Chapter 59: The New Grouping Rules
The next morning, Luther woke up without even opening his eyes. After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he yawned and went to use his cold hand to wake Joshua.
But no matter how he searched, he couldn’t find him.
Luther blinked in astonishment, fully awake now. He turned to Justin and asked, "Where’s Joshua?"
Justin looked puzzled. "He’s awake already?"
Puzzled, indeed. Typically, Joshua waited for someone to wake him up; if no one called, he could sleep all day.
By now fully awake, Luther instinctively looked down, frowning. Henry was staring at the wall, lost in thought. But at that moment, soft black hair peeked out from under the blanket, brushing against his neck.
Luther asked in a low voice, "What’s going on with Joshua?"
Henry didn’t look at him and replied, "He’s sleeping."
Luther clicked his tongue, a sense of unease stirring in him, though he couldn’t explain why.
Joshua couldn’t climb into someone else’s bed unless he was sick and needed someone beside him.
But if he were sick, he should come to him. Luther trusted that. So why was Joshua seeking out Henry? Did these two know each other beforehand?
"Whether it’s one or two of you coming here to play, go back to your family and do something proper, like Arthur does."
Luther crossed his arms, standing with a cold gaze sweeping over Henry.
Henry lowered his eyes, completely ignoring him.
At that moment, a muffled voice sounded. Joshua instinctively rubbed against the thing before him, then frowned in confusion — the wall didn’t look like this...
[Awake already? Do you remember what you did last night?] Nine’s emotionless voice rang out, completely deadpan.
Joshua froze, his whole body stiffening. Memories surged like a sudden flood. Instinctively, he clung tightly to Henry, whispering, "Brother...."
"All right, all right, wake up, Joshua. How can you cling to Henry like that?"
Luther’s booming voice suddenly rang out.
Before Joshua could react, the blanket was yanked away. Luther slid his arms under Joshua’s armpits, lifted him like a paper doll, and set him on the floor.
Fearing Joshua might still lose his balance, he even steadied him for a moment before letting go.
"All right, wake up properly. It’s almost time to roll." Luther tapped Joshua on the forehead, then carried his clothes into the changing room.
Joshua covered his forehead with his hand, glancing at Henry with bright, sparkling eyes.
Henry sat up, furrowing his brow. "I’m not your brother."
Joshua nodded thoughtfully, yet continued staring at Henry.
Henry pressed his lips together and stepped into the bathroom.
Until the bathroom door closed, Henry walked over to the sink, scooping up cold water and splashing it onto his face. His ears and neck turned so red it looked like the water might steam off.
He touched his neck, still feeling Joshua’s faint brush against him.
Justin looked at Joshua and asked, "Joshua, do you like sharing a bed?"
Joshua glanced at him, puzzled. Justin immediately brightened and eagerly proposed, "Sleep with me! I swear I don’t have any bad habits at night. Just treat me like a stuffed toy."
He even patted his own bicep as he spoke.
Joshua looked at his goofy grin and couldn’t help but find it funny. He poked Justin’s bicep and said thoughtfully, "But you’re too hard."
Justin immediately drooped. Joshua rubbed his head and said, "I’m just teasing you."
Justin pressed his hand against Joshua’s palm, lowering his head, and quietly said, "Joshua, if I don’t debut with you, don’t forget me, okay?"
Joshua shook his head. "No, I’d forget you the moment we don’t meet for a day. So, just debut already."
Justin pouted, powerless to argue.
Seeing this, Nine couldn’t help but comment: [Do you understand how Luther feels whenever he bullies you?]
Joshua frowned in confusion.
[It’s just like the way you teased Justin earlier.]
Joshua scrunched his brows. "That’s not the same! I didn’t pinch Justin’s cheek, and he voluntarily let me pat his head! I was giving him motivation to try harder."
Nine suddenly switched topics: [So what really happened last night? And why do you keep calling Henry ’big brother’? Do you two know each other?]
Joshua didn’t seem too concerned. "Maybe I was just... sick again."
[Joshua, you better not hide anything from me.] Nine’s voice was low, completely unlike usual.
Joshua chuckled, then asked, "And what if I did hide something from you? What would you do?"
This time, Joshua was genuinely curious — he wanted to see what Nine’s expression would be once the harmless facade was torn away.
Nine was silent for a long moment. He wanted to say he would kill Joshua, but suddenly realized he couldn’t find the words.
That’s right — Joshua trusted him so completely, and Joshua enjoyed the path he guided so much. No matter how unreasonable he was, Joshua always spoke gently. Yet he constantly threatened Joshua. Perhaps that made Joshua unhappy... but could Joshua hide anything from him?
He was just a pitiful child, accidentally rescued by Nine, walking on a mutually beneficial path.
Having solidified his thoughts, Nine spoke loudly: [I’m going to turn you into a cute, fluffy femboy, that’s it!]
Joshua didn’t seem to expect Nine to say that, and he couldn’t help shivering slightly. Then he said, "Just cross-dressing. I can wear a skirt for you to see."
Nine’s eyes lit up: [Really?]
Joshua chuckled, "Dream on."
Nine: [...] was truly furious!
[The Wolf Doesn’t Eat Meat]: After everything I’ve done for him, wanting him to cross-dress is too much? And he tells me to dream on? Outrageous!
[Love is X]: Time for showing off sweet love stories again?
[The Wolf Doesn’t Eat Meat]: This isn’t sweet love!
[I Hate Veggies]: Every time you act all pitiful, you’re really just secretly bragging about having a lover.
[The Wolf Doesn’t Eat Meat]: We aren’t even lovers!
[Joshua 1st support]: Bedmate... okay, I get it, I understand that concept.
[Ăn ba bát cơm]: What? Cross-dressing? Don’t forget to send pics here!
[The Wolf Doesn’t Eat Meat]: Dream on!
"And the third stage of Shining Path has begun! Trainees, are you ready for new teammates, a new challenge?"
The MC stood on stage, speaking loudly. "Through the previous two stages, some trainees achieved unimaginable results. Some were lucky to stay, some never stopped advancing, and some maintained their positions! This time, the National Producers will decide your team assignments — the perfect lineups chosen by your investors!"
"We’ve used the system to filter the most-voted lineups. Now, please direct your attention to the big screen!"
Joshua couldn’t help but feel a little surprised. He didn’t even know when this event had taken place. Naturally, many other trainees were in the same situation.
Nine suddenly chimed in: [You guys don’t understand, these events are only for night owls, ha ha ha.]