The sky gradually turned orange as the sun began to sink over East Xia Island, bathing the entire yacht in warm hues.
The guests' performances were about to officially begin.
[I'm so excited for Qin Yuan's performance!!! I've only seen him play piano once in a movie, and that scene was so short!]
[Little An Puppy, Mommy's here!]
[Baby Lin Xu goes to the Conservatory of Music. His performance is bound to be amazing.]
[Am I the only one looking forward to Yu He?]
[LMAO, anyone who followed that idol competition could never forget Yu He's legendary off-key debut performance.]
[I wonder what our flop is going to perform.]
[Yuyu's been wearing modern Chinese-style outfits these past two days. Maybe he'll play a traditional instrument? A pipa or something?]
[That's just his fashion style. It doesn't mean he can play those instruments.]
The live comments buzzed with discussion.
The scrolling comments suddenly fell quiet for a moment, then flooded the screen at lightning speed.
The guests emerged from the cabin. Yu He, Lin Xu, Leng Haiyue, and Mu Yunzhi had even changed clothes especially for their performances.
Yu He wore a Chanel-style jacket and stud earrings, looking like a boy-band idol about to take the stage. Lin Xu had changed into a white shirt, giving him a fresh, innocent air.
Leng Haiyue had done the opposite, trading his usual white shirt for a black denim jacket that instantly gave him a colder, sterner look.
Mu Yunzhi's outfit drew the most attention: a black, American-style paneled casual suit with a strikingly designed silhouette, trousers that just brushed the floor, and metal accents at the waist. It exuded an understated, high-fashion coolness.
[Mu Mu is so handsome-as expected of a top designer.]
[Fashion really is as effortless as eating and drinking for him.]
[Director Leng looks so different from usual. Suddenly he's giving off way more top energy!]
[Noooo! Director Leng is clearly the steady, dependable bottom!!]
[Can't Betas go either way? I think Director Leng would make a pretty hot top too.]
The production crew had kept busy that afternoon, setting up a low stage on the deck with a standing microphone and a piano. Five or six white round tables stood in front of it, laden with snacks and desserts and decorated with floating balloon centerpieces and LED string lights. The party atmosphere came together in an instant.
They took their seats at the two tables in the middle, with the Alphas at one and the Betas and Omegas at the other. The remaining tables were for the staff members who would be voting.
Jiang Yumiao wasn't particularly enthusiastic. He had never cared for activities that required him to show himself off in front of a crowd; in fact, he found them somewhat off-putting.
So he simply sat there quietly, listening to the others chat and occasionally smiling to show he was paying attention.
Ning Chunchi glanced at Jiang Yumiao through the crowd. The Omega didn't look very happy, making Ning Chunchi frown without realizing it.
Director Yang arrived right on time to serve as the host of that evening's party.
To make a fashion statement, he had swapped his sunglasses for a flashy burgundy pair and, for once, had even styled his hair. Surprisingly, he looked rather handsome. The look suited his laid-back, carefree air.
"Welcome to the Love Mailbox yacht music party on East Xia Island! All eight of our guests have carefully prepared performances for this party." Director Yang waved the program in his hand. "I've already seen the lineup, and every performance looks fantastic! Next, we'll invite our guests onto the stage one by one in the order they drew this afternoon. First, please welcome our youngest guest-Lin Xu!"
At his name, Lin Xu stood up and gave everyone a shy smile amid their applause, then went over to sit at the piano.
[Looks like Lin Xu's going to play piano.]
[That was pretty easy to guess. He often posts videos of himself playing on social media.]
He took a deep breath and placed both hands on the keys. In that instant, his shyness vanished completely, replaced by the absolute confidence of someone in his element.
The piano melody was bright and lively, like a boy running freely along a beach in summer, exuberant and unrestrained. Then, to everyone's surprise, Lin Xu began to sing along.
[He's singing and playing!]
[This sounds so good!!]
[I've never heard this song before. Could it be one Lin Xu wrote himself?]
[Definitely. A few of his original songs are pretty popular now. You hear them on short-video platforms all the time.]
His clear voice, accompanied by the cheerful melody, lifted everyone's spirits. They had to admit that Lin Xu's singing and piano playing made a very successful opening act, drawing everyone into the joyful party atmosphere.
Jiang Yumiao quietly enjoyed the performance from his seat, casting a sidelong glance at Qin Yuan. The aloof best actor remained expressionless, but his index finger rested on the table, tapping along to the rhythm of Lin Xu's music.
In the original novel, this very performance had stirred romantic feelings in the guests, including... Ning Chunchi.
Jiang Yumiao suddenly understood why he was in such a bad mood. He was terrified that Ning Chunchi would be drawn to the confident, dazzling Lin Xu, just as he had been in the original novel. Even after Ning Chunchi had given him a temporary mark, he still worried it was only a fleeting moment born of Ning Chunchi's concern and pity for him.
He stole another glance at Ning Chunchi, only to meet the second male lead's deep gaze head-on.
Why was Ning Chunchi... looking at him instead of watching the performance?
Jiang Yumiao's heart instantly seemed to spin out of control. Confusion and delight swept through his mind, and even his breathing seemed to stop. He was confused because Ning Chunchi was looking at him, and delighted for exactly the same reason.
Was everyone in love this sensitive...? Love really did make you afraid of losing what you had, Jiang Yumiao thought, feeling dazed.
Lin Xu's performance drew cheers from everyone. Once he left the piano and stepped off the stage, he returned to that shy sweetness unique to boys his age. But after seeing his excellence in his own field, that shyness felt more like the modesty of a master, making him even more likable.
Director Yang asked the staff to cast their votes, then called Yu He onto the stage.
Yu He reluctantly walked up and stood before the microphone. Everyone was curious whether he really was going to do stand-up comedy.
Suddenly, Yu He took the microphone off its stand, held it in his hand, moved the stand aside, and nodded to the sound technician.
[Holy shit... that pose...]
[No way, no way...]
[As a fan of three years, I'm warning you: brace yourselves, and don't drink anything.]
Pop music with a driving beat began to play. Yu He was actually singing and dancing.
The guests were stunned. Director Yang, who had already seen the program, wasn't surprised and was leading the cheers.
[Hahahahahaha!]
[His singing is as off-key as ever.]
[I'm dying. I laughed so hard the old man upstairs came down to pound on my door!]
[That voice is an assault on the ears. Even my dog ran away in fright.]
[Why didn't the longtime fans warn us sooner?! I was drinking water and sprayed it all over my monitor.]
[I hereby declare this the best performance of the episode, hahahahaha!]
As Yu He sang and danced, he thought about how little choice he'd had. He really had planned to do a stand-up routine, but his manager had insisted this was the perfect opportunity to promote his former idol career and generate some buzz, making it a win-win for him and the show. Once the production team heard about it, they joined his manager in urging him to sing and dance. With no way out, Yu He had agreed.
Life was hard, and Yu He had to sing for his supper.
It had been a long time since three minutes of music had felt so endless to Yu He. When the performance finally ended, he stood there panting, but still remembered to strike what he considered an absolutely stunning ending pose for the camera.
"Yu He! Yu He!" "You're awesome, bro!"
Jiang Yumiao clapped excitedly from his seat, joining in with a few shouts amid the cheers.
Moved by Yu He's clumsy but earnest performance, he decided to stop letting himself sink into those earlier negative emotions.
Who Ning Chunchi would fall for wasn't something he could control. Sitting here wallowing in self-pity served no purpose and would only make him sadder.
After he finished applauding, Jiang Yumiao placed his hands on his thighs and clenched them into fists. All he could do now was convey his feelings to Ning Chunchi. That was all.
He would leave the rest to fate.
Jiang Yumiao silently prayed that fate, which had always been cruel to him, might grant him a little kindness this time.
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