Whether or not to call the police is Xu Zifan's choice, but Chen Jing, considering the impact on the program and Xu Zifan's popularity, advised: "If you want to call the police, you must try to keep a low profile. Making a big fuss will not do you any good."
Xu Zifan nodded, "Don't worry, Sister Chen, I know what I'm doing."
This segment was also recorded. Since it would be edited later and many clips would be discarded, the cameraman didn't specifically turn off the camera. After getting the medicine, they accompanied Xu Zifan to the police station to report the case, and then searched Xu Zifan's rented apartment. Everything that might contain hormones was taken back for testing. The cameraman also took a picture of Xu Zifan's residence.
The police also questioned the landlord and asked some neighbors if they had experienced similar phenomena. It turned out that Xu Zifan was the only one who had gained weight. They are waiting for the test results to see if it was an accident or if someone deliberately harmed Xu Zifan.
Xu Zifan couldn't use her phone, so Chen Jing left her number with the police. She liked Xu Zifan when she watched the first episode, and she was the one who brought Xu Zifan in. It was fate that Xu Zifan contacted her again, so she wanted to help if she could.
Finally, everything was done, and it was already dark. When they returned to the training base, the director was about to lose his temper. However, after learning the whole story, he started to wonder if Xu Zifan's excessive hormone intake could be used as a selling point for the show. Every show needs hype, and although their show had a stellar lineup of mentors, a large investment, and extensive promotion, wouldn't it be better to have more eye-catching sensational moments?
Xu Zifan didn't need to worry about these things. The director directly entrusted Chen Jing with Xu Zifan's medication and communication with the police. Xu Zifan suddenly had a staff member to work with one-on-one. Chen Jing felt that it was still unclear whether Xu Zifan had been harmed, and he might have psychological trauma. Moreover, it was indeed not safe to keep the medicine in other places, so she lent him her car refrigerator to put in his room.
Having more contact with the staff actually has its benefits. Xu Zifan thanked Chen Jing profusely and carried the traditional Chinese medicine back to his dormitory. The contestants who had lunch with him heard him return and came to see him. They were quite surprised to see the car refrigerator and a large bag of traditional Chinese medicine. "Xu Zifan, is this medicine? Did you really find out something or are you taking medicine to lose weight?"
Xu Zifan, looking unwell, said, "They found out I've been taking too many hormones." He stood up, patted Li Keyang's arm, and said gratefully, "Thank you, brother. If you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have thought to get checked. The doctor said if I continued like this, I might die suddenly!"
The word "sudden death" startled Pan Yu, and his face instantly turned pale! He wanted to turn Xu Zifan, who had looked down on him and refused to acknowledge him in his previous life, into a fat man, but he never intended to kill Xu Zifan. He wasn't that daring. How could hormones be fatal? Don't many people gain weight when they take medication? How come they're fine?
Li Keyang said with lingering fear, "That serious? That's terrifying! But what does 'excessive hormone intake' mean? Why did you ingest hormones?"
Others also asked, "Yeah, Xu Zifan, have you taken any hormone medication or something?"
Xu Zifan shook his head, "I don't know either. I don't have time to figure it out right now because I'm in the competition. I'll look into it properly after the competition is over."
Pan Yu breathed a slight sigh of relief, his heart pounding like a drum. He shifted slightly to the side, afraid that someone would notice something was wrong with him. But as soon as he moved, Xu Zifan looked over and asked worriedly, "Pan Yu, what's wrong? You look terrible."
Pan Yu hadn't recovered yet, and forced a smile as he said, "I was scared for you. We're such good friends, and the thought of you almost getting into trouble is unbearable."
Xu Zifan patted his shoulder hard and laughed, "Good brother, I know your feelings, I will definitely 'repay' you properly!"
Xu Zifan emphasized the word "repayment," and Pan Yu's heart skipped a beat. Looking up, he saw Xu Zifan's meaningful gaze, and a chill ran down his spine. Had Xu Zifan guessed what he had done? Impossible! If he had guessed, how could he not have a falling out? He looked again and saw Xu Zifan laughing brightly, joking around with the others. The people around them were teasing them, saying they were showing off their brotherhood, and that everyone should be good brothers. They were all A-level, and their strength was among the top of the hundred trainees; they were competitors, and more likely to become team members. Maintaining good relationships was still very important.
After everyone went back to their dorms to sleep, Xu Zifan went to the food section, found a bag of baked buns, and ate them. Since he was out and about that night, there were naturally cameramen filming him. He took his medicine again and went to the large practice room in Class A to start practicing the theme song. He had a perfect ability to imitate, but the kind of high-efficiency imitation he did that day, like imitating Yu Hai on the spot, was extremely mentally taxing and couldn't be done often. So, while the theme song was relatively easy for him to learn, he still needed to put in a lot of hard work to practice.
It's been said again and again that singing and dancing are incredibly physically demanding. Even though he's overweight, he was already sweating buckets after just two takes, yet he persisted. One reason was to exercise and lose weight, and another was to leave a positive impression of hard work and dedication on camera. As long as he remains popular, these clips will be edited into the final cut, all of which will attract fans. Furthermore, if he remembers correctly, these kinds of talent shows often include a segment related to hard work, so he's definitely getting away with it.
Pan Yu also knew that there was a segment where the most hardworking contestant would be selected based on their practice time, and that such a hardworking contestant would be given the center position to choose their teammates to perform with and compete against other groups. He had originally wanted to perform like that, but he was currently distracted, his mind filled with whether Xu Zifan knew he was behind it, and even if he didn't, whether he would find out later.
He tried to reassure himself that no evidence had been left behind, but at the same time, he couldn't help but fear what would happen if he were discovered? His life's development...
It's going so well, but if it gets discovered, it'll all be ruined. He felt a little regretful; why did he have to drug Xu Zifan with those hormone drugs? Even if Xu Zifan hadn't become fat, he could have debuted as an idol with all those songs from Xu Zifan's past life. What to do now? Would he really be discovered?
Pan Yu had been suffering from insomnia for most of the night before. He had been practicing hard all morning and afternoon, and his body was very tired. As a result, he suffered from insomnia again. The physical discomfort and mental irritability made it impossible for him to fall asleep. He tossed and turned, disturbing his roommate Li Keyang, who muttered something. He had no choice but to lie down obediently, which made him feel even more uncomfortable.
Xu Zifan practiced until 1 a.m. He told the cameraman to go home first and recorded himself. He didn't stop dancing until he was too exhausted to continue, then lay down on the floor to rest for a while before going home to shower and go to sleep. After taking medicine to regulate his body and dancing for so long, he was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and even had a sweet dream.
The police test results came back quickly, and the next afternoon they contacted Fang Jing, saying that all the tableware used for eating and drinking in Xu Zifan's house had been coated with large amounts of hormones. The noodles, bottled water, and beverages stored in the house also contained large amounts of hormones. It could be said that anything that could be ingested or come into contact with the mouth contained large amounts of hormones; this was definitely not an accident, but rather a premeditated murder.
Chen Jing was terrified upon hearing the conclusion and rushed to the practice room to find Xu Zifan, asking him to speak with her in a private room. She also reported the matter to the director; with such a serious incident involving a contestant, the director needed to be aware. The director asked Xu Zifan what his plans were. He hadn't decided whether to use this for publicity, as Xu Zifan currently had a very positive and inspiring image, and such a sudden revelation might not be a good thing. It would be troublesome if malicious individuals linked their show to drug use; many casual viewers only read headlines and don't read the context.
After discussing it for a long time, Xu Zifan finally said, "Let the police investigate first. Don't leak the news to the outside world. The police haven't found the person who harmed me yet. If we talk about it now, it will only create chaos and be a pointless, pathetic affair. If I can make it to the end of this show, it will be better to reveal it then. Or if something happens in the middle, we can reveal it when there is a suitable opportunity."
After careful consideration, the director's thoughts were similar to his. Xu Zifan's calm and rational analysis of the situation, despite being a victim, impressed both the director and Chen Jing. Most people in their twenties would be terrified in such a situation, or at least furious, likely demanding justice and the perpetrators. But Xu Zifan prioritized the audition, remaining calm and composed – demonstrating the crucial mental fortitude for an artist. If he can also perform well on camera, he might actually make it to the end.
The director has made a deep impression on Xu Zifan, which is another great advantage for him. Out of a hundred contestants, the director might not notice them all, but he will definitely pay attention to whoever he does notice. As long as their performance isn't too bad, their screen time is guaranteed.
Chen Jing took Xu Zifan to the police station to give a statement, explaining who he had been in contact with over the past three months, who had visited his home, and who he had made enemies with over the years. Xu Zifan frowned slightly and said, "For the past three months, I've been looking for a job, submitting resumes online every day, going to company interviews, and checking out job markets. The other things I did were meet up with my classmates twice, and a few of my roommates helped me move and went to my apartment. Also, the landlord has a key, but I don't know if he brought anyone in."
"As for grudges, I don't think so. I've always lived with my mom and tried to avoid trouble for fear of being bothered. When I was in school, I worked part-time to earn my tuition and didn't interact much with my classmates, so of course there were no conflicts. A little thing like playing ball, which might cause a few arguments, wouldn't hurt me, would it?"
The police officer said, "Think carefully, don't miss any possible details. We will investigate based on the information you provide, so the more detailed the better. You can even tell us about the smallest things you did."
Xu Zifan thought for a moment, then said with a serious expression, "Oh, right, I just remembered something! My dad abandoned his wife and child when I was three years old, and hasn't given me a single penny of alimony all these years. Judging from my mom's attitude, they might have a grudge. Although it's unreasonable for him to kill his own son, if we're talking about grudges, I think he's the closest to it—he's probably grudges against my mom. But I haven't told my mom about this yet. Could you please not contact her for now?"
The police officer nodded. "Okay, we'll investigate based on what you've said."