Chapter 27

In terms of sweetness, Jiang Yu x Gu Zhijing's Jiangnan Baijing CP and Xu Linyuan x Gu Zhijing's Source of Life CP had the edge.

One pair played up their cheerful, in-sync elementary-schooler dynamic, while the other had the CP feel of "companionship is the longest-lasting confession of love." Both had drawn plenty of people into their ships.

The Guanjing girls scoffed at this.

Superficial humans can only see ordinary interactions!

A CP with no sexual tension like that isn't worth shipping at all!

But their happiness didn't last long.

Because after the first preview episode of Starlight Show aired,

a new crack ship came out of nowhere.

A trending forum post.

Title: [Has anyone considered shipping Shooter's captain x Color4's visual? The preview has me shipping them so hard!]

The ship started with an interview before the draw. When asked which opponent Shooter feared facing most, their captain Chen Bei said there was no one they feared, but he did want to face the recent rookie group Color4.

Five minutes later, the two of them met during the draw in the lobby.

What was this?

It was a fateful encounter!

In just a few replies, the CP already had a name.

[I'm all in for Liangchen Meijing, sob!]

[The size and height difference between 190 cm and 180 cm is killing me!]

[Fated rivals who love and hate each other-I'm in love!]

[Stop! The Guanjing girls will never admit defeat! The captain is watching you.]

[Sigh, it's not that I don't want to ship Guanjing. It's just that the captain doesn't seem like the type to make the first move, sob, and I'm afraid I'll starve to death waiting for ship content here.]

Before long, the crack ship's popularity shot up, looking ready to beat down the reigning top ship and take its place.

When the Guanjing girls got angry, all they could do was say indignantly:

See you on the show!

Today was the day Starlight Show began filming live.

Before the livestream started and everyone went onstage, Gu Zhijing finished his makeup and took a moment out of his busy schedule to happily browse the fandom.

He came across several prayers from his mom fans.

Some were fairly normal.

[The show starts in an hour. I'm so nervous, so nervous. Wishing for baby to have a pretty look and a brilliant performance.]

[Sob, I can't wait for our Color Group's first variety show stage! Mommy will work hard to stream and vote for you!]

Of course, some were strange.

[Fruit Jam! Mommy likes Shen Bei as a son-in-law!! You know what to do!]

[The two captains' shura field battle is about to begin!! Will the newcomer win, or will the childhood friend win? It's up to you, Fruit Jam!]

[I vote for the newcomer! The newcomer is the fucking best!]

Gu Zhijing: "..."

Even though he was always up to speed online, his brain stalled for a moment.

Who's Fruit Jam?

And who's this Shen Bei? Chen Bei? Did they type it wrong?

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind him.

Gu Zhijing promptly locked his screen and turned to look up, freezing at once.

It was Sheng Chi, who had finished getting styled.

His makeup was a little different from the rehearsal. His hair had been streaked dark blue, making his air seem even colder and more restrained.

But the black shirt he wore was extremely thin and low-cut, creating a striking contrast with his air.

There was a subtle sense of incongruity.

Yet as Gu Zhijing looked at his neckline, he was dazed for a moment and swallowed unconsciously.

Sheng Chi looked down at him, the cold, sharp edge to his demeanor vanishing without a trace.

As if afraid of disturbing Gu Zhijing's makeup and styling, he only touched the rim of his ear lightly twice. With a hint of a smile, he said, "Stop looking. It's time to go."

Gu Zhijing's breath caught for a moment.

Clutching his phone, he suddenly remembered the fans' comments he had just read, and his fingertips twitched.

Sob, Mommy.

I know you've paired me up in a new CP.

But I... still seem to like the captain better.

Author's note: A married daughter is like water that's been thrown out! (Not really.)

Fruit Jam = gzj = Gu Zhijing, a cute nickname used exclusively by Gu Zhijing's mom fans (?)

Shen Bei isn't a typo. It's a special way to avoid using his full name so it won't show up in searches. Those who know, know (x)

-

I made a few minor changes to the rules and the number of contestants.

-

Thanks to the little angel who threw a grenade: Rinche, 1;

Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: Muli, 6; Chawu and T#T*^O^*, 1 each;

Thanks to the little angels who gave nutrient solution: Chuanchuan Zeze and Yingzi Chacha, 10 bottles each; Xiaoganbuchitang, 5 bottles; Muli, 2 bottles; T#T*^O^*, Ximang, Yuanyujunqiszd, Qinghe, Tangcuyu and Lianyang, 1 bottle each;

Kisses, kisses, kisses, kisses to all my babies! Love you!

Chapter 29

Inside the studio hall.

As the spotlights came on, the live audience erupted into enthusiastic cheers.

The host smiled and said, "Welcome to the first episode of Starlight Show-"

Backstage.

The organizers had assigned all the members of groups drawn against each other to the same waiting room, supposedly to facilitate friendly exchanges before the competition.

But right now, Color4 and Shooter were sitting on couches on opposite sides of a waiting room, facing each other in silence.

The reason was simple: the two captains' auras didn't seem to get along.

It wasn't an open display of hostility. Rather, whenever they exchanged a glance, their subtle auras clashed invisibly in the air.

They had barely met before, so by rights there couldn't be any history between them.

But Jiang Yu had already begun to §

Sheng Chi adjusted his microphone and said calmly, his expression unchanged, "It doesn't matter."

The stage went dark for a moment, then the spotlights and music came on together.

Below the stage, the screams of Shooter's fans shook the air.

Backstage, Gu Zhijing couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief.

They had guessed right.

Shooter's performance song really was "On my way."

But as soon as he heard the first note, Xu Linyuan hurriedly shook his head. "Unsteady."

Amid the loud, frenzied cries of the fans, his exceptionally sensitive ears needed only the first half to make a judgment. "At least two people in the group went off-key, and the whole thing is a little shaky... I think someone missed their cue on the track too?"

Jiang Yu gave a derisive smile. "It's normal for someone in a survival-show group not to have the skills to keep up."

He lifted his chin. "See their visual? During the group dance, he's always hidden in the middle of the team, deliberately kept out of the camera's sight. They really went to a lot of trouble."

Unexpectedly, they went even further off-key in the second half.

As the center, Chen Bei had some skill. He was like the lone traffic cop struggling to take control at the scene of an eight-car pileup, but even he couldn't save the performance.

With live skills like that, even a deaf person could tell something was wrong.

Even the fans' screams below the stage died down considerably.

Meanwhile, the livestream chat was flooded with "???" comments, and even the fans' efforts to control the comments couldn't suppress them.

Even Jiang Yu was stunned. "...It can't be that bad, can it?"

Xu Linyuan sighed. "I guess they still have too little experience performing on a live stage on short notice."

"No."

Sheng Chi suddenly said, "Just a few days ago, I watched their previous live performances. They definitely weren't at this level."

Even though they were opponents, he didn't gloat. Instead, he frowned and thought carefully, murmuring, "...What's wrong?"

But there was no time for him to think it through.

Shooter's four-minute performance ended, and the host immediately said, "The two sides will now switch places."

"Please welcome the rookie boy group Color4!"

Since it was a livestream, the audience couldn't be kept waiting long.

So the stage set had to be replaced quickly during the five minutes when footage of their preparations and practice played.

The stage was pitch-black now.

The music slowly began.

Before the lights came on, Gu Zhijing suddenly realized it.

Why Shooter's performance had been so abnormal just now, so far below their usual level.

He pressed a hand to his in-ear monitor, desperately trying to catch more sound.

But the accompaniment coming through it was still far too faint.

The stage spotlights came on in an instant.

Gu Zhijing didn't have much time to think, because the first close-up was his.

Yet a second before the camera panned over, he quickly concealed his surprise and alarm, lifted his glistening peach blossom eyes, and curved his lips into a smile.

The clothes he wore were thin to begin with, and the moment the light fell on him, they made him look even more slender and frail.

With the injury makeup on his face today, a unique, broken beauty was amplified to the utmost.

The audience immediately stirred.

Comments on the livestream platform surged.

The camera swept past Jiang Yu, half-kneeling with his head turned to the side, then Xu Linyuan, leaning against the set behind him, and finally Sheng Chi, standing with his back turned at the center of the stage.

A spotlight shone on him.

He turned, raised his eyes, and walked forward one step at a time.

There was something rather remarkable about Sheng Chi.

Specifically,