Ch3 - Little Brother

Editor: Sky

Two days later, Huixing Entertainment, Block A, Room 907.

The final audition notice said the audition would start at 9:30. All of those who received the notice had arrived well before 9.

Only Wang Chao arrived at 9:35. He had sent a message to Duan Yikun in the elevator that said he was already there as he wandered out. There were 2 rows of sofas outside room 907’s door. Several handsome fresh meats were sitting there quietly. When they heard someone walking over, they all raised their eyes to glare at him with hostility. Before confirmation of who was in the group, they were no friends—they were all enemies.

He was wearing an oversized pair of glasses as he trudged over. There were no empty seats in sight, so he said to the people in the first row, “Move over a bit, give me a seat.”

The person blinked his big eyes and said, “Give you a seat? Are you pregnant?”

Everyone else started bursting into laughter.

Wang Chao had just been ridiculed by someone for no reason, of course he was angry. As he was about to take off his sunglasses to reciprocate, someone at the end of the back row stood up and said, “Come and sit here.”

He turned around and took a look. Oh? Isn’t that Mr. Handsome makeup remover?

Xie Zhuxing had recognized him from the start. Since he had owed him gratitude from before, he considered it repaid now.

Wang Chao felt his grievances be swept away immediately like there was a spring breeze to carry it all away. He was not in a hurry to sit down anymore as he came forward with a surprised expression. “How come you’re here too?”

“Keep your voice down,” Xie Zhuxing said.

Fortunately, after their experience of mocking Wang Chao, those people also ended their silence and began to chatter amongst themselves.

Wang Chao compliantly slightly lowered his voice and asked, “I asked D.K. that day. He said that you didn’t call him, so how did you get in here?”

Xie Zhuxing was shocked for a bit. He would have never thought Duan Yikun was D.K.’s Chinese name.

“I accidentally lost his business card. He came to my dance studio to pick candidates before.”

Wang Chao examined his face carefully and suddenly said, “Oh, it’s you! I was just gonna say, you looked super familiar in the bathroom that day. I was wondering if we had met in your school before. You didn’t recognize me? I went with him that day.”

Xie Zhuxing pretended to have forgotten. “The one with the sunglasses was you?”

“Yeah, yeah! That was me!” It seemed like Wang Chao had truly forgotten and pretended to think hard. “Your name was Xie…Xie what again?”

“Xie Zhuxing.”

Wang Chao said his name silently, and asked, “Which ‘zhu(竹)’ is in your name?”

“The character for ‘bamboo’ in plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. Why are you here?”

Wang Chao grinned. “I also came to audition.”

Xie Zhuxing was slightly suspicious.

Wang Chao moved closer to him and said, “I’ve only been to your studio with D.K. These people haven’t met me yet.”

Xie Zhuxing nodded, satisfied with the explanation

Wang Chao happily patted his shoulder and said, “I was thinking, how could you look so pleasing at first sight? I call this fate, hehehe.”

Suddenly, everyone around them quieted down.

A lady came out of the room, a suitably professional smile framing her face. “Apologies for the wait. I came to inform you all about the interview order. First, Wang Chao, second, Ji Jie, third, Ding Zijun…and lastly, Xie Zhuxing. Number one, please enter with me.”

Before Wang Chao had left, he bumped Xie Zhuxing with his elbow and muttered, “You got this.”

Xie Zhuxing smiled at him.

After 10 minutes, room 907’s door opened and the lady from before came out. “Number two, please come in.”

Number two was the guy with big eyes who asked Wang Chao if he was pregnant. His name was Ji Jie.

Ji Jie stood up and said, “But number one hasn’t come out yet.”

The lady smiled and said, “Number two please come in.”

Ji Jie could only go in.

Candidate number one, Wang Chao…was currently sitting behind the long table as a judge.

Judge Wang looked through his information proudly. “Oh, your specialty is acting. Why don’t you act pregnant for me first?”

Ji Jie, “….”

Xie Zhuxing was number ten, the last one. When they called him in, it was already one o’clock in the afternoon.

When he walked in, he saw Wang Chao lying on the table, motionless. He seemed to be deep asleep.

He bowed to the other judges.

Duan Yikun looked through his materials and said, “Let’s not waste any time. Xiao Xie, show us some of your talents.”

He didn’t say anything else and did a jazz dance.

The music woke Wang Chao. He raised his head with difficulty, took a look, and bolted up straight.

Once the song was over, Wang Chao clapped loudly. The other judges seemed very satisfied with his performance, including Duan Yikun. “Have you ever studied vocal music?”

“I’ve learned a bit before, not good at it.”

“Sing a song you’re most confident in.”

Xie Zhuxing took a steady breath and started singing one of the classic love songs of the 1990s.

His singing was ordinary, especially when compared with the amazing dance just now. It was so-so, and the tone was mediocre. Karaoke level.

Duan Yikun crossed out “singing skill” on the scoring paper before him. Just as he felt a little sorry, a ball of paper was thrown towards him. He turned his head and saw Wang Chao, who was sitting a few seats away from him, was winking at him.

He opened up the rolled-up paper. There it said, I want to choose him!

Xie Zhuxing finished singing. He quietly looked at the judges’ faces and knew his singing didn’t meet the vocal criteria. However, he expected it. He understood his singing skills very well. It wasn’t his weakness, but it wasn’t his forte.

Duan Yikun crumpled the paper in his hands, and said, “Xiao Xie…do you have any dreams?”

“…”

Duan Yikun smiled and said, “I’m not telling you to sell a pity story, just want to have a small chat.”

Xie Zhuxing thought about it, and said, “I want to debut.”

“Then what about after you debut?”

“I haven’t thought about that. Right now, I just want to debut.”

Duan Yikun rubbed his chin and looked at him with a meaningful expression. “Alright, then that’s all for today,” he said after a moment.

Xie Zhuxing bowed as he said, “Thank you for your troubles, judges.”

The female assistant who was in charge of the reception came to him and said, “You’ve worked hard. You can go back and wait for our call now.”

She wanted to assist him, but Wang Chao shouted from the side, “Xiao Xie! Let’s go together!”

So, he waited by the door.

Wang Chao had carelessly knocked down the folder of the judges next to him, and the papers scattered all over the floor. He could only bend down and pick them all up.

Xie Zhuxing stood there, waiting. He glanced at Duan Yikun from the corner of his eye and saw that the man was already looking at him. When he smiled and nodded at him, Duan Yikun returned the gestures.

Wang Chao finally finished picking the papers up. He ran over and said, “Let’s go, let’s go. I’ll treat you to a meal. We’ve been so busy all afternoon. If I don’t eat something soon, I’m gonna starve to death.”

The two went downstairs, Wang Chao’s arm resting on Xie Zhuxing’s shoulder as he went to pick up his car. Today, he was not driving his yellow Ferrari, but instead, his gray Land Rover.

Xie Zhuxing had been hungry for a while, too, so he took Wang Chao up on his offer. He went into the passenger’s seat and put on his seatbelt.

“How does hotpot sound?” Wang Chao asked.

“Sounds good.”

“Is there a Haidilao nearby?”

Xie Zhuxing took out his phone and found one nearby.

The time for dinner had already passed, and it was not the weekend, so the two did not have to wait long for a seat. They started to eat as they cooked the food.

After a long time, the two were not that hungry anymore. They put their chopsticks down and started to banter with each other.

Wang Chao said with a giggle, “You’re so handsome when you’re dancing.”

“My specialty is dancing. If I can’t do it well, then what’s the point?”

“Mine is piano, but I don’t know how to dance at all. My limbs are so uncoordinated. Maybe you can teach me later.”

Xie Zhuxing smiled. “D.K. will hire the best dancer to teach you.”

“Is what you said to him before true? You only want to debut, and you haven’t thought about anything after?”

“Of course I’ve thought about it before, but now, I can’t afford to think about it.”

Wang Chao did not quite understand. He asked again, “Where are you from?”

“Luoyang.”

“I’ve been to Luoyang! I went to see the peonies with my mom. There was a White Horse Temple across from us and its floors were damaged. It was all a mess.”

“…”

Wang Chao didn’t seem to notice and continued, “My family is from Harbin, but I came to Beijing when I was young to study. My parents are both in Harbin these years, but my brothers and I live in Beijing.”

“You have two brothers?”

“Yea! That’s why my name is Wang Chao, because I wasn’t a part of the family planning, hahaha!”

“…”

Wang Chao kept on laughing at his joke briefly before he stopped and asked, “Do you have any siblings?”

Xie Zhuxing answered, “No.”

Wang Chao said enviously, “You’re so lucky. I also don’t want any siblings…but it’s whatever. My brothers are cool, sometimes.”

Xie Zhuxing said, “One look, and I can tell you grew up comfortably.”

Wang Chao held onto his chin and said, “One look, and I can tell you’re a good person.”

“…Good person?”

“Hehehe, do you have a girlfriend?”

Xie Zhuxing thought to himself, is this person getting drunk from eating hotpot?

“I do,” he answered.

Wang Chao prodded, “Is she pretty? Are her boobs big? Is she tight?’

Xie Zhuxing choked for a second before coughing.

Wang Chao grinned teasingly “Don’t be shy, little brother.”

“What month were you born in?” Xie Zhuxing asked.

“September.”

“I was born in January, little brother.”

He lowered his head and took a bite of the pig brain, and it burned him, so he stuck out his tongue and blew on it.

Wang Chao sat across from him and watched. He liked his new friend a lot.

After the two finished their meal, they exchanged phone numbers and went their separate ways.

Wang Chao returned to Huixing Entertainment, went straight to Duan Yikuan’s office, and sat down. “Kuan-ge, Xiao Xie is pretty cool, I really like him. Let’s choose him.”

But Duan Yikuan rebutted, “Out of the eight auditioners, he’s the most average.”

Wang Chao was upset on the behalf of his new friend and said, “How is he average? Is his dancing not good enough? His singing…is fine, but didn’t you say that they distribute the roles in male groups?”

“There are different roles, but who doesn’t love who’s omnipotent? Like that number two, Ji Jie. He can dance and sing well, but you said you won’t let me choose him.”

Wang Chao was annoyed to death by Ji Jie. How could he choose him? “Character is really important too, Xiao Xie is a very good person, but that Ji Jie is a piece of shit.”

Duan Yikun thought about it and answered, “How about this: If you insist on Xiao Xie, then fine, but you have to let Ji Jie in too.”

“…”

“Alright then, forget it.”

Wang Chao was very upset. He thought about it temporarily and said, “What do you mean, ‘forget it’? It’s a deal.”

After Wang Chao left, Duan Yikun’s assistant asked, “Did you really just agree to that kind of deal with the young master?”

Duan Yikun smiled and shook his head. “I wanted to choose Xiao Xie anyway. I was just using this chance to let Ji Jie in too.”

The assistant didn’t understand. “But you said his skills were average?”

“That young man is very ambitious, but at the same time, he’s also very calm and cautious. I couldn’t believe he was only 22 before he stood in front of me. Among the people we saw today, his overall qualities were top-notch. If not him, then who? Now in this industry, what can singing skills do? Not to mention his singing isn’t even half bad. ”

I LOVE WANG CHAO SO MUCH PLEASE MY STUPID BABY