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Of course, what ultimately won Sugar Juice Duo over was what Zhou Boyun revealed when he met them again: once they signed on, Emperor Entertainment would assign Wei Feng, the manager of Emperor's top star Yun Xiaoting, to be the manager for both of them.

And Yun Xiaoting was the shared idol of Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi.

After the national finals of Dance Miracle, all the contestants finally relaxed for a while. The time ahead would be spent cooperating with Apple TV Station and Emperor Entertainment's arrangements—touring various locations, attending promotional events, and maintaining their exposure. They would also wait for the chance to take part in the big-screen film of the same name as Dance Miracle, which would be ready in two months.

For the other nine top-ten contestants, Apple TV Station and Emperor Entertainment's plans were meant to promote them and give them a chance to enter the entertainment industry and become stars adored by millions. So even though the upcoming promotional events were numerous, the schedules packed, and the work exhausting, everyone gladly accepted it.

But Sugar Juice Duo were still in high school. They had neither the time nor the energy to join those tours. They should have returned to school after the national finals, but since they had promised Qiao Lin during the competition that they would help produce her music video, Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi had no choice but to ask their school for another week of leave. Then they flew with Qiao Lin back to the company headquarters in Kyoto to film the music video.

Before that, however, Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi accepted Apple TV Station's invitation to appear on Happy Assembly Call as two of the top ten contestants from Dance Miracle.

Unlike interview programs such as Qilu Gossip, Happy Assembly Call was Apple TV Station's flagship variety entertainment program. It was also the highest-rated variety entertainment program on Apple TV Station and across the country. Because of its special status, the guests invited for each recording were always the hottest, most fashionable idol stars of the moment, or powerhouse actors and singers at the king or queen level. This time, the top ten contestants from Dance Miracle had been invited not only because Dance Miracle was currently the hottest talent show, but also because of its relationship with Apple TV Station—and, of course, Emperor Entertainment's behind-the-scenes efforts.

The recording was scheduled for nine o'clock Monday morning. Since several contestants had been staying in the Apple Television staff dormitory building, everyone had gone through the script on Sunday afternoon. As fellow Apple Television employees, the Happy Assembly Call production team had been closely following the dark horse that was Dance Miracle. Naturally, they had also learned from the Dance Miracle directing team just how difficult and willful Sugar Juice Duo could be.

It had nothing to do with whether they were famous or acting like big shots. Just thinking about how those two boys, backed by Li Mei, had dared to clash with the station's gold-medal producer Qian Fujiang before they had even become popular—and had emerged unscathed, leaving Qian Fujiang humiliated enough to leave Dance Miracle and transfer to another project—made the Happy Assembly Call directing team wary of causing trouble. So they simply approached Sugar Juice Duo first to discuss the game segments. The staff member responsible for communicating with them had come fully prepared, expecting Sugar Juice Duo to be even more troublesome after becoming famous. Yet after Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi read the script, they accepted every segment without objection.

For a moment, the staff member felt so flattered that he was almost terrified. He could not help asking again, "There really isn't a problem? If there are any details you aren't satisfied with, just say so. We can discuss them all."

He did not want Sugar Juice Duo to keep quiet out of courtesy, only to go complain to Li Mei behind his back. After all, everyone at the station knew Li Mei was an old hand there. Since she had planned and led Dance Miracle, her influence at the station had steadily grown, and she had successfully gained the support of station director Sima Le. After the show aired, its outstanding results—breaking national ratings records again and again—had added another thick stroke to her résumé. Rumors around the station said that Li Mei had a major advantage in the upcoming competition for deputy station director. And everyone knew about Li Mei's relationship with Sugar Juice Duo. He did not want to offend Li Mei at such a critical time over the slightest oversight.

And besides Li Mei, Sugar Juice Duo also had Emperor Entertainment as a powerful backer. Not every newcomer who signed with Emperor could be assigned to Wei Feng. Giving Emperor's top star's manager to a rookie duo that had not even debuted yet showed just how highly Emperor valued Sugar Juice Duo. With all those forces combined, Happy Assembly Call was even less willing to make everyone unhappy over some trivial matter.

After all, they would be seeing each other regularly in the future. As long as Sugar Juice Duo did not court disaster themselves, no one wanted to make things too ugly.

Sugar Juice Duo—Tang Shi in particular, with his cannon-mouth, hotheaded personality—were already famous throughout Apple TV Station.

A hothead was not scary. A hothead with powerful backing was!

Seeing how excessively cautious the Happy Assembly Call staff were being, Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi exchanged a glance and helplessly shook their heads. The reason such unfavorable rumors had spread was not only because someone deliberately wanted to smear their image; it was also because the two of them had not always been careful in how they spoke and acted. They did not think they had done anything particularly wrong, but whenever he could show professionalism without violating his principles, Tang Shi was willing to behave himself.

To dispel the staff member's misgivings, Tang Shi simply explained, "I'm really not that difficult to deal with. Other than being suspended on wires and dropped from high up, I can accept any game. Even if you want to pull some pranks for the ratings, as long as it isn't too over the top, I can take it."

Tang Shi also understood that Happy Assembly Call was, after all, a variety entertainment show. A large part of its ratings came from pranking celebrities and making them embarrass themselves. Yet the script the staff had brought over today was comparatively cautious. On one hand, that showed the Happy Assembly Call staff had fully considered Sugar Juice Duo's attitude. On the other, it proved that if the show truly followed this script, there probably would not be many exciting or laugh-out-loud moments once it aired.

Tang Shi did not consider himself some big star who had to protect his image at all costs. As long as safety was guaranteed, he did not really care about being pranked or making fun of himself.

After Tang Shi laid out his boundaries and thoughts one by one, the staff member across from him wore an enlightened expression. Lu Hengzhi added, "So just do things however you normally do them. We really like Happy Assembly Call too. Whenever we have time on Friday nights, we watch it. We're especially happy to have the chance to participate this time. And there are a lot of games we like as well."

As he spoke, Lu Hengzhi listed several of Happy Assembly Call's most highly praised but image-destroying games, clearly pointing out their boundaries and standards to the staff member.

Seeing Sugar Juice Duo cooperate so readily and lower their stance, the Happy Assembly Call directing team could not deny that they appreciated it. Everyone had been more cautious in their attitude toward Sugar Juice Duo because of Li Mei, but a large number of staff also felt that Sugar Juice Duo were overly troublesome. They were just rookie idols who had barely debuted and had nothing but superficial popularity. No one knew how far they would get in the future, yet they acted more high and mighty than some major stars. If they had so many concerns, why join a variety entertainment show at all?

But while they were complaining, they had subconsciously forgotten that when they were screening the script, they had not informed Sugar Juice Duo either. Now that Sugar Juice Duo had pushed it back, Happy Assembly Call had to redo the script, but for some inexplicable reason, they felt much better about it—

It seemed Sugar Juice Duo really did respect them!

That was simply human nature. When someone's status was lower than another's, any respect and compliance they showed was taken for granted. But when someone was recognized for both their background and ability, yet could still remain humble, low-key, professional, and responsible, it became an endearing virtue.

Enough chatter. At eight o'clock Monday morning, Sugar Juice Duo and the other nine contestants arrived early at the Happy Assembly Call recording site. Naturally, the first step was to go backstage to the dressing rooms for makeup. The station had assigned Sugar Juice Duo a familiar makeup artist this time—Sister Sun from Qilu Gossip.

The moment he saw her, Tang Shi acted exceptionally familiar. Before Sister Sun could say anything, he pulled a stack of signed photos he had rushed out the night before from his bag. Handing them to her, he said, "I've been good, right? Don't make my makeup too heavy later, Sister Sun."

Sister Sun accepted the signed photos from Tang Shi with pleasant surprise. The last time they had eaten late-night snacks together, she had casually mentioned that once Sugar Juice Duo won the championship, they had to give her more signed photos. Whether she gave them to younger relatives or friends, it would be incredibly impressive.

She had not expected Tang Shi to remember it after so long.

Seeing the faintly surprised looks from the Happy Assembly Call staff, Sister Sun immediately felt immensely proud. She patted her chest and said with a beaming smile, "Don't worry. I'll definitely make you even more handsome than last time."

As one of Apple TV Station's more renowned makeup artists, Sister Sun's promise carried weight. Besides, Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi already had excellent features, so the final effect was naturally even better.

The other nine contestants were not as fortunate. They were also among the top ten, and they had all successfully signed with Emperor Entertainment after the competition, but whether in terms of background or ability, the other nine combined could not compare to Sugar Juice Duo. After signing them, Emperor Entertainment had only assigned them several average managers. Since even their own company treated them that way, Happy Assembly Call naturally did not value them as highly either. Whether it was makeup or styling, they did not put nearly as much care into them as they did Sugar Juice Duo.

Fortunately, everyone had become accustomed during the competition to Apple TV Station treating Sugar Juice Duo differently, so they did not feel much of a gap.

After their makeup, everyone briefly went over the script again before the recording officially began.

Sugar Juice Duo and the other nine contestants waited backstage, watching the three hosts deliver their opening remarks onstage, interact and joke with the audience, and then, after a string of buildup, call out the names of the day's invited guests. Sugar Juice Duo were first.

Amid the audience's screams, which nearly tore their throats apart, and the deafening applause, Sugar Juice Duo stylishly danced their way onto the stage to the opening dance music.

After Sugar Juice Duo, the other nine contestants also danced their way onto the stage. Since they all came from street dance backgrounds, such a simple opening dance was naturally no challenge. The relaxed and cheerful atmosphere even made them feel as if they had instantly returned to the Dance Miracle stage. Excited and happy, they introduced themselves to the cameras and audience.

And as the main attraction—the finale, one could say—Sugar Juice Duo were clearly subjected to the Happy hosts' "difficult questions."

"We heard that our handsome and dashing Sugar Juice Duo aren't just great at street dance. You can write songs and sing too, right?"

Before the two of them could answer, the fans below began screaming in unison, "Yes!"

"Then do you want to hear Sugar Juice Duo sing a song live?" host Jiang Ling loudly asked the audience below. The fans did not disappoint, shouting, "Yes!"

"Alright, then the stage is now Sugar Juice Duo's. Please perform a beautiful original song for us live—The Matchmaker."

After a lively guzheng accompaniment, Sugar Juice Duo sang into their microphones, "Matchmaker, last night I drank beneath the moon upon the roof, watching Chang'e dance a rainbow robe in the moonlight. Beneath the moon, the white ground was like frost. Whose years forgot the West Chamber? Oh~ which young lady's love-filled bed curtains, yeah..."