SGSHE94

Does ranking in the top three mean that a great many people like him?

Luan Xing’an felt a sweet, delightful warmth spreading through his heart, much like the feeling of finally getting the candy he had longed for as a child.

To Luan Xing’an, ‘candy’ wasn’t just a confection. It symbolized sharing between children, a signal of acceptance and friendship.

He, who used to have so few people who liked him, was now liked by others!

Even though this was happening much later than in his childhood, Luan Xing’an was still overjoyed!

Jing Heguang chuckled, “Alright, there are finally three people up on the big screen representing the top three candidates.”

Good-natured laughter rippled through the trainees in the audience.

Luan Xing’an clasped his hands together and smiled sheepishly, “I was just too nervous.”

Jing Heguang gave his microphone an idle spin, then returned to the matter at hand and began announcing the trainee who had placed third in the overall vote.

For the top three, the outcome was guaranteed to be a top three finish regardless, so all three of them looked relaxed.

As for Luan Xing’an, he was simply elated!

To think he’d actually see a day like this!

It all felt just like a dream.

From the moment brother Jing established his own studio, to him helping Luan Xing’an sign up, train, and hone his skills, and finally entering the show with the dynamic of mentor and trainee…

It was all so wonderful, it felt like a dream come true!

As Jing Heguang continued announcing the rankings, Luan Xing’an listened intently to his mentor.

Jing Heguang announced the third place winner, then asked Luan Xing’an and the buzz cut guy to step forward. The two stood right in front of the large chairs reserved for the advancing trainees.

Jing Heguang asked, “Standing here now, how do you both feel?”

The buzz cut guy turned around and touched one of the chairs. “It feels almost unbelievable. I can’t quite grasp that so many viewers voted for me and brought me this far.”

“When I first joined the show, I just wanted to take a gamble, hoping to trade up from a bicycle to a motorcycle. Now, it looks like I might even have a shot at getting something with four wheels!”

The Buzz-cut Guy had a cool look and an incredibly cool performance style, but his personality was wonderful, he was a truly warm-hearted person.

After sharing his thoughts, the guy with the buzz cut thoughtfully handed the microphone to Luan Xing’an.

Luan Xing’an held the microphone with both hands, his mind momentarily going blank: “I also find it incredible. Thank you, thank you all for liking my songs!”

As he said thank you, he bowed deeply to the camera, a full ninety-degree bend, his torso parallel to the floor and his shoes.

Luan Xing’an straightened up, took a breath, and smiled. “Standing over there earlier, I looked at the chairs in the front row. I thought they were so beautiful, like the candy wrappers I used to want so much as a kid, the kind that sparkle in the sunlight.”

“People say that when you finally get the ‘toy’ you desperately wanted in childhood, you don’t feel the same joy you would have back then.”

“But right now, I feel truly happy! I’ll keep working hard to write and sing songs. I won’t let anyone down.”

Both of them spoke with sincerity, reflecting insights gained at different stages of life.

The guy with the buzz cut had entered the real world early, gaining experience through the hard knocks of life.

Luan Xing’an, while no stranger to hardship, had had less exposure to the outside world. His worldview remained simpler, preserving his pure, childlike heart.

Jing Heguang certainly didn’t want to keep his sweet younger brother in suspense any longer and announced the ranking directly: “First place goes to our ‘back-of-the-head’ classmate! Congratulations on receiving 35,761,028 votes, please take your seat.”

Luan Xing’an rubbed the back of his head, shared a hug with the buzz cut guy, and took the very first seat in the advancement zone.

It didn’t feel like an ordinary chair to Luan Xing’an. It felt like one of those cloud thrones beneath the feet of immortals in myths, how else could he feel so light and elated, as if floating on air?

The buzz cut guy, having garnered over twenty million votes, was also quite satisfied and took the second seat.

Immediately after, the name of the final advancing contestant was announced, a moment that brought one person to tears of joy while leaving another utterly devastated.

***

The day after the rankings were announced, half the contestants were gone.

Yet, no one had time to dwell on sadness or sentimentality. They had to immediately dive into selecting songs and rehearsing for the second round of performances.

For this second round, the top ten contestants were allotted three minutes of performance time, while the bottom ten had two minutes.

If two contestants chose to team up, their allotted times would be combined, then reduced by one minute.

The top-ranked contestants became highly sought partners, with everyone clamoring to team up with them.

Luan Xing’an turned down yet another trainee, staring at his songbook with a headache.

The songs he had written recently were sweet love songs, pleasant to the ear and charming, certainly, but they seemed to lack the necessary impact for a stage performance.

As for the songs he had stockpiled before joining the show, he had deliberately chosen a niche, fresh style to avoid overlapping with the tracks he had previously written for Jing Heguang. Therefore, they suffered from the same weakness as his recent work.

Luan Xing’an was agonizing over his choice when he heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Luan Xing’an said.

Jing Heguang poked his head in, then stepped inside.

He sat right down next to his sweet younger brother and asked with concern, “What’s worrying you? Your brows are practically knitted together.”

Luan Xing’an groaned in distress, “I don’t think I have a suitable song for the performance.”

Jing Heguang looked at his small songbook. “Let me take a look?”

Luan Xing’an…

Luan Xing’an hesitated.

Many of the songs he’d written recently had very straightforward lyrics, some even bordering on ‘too bold’. It would be mortifying to let brother Jing see them!

Jing Heguang withdrew his hand and furrowed his brows. “Did you write something you can’t show me?”

Blushing, Luan Xing’an glanced at the camera. “The cameras aren’t allowed to film this, some of these songs haven’t even been sung yet.”

Then, with agonizing slowness, he handed the songbook to Jing Heguang.

Jing Heguang waited patiently as Luan Xing’an, moving like a little turtle, finally placed the book in his hands, then skillfully flipped it open.

As he read, a smile deepened on Jing Heguang’s face.

Seeing the corners of Jing Heguang’s mouth turn up, Luan Xing’an stole a glance and let out a silent, internal wail: He’s read them all!

It was the kind of feeling you get when you’ve written a romance diary, the dramatic, gushing kind, only for your boyfriend to read it right in front of you, smiling all the while.

Luan Xing’an felt like digging a hole and hiding himself away.

Jing Heguang read through the songs one by one, feeling as though his sweet younger brother was pouring honey straight into his heart.

Just look at those lyrics — ‘You are the most romantic fantasy of my life’, ‘Roses, moonlight, red and white, they are all you’, ‘Chasing the direction of the light’…

After finishing the last song, Jing Heguang leaned close and whispered into Luan Xing’an’s ear, “baobie, remember to sing them all for me later.”

Luan Xing’an shrank his ears back, he felt as if he were about to be devoured.

After dodging the teasing, Luan Xing’an changed the subject: “Brother Jing, help me think, what should I sing for the second live performance?”

Jing Heguang had simply been looking at the songbook earlier, otherwise, he wouldn’t have teased him.

Now, he turned serious. Resting his chin on his hand and flipping through the songbook, he offered two suggestions: “How about this one? There’s another one earlier without the sheet music, but I think the lyrics would really shine on stage.”

Songs are meant for listening, of course, but since they were participating in a competition show, the performance’s competitive edge had to be taken into account.

The two of them put their heads together, earnestly discussing the options in low voices, a truly harmonious scene.

***

Four days later.

The show’s second live performance began.

The four hundred seats in front of the stage were packed.

Father Qu and mother Qu sat in the front row, each wearing a headband topped with two blue stars, signifying their support for Luan Xing’an.

Father Qu awkwardly adjusted his headband, it was the first time in his life he’d ever worn such a thing.

He had always thought they were for little girls, never imagining he’d see the day he wore one himself.

Seeing him fidget, mother Qu reached over to steady it: “Stop moving around, it’s going crooked!”

Father Qu gave an ‘Oh’, glanced at his watch, and said expectantly, “It starts in two minutes.”

A young female fan of Luan Xing’an sitting nearby had a sharp eye, following the movement of father Qu’s wrist, she noticed he was wearing the exact same watch her own father treasured.

She then looked at the headband on his head and asked, “Are you guys fans of Xing too? I’m an ‘older sister’ fan.”

Mother Qu replied, “Hello, I’m a ‘mom’ fan.”

Father Qu added, “Hello there, I’m a ‘dad’ fan.”

The three of them smiled at one another, feeling a sense of camaraderie.

Mother Qu even swapped seats with her husband so she could exchange contact details with the young woman during the final minute, planning to follow their idol together in the future.

The two minutes flew by in the blink of an eye.

Jing Heguang took the stage and announced the start of the second live performance. With the number of contestants drastically reduced, the remaining twenty stood out all the more.

After the first nine contestants finished their performances, Luan Xing’an, the final performer before the intermission, took the stage.

This time, Luan Xing’an chose a song that embodied a ‘dark turn’, not in terms of makeup or styling, but in the sense that the protagonist was in the midst of a descent into darkness.

One moment, he was joyful, preparing a bouquet for his lover, the next, he was plunged into anxiety and worry, pouring out a love that bordered on madness in time with the intricate rhythm.

As the song reached its climax, the tempo quickened and the vocals intensified. It felt as though the protagonist’s heart had been seized, only to suddenly explode!

Qu Jialiang, who had made a special trip to attend, listened intently, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward Jing Heguang, who was standing to the side.

Could it be that Jing Heguang did something he shouldn’t have, prompting my little brother to write a song like this?!

Jing Heguang was watching with rapt attention, completely unaware that his future brother-in-law was scrutinizing him.

Even if he had known, Jing Heguang wouldn’t have been worried. After all, his sweet younger brother adored him.

Jing Heguang thought confidently: He must have been thinking of me when he sang this song!

The first climax passed, and the song transitioned into its second section.

The audience had hoped for a moment to catch their breath, but the second section offered no mere repetition. Instead, it revealed the protagonist’s inner struggle.

Luan Xing’an closed his eyes, standing amidst the darkness with his face turned toward a hazy beam of light, drawing the audience into his low, murmuring vocals.

The protagonist began to struggle and reflect, his tone gradually softening.

Eventually, the dark, turbulent feelings dissipated, leaving behind only the sense of letting go, a quiet release after the emotional cleansing, tinged with a hint of lingering grievance.

It wasn’t an explosive outpouring of emotion, but rather a personal monologue about love. In a brief span of time, a storm of feelings had raged and subsided into calm, all while the other person remained completely unaware.

As the song ended, Luan Xing’an composed himself, blinked, and bowed politely to the audience before stepping off the stage.

The next trainee to perform was left dumbfounded. Fortunately, there was an intermission, otherwise, how could he possibly win back the audience’s attention after a performance like that?

Another hour passed, and the second live show concluded.

Qu Jialiang’s parents left the venue with the rest of the crowd, got into his car, and the family of three headed home.

Qu Jialiang’s mother frowned and asked, “Is Xing’an in a relationship?”

Qu Jialiang felt a sudden pang of anxiety in his chest.

Just as he wondered how his mother had guessed, she continued, “That song gave me goosebumps, he must be going through some heartache in a relationship!”

Qu Jialiang’s father actually suspected the same thing, but not wanting to upset his wife, he said, “It was just a song, wasn’t it? He seemed quite happy after he finished singing.”

Qu Jialiang: …So, it was just a wild guess after all.

His mother caught the look of relief that flashed across his face.

His mother, who hadn’t actually known anything before, asked, “Eldest son, what’s with that look? Do you know something?”

Qu Jialiang thought for a moment, then admitted, “Xing’an is in a relationship.”