurt to give her some benefits first. By helping her now, he could gain her gratitude and let her know there were more advantages in relying on a mentor like himself rather than her peers, who were also her rivals for debut.

When Zheng Qiyi recalled Song Yingshi from the Initial Rating Performance, a hint of gloom flashed in his eyes.

When Zheng Qiyi received the warning from Star of Spring's production crew, he initially thought he had unknowingly offended someone influential. After all, it made no sense for the production crew to defend Huai Xu, a trainee with no background, so strongly. However, even after investigating, he found nothing. It wasn't until he learned that Peach Tree Media had strictly forbidden any shady practices in this season's Star of Spring that he knew what taboo he had violated.

But this time, all of Zheng Qiyi's actions were open and aboveboard, so the production crew wouldn't be able to find any fault with him. After all, it was a fact that Huai Xu was more skilled than Wan Jiao.

As Zheng Qiyi's words fell, regardless of his thoughts, the trainees exchanged looks while doing their best to manage their expressions. However, despite their best efforts, their eyes and lips still revealed their disbelief.

...Did this mentor have a problem?

Today was only the third day of practice, not the last. They still had plenty of time to correct mistakes. It might be fine to critique their flaws, but to suggest they switch centers? Was it necessary to take such drastic measures? Not to mention, if they switched centers, the two people involved would have to start practicing their parts from scratch.

After a long silence, Huai Xu said calmly, "Thank you for your suggestion, Instructor, but as the team leader, I believe we can master our parts and perfect our performance within the remaining time."

The other members promptly got the hint when Huai Xu expressed her stance:

"Wan Jiao has only been practicing for three days, not three months, Instructor," Dan Silan stated, her response as blunt as always.

Pulling Dan Silan aside, Quan Yuanyuan said quickly to Zheng Qiyi, "Thank you for your suggestion, Instructor Zheng. We'll discuss this matter among ourselves."

Meanwhile, Zheng Qiyi was filled with disbelief when he saw Huai Xu turning down his kind gesture. He couldn't understand why she had such little ambition.

Just as Zheng Qiyi was about to say something, Duan Mi and Ren Qian entered the practice room with the nosy trainees from Team "Unavoidable."

"We're about to head to the next team. Are you two done here?" Duan Mi asked.

The two mentor pairs started their "inspection" at the same time, so their progress was about the same.

After checking up on Team "Unavoidable," Ren Qian and Duan Mi decided to drop by for a quick look. When Song Yingshi and the others heard this, they decided to drop by as well.

Ren Qian was more attentive than Duan Mi. Noticing the strange room's atmosphere, he asked, "Did something happen here? Is Team 'Lights On' having trouble with their practice?"

"Instructor Zheng suggested they change their center to Huai Xu, but everyone disagrees with him," Shi Shuyao stated.

This suggestion wasn't exactly reasonable, but Zheng Qiyi did have his reasons, so Shi Shuyao decided not to interfere. When Ren Qian and Duan Mi heard about this suggestion, they similarly decided against voicing their opinions and letting Zheng Qiyi have the spotlight.

When Zheng Qiyi sensed that he was in control of the situation, he said, "I am a mentor, so I have the responsibility to offer suggestions. It's up to you whether or not to heed them."

Zheng Qiyi's words were condescending and full of passive aggression. He made it sound like he was a kind-hearted mentor giving advice while Huai Xu and the others were ill-natured trainees who were willfully contradicting him.

In such a situation, unless Huai Xu and the others collectively admitted their mistakes and switched centers, nothing they said could paint them in a good light.

Standing at the door, the members of Team "Unavoidable" clenched their fists angrily when they heard Zheng Qiyi's words.

On what basis must Team "Lights On" replace their center? Huai Xu herself had already refused the position, so what was Zheng Qiyi doing fanning the flames and forcing them to switch parts?

Wan Jiao also worked very hard every day. She was aware that she wasn't the best on the team, so she practiced extra hard and was often the last to leave.

Most importantly, Team "Lights On" was their opponent! Only they were allowed to bully them!

As a second-generation celebrity, Hu Wan was not afraid of Zheng Qiyi, especially considering her mother's vastly superior celebrity status. Facing Zheng Qiyi, she asked seriously, "Instructor Zheng, why do you want them to change centers?"

Zheng Qiyi knew Hu Wan's identity, so he replied politely, "Wan Jiao's performance hasn't reached a satisfactory level."

"Then, have the other teams' centers satisfied your standards?" Hu Wan asked.

Zheng Qiyi's smile froze.

This was only the third day of practice. How could anyone's performance be satisfactory? All four mentors had given many suggestions to every center they had inspected thus far.

Following Hu Wan's question, Tao Qin asked, "Does that mean every team should replace their center?"

"Instructor Ren and Instructor Mi critiqued Big Sis Zhou as well, but they didn't suggest we change centers," Zheng Fu said softly.

When Bai Yuzhou heard herself being mentioned, she placed a hand on her chest and smiled warmly, saying, "I'm ashamed to say that my progress is behind Wan Jiao's, but thankfully, Instructor Ren and Instructor Mi showed mercy on me."

"Instructor Zheng, how about you take a look at our practice? You seem much stricter, so we would like to receive your critique as well," Tang Panbo said.

The girls from Team "Unavoidable" spoke one after another, fully demonstrating their cohesiveness. They relentlessly cornered Zheng Qiyi to the point where his face lost color.

However, despite wanting to fight back against the tasteless trainees' "revolution," Zheng Qiyi couldn't say anything in this situation.

Before Star of Spring began recording, Zheng Qiyi's manager had reminded him of the people he should try his best to befriend and avoid offending on the show.

The first person mentioned was Hu Wan, the revolution's instigator. She was a well-known second-generation celebrity with a highly capable mother.

As for the other members of Team "Unavoidable," Bai Yuzhou, Tang Panbo, and Zheng Fu were also among the names mentioned by Zheng Qiyi's manager.

Bai Yuzhou's family had many connections in the entertainment industry. Additionally, Bai Yuzhou herself was a popular actress.

Tang Panbo came from a family of opera performers with deep connections in Beijing (the capital city).

Zheng Fu might be reserved and appear like a pushover, but she had an incredible older brother who was a siscon (sister complex).

All in all, out of those who spoke up against Zheng Qiyi, only Tao Qin was the only real pushover. How was he supposed to retaliate in this situation?!

Didn't he only suggest a change of centers? They weren't even on the same team, so why were they meddling in others' business?

Zheng Qiyi couldn't understand how things had turned out like this, but after the previous mishap, he was much more cautious. Forcing a smile, he said, "I'm just giving a suggestion. If you're not willing to accept it, it's fine as well."

The mentor conceded!

The trainees exchanged glances when they saw Zheng Qiyi conceding. Although they didn't show it on their faces, their hearts were jumping with joy.

Song Yingshi had been quietly observing the situation this entire time. When Zheng Qiyi conceded, the corners of her lips raised to form a smile. However, there was no warmth in her smile as she said lazily, "Look at you guys, taking Instructor Zheng's suggestion so seriously. But Instructor Zheng, one should always take responsibility for one's actions, don't you think?"

At these words, Zheng Qiyi couldn't help but gaze toward Song Yingshi.

Song Yingshi exuded the subtle aura of a leader as she stood among the trainees. At this moment, her eyes exuded a formidable light, and the sudden flattening of her lips conveyed a bone-chilling warning.

Zheng Qiyi couldn't believe a trainee under 20 years old could possess such a commanding presence and piercing gaze. An inexplicable shiver ran down his spine, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

"L-Let's head to the next room."

Zheng Qiyi grew flustered and couldn't figure out how this situation came to be, so he subconsciously tried to escape.

When the other mentors saw Zheng Qiyi finally giving up on insisting Team "Lights On" replace their center, they naturally had no objections.

As Zheng Qiyi passed by Song Yingshi, she suddenly smiled, the sight causing him to stumble.

As if unintentionally, Song Yingshi's gaze flickered to Huai Xu. Then, after giving Huai Xu a comforting smile, she whispered to Zheng Qiyi, "This is the second time you've annoyed me."

...

As the mentors were halfway through their inspection, the production crew called for a break and stopped the recording. Using this opportunity, Song Yingshi borrowed a phone from a staff member to contact Li Yining.

Now that Song Yingshi had her own studio, she no longer needed to take care of every situation personally. Li Yining could handle matters on her behalf.

While Song Yingshi was away making her call, the other members of Teams "Unavoidable" and "Lights On" comforted Wan Jiao.

Wan Jiao stayed calm the entire time she was in front of the camera. Even after the mentors had left, she remained strong, saying, "I'm fine, I'm fine. Instructor Zheng was only giving a suggestion. Big sis here will just practice harder later."

"Big sis? You're hardly any older than us. Stop acting mature," Tao Qin said.

"If you don't cry now, you best not cry later and affect my practice," Dan Silan said.

"Big Sis, I'll lend you my shoulder," Hu Wan said, standing on tiptoes before giving Wan Jiao a gentle hug.

"We are a team. Whether we win or lose, we'll bear it together. Don't feel pressured," Huai Xu said in a cool voice as she patted Wan Jiao on the shoulder.

Initially, Wan Jiao wasn't particularly affected by Zheng Qiyi's words. But as she listened to her friends' and teammates' concerns, and when even Huai Xu started to offer her words of comfort and reassurance, her nose suddenly started to grow stuffy, and tears welled up in her eyes. Reciprocating Hu Wan's hug, she cried loudly, "What does he mean I'm 'not up to standard!' I'm very up to standard! Hic... This is my first time being the center! Give me two more days and...hic... What gives him the right to talk about me? I've watched his dance videos, and he looks just like a flaunting boar!"

"Ah! Too far! Too far! You're going overboard with your scolding!" Yan Ran said in a panic.

Bai Yuzhou promptly turned to the nearest VJ, saying, "Can you please delete this part? We'd also appreciate it if you could leave the room first."

Meanwhile, Zheng Fu quietly unplugged all the cameras in the room.

After eliminating every potential problem, everyone resumed comforting Wan Jiao:

"There, there. Don't cry. You're a queen. You'll drop your crown if you keep hanging your head."

"He's just an attention seeker trying to stir trouble. Ignore him."

"Wuuu... You guys are the best..." Wan Jiao sobbed.

When the northeastern cheesy queen stopped shedding tears, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Coincidentally, Song Yingshi returned at this time.

After patting everyone on the head, Song Yingshi asked everyone, "Where's Huai Xu?"

At Song Yingshi's question, everyone did a headcount and realized that Huai Xu had left the room at some point.

For some reason, Song Yingshi had a strange premonition. Immediately, she went to a staff to inquire about Huai Xu's whereabouts.

A female staff member in the hallway: "Huai Xu? I saw her calling Instructor Zheng aside for a chat."

Song Yingshi: ?