After Transmigrating Into a Male Idol Talent Show

Chapter 80

Because it was just a momentary pause, there didn't seem to be any problem with Nan Xiao's dance movements afterward, so most people didn't notice.

The teammates were all behind Nan Xiao, so they only thought that his movements were delayed due to the robe obstructing him and didn't see Nan Xiao's expression.

It was actually Coach Yao Chen, who had been paying attention to the details of each trainee's movements, who noticed. However, he didn't stop the rehearsal and only slightly furrowed his brows after the overall performance ended.

He was too familiar with this feeling because as a dance coach, Yao Chen also had a waist injury. When he saw Nan Xiao's movements, he understood that the latter had aggravated an old injury.

Qin Lu, who stood beside Nan Xiao, noticed that something was off with him and raised his hand to hold the microphone, asking in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Nan Xiao shook his head, "It's nothing."

The intensity of his dance training was too high, and he had been repeating it for years, never being very smooth. Tomorrow was the official performance, and Nan Xiao didn't want to tell his teammates about this. If they knew, it might affect their own performances.

After a week of training, Nan Xiao couldn't choose not to perform at this point. Even if he had to grit his teeth, he had to complete it.

Qin Lu listened to him without saying whether he believed it or not. He was still waiting for the coaches' feedback. He just made a sound of acknowledgment and didn't say anything more for the time being.

Coach Yao Chen could understand what Nan Xiao was thinking with just one look. He thought about himself for a moment and estimated that he wouldn't want to give up at this time either. So he didn't say anything, just gave a simple evaluation of the stage.

Shortly after the trainees all left the stage, a staff member called Nan Xiao aside.

It was Coach Yao Chen and the team doctor who told the staff member about this, asking Nan Xiao to go and see for himself. This way, they took care of his desire not to let his teammates know while not delaying the treatment for his old injury.

When Nan Xiao was called out, his teammates didn't think there was anything wrong, only Qin Lu seemed pensive.

So when Nan Xiao came out of the rest area, he saw Qin Lu leaning against the wall waiting for him.

There was a moment of nervousness as if caught red-handed. Nan Xiao knew that Qin Lu was always attentive and probably had guessed it long ago.

Qin Lu looked at him and opened his mouth, "Done with the check-up?"

Nan Xiao: "..."

Knowing he couldn't hide it from Qin Lu, Nan Xiao nodded and admitted, "Yeah."

Actually, Qin Lu could probably guess what the doctor said to him. Most likely, it was to stop intense exercise under normal circumstances, get more rest, and preferably do localized therapy regularly, along with regular hot compresses.

Qin Lu understood Nan Xiao. He originally wanted to say not to force it, and if the one-handed side flip couldn't be done, cancel the move. But Nan Xiao definitely still wanted to persist in presenting the complete performance.

So he didn't say anything in the end, just said, "Sleep early tonight, don't practice in your hotel room except for the official stage performance, and you'll have a few days to rest after the performance."

Nan Xiao's poker face had basically returned. He was much older than Qin Lu, but he obediently listened, looking like a primary school student caught in the act, then grinned and blinked, "I promise you. But after the performance, I might be eliminated... Then I should be able to rest for a while without worries."

He really thought so. Although his ranking was eleventh in the last overall ranking, it kept dropping. Nan Xiao felt that he might not have the chance to participate in the final night of debuting. Even if he advanced to fifteenth place, what were the chances of him entering the top nine and getting a debut position?

Nan Xiao felt a bit distracted. He didn't want to think about these things, but he couldn't help but keep thinking. So he kept training hard, just so that even if he was eliminated, he could honestly say to himself that he had done his best.

When he debuted, he had also fantasized about becoming popular overnight. He hadn't slackened in any aspect of training and could be considered talented.

He didn't think he was mediocre.

But year after year, the reality of setbacks made him lose his initial fearlessness. Even though he knew that without passion, he wouldn't progress further, each failure was not just a single instance. Getting back up after falling didn't just require courage.

In fact, Nan Xiao would also feel sad.

Every time he was left far behind by the people around him, he would feel sad.

He looked at Qin Lu, sometimes thinking that he had been like Qin Lu once. When he debuted for the first time, Nan Xiao was about the same age as Qin Lu is now, but now he found himself back at the same starting point, or even facing another defeat.

Everyone's life trajectory was predetermined, and Nan Xiao used to not believe it.

But now he was really confused.

Was hard work really effective? Why were all his efforts not a sword pointing forward through thorns and obstacles, but a double-edged sword that had not yet been sharpened?

Qin Lu had been quietly watching Nan Xiao's changing expressions. In fact, his current problem was a bit more serious psychologically. But Qin Lu didn't intend to comfort Nan Xiao directly. He paused for a moment and confirmed first, "Does the waist injury affect ordinary daily activities now? Will it worsen?"

Because Nan Xiao seemed normal when he came offstage, it shouldn't be too serious, just that it would affect him during dance.

Nan Xiao nodded, "It's okay, as long as I'm careful."

After listening, Qin Lu said, "Did you bring your bank card?"

Nan Xiao, who was still immersed in self-denial, was taken aback when he heard Qin Lu's question. His mind went blank and he started to recall subconsciously, shaking his head, "No... Why?"

Qin Lu casually said something that made Nan Xiao widen his eyes in shock, "It's nothing, I brought mine. Let's sneak out of the hotel tonight."

Nan Xiao's pupils trembled, "Huh?"

Because there were only four performances, and after two rounds of rehearsals, the time wasn't too long. It should end around four or five in the afternoon. But... he was a bit stuttering for some reason, "Uh, did the program team allow us to go out?"

Qin Lu remained calm, "They didn't say we couldn't go out."

Nan Xiao: "..."

Qin Lu said lightly, "We've rehearsed the performance stage hundreds of times. Let's do something interesting and relax."

Nan Xiao's problem right now was that he was too tense.

For him, relaxing was better than anything else. He was too tense. What he needed wasn't focus and practice, but relaxation, to feel the lightness and happiness that should come with his age.

Before Nan Xiao could react, Qin Lu had already agreed with him and started asking if there was anywhere he wanted to go.

Nan Xiao: "..."

Actually, he did have a place in mind.