Chapter 6: Failing to Endure the Small, One Ruins the Greater Plan

After the deal was struck, the next day was Sunday. The selection contest was drawing ever closer.

That afternoon, Gu Cheng finally received his first advance payment—fifty million Yi. As soon as the money was in his hands, he went straight to the bank to deposit it. On his way back to the company, his mind was already at work, plotting: how to provoke his nemesis Park Eun-ho tomorrow, how to get a recorded confession, then ambush and beat him up, and finally make a getaway...

"Xiao Gu! What are you doing here?"

Just as he was rounding the last corner before reaching the company, a minivan pulled up in front of him. A woman rolled down the window and called out, startling him. It was Miss An, the dance coach.

"Could it be that Han Geng wants to go all out and report me? He can't be that stupid, can he?" For a split second, Gu Cheng thought his secret dealings had been discovered by the company, but he forced himself to stay calm and replied evasively, "Miss An, what brings you here? I was just out buying something."

Miss An said, "We’re going for Western food. The company is paying. You’ve been performing well lately; I was just looking for you."

Gu Cheng scratched his head, feigning embarrassment. "Looking for me? Why suddenly go out to eat? It's not like there's anything to celebrate."

"You all have done well recently, so you deserve a little reward. Come on, get in the car if you want to go!"

Secretly, Gu Cheng was reluctant. He was planning to get himself fired by beating up a colleague the very next day—accepting the company's little treats now felt a bit underhanded.

But if he acted too aloof or evasive now, and then got into a fight tomorrow, it would easily look premeditated rather than a moment of impulse.

If that happened, things would no longer follow the script he had carefully laid out.

Gritting his teeth, he decided to adapt on the fly.

"Thanks, I must be lucky," Gu Cheng said, forcing a fake smile as he opened the door and got in.

The minivan was a seven-seater, fairly spacious. Besides Miss An and Gu Cheng, there were already five trainees inside—two boys and three girls.

Gu Cheng spotted Jung Yunho, who had been helping him with his dance practice lately, and immediately sat next to him, greeting him warmly. He didn’t recognize the other boy, but soon learned his name was Hwang Lunsuk.

Among the three girls, one was Kwon Boya, about to debut; another was an older trainee named Jang Nara. The last was a young girl Gu Cheng had never seen before—she looked two or three years younger than Kwon Boya, likely a newcomer.

Seeing Gu Cheng get in, the little newcomer shyly came over to greet him. "Senior Gu Cheng, I’m the new trainee Jung Sooyeon. I just got back from America. Please take care of me in the future."

"Oh, sure," Gu Cheng replied absent-mindedly. In a few days, he’d never see these people again—no need for any special care.

As she drove, Miss An explained to Gu Cheng, "Today’s meal is partly because you’ve all been performing well in training and deserve a reward, and also because it’s Sooyeon's first day—everyone should look after the newcomer."

Chatting idly, they soon arrived at a French restaurant. Miss An told everyone to head in and order whatever they liked; she’d go park the car.

Among the group, apart from Miss An, the oldest was Jang Nara—nineteen and still without a debut opportunity. Meanwhile, she had to watch Kwon Boya, six years her junior, preparing to debut. It wasn't hard to imagine how crushed she must have felt.

Dongyi Entertainment was never short of older trainees who still hadn’t debuted. Who else but those in the industry could understand the cruelty of "one general's success is built upon a thousand bones"?

Gu Cheng’s own status was neither here nor there, so he was content to just follow behind his seniors.

The six of them found seats and soon a waitress came to take their orders. While Miss An was away, Jang Nara and the other two girls hurriedly ordered all the best dishes.

"I want the seafood fried rice."
"Ribeye steak."
"BBQ pork chop with teriyaki chicken!"

The waitress wrote it all down and looked at the remaining three.

Jung Sooyeon, nervous about ordering something too expensive and upsetting the management on her first day, fiddled with her sleeve and looked timidly at Gu Cheng and Kwon Boya. "Why don’t you two order first?"

Kwon Boya gently patted Sooyeon’s hair. "Don’t worry, we haven’t decided yet. Order whatever you like—Miss An is very easygoing."

Warmed by the gesture, Sooyeon gathered her courage and said, "Then I’ll have the squid rolls with baked mashed potatoes."

Gu Cheng had intended to go last, but seeing that Kwon Boya wasn’t ordering, he couldn’t be bothered to wait. "I’ll have the prawn balls with meat sauce and baked cheese pasta."

Kwon Boya’s eyes brightened a little; after a moment’s inner struggle, she pouted and said, "I’ll have the same."

Unfortunately, the very next moment a voice dashed her hopes. "No! You eat salad and seafood!"

Miss An had returned from parking the car. Kwon Boya’s expression immediately fell. So, she was to be denied again.

"You’re about to debut—you need to control your figure! No cream desserts or fried meats!" Miss An instructed the waitress to swap out Kwon Boya’s pasta.

The trainees all fell silent, not daring to protest.

Gu Cheng found it hard to watch. This kind of management—did they even see these kids as human?

But he only grumbled inwardly; he wasn’t about to stand up for anyone.

Then a strange thought struck him.

"The others are afraid of being punished, but what do I have to fear? If I start showing a bit of a rebellious streak against company rules now, it’ll lay the groundwork for what comes next."

According to his "script," he could defy authority, but he couldn’t be antisocial.

With that in mind, Gu Cheng spoke up. "Isn’t this a bit much? It’s just one meal—she won’t gain weight from that. If you won’t let her eat properly, why bring her out in the first place?"

Hearing Gu Cheng speak up for her, Kwon Boya’s resentful gaze flashed with gratitude, but soon dimmed again, replaced by helplessness. She tugged at Gu Cheng’s sleeve, signaling him not to say anything that would get him in trouble.

Miss An was clearly annoyed. "Gu Cheng, what are you saying? Think you can ignore the company rules just because you’ve improved a bit? I’m doing this for Boya’s sake. If her figure isn’t good in the future and she can’t make it, that’ll be her own fault."

"Even so, it’s not necessary. At worst, let her enjoy a meal and run an extra twenty minutes on the treadmill tonight. She’s only thirteen—if you manage her nutrition this strictly at her age, are you not worried about her growth?"

Miss An, though strict, was reasonable at heart, but like most Dongyi people, she was overly deferential to authority, which was why her first reaction was so harsh. Calming down, she realized Gu Cheng had a point, and eased up a little.

"Just this once, then. She can have the pasta this time. But tonight, she has to spend the night at the company and I’ll supervise her workout before bed—can you do that?"

"I can," Kwon Boya replied, half reluctantly.

The nutrition management drama was settled. Yet Gu Cheng felt more and more disgusted, convinced he couldn’t spend another day at this company.

"Thank you," Kwon Boya tugged at his sleeve, nodding gratefully.

"It’s nothing, just a matter of principle," Gu Cheng replied with a warm smile, not taking it to heart at all. He’d only spoken up to irritate Miss An as part of his plan; he didn’t expect Kwon Boya to be grateful, and almost felt guilty for using her as a prop.

The other trainees looked at Gu Cheng with a trace of regret, as if lamenting that he would risk his image with management just before the selection contest.

...

After their meal, the non-boarding trainees took the subway home, while the rest rode back to the company with Miss An.

Kwon Boya was only in her second year of middle school and usually didn’t board. But having had her beloved cheese pasta tonight, she had to stay at the company under Miss An’s supervision and complete her pre-bedtime exercise.

She was strong-willed and decisive—the type who would finish all her summer homework before playing. In the world of "Dream of the Red Chamber," she would have been a Shi Xiangyun.

So, as soon as they got back to the company, Kwon Boya was ready to tackle her treadmill assignment—only to be stopped by Miss An.

"Boya, are you crazy? Exercising vigorously right after eating so much! Go and attend two periods of Miss Akemi’s Japanese class first!"

"Okay," Kwon Boya accepted without protest.

Gu Cheng figured he had nothing to do with this, and was about to return to his dorm to rest, when Miss An called him back.

"By the way, Gu Cheng, your Japanese is pretty good, isn’t it? Go help Boya practice her conversation skills."

"Why me?" Gu Cheng was far from pleased. All his recent training had been aimed at cashing out. Now that Han Geng had backed off, he couldn’t be bothered.

He was a man with a strong sense of purpose.

Miss An scolded him, "You’re hopeless! What’s wrong with being multi-talented? The future group will definitely expand into the Japanese market—another language will help you become the variety show ace, boosting media exposure."

From her tone, it seemed Miss An was already optimistic about Gu Cheng’s future in the HOT second team.

Gu Cheng forced down his disdain and thought, "Fine, one more night of patience. I’m out of here tomorrow anyway."