Sulanqiao felt a little aggrieved. He had tried his best but could only resign to his fate. He controlled his expression and lightly acknowledged the result.
In the ranking for the first day's long-distance run exam, he was placed second from the last, barely exceeding the last place with the 30% judge's score.
This result was dragging him down. If he didn't raise his scores in the following two days, he would be eliminated from the second phase of the recording.
After dinner, there was the usual thirty-minute free time. Sulanqiao barely ate anything, having no appetite after a day of stomach trouble and the long run that left him almost exhausted.
As he left the cafeteria, he saw Lao Chen stealthily emerging from a nearby grove and quickly handed a bag of something to him.
"What's this?" Sulanqiao asked softly.
Lao Chen lowered his voice, "Chu Zong asked me to buy you anti-diarrheal medicine. It's effective. You should feel much better tomorrow."
"Where's Chu Zong?" Sulanqiao held the medicine, feeling emotionally overwhelmed by the day's events. His eyes couldn't hold back the tears upon hearing that name.
Lao Chen looked around, then pulled him aside, "He's in the car. Do you want to see him? I'll take you there."
Sulanqiao was indeed eager to seek some comfort, and he disregarded his earlier intent to avoid suspicion, quietly following Lao Chen through a small path to the parking area.
Lao Chen stood outside the car, keeping an eye on the surroundings, and gestured for him to get in.
With someone tailing them, this really looked like a clandestine meeting.
Sulanqiao opened the back door, and Chu Cheng was comfortably leaning back, rubbing his forehead with closed eyes.
Seeing the door open, Chu Cheng looked at the newcomer and smiled wryly, "Aren't you supposed to avoid suspicion? Why are you here?"
"I wanted to see you," Sulanqiao's voice trembled slightly, "Chu Zong, I had a tough day today. I had diarrhea and ran five kilometers. I'm really exhausted."
Chu Cheng softened his voice, reaching out to rub his head, "I know, I saw that. Are you feeling better now?"
At that moment, he felt sorry too, especially seeing him so weak yet still persevering, which made him feel extremely soft-hearted. So, as soon as the recording ended, he immediately instructed Lao Chen to buy medicine and bring it over.
"I've got the medicine. I'll take it tonight when I go back," Sulanqiao moved forward a little, pitifully looking at Chu Cheng, and softly said, "Can I hug you?"
Chu Cheng raised an eyebrow, and with a deep voice, he lightly agreed, then opened his arms but didn't move, maintaining that posture.
Sulanqiao didn't care about that, and he threw himself into Chu Cheng's embrace, grabbing onto his suit as if afraid of being let go.
"Haven't cried? had a tough day today," Chu Cheng tightened his embrace, feeling a cold drop of liquid sliding down his neck. He comfortingly patted Sulanqiao's back, thinking that despite his tall stature, he seemed like a child that needed comforting.
It was a very simple hug, not particularly intimate, and even with clothes in between, he couldn't feel the body heat.
But Sulanqiao felt the strength in Chu Cheng's arms, the intermittent light patting on his back, and the light cigarette scent belonging to him, which instantly dispelled the frustration that had been brewing since morning.
After hugging for a while, Sulanqiao took the initiative to break free from the embrace, "I should go."
"Done crying?" Chu Cheng glanced at him lightly, seeing the red-eyed Sulanqiao, "Tomorrow, work hard to improve your ranking."
Sulanqiao nodded and forced a smile, "Thank you, Chu Zong. See you tomorrow."
The next day's recording was a meeting, but their roles would be different - one as a contestant, the other as a judge.
Lao Chen's brought medicine did work, and the next morning, Sulanqiao felt much better, with reduced frequency of trips to the restroom.
However, he still felt weak, with soft limbs and occasional cold sweats.
The second phase of the physical tests included push-ups, sit-ups, and squats, which were torture for someone who had suffered from diarrhea.
His sickness was really a bad timing.
Sulanqiao was not one to give up easily, for himself or for Chu Cheng. Therefore, he persevered through the tests using all his strength.
Push-ups, 75 points, moving from 20th to 19th place in the overall ranking.
Sit-ups, 85 points, moving from 19th to 17th place in the overall ranking.
Squats, 85 points, moving from 17th to 16th place in the overall ranking.
After all the tests, Sulanqiao lay on the ground, panting heavily, his back nearly soaked through. He looked at the rankings and realized that moving up one more place would save him from elimination.
Sulanqiao remained on the ground, covering his face with his hand.
Xu Zhili handed over a water bottle with his name on it, "You've really pushed yourself hard."
"Thank you," Sulanqiao took the cup, drank a few gulps, and felt the tension in his body loosening.
The body is slowly recovering, but tomorrow's final swimming test has caused some anxiety for Su Lanqiao.
He learned to swim because eight years ago, after nearly drowning in the water, his father forced him to learn it.
However, he really despises the feeling of being in the water. Every second spent there brings back nightmares from the past.
Before the swimming exam on the third day, Su Lanqiao spent a long time in the bathroom, burying his face in the water to persuade himself that he already knew how to swim and should not be afraid.
Through the door, he heard the director shouting outside with a loudspeaker, "All models, change into your swimsuits and come out immediately. Seven people in each group start the test right away."
Su Lanqiao splashed his face with cold water, then left the bathroom and stood at his designated lane.
"Today's scores will not be based on the duration of time. Instead, we will rank each group of seven based on performance. So, your opponents will be the players in your group," the director explained the rules, "The grouping is displayed on the big screen. Today is your final test, so give it your all."
Su Lanqiao quickly scanned the judges' stand. Because today was the elimination announcement, all the judges were present, including Chu Cheng.
From a distance, he saw Chu Cheng mouth the words, "Good luck."
To not disappoint your expectations, I will definitely try my best.
Su Lanqiao closed his eyes and, at the sound of the whistle, plunged into the water like a beautiful mermaid.
He tried his best to empty his mind of past memories, using mechanical movements to propel himself forward. After the first two laps, Su Lanqiao was in the lead.
As he turned by curling and kicking off the wall, some water splashed into his ear.
Limbs entangled by algae, mouth and nose covered by water, struggle to breathe and despair, familiar feelings resurfaced.
Su Lanqiao struggled to shake off the images in his mind, trying to focus on swimming forward. The noisy sounds around the pool seemed to gradually fade away; he was just madly propelling himself with his limbs to complete the turn.
With two more laps to go, Su Lanqiao gritted his teeth and silently encouraged himself.
During the last lap, a severe pain in his abdomen flared up again, worse than the cramps on the first day.
Su Lanqiao involuntarily arched his body, slowing down suddenly, as two competitors managed to pass him at the critical moment.
He furrowed his brow, breathing heavily. Although his stomach had felt much better yesterday, why did the pain return today, and with increasing intensity, making his limbs feel weak too?
This sense of powerlessness returned, just as victory seemed close at hand, with that slight edge.
He focused all his energy on his legs, rapidly kicking the water's surface, his hands pushing forward with all his might, but his speed continued to lag.
Watching one after another competitor reach the finish line, Su Lanqiao ultimately only managed to secure sixth place.
Leaving the water, Su Lanqiao combed his hair back with his hand and looked at the real-time scoreboard. Swimming result - 50 points.
Originally, the overall ranking was just at the 16th place. With such a low score in this event, his ranking would likely drop even further, further increasing the odds of being eliminated.
After three days of tension, at this moment, Su Lanqiao suddenly felt deflated. He went to the restroom in a daze, and when he came out, all the groups had already completed their races.
The host summoned all the contestants to gather beneath the big screen, "The scores of the judges and the results of all the contestants have already been calculated. All the models have worked hard over the past three days. Now, who are the final five? Let's reveal it now."
Several people who had consistently ranked high looked relaxed, while those who had been hovering around mid-ranking or just crossing the line did not look too good. They were quietly urging the host to hurry up and announce the results.
Su Lanqiao had not seen the results of the last two events, but the probability of someone being disqualified in front of him was very low.
He clutched the hem of his clothes, his fingertips turning white, waiting for the final judgment.
"The contestants eliminated in the second round of 'Top of the Runway' are Qin Yang, Li Feng, Zhao Siyi, Zhang Han, and Su Lanqiao."
"Wait a minute." Chu Cheng from the judges' stand suddenly interrupted the host's announcement. All the contestants' eyes shifted to look over, full of confusion and surprise.
Chu Cheng leaned forward slightly and spoke into the microphone in a deep and resonant voice, "I'm giving my only direct pass to Su Lanqiao."