Xu Zifan's statement at the police station was largely non-specific. Given the original owner's experiences and personality, he wouldn't suspect anyone, at most a stranger like his landlord. He wouldn't randomly suspect anyone close to him of wanting to harm him. However, despite the lack of specificity, Xu Zifan described all the people involved in the statement in great detail.
For example, which companies did he interview at, and which receptionist and HR person did he meet with? Where and with which classmates did he have class reunions? Which roommates helped him move? Who did he usually meet up with for meals or to watch sports at home, and when? Who participated in the sports games, and with whom did he have any arguments?
He even told the police about every place he could remember working since he was a child. After taking his statement, the officer gave him a thumbs up and said, "You have a great memory. The information you provided will be of great help to our work. Go back and wait for news."
Xu Zifan stood up and shook hands with him. "Please, officer, I really want to know who framed me. Thank you for your trouble!"
Xu Zifan provided information skillfully, so the police naturally started by investigating those who had entered his room. His friend who visited his room most frequently was Pan Yu, and his roommates had been there six or seven times, so they couldn't be ruled out as suspects either. These people, on the surface, didn't seem to have any conflict with Xu Zifan. Currently, the most suspicious person is the landlord, who can enter and leave Xu Zifan's room at any time when he's out, and even bring people in. Therefore, the police started their investigation with the landlord.
When Xu Zifan and Chen Jing returned to the training camp, some of the contestants who disliked him were disdainful and said to his face, "Some people really think they're so great just because they've sat on the throne? They don't take training seriously and are always asking for leave to go out. Do they have some powerful connections?"
"If you have connections, that's fine, but if you don't, you're in trouble. Tomorrow we'll be recording our practice results, and if they're a complete mess, we'll be a laughing stock."
Xu Zifan turned and walked up to them, raising an eyebrow. "You're talking about me? Are you so jealous or just jealous out of your mind? You could interpret what you just said as the production team being unfair, right? Go tell the production team, okay? Too scared to go? Coward? Trying to get attention from me?"
Xu Zifan's face hardened. "Then you've come to the wrong place. I'm not a coward."
The group was taken aback by Xu Zifan's direct confrontation. After all, he was always smiling and was the only fat guy; shouldn't they have been more cautious and reserved? Feeling humiliated by Xu Zifan's words, they all stood up, glaring at him with their necks stiffened. "So what if we look down on someone like you who's just filling in the numbers? I've been a trainee for five years! While I was practicing hard, you were probably carrying bricks on a construction site, right? What makes you think you can compare to us? What have you sacrificed? All you do is use cheap tricks!"
Xu Zifan shrugged. "Since when did seniority become the standard in the entertainment industry? If whoever trains the longest becomes famous, why are you still participating in talent shows?"
Hearing the commotion, the other contestants came over to mediate. Li Keyang stood next to Xu Zifan and said, "Everyone knows how hard it is to be a trainee, but that's not a reason to criticize others. I was a trainee for three years, and getting an A today is the result of my hard work. If you think it's unfair that I got an A after three years while you only got a D after five, you can switch to a show that selects trainees based on years of experience. But by then, there might be trainees who have trained for six, seven, or eight years who surpass you."
"Alright, alright, everyone, let's all shut up and practice. We're here to debut, so let's stop with this nonsense."
"Stop arguing. If you're tired, go back to your dorm and rest. If you're not tired, practice or chat. Don't make noise, or it'll be troublesome if we get photographed."
With some people offering advice, Xu Zifan took the opportunity to pull Li Keyang back to the dormitory. Naturally, people would be unhappy with someone like him who had never been a trainee, especially those who had been trainees for five years without a chance to debut. He was using this opportunity to express his stance, to let everyone know that he was firm and that no one could bully him for such reasons.
Li Keyang entered Xu Zifan's dormitory and saw Xu Zifan scalding traditional Chinese medicine with boiling water to drink. He picked up his guitar and started playing casually, saying to Xu Zifan, "Don't pay attention to them. People like them who don't look for the reasons within themselves and only complain won't amount to anything no matter how long they've been trainees. Most trainees are hardworking, honest, and low-key. Fortunately, these kinds of disputes won't be broadcast, otherwise it would really tarnish the reputation of our trainee community. This concept is still relatively new in China, and this is a chance for the public to understand us. I really hope to leave a good impression and not be labeled with any negative tags."
After drinking the Chinese medicine, Xu Zifan skillfully massaged his acupoints and said, "Don't worry, the final seven who debut will basically represent all trainees. As long as these seven are positive and energetic, everyone's impression of trainees will be good. I think you will definitely debut, so keep up the good work!"
Li Keyang laughed and said, "I didn't expect you to think so highly of me. Thank you for your kind words."
Seeing that he played the guitar very skillfully and beautifully, Xu Zifan asked, "How long have you been learning guitar?"
"Ten years, I think. I started learning when I was eight. I don't even realize how long it's been until I think about it. I only persisted because I really love it."
"Could you teach me? A master can only guide you through the door; the rest is up to you. I won't take up too much of your time; just give me some pointers." Xu Zifan flexed his fingers and walked over to sit next to Li Keyang.
"Sure." Li Keyang handed him the guitar and taught him how to hold it and how to play. Xu Zifan was a complete novice, touching a guitar for the first time, but he learned diligently and quickly, with an exceptionally good memory. He never forgot what he was taught, which made Li Keyang suddenly understand how the mentors felt that day. This guy really had talent.
Li Keyang taught Xu Zifan the very basics and told him to practice whenever he had time. He could tell that Xu Zifan didn't really like musical instruments.
I couldn't help but ask, "Why did you decide to learn guitar?"
While practicing, Xu Zifan said, "I am very interested in composition. I think it would be helpful to become familiar with more instruments. Didn't I promise Teacher Zhou that I would study composition well the other day? I hope Teacher Zhou can see my efforts next time we meet."
Li Keyang scratched his head, somewhat puzzled, "If you want to improve quickly, you should ask Pan Yu to teach you. He's really talented. He wrote the lyrics and music for both of his songs, which are fantastic. I think it would be much more efficient if he taught you."
Xu Zifan smiled inwardly and said, "Great! We've rested enough. Let's go find him together and ask him about his creative insights. Let's see if he has any secrets."
The two set off immediately and arrived at Class A's practice room. Pan Yu had just finished dancing to the theme song and was sitting down to rest, so the two sat down next to him. Xu Zifan said with a smile, "Pan Yu, we've come to ask you for some songwriting tips. Your two songs were really well written. Could you tell us how to write songs? Sometimes I have lyrics and melodies popping into my head, but how do I write them down and turn them into songs?"
Pan Yu took a sip of water, made an expression, and joked, "You really want to learn creative writing? Are you trying to steal my job?"
"I'm learning from you. Aren't you an all-rounder? You have so many fans. Tell me, tell me, how do you write songs?" Xu Zifan steered the conversation back on track and urged.
Pan Yu had no choice but to share some songwriting techniques and experiences he knew, all of which he had memorized from other people's experience posts. He himself couldn't write songs at all. He had only been reborn for a year, busy practicing singing and dancing, signing with a company, and harming Xu Zifan, and hadn't found time to systematically learn songwriting. The two songs he released before were all written by him with lyrics and sheet music, and then the company helped with production. How could he possibly have any insights to share now?
Xu Zifan listened attentively, because he had never encountered these things before, and even a little knowledge was valuable. Li Keyang, however, felt something was off. Wasn't Pan Yu supposed to be a creative genius? Why were his comments so vague? They sounded like those low-quality posts on a forum.
Pan Yu didn't say much, and soon excused himself to go to the restroom and left. Xu Zifan glanced at the time and said, "Let's practice the theme song. Pan Yu probably only knows how to compose but not how to explain it. I'll find an opportunity to ask Instructor Zhou for advice. Come on, let's dance it once."
Li Keyang nodded and joined him in singing and dancing in front of a large mirror on the wall. Both of them were extremely serious. Li Keyang even forgot two lines of lyrics and made a mistake in one of the moves, but Xu Zifan made no mistakes at all. The A-class students who were resting by the wall in the practice room were also convinced. So what if he took leave? He didn't make any mistakes. Talent shows are about ability, and complaining is useless.
The two danced three times in a row, getting it perfectly, then sat down to rest and quietly sang the lyrics to reinforce their memory. For the final recording, each person only had one chance; if they missed it, they missed it. The show only had twelve episodes, so they all cherished it. Xu Zifan drank his traditional Chinese medicine that night and went to the practice room alone to practice until 2 AM, making up for the time he had taken off work. However, not everyone valued this opportunity; many people didn't take practicing the theme song seriously at all.
When it was time to record, everyone looked at each other, no one wanting to be the first to record, afraid of making a mistake. Xu Zifan stood up, straightened his clothes, stood in front of the camera, bowed, and said, "My name is Xu Zifan, I'll begin."
Xu Zifan sang with a slight smile on his face, perfectly executing each movement, his eyes always bright and captivating the camera. Boy groups, girl groups—any idol group like this has to be charming and alluring; it's part of the performance. Although Xu Zifan is still quite chubby, enough to fit two other contestants, his expressions, movements, and perfectly timed smile fully unleashed his charm, making for a fantastic recording.
His success encouraged some people and put pressure on others. Li Keyang got along well with him, and seeing his performance go smoothly, he encouraged him to go on stage. He has always been very serious and hardworking, so of course he completed it smoothly as well. Also, because he often practiced with Xu Zifan, he paid attention to his facial expressions and memorized the lyrics very well, so this time he performed exceptionally well, even better than during practice.
After the recording, Xu Zifan gave him a thumbs up. Then Pan Yu went on stage. He was very familiar with the theme song because it was the same one from his past life, and he had practiced it several times before the competition. However, he had been suffering from insomnia for the past few days and had been practicing all day to maintain his hardworking image, leaving him extremely exhausted. During the performance, he was focused on surpassing Xu Zifan, and in his anxiety, he overdid it, resulting in a less than ideal recording.