TF Fourth Generation: Together Forever

When Li Yudong walked into the meeting room, he thought he was just there to observe an evaluation.

He sat beside someone named Xu Tang and watched the whole performance. Then, completely unprepared, he was told he was officially joining Generation Four. No warning beforehand; he hadn't even had time to go back to the dorm and get his toothbrush.

It all happened too suddenly. As he sat there in a daze, Xu Tang came over, put an arm around his shoulders, and said, “Come on, let's go eat.”

From that day on, Xu Tang became his only anchor in this unfamiliar place. He saved him a seat, helped him make his bed, squeezed toothpaste onto his toothbrush, and taught him to dance from the most basic stance. Xu Tang did all of it as naturally as breathing. Through these little acts, he told Li Yudong: You're here, and you're not alone.

The others in Generation Four welcomed him in their own ways, too. Zhang Guiyuan's calmness, Zuo Qihan's cheerful openness, Chen Sihan's thoughtfulness, Yang Bowen's sincerity... Together, they shared their warmth and light with everyone.

Li Yudong went from “half a step behind Xu Tang” to “walking beside him”; from quietly saying “thank you” to “I can pick it up myself”; from “the quiet one hiding in the corner” to “the quiet one who belongs right here.”

This isn't a story about a genius. It's about a shy boy slowly putting down roots in an unfamiliar place. There is sweat and frustration, and moments when he practices until he collapses onto the floor, but even more than that, there are moments that shine: someone handing him a bottle of water, someone rolling up his trousers when they're too long, someone softly saying “good night” in the dark.