32

This is a very important day.

It might even be a milestone day for this season of The Red and Blue Signal.

Everyone on the Production Team had this premonition.

Except for the staff who went to Zhongwu Academy, everyone else was up at the crack of dawn. Every camera in the Red and Blue House was on, and a whole wall of monitors showed every guest in full view.

Unlike typical Love Variety Shows that record first and broadcast later, The Red and Blue Signal uses a record-while-broadcasting model. This is incredibly challenging for the Production Team because you can't predict the ending, you don't know who'll end up paired with whom, and you can't pick shots based on the whole picture to stitch and edit a story.

This means they need sharp eyes, able to catch every subtle emotion from each guest—every glance, every word, every move, every interaction. They can't afford to miss any small but potentially crucial shot.

Especially at this charged moment, like a storm about to break.

The guests didn't disappoint them either—they gave them a big surprise first thing in the morning.

Because today, four people suddenly swarmed into the kitchen to make breakfast.

They were:

Zhai Xingchen.

Yan Zhi.

Duan Yihua.

Wen Nu.

Yan Zhi had a perfectly good reason to be in the kitchen today.

He'd just learned to make sandwiches from Zhai Xingchen yesterday, so naturally he had to review what he'd learned today.

Hard to say whether he really didn't learn it or was faking it—he'd forgotten everything from yesterday and kept having to ask Zhai Xingchen.

There were already enough people cooking in the kitchen, so Huo Cheng couldn't squeeze in. He just watched from across the island counter.

"Is it done at this level, Xingchen?" Yan Zhi asked again.

Before Zhai Xingchen could answer, Huo Cheng laughed and said, "I think Yan Zhi should just give up cooking. You're really not cut out for it. I already learned it, and you still haven't."

Zhai Xingchen glanced at the pan and said, "OK, that's good."

Yan Zhi tried to scoop out the egg. The wooden spatula he was using was a bit dull, and no matter how many times he scraped, he couldn't get the egg out of the pan. Huo Cheng let out a soft laugh.

It was a kind laugh—he just thought that Yan Zhi, as the legendary esports god famous across the internet, had hands that were praised to the skies, but who would've thought those hands would look so clumsy in the kitchen.

But Yan Zhi didn't take it as a kind laugh.

"Let me do it." Duan Yihua said.

"I can do it." Yan Zhi said.

Duan Yihua dropped his hand, turned to look at Zhai Xingchen, stepped up beside him, and said, "I smell something sweet. What did you put in the pan?"

"I added some honey." Zhai Xingchen said with a smile.

Even though no one noticed his intentions, Duan Yihua felt embarrassed himself.

He had this contradictory feeling—unable to hold back, wanting to make a move, but also feeling embarrassed if anyone noticed.

He didn't do anything more, just kept standing next to Zhai Xingchen, helping out occasionally.

Wen Nu was almost a smaller version of Zhai Xingchen, silently washing dishes, wiping bowls, and cleaning the counter.

The sound of a door opening came from outside. Huo Cheng leaned over to look. "Xu, you're back."

Pei Xu came in drenched in sweat, breathing hard, and nodded.

Everyone in the kitchen looked over at him.

Zhai Xingchen said, "You went out even earlier today. How far did you run?"

When he just woke up, Pei Xu had already left.

"Ran an extra half hour today."

Yan Zhi asked in surprise, "You got up at six?"

Pei Xu nodded and walked toward the living room. Zhai Xingchen saw his soaked-through back and laughed softly.

This guy's got too much energy.

Running this hard—was it to burn off energy he had nowhere to release?

Pei Xu had slept very late last night. Too much on his mind, tossing and turning, he didn't fall asleep until almost two, and then woke up before six.

He'd always kept a regular schedule—early to bed, early to rise. He never expected that the later he slept, the earlier he'd wake up.

When he first woke up, he hadn't planned on getting up. The sky was just barely light, plenty of time, he'd meant to doze a bit more. But after lying there a while, he couldn't stop thinking about Zhai Xingchen.

Really—the moment he closed his eyes he was thinking of him, and the first thought when he opened them was him too.

Not missing him exactly, just thinking about him, plain and simple.

Thinking about how he'd dance today, how everyone would see him dance. What he cared about wasn't just the people in the Red and Blue House, but the countless viewers online.

The more he thought, the more awake he became. It was a feeling he couldn't quite describe—not quite restless, not quite desire. Like he had to grab something in his hands, grip it hard, or he had to get up and run like crazy.

A surge of energy, a fierce force in his body.

So he got up and went running. This time he ran farther than ever before, soaked in sweat, blood pumping. He ran all the way to the rocks jutting out from Floating Boat Mountain into the sea, watching the waves crash against the stones, the deep blue ocean stretching endlessly before him.

At that moment, he felt... wistful.

When you like someone but haven't won them yet, the undertone of that feeling is melancholy.

Because he couldn't cook dinner tonight, Zhai Xingchen made breakfast extra lavish.

"Time to eat!" Zhai Xingchen called out.

Huo Cheng went over to help carry dishes, and Wen Nu ran upstairs to get Hu Ying and Lin Qingning.

Hu Ying had actually been up for a while. She'd gotten up at almost the same time as Duan Yihua, but when she came downstairs and saw Duan Yihua going to the kitchen to help Zhai Xingchen, she'd gone back upstairs—just to give the two of them a bit more private space.

She squeezed the pink rabbit on her bedside table and silently gave herself a thumbs-up for being such a wingman!

Too bad she didn't know that not long after she went upstairs, Huo Cheng and Yan Zhi had all rushed to the kitchen to join the fun.

"Where's Pei Xu? Not back yet?" Hu Ying asked as soon as she came downstairs.

"He's back, probably showering." Duan Yihua said.

Duan Yihua seemed a bit different today—much more proactive.

Everyone walked toward the dining table together. Lin Qingning sat down first.

He took the middle seat on the right side.

"Pay attention to today's seating arrangement." Guo Bing instructed everyone.

The staff cut to the wide-angle shot on the big screen.

Hu Ying was a beat slower this time, waiting to see what Duan Yihua and the others would do.

Duan Yihua kept holding his bowl, waiting for Zhai Xingchen to walk over together.

Yan Zhi was still in the kitchen too, carrying something.

Huo Cheng had no reason to keep standing, so he sat down first in the middle of the left side, facing Lin Qingning but offset by one seat.

"They're both so good at picking seats." A staff member said. "The middle is the safe spot—you're guaranteed to have people on both sides and across from you! It also increases your chances of sitting next to the person you like!"

Wen Nu still took the window seat on the far right.

Yan Zhi, Zhai Xingchen, and Duan Yihua came to the table together. Zhai Xingchen sat on the far left, right next to Huo Cheng.

"Look at Huo-ge's mouth corner, tsk tsk tsk."

On the big screen, Huo Cheng subtly curled up the corner of his mouth.

Then came a rather dramatic moment: Duan Yihua, half a step ahead of Yan Zhi, slowly pulled out the chair across from Zhai Xingchen.

The camera didn't catch Yan Zhi's face. He just silently sat down between Lin Qingning and Duan Yihua.

Across from him was Huo Cheng.

Huo Cheng's mouth corner twitched again, then his gaze swept past Duan Yihua. He slowly reined in his smile, looked down, and took a sip of water.

Hu Ying sat down next to Huo Cheng.

Liu Screenwriter couldn't help but sigh, "Hu Ying is really clever."

This left the window seat on the left side for Pei Xu.

Hu Ying sat between Huo Cheng and Pei Xu—two semes—with Yan Zhi diagonally across from her. She'd maximized her own interests, seeming passive but actually very proactive.

So on the left side, in order: Zhai Xingchen, Huo Cheng, Hu Ying, Pei Xu.

On the right side, in order: Duan Yihua, Yan Zhi, Lin Qingning, Wen Nu.

"This is starting to feel like a storm about to break!" Guo Bing said excitedly.

The dinner table on a Love Variety Show really is a battlefield packed with details.

Because of the Final Exam Performance tonight, Zhai Xingchen told the others at breakfast, "I probably won't be able to come back and make dinner tonight. You guys eat out and come back after."

He looked at Yan Zhi and Huo Cheng as he said, "You guys really shouldn't try to cook."

Too dangerous.

Huo Cheng said, "Don't worry about us. Just focus on your thing."

Hu Ying asked deliberately, "What thing do you have going on?"

Duan Yihua immediately coughed.

Hu Ying laughed into her water.

Unexpectedly, Zhai Xingchen just said it outright, "I have the Final Exam tonight. It'll probably end after nine."

The Production Team had asked them to keep it secret. Since Zhai Xingchen had said it, Hu Ying was afraid of spoiling the surprise and didn't press further.

"Do we need to buy a new pot for the house?" Hu Ying changed the subject.

Zhai Xingchen said, "I'll go buy one tomorrow. Starting tomorrow I'm basically on break—tons of free time."

"You're going to the supermarket? Then let's go together." Duan Yihua said.

Hu Ying immediately looked at Duan Yihua.

Duan Yihua looked at Zhai Xingchen and said, "I just happen to need to pick up some stuff at the supermarket too."

Hu Ying looked at Zhai Xingchen, a mysterious smile curling at her lips.

Looks like her wingman work last night was really effective.

Duan Yihua's making his move!!

His heart was racing, but amid the happiness for Zhai Xingchen, there was also a hint of loss.

When your close friend starts dating, you spend less time with them. Feeling a bit lost is only natural.

Hu Ying thought.

Yan Zhi and Huo Cheng's feelings were even more complicated.

Yan Zhi thought, just as I expected—one by one, everyone's starting to make moves!

Among the eight of them, Duan Yihua's status was actually similar to Lin Qingning's—the kind with a low profile, more moderate personality.

But he'd received a heart-flutter text from Zhai Xingchen, so he was actually quite dangerous.

For him and Huo Cheng, there were now three rivals!

Just then, Pei Xu came over after his shower and sat down at the table.

Everyone had their own thoughts as they gradually headed out.

For both the Production Team and the viewers online, this was a very long day.

Huo Cheng wasn't discouraged. In his free time today, he kept learning to cook.

He was born with a fighting spirit—not afraid of hardship, difficulty, or failure.

Yan Zhi went to the Flower Shop and ordered a bouquet of pink Baby's Breath.

He thought Zhai Xingchen seemed to prefer pink.

Zhongwu Academy's Salon Stage has performances almost every week and is open to the public, but the most grand occasions each year are the two Final Exam Performances in July and January.

Before six o'clock, the usually half-empty auditorium was already packed.

But in the middle of the first row, eight seats were empty.

Xiao Zhou had opened a milk tea shop next to Zhongwu Academy. At seven o'clock, the peak hour, there was a long line outside. Suddenly, the crowd let out a gasp. Xiao Zhou turned to look and saw a row of luxury cars pulling up one after another outside Zhongwu Academy's gate.

"Wow, a Rolls-Royce Phantom—that car's gotta be close to ten million, holy shit."

'Maybach, Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, Ferrari! One, two, three, four, five, six... what is our Dance School doing, holding a luxury car exhibition?'

"They're all the latest models from the past two years."

A Production Team staff member nervously asked Guo Bing, "Aren't we being a bit too flashy?"

Guo Bing said, "Isn't this season all about the rich-family Love Variety Show? With so many top-tier rich second-gen kids, if we don't go all out, are we even worthy of the audience?"

No guy can resist a luxury car. Lots of people pulled out their phones to film. Once all the cars had stopped, people started getting out one by one.

Under the golden streetlights, in the hazy night, the moment those people stepped out, the girls nearby started gasping too.

Because everyone getting out of those luxury cars was tall, fair-skinned, gorgeous, and obviously rich—total handsome guys!

The Live Streaming barrage took over the screen: [My sixth bro!]

[Big Beauty Hu is so gorgeous!]

[Holy shit Pei Xu is so hot today, I can even forgive his grumpy face.]

[The tallest one is Huo Cheng? Ohhhhh, Huo-ge is still so MANLY, Mars CP fans are screaming!]

[Oh my god, they're all so good-looking? I can!]

Wen Nu glanced at the surrounding crowd, nervous and stiff. Hu Ying put an arm around his shoulder and walked him inside, with the cameraman following close behind with his camera.

The seven of them, plus their individual cameramen and other staff—nearly twenty people in total—walked together toward Zhongwu Academy's Salon Stage.

The path leading to the Salon Stage was darker. Yan Zhi pressed his lips together, his expression growing more serious.

After tonight, he really didn't know how many more rivals he'd have.

Huo Cheng wouldn't even be an issue anymore—the scariest ones might be the red side guys.

He looked toward Hu Ying and the others. Tonight everyone was dressed slightly more formally than usual. Hu Ying wore a loose, thin blazer with suit shorts underneath, showing off her fair, slender calves. Duan Yihua, on the other hand, was out of character—he who usually liked wearing formal dress shirts was in a hoodie and baseball cap today, looking suddenly much more youthful.

Huo Cheng was quite excited, turning to look around Zhongwu Academy's campus. "Not there yet? Their school is huge."

"A-University has the nerve to talk about other schools being big," Hu Ying quipped. "Don't you guys have to bike to class at your school?"

Huo Cheng laughed at that.

He wore a white shirt today. A guy who was usually so rough around the edges, today he looked a bit more refined—you could tell he'd dressed up carefully.

Everyone's outfit was somewhere between formal and casual—the level of care was just right.

Only Duan Yihua's out-of-character outfit betrayed his hidden feelings.

The weather wasn't great today, kind of gloomy. The night seemed to carry a mist. As the Salon Stage drew closer, the music from inside drifted through the darkness.

"Can you hear what song they're playing?" Hu Ying paused, then looked at Wen Nu and the others.

Everyone listened carefully, and the night wind carried a faint, ethereal voice singing:

[I pray for a transparent heart, and eyes that know how to cry.]

"The Brightest Star in the Night Sky!" Wen Nu shouted.

Hu Ying laughed, "That's way too fitting. Whether it's the Production Team's doing or the school's, it's basically tailor-made for Xingchen."

The clear, soaring voice of Escape Plan echoed around the Salon Stage. The song was strange—neither the melody nor the lyrics were sad, but every time you heard it at night, you'd feel inexplicably wistful and moved.

Tonight there were no stars in the sky, but there was one on the ground—the most dazzling one.

This wasn't Zhai Xingchen's first Final Exam Performance, but this year he felt especially valued.

Not only was the makeup artist their academy's super-famous teacher, his Performance Attire had been replaced with a brand-new set. The backstage was a chaotic mess of people, but the school's leadership had actually come to inspect, and had specifically come over to encourage him.

Zhai Xingchen figured out what was going on.

The Production Team was probably coming to film today.

The teacher in charge of their dance was Teacher Zou from their academy. Teacher Zou said to Zhai Xingchen, "Don't be nervous. Just perform at the level you usually do in rehearsal, that's enough."

The Production Team had said they wanted them not to tell Zhai Xingchen, in case he got too nervous and it affected his performance. But Teacher Zou felt this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Zhai Xingchen.

So many students graduated from their Dance Academy every year. Apart from two or three lucky ones who made a name for themselves, most would fade into obscurity. Getting on a satellite TV channel was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity—they absolutely couldn't miss it.

So she hinted to Zhai Xingchen, "As long as you perform well tonight, your future path will be smooth."

Zhai Xingchen nodded, turned to look at the mirror beside him. In the mirror, he wore a white robe with a red gauze layer as thin as a cicada's wing over it, a golden mask hanging around his neck. He was in Hanfu, but without a wig—soft black hair, a fair, delicate face, modern and ancient charm gathered into one. Only his eye corners were painted red, his ink brows arched upward, a sideways glance that could enchant all living beings.

In the noisy auditorium, a sudden stir went through the crowd. Everyone looked toward the entrance and saw a line of handsome guys coming in, accompanied by cameramen.

Someone in the audience excitedly grabbed their roommate's arm: "Ahhhhh, they're really filming at our school!"

"What? What?"

"The Red and Blue Signal! My friend just sent me a WeChat saying they're filming at our school, I thought she was joking! Look, Yan Zhi! The one with glasses—he's my boyfriend's idol! No no no, I have to call my boyfriend right now."

But it was already too late. As Yan Zhi and the others entered, a large group of students had already chased after them. The already-packed auditorium was squeezed into a mass, with people even sitting in the aisles.

But the Live Streaming feed cut to the stage at this moment. On the empty stage, only one big light shone, and the curtain glowed with warm golden light.

Barrage:

[Why did the camera turn to the stage?]

[I want to see the handsome guys!!]

[They're not gonna make us watch the performance live, are they?]

[Who's performing? Will the guests go on stage?]

[Probably Zhai Xingchen. He's the only one who hasn't shown his face in the live stream, and isn't he a student at Zhongwu Academy?]

[Even though Zhai Xingchen is really good-looking, I'd rather watch Yan Zhi and them!]

[Exactly, what's so great about dancing? We're watching a Love Variety Show, not the Spring Festival Gala!]

Just then, the Live Streaming feed suddenly split into eight screens. The stage was still the biggest, taking up two-thirds of the screen, while the remaining seven smaller windows focused on Pei Xu and the other six guests.

"Director, you're so good at this!" A staff member couldn't help but flatter.

Guo Bing said proudly, "Who watches a Love Variety Show for the stage play? What's more important than the performance is every expression from the other guests! You all keep your eyes peeled, mark any good shots, we'll cut them all into the main episode later!"

Wen Nu licked his lips, glanced back at the audience, and said, "So many people."

Huo Cheng glanced back too upon hearing that. For some reason, he was actually nervous—his palms were sweating.

Pei Xu, usually the most indifferent, was the most brooding. He leaned back in his chair, his big hands opening and closing, over and over.

"It's about to start." Lin Qingning said quietly.

He glanced at the camera across from him, coughed lightly, and sat up straight.

The lights in the auditorium suddenly dimmed, leaving only a single beam on the stage. Then a male and a female student host from Zhongwu Academy took the stage. Whatever they said, Huo Cheng and the others had stopped listening—everyone's eyes were fixed on the stage entrance.

They'd all seen the program beforehand. Zhai Xingchen and the Classical Dance Department's performance was the opening act.

"Look, Xingchen's there!" Wen Nu suddenly whispered excitedly.

All seven of them looked toward the stage entrance. They saw a group of boys and girls in Hanfu filing onto the stage one by one, gradually disappearing behind the curtain. Zhai Xingchen was in the line, head slightly bowed. He was the tallest and most upright of them all, a red sash cinching his slender waist, tall and elegant, radiant as stars.

Huo Cheng was completely stunned.

Pei Xu, Yan Zhi, and the others all watched, transfixed, as Zhai Xingchen slowly walked behind the curtain.

At this moment, they forgot everything. In their eyes, there was only Zhai Xingchen in his full makeup.

"Next, taking the stage first is the Chinese Classical Dance Department with their dance, 'Prince of Lanling Enters the Battle Array.' Please welcome them with applause!"

The hosts exited, and the stage gradually dimmed. The last sliver of light went out.

The Live Streaming viewers' expectations were all raised.

[It's coming, it's coming, it's coming!]

[Zhai Xingchen, please don't disappoint me!]

[I have a feeling it's gonna be amazing!]

[Zhai Xingchen, mama's here, go for it!]

On the silent stage, you could even hear faint coughs. From somewhere very far away, a sound seemed to come—growing louder, it was the xiao, mournful and solemn. Shadows seemed to flicker behind the curtain. Then the xiao faded, and a clearer, brighter flute sound rose. The curtain slowly drew back, revealing a group of beautiful boys in golden light. In the very center, a male dancer in Hanfu stood with his back to the audience, solemn and still, tall, with a lean, strong waist.

[Wow, that's gotta be Zhai Xingchen, that figure, I'm in love!]

The barrage slowed down. Everyone held their breath.

From somewhere impossibly far away came a 'dang' of a pipa, followed by three more 'dang dang dang.' Then a dense cascade of pipa notes fell. Zhai Xingchen slowly spread his arms in the thick pipa music. Then came a 'dong' of the big drum, and he spun around, his skirt flying into an arc. Before his form had even steadied, another 'dong'—and he launched into several rapid spins, then a light side flip, landing steadily on the ground, light and graceful, fluid and free.

[Holy shit!]

[Stunning Cloud Bridge Spin!]

[Godly dance moves!]

[The guests are all stunned hahaha, look at Wen Nu and Huo Cheng!]

On screen, Huo Cheng's mouth was hanging open.

Wen Nu's little face was so excited it was almost red.

Zhai Xingchen's dance movements were sharp, dashing, bold and sweeping. His body followed his hands, his clothes followed his body. His figure was so supple, his movements so light, it was as if gravity had lost all control over him. His body was impossibly soft, impossibly strong—swift as a startled swan, graceful as a roaming dragon!

"The brave and fearless mask-wearer, Prince of Lanling, beautiful in both voice and face!"

[Who dares say Zhai Xingchen isn't seme enough!]

[This power, this flexibility, this insane body control!]

[His body is so beautiful, masculine beauty in the best sense!]

[Ahhhh, that turn kills me!]

[His skirt dances on its own!]

[Is this jumping power even human?!]

[That body wave, I'm dead!!]

Falling, rising, swaying—he danced on everyone's heartstrings, danced out a thousand scenes, made everyone's hearts surge.

At the climax, he tumbled and fell, his body twisting upward like a snake. His hair was wild. He leaped up, robes flying, fluttering. He leapt onto the palms of the dancers around him, who threw him forcefully into the air. He did a backflip and landed, but his body didn't stop for a moment—three spins in a row, then three more Cloud Bridge Spins. Finally, just as his body seemed to lose all control, about to fall into his partner's arms, he flicked his long sleeves—'shhh'—and it was as if his entire body was pulled back by those sleeves, suspended in midair.

In that moment, all was silent. Only his heaving chest and his red-hot ears.

When the soaring female voice began to sing, Zhai Xingchen pushed his mask up, revealing his flushed face. The barrage scrolled so fast the screen was almost invisible.

[So beautiful, so beautiful, so beautiful!]

[I'm really dead!!!!]

As the dance drew to its end, Zhai Xingchen's body tilted down, his sleeves slipping away, revealing his slender white arms. His arms were so long, his fingers so beautiful. The golden light fell on his fluttering thin robes, dyeing them gold as well.

In the lingering, moving opera singing, Zhai Xingchen smiled slightly, breathing hard, his eyes seeming to glisten with tears. He reached up and pulled his mask down, covering that beautiful face again. The instant his movement froze, a 'dong' of the drum sounded, and the light on him instantly turned bright red. His clothes, like flames, seemed about to ignite.

On the big screen, an ancient painting of Prince of Lanling in red appeared.

In that moment, the stage and the ancient painting reflected each other, becoming one.

[Holy shit!]

[Alas, I have no culture, one 'wtf' rules them all!]

[Goosebumps all over. Absolutely incredible!]

Even Pei Xu and Yan Zhi, who'd seen bits of the rehearsal, were stunned.

Wen Nu was so moved his eyes welled up with tears.

Huo Cheng, Hu Ying, and the others were all dumbstruck.

"We got it, we got it, we got it." A staff member said.

"Now we really have it." Liu Screenwriter said.