"Joshua, look, there are so many videos about you..." Justin was scrolling online, and when he spotted Joshua, he immediately turned his phone toward him.
Joshua nodded knowingly and said, "There you are."
Hearing that, Justin scratched his head a little awkwardly. "Ha ha, I saved them on purpose."
Then his eyes sparkled as he looked at Joshua. "I have fans too!"
Joshua couldn't help but laugh.
Just then, a large hand suddenly pressed down on Joshua's head. When he turned around, he saw Luther walking beside him, raising a brow as he asked, "What's so funny?"
Joshua shook his head, as if trying to shake off Luther's hand.
Luther chuckled, emerald eyes gleaming, and tugged at a strand of Joshua's hair. "Are you a puppy or something?"
Joshua pursed his lips at him, then swung a fist straight at Luther's stomach!
Luther dodged while clutching his belly, eyes wide as he raised his voice. "Well, well, Joshua, looks like your true nature's showing more and more, huh? Resorting to violence at the drop of a hat!"
Joshua said nothing, only raised his fist again in a mock fighting gesture.
Luther just grinned, unfazed, and stuck to Joshua even closer.
From a distance, Leonard watched, and what he saw made Joshua look like the poor filling of a sandwich, squished between two idiot slices of bread.
Justin was still scrolling his phone, saying things that kept drawing Joshua's attention. At the same time, Luther craned his neck curiously to peek as well—his movements pressing him even closer against Joshua.
Joshua didn't even bother reacting, unless Luther suddenly started messing with him physically, in which case he'd give a light warning.
Leonard silently clenched his fists, the phone in his hand creaking under the pressure, its screen flickering. On it was an edited picture where he was flashing a V-sign over Joshua's head—obviously fan-made with added effects.
He didn't even like Joshua that much, so why was it that one or two people were fine, but when it came to him, he always got pushed aside?
For perhaps the first time in his life, Leonard began to doubt himself—but of course, more than anything, what he felt was anger toward Joshua.
He turned on his heel and walked away, his face so dark that even those who had wanted to curry favor didn't dare approach him.
Inside the studio, the trainees quickly went to change outfits and get styled.
Half the scheduled time had passed when the female MC, holding a microphone, stood before the camera.
Smiling brightly, she cheerfully said:
"Dear National Producers, have you chosen your trainee yet? Our voting has officially opened on the Shining Path website and app! Don't miss the chance to push your pick to the top—their glory will be thanks to you!"
[Already voted, ha ha ha]
[This program still won't release the stats, huh? We always have to wait until announcement day!]
The numbers wouldn't be revealed until the ranking ceremony. National Producers would never know how wide the vote gap was; they could only keep voting for their pick, never truly feeling any sense of security.
The MC continued:
"Of course, if you haven't chosen your pick yet, don't worry—your chance is about to arrive! The official photoshoot for the trainees of Shining Path! Careful not to get dazzled by all the beauty!"
[No, I can't take this anymore. When will it be ready?!]
[Take your time, make sure my baby looks gorgeous, ha ha ha]
[Can you spoil a little about the next episode? I heard there will be a live performance—why aren't tickets on sale yet?]
[I think they'll be invitation-only...]
[No way, I've got money, hurry up and sell me a ticket!]
[Sis, you're not the only one with money here…]
Of course, there would be no spoilers, but fans didn't have to wait long—because soon enough, the first trainee came out!
He was dressed in the program's uniform: a pastel blue-gray jacket over a crisp white shirt, a pale blue tie at his chest, and a neat name tag at the hem, ensuring National Producers wouldn't mistake one trainee for another.
The photo area was brightly lit, and each trainee, already styled, shone dazzlingly under the lights—captivating the gazes of countless fangirls.
And, of course, there were also fanboys among them...
[Heard there's someone here who dances super cool]
[Who else could it be but our Joshua!]
[For sure! Is he gonna dance a bit right here on the spot?]
[Bro, they're taking photos—look somewhere else]
[...]
Even the change in comment frequency was enough to show whether a trainee had many fans.
Take Leonard, for example—almost the instant he appeared, the comments flooded in so fast they blurred, the stream nearly lagging. The female MC almost couldn't hold her professional smile.
His red hair swayed as he smirked, raising his index and middle fingers toward the camera like a gun.
The corner of his mouth twitched—"Bang!"—and his hand jerked upward. At the same time, he winked, that careless yet flamboyant smile hitting fans straight in the heart.
[Aaaaaaa don't stop me, today I'm marrying Leonard!]
[Too handsome, damn it! Another day of falling for him!]
[Truly a sly fox—he just stole my heart!]
With one hundred trainees, each only needed a few quick shots—it went by fast. After all, they were just ID-style photos, no fancy poses, just sitting still.
Every so often, the program deliberately arranged for a fan-favorite trainee to appear, ensuring the livestream audience wouldn't suddenly drop off. Fans screamed and complained, but in the end, they still stayed.
Luther, Arthur, and a few other Class A trainees had already gone "on stage." Joshua smoothed down his jacket a little, knowing it was his turn.
Under the blinding lights, the boy stepped forward as if walking out of the radiance.
His bright eyes sparkled; he smiled softly at the camera before taking his seat.
[He's glowing so much it's blinding!]
[This is natural whiteness, right?]
[Why does Joshua look like he's lost weight so fast? Compared to episode 1, it's like night and day—and it's only been a week, right?]
[If this weren't livestreamed, the moment my baby's photos dropped, people would definitely accuse the show of editing and favoritism]
[+1]
[So gorgeous, so gorgeous—truly a beauty! And when he just smiled, there was a dimple on his cheek, I wanna kiss it, mwah mwah!]
[Ha ha ha, finally those haters can't harp on my baby's weight anymore!]
[Did Joshua take some weird meds or something? Losing weight this fast is kinda scary]
[Don't be jealous, lolol]
[I feel like at the upcoming performance everyone's gonna be shocked by Joshua!]
[Same!]
[So he's not dancing?]
[Wait till the next episode, bro!]