The performance of the six featured guests had come to an end, and the voices of the audience beneath the stage were nearly hoarse. Seizing the moment when the host played rehearsal bloopers, everyone hastened to drink water to soothe their throats.
There’s still a "hard battle" to come later, and that’s the real highlight. Just thinking about it makes one excited, who even has the attention to study the bloopers on the screen carefully?
"Is it Brother Cheng and Mu Qiu next? Right, right?"
"I can’t control myself anymore; I want to scream right now!"
"Indescribable excitement, I feel like my hands are shaking!"
"Me too, sister! Are you a Cheng Zhi too?"
"Not a Cheng Zhi, but who doesn’t love watching a sexy scene with handsome guys!"
"Why is time moving so slow? Only half a minute has passed!"
"Ahhhhh I’m definitely going to scream my lungs out later!"
"Watch it and cherish it, sisters! After this episode, who knows if we’ll ever see such a scene again!"
"Damn, I’m so excited that tears are about to fall! Hurry up with the sexy couple dance duet, please?!"
"Calm down everyone, the rehearsal bloopers are actually quite fun to watch... But seriously, I’m really looking forward to the next performance!"
There were too many people excited below the stage, with many talking at the same time. Even though each person spoke softly, together it created an incessant clamor.
The bloopers on the screen showed Li Yang turning the tables and bossing around a group of people who usually bullied him.
"Bend your waist down, don’t you have a waist, Lin Lian?"
"Mu Qiu, where’s your hip? Has your hip disappeared? It’s about twisting your waist, not bouncing your glutes off the wall!"
"Brother Huai, you... never mind, Brother Huai just maintain your wild dance style."
"Jiang Zhufeng, remember you’re not doing ballet, so you don’t need to tiptoe."
"Look at Xu Cheng and Bai Shu, how great they are, and even Brother Cheng, who has no foundation, dances so well. Mu Qiu, don’t you feel ashamed?"
"...Li Yang, are you planning on getting your mouth taped shut tomorrow because you’re babbling non-stop today!"
Once again, chaos ensued as everyone clucked like hens and barked like dogs.
Li Yang’s fans burst into laughter.
Backstage.
Mu Qiu peeked out onto the stage, then immediately recoiled, patting her chest and taking deep breaths.
Guan Yu and the others approached, asking, "How is it? Got weak knees yet?"
"Still okay."
"When I first went up there, it felt like a dense sea of owls staring at me," Guan Yu expressed proudly, "but once the song started, I got lost in it, focusing only on showcasing my beautiful voice, and forgot all about being nervous."
"Well, I might not be able to do that; I’m not blindly confident like you."
After their usual banter, she then sincerely said, "But you really shone out there, Sister Guan Yu. Have you been secretly practicing behind our backs?"
Guan Yu felt pleased inwardly, "That’s talent for you. Alright now, don’t be nervous, I saw you’ve been practicing well."
Others chimed in, "You’ve practiced well, it will definitely be fine."
Shu Ran, despite her usual airs, remarked, "Really not bad, just play it normal, you two are a real couple, even if it comes off naturally, it’ll be seen as intentionally crafted. Go on now."
The ten-minute bloopers ended quickly, and the host took over:
"Hey, everybody, hold off on screaming for a moment. They’re not out yet, let me finish my lines first. No doubt everyone is filled with anticipation for this next performance, right?!"
A deafening wave of "Yes" erupted from below.
Host: "Great, I can feel the enthusiasm. Now! Let’s welcome, Cheng Zhirang! Mu Qiu! Bringing you the much-awaited ’Trouble Maker’!!!"
The eight thousand people below erupted with excitement, their screams piercing.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"Brother Cheng! Brother Cheng!"
"My heart!!"
"Cheng Zhirang! You’re the most alpha today!"
"Brother Cheng!!!"
"Mu Qiu! Mu Qiu! Don’t be nervous!"
"Mu Qiu! Mu Qiu! Mu Qiu!"
"You’ve killed me!!"
Mu Qiu followed Cheng Zhirang to the center of the stage amid darkness, not expecting so many people shouting her name below.
The numbers suggested they were Cheng Zhi fans because not many readers could come watch a performance on a Sunday afternoon when they had to return to school. Those who couldn’t be there might sneak a watch via their phones.
She suddenly smiled, turning to lean her back against Cheng Zhirang’s back.
She was a head shorter than Cheng Zhirang. Wearing high heels helped a bit. Standing back-to-back, her hindbrain leaned backward, barely resting on his shoulder and back.
She could also feel his arm curved to hold her.
The light gradually brightened, flickering. Simultaneously, sexy music filled with whistles and snaps, mixed with ambiguous and sensual breathing sounded.
The screams below grew louder, like kettles about to burst, threatening to rupture eardrums.
Cheng Zhirang turned, lifted his hand, and Mu Qiu looked him in the eyes, placing her hand on his palm, trying to ignore the screaming below, following him forward.
His gaze remained fixed on her, while she kept her focus towards the camera’s direction as she swayed, curving her lips and drawing her eyeline upwards, like she was constantly enticing the viewers before the lens.
At the front of the stage, the two separated, and as the music hit the "1.2.3" beat, with an alluring smile, she raised her hand and tapped him thrice on the chest.
Then, with one long, fair leg sweeping right in a circle, she drew in closer, draping across as Cheng Zhirang wrapped an arm around her, her fingers teasingly tapping against the ribs of his black shirt, sliding from his ribs to his shoulder.
This was lethal; the crowd’s screams were almost uncontrollable, and you could hear voices cracking.
"Oh my god ahhhh!!!"
"Mu Qiu! Mu Qiu! Mu Qiu!"
"Cheng Zhirang! Cheng Zhirang! Cheng Zhirang!"
"Who on earth could survive this?!"
"Incredible!!! OMG!!!"
"Ahhhhh I’m freaking out!"
"For a moment, I don’t know whether to envy Mu Qiu or Brother Cheng!"
Just in this brief span, the two onstage had separated and reconvened, with Mu Qiu in front and Cheng Zhirang behind.
The man’s delineated hands pressed against both sides of her waist, while she lifted one arm high to encircle his neck, the other hand pressed against the back of his hand, aligned on her left abdomen, syncing their hip movements to the music.
Her dress was too form-fitting, being black as well, highlighting not just her shapely figure but her smooth, fair skin.
When Cheng Zhirang made contact, it was as if he were touching her skin directly through the fabric.
Actually, they dared not truly stick together, maintaining space between them as one stood in front of the other; he dared not continuously lower his gaze towards her because the black gauzy dress was so alluring, with the chest area revealing everything from his vantage point.
But next came a challenge.
Amidst the explosive kettle-like screams, he circled to one side, reverently holding Mu Qiu’s outstretched hand, closing his eyes as he tantalizingly sniffed from her hand’s backside to her smooth, rounded shoulder, poised in the next moment to press his lips along that path.
Then Mu Qiu swayed her hip to evade, like a seductive snake, casting him a sultry glance as she slipped away from his embrace in a teasing game of chase and retreat.