The outfits that the production team prepared for Cheng Che and Ning Qing were arranged with the brand in advance.
Cheng Che was wearing a dark blue velvet LV suit, with a tailored fit and clean shoulder lines, and a black turtleneck shirt underneath, buttoned up to the top.
The lower body is a pair of Nike gray slim-fit casual Nike pants with straight lines and smooth fabric, which contrasts with the velvet texture of the suit jacket, creating an effortless mix-and-match feel.
She was wearing a pair of black Gucci leather shoes, the uppers of which were polished to a high shine.
He was wearing Rolex on his wrist, a very plain steel watch.
A small LV metal brooch was pinned to the lapel of his suit.
Ning Qing stood beside him, wearing a light pink long dress that trailed on the ground, the cut of which accentuated her clean lines of shoulders and neck.
Her hair was half-up, adorned with a delicate silver hairpin, and a pair of tiny pearl stud earrings dangled from her earlobes.
Her makeup was very light, with cleanly blended eye makeup and a light mauve lip color.
When the two came out of the dressing room, several staff members in the corridor stopped what they were doing at the same time.
The barrage of comments never stopped from the moment the camera panned to them.
Holy crap, are these two people really standing together?
[I looked at Cheng Che's LV velvet suit three times before I could really see what he was wearing.]
Ning Qing looks so beautiful today, like a fairy descended from heaven.
With these two people looking so good together, I don't know where to look!
[Where are the CP fans? Come out and celebrate the New Year!]
[Wait, don't start shipping us! The main star is still sitting in the audience tonight.]
[I don't care, I'll just have to drink it first!]
In the live stream, viewers waited for Cheng Che and Ning Qing to take the stage while listening to the other singers perform.
This singer is alright, but not quite as good as Cheng Che.
[The high notes were a bit shrill, so I fast-forwarded.]
The arrangement is pretty good, but the vocals are a bit thin.
I didn't originally come here to listen to music, but it's actually quite interesting.
[The preceding vowel transition wasn't quite right, it was almost there]
When will Cheng Che appear on screen? I'm getting impatient!
[Don't be so harsh, he's a legitimate singer too.]
[I'm not being harsh; I just compared them and realized that Cheng Che is indeed impressive.]
The technical director of the Mango TV was monitoring the backend data, and the number of online users remained stable at around twelve million.
Even before Cheng Che and Ning Qing have taken the stage, the viewership is already significantly higher than in previous finals.
The host announced the program.
"Next up is the last performance of the evening. Let's welcome Ning Qing and her guest performer, Cheng Che!!"
The studio lights dimmed briefly, then came back on, illuminating a cool, deep blue tone.
Cheng Che and Ning Qing walked out from behind the curtain.
Cheng Che walked ahead at a leisurely pace, his suit gleaming with a faint velvety sheen under the light.
Ning Qing followed half a step behind him, her skirt trailing lightly on the ground.
The two walked to the center of the stage. Cheng Che glanced at her and then extended his hand.
Ning Qing placed her hand on it.
First, the fingertips touch, then the palms are pressed together, and the fingers interlock.
The live chat went wild in that instant.
They held hands!!! They held hands!!!
[Holding hands together! It's holding hands together! I took a screenshot!]
[I'm going to use this as my wallpaper, nobody can stop me!]
My ship is real, at least at this moment.
[Sisters, my favorite couple got together, I cried!]
The intro begins. It's " Because of Love ".
The guitar arpeggios come in first, very lightly and cleanly, like someone speaking in your ear.
Cheng Che held Ning Qing's hand tightly, without letting go.
He spoke first.
[ The Bard Incubus Voice ] triggered!
A storytelling voice burst forth.
Here's an old CD for you, listen to our love story from back then.
His voice came through the monitor; it was clear, with a slight huskiness.
An audience member gasped.
Ning Qing continued with the second line, her voice slightly higher than Cheng Che's, but when their voices blended together, there was a strange sense of harmony.
Sometimes I suddenly forget that I still love you.
Cheng Che glanced at her sideways, then released her hand. The two of them walked a few steps apart to either side of the stage.
[ Camera Language ] Triggered.
Cheng Che Che's every step was perfectly timed to the beat of the music and the rhythm of the camera cuts.
As he walked to the left, the main light shone on him, outlining a clean silhouette of his profile.
He tilted his head slightly, and when he sang the next line, his voice rose a little.
"I can't sing songs like that anymore; I'd blush and hide whenever I hear them."
Ning Qing took over from the right, her voice clear and bright, like a ray of light filtering through the clouds.
The two people stood on either side of a river, as if singing a duet across the distance.
"Although I often forget that I still love you."
Then, in the second verse of the chorus, Cheng Che walks back from the left, and Ning Qing also walks over. The two meet again in the center of the stage, Cheng Che extends his hand, and Ning Qing places her hand on it.
Because of Love, one will not easily be sad.
"So everything looks like happiness..."
" Because of Love, simple growth..."
"I can still go crazy for you anytime..."
The two voices overlapped, Cheng Che's voice was deeper, and Ning Qing's voice was brighter, and when they overlapped, it was like two rivers merging into one.
[ Iconic Moment ] triggered.
At that moment, the light narrowed into a very narrow beam, just enough to cover the two people.
Cheng Che held Ning Qing's hand, his head slightly lowered. Ning Qing looked up at him, their voices fading into the last syllable.
The audience fell silent for a moment.
Then applause erupted from all directions.
Some people were shouting "Bravo!", some were clapping, and some were whistling.
Several audience members in the front row had already stood up.
The barrage of comments made it impossible to see the screen clearly.
I cried, I really cried.
[This song was a perfect choice; the two of them are so well-suited to sing it.]
[That final eye contact, that hand-holding, I couldn't take it anymore]
[ Cheng Che sings love songs so well, isn't he a tennis player?]
Ning Qing's voice is so clear and pure; she and Cheng Che make such a perfect match!
I want to cut this out and watch it over and over again, a hundred times.
[I declare this is the best version of this song I've heard all year.]
Backstage in the dressing room, Lin Zhe leaned back on the sofa, clapped his hands, and then turned to his agent, saying with emotion:
"If he actually releases an album, all of us can forget about living here."