Chapter 16: Though I Never Became Remarkably Outstanding

Bars only officially open at night. During the day, it’s mostly preparation work. But Lu Yao had applied for a stage performer position, not some cleaning job.

Lu Yao smiled and said, “The entertainment director at NFA is very strict. Before performing on stage, there’s mandatory training. If you don’t pass, you can’t officially start.”

Sister Wang was somewhat surprised. Nightlife had become this competitive now?

Of course. For girls in marketing or similar roles, the threshold wasn’t so high. Those positions mostly required external qualities, which were their main value.

Lu Yao changed into relaxed, comfortable casual clothes, grabbed his car keys, and said, “I’m heading out now.”

Sister Wang didn’t really want Lu Yao to go to work. It wasn’t that she couldn’t support him, but she didn’t want him going to places like that! Yet she held back the words on the tip of her tongue.

She was no longer a willful, rebellious girl who would throw a tantrum to stop Lu Yao from working. Real adults respected boundaries and had a sense of propriety. Crossing those lines would lead to estrangement.

So despite her worry, Sister Wang suppressed her anxiety and smiled, “Alright then.”

…

Leaving the apartment, Lu Yao hailed a cab to the address Xiao Nali had sent him yesterday.

The Mercedes Sister Wang had given him was still parked in the underground lot near the NFA bar in Muling District. But the training location was at Yinhua Plaza on Jiangdong Road in Gulou District.

NFA had set up an arts training center here. Though not open to the public yet, it was exclusively for Xiao Nali’s training.

Upon arrival, Lu Yao contacted Xiao Nali. Soon, she emerged from the gate and smiled at him, “Right on time, but from now on I want you here half an hour earlier. I don’t like people who cut it close.”

Lu Yao glanced at his watch — 8:48. “You call this cutting it close?”

When Lu Yao showed her the watch on his wrist, Xiao Nali’s eyelid twitched slightly. A Breguet Tradition watch… worth around a hundred thousand on the secondary market. This kid clearly wasn’t short of money!

Lu Yao didn’t know what the entertainment director was thinking and simply put the watch away, agreeing, “I’ll be earlier next time.”

With such a generous boss as Xiao Nali, even if she was strict, Lu Yao had no complaints — he wouldn’t mind living nearby.

Pleased, Xiao Nali nodded approvingly.

---

Though Lu Yao wasn’t short of money and his background was mysterious, his attitude was very good.

“Follow me.”

Xiao Nali led Lu Yao inside the Yiheng Arts Training Center, introducing him as they walked: “Downstairs is where we train dance. Singing lessons are upstairs.”

On the way up, Lu Yao saw many slender, shapely girls working hard on their dancing. They were roughly the same height and all had that slender but curvy figure.

He had definitely come to the right place! These girls perfectly fit the mainstream male aesthetic. Just their dancewear postures were eye-catching — he dared not imagine how lethal they would look in QQ lingerie, twisting into all sorts of pure, seductive poses.

They reached the recording studio on the second floor. Besides the vocal coach and sound engineer, three other resident singers were training: two women and one man.

When Lu Yao entered, his gaze was immediately drawn to the two women.

One had a princess cut hairstyle, wearing a fitted short T-shirt and loose, ripped jeans. She adorned her neck and wrists with edgy, stylish silver accessories. She exuded the vibe of a rocker, but without the usual rebellious restlessness, instead radiating a cool, calm aura. Her skin was that typical porcelain pale, giving off a distant, unapproachable feel.

When she noticed Lu Yao looking at her, instead of avoiding his gaze, she calmly and steadily met his eyes.

“Interesting.”

Many beautiful girls, when stared at, would either pretend not to notice or look away. But she looked back — so cool, so commanding.

Most men would feel shy and avert their eyes, but Lu Yao smiled openly and said, “Hi, I’m the new trainee singer. My name’s Lu Yao.”

The cool girl paused slightly, then nonchalantly said, “Just call me Zuo Zuo.”

“I’m Bella, Zhou Bella!” The other girl beside her cheerfully waved hello.

Unlike the cool, distant Zuo Zuo, Bella had sun-kissed skin, long lashes, big eyes, and a natural sunny, wild charm. Her infectious smile gave a very likable first impression. They were like cold and hot, a perfect contrast.

Lu Yao smiled back, “Hello, both of you.”

As for the remaining guy…

Lu Yao wanted to just “skip” him, but he was wearing a flashy hoodie and baggy jeans dragging a chain, with dreadlocks braided with colorful strings.

Uh oh, this guy was a rapper!

He had the best male aesthetic enhancements. Lu Yao was a bit sensitive to trendies. That guy was very cool but showed no interest in talking to Lu Yao, wearing headphones and pacing around.

Lu Yao was speechless.

After they finished introductions, Xiao Nali came over and said, “This is Song Jing, the rapper.”

Song Jing raised his eyes, formed a gun shape with his left hand, pointed it at his forehead, then flicked it at Lu Yao. That was his greeting.

Xiao Nali continued, “This is Lu Yao, a singer-songwriter. You all can learn a lot from each other.”

Everyone nodded.

Xiao Nali then handed the four of them over to the vocal coach.

According to Xiao Nali, the vocal coach was very skilled, specializing in pop but also proficient in rock, folk, and even rap. Everyone called him Teacher Zeng.

Then came the usual training routine: breathing exercises, voice drills, singing techniques, music theory.

Among the four, Zuo Zuo and Zhou Bella clearly had some professional background, so Teacher Zeng didn’t have to worry too much about them.

Lu Yao hadn’t studied formally but was a naturally gifted performer, so he picked things up quickly.

Song Jing was a bit rebellious but clearly needed this job. Despite his impatience, he listened carefully.

During the break, Lu Yao chatted with them and learned that Zuo Zuo and Zhou Bella were classmates who sang as a hobby. Their major was dance, which explained their amazing figures and super long legs.

They could even do the splits!

This made Lu Yao even more satisfied with his decision to find a job here.

This wasn’t just for his future career; it would also bring him a lot of joy.

Who wouldn’t love working alongside beautiful women?

Though Lu Yao hadn’t become an outstanding person in this life or the last, he was far from lacking.

At least, he had become quite a charming man.