CH 33.1

After a few days, all the group’s performance stages have basically been prepared. The second stage was about to start the official recording. 

Jian Xingsui’s team also changed into their costumes in the backstage waiting room. After they finished, all they needed to do now was to wait for their turn to perform. As the only creative team of the second stage this time, they have received a lot of attention. 

This round, they would face and fight against Shen Xingchen’s team – a very strong opponent. 

Shen Xingchen himself had very strong dancing skills, and his personal style was hot and wild. Whenever he performed, he always had all the audience’s attention. This time, he changed his style and abandoned the previous bad-boy look. Instead of black leather jacket, he was clad in a handsome white riding outfit, his image was like a noble prince. With the style change, his whole aura also changed. The new look was an instant hit with the audience. As soon as he came up to the stage, many little girls shrieked in joy and exploded their eardrums. 

Zhou Xun sighed as he heard the very enthusiastic cheers, “This kid really has something.”

Li Xu’an also took his opponent’s sneaky image change very seriously, “Our opponent this time is very strong. We cannot underestimate them.”

Jian Xingsui who was sitting next to him gently covered his lips  trying to cover the coughing sound.

Anran said with a concerned tone,  “Suisui, are you okay? You don’t seem to be feeling well during these two days. If you are really uncomfortable, please communicate with the program team. It’s not good if something happens during the filming.” 

Zhou Xun also looked over worriedly.

To be honest, Jian Xingsui really gave them a lot of surprises these days, especially when it came to the final song arrangement. The day after his song was selected, Jian Xingsui, the vice-captain, took out an improved song and put it in front of everyone, saying bluntly: “This is the final version, because we don’t have enough time, so we have to use this.” 

How bad was that version, you might ask?

Well, anyone with functioning ears would discern it as “not good”. 

Just when everyone expressed their bad opinions, at noon of the same day, Jian Xingsui took out another version, and said, “This is a slightly modified version based on the one I made in the morning. What do you think about it?”

After comparison, although the version at noon did not meet everyone’s requirements, it unanimously passed.

After all, it was miles better than the morning version. 

Only Zhou Xun knew that the second version of Jian Xingsui’s arrangement was actually prepared a long time ago. Although this was actually a trick Jian Xingsui did to force everyone to choose what he wanted, it actually solved the core issues of the problem. After that, nobody had any more complaints and began to rehearse seriously. 

However, as the main person in charge of this stage, Jian Xingsui often stayed up all night and that exhausted his body in result. He had a low-grade fever since yesterday, and his situation was worrying.

Zhou Xun said, “Have you taken a fever-reducing medicine?”

“I took it in the morning.” Jian Xingsui cleared his throat, “Can I take it again? The medicine has side effects, and I’m afraid I might feel sleepy during the stage…” 

‘You have worked very hard for this stage.’

This sentence popped up in the hearts of all members of the creative team at the same time. 

But somehow, Jian Xingsui’s energy level inexplicably boosts their overall morale.

They wanted to win this so badly. And they must win this stage. 

Instructor Li’s voice came from the front: “Next, let’s invite the creative team to come on stage. The work they brought us is ‘Shimmer’! Let’s give them a round of applause!” 

The audience gave them a warm welcome, as they were very excited:

“Ah!! It’s ‘Shimmer’, I’ve been waiting for this for a long time!”

“I’m looking forward to it~”

“I’m so excited I don’t know what to doooo.”   

On the stage, Jian Xingsui stood, countless spotlights fell on his body, illuminating it in a mysterious glow. He could see the enthusiastic faces of the audience clearly. Not far away from them was the instructor’s seat – and in the middle was Fu Jinxiao. He set his eyes on the actor, fully knowing that this might be his last stage, so he must fully utilize it. He would show Fu Jinxiao and everyone his absolute best. 

The low-grade fever makes his head ache, and his body sluggish. The high-intensity dance practice had exhausted all his body strength. Every bit of his muscle was sore, and every inch of his nerve felt fried with dull pain. 

His limit was to stand still here, but he needed to push through that limit.

He had a song to perform. 

This was the stage for which he has worked hard and devoted his heart; this was his last hope fueling his soul these days. 

The music played softly in the stereo, the tune of “Shimmer” poured out, and his body moved faster than his brain could think. Thanks to the repeated training and continuous rehearsal, he could move on beat. 

The audience might never know what sacrifices he had to make. But that’s okay, so long they could enjoy his creation at its best.

“In the dark night, are you walking alone?” 

“Is there someone accompanying you, walking on this lonely road?” 

Li Xu’an opened the curtain of the performance with an elegant accompaniment. His efforts were slowly presented in front of the audience.

“I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you.” An Ran’s singing voice was gentle and clear, and he sang in a low voice, “I am, I am the shimmering joy, circling around you.” 

The stage was designed to enhance their performance. The LED screen was now a big, blue starry sky that was slowly rotating. All quiet, poignant, and mesmerizing. 

Jian Xingsui and Anran changed positions. Jian Xingsui sang as he took the center stage, “In the dark days, I also want to introduce myself to you. I am, I am the sigh you passed by the corner and never looked back.”

The quiet melody enchanted them, immersing them in this hazy, dreamy atmosphere. 

Jian Xingsui’s voice was much hoarser than before, that much was clear to the audience. But his hoarse voice combined with the lyrics of “Shimmer” gave people a sense of strange fusion. It felt strangely fitting, enhancing the performance to the next level. 

“I am not who I am, who I am.”

Just when everyone thought it was a lyrical song, Jian Xingsui changed positions. Zhou Xun’s voice was high and loud, and his tone instantly changed the whole song. The tranquility was broken, shocking the audience with a refreshing tonal shift. 

“Look up, and see me burning hot”

“Look up, and see the shimmer of light I dedicated to you after I burn everything up.” 

The background of the stage suddenly changed from the blue starry sky to a majestic sea of red stars, all shining bright like burning flames. The dry ice turned into mist and enveloped the entire stage. Li Xu’an jumped forward from behind, accompanied by Anran. Their combined duet following Zhou Xun’s high-tone rap raised everyone’s emotions a little higher: 

“Maybe I am just a shimmering light, but I want to shine it on you.” Li Xu’an sang.

It was answered by Anran, who sang in a lonely and gentle voice with a touch of sadness, “I would rather get myself hurt, get myself hurt. Let me bloom into endless gleams for you.” 

From the lyrical opening, to the rap, the ups and downs emotional beat of the song has successfully captured the audience’s love. 

The applause and fierce cheers of the fans suddenly broke out from the audience, and the barrage in the live broadcast room also suddenly increased:

“Absolutely, absolutely amazing!”

“My scalp is fucking numb.” 

“Godly song! Godly performance!”

However, the surprise brought to them by “Shimmer” was far more than that. When the first half of the singing ended and the song entered a turning point, a piece of piano rang perfectly connected the tune. When the three were attracted, the spotlight was turned on again, and it fell on the man behind piano, Jian Xingsui.

The tone was high-pitched but melodious. Jian Xingsui’s fingers danced on the keys, skimming ever-so-softly, like a leaping elf. His cheeks were slightly red due to a low-grade fever, and his back was completely covered by cold sweat. However, he wouldn’t let his condition affect his performance. As he continued to play a hauntingly beautiful piano accompaniment, it gave his teammates a stage to show off the choreography – complex footwork with sharp, knife-like movements, all synchronized within the five of them. Every moment seemed to be a work of art, bringing the audience an endless visual feast.

When the piano’s volume gradually dropped, Jian Xingsui lowered his face and started singing again with a magnetic low and hoarse voice, “In this lonely night, are you still walking alone? In all these years, are you still suffering?”

Jian Xingsui had an irreplaceable singing voice – he had unparalleled appeal when he sang, his emotions easily infecting everyone who heard it. The atmosphere was brought by him, led around by him. At this moment, he was the king of the stage. 

He lifted his hands and heavily dropped them. As the high-pitched piano sound rose again, the chorus of his teammates joined in. The voices of everyone in unison accurately reached the ears of the audience, bringing another shock, singing in unison as it resounded throughout the stage:

“Look up, and see me burning hot”

“Look up, and see the shimmer of light I dedicated to you after I burn everything up.” 

The whole stage was once again engulfed by a flamboyant red light, forming a strong visual impact with the dark starry sky background.

The long tune and strong emotional mobilization made this stage successfully moved the hearts of the audience. When the lyrics came to an end, the roaring applause and piercing screams from the audience covered the room, signaling the success of the performance. “Shimmer” had become a god-level song in one fell swoop. This time, as the vice-captain and the creator, Jian Xingsui showed everyone his unparalleled creative talent and strong musical ability.

The young man sitting by the piano had delicate eyebrows and three-dimensional features. Under the dim light, his skin was fair and smooth. He had never worn heavy makeup, so he was naturally not greasy at the moment, giving people a sense of elegance.

The audience in the live broadcast bombarded the screen with their comment once again: 

[Such a fucking strong composing ability.]

[His creative talent is a rare find.]

[Mama, I found a treasure~]

[I finally can clearly see Jian Xingsui’s handsome face.]

[I’ll see who’s stupid enough to not vote for him today!]

When the last music on stage ended, the entire track of “Shimmer” was performed. It was clear to everyone that the song was very, very well-received.