Amateur talent show? Top mentors are my students.

"The results of the theme song audition are in." Shen Yiheng got straight to the point, without beating around the bush. "I know you've all been waiting all day, and you probably have some expectations. But let me say this first—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire players' bench.

"Regardless of the outcome, this is just the first assessment before the grand finale. There will be countless more opportunities for you to prove yourselves. Those who get an A should not be arrogant, and those who get an F should not give up."

"Now, the re-evaluation results will be announced."

The giant screen behind him lit up, displaying the numbers and names of all the contestants, but the ranking column was blank.

"The results aren't on the screen," Shen Yiheng said, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You'll see for yourselves."

He turned to the side and gestured toward the side of the stage.

Staff members pushed out two small carts, each neatly stacked with piles of white T-shirts.

"The training uniforms corresponding to everyone's new rating are already in the bags." Shen Yiheng's voice was calm. "After everyone has taken theirs, I will say 'now,' and then everyone will open them together."

A rustling sound came from the players' stands.

"So the rating results are on the T-shirt?"

Someone muttered quietly, "Isn't this just like opening a blind box..."

"It's more exciting than opening blind boxes," someone next to me chimed in. "If you don't like a blind box, you can get a refund, but if you don't like this, you can only cry."

The contestants left their seats to collect their bags.

He Xu didn't move, his hands in his pockets, leaning back in his chair, watching the people around him surge toward both sides of the stage.

"He Xu, aren't you going to get it?" Lu Yiming leaned over from the back row, his round face filled with anxiety, his glasses reflecting the stage light. "What if someone else takes the bag?"

"The name is on the bag," He Xu said.

"But--"

"Your bag was taken, didn't you see?"

Lu Yiming opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He's right—each bag has a name tag on it, so there's no fear of taking the wrong one.

But he was so nervous that he had to find something to do.

He Xu glanced at him, finally stood up from his chair, and slowly walked toward the side of the stage.

The queue was crooked and disorganized. Some people couldn't wait to open the bags after receiving them, but were stopped by the staff.

"You can only open it when the PD says 'now'."

"Okay, okay..."

He Xu was at the end of the line. Ahead of him were several contestants from Class B, who were huddled together whispering.

Do you think I can get an A?

"Are you dreaming? I'm lucky if I can even keep B."

"If I drop to F, I'll just withdraw from the competition..."

He Xu listened, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

It's good to be young; you can still be so nervous about things that you can't sleep.

When he received the bag, he casually weighed it in his hand—it was almost the same weight as the training clothes he received for his first stage performance.

This time, in addition to the unified program logo, there is also a re-evaluation level.

He returned to his seat, placed the bag beside his lap, and showed no intention of opening it.

The A-class contestants next to them were extremely anxious. Some had already unzipped the bag a crack, while others held the bag above their heads to look at the light, trying to see the color inside.

"Don't peek." Shen Yiheng stood on the stage, his tone slightly teasing. "I have sharp eyes. Anyone who peeks will have points deducted."

A low chuckle rippled through the players' stands.

"Now," Shen Yiheng's voice regained its formality, "everyone—"

He deliberately dragged out the last syllable.

"Open."

The sound of a hundred bags being torn open at the same time was like some kind of ritual.

Some screamed, some remained silent, and some stared blankly at the training uniforms in the bag, their eyes slowly reddening.

He Xu slowly unzipped his jacket and pulled out his training clothes.

white.

The white of the training outfit was purer than the one worn on the first stage, and the material was also softer.

He turned it over and glanced at the back. His name, "He Xu," was written there, and below it was—

B.

He Xu stared blankly for two seconds, then crumpled his training clothes into a ball and stuffed them back into the bag.

The other students from Class A nearby were already in an uproar.

"A! I'm A!" Someone jumped up, holding up their training uniform, their voice trembling.

"Me too! I saved it!"

Yang Sheng sat in the second row, his fingers trembling slightly as he pulled his training uniform out of the bag.

He turned it over and took a look.

A.

He let out a long breath, his shoulders slumped, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Song Yingwen and Jiang Yang, who were standing next to him, also opened their bags at the same time—one was an A, and the other was an A.

The three people's eyes met in mid-air, and they all saw a sense of relief in each other's eyes.

But this sense of ease lasted only a moment.

Because their gazes turned to He Xu at almost the same time.

He Xu was resealing the bag, showing no intention of showing off his training clothes.

Yang Sheng opened his mouth, wanting to ask, but then held back.

Shen Yiheng stood on the stage and waited for the contestants' commotion to subside a little before picking up the microphone again.

"Alright, now—everyone, please stand in the corresponding area according to your new rating."

He turned to the side and pointed to the ground in front of the stage.

Five landmarks, from A to F, have already been posted there.

The players began to move.

Some people jogged towards area A, while others walked towards area F with their heads down.

Area A quickly gathered seven or eight people—Yang Sheng, Song Yingwen, and Jiang Yang were among them, as were some familiar faces from Area A who had just performed on stage.

Wang Yijun was promoted from Class B, carrying a standard A training uniform, and a rare hint of relaxation appeared on his usually indifferent face.

Section C had the most people, a sea of ​​white-clad figures standing there.

The number of people in Zones B and D is roughly the same, and the number of people in Zone F is not much less.

He Xu did not go to Area A.

He didn't even rush to move, but waited until most people had left before standing up from his seat.

With one hand in his pocket and the other carrying the bag containing his training clothes, he strolled lazily toward Zone B.

The first person to notice was Li Bufan.

He stood near the front of Section B, his dirty orange hair standing out conspicuously under the lights.

He was looking down at the B-level training uniform in his hand, his feelings were complicated—it was already a huge improvement to go from D class to B class, but he still felt a little unwilling.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw He Xu walking in this direction.

"Brother He Xu! You've come to the wrong place, haven't you? Section A is over there—" Li Bufan subconsciously pointed to the other side of the stage, his voice so loud that half the studio could hear him.

He Xu ignored him and continued walking towards Zone B.

Li Bufan's smile froze on his face.

Then, Lu Yiming noticed it too.

He was standing in Zone C—he had already cried tears of joy after being promoted from D to C, and his glasses were still fogged up.

When he saw He Xu walk into Zone B, he seemed to freeze, his mouth agape, unable to speak.

Next came the other contestants around them.

"He Xu? He's in Zone B?"

"No way... he's an Alpha, right?"

"How could he be B?"

Whispers spread like ripples from the center of Section B outwards, quickly engulfing the entire studio.

"He Xu is a B?!" Jiang Yang's voice was the loudest. "Why?! He dances so well!"

Song Yingwen grabbed his sleeve, but his own expression was also full of disbelief.

Yang Sheng stood at the front of Section A, clutching the A-level training uniform tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white.

He Xu finally reached Section B and stood in the middle of the crowd.

Li Bufan snapped out of his shock, leaned closer to He Xu, and whispered, "Brother He Xu, did you take the wrong bag?"

"You didn't take the wrong one."

"Then why are you B?"

"Because I'm only worth B."

"Are you kidding me!" Li Bufan's voice rose an octave, drawing the attention of several other contestants. "Your theme song dance was so good, even Coach Zheng Zaiyuan said it could compete in a world-class competition. You're only worth a B? What about those people in Zone A?"

He Xu turned his head and glanced at him, his gaze as indifferent as if he were looking at a child throwing a tantrum.

"The rating isn't just about dance," he said in a low, husky voice, "it's also about vocals."

Li Bufan opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He knew that He Xu had a problem with his voice.

But even though he knew it, he still felt it was unfair when he saw He Xu walk into Zone B with his own eyes.

"But—this isn't fair." Li Bufan's voice trailed off, but the resentment in his tone remained undiminished.

He Xu did not respond.

He wanted to say, "This world is inherently unfair," "You'll get used to it," and "What's the big deal about this?"

But the words stuck in his throat.

Because Li Bufan's eyes were red.