No Time

Chapter 33: Trial Run

When I got to school on Monday, all my classmates and others rushed towards me and asked how I met Feng Ge. I smiled helplessly and told them that we were friends and met through chance.

My classmates all wanted my phone number so I gave them my 2nd phone number. On my 1st phone, there were my siblings' numbers and Feng Ge's number.

Classes went by in a flash and it soon became 3 PM, just 15 minutes before school ended.

"Student Shui Jing, please come to the office. I repeat, Student Shui Jing, please come to the office." I think that should be the school's vice principal's voice.

My classmates looked jealously and enviously at me but still cheered me on. Thank you I guess.

I found my way to the office and waited outside and was about to knock.

"Mr. Di, will this affect Student Shui Jing's academic performances?" the principal's voice could be heard even without being in the room. The door was solid wood, and it was very hard for sound to pass through. I stiffly smiled, I had forgotten that if I didn't keep my abilities and heightened senses in check, it would be very hard for me to live a normal life.

It was horrifying when a loud noise appeared when I forgot to lower my hearing senses... That tiny metallic screech against the plate, somebody shouting, and even yowls of our cat, which Xiao Yu finally named Mimi. His naming sense... I don't know what to rebut...

"Mr. Ying, I assure you that there won't be anything miscarried with Shui Jing's grades! I do have some concerns about his schedule though. Do you think we could have a meeting sometime and discuss it?"

What a strange way to use the word miscarriage... Feng Ge, are you trying to lure in my principal? I knew that he was gay since he told me that his dream was to find an older tall rich man, but still, our school's principal? That was definitely unexpected.

Our principal, 24 years old and 194 cm. A rich and established mature handsome man. Has one niece who became Xiao Yu's friend, Li Hua. That's all I know so far, but Xiao Lai has said that his information is hard to crack into and that it would take several months to hack into the government system.

Hacking, word to word with Xiao Lai's explanation, is a difficult job. Xiao Lai is one of the well-known genius hackers, but hacking takes a long time and lots of patience. Even one mistake can cause serious damage and gives a chance of being found out. Xiao Lai learned to hack on his own, so he's not omnipotent in the online world. Virtual is even harder he says. Our world will soon rely on virtual reality very much, even if it's only in games for now.

Enough about that. I knocked, hoping to warn Feng Ge that a date was not his priority right now.

The principal called for me to come in and I saw a scene of the principal frowning and Feng Ge fawning over him and scooching his chair closer by the minute.

I coughed. "Feng Ge, I'm here."

He looked very, and I mean it, very disappointed.

"Oh, ok. Mr. Ying, I'll hold you to your promise about the meeting next Saturday, let's go Shui Jing!"

"Ah, wai-" Yeah, the principal hadn't agreed to any meeting. Feng Ge was making it sound like the principal had arranged the date. Wow, he's more shameless than I thought.

We got to the parking lot and I saw the newest brand of black Bugatti. I only knew this because Xiao Lai was obsessed with sports cars and had magazines coming in every month.

I got into the front passenger seat and was asked many questions by Feng Ge.

FG: "Shui Jing, your principal is really handsome!"

SJ: "Oh."

FG: "What's his stats?"

SJ: "Ying Xuan, a 24-year-old bachelor with only a niece as his family member. 194 cm, rich, good-looking, very nice and charming, mature. Perfect fit for your preference Feng Ge."

FG: "Hehe... and his hobbies?"

SJ: "He likes to read, go to orchestra concerts, drink tea, and talk to troubled students by giving advice.."

FG: "Wow, he seems like a deity. Old-fashioned, but perfect for me!"

SJ: "Feng Ge, if you guide me on my path to becoming an idol, I'll help you catch our principal. I can ask Xiao Yu to help convince Li Hua, the principal's niece. He's very good friends with her."

FG: "Deal!"

Therefore, a suspicious deal was made. With my help and the addition of Shui Yu, who would convince his friend, Li Hua, Feng Ge was surely going to catch the ever-so-graceful principal's heart.

The company was huge. A tall skyscraper with the words "Starlight Entertainment" was shown with colorful light signs. It fit in nicely and looked very modern, a style Xiao Yu would not stop wanting to look at.

I was dragged onto one of the bullet elevators and we rose to the 120th floor. This company had 120 floors, 20 underground, and a 100 on the ground. Very impressive.

The CEO, a middle-aged man, was friendly but had a calculating gaze in his eyes. Until I sung the song I sang yesterday for him, he was not convinced. What a businessman.

Feng Ge argued with the CEO until my contract was deemed fair and gave me more favorable conditions. The CEO grumbled saying that nothing could get past Feng Ge. It's a good thing that he was accompanying me today.

"For his agent or manager, there was a person who volunteered to be his manager. The guy is new but has many good qualities on his resume. I hope you guys both grow together." Mr. CEO, is there anyone else than a rookie? Although I am one myself, I'm still dissatisfied.

"A new manager? Why not a more experienced and capable guy?" Feng Ge asked.

"This guy has quite the connections, and he has a master's degree in music theories. He also plays the cello so he should be well-versed on music." Well, I'm a little swayed.

"I'll call him up. (the CEO picked up his phone) Mr. Lu, your artist is here, are you available right now?" I heard a faint "yes, of course" over the phone and shivered.

That familiar voice. And the surname Lu. Didn't this lead to...?

-knock knock-

The door opened and I saw the person I was waiting for.

Mr. Lu Han, Xiao Bing's poison arts teacher.

"Shui Jing, nice to see you again." That dazzling but also strangely friendly smile made me shiver.

"Mr. Lu, who would have expected that it would be you?" I hardened my tone and smiled.

"Great, you two already know each other, go get some coffee and bond over it. The first assignment will depend on how much you train, so kiddo, go to classes and practice as much as you can so you can debut quickly." Mr. CEO, you're sending me off to this vicious snake...

Feng Ge saw Mr. Lu but didn't look interested. Is it because Mr. Lu was giving off an overbearing feeling from the start?

When I made desperate eye contact with Feng Ge, he guiltily turned the other way. Huh?

"This guy's your manager from now on, good luck!" Feng Ge ran out the door. Feng Ge! Where's our brotherhood! Don't leave me here all alone with this dangerous guy!

"Kiddo, good luck. Your manager here is quite capable and already got a top-tier apartment condo for you. He has the key, so go pack up and you now have to live at the condo from now on."

We were both chased out from the CEO's office and silently made our way to the underground parking lot.

"Shui Jing, don't mistake my intentions, I really am chasing you." I know that! Don't say it to my face!

"Mr. Lu, I'm not comfortable with this subject." Would that do something and indicate that I'm rejecting him politely?

"Mm, we can take as much time as we need." =-= Fuck you!

"Mr. Lu, what I mean is-"

"Mm, you don't know how to harbor a relationship. I'll help you with that."

"Mr. Lu, I-"

"Don't worry, I'll be a good boyfriend." Frick, can you stop cutting me off?!

I guess my frustration showed on my face, so he chuckled. Huh, he unexpectedly looks nice when he's laughing.

"Sorry to tease you, but give me a chance, ok?" He ruffled my hair. Hm, I'll let you go this time because of your nice smile. About that chance, I'll give you a trial run.

Mr. Lu already knew where our home was, so he helped me pack up. It would be weird not seeing my siblings in the morning when I woke up, but if it's something I should do, I'll do it to my best.

I called Xiao Yu and told him my situation. Of course, I didn't mention Mr. Lu. Xiao Yu would get agitated and not leave me alone if I said that my manager was that guy.

Xiao Yu reluctantly said, "... Ok, but you have to visit frequently."

I laughed, "I'll see you guys at school every day! And I'll come over on the weekends. My schedule isn't that busy yet, so I'll have plenty of time. Ah, and Feng Ge took an interest to our principal. Can you help him out by persuading Li Hua?"

Xiao Yu agreed and said that the three of them, Xiao Yu, Xiao Lai, and Xiao Bing were at something called a Comiket. Xiao Bing had dragged them to a nearby hotel with a bunch of suitcases. It was said that the event took a week. They would be skipping school again. Mo Yun and Li Hua also joined but they could only stay for the afternoon, and for Mo Yun, only until 6 PM.

Mr. Lu moved the lighter things while I carried all the heavy stuff. He looked peeved. It felt so nice to see such an annoyed look on him.

A moving company's truck was called and I moved my bed, closet, and various other furniture in my room and let the workers wrap them.

It was hard work moving everything to the condo. My place was on the 17th floor and it had two floors. The 2 bedrooms were upstairs, the master bedroom downstairs, a bathroom on each floor, and the kitchen and living room downstairs. It was a really luxurious home, but it didn't have any furniture or whatsoever in it.

Mr. Lu's things were already moved in and took the master bedroom. I didn't mind. My stuff would fit in one of the rooms upstairs. The master bedroom couldn't compare to my original bedroom. It was big, but it would be cramped compared to my humongous room. Let alone one of the regular bedrooms. All my furniture fit, but since I wasn't used to this kind of place, it just made me feel suffocated.

For dinner, I boiled water and ate instant noodles with Mr. Lu. He was very interested in the taste when the smell wafted out of the noodle cups. His surprised expression while he scalded his tongue was sure interesting. I wish I could have taken a photo of it!

Unexpectedly, Mr. Lu couldn't cook. The always great and mighty man couldn't cook. He had done housework very well when living with us for a month, but he couldn't cook. This made him seem more human.

I couldn't sleep in my room. I had gotten too used to the big empty space surrounding me when I slept.

Dragging a down comforter and a pillow, I went downstairs and to the empty living room with a high ceiling. It felt a little better.

The pillow and comforter were laid down and I wrapped myself up like a fuzzy caterpillar. With that, I slept somewhat warm and happy.

In the morning, I felt squished. Ugh, so hot. I tried to unwrap myself but it didn't work. I struggled a little harder, careful not to rip the comforter.

Oh, this shameless man.

Mr. Lu had snuggled up to me when I was sleeping and put me on his bed. He was still sleeping peacefully and his eyebrows were strained and he was frowning. Such a serious expression when asleep, no wonder he's scary looking although being handsome when he's awake.

I quietly got out of bed and made my way to the kitchen. Only eggs and some flour. I would make pancakes.

Maybe the smell woke up our dear sleeping beauty, but anyhow, Mr. Lu lumbered staggeringly and hugged me from behind.

"This is nice. It's like you're my wife."

"..." If I replied, he would tease me again, I had learned from experience.

"Oh, you aren't replying. I'll take that as a yes then." Even when I'm not replying I was teased! =-= Ugh!

While eating breakfast, Mr. Lu had woken up completely and announced my schedule for the day.

"Today, you'll immediately go to a studio after school is over. After that, you'll go to a dance class. I'll buy take-out and we can have a brief dinner break at 6 pm. We'll come back home at 8 pm."

So, I went to school. Classmates bothered me again and I politely smiled and answered the questions I could answer.

Mr. Lu came to pick me up at the end of the school day. I avoided my siblings and texted them goodbye. Xiao Yu could definitely never know about this!

The studio people were serious and looked very stressed. Apparently, a new singer had broken one of their speakers and the particular speaker was very expensive. And what made their mood worse was that the new singer only blamed the crew for not moving the speaker and ran away with her manager who was also haughty. She had some backing, so no one could talk back.

The mood was getting depressing, so I released some of my charm aura. Xiao Yu had taught me how to use it. Being around me, would automatically make people think optimistic and clear away their worries and make their thoughts process towards positive things and fix the problems they were worried about.

The mood indeed turned a lot lighter. But they were still worried about the speaker, so I got out my phone and transferred a million Yuan anonymously to the sound crew's director with a quick help from Xiao Lai.

Getting a notification, the director picked up his phone half-heartedly, but was pleasantly surprised and yelled out cheers.

After that, they deemed me as their lucky charm and my vocal training went well.

The dance class had 23 students besides me. They saw me but didn't come forward to introduce themselves. Well, then I'll ignore you too!

I pouted and Mr. Lu patted my shoulder, mouthing, "What do you want for dinner?"

"Kimbap."

Dance training was actually pretty easy. The dance instructor was strict but praised me saying that my body was flexible and could capture movements almost instantly. I smiled bashfully and nodded along.

Even during dinner time, no one came to greet me. So I sat sulking at a corner with a plastic container containing the kimbap I wanted.

Dance class ended at 7:30 pm, and we got home at exactly 7: 54 pm. I washed up and laid on the sofa that magically appeared along with some other furniture and necessities. Mr. Lu ordered them most likely.

"Your hair's wet. You'll catch a cold." I haven't caught a cold since ages ago. And I passed the zombie trial, so how would I even catch one?

But Mr. Lu used this as an excuse to tousle my hair with a dry towel.

"Mr. Lu, you should go shower, I can do this on my own," I complained. I wasn't a kid. I was 18, and 1.85 m. I was a full-grown adult!

"Ok, I'll do as you say." Hm, how obedient.

The day was tiring, even a full day of training would not tire out my mind like this.

I unknowingly fell asleep on the sofa and only awoke when I heard mumbling.

Mr. Lu... had a nice body. His abs, he had eight while I only had a light six-pack. It depended on a person's body! I was just naturally less built!

How did I see this? It was because he was only wearing a towel around his hips and his abs were shown while he was talking on the phone. Ah, male god, turn away, I don't want to see that 8-pack of yours!

"I'm staying here, tell grandfather that my cousin can take over."

"But your cousin... she's too rash and impulsive!" a voice that I didn't recognize sounded over Mr. Lu's phone.

"I don't care, I'm not leaving. Don't call me again."

I rubbed my eyes, what was he talking about? Did Mr. Lu come here without permission? But I wouldn't be moved that easily.

I agreed to give him a chance in my heart after a trial run. He only barely passed the trial run with this. Hmph, I'm not an easy person to chase after all.

Mr. Lu cut off his call and turned towards me.

"Were you sleeping? Why don't you come to bed?" Hmph, trying to be considerate.

I rubbed my eyes and stumbled towards my room.

"Shui Jing, I'm afraid that you're too tired and the stairs might make you fall. Your hair isn't completely dry yet either. I'll get a blow dryer, you stay on the sofa."

I was dozing off and was on the verge of sleep after a warm heat was spread on my head.

I felt a soft sensation on my forehead and was carried onto a soft and cushy bed. Today was also very tiring, I'll just go off to my dream lang now.

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