Xi Zirui makes an effort to. Namely, he leaves the dorm room the next day.
The other trainees all give him a wide berth, as if seeing an endangered creature venture out of its enclosure for the first time.
Han Yu hovers around him like an anxious helicopter. Always an arm's length away like he's afraid Xi Zirui will forget about him if he moves outside his line of sight.
They all have breakfast together in the living room, some trainees eating around the kitchen island and on the counters, others spread out across sofas and rugs.
Xi Zirui eats some savory congee Han Yu makes for the two of them, while on the receiving end of Shen Yun's stinkeye.
"Some people really enjoy dragging their teammates down," Shen Yun says, swirling a spoon into his already soggy cereal. "If we don't perform well on Sunday's exhibition, people from our team will be kicked out of the show."
