Amateur talent show? Top mentors are my students.

He Xu didn't know what the guests in the observation room thought of them.

Or rather, he couldn't really comment on the other four people either—he knew too little about them, his understanding was too superficial, and the only things he knew were their names and professions.

Everyone seemed to realize that they should give a more detailed self-introduction, so after tidying up their rooms, the six of them gathered back in the living room, sat together, and prepared to formally introduce themselves.

He Xu leaned back on the corner of the sofa, holding a glass of warm water in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the five faces one by one.

Jiang Yining was the first to break the silence.

She sat in the middle of the sofa, gathered her skirt, glanced at Wu Jiayuan first, then turned to everyone, her tone light and cheerful: "How about we start with me?"

She laughed after she finished speaking, showing no signs of restraint.

"My name is Jiang Yining, I'm 26 years old, and I'm a middle school math teacher." She counted on her fingers, "I've been teaching for four years and am currently teaching eighth grade. I arrive at school at 7 a.m. on weekdays and leave at 6 p.m. If there's evening self-study, I get back at 9:30 p.m. On weekends, if I don't have extra classes, I usually sleep until noon, and then I shoot videos, edit videos, and post outfit photos."

"So your blogger account is real?" Wu Jiayuan asked. "I thought it was just a persona the production team gave you."

"Of course it's true." Jiang Yining took out her phone from her pocket, swiped a couple of times, and showed the screen to Wu Jiayuan. "Look, this is my homepage. I don't have many followers, just a few hundred thousand. I usually post about my outfits and daily life."

Wu Jiayuan leaned over for a look, then laughed: "You call this not many? You have hundreds of thousands of followers!"

"In the influencer circle, I'm just an 18th-tier celebrity." Jiang Yining waved her hand. "But I don't plan to become a big star. I just think it's fun. I can't wear anything too flashy when I'm in class, so on weekends I want to wear all the things I can't wear during the week, as a way of making up for it."

Wu Jiayuan nodded in agreement, saying, "Okay, it's my turn next."

She straightened up from the sofa armrest, sitting up a little more upright, but her posture remained relaxed.

"My name is Wu Jiayuan, I am 27 years old, and I am a pediatrician. I work at the Municipal Children's Hospital and am currently an attending physician. On weekdays, I hand over my shift at 8:00 am and finish at 6:00 pm, but I usually stay until 7:00 pm because there are always young patients who need to be added to the schedule. I take turns off on weekends. However, I personally prefer to go out and have fun, so I don't necessarily stay at home."

She spoke with a natural rhythm, neither hurried nor slow, explaining every detail clearly, as if she was already used to explaining her work arrangements to people.

"Are pediatricians particularly overworked?" Jiang Yining asked.

"It's tiring, but it's also quite interesting," Wu Jiayuan smiled. "Kids are much easier to please than adults. You can get them to cooperate with the inspection with just a sticker or a small toy. I deal with kids every day, and I feel like I've become simpler myself."

"And I think our jobs are similar in one way—we both have to deal with children, and we both need to be patient."

"Yeah, but it's more appropriate to call them teenagers—wait, doesn't that sound a bit like Teacher He teaching young trainees to dance?" Jiang Yining said with a smile. "I've seen your dance class vlog before."

"Then you should be more patient than me. I often yell at my students when I'm teaching them." He Xu nodded.

"I scold too," Jiang Yining said confidently. "I'll still yell at the kids when they misbehave, but after I'm done yelling, I still have to reason with them."

"So you're using force first, then courtesy," He Xu said.

"Anyway, they'll still like me in the end." Jiang Yining smiled, her eyes crinkling.

Wu Jiayuan clicked her tongue and teased, "Teacher Jiang, you're both gentle and cunning."

When it was Lin Zhen's turn, he pushed up his glasses and sat up straighter than before, as if he had switched to work mode.

"Lin Zhen, 28 years old, lawyer. He has his own firm, mainly handling commercial disputes and contract review, and occasionally taking on some marriage and family cases." He spoke slowly, as if each sentence had been carefully considered.

"My work schedule is not very fixed. When I'm busy, I work overtime for two or three weeks in a row, and when I'm free, I can take time off. I don't have many hobbies. I occasionally play badminton, read books, and cook for myself on weekends."

"Can you cook?" Wu Jiayuan asked.

"I know a little," Lin Zhen said. "The simplest kind, like scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shredded pork with green peppers, or making a soup. I learned it when I lived alone before, because I didn't want to eat takeout every day."

"Can you show off your skills at noon today?" Wu Jiayuan pressed.

Lin Zhen paused for a moment, then nodded: "Sure, as long as you don't mind."

Sun Zhuohang sat in a chair next to the dining table, without taking the initiative to speak.

He Xu noticed that his fingers were clenched lightly on his knees, as if he was organizing his thoughts.

"My name is Sun Zhuohang, I'm 24 years old, and I'm an actor." His voice wasn't loud, but it was steady. "I acted in a few children's dramas when I was little, but I didn't get many roles after I grew up. Last year, I filmed a web series, which brought me back into the public eye, but it wasn't a huge hit. I just got a few more gigs than before."

He paused after saying that, as if hesitating whether to continue.

Then he added, "Actually, I'm quite nervous. Before coming to this show, my agent told me that I should meet more people from different circles and learn how to get along with people. Because I usually spend most of my time on set, I don't meet many people, and I don't have many social occasions, so I'm not very good at talking."

"You're saying it quite well," Wu Jiayuan encouraged him.

Sun Zhuohang's ears turned slightly red: "Thank you."

He Xu leaned back on the sofa, glanced at him sideways, and didn't reply, but her gaze was softer than before.

Then came Zhuang Wenmin.

She sat next to He Xu, her legs crossed, her tone still indifferent: "Zhuang Wenmin, 27 years old. Makeup artist, mainly doing stage makeup and fashion magazine shoots, occasionally taking on styling guidance for film and television crews. When she's not working, she stays at home, tidying up the house, watching dramas, and researching new makeup and styling products."

He Xu's self-introduction was shorter and more casual than everyone else's: "He Xu, 25 years old. My usual work involves choreography, teaching, and occasionally dancing on stage. Recently, I've taken on some magazine and variety show work, so I'm slowly getting used to being an artist."

He paused after he finished speaking, as if wondering if he should add anything.

"That's all?" Jiang Yining asked.

"That's all."

"That's all?"

That's all.

"Aren't you going to tell me about your hobbies or something?"

He Xu thought for a moment: "Running. Occasionally reading. I can't cook."

Wu Jiayuan sat on the sofa, her gaze shifting back and forth between Zhuang Wenmin and He Xu twice, before suddenly speaking: "Wait a minute, I wanted to ask you two when you came in—do you know each other?"

Zhuang Wenmin picked up the unopened bottle of mineral water and said in a nonchalant tone, "We've collaborated a few times."

"How many times?" Wu Jiayuan pressed, her gaze carrying a doctor's precision.

"Three times," Zhuang Wenmin said, "stage makeup, concerts, and press conferences."

"Three times is quite a lot," Jiang Yining chimed in, her tone thoughtful. "So you two must be pretty close?"

"Not familiar with her," Zhuang Wenmin said.

"We're not exactly strangers," He Xu said at the same time.

The two of them finished speaking almost at the same time, and then fell silent.

Wu Jiayuan turned her head to look at Jiang Yining, and Jiang Yining also turned her head to look at Wu Jiayuan. The two exchanged a knowing look.

Lin Zhen sat in a single chair, adjusted his glasses, and observed the back and forth: "It seems... you two have different understandings of this matter."

He Xu leaned back on the sofa, glanced at Zhuang Wenmin, and then looked away: "We're just acquaintances."

"Familiar face?" Lin Zhen repeated the word, as if scrutinizing a witness in court.

"Hmm," He Xu said, "She's done my makeup a few times, so she's pretty familiar with my face, but not so much with the rest."

"This 'familiar face'—you're not entirely wrong with that." Jiang Yining nodded from the side, but the smile on her lips remained. "However, Teacher Zhuang, when you said 'not familiar' just now, your tone wasn't quite certain."

"I'm only familiar with his face, it doesn't mean I'm familiar with anyone else," Zhuang Wenmin corrected. "Don't overinterpret it."

"We didn't interpret it either," Wu Jiayuan said.

"Your looks just now were an attempt to interpret something."

Wu Jiayuan smiled and raised her hands: "Okay, okay, I think it's about time. Let's start preparing lunch."