Chapter 28

It showed in how, whenever he stepped onto the stage, it was as if his soul had been replaced.

Offstage, he was always impassive, aloof and sharp, but onstage, he could change his demeanor and aura to suit the choreography and styling.

The subtle dissonance Gu Zhijing had sensed between Sheng Chi's styling and his natural temperament while he was offstage vanished in an instant as Sheng Chi raised his eyes.

Warm-toned light washed over his cheeks, and the subtle emotions flowing through his eyes created an especially intimate atmosphere.

Without a visible effort, he had already captured the audience's full attention.

Just as the audience watched with bated breath.

Sheng Chi stopped.

Then, in full view of everyone, he tilted his head back and pulled out his in-ear monitors.

Starlight Show had scheduled two basic rehearsals for each group.

But Sheng Chi had rehearsed far more than twice.

He had discussed the staging, the lighting, when the music should come in, and who the camera should focus on at each moment with the staff. He even knew exactly when each light was supposed to come on.

Generally speaking, barely being able to hear anything through an in-ear monitor was disastrous for a performer.

In a studio this large, there was bound to be some delay in the sound from the speakers. If the in-ears weren't properly adjusted, a performer could easily come in on the wrong beat or the wrong track, just like one of Shooter's members had earlier, and throw the whole team off.

But what if he could stay on track from memory?

As long as he came in on the right beat at the start.

He believed his teammates could keep up.

"Tonight" was a sexy dance track that emphasized dancing and performance, with relatively less demanding vocals.

When Gu Zhijing first suggested choosing it, he had met with some opposition.

But in the end, Sheng Chi had made the final decision and approved the proposal.

The reason was simple.

If they wanted the audience to remember them from their very first performance.

They had to be bolder.

That boldness included their choice of song.

And Sheng Chi's decision to pull out his in-ears just now.

Sheng Chi was an undisputed ace onstage.

His greatest strength had always been his explosive power in the heat of a performance, but he held back during his opening solo dance this time. While hitting every beat perfectly, he balanced strength and flexibility.

After all, "Tonight" had a sexy style. Rather than an explosive performance, they wanted one that would make hearts flutter.

Six years of training had given Sheng Chi effortless command of his dance moves. Those close to the stage could even see the near-perfect lines of his waist and abdominal muscles beneath his thin shirt, which billowed in the air stirred up by his movements.

Paired with his deep singing voice, it left thousands of girls in the audience weak at the knees, turning them into fans on the spot.

Sheng Chi could draw on his experience to turn the situation around, leaving the audience so dazzled that they noticed nothing wrong.

But Gu Zhijing couldn't.

His mind was blank. All he knew was that after Sheng Chi's first section ended, his was next.

And the backing track in his in-ears was still impossibly faint.

Judging from Sheng Chi's singing, there was also some interference in the microphone.

This was the first time he had ever faced malfunctioning stage equipment in front of so many people.

It was December, the dead of winter.

Gu Zhijing wore a very thin shirt, yet his palms kept sweating.

What should I do?

What should I do?

What should I do?

Yet after Sheng Chi turned and moved aside, Gu Zhijing stepped forward on muscle memory alone.

His mind really was a blank.

But his instincts as an idol wouldn't allow him to make even the slightest mistake onstage.

Without thinking, he steeled himself and began to sing, following the beat he remembered.

But before he could hear his own wavering voice, he faintly heard Sheng Chi through his in-ears.

He froze for only an instant before quickly realizing what was happening.

Sheng Chi was singing harmony for him.

Gu Zhijing's fingertips went numb.

In that instant, his thoughts suddenly drifted back to the past.

It was in the practice room several months ago, late at night when the whole world had fallen silent. Sheng Chi had kept the beat for him and taught him how to sing with proper vocal technique.

Gu Zhijing had discovered for the first time that singing could be so difficult. Sprawled on the floor like a wronged puppy, he had already begun worrying about what he would do if he had a disastrous performance onstage.

Sheng Chi hadn't said much.

He sat there for a while, then ruffled Gu Zhijing's hair and said calmly, "Then I'll sing harmony for you when the time comes."

He had done it.

Sheng Chi had taught him to sing, to dance, to rap, and to perform onstage.

Every syllable he sang now, every trace of his dancing, and the flow of his rap had all come from Sheng Chi's hands-on guidance.

It could be said that every step he had taken on the path of an idol bore the distinctive mark Sheng Chi had given him.

Even the way he switched into another state onstage was something Sheng Chi had taught him.

Now he finally had an audience of his own.

There was a sea of people below the stage. He couldn't see them clearly, and he didn't know how many had come especially for him.

But one thing was beyond doubt.

At this very moment, they were all watching him perform.

As an idol, what should you do?

If it were Sheng Chi, what would he do?

Gu Zhijing's pounding heart suddenly calmed.

His lashes lowered slightly, and when he looked up again, he had recovered. The outer corners of his beautiful, expressive eyes curved upward, both innocent and seductive, captivating the soul.

Accompanied by Sheng Chi's harmony, his voice remained steady. After a basic wave, he swept a glance over the audience and curved his lips, then swayed back.

Jiang Yu took his place.

Color4's performances usually gave each member a turn at center during the verses, with synchronized group dancing during the chorus, ensuring that everyone had room to shine.

Jiang Yu had a little more stage experience than Gu Zhijing, and with his first two teammates setting the stage for him, he could perform entirely from memory even without his in-ears.

His flamboyant, confident aura was somewhat restrained now. He lowered his gaze toward the audience and crooked a finger, a smile on his lips, like a silent flirtation brushing across the girls' heartstrings.

Jiang Yu turned and returned to the group, leaving the stage to Xu Linyuan.

His usual gentle mask seemed to have been removed. His gaze was dark, and his voice turned tender and lingering with the melody, like a devil's temptation, waiting for the girls to offer themselves willingly as sacrifices.

The four solo parts showed four completely different forms of the boys' sex appeal.

Yet, without exception, they exuded a youthful but captivating charm from deep within.

Fans of every member erupted into screams that nearly brought down the studio.

After the first chorus and its group dance, the atmosphere reached a new peak.

The boys' movements were fluid without seeming out of place. Their deft combination of explosive power and flexibility, along with their perfectly synchronized movements, sent hormones pouring out of them in an explosive rush.

After the chorus came the killing part of the entire dance.

Gu Zhijing grew nervous again.

It was a duet for him and Sheng Chi.

Originally, the part had been better suited to the two main dancers, Jiang Yu and Sheng Chi, but after trying it out, they found the result wasn't as good as they had hoped, so they replaced Jiang Yu with him.

Fortunately, with the first half behind him, Gu Zhijing easily caught the beat. He passed by Sheng Chi and swept a glance at him.

In a flash, Sheng Chi grabbed his tie and yanked him forward, looking into his eyes.

At the same time, Gu Zhijing raised a hand and placed it against Sheng Chi's neck. His fingertips slid down inch by inch, stopping only at his collar, like a silent, intimate threat.

It was an intensely aggressive move.

Invisible sparks collided in the air.

The audience erupted again.

The dazzling warm lights were fuel for the fire, and the slow, sultry music was a stimulant.

The two leads onstage were now less than five centimeters apart, close enough to feel each other's breath.

Gu Zhijing could even see the emotions churning in Sheng Chi's eyes.

They heightened the mood of the performance, but they were also a wordless reward for him.

Gu Zhijing's heart, however, settled completely.

At that moment, all the screams and cheers seemed to have nothing to do with them.

It was as though this wasn't a stage.

But the practice room where they had rehearsed countless times, shed tears and sweat, and watched both moonlight and sunrise.

It was as though, no matter how badly he messed up, Sheng Chi would always be there to hold his shoulder, ruffle his hair, and say.

"Don't be afraid.

"I'm here."

At last, the song ended and the camera froze on Gu Zhijing and Sheng Chi standing back to back.

The audience's wild screams poured into Gu Zhijing's ears, sounding almost unreal.

Gu Zhijing tilted his head and looked at the camera.

He was breathing lightly, his cheeks slightly flushed. His eyes narrowed, glistening, passionate and dangerous, yet carrying a fatal allure.

Then he lowered his head and gently kissed the fingertips he held by his lips.

At the same time.

Both the audience and the livestream comments exploded.

Author's note: I revised it again. Let's see how it turned out.

-

Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: Messing Around Shipping CPs All Day, Strong Tea, and Shengge Zhulu, one each;

Thanks to the little angels who gave nutrient solution: Liangyu, 27 bottles; Savis, 21 bottles; Whatever, 18 bottles; Did Jixing Make It Today and 31430071, 10 bottles each; QAQ, 2 bottles; Muli, 1 bottle;

Smooches to all my babies!!

Chapter 30

No one had expected Color4 to pull out their biggest move right at the start.

After Shooter's disastrous performance, Color4 had practically saved the audience's eyes and ears, bringing the entire show back on track.

The audience had nearly screamed themselves hoarse.

The number of livestream comments also exploded, almost to the point of lagging.

[Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit I can't go on, is this real!!! I'm dead!]

[As a performance fan, I'm so freaking satisfied ahhh! And this was a live performance with every mic on!! Incredible, incredible, seriously incredible! What an amazing group!]

[I thought it was bullshit when fans bragged about their skills with all their mics on before... I was wrong, I take it all back.]

The fans hurriedly seized the opportunity.

[Vegetables for sale, vegetables for sale!! Come invest in our little underrated group Color4! Four gorgeous members who can be cool or sweet and pull off any style, you won't regret stanning them!!]

[To all our casual viewers! Have you bought your vegetables today!!!]

The phrase "buying vegetables" came from Color4's nickname.

The nickname Color4's fans had originally agreed on was Color Group.

But fans had always called them a humble rookie group of noobs who had just debuted, so they jokingly adopted Vegetable as their nickname instead. After that, fans promoting the group was called "selling vegetables," and newcomers becoming fans was called "buying vegetables."

While group fans and solo fans were busy selling vegetables and casual viewers were busy marveling, the CP fans were in an uproar too.

After all, of everyone there today, the happiest were undoubtedly the Guanjing girls.

After a full week of being overshadowed by the forcibly paired rival CP Fine Chen, Beautiful Jing, the Guanjing girls could finally hold their heads high!

See that? See that? Can your ship put on a performance like that together? Can they, can they, can they? Do you see our Fruit Jam dancing a duet with you?

[That's why a forced pairing is a forced pairing, and the top ship is the top ship (sneer.jpg]

[No way, no way, surely no one actually thinks a forced CP is real??]

[As everyone knows, the top ship has no rivals, only runners-up!!]

[Waaaah, I could ship them over that duet for the rest of my life! Today I'm a happy Shengjing girl too!]

[I'll be bold! I want to see Shengjing do the deed! (doi)]

And amid the excitement of thousands cheering together.

Backstage, all the members of Shooter wore uncertain expressions.

All the happiness belonged to them.

We had nothing.

In the deathly silence, someone finally spoke in a low voice. "Captain,