Staying in his area of expertise, he didn't feel nervous at all.
Of course... he could understand their nervousness.
" Chi Li," Jiang Lele leaned her head on Chi Li's shoulder, looking somewhat worried, and said, "Do you think I won't embarrass myself on stage?"
Chen Anyan stretched out his long arm, grabbed Jiang Lele by the back of the neck, and snatched her head back. "Making a fool of yourself isn't necessarily a bad thing. This way, the 100,000 people in the audience will all remember you."
Recently, some strange pairings have been quietly emerging, such as the pairing of Chi Li and Jiang Lele as " Li Cannot Leave Le ".
Although this pairing isn't romantic but rather familial, its popularity is quietly rising, even surpassing his pairing with Jiang Lele as the " Anle CP ".
We have to try and salvage it.
"... You should have this good thing." Jiang Lele headbutted him twice in annoyance. "Idiot."
Chi Li rested her chin on her hand, looking at Jiang Lele with a slightly gratified expression.
Jiang Lele probably doesn't need him now and can thrive in the Raising House.
Chen Anyan pressed down on his head, "Your flaws are a result of your actions."
Despite receiving filming permission, the production team was only allowed to place their cameras in a few fixed locations.
The guest lounge and dressing room.
They had already sneaked over for rehearsal last night, and since they only had one performance to do, they had plenty of time. So, in twos and threes, they went to visit the backstage area to broaden their horizons.
After all, not everyone can afford to put on a concert—especially one of this size.
Chi Li walked at the very back, slowly observing.
A staff member bumped into his shoulder as he hurried past, apologized repeatedly, and then ran away.
He turned to the side and saw his tiny reflection in the metal clothes hanger, suddenly remembering how he looked on his first day of dance practice.
The person in the mirror then had eyes full of longing; now, standing here, they are as calm as if they were seeing a future they had anticipated.
Jiang Yue arrived unnoticed. He handed Chi Li an iced Americano and asked, "Would you like me to be your tour guide?"
"Thank you." Chi Li took the iced Americano and looked up to see a huge poster of Jiang Yue's tour hanging at the end of the corridor. "... You still have time to work as a tour guide?"
"Of course." Jiang Yue exuded relaxation. "It's not like it's my first time performing a concert, I'm not that nervous. Everything is ready, I'm just waiting to get dressed and go on stage."
"Hmm." Chi Li took a sip of her iced Americano. "But I prefer to wander around on my own; I don't really need a guide."
In other words, he didn't want to engage in unnecessary socializing.
"Just keep me company for a bit." Even after being rejected, Jiang Yue didn't leave. "After all, we were busy with rehearsals yesterday and didn't have a proper chat."
Chi Li responded, "Okay, let's chat for a while then."
"Didn't Shen Xunye come today?" Jiang Yue couldn't help but ask. "I sent him tickets."
Chi Li thought Jiang Yue was going to talk about music and songwriting, but to her surprise, he started talking about Shen Xunye instead.
"He's been very busy lately." Chi Li lowered her eyes, each step landing precisely on the paving stones. "He'll try to get over tonight."
"I see..." Jiang Yue smiled. "That's good."
It would be a great pity if Shen Xunye couldn't see him standing side by side with Chi Li.
Chi Li gave him a strange look. "You care a lot about whether he comes or not?"
Shen Xunye and Jiang Yue... don't seem to have much interaction, right?
"I'm an honorary member of the Raising House," Jiang Yue said with a hint of smugness. "Of course, I hope everyone can attend this group trip."
Chi Li couldn't help but laugh at him, "You found the team spirit that you couldn't find in the previous limited-time group, huh?"
It's common knowledge that groups formed through talent shows, unless they become completely unpopular, generally lack any sense of team spirit.
"Who says otherwise?" Jiang Yue shrugged, turning his head to gaze intently at Chi Li's exquisite, flawless profile. "I rarely meet people as pure as you... as pure as you all."
Chi Li remained noncommittal. "Maintaining purity is difficult."
"... Let's not talk about such profound issues." Jiang Yue his pace, turned around in front of Chi Li, and smiled. "I have something to discuss with you."
Chi Li stopped in her tracks to avoid bumping into it due to inertia. "What is it?"
Jiang Yue's eyes were full of sincerity. "I'd like to invite you to sing my encore song together, how about ' Defecting from Heaven '?"
" Defecting from Heaven " is a collaboration between Jiang Yue and Chi Li. The arrangement, choreography and lyrics have been finalized, but it has not yet been officially recorded.
Chi Li frowned slightly. "We haven't sung together yet."
Bringing it to the stage like this is far too hasty.
Jiang Yue: "Don't you have any confidence?"
"This is your turf." Chi Li walked past him and continued forward. "You shouldn't have invited me to sing an encore with you alone."
Fans bought tickets and gathered here from all over the country, naturally hoping to see more of their idols.
Adding a group dance after prior notification is still within acceptable limits.
Adding a double encore at the last minute is such a strange request.
"Precisely because this is my home turf," Jiang Yue quickly caught up with Chi Li, "That's why I want to properly introduce you to them."
"Introduce... me?" Chi Li abruptly stopped in his tracks. He finally sensed something was seriously wrong amidst the numerous oddities. "Why introduce me separately?"
Introducing him to 100,000 viewers who came specifically for Jiang Yue? Are their relationships really that close?
Jiang Yue stood in front of Chi Li again, and asked sincerely, "This is a good thing for you, isn't it? I know you have a strong ability to attract fans, and I don't mind if you take some of my fans away."
"You're so strange, Jiang Yue." Chi Li took a half step back, scanning Jiang Yue with a suspicious gaze, and slowly voiced her doubts. "You... you're a little too good to me."
From that completely altruistic announcement at the beginning, to this encore with two people...
Jiang Yue was always inexplicably and unconditionally kind to him.
He initially thought this was an appreciation of a junior, a recognition of his abilities, but now it seems... there's a deeper reason behind it.
"Is it worth being so wary of you just because I'm nice to you?" Jiang Yue looked somewhat hurt. "I didn't ask for anything in return, did I?"
"I'd rather you ask for something in return." The temperature in Chi Li's eyes gradually dropped, as if his gaze had drawn a clear line between them. "I prefer a 'cash on delivery' arrangement, so neither of us loses out."
Jiang Yue immediately retorted, "That's a lie."
Chi Li frowned, puzzled.
" Shen Xunye," Jiang Yue spat out the three words through gritted teeth, "You'd actually be so calculating with him?"
Jiang Yue was both confused and puzzled.
He didn't try to take advantage of the situation, so why is Chi Li so unwilling?