Amateur talent show? Top mentors are my students.

"Brother He Xu," he said.

He Xu was doing a single-leg deadlift when he heard the sound and turned his head.

How long have you been working out?

He Xu pulled his leg back, straightened up, and thought for a moment: "As for fitness... I haven't been seriously training for very long. Before, I just did random exercises, like running and stretching, without any systematic strength training. It was only recently that my manager forced me to start training seriously."

Sun Zhuohang was taken aback: "Agent?"

"Yeah, he gave me a training plan, three strength training sessions a week, and he also set a diet for me." He Xu's tone was flat, but when he said the word "forced," the last syllable seemed to carry a hint of resentment. "I've only been training for less than two months."

Sun Zhuohang's expression changed from admiration to a deeper level of admiration: "Only two months? Your flexibility and core strength... I thought you had been training for many years."

"My flexibility and core strength are developed through dancing," He Xu said. "I started practicing basic skills when I was fifteen, and it's been almost ten years now, with almost no breaks in between. Fitness is another matter—I don't need to lift weights when I dance, but my agent said that my physical condition isn't enough with just dancing, and I need to improve my strength, otherwise I won't be able to handle filming in the future."

"So your agent... pressured you?"

"Pretty much." He Xu put the dumbbells back on the rack, his tone flat. "Three times a week, without fail."

Looking at He Xu's expressionless face, Sun Zhuohang suddenly realized that He Xu was much more down-to-earth than he had imagined.

Someone who has been dancing for ten years and has an astonishingly high level of flexibility actually had to be forced by their manager to start working out.

"So you hate working out?" he asked.

He Xu thought for a moment: "I don't dislike it, it's just annoying."

"What's bothering you?"

"I hate being told what to do," He Xu said, "but it feels different when I'm practicing."

Sun Zhuohang nodded, as if he was processing the information.

Then he spoke, his voice tinged with a cautious probing: "Can I train with you from now on? Can you manage me like your manager does?"

He Xu glanced at him sideways: "You want me to control you?"

"I want to." Sun Zhuohang's tone was very serious. "I definitely can't stick to it on my own, but if someone is watching me, I might be able to."

He Xu paused for a moment, then his lips twitched slightly: "Fine, then you'll train with me from now on. If you don't train well, I'll scold you."

Sun Zhuohang's ears turned red, but he nodded seriously and said, "Okay."

In the observation room, Fang Yiren was already laughing so hard she leaned back in her chair: "Is this kid here to participate in a dating reality show or to chase after an idol? His eyes are practically sparkling."

The host, Cao, chuckled, "This is the first time I've ever seen someone act like a mentor on a variety show. People usually come here to make friends, but he's gone and found himself a personal trainer."

Teacher Wei said with a smile, "And look at Sun Zhuohang's eyes. When He Xu said he had only been working out for two months, his eyes lit up—he probably thought, 'Then I have a chance too.' But it turns out that he had been dancing for ten years to achieve that."

"But have you noticed—" Wang Yiren said slowly, holding his coffee cup, "He Xu really doesn't know how to keep a cool head. When people ask him how long he's been practicing, most people might vaguely say 'I've been practicing for quite a while,' to make themselves seem impressive. But he, on the other hand, tells you everything in detail."

Artist Fang was overjoyed: "And the tone in his voice when he said 'I'm annoyed by being managed' was so real. I thought he would say something like 'I'm very self-disciplined,' but he just said 'annoying.'"

The host, Cao, chimed in: "The key point is that Sun Zhuohang admired him even more after hearing all this."

Wang Yiren chuckled: "This kid is so cute. Ten minutes ago he was asking, 'How did you do that?' and ten minutes later he's already begging to be scolded."

Fang Yiren slapped her thigh: "What I really want to know is whether Sun Zhuohang's flexibility will improve after this show is over."

Everyone laughed in response.

-

The division of labor for dinner was similar to that for lunch, even a little too tacit.

Wu Jiayuan and Jiang Yining were the head chefs in the kitchen, Lin Zhen assisted with preparing the dishes, Zhuang Wenmin was in charge of chopping and preparing the ingredients, and He Xu and Sun Zhuohang set the table and washed the dishes after the meal.

No one specifically discussed it; when the time came, everyone naturally took their places.

Dinner was more lavish than lunch. Wu Jiayuan stir-fried two hot dishes, Jiang Yining stewed soup, Lin Zhen smashed a plate of leftover cucumbers from lunch and mixed some wood ear mushrooms, and Zhuang Wenmin cut a plate of fruit and brought it out.

The six people sat down around the long table, eating and chatting.

The conversation shifted from Lin Zhen's case, which is scheduled to go to trial next week, to a little boy that Wu Jiayuan had treated a few days ago who refused to take his medicine.

The conversation then veered from the theme of Jiang Yining's upcoming fashion shoot to Sun Zhuohang's childhood embarrassing story of being scolded by a director and crying during filming.

He Xu sat at the edge of the long table, with only a small amount of rice in his bowl. He picked up a few pieces of food and ate slowly.

He rarely interrupts, but occasionally when asked, he will respond with a casual remark, and no one will feel that he is being sarcastic.

After finishing their meal, He Xu and Sun Zhuohang took the dishes into the kitchen to wash them.

Having learned his lesson, Sun Zhuohang was much more steady when washing dishes than at noon. When he picked up the bowl, his fingers knew to stay on the rim instead of slipping off as before.

He Xu stood beside him clearing the bowl, occasionally glancing at him sideways.

After washing the dishes, the six of them sat in the living room for a while, chatted for a few minutes, and then parted ways.

Lin Zhen said he needed to go through the materials for tomorrow's court hearing again, and then went back to his room.

Jiang Yining said she got up too early today and needs to go to bed early, otherwise her eyes will be swollen in class tomorrow.

Sun Zhuohang followed him upstairs, and before leaving, he said to He Xu, "Goodnight, Brother He Xu."

Zhuang Wenmin was the last to leave the living room.

Before leaving, she paused at the top of the stairs, glancing sideways at He Xu: "Don't forget your medicine."

"understood."

She didn't say anything more, turned around and went upstairs.

Most of the living room lights were off, leaving only two on at the stairwell and in the kitchen.

He Xu put the cups from the coffee table in the kitchen sink, wiped the countertop, and then went back to his room.

He turned the water temperature up a little higher than usual when he took a shower.

After practicing in the basement at noon, my body felt a bit sore. I rinsed my back and shoulders with hot water, which helped to relieve the tightness and soreness.

After washing his hair, he dried it until it was half dry, changed into a loose white long-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of lounge pants, and went downstairs in slippers.

The kitchen light was still on.

He walked to the kitchen counter, took out the box of Chinese herbal medicine from the cabinet, tore open a packet and poured it into a cup, then turned on the kettle and poured hot water into the cup.

The powdered medicine dissolved in water, and a strong aroma of traditional Chinese medicine wafted out from the rim of the cup.

He held the cup against the edge of the counter, stirred it, and waited for the medicine to cool down.

Footsteps came from the stairwell.

Wu Jiayuan came downstairs, her hair still damp from shampoo, wearing a light pink long-sleeved pajama top and cotton pajama pants, slippers, and carrying an empty water cup.

She probably wanted to get a cup of hot water, but when she reached the kitchen door, she paused and saw He Xu leaning against the counter.

He Xu turned his head to look at her, but didn't react in any particular way; he just nodded.

Wu Jiayuan's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, then moved to the dark brown medicine in his hand, before returning to his face.

The kitchen light fell from above, making his silhouette appear much softer than during the day.

Her hair was half-dry, with stray strands casually falling across her forehead, lacking the tense indifference she displayed in the living room during the day.

The white long-sleeved T-shirt hung loosely on her body, revealing a section of her collarbone at the neckline. She looked—Wu Jiayuan found a word in her mind—well-behaved.

"You're still awake?" He Xu spoke first.

Wu Jiayuan snapped out of her reverie, walked in, and stood beside him. "I'm thirsty, come and get a glass of water." She glanced at the glass in his hand. "Is this Chinese medicine? For your stomach?"

"Hmm." He Xu picked up the cup, tilted his head back and took a sip, then frowned after swallowing.

Is it bitter?

"It's alright." He put down the cup. "It's a little better than the boiled kind."

Wu Jiayuan poured herself a cup of hot water, leaned against the other side of the kitchen counter, and tilted her head to look at him.

He Xu took small sips of his medicine, probably because he found it too bitter, pausing after each sip, his brows slightly furrowed.

She watched for a while and couldn't help but laugh.

He Xu turned his head and glanced at her: "What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing," Wu Jiayuan said. "It's just that you're not quite what I imagined."

"How are they different?"

Wu Jiayuan held her water glass and thought for a moment: "When I saw you on TV before, I thought you were pretty fierce, especially cool."

She paused, a hint of amusement in her voice: "Seeing you holding the medicine with that furrowed brow now—it just dawned on me that you're actually younger than me. I'm so used to calling you Teacher He that I almost forgot you're my younger brother."

He Xu's hand holding the cup froze in mid-air. He turned his head and glanced at her, his expression carrying a subtle speechlessness.

"You are indeed two years older than me," He Xu said, "but why do you sound like you're twenty?"

Wu Jiayuan chuckled at his remark: "Oh dear, doctors see everyone as a child."

She reached out and gently patted his arm, with a natural, sisterly warmth: "Alright, little brother, finish your medicine and go to bed early. Your stomach isn't good, so don't stay up too late."

He Xu glanced down at the arm she had slapped, but didn't react. He picked up the cup, finished the last sip of his medicine, rinsed the cup at the sink, and turned it upside down on the drainer.

"You should go to bed early too," he said. "Don't you have to go back to work at the hospital tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'm on the early shift tomorrow." Wu Jiayuan took two steps toward the stairs with her water glass in her hand, then turned her head to the side. "By the way, what time are you getting up tomorrow? Maybe we can have breakfast together."

"I get up at 6:30 and come back from my morning run around 7:20."

"Then I'll get up at 7:20 to eat." Wu Jiayuan waved the water glass in her hand at him. "Goodnight, little brother."

He Xu leaned against the kitchen counter, watching her retreating figure as she went upstairs, his face expressionless: "Goodnight."