Eyes on Me
---
"Again."
Yining's throat burned as Coach Liang banged the piano key sharply. His sharp eyes, rimmed by silver glasses, scanned the group of B-class trainees like a wolf eyeing weak prey.
"Your pitch drops every time you reach the chorus. Are you lazy, Lin Yining?"
"I— No, sir," she stammered.
"Then prove it."
Yining stood straighter and inhaled again, trying not to cough. Her chest ached from hours of repetition. Beside her, Min Yuri gave a quick thumbs-up. It didn't help.
This was her third day under Liang. Rumor said he once trained a girl who made it to debut — and then got cut after one scandal. Since then, he hadn't smiled once.
The Vocal Clash
Today's vocal test was simple: a "face-off."
Pairs of trainees would sing the same chorus back to back. The better one would move up in ranking. The loser? Demoted — or dropped.
Yining was called to face Lu Zhenzhen .
Zhenzhen was tall, sharp-jawed, with flawless skin and layers of gloss on her lips. She looked like she was born for the stage. She didn't smile at Yining as they stepped up.
Coach Liang folded his arms. "Song: 'Fireworks' by He Xuan."
Yining felt her heart drop. It was a high-belt song with emotional phrasing — way out of her comfort zone.
Zhenzhen went first. She didn't just sing — she performed. Her voice was thin in places, but she hit the high notes with force. The final line rang out perfectly on pitch.
The trainees clapped.
Yining's turn.
She closed her eyes and took one breath.
Just sing like it's only you.
Her voice was softer, warmer. The first verse trembled slightly. But by the second line, she leaned into the words. The emotion cracked open — desperation, hope, longing. Her final note wasn't as loud as Zhenzhen's, but it felt... real.
Silence.
Then:
"…Zhenzhen," Coach Liang said.
Zhenzhen smirked, flipping her hair. "Thanks," she said sweetly.
"But," he added, "Lin Yining... you feel the song. That's rare. You lose technically, but you win emotionally."
Zhenzhen's smile tightened.
Liang waved a hand. "Both of you — remain in B. Next."
---
The Sabotage
Later that evening, while practicing in the shared rehearsal room, Yining noticed her water bottle tasted... strange.
She spat it out immediately. Something bitter.
Yuri rushed over. "What happened?"
"It's... I don't know. My water tastes weird."
She sniffed it — definitely something added.
Yuri frowned. "Someone's trying to mess with you."
Yining looked across the room. Zhenzhen was laughing with two other girls, her eyes occasionally flicking toward Yining.
"I don't want trouble," Yining muttered.
Yuri crossed her arms. "You already have it. This is how it starts — jealousy, mind games. You're not nothing, Yining. That's why they're scared."
For the first time, Yining realized that even failure could be dangerous — but success? It made enemies.
---
🌙 The Rooftop Moment
At 10 p.m., after everyone had left, Yining stayed behind to rehearse the chorus again. Alone, barefoot, her voice echoed softly through the empty practice room.
She didn't hear the door open.
"Your breath control is better," said a quiet voice.
She spun around.
Jiang Ruoxi leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. Her hair was tied back in a loose bun, a towel draped over her shoulder. She had changed out of her training gear and wore a hoodie and sweatpants — still beautiful in a way that made Yining forget the cold floor beneath her.
"You... watched?"
"I was on the roof," Ruoxi said. "Your voice travels far."
Yining flushed. "Sorry."
Ruoxi shook her head. "Don't apologize. You're improving."
A pause.
"Thanks."
Ruoxi stepped closer. "But if you want to debut, you'll need more than improvement."
"What do you mean?"
"You need to stop caring what others think. Zhenzhen, Liang laoshi, even me."
Yining frowned. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"It's survival," Ruoxi said, her voice flat. "You think people here care about fairness?"
Silence.
Ruoxi turned to leave, then paused. "Also— don't drink anything left unattended."
Yining looked up.
"You saw?"
Ruoxi didn't answer. Just walked away.
---
That Night
Back at the dorm, Yining opened her notebook.
> Day 6
Faced Zhenzhen. Lost — technically.
Sabotage attempt.
Ruoxi spoke to me again. She's colder than I thought. But not unkind.
This world isn't about talent alone. It's survival.
She lay back and stared at the ceiling.
Even without her family name, people were watching her.
But this time, the eyes weren't admiring.
They were measuring.
And waiting.
---
The Idol Supervisor.
Yan Shuxin : a legendary former idol, now StarBridge's new mentor/supervisor
---
A New Storm Begins
The announcement came unexpectedly during morning drills.
Coach Mei entered the studio, her expression unreadable. Behind her walked a tall, elegant woman in a black trench coat, heels clicking sharply across the floor.
"Listen up!" Coach Mei clapped her hands. "From today onward, StarBridge has brought in a special mentor to supervise trainee progress — handpicked by the board."
She turned slightly. "This is Yan Shuxin."
Silence.
Even Ruoxi blinked.
Yan Shuxin. Once known as Asia's Diamond Voice, she had led the legendary group "MuseOne", topping charts across China and Korea for over a decade. But five years ago, she'd disappeared after a brutal scandal.
Now, she stood before them, as cold and perfect as the rumors claimed.
"Some of you may think this is a good thing," Shuxin said without a smile. "It isn't. I'm not here to inspire. I'm here to eliminate those wasting time and resources."
Whispers spread like wildfire.
"I will personally monitor your classes, practices, evaluations, and even dorm behavior. If I see weakness, I'll cut it."
Her gaze swept the room — and landed for half a second on Yining.
Something in that glance made Yining's back straighten instinctively.
---
Pressure Mounts
Everything changed after that.
Suddenly, Shuxin was everywhere.
She watched every vocal lesson silently from the corner. She reviewed dance rehearsals with a clipboard in hand. Once, she made a C-class trainee re-perform an entire routine because she didn't believe his "eyes had energy."
No one dared slack off anymore.
Yining found herself sweating more, singing longer, staying later.
Even Yuri whispered at lunch, "She scares me. I saw her make a girl cry just by watching her during warmups."
Yining laughed nervously. "Maybe that's the point."
---
A Public Scolding
Two days later, during group rehearsal, disaster struck.
Lu Zhenzhen, wearing her signature smug look, deliberately "accidentally" tripped Yining during a fast choreography turn. Yining stumbled, knocking into two others.
Coach Mei looked up. "What was that?"
Before Yining could speak, Shuxin's heels echoed as she stepped forward.
"Stop the music."
The room fell silent.
Shuxin looked directly at Yining. "Who are you?"
"I… Lin Yining."
"Then act like you belong here."
Yining's breath caught.
"Do you know how many girls want this spot? If you're going to fall like that, go home. You have two legs — use them."
Zhenzhen smirked behind her.
Ruoxi's eyes narrowed.
Coach Mei said nothing.
Yining swallowed hard. "Yes, Ms. Yan."
"Again. Everyone. From the top."
---
A Sister's Words
That night, after a grueling 11-hour practice, Yining sat in the stairwell, her feet throbbing. Her notebook was open, but she couldn't write. Her eyes stung — from sweat or from shame, she wasn't sure.
A soft rustle.
Ruoxi appeared, handing her a sports drink.
"Thanks," Yining murmured.
"She was hard on you."
"I looked like a fool."
"You didn't. Zhenzhen's games won't last forever."
Yining looked up. "How do you do it? You never break. You never get angry."
Ruoxi sighed, sitting beside her. "I do get angry. I just save it for my performances."
"Do you think… Shuxin hates me?"
Ruoxi hesitated. "No. If she hated you, she'd ignore you."
Yining blinked.
"She only tears down the ones she wants to test."
There was a long pause. Then Ruoxi added, "When I first got here, I cried every day. I almost quit. But I didn't. You won't either."
Yining smiled weakly. "You sound like a big sister."
"I am one," Ruoxi said, a rare smile curving her lips. "You're not alone, Yining. Remember that."
---
Someone Gets Cut
The next morning, a message on the trainee bulletin board made everyone stop breathing.
> "As of July 24th, trainee Gao Xiaoxiao has been removed from the program due to insufficient progress." – StarBridge Management
Xiaoxiao had been in C-class for almost two years. Sweet, quiet, always on time.
Now she was gone.
Just like that.
Yuri stared at the announcement with wide eyes. "No warning. Just erased."
"She was kind to everyone," Yining whispered.
"This is the dark part," Ruoxi said, appearing behind them. "No goodbyes. No closure. Just silence."
Yining's heart clenched.
So this was it.
Even the kindest, the most hardworking, could disappear overnight.
---
Notebook Entry
That night, Yining wrote:
> Day 10
Yan Shuxin is terrifying — but I can't stop wanting to impress her.
Tripped by Zhenzhen. Publicly humiliated.
Ruoxi called me her little sister.
Someone got cut.
I won't be next.
She closed the notebook, hands shaking.
In a world where talent wasn't enough, and kindness got erased, she needed more.
More will. More strength.
More fire.