SGSHE90

The moment the director received the call from the show’s major investor, he had already mentally drafted his spiel: “The show is guaranteed to be a hit this time, rest assured, boss!”

However, Qu Jialiang’s request took him completely by surprise.

The director spoke hesitantly: “You want us to cut out all of your younger brother’s footage…?”

He wondered if he had answered the phone incorrectly, otherwise, how could he have misheard the instructions so drastically?

Qu Jialiang emphasized, “That’s right. Cut out all his footage.”

“May I ask the reason?”

The director added, “Qu Liuguang’s first performance was excellent, and the show is generating a lot of online buzz. It’s bound to become a hit!”

“It’s a personal matter. There’s no need to air any of his footage going forward. I’ll come pick him up later, but please don’t tell him just yet.”

Dazed, the director hung up and hurriedly instructed the editor to cut out Qu Liuguang’s segment.

Fortunately, it was only the first episode, so they only needed to remove Qu Liuguang’s performance footage.

While waiting for the editing work to be done, the director suddenly recalled a question Jing Heguang had asked him: “Do you have any backup candidates for the show?”

So, the director made another call, this time to Jing Heguang’s mobile phone.

Jing Heguang, who had just managed to corner Luan Xing’an, thought: “…”

Is the director trying to drive me crazy?!

Luan Xing’an had been dodging him for days, and since they were in the middle of filming, Jing Heguang had been forced to exercise extreme restraint.

Today, the timing, the moment, and the location were finally perfect, only for the director to call right then.

Jing Heguang glared at his phone with frustration before answering resignedly, “Director? What is it?”

Luan Xing’an breathed a sigh of relief and tried to slip away.

Jing Heguang wasn’t about to let him run. He grabbed Luan Xing’an by the back of his collar, then wrapped his arm around the younger man’s neck, trapping him in his embrace.

Luan Xing’an rested his head against Jing Heguang’s chin, feeling as though the top of his head were on fire.

He had accidentally kissed brother Jing on the day of the live performance and had been avoiding him ever since, terrified that Jing Heguang would discover his true feelings.

Yet, Luan Xing’an hadn’t expected that even without seeking Jing out, his odd behavior would eventually be noticed.

The mere thought of how Jing Heguang viewed him, simply as a kid, made Luan Xing’an’s heart race with anxiety.

Although Jing Heguang treated him wonderfully, he surely saw him only as a younger brother. Meanwhile, Luan Xing’an harbored feelings he shouldn’t. He had fallen for him.

On the other end of the line…

The director spoke hurriedly: “Teacher Jing, please come over here right away, I need to talk to you about something!”

“What is it? I’m busy with something important.” Seeing that his obedient little brother hadn’t run off, Jing Heguang shifted his arm from around the other’s neck to his waist, holding him more comfortably.

The director was insistent: “Just come over! I’m re-editing the footage. If you come here, I’ll give Xing’an more screen time!”

That was a tempting offer.

Jing Heguang thought it over and decided to go.

But before leaving, he could spare a few minutes for himself.

He agreed, hung up the phone, and looked down at Luan Xing’an, who was burying his head like an ostrich.

“Xingbao, why are you avoiding me?” Jing Heguang asked, clenching his jaw slightly.

His sweet little brother had kissed him that day, did he not intend to give him any explanation?!

Hmph! What a heartbreaker!

Luan Xing’an was terrified. “I didn’t mean to…Brother Jing, please don’t be angry, and please don’t hate me.”

He looked up, his large eyes misty and pleading as he gazed at Jing Heguang.

Seeing the fear in those eyes, Jing Heguang felt a sharp pang of heartache. At the same time, Jing Heguang became even more certain of his hunch, his sweet younger brother was definitely avoiding him because he harbored feelings for him!

Otherwise, what was a trivial thing like accidentally brushing against someone’s cheek between brothers? Only someone with a guilty conscience, or a secret crush, would hide away.

Jing Heguang used his thumb to gently wipe the corner of Luan Xing’an’s eye. “Xingbao, how could I possibly be angry with you or dislike you? I like you so much, I couldn’t possibly dislike you!”

Luan Xing’an: ???

A multitude of question marks instantly popped up in Luan Xing’an’s wide, expressive eyes.

Seeing Luan Xing’an’s look of astonishment, Jing Heguang immediately hugged him tighter in a sudden fit of anxiety. “You kissed me, so naturally, you have to take responsibility. Don’t tell me you don’t want to take responsibility, are you trying to be a heartless jerk?”

Even if he had guessed wrong, he wasn’t about to let Luan Xing’an slip away! Today, he had to let his sweet little brother know his true feelings. A man who had been bottling up his emotions for so long could be a formidable force.

The surprise came so suddenly that Luan Xing’an’s mind was in a whirl.

Brother Jing said…he liked him?

Brother Jing didn’t mind the accidental kiss, in fact, he said he liked him and wanted him to take responsibility.

The person he liked…liked him back!

Aside from grandma, there was someone else who truly, deeply liked him, and in the romantic sense too…

Luan Xing’an was an emotional person by nature. Overcome with excitement, he felt tears welling up.

His mind was a jumble, but he held Jing Heguang in a tight embrace. “Brother Jing, I’m not a heartless jerk, I’ll take responsibility for you!”

Luan Xing’an tilted his head back, blinking away the moisture in his eyes, and gave a goofy, happy smile. “I’m so happy! I can’t believe you like me too, brother Jing. hehe~”

With his head tilted back, his face was very close to Jing Heguang’s. He asked with a curious expression, “Brother Jing, brother Jing, when did you start liking me?”

Jing Heguang gazed at his own reflection in Luan Xing’an’s eyes, it seemed to sparkle and shine. Jing Heguang thought back for a moment, then said earnestly, “The moment I saw you, I fell for you!”

From the instant he opened the door to Room 25 and laid eyes on him, Jing Heguang knew he liked Luan Xing’an.

He also knew, with equal certainty, that Luan Xing’an would surely come to like him back.

Sure enough, Luan Xing’an had fallen for him! They were clearly a match made in heaven.

The first meeting Luan Xing’an was thinking of, however, was the time when he had let himself go and gained a bit of weight.

He muttered to himself, who would have thought brother Jing liked chubby guys?

He could stand to get a little rounder, aiming for ‘chubby’ rather than ‘fat’. After all, as a singer-in-training, Luan Xing’an was starting to care a little about his image.

“I…I fell for you a bit later than that,” Luan Xing’an lied, feeling a twinge of guilt.

He had only started liking brother Jing later on, liking the version of him who had opened up and become a better, more dazzling person.

Surely a little white lie wouldn’t hurt? They liked each other now, after all. Making brother Jing happy was what mattered most.

But in reality, his guilty conscience was painfully obvious.

Jing Heguang could tell at a glance that he was lying.

As for where he was lying? That was a no-brainer. His sweet little brother must have fallen for him, the current him, not that guy who had inhabited the body before.

But since his sweet little brother didn’t know about the sudden personality swap, Jing Heguang could have a little fun with the situation.

Jing Heguang pinched both his cheeks. “Xingbao, you’re lying to me!”

Luan Xing’an darted his eyes away and whispered, “A little later?”

Jing Heguang’s lips curled up, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes. “Then give me two kisses, and I’ll forgive you.”

Luan Xing’an looked at that handsome face, now close up, and obediently stood on tiptoe to plant two kisses on Jing Heguang’s right cheek. Jing Heguang’s mind raced, and he cheekily said, “Not here.”

Luan Xing’an stole a glance at brother Jing’s lips, quickly looked away, and asked in a low voice, “Then where should I kiss?”

“Here.” Jing Heguang tapped his own lips with a finger.

Seeing this, Luan Xing’an’s face turned even redder.

But as the one who needed to take responsibility, perhaps he ought to be a bit more proactive?

Luan Xing’an mustered his courage, stood on tiptoe, and leaned in to kiss Jing Heguang’s lips again.

He planted two quick, feather-light kisses on Jing Heguang.

But after the second kiss, before he could even lower his heels back to the ground, Jing Heguang lowered his head and caught him in a proper kiss.

Breathing in the scent that always put him at ease, Luan Xing’an felt a tingling sensation spread from his scalp down to his toes, making his skin prickle with electric delight.

Ahhh! Brother Jing…is kissing him!!

That means brother Jing definitely likes him for real!!!

Just as they were locked in an inseparable embrace, the director called again.

Annoyed by the persistent ringing, Jing Heguang finally let Luan Xing’an go. “You aren’t allowed to hide from me next time, got it?”

If he hadn’t hidden from brother Jing, they probably would have been together days ago!

Luan Xing’an nodded contritely. “I was wrong. I won’t hide from brother Jing anymore.”

Jing Heguang steered clear of his flushed, kiss-swollen lips and planted a quick peck on his fair, tender cheek. “It wasn’t really a mistake. I was the one afraid of scaring you, so I was too subtle with my hints.”

All that talk about their great chemistry! The buy-one-get-one-half-off deal! His sweet, naive younger brother surely hadn’t picked up on a single one of those hints.

If he’d understood even one, or just half of one, he wouldn’t have run away.

Luan Xing’an felt like he was about to melt from embarrassment. Hearing the phone still ringing, he said, “The director must be getting impatient. You should go.”

“I’ll go see the director, then. You keep practicing the theme song.”

Jing Heguang gave him one last hug before reluctantly walking away.

***

On his way, Jing Heguang answered the director’s call while thinking: I need to tell the director to cut back on the calls, people in a relationship can’t afford to be interrupted.

He arrived outside the office and knocked on the door.

The director had just finished watching the edited footage, so his eyes lit up the moment he saw Jing Heguang. The director left his capable assistant to handle the tasks in the background and pulled Jing Heguang aside to a soundproof glass balcony: “Heguang, how did you know we were going to need a new trainee?”

Jing Heguang thought to himself: Because I transmigrated here.

But offering that kind of reason would likely earn him an eye-roll, or in a less likely scenario, get him handed over to the country for study.

Jing Heguang improvised: “Information from a secret channel, I can’t say too much.”

The director wanted to ask more, but a staff member up front shouted, “Director, we’re airing!”

With the show airing, they had to keep a close eye on the viewership numbers.

The director had to drop the subject and hurriedly dragged Jing Heguang along to check the data.

Season 1 of Voice of Heaven had been a surprise smash hit, it would be utterly embarrassing if Season 2 failed to live up to that standard.

Of course, the director was confident that wouldn’t happen.

Jing Heguang wasn’t interested in the data, instead, he opened a new Weibo account on his phone and started setting up a forum (a dedicated fan discussion hub).

He named the forum, XingGuang!

The description read: “The moonlight is beautiful tonight, but the starlight outshines it.” (Luan Xing’an x Jing Heguang)

In this world, the phrase ‘moonlight is beautiful’ was also understood to mean ‘I love you’. After finishing the edit, Jing Heguang felt like patting himself on the back.

He must have rub-off a bit of creative genius after planting a kiss on his sweet younger brother, that had to be why he came up with such a brilliant description! He’d have to get a little more of that rub-off later.

The director, who had come over to share the good news, caught a glimpse of the screen…

He hadn’t expected Jing Heguang to be so shameless, actually setting up a ‘shipping’ forum for himself and his boyfriend!!

***

If Xiao Chen had seen it, he would have just smiled faintly and thought nothing of it.

Setting up a forum was nothing. Xiao Chen and the talented content creators recently hired by the studio were currently watching the first episode.

Once the episode ended, they would produce CP content for the boss to enjoy.

The boss was truly a hardcore guy, he used to be ruthless when it came to work, and now that he was dating, he was just as intense. Xiao Chen thought about how his wife was also waiting for her fix of CP content, and he found himself grinning foolishly as he watched the program.

It was great.

Ever since the boss had become obsessed with love, Xiao Chen’s headaches had decreased, his pay had gone up, and life was smoother. Even his wife had become gentler, all thanks to that CP content!

***

In the trainees’ practice room, the contestants, aware that the first episode was currently airing, found it hard to focus on rehearsing the theme song and gathered in the main hall instead.

The guys with the buzz cuts were sitting with Luan Xing’an. They had originally been looking over the music sheet, but their attention soon drifted, and they started chatting.

After some idle banter, the guy with the buzz cut hit the nail on the head, as usual: “Xing’an, why are your lips so red?”

Luan Xing’an’s eyes crinkled into crescents as he gave a bashful smile.

At the far end of the corridor, Jing Heguang was walking toward them.

The guy with the buzz cut remarked, “Teacher Jing’s lips look a bit red too, doesn’t it?”