SGSHE92

Qu Jialiang summoned every ounce of self-restraint he possessed to maintain a composed smile, pretending he hadn’t noticed anything.

Outwardly, he remained unruffled, but deep down, he realized with a pang of misery. His newly claimed little brother was, it seemed, already taken!

Judging by the way Luan Xing’an and Jing Heguang interacted, they were clearly a couple.

His own enthusiastic friendliness toward Jing Heguang had likely backfired. His younger brother might have misunderstood his intentions, thinking he was interested in Jing Heguang and viewing him as a love rival.

Yet, even knowing that, since Jing Heguang is the person closest to Luan Xing’an, the one he trusted most, Qu Jialiang couldn’t say a word.

After all, if one compared the two of them, it didn’t take a genius to figure out whom Luan Xing’an would choose.

To Luan Xing’an, he was merely a stranger. Or rather, perhaps someone quite annoying. After all, in his little brother’s eyes, he was still the backer of that ‘bad guy’, Qu Liuguang.

As for Jing Heguang, Qu Jialiang knew his best option was to stay on good terms with him. His original plan had been to get close to his little brother through Jing Heguang, increasing their interactions so that, once the truth about their shared lineage came out, he might stand a chance of earning his brother’s forgiveness.

Qu Jialiang: Was he perhaps the least confident future brother-in-law in history?

Meanwhile, Jing Heguang quietly tucked Luan Xing’an’s mischievous hand behind his back, shielding it from Qu Jialiang and the director’s view.

If his future brother-in-law saw that, he’d probably drop dead from sheer rage on the spot.

And he was a considerate, thoughtful brother-in-law-to-be, he certainly wouldn’t be that cruel.

***

After seeing Qu Jialiang off, only the two of them remained in the training room.

Luan Xing’an declared confidently, “Brother Jing, that Qu Jialiang won’t pester you anymore.”

Jing Heguang, who had just been preparing to relax after finally sending off his future brother-in-law, was left bewildered: ???

“Huh? What do you mean?” Jing Heguang asked, confused. Luan Xing’an smiled and said, “He saw me holding your hand, so he definitely knows we’re a couple now! You belong to me, how could he possibly be thinking about someone else’s man?”

Jing Heguang: …

His future brother-in-law hadn’t even lost his temper, he really had great composure.

But what on earth did ‘thinking about someone else’s man’ mean?

Did Xingbao think his future brother-in-law was interested in him?!

Jing Heguang was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

He hugged Luan Xing’an. “Xingbao, you’re the best! Come here, give me a kiss~”

As long as his lover knew how to soothe him, any number of future brothers-in-law would be nothing more than paper tigers!

Luan Xing’an happily lifted his face to share a kiss with Jing Heguang.

He had chased away a love rival, yet Jing Heguang still told him he was the best. Jing Heguang was the one who was truly the best, devoted heart and soul to him, with not a single thought for anyone else!

That Qu Jialiang looked incredibly wealthy, but Jing Heguang hadn’t even given him a second glance.

When the two went to lunch, the guy with the buzz cut took a few extra glances at their lips, then cornered Luan Xing’an to ask for some latiao (spicy strips).

Luan Xing’an: Where was he supposed to get latiao from?

Since he genuinely didn’t have any, Luan Xing’an spoke with complete confidence, leaving the buzz-cut guy to walk away disappointed.

***

Qu Liuguang never returned. The next day, the production team expelled him for violating the confidentiality agreement by secretly keeping a mobile phone and taking unauthorized photos.

With one trainee gone and another brought in to replace him, there wasn’t much of a change among the forty trainees.

When the second episode aired, the trainees in the camp were listening to the announcement of their theme song assessment results.

Jing Heguang stood on stage, commanding everyone’s attention.

Directly facing the stage was the seating area for the trainees, while the sides and back were occupied by equipment and staff.

This time, however, three extra people had appeared in the corner. Qu Wenyuan sat on the steps, teasing his parents with a smile: “Big brother really got the short end of the stick, he didn’t even have time to come.” Qu Jialiang had been sent away on a last-minute business trip.

His father tapped him on the head. “Keep your voice down.” They were filming the show, after all.

His mother paid Qu Wenyuan no mind at all, her eyes kept darting toward Luan Xing’an.

Qu Wenyuan muttered, “I just didn’t want you two to be nervous.”

His father sighed. “Now that you mention it, I’m even more nervous.”

Qu Wenyuan: ???

Where was the father who used to be so commanding and composed while bantering in the business world?!

After stealing a few more glances, his mother took out her phone and began downloading the app, listening intently to Jing Heguang’s promotional pitch.

On stage, Jing Heguang played videos of fans offering words of encouragement to the contestants. After stirring up everyone’s emotions, he announced the start of the theme song evaluation results reveal.

The theme song evaluation was conducted via video submission. After filming, the four mentors reviewed and scored the performances, ultimately assigning the trainees to one of the four tiers: A, B, C, or D.

Jing Heguang stood on stage without a smile, causing panic among some of the trainees below.

“Instructor Jing isn’t smiling at all, I’m so nervous!”

“Oh god, did we all perform terribly?”

“This time the theme song included dance moves, I’m definitely done for.”

Luan Xing’an sat next to the guy with the buzz cut and said, “I’ve mentally prepared myself for a ‘D’ rating, but I’m still so nervous.”

The buzz-cut guy said calmly, “Don’t be afraid.”

He parted his lips, about to offer some comforting words, when Jing Heguang, still looking serious, spoke up.

“This time…” Jing Heguang drew out the words, then flashed a mischievous grin, “…it was actually pretty good.”

The crowd below let out a collective gasp of relief: “Scaring us on purpose, that’s so mean!”

“So mean! You scared the life out of me!”

“So mean I almost want to punch him~”

With such a large group of young men, a few were bound to speak a bit bluntly. There wasn’t much malice in it, though. It was just joking banter.

Even the buzz-cut guy clench his fist.

Luan Xing’an was startled by the sight: “…Calm down!”

Watching and listening from the back, mother Qu swallowed the words. Dragging things out like that, she wanted to punch him too.

At the same time, she thought to herself: It seems the two boys really are close, given how protective they are of each other.

After his brief moment of teasing, Jing Heguang got down to business. He read out the names of the trainees in classes C and D in one go, providing specific feedback from the mentors to each individual.

Luan Xing’an was assigned to Class C for the theme song, while his vocals were strong, his dance moves were slightly lacking, and his facial expressions were sometimes off-key. The theme song was an inspirational track that required a spirited, determined, and intense look.

Still, Luan Xing’an was delighted just to avoid Class D.

He practically bounded over to join the Class C group, standing happily alongside his fellow trainees.

Father Qu smiled as he watched: “He’s so easily satisfied.”

Qu Wenyuan understood exactly why his father was smiling, his little brother was adorable, or to put it another way, he had a certain ‘cuteness factor’ that was truly endearing. He found it charming, too!

The guy with the buzz cut and several other trainees who excelled at both singing and dancing had made it into Class A.

Once the class assignments for all trainees were announced, Jing Heguang picked up the microphone again to tease them: “There’s a surprise segment today, too.”

“What?!”

“What kind of surprise? Hopefully not a shock…”

“I don’t want it. Let’s just go back, wash up, and sleep!”

Jing Heguang gave a helpless, faint smile: “There’s nothing I can do about it, the director arranged this, so it’s a mandatory part of the process whether you want it or not. Besides, most of you probably do want it.”

“Hurry up, hurry up!”

“Bring it on, I’m not even afraid of a storm!”

Luan Xing’an blinked and speculated, “Does brother Jing mean this is a surprise that some people might not actually like?”

The buzz-cut guy revealed his cool, handsome face: “I don’t care and it makes no difference to me, and I fear nothing.”

On stage.

Jing Heguang dropped his smile and spoke seriously: “Today marks the day class assignments for the theme song are finalized, and it’s the last stage before the first round of eliminations. Once the theme song recording is done, some of you may have to leave our stage. So, today’s surprise is this: you get to make one phone call to someone outside.”

Many trainees in the audience looked stunned, they were genuinely taken aback.

Before filming began, the production team had implemented a closed training camp. By now, many of them really hadn’t seen their families in quite a long time.

Staff members brought out the phones. Trainees went in groups of four, with each person entering a small booth for a three-minute call. During those three minutes, if a trainee didn’t want their family to appear on camera, they could request audio only recording or opt out of recording entirely.

When it was Luan Xing’an’s turn, he raised his hand and asked an unexpected question: “Um…is it possible to call someone who’s already inside?”

He didn’t have anyone outside he could call.

At the same time, Luan Xing’an understood why Jing Heguang had said that most people would want this surprise.

Brother Jing was probably worried he wouldn’t like it, right? Thinking of this, Luan Xing’an was deeply touched.

Brother Jing was truly wonderful! He cared about every single detail regarding him.

Jing Heguang picked up the receiver, his voice gentle: “Sure, you can.”

Luan Xing’an smiled as he entered the small booth and made a video call to Jing Heguang.

The other trainees who hadn’t made their calls yet watched as their head mentor, right in the middle of filming the show, started answering a call.

***

Inside the booth, Luan Xing’an sat on a high stool and smiled at the camera. “Hello? Is that brother Jing?”

Jing Heguang brushed back his hair while looking at the phone, making sure he looked his best. “Xingbao, it’s me.”

The other trainees: ???

Xingbao?!

No wonder the boss doted on him so much, he actually called him bao (Baby/Treasure)!

Luan Xing’an asked, “What are you doing?”

Jing Heguang replied, “I’m filming a show called Voice of Heaven. Let me tell you, it’s really good.”

Luan Xing’an: …

Is it really okay to praise our own show like that?

Luan Xing’an couldn’t quite keep up with Jing Heguang’s train of thought, so he simply played along: “How good is it? Is there anything particularly amazing about it?”

Jing Heguang smiled. “There’s a really handsome guy here, he looks great and sings beautifully too.”

Luan Xing’an + the other trainees: …That guy wouldn’t happen to be named Jing Heguang, would he?

“This person’s name is…” Jing Heguang swept his gaze over the smiling trainees below and switched the camera from the front-facing lens to the rear one.

Some quick-witted trainees in the audience immediately played along.

“Me, me, me! I’m good-looking and I sing well!”

“Get lost, it’s obviously the handsome Liu Di!”

“Me! Pick me, Xing’an, I’m the best-looking one here!”

Jing Heguang clicked his tongue and said to the crowd, “What are you thinking? I’m showing you the handsome guy.”

The trainees acting as props: ???

You can do that?! It felt like they’d been used.

Luan Xing’an smiled happily on the screen.

In a corner at the back, Qu Wenyuan handed a tissue to each of his parents.

He whispered words of comfort: “Dad, mom, don’t be too upset. Xing’an certainly doesn’t blame you. You didn’t lose him on purpose, it was a calculated scheme by the other party.”

No one noticed the quiet murmurs in the corner.

The call on stage continued.

Jing Heguang praised his boyfriend from head to toe.

Luan Xing’an felt a bit embarrassed listening to it, but…he was actually quite happy!

He never imagined that brother Jing held him in such high regard. As he listened, Luan Xing’an felt his face flush with emotion.

The call had a strict time limit.

In the final twenty seconds, Jing Heguang hesitated for a moment before speaking to Luan Xing’an through the phone in the latter’s hometown dialect: “You’re a great guy. I want you to know I really like you, stay happy!”

Luan Xing’an was momentarily stunned. He quickly covered the camera lens with his hand before the tears could spill over.

When the three minutes were up, a female staff member handed him a tissue. Luan Xing’an followed protocol by saying, “Time’s up,” and hung up the phone.

After Luan Xing’an wiped away his tears, the staff member spoke from off-camera:

“Xing’an, what was that last thing teacher Jing said? Why did you cry?”

Luan Xing’an’s eyes were red, making him look like a rabbit. “Brother Jing is so mean, that was my hometown dialect.” He came from a place with a large elderly population, where most people spoke in dialect.

The staff member soothed him: “Teacher Jing must have learned it just for you. If he knew you were crying, he’d be upset, right? Don’t cry anymore.”

Luan Xing’an nodded obediently, managing a smile despite his reddened eyes.

While others called home and could see their families on screen, there was no one waiting for him at his home. That was why brother Jing had so thoughtfully prepared those familiar, comforting sounds of his hometown.

Brother Jing was just so, so, so wonderful!

Luan Xing’an’s mind was filled with thoughts of Jing Heguang. He felt a sudden surge of inspiration, though it was so intense that it seemed to well up and get stuck all in one place.

***

After the recording wrapped up, everyone went off to eat and rest.

Luan Xing’an pulled Jing Heguang away to a secluded, empty stairwell. This area was awaiting renovation, with a thin layer of dust coating the floor. Those in the know avoided coming here.

As soon as they arrived, Luan Xing’an took the initiative and kissed Jing Heguang. Jing Heguang leaned against the slightly grimy wall, bowing his head to wrap his arms tightly around Luan Xing’an’s waist and eagerly reciprocating his sweet younger brother’s passion.

Qu Wenyuan had no idea how he had managed to get lost just trying to find the office.

But now, looking down at the two kissing in the hallway below, Qu Wenyuan felt like his head was about to explode!

Stay calm.

Must stay calm.

That man couldn’t be punched.

After all, it was his brother who had initiated the kiss and with such fiery passion too. His brother definitely liked Jing Heguang!