Chapter 48

The eternally devoted second male lead who would always stay by your side.

Sheng Chi was the last to appear.

His expression was cool and composed, and there was not a trace of warmth in his eyes as he looked at people, like a robot without feelings.

Yet just before he began singing, the corner of his mouth suddenly lifted in a smile with a hint of careless charm that drew people in.

The striking contrast sent the already feverish atmosphere in the audience soaring even higher.

The four young men in their twenties radiated youthful vitality.

Yet they offered the audience four completely different types of boyfriend.

To the accompaniment of lighthearted music, they sang the words "I like you," some gently, others with an easy air. The fluffy feeling of first love burst forth like popcorn, scattering to every corner of the world.

After this performance, no one would associate them with Wei Ming's song anymore.

Wei Ming's stage had felt heavily tailored to cater to girlfriend fans.

Color4's performance, on the other hand, felt natural and joyful.

Even setting aside the perspective of a girlfriend fan, the performance itself made people happy.

During the chorus interlude, the four of them split up and went around the four sides of the stage to greet the audience below.

Gu Zhijing had always liked immersing himself in a performance, and he was also someone who needed an appreciative audience.

Today, he had both. He got so fired up dancing onstage that he ran a lap around it, happily interacting with the audience on every side.

He had not entirely shed his boyishness. The romantic feeling he created naturally could not compare with Comet, who had performed before them. From beginning to end, he radiated an innocent, unpracticed air, yet it enchanted people so much that they could not tear themselves away.

The young man's gaze and smile were sincere and direct, without tricks or games.

His eyes sparkled as he looked at you, as if he were about to ask the next second, "Jiejie, will you be with me?"

So, before their performance had even ended,

#WantToDateColor4 rapidly climbed the trending searches.

After Color4 finished performing, Comet and Color4 returned to the stage together for feedback.

Before the feedback began, the host announced a new rule: "Voting for this round will open shortly."

"But please note that a weighting factor will be applied to the votes in this round."

Everyone onstage erupted in surprise.

"What's a weighting factor?"

"No idea. They didn't say anything about it before, did they?"

"Why is the production team adding rules at the last minute?"

The host signaled for quiet, then continued, "Our guests will assign a weighting factor based on how closely each team's performance fits our theme."

"If they believe it fully meets the standard, the factor will remain at the original value of one."

"But if they believe the performance has strayed from the theme, the factor will be reduced accordingly."

Gu Zhijing understood immediately.

He switched off his headset microphone and whispered to his teammates, "If they think a team's stage didn't focus on the theme, they deduct from the weighting factor. That means a fan's vote could end up counting for only half a vote."

He suddenly remembered the performance Comet had shown them before they went onstage.

At the time, Xu Linyuan had said with great regret that there was no point deduction for going off topic.

Here was their chance!!

Sure enough, when Comet was asked why they had chosen a wedding theme, their answer faltered a little.

The captain hesitated for a long time before saying only that a wedding was the culmination of a romance, and that was what they had based their stage on.

Unfortunately, the guests were not satisfied with that answer and deducted 0.1 from their weighting factor.

Color4's performance, meanwhile, fit the theme perfectly. They left the stage happily after receiving the full weighting factor.

Once they were offstage,

Jiang Yu was overjoyed. "Great, with that extra 0.1, the fans won't be under as much pressure to vote this time."

Gu Zhijing was not quite so optimistic. "Hard to say."

"Taking off such a small amount might actually rally their fans through fan abuse. They might get even more fired up."

"Look on the bright side."

Xu Linyuan patted both of them. "At least the performance turned out pretty well. Even if we stop here, there's nothing to regret."

After all, at this stage, with eight teams competing for four spots, the fans were all pretty formidable.

All they could do was give their own performance their best and leave no regrets.

As for everything else, they could only do what they could and leave the rest to the fans.

Color4 went to the waiting room to collect their things, then headed for the interview room. On the way, they happened to run into Comet, who had just finished their post-show interview.

Although Comet had just had their weighting factor reduced a little, they did not look unhappy.

They even greeted Color4, saying that although they were opponents this time, they could still work together if another opportunity arose.

After they parted, Jiang Yu muttered, "I thought we'd end up as rival fandoms... I didn't expect them to be such nice people."

Gu Zhijing remarked, "Sure enough, not every group has TOP syndrome."

Xu Linyuan smiled. "We're all in the entertainment industry, and they've been debuted for years. Smart people know to leave themselves a way out."

After all, idols came and went quickly.

Perhaps one day, the people saying they loved you would suddenly leave.

There was nothing wrong with preparing for the future and building up some connections.

"Come on, let's go record the interview."

After each recording, the production team would usually film some interviews, asking the idols to talk about things like the creative ideas behind their performances.

This time, they recorded even more material than usual, to fill the extra time needed in the later broadcast beyond the livestream.

That made things difficult for Color4.

Choosing Customized Heart-Fluttering had really been a last resort. Much of it had been prepared on the fly, and they had not rehearsed any answers at all.

So they could only make them up on the spot.

After asking a series of routine questions, the staff member praised them. "We saw how well the final performance turned out. It really gave people that feeling of being in love."

Then she paused and abruptly changed the subject. "So let me ask, did you have any particular feelings while preparing the stage for this song?"

"For example, when you were writing it, did you think of any girls you used to like?"

"And what types of girls do our Color4 members like?"

The moment she finished speaking, the same thought flashed through all four Color4 members' minds.

What had to come would come.

Ideal type.

It was one of the most common questions asked in idol interviews.

Usually, idols who knew what was good for them would give a few broad, formulaic answers.

But once an idol's description became relatively specific, people would start suspecting that they had someone who could cause a scandal.

So companies generally trained idols on this before debut, making sure they could answer the question in a way that satisfied fans without giving the media anything to pick at.

But Leap Entertainment was no ordinary company.

The small operation had been too busy with training and debut preparations to give them interview scripts to memorize. They usually had to improvise in interviews, let alone when faced with a question like this.

Fortunately, Jiang Yu reacted quickly. He shifted his thinking and immediately said, "As the fans all know, my girlfriend is the stage."

Xu Linyuan followed his lead and smiled. "Then my girlfriend is music."

Staff: "..."

These young idols were all so shrewd these days. Their answers were watertight; she could not get anything out of them.

She paused, then turned her gaze to Gu Zhijing. "What about our Zhijing?"

She added by way of guidance, "You don't have to describe her very specifically. Just give us a general idea."

Gu Zhijing: "..."

His two teammates had already dodged the question, so he definitely could not do the same.

After hesitating for only a second, Gu Zhijing quickly assessed the makeup of his fanbase in his head. His peach blossom eyes suddenly curved, and his voice softened, making him sound quite well-behaved.

"I'm eighteen and not old enough to get married yet. I don't think I need to consider that sort of thing." Staff: "..."

He was doing it on purpose.

Yet the young man looked so innocent and well-behaved that even knowing he was putting on an act, she could not bear to reproach him.

"Uh, then lastly, what about our captain, Sheng Chi?"

She tried to smile, though the implication in her tone was obvious. "I remember you'll be old enough to get married next year, so don't try to dodge the question."

Now the entire burden fell on Sheng Chi's shoulders.

Beside him, Gu Zhijing breathed out softly and curled his fingertips, seeming a little tense in a subtle way.

Sheng Chi was silent for a moment.

Just as the staff member thought he would brush off the question too, he suddenly spoke.

"I don't have a specific ideal type."

Sheng Chi's tone was unexpectedly calm and gentle.

"I think that if you meet someone you like, there's no need to confine them to any ideal type."

"Because liking someone is just liking them."

Author's note: Brother Chi: attempting to drop a hint (no, he isn't, don't believe it

-

Thanks to the little angels who watered this story with nutrient solution: Saiwenting de Baozao Q, 20 bottles; LDYMC, 14 bottles; Ningmeng Youzi Cha, 10 bottles; Chunri Qipao, 2 bottles; Meng Fuzhou, Songjing Zhengyun, and Tangcu Yu, 1 bottle each.

Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!

Chapter 50

Liking someone was just liking them.

It could suddenly arise in a moment you never expected.

It came without warning, yet was overwhelming and impossible to restrain.

He could no longer trace the very first moment his heart had stirred.

Perhaps it was because the young man onstage was dazzling and radiant, or because the little bundle who had fallen asleep against his shoulder by the roadside on an autumn night was soft and adorable, or because the person who had held his hand in the practice room had given him boundless hope of climbing out of the depths again.

Or perhaps it had been even earlier: the instant Gu Zhijing appeared in his life at their first meeting, wearing a headband and holding a recruitment flyer between his teeth, everything that followed had already been destined.

Sheng Chi had never thought he would like men before.

Or rather, he had never thought about liking anyone before.

He had always thought he was a person with few feelings or desires. That was good, and it also suited him well as a public idol.

But at some moment, the instant he recognized his feelings, he did not even find them unnatural.

Sheng Chi accepted the fact calmly.

Liking someone was just liking them.

Only after that person appeared would you realize that so-called ideal types and so-called attractive traits were all false.

Only your feelings for the person before you were real.

The interview recording ended.

Jiang Yu could not resist teasing him. "Captain, you're way too good at this. I can't believe you actually came out with a line straight out of an idol drama. Let me think: 'I like you because you're you.' Is that the idea?"

He joked, "Looks like you put a lot of effort into pursuing girls before, huh?"

Sheng Chi said nothing and only looked at Gu Zhijing to his right.

He was laughing along.

His beautiful peach blossom eyes curved, and his expression was natural. He even reached out and punched Jiang Yu lightly. "Watch out, or Brother Chi will beat you up."

Just as an ordinary teammate who was close to him would act.

There was nothing unusual at all.

Sheng Chi lowered his lashes.

The fans were right.

He seemed to treat everyone the same.

Thinking back to the first day they met, he had acted very familiar and wanted to call him brother.

Afterward, he had helped him and taken his side time and again, even standing up for him.

All those things were the only light that had entered his black-and-white world.

But to Gu Zhijing himself, they were simply good habits in the way he treated people.

Too considerate, too affectionate, too charming.

That was a little bad sometimes, too.

"No."

With his hands in his pockets, Sheng Chi fell silent for a moment, then said, "I was just saying whatever came to mind." ...

After leaving the studio, saying goodbye to the fans waiting outside, and telling them to go home early, Color4 got into the van.

"One seventeen."

Yu Wenwen glanced at the time and asked with a frown, "Why did it run so late today?"

Xu Linyuan looked down as he fastened his seat belt and explained, "The backstage interview took a while longer. Then there were quite a few people when we came back to change, so we had to wait a bit to get our makeup removed too."

"I'm exhausted. Every time we record a performance,"