"All trainees, please get ready! Go to the bathroom if you need to, and tidy yourselves up if you need to! The one-minute countdown to the livestream has officially begun!"
Yu Yang's voice rang out over the loudspeaker, and countdown numbers appeared on the big screen in front of everyone, slowly ticking down from 59.
Everyone immediately rose from their seats and headed toward the stage. The opening theme song performance was about to begin, and everyone was full of enthusiasm-except Shang Shujue.
[Time really flies. I haven't even decided when to make more pineapple buns yet. Huh~ That young guy named Jian Yichen still hasn't finished his?]
Hearing his thoughts, Song Yanqing stopped copying the family rules. Ink dripped from his brush onto the xuan paper, spreading into a small stain. He moved the brush away and looked up at the livestream in front of him, but there was nothing to see except the countdown.
Shang Shujue... So the pineapple buns you made for the first time weren't brought straight to me... I'm so jealous...
Shang Shujue dawdled in his seat for a little while before getting up and heading toward the stage. Halfway there, he noticed Jian Yichen still in his seat, chewing the last bite of his pineapple bun, and his eyes lit up.
[Eating that slowly? Hm! Why did he suddenly speed up? Won't he choke... There he goes, he's choking. Pfft, hahahaha... Why is he so funny? Ahem... Don't laugh, don't laugh!]
Just a second after Shang Shujue thought Jian Yichen was eating a little slowly, he saw him suddenly speed up. He seemed to have noticed everyone around him heading onto the stage and gotten a little anxious.
Then he stuffed the entire last bite of pineapple bun into his mouth. One look at how he was eating told you he would choke, and sure enough, he choked the next second.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Jian Yichen stiffened at Shang Shujue's thoughts. He wouldn't have choked otherwise; he'd been startled. Qi Tianlin hurriedly gave him water, then helped ease his breathing.
Only after drinking did he recover. His whole face had gone bright red, and he had nearly passed out. Hearing Shang Shujue's unrestrained laughter, he could barely face anyone.
"Jian Yichen, let's go. Don't look back, okay? Brother Jue's coming over. Just act like you don't know anything."
Seeing Shang Shujue coming down, Qi Tianlin quickly helped Jian Yichen up and murmured a reminder in his ear. There was a hint of laughter in his words, but it wasn't mockery.
"I know. You don't have to make a point of telling me."
Jian Yichen could feel so many people looking at him that even his ears turned red. But Shang Shujue thought it was from choking on the pineapple bun, so he didn't pay much attention.
[Nuomi, got any gossip on this kid?]
The moment Shang Shujue's thought rang out, everyone's eyes lit up. Qi Tianlin paused and instinctively looked at Jian Yichen. Seeing how tense he had become, he squeezed his shoulder and walked toward the stage with him.
Not long after they went up, Shang Shujue followed. He took a spot at the very back, planning to slack off and enjoy the gossip, and everyone tacitly refrained from calling him to the front.
[Huh? What did you say?! Jian Yichen is actually Shang Shuyu's husband? My actual brother-in-law?! Are you serious? You're not kidding? How did those two meet?]
Song Yanqing's gaze instantly cleared. Hm?૮ ⚆⚆ა He's his brother-in-law? He's his brother-in-law! Then, then it's fine...
Shang Shujue's "Shang Shuyu's husband" and "actual brother-in-law" nearly made Jian Yichen slip and perform Bai Zhiyi's version of the splits for everyone. Luckily, Qi Tianlin was supporting him.
But Qi Tianlin's eyes had already widened in disbelief as he looked at him. Everyone else nearly lost control of their expressions too. What was Jian Yichen playing at?! He'd turned around and climbed right over Brother Jue's head?!
Everyone: Come on, man, you found yourself a sugar mommy and didn't even tell me! Some friend you are! (๑`^´๑)
Feeling the gazes coming at him from all directions, Jian Yichen had no time to react. He was shocked and incredulous himself.
He had never imagined that the lively older doctor in obstetrics and gynecology, who always radiated maternal warmth, was actually Shang Shujue's sister. All he knew was that she was a doctor from a wealthy family who drove an understated luxury car to work every day...
At that thought, Jian Yichen seemed to realize something in an instant. It wasn't so much that he hadn't known as that he had simply never made the connection. Shang Shuyu didn't seem to have ever hidden her identity...
Shang Shujue glanced up at Jian Yichen. His attitude toward him shifted from that of an unfamiliar young man to a somewhat scrutinizing pickiness. After all, this concerned the marriage of a member of his family in this world. Didn't that warrant a good look?
The countdown ended, and the music began. Shang Shujue slacked off among the crowd, still discussing Jian Yichen's gossip with Nuomi in his head.
It took everything Jian Yichen had to keep his dance moves free of mistakes. Otherwise, he would be done for.
Everyone danced, managed their expressions, and kept track of Shang Shujue's thoughts all at once. They wished they could split themselves into three people, and every one of them had their ears pricked high.
*[Oh~ So Jian Yichen met Shang Shuyu by stepping up to help her? The very first time they met, he kicked a thug away for her, but because he hadn't eaten, his blood sugar dropped and he fainted in her arms.
He even scared the restrained thug into frantically explaining that he hadn't used a knife? Hahaha... All right, all right, he lacked stamina, but he had a kind heart.
In that case, he really must have left a deep impression on Shang Shuyu. It was probably her first time meeting a man like that too. Hahaha...]*
Jian Yichen: "..." Brother Jue... Please stop talking. This is so embarrassing... I feel like I'm going to get teased about this from now on...
Everyone: Hahahahaha... Jian Yichen... You're killing me... Hahahahaha...
Shang Shujue desperately suppressed his laughter and slacked off throughout the entire dance, his hands and feet trembling as though he had Parkinson's. The fans posting bullet comments in the livestream were dumbfounded.
[Wait (੭ •_•) we're opening with a whole mess of flailing demons? What is Shang Shujue doing? Slacking off? This is so out of line. He's the reason everyone else's dancing looks out of sync. He's acting like there's something wrong with him!]
[Aaaah! The livestream finally started! It was such a struggle. First, first! I finally managed to get in ✧(≖◡≖✿) Hehehe... Wow~ So many gorgeous men~]
[Zhang Zhichen! Gu Yichen! Xu Zhichen! Qiao Ze! Zhou Zheng! Xu Jiaqiao... Aaaah... Too many to count. They're all mine! Shang Shujue is mine too! So good-looking and so naughty. Perfect for tying up and whipping-smack, smack, smack!]
The director didn't even dare cut to Shang Shujue's part of the stage, afraid something would go wrong.
Shang Shujue danced limply and feebly, as though he were flinging noodles around. If he hadn't been enjoying gossip, the mentors would have pressed the red X button.
The mentors' verdict: If we didn't know he wasn't bad at heart, we'd honestly think he was here to cause trouble!