Chapter 30: 030

Chapter 30

After the trainees left, only Jiang Juyou and the staff remained. Having just witnessed how formidable Jiang could be, the staff didn't dare to speak up easily.

Jiang Juyou, sitting there, leaned back on the sofa and picked up her phone to do her own thing, not saying anything to the others.

After a while, when Jiang Juyou finished her business, she looked up and saw the staff still sitting stiffly on both sides. So she asked, "Have you eaten?"

She had arrived around mealtime and wasn't sure if they had eaten or not.

"We've eaten, we've eaten!" they rushed to answer, afraid to let the question drop.

Jiang Juyou, on the other hand, hadn't eaten yet, but she didn't have much of an appetite, so she didn't say anything.

A staff member beside her plucked up the courage to ask, "...Ms. Jiang, have you eaten?"

"I have," she said, then added, "No need to be so formal, I'm about the same age as you all."

Though she said this, no one relaxed their tense demeanor.

One hour, which usually flew by when slacking off, felt especially long today. The final ice-breaking activity was carried out by the trainees, who started coming in during the last five minutes.

Jiang Juyou didn't even look up, continuing with her own work, but she was very precise with the timing. As soon as the hour was up, she put down her phone and asked a nearby staff member to play some music.

"Alright, Chi Qiao's group first. Let me see how bad this performance is that angered several directors."

She had just told the company group chat that she was at the trainee area, and the directors who had come yesterday immediately started complaining, especially Liu Jiajia, who said her blood pressure went up after watching Chi Qiao's group perform.

So Jiang Juyou was quite curious to see just how bad it could be.

After watching, she had her answer.

When the music stopped, the trainees stood in a line, panting. Even the trainees sitting on the side exchanged glances.

But Jiang Juyou just looked at them without saying a word.

After a long while, she finally spoke.

"...During those days you were practicing in the area, I believe Director Liu has already told you that because we still need to select team leaders, we'll divide you into groups based on the number of leaders. Trainees can choose freely among themselves, and we won't interfere."

"The staff can only take care of your daily needs, they can't manage how well you dance or sing. So who's responsible for these things?"

Jiang Juyou's expression cooled again as she scanned the room. "The team leader is responsible."

"When teachers give lessons, they have to face many people and can't attend to everyone individually. So who takes on this responsibility? Right—it's still the team leader."

Jiang Juyou looked at Chi Qiao and asked him, "The team leader selection was completely voluntary, right? Director Liu asked who wanted to apply to be a team leader, and you raised your hand, didn't you?"

Chi Qiao, standing in the middle of the practice room, nodded while looking at the floor.

"What, did your mouth get glued shut after singing?" Jiang Juyou got angry seeing him not speak, but she couldn't actually swear, so she had to keep suppressing herself.

Gao Xiayu's group's moves were all within the big framework of hip-hop. Those who understood could see at a glance that these were all entry-level basic hip-hop moves, but when done to perfection, this is the result.

She had seen the practice situations of each group in the chat. The staff had reported to Liu Jiajia that Gao Xiayu's group was the most hardworking. Even during military training, Gao Xiayu didn't forget to video call his group members to help them correct mistakes. After returning, he went through each move one by one, explaining how much force to use and in which direction, not holding anything back. He even helped guide their solo stages.

Their public performance was a team competition, but also an individual battle. Gao Xiayu's approach of trying his best to bring his team members up to speed earned their trust, so they weren't as chaotic as other groups. Whatever Gao Xiayu said, they listened, being extremely obedient.

At the end, all nine of them turned to the back, put on their hoodie caps, revealing the letters underneath—each showing their individual names.

The moment the music stopped, the sound of nine people breathing heavily immediately filled the air. Several of them could barely stand, bending over to catch their breath.

At this point, Jiang Juyou finally smiled. "It seems Director Liu and the others didn't exaggerate their praise."

Hearing this, Gao Xiayu and Pei Luming were the most delighted. Both of them could barely contain their joy, with Pei Luming being more obvious as he tried hard to suppress his upturned corners of his mouth.

After saying this, Jiang Juyou didn't forget to take a jab at Chi Qiao's group. "It seems not all team leaders only care about themselves."

"Alright, we'll just look at these two. As for the rest, the teachers gave their evaluations yesterday on how you performed. Go back and practice more," Jiang Juyou said as she adjusted her clothes, preparing to stand up. "Originally, Yao Shuo and Chi Qiao weren't on the list of candidates for elimination because your individual skills truly ranked at the top. But after seeing today's performance, I think I need to reconsider. The group I'm selecting doesn't need members who only want to be the center of attention."

She looked at the two of them. "This is your last chance, understand?"

The two stood there with their heads lowered, making it impossible to discern their emotions. They simply responded, "Thank you, teacher..."

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For the trainees, Jiang Juyou was like a whip, her mere presence driving them to push forward. Even those who hadn't previously witnessed the producer's prowess couldn't help but submit now.

Although she hadn't singled them out, it felt as if the air in the practice room had become thin that day, making it difficult to breathe and causing their minds to nearly shut down.

They bet everything on the last week of practice time. Some trainees even took a week off, staying in the complex without going anywhere, practicing from dawn to dusk like madmen.

The staff's workload increased along with the trainees' efforts. They had to constantly urge them to go back and rest early, while also keeping a close eye on their mental state. If they saw a trainee huddled in a corner, they would immediately call them out to console them.

The use of individual vocal rooms also increased. Every time someone came out, their eyes were red, yet they still insisted on practicing.

The employees reported the situation to Jiang Juyou. She didn't say much, only arranging for the company to provide a medical team on-site. Beyond that, she didn't interfere.

Where in this world is there no pressure? Isn't there pressure in middle school exams? In college entrance exams? Those only require mental effort, and if you can't learn, you simply can't succeed. This, at least, will show progress as long as you're willing to put in the time to practice. What's there to be stressed about?

Could it be as stressful as writing her thesis proposal right now?

Jiang Juyou had been worried these past couple of days. The university was going crazy, requiring the thesis proposal to be submitted in December, but she felt like she hadn't learned anything in these four years.

During those four years, she was busy every day, but she couldn't remember what she was busy with. Now, when asked to extract something useful from her brain, she found it completely empty.

"...My head is blank."

Jiang Juyou thought: I'm just a college student... A college student with clear eyes and a stupid brain... Why torment a college student...

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