Who is Helping Me Win by Lying Down [Transmigration] - Chapter 8:

Chapter 8

Securing a commercial deal, while only a drop in the bucket compared to the debts left by the original owner, still marked a beginning.

Fortunately, the specific details of the sponsorship were still under negotiation, so there was no immediate need to rush into filming advertisements, ensuring no interference with practice sessions.

The next morning.

After washing up and having breakfast, Chen Shu took Wangcai with him to the practice room.

With sixteen teams in total, the practice rooms were arranged according to song order, and his was the seventh.

When he pushed the door open, all his teammates were there. Upon seeing him, they greeted him one after another.

Brother Shu. Captain.

Chen Shu set Wangcai down on the floor, picked up the music score, and went over to practice with the others.

Jiang Xing followed him and asked, During the live stream, what did Sister Jiangxue say about how the mentors would teach us?

The four mentors will take turns teaching the sixteen groups in the mornings this week, based on room numbers, spending only one hour with each group, Liao Yue, who was scribbling on a piece of paper, replied upon hearing the question. In the afternoons, there will be two-hour collective classes for each class, with each class held every two days.

Jiang Xing said, I wonder which teacher we’ll get.

Xiong Xiaolei, who was stretching his chest, suddenly paused: We’re number 7. I just saw Teacher Chu Mingyao entering room number 3.

Chu Mingyao, an evergreen rapper, was also exceptionally skilled in dance.

As the homeroom teacher for C Class, if the order followed A, B, C, F, it was highly likely that he would be the one teaching the seventh group.

Sure enough, an hour later, Chu Mingyao knocked and entered.

Hello, everyone, he said with a smile. I’m your temporary mentor for today, Chu Mingyao.

The group hurriedly greeted him.

Hello, Teacher Chu!

With limited time, Chu Mingyao didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point: Who did you choose as your captain?

Their gazes instinctively fell on Chen Shu in the middle.

Chen Shu stepped forward: It’s me.

Seeing him, Chu Mingyao nodded with a smile: Have you divided the song into sections?

They had already completed this task after last night’s live stream.

In response, Chen Shu handed him the music score in his hand.

Chu Mingyao read it from top to bottom, then turned and walked to the piano: Alright, let’s test your vocal ranges first.

Starting with Chen Shu, all seven took their turns. Chu Mingyao looked satisfied: The sections are well-divided, and they suit each of you.

Jiang Xing replied, The captain divided them.

That means you chose your captain wisely, Chu Mingyao glanced at Chen Shu again before adopting a stern expression. However, even though the parts assigned to you are suitable, you still need to practice diligently. Jiang Xing, Xiong Xiaolei, Yun Jie, Zhai Xiangchen—the four of you sang too dryly, without even opening up your throats. How can you sing well like that?

The four looked ashamed and lowered their heads.

Seeing this, Chu Mingyao didn’t say more and spent the next hour teaching as thoroughly as possible before moving on to the next practice room.

By 2 p.m., each class began their collective lessons on time.

Chen Shu and Chi Yu went together to the A Class practice room.

The homeroom teacher for A Class was Su Xian, a senior figure in the industry, excellent in both creation and performance, capable of mastering various styles. In his youth, he had been a top idol singer popular both domestically and internationally.

When they entered, Su Xian was already seated at the piano. He waited for everyone to arrive before standing up and walking to the front of the nine students.

After introducing himself, he said, No matter what, I don’t want to see anyone in our class fall behind. So, starting today, A Class will have a class motto: Not striving to be the best, but striving to be better!

With one sentence igniting the trainees’ fighting spirit, Su Xian returned to the piano and began the lesson.

A Class originally consisted of the top nine among the 99 trainees. Two hours passed, and he became so engrossed in teaching that he extended the session by another half hour.

No one objected.

Unlike ordinary instructors, the mentors invited by the program were all renowned and highly skilled. Though today’s two mentors had slightly different teaching styles, every casual remark they made was filled with valuable experience, from which Chen Shu also benefited greatly.

Returning to the group practice room, Chen Shu discussed with his teammates and continued practicing the techniques he had just learned.

Yin Anyan was the first to notice the difference.

His initial rating was A, with singing being his forte. It was only due to his weakness in dancing that he dropped to B in the Theme Song evaluation. Thus, he quickly noticed that compared to before, Chen Shu’s singing had shown significant improvement in layering and depth in such a short time.

Truly worthy of the initial center’s ability.

Yin Anyan sighed.

Having dropped from A to B, it was impossible not to feel frustrated and upset. But since his skills fell short, no amount of sadness would change anything.

And now, even Chen Shu, the strongest among them, was quietly improving. What else was there to say?

Moreover, besides Chen Shu, there were eight others in A Class. He was already a step behind; if he didn’t work harder, the gap would only widen, leaving him with even less opportunity.

Thinking this, Yin Anyan clenched his fist in determination.

Rather than wallowing in self-pity, it was better to take the initiative!

When they resumed practice, Yin Anyan pushed himself relentlessly, dancing until his face was drenched in sweat without stopping.

Since dancing was his weakness, he would practice until it was no longer a weakness. He didn’t want to hold back the entire team because of himself.

Seeing his determination, the others also lost any thought of resting. They practiced until the dinner bell rang, then wiped their sweat and headed to the cafeteria downstairs.

The cafeteria was bustling with noise.

Jiang Xing was the first to get his food and secured an empty table, calling everyone over.

As soon as Chen Shu sat down, he heard Jiang Xing say, Our Theme Song focus cams have been released.

So soon? Xiong Xiaolei said.

Jiang Xing nodded: Well, they’re focus cams—no editing needed.

Yun Jie and Zhai Xiangchen exchanged glances, both seeing the embarrassment on each other’s faces.

In their group, everyone was either A or B class except them—the two C class members. With the focus cams released together, they didn’t need to watch to know who would stand out in the worst way.

Yin Anyan arrived last and, hearing the conversation, took out his pad to search.

For You Theme Song focus cams.

They’re ranked by score, Yin Anyan said, glancing at Chen Shu.

For the Theme Song evaluation, the host and four mentors gave scores for singing and dancing, with each category worth 10 points per person.

According to the rankings, Chen Shu took the top spot with a high score of 95.

Among the pyramid-arranged trainee avatars, Chen Shu’s was nearly twice as large, with a small crown tilted to the right—very eye-catching.

With the Theme Song playing all around, Jiang Xing casually clicked on Chen Shu’s focus cam.

Though the official release was fresh, the video was already flooded with bullet screen comments.

Support enthusiasts strongly admiring the wall!!

Wangcai’s dad is so handsome ahhh Tree Leaves, vote for him, charge charge charge!!!

The scale of his popularity was already taking shape.

Yin Anyan couldn’t help but look at Chen Shu.

Chen Shu was petting his dog while eating: I’ll give you milk when we get back.

Yin Anyan: …

When he first met Chen Shu, he never would have imagined that this man, who appeared cold and aloof, would say those two words most frequently every day—and even name his dog Wangcai.

Jiang Xing was already accustomed to it: Chen Shu, are you still going to the practice room tonight?

Chen Shu replied, Yes.

Compared to the theme song, Planetary Fission was much more challenging.

With only thirteen days of practice time for the first public performance and the live-streamed evaluation test next week, they had to master the song within a week—time wasn’t exactly plentiful.

Fortunately, everyone in the team was exceptionally hardworking. Three days had passed, and despite practicing from morning till night, no one had complained.

By the fourth day, when Chen Shu arrived at the practice room, Yin Anyan was, as usual, correcting Jiang Xing’s vocal techniques; Xiong Xiaolei was helping Yun Jie and Zhai Xiangchen understand the dance steps and positioning.

Liao Yue sat alone in a corner, holding a pen and paper.

Looking up and spotting Chen Shu, he stood and walked over, handing him the paper. Captain, what do you think of what I’ve written?

As Chen Shu took it, Liao Yue felt anxious inside but kept a calm expression. If it’s possible, I’d like to change my part to a rap.

He was originally a rap contestant—his dancing was decent, but his singing couldn’t compare to his rapping. The past three days of practice had made that clear.

However, Chen Shu was the center of the team, so there was no reason to give the spotlight to him.

After lying awake until the early hours last night, he had finally decided to try adapting his part. The moment he spoke up, he felt incredibly nervous.

Chen Shu examined it carefully. Let’s give it a try.

Liao Yue hadn’t expected him to agree so easily, and his eyes instantly lit up with surprise. He quickly called everyone to gather.

After explaining his idea, Chen Shu turned on the sound system, and the seven of them practiced once according to Liao Yue’s plan.

Planetary Fission had an intense musical style, and adding a rap segment enhanced its impact. Liao Yue’s adaptation fit seamlessly and was quite impressive.

Once they finished the run-through, Chen Shu said, If anyone else has ideas, speak up as soon as possible for discussion. Every day before the public performance is crucial—we shouldn’t waste a single moment.

But—

Chen Shu cut him off. Don’t worry about the center position. We’re a team. For this song, everyone will take turns being the center.

Hearing his words, the six of them showed varied expressions, each touched deep down.

Participating in a talent show was all about screen time and highlights. Since Here for You broadcast each public performance live, stage presence was critical. Chen Shu had earned the center position through skill, and no one disputed that.

Yet now, he was willing to share that spotlight with them.

Captain…

Chen Shu said calmly, We have less than three days until the evaluation. Make the most of your time.

Understood!

Yin Anyan seemed lost in thought.

But what surprised him was that, after dinner that evening, before he could even share his refined ideas, Jiang Xing and Xiong Xiaolei had already come up with their own plans.

As dance-focused members, they hadn’t been able to shine much in the group choreography. Given the chance to rearrange their solo parts, they naturally wanted to show off their skills.

The changes weren’t major, but they still required rehearsing the positioning and coordination.

Chen Shu finalized the version and intensified their training.

After a day of high-intensity practice, once their coordination had improved significantly, he dismissed everyone early to rest.

On his way back, Chen Shu remembered he had left something behind and returned to the practice room. As he reached the door, he overheard voices inside.

Yun Jie, don’t be upset… It was Zhai Xiangchen’s voice.

Yun Jie choked back a sob, Xiangchen, I just feel so useless. The captain is so good to us, even willing to give up the center position, and Jiang Xing and the others immediately knew how to adapt. But I just can’t figure anything out. During today’s rehearsal, seeing how strong everyone is while I’m so weak… When the public performance comes, the audience won’t even notice me. What should I do…

Zhai Xiangchen remained silent for a long time before saying, We’re all from C Class, of course we can’t compare to those from A Class and B Class.

Yun Jie lowered his head, tears falling. But I’m so unwilling to accept this.

Zhai Xiangchen sighed, What can we do even if we’re unwilling? The captain already gave us opportunities. We can only blame our own lack of skill.

Yun Jie sniffled and said nothing more.

Chen Shu lowered his gaze for a moment.

This was something he hadn’t considered thoroughly.

He pushed open the door, startling Yun Jie who quickly turned away to wipe his tears.

Zhai Xiangchen also looked somewhat uncomfortable. Captain.

Wait for me to return. Chen Shu didn’t enter, turning to leave after speaking.

Confused, Yun Jie and Zhai Xiangchen could only stay and wait.

Within minutes, Chen Shu returned to the practice room with the other four members.

Having heard Chen Shu’s request on the way, the four immediately approached the two upon entering.

Jiang Xing said, Yun Jie, Xiangchen, let’s skip rest tonight and practice through the night.

Ah? Yun Jie was startled, then nodded. Okay.

Seeing his dazed expression, Xiong Xiaolei chuckled. The captain said he wants to give you special training.

Special training?

Yeah, Jiang Xing said. The captain said since you haven’t figured out how to showcase yourselves, we should all brainstorm together to properly package you.

Zhai Xiangchen looked blankly at Chen Shu. Captain…

Tears welled up in Yun Jie’s eyes again. I’m sorry for holding everyone back.

Jiang Xing hooked an arm around his neck. We’re teammates – when one thrives, all thrive. No need for apologies.

Liao Yue cracked his knuckles and walked over. We practice until dawn every day anyway – can’t sleep at this hour regardless.

Chen Shu simply said, Alright, let’s begin.

Roger!

The seven practiced through the entire night, only stopping when dawn broke, each yawning wearily.

Yun Jie and Zhai Xiangchen wanted to continue.

There were some difficult moves in the rearranged choreography they hadn’t mastered yet.

Chen Shu didn’t insist, returning to the dorm to catch up on sleep.

After some time, he was awakened by repeated weight pressing on him.

Opening his eyes, he saw Wangcai tearing at the blanket by the bedside.

Not staying still for long, it got up again, biting the blanket and running back and forth across the bed, never settling down.

Chen Shu sat up.

Wangcai?

Wangcai stopped moving, released the blanket and ran to him, raising its front paws to stand against his chest while wagging its tail vigorously.

Woof!

When Chen Shu reached to scratch its chin, it immediately tried to nibble on the back of his hand.

Watching its lively, restless behavior, Chen Shu slightly furrowed his brows.

It seemed like a completely different dog.