How to become an ACE of a top boy group

After filming wrapped, Luo Xi, Le Jing, and Song Wenchen went backstage to find the others.

The trainees who failed gathered there, comforting each other amidst their sobs, a sight that weighed heavily on one's heart.

Tian Jizhang and the others stood in the corner. When Luo Xi went over, Tian Jizhang was still crying. Luo Xi hugged his shoulder and comforted him. Song Wenchen went to ask for tissues.

Le Jing stood between Wang Xiao and Ning Xiangqi, looked at them, and finally let out a long sigh.

Wang slumped against the wall, saying dejectedly, "I guess I still have to leave."

“I expected it,” Ning Yiqi tried to force a self-deprecating smile, but couldn’t manage it, “but still…”

“Damn it, this competition is a knockout tournament.” Song Wenchen cursed expressionlessly, handing each of them tissues. “If you want to cry, just cry. It’s okay, you can lean on my shoulder.”

"Yes, if you're upset, just vent. We'll listen."

Song Wenchen spoke up irritably, but Le Jing comforted him gently, "You've all been practicing hard these past few days. You'll be able to get a good night's sleep and rest for a while. Don't worry, you're all so young, you'll have plenty of opportunities in the future..."

Luo Xi stayed by their side, using tissues to help wipe away Tian Jizhang's tears. She couldn't speak, her mind churning with memories.

Tian Jizhang and Luo Xi talked about his story. He was forgotten by his parents who went out to work when he was young, and he was bullied during his middle school years. He could only get attention when he danced. He said that he could only survive if he was noticed. He had also done things to hurt himself in order to get attention.

He doesn't like to talk and doesn't want people to understand his thoughts. He's afraid that his dark side will make others hate him again. He only talked about his psychological pressure with Luo Xi, who "had a similar experience". He said that sometimes he felt very tired and wanted to end everything.

He usually practices quietly in a corner and never slacks off. As the youngest member of the team, he always takes care of his older brothers, handing them water and towels.

"Hey, don't stop! Have you forgotten? We were shouting this afternoon."

Luo Xi said to Tian Jizhang.

“Yeah, it was still ‘don’t stop’ this afternoon, but by tonight it was—stopped!” Ning Xiangqi said, finding it funny himself.

This made Wang Xiao laugh, and he said, "The person who got first place by 'Don't Stop' has stopped!"

These self-deprecating words made everyone laugh, and in any case, the sadness was somewhat alleviated.

Once everyone had calmed down, they returned to their dorm together. Because it was already late, the production team informed the eliminated trainees that they could stay in the dorm one more night and leave the next day, the 16th.

We had another meal together, but instead of watching the show, we talked about our own lives and future plans.

"Just endure it. Anyway, I'm 16 now, I can endure it for another two or three years and wait for my debut opportunity," Wang Xiao said like a seasoned veteran.

“I should go home. My contract with the company ends this September. What about you?” Ning Xiangqi asked Tian Jizhang.

Tian Jizhang said, "I'll just go back to my training company and continue training. I'll train for another year, and if I still can't debut and make money, I'll change careers. Maybe I'll become a streamer or a blogger or something? Aren't these emerging industries now?"

"Tian, ​​with your taciturn personality, do you think you can be a good anchor?" Ning Xiangqi said.

"Xiang Qi, your brother just had a new idea, how could you discourage him?" Le Jing said. "If you become a streamer in the future, I'll send you gifts! You have to say that!"

Everyone laughed, even Tian Jizhang laughed, "No need for gifts, if all else fails I'll just find a class to attend, or go back to school or something."

Hearing the word "study" made Ning Xiangqi's head start to ache. "Ugh, I hate studying the most."

"I want to learn to draw. It would be great to become an art teacher in the future." Tian Jizhang poured himself a glass of juice.

"You have a lot of dreams, so why did you want to be an idol before?" Ning Xiangqi asked, putting his hand on Tian Jizhang's shoulder. "It was because I didn't want to study. Later, I found that I wanted to rap. Because I'm not bad looking, I was recommended to a trainee company."

Tian Jizhang said, "Want to gain attention?"

Wang Xiao asked jokingly, "Making money?"

"What about you, Brother Hua?"

Looking at her younger brothers with questioning eyes, Le Jing said, "I'm definitely not making money. In ten years, if I had any other job, I wouldn't have been living off my family for so many years, and I would have made money long ago. So all I have left is dreams."

“It’s my dream too,” Song Wenchen said. “I really love the Four Winds Gods, so I submitted my resume to every audition for trainees at BOB. I started going to school very little when I was in junior high school. I just kept submitting resumes, recording videos, practicing singing, and so on. I probably submitted more than 100 times, definitely… Finally, on my 110th attempt, when I was 17 years old and in my senior year of high school, I was selected. I dropped out of school and became a trainee at BOB. I was active for two years, but to be honest, I didn’t make much of a splash. This year, this show came out, and I volunteered to sign up. It took me a long time to get to participate.”

Ning Xiangqi said, "Actually, Wen Chen is fine in other aspects. It's just that his appearance isn't like other people's, where you can spot him at a glance. But Wen Chen doesn't stumble or fumble when he dances or sings like us. He always learns things very quickly. Also, Wen Chen has a great sense of variety. He's very funny on shows, and his expressions are great too. There are a lot of your memes, aren't there?"

Song Wenchen shook his head. "Besides me, everyone else in BOB is either in Group C or Group D, or even Group A or B. I'm the worst performer. I hope I can make it to the end."

"Actually, I've always doubted whether I can be an idol. Because whether in the company or here, I'm not very noticeable. So, to be honest, I've heard teachers or good classmates tell me more than once that I should give up, that I'm not really suited to be an idol. Because I don't have any talent for singing and dancing, and I'm not good-looking either."

"But after joining the show, I realized that I wasn't the only one who was overlooked. There were many others, like Qian Qing, Enxi, Ji Zhang, Erlun Ge... We all worked very hard. Compared to other trainees, we had just as much desire to debut as idols, but we were overlooked because of our appearance."

"So now I really want to get first place and prove that people like us can also become idols. So, I was really hesitant at first, but the more I got to the next round, the more determined I became."

"What a great orator, Wen Chen!" Ning Xiangqi clapped his hands, and Le Jing joined in, saying, "Keep it up!"

Song Wenchen wiped her face awkwardly and looked at Luo Xi beside her, "Enxi, why aren't you saying anything today?"

“I’m listening to what you’re saying,” Rosie said, propping her chin on her hand.

Why do you want to be an idol?

As Luo Xi thought for a moment, she said, "Hmm... because I really love the stage. I've always loved participating in all sorts of cultural and entertainment activities since I was little. There are always those festive celebrations on stage, and I was always the first to sign up. I was the class's entertainment representative. It feels amazing to be on stage, especially when I perform really well. The students below scream, and then they fall in love with me, hahaha... that's it. Their shouts surround me, and it makes me feel... alive. I want to stay like this forever."

"Wow."

"As expected, this is Enshi! The energy came right away, hahaha!"

"Eun-hee, you should be an idol."

Wang Xiao, Ning Xiangqi, and Tian Jizhang, who were sitting opposite her, all said the same thing. Song Wenchen and Le Jing looked at her with very encouraging eyes.

May our future be filled with smooth sailing.

"Have a safe trip, don't stop!"

"Don't stop!"

Finally, everyone raised their juice bottles and toasted together, a farewell to this brief period.