The dance and performance groups’ shows ended one after another, each program offering a breath of fresh air.
Although they rehearsed the same dance, the two teams’ styles of interpretation and cohesion were entirely different.
Anyone with discerning eyes could immediately tell who had mastered all the dance moves and who was hiding at the end of the line just to get on camera before leaving.
Although the dance group’s lead mentor was Pei Ruye, during the critique phase, Huo Ren spoke up frequently.
He was successfully cursed by Han Qu’s jinx, actually catching a cold these past few days, wearing a mask even during filming.
“Fixed-point strength is lacking, redo this segment.”
“During the chorus, when you should be making eye contact with your teammates, you were off.”
“Three movements lacked bounce in the waist, can’t give points here.”
Those who had followed Crown all the way were quite surprised.
Everyone was accustomed to Huo Ren’s part, used to him being A’s beloved pet, a gentle and stable captain.
Now, with a change in role, he became the strict and cool Mentor Huo, his icy demeanor not concealed by the mask.
How come he’s… even more attractive than before?!
Huo Ren could easily spot who was slacking, methodically picking them out, with no intention of pretending to be a nice guy.
Occasionally coughing twice, his voice was a bit hoarse.
The trainees were trained not to speak up, bowing their heads obediently to admit their mistakes, ready to redo when asked, and to reflect when needed.
At this moment, Mentor Huo sitting in the center seemed both vulnerable and firm.
Treating professional work seriously, not overlooking mistakes, not settling for mediocrity.
Yet his complexion was pale, coughing more made the corners of his eyes slightly red.
Pei Ruye glanced over a few times, involuntarily holding his breath, charmed.
Really wanted to hide him away.
Best if no one else saw this side of Ren Ren.
The bullet comments were very lively.
[Zhu Xizhi is secretly giving Mentor Huo heart eyes!! I saw it!!!]
[The interactions between Xizhi and God Pei in the extras are so fun, my baby is clearly a happy and naive straight boy]
[God Pei, restrain your gaze!!! Everyone sees Ren Ren has a cold but you’re too obvious—]
[Did anyone see at 45:23 God Pei secretly passing lozenges with his fingertips?]
[OMG, sister, you must be Levinhoek! I didn’t notice because of the cup blocking, I’m exploding in place ahhh!!]
However, what the audience outside missed was the mid-break during the recording intervals.
Recording four group performances plus critiques and scoring for about five or six hours, then editing into two episodes for broadcast, there were several breaks in between.
The mentors played and joked during rest times, naturally not caught on camera, but almost all the live audience could see—
Mei Heng had his assistant pass pear soup to Huo Ren, Feng Jin draped her coat over his shoulders, God Pei almost never left his seat, openly letting him lean on his shoulder for a rest during breaks.
Who is the natural beloved of the group was self-evident.
In fact, when the director signaled a fifteen-minute break, Huo Ren didn’t think much before leaning over.
When he nestled against Pei Ruye and dozed off, the audience in the back all gasped—
His head actually fell asleep on him!!!
Am I thinking too much?!
Is this really just a mentor-student relationship? Why do I feel there’s something more??!!
Huo Ren, feeling a heavy back of his head while sick, held the pear soup with heavy eyelids, leaning on the man and drinking slowly.
Pei Ruye had already heard the commotion from the back, and although surprised, he adjusted the angle of his leaning against his neck.
Then, he habitually touched his forehead with the back of his hand.
Good, just a common cold, no fever.
Several physical interactions later, all the audience could clearly see, even feeling charmed by that forehead-touching gesture.
Pei Ruye, what’s going on with you?! Are you this close to all your students???
The live audience saw the back view, but the trainees could directly see the front.
First, Zhu Xizhi pretended to seek advice on some issue, sneakily approaching to give Mentor Huo White Rabbit Creamy Candies.
Huo Ren, half-squinting his eyes contentedly, unusually in a good mood today, not only accepted the candy but also unwrapped two pieces.
One for Pei Ruye, one for Zhu Xizhi.
Backstage audience: !!!!!!!
Ren Ren, you’ve changed!! You weren’t like this before!!!
Then, Bo Huan snuck out from the waiting room, with no psychological pressure, approached to chat with them, even reaching out to touch Huo Ren’s face.
“Take care of yourself, teacher. It’s good you don’t have a fever.”
Huo Ren, still leaning on Pei Ruye, responded relaxingly.
The audience collectively experienced a pupil-shaking moment: We’re still here!! Is it appropriate for you to touch the teacher’s face in public?!
This news quickly spread online.
However, since cellphones were not allowed during live recordings and the cameras didn’t capture it, people outside the venue shook their heads in disbelief.
[Can CP fans please not start rumors? Isn’t it normal for straight men to have such interactions??]
[It’s obviously just a few students caring for their teacher… But does the fledgling complex really exist?]
[Xizhi jumping up is so cute, ahhh, wearing a polka-dot jacket every day, I want to RUA him!]
[Ren Ren is so career-focused, how could he possibly be in a relationship, working hard even when sick (sending hearts)]
This issue was eventually overshadowed by various side news related to “Chosen by the Gods,” and not many took it seriously.
When the second episode aired, it started with Group A’s performance stage of the creators.
Group B finally rushed out a song, but the dance and lyrics felt like they were forcefully bound together, creating a sense of discordance everywhere.
In contrast, Group A was highly popular from the moment its members were announced, with many in the audience holding up support light sticks and banners, looking like a boy group that had already debuted.
Before going on stage, Ma Lu peeked from behind the curtain.
“So many light sticks,” he turned his head and smiled: “You guys are amazing!”
Bo Huan reached out and ruffled his light brown soft hair: “You’ll have them too.”
“Next up, from the creators’ Group A, ‘Like the Morning Breeze.'”
The ambient lighting suddenly dimmed, returning the world to silence.
The moment before, girls who were loudly cheering quickly covered their mouths, cooperatively lowering their light sticks.
A clear and crisp bell sound rang out.
Dancing around, invisibly lifting the rhythm.
Following the second and third tones was the long call of a bamboo flute, like the breeze of an early summer morning.
A beam of light fell on the two boys who danced out a waltz, with fine golden light blooming and twinkling wherever their footsteps landed.
“That person is like the morning breeze, swaying and shaking, inadvertently brushing past the heart.”
Chen Yuanqing wrapped an arm around Bo Huan’s waist, the two smiling at each other as they came to the center of the stage.
The siren-like singing voice then spread its wings, with piano and violin playing the notes together.
“The scent of gardenias, slightly curled hair tips, the lovely look when turning away in anger.”
The remaining eight appeared in cross, their steps igniting different directions of the stage with twinkling golden light.
As the waltz opening ended, the ten returned to the fishbone formation, with Fu Mingnian standing in the center, his posture straight and smile bright.
“The frequency of your replies signals your mood’s direction,”
“Teased a few times, can’t help but think about it again before sleep.”
Four boys stepped forward simultaneously, opening their arms to welcome all the girls’ screams.
Han Yang smiled as he started singing, his voice light and clear, like a spring refreshing everyone’s heart.
“Thrilled, yet sour, wanting to hide after a few compliments, nervous to the point of panic.”
“The morning breeze sways and shakes, the love letter not yet perfected, you sit in the front row, turning back with a candy in your mouth.”
Shi Jianian took over the high notes from the right rear, his gray-blue eyes seeming to contain mist, appearing like a handsome and tall high school senior at this moment.
When he smiled, everyone couldn’t help but look over, blowing a kiss to the distance with his fingers.
“How about falling in love a bit earlier, I want to take you to the amusement park—”
Han Yang, hidden in the back row, his clear long notes transitioning smoothly, making each voice more unique.
As the music sped up, their formation changed several times, the brisk rhythm with semi-open mic flawless.
The fantasies of adolescence and the subtle collisions of high school life were presented through the song, making it feel like being fed an apple candy by a secret crush.
Huo Ren wrote down several scores, focusing on the ten trainees on stage for an extra moment.
He suddenly began to reminisce about the first day of Group A’s performance.
And every second of cooperation with all his teammates.
Time had passed, and he was no longer the boy on stage.
Classical piano flowed out, violins like the wind weaving through, the ten voices harmoniously concluding.
As the song ended, the venue seemed filled with pink bubbles.
The audience in the front row was so charmed they covered their chests, while those in the back screamed and pinched each other even just watching the big screen.
“Ahhh—”
“Shi Jianian, stop flirting, my love letter is ready, just accept it!!!”
“Bo Huan, mom loves you!!!”
“Yangyang baby, you sang so well, I can’t take it anymore, save me—”
Huo Ren came back to his senses, smiling and nodding.
“Everyone was in good form today.”
Feng Jin agreed with a nod, pointing out a few areas for improvement.
The trainees stood obediently on stage, bowing neatly: “Thank you for the guidance, Teacher Feng.”
“Firstly, points need to be added for the melody creation and choreography design,” Huo Ren wrote down a few notes, giving an objective evaluation: “It didn’t follow the conventional path, there was repeated polishing of the music and arrangement, so it passes.”
“Then, the points to be deducted.” He paused for a few seconds, then raised his eyes to the stage.
“In the fourth measure, two people were off-beat, at the end of the waltz Fu Mingnian didn’t hold Ma Lu steady, the harmonies were not lifted evenly and there were saliva sounds, and three people didn’t keep up with the beat in the dance steps.”
“Another trainee has issues with their rolled ‘r’ sounds, they need to practice more.”
Back row audience: Wait, are we watching the same show???
Fu Mingnian bowed again with his teammates: “Thank you, Teacher Huo.”
“Hold on,” Mei Heng said with a smile: “Was there a problem with the waltz Fu Mingnian and Ma Lu danced?”
“Yes,” Huo Ren glanced at him: “The steps were too light, not enough coordination in leveraging each other.”
This kind of dance step is inherently elegant and grand, easy to follow, but to bring out the lyrical feel of the duet dance requires skill.
“I see.” Mei Heng drew out his reply, then blinked: “I’d like to see our teacher give a demonstration.”
The kids on stage instantly perked up.
The audience below caught on in a second: “Pei Ruye!! Dance!! Pei Ruye!! Dance!!”
Huo Ren paused for two seconds, hesitantly saying: “How about you dance a segment with Teacher Pei?”
“I’ve already performed on stage today,” Mei Heng said with a grin, propping his chin: “How about you?”
The author has something to say:
Finally managed to write it out… not easy at all (covers face
Don’t dislike the lyrics I wrote, please
It feels odd to write a stage performance without lyrics MUA