CH 20

Seeing Jian Xingsui lowering his head to wipe his face with the back of his hand, Xu Enzhen quickly took out a clean handkerchief from her bag and handed it to him: "Here, use this to wipe it?"

The clean handkerchief seemed to still have a faint fragrance, and it was embroidered with delicate textures. It looked very beautiful and it was obviously something that no one would use to wipe their own tears let alone give others.

Jian Xingsui shook his head gently. His voice was a little choked and hoarse: "No need, it's too wasteful..."

"How could it be a waste." Xu Enzhen saw that he was in pain but was still holding back tears. Obviously, he was in such a painful state, but he was still thinking his tears were wasteful. He clearly didn't know that his tears were worthy too. Xu Enzhen's heart was inexplicably painful as if being stabbed by a needle. She squatted down involuntarily and gently wiped away the tears on Jian Xingsui's cheeks with the handkerchief. She was not afraid that the white handkerchief would be stained at all.

As she approached, there was a light and warm aroma that spread to Jian Xingsui's nose.

It was not the pungent perfume smell, but the faint and light body fragrance. In fact, this lady was very beautiful, but at this moment, Jian Xingsui's eyes weren't in the condition to be able to identify beauty. He just felt that she was so gentle and the smell on her body was inexplicably too assuring. Just like a dog that has been bullied by the whole world and had no one to care for in this world, that dog could finally relax in someone's embrace now. In an instant, his heart gradually became very calm.

Xu Enzhen took back the handkerchief and said softly, "You must also be someone who participated in the show, right? Did your parents or friends buy tickets to see you this time?"

Jian Xingsui hesitated for a moment. He thought of Jian Zhi, but that person was no longer his brother, so he shook his head gently and replied in a low voice, "No."

Xu Enzhen looked at him squatting there alone. With unstoppable pity in her heart, she said, "What's your name, in fact, I should remember you, because my son..."

The door outside was suddenly opened from the outside, and someone came in.

Shen Xingchen strode over in his costume and said, "Mom, what are you doing here?"

Taking a closer look, he found that not only his mother but his best buddy was also there. Jian Xingsui's tears had been wiped away, but his eyes were still red. It was obvious that he had cried.

Shen Xingchen was suspicious: "Why are you crying?"

"You didn't cry? Are you taking Lao Zi as a blind dude?" Shen Xingchen's violent temper came: "Who? Who bullied you? Mom, did you see anyone here before? He is my newly recognized younger brother and someone actually dared to bully my younger brother. I must kill his 6 ancestors today..."

Jian Xingsui hurriedly stopped him and said, "No, no, I just lost my eye contact and I'm uncomfortable. It's really okay, brother, aren't we going to go on stage in a while? We have to perform, why are you here?"

Shen Xingchen was suspicious: "Are you telling truth or not?"

Jian Xingsui nodded quickly.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Shen Xingchen immediately put on an expression of disgust.

Xu Enzhen watched the two of them bicker, and suddenly became a little ecstatic. There were only two children in their family. Her eldest son was busy with work in the company all the year-round, so he seldom came back. Maybe the heavy responsibility of the family was also on his shoulders, so he was always rigid and strict. Meanwhile, her younger son's temper was a bit willful. He hates fake things and fake people to the great extent. Sometimes he can be stubborn as fuck. But his mind and heart were actually quite simple. So he could easily trust anyone who was good to him.

But Jian Xingsui's temper was really good. The best thing about him was not that he could bear her son's bad temper, but that he could see through the concern of her son's vicious words. When comforting Shen Xingchen, his eyes were tolerant and gentle, not perfunctory and impatient.

This friend of Shen Xingchen......... is really worth Shen Xingchen's selfless care.

........

Performance stage

The performances on the stage were going on intensely. Several groups had already performed, and soon it was the turn of Jian Xingsui's group. The group that was competing against his group had performed in a modern hip-hop song. When that team performed, the audience had already been extremely excited. The whole audience was shouting and supporting them loudly. After all, who won't like those energetic and swaggy-styled songs. Therefore, the audience had very little hope for Jian Xingsui's group members who were going to perform in National styled traditional song. 

Viewers also commented:

"I think this hip-hop group will win."

"They were really amazing, it's hard for another group to surpass them."

"The next group seems to be performing in a bit more nationalistic song, it's hard for them to move the audience..."

In the lively auditorium, mentors had sat on the judge's seat. Of course, the most eye-catching one was Fu Jinxiao, who was sitting in the middle. Today, Film emperor Fu had worn a British-style white shirt with a coffee-colored coat and gold-rimmed glasses. He looked like a gentle and elegant gentleman, but he was sitting there lazily, looking at the stage casually. That lazy look added a bit of ruffianness to his noble boy's appearance, which was very eye-catching.

Part of the audience were fans of Film emperor Fu. Because of that, the price of the tickets had been shockingly high. There were mentors sitting in other positions on the mentor's platform. The only difference was that there was one more judge sitting.

He also had the right to vote. But the mentors could not vote for the team. They could only select the best contestant from each team to support and vote.

Before going on stage, Shen Xingchen said, "Don't be nervous, just follow the rehearsal." The others nodded in agreement.

When the stage lights were completely extinguished and the melodious piano sounded, the entire stage slowly lit up. Several boys slowly appeared. They appeared in the center of the stage wearing dark blue ancient clothing, and the cheerful singing echoed on the stage giving a somewhat relaxed feel:

"Firefly, oh firefly, don't steal a glance, just shake your head and memorize this poem dedicated for my..."

...

"Flower of jasmine, so fair!

Budding and blooming here and there,

Pure and fragrant all do declare.

Let me pick you with tender care,

Sweetness for all to share.

Jasmine fair, oh Jasmine fair.''

Several youths were on the stage, holding Chinese fans and shaking their heads when they sang these lines. When they sang, the audience also subconsciously started to sing with them. The song's style was melodious but it wasn't just limited to those melodies. With every new line the boys sang, new kinds of melody and rhythm sounded all along. The stage performance was going extremely smoothly, and their interaction with the audience during the ongoing performance was also full of fun. Many audiences were fascinated by it without even realizing it. They were completely mesmerized by the boys' facial expressions and vocal performance on the stage, so much that they ignored their dance skills. Therefore, even if Jian Xingsui's skills were not solid, it didn't completely drag his team.

Just when everyone thought it would always be so melodious and cheerful, the tune reached the climax, but it was unlike regular normal pitch. It was extremely high-pitched mixed with some modern touch which was very shocking. It was entirely unexpected.:

"Every young Chinese has absorbed the bravery of five thousand years............. Our soil has the power of modesty and magic in the legend. A proud bone cannot be hidden, and it shines with the power of wisdom........."

The boys changed their dancing style to a more rough but also elegant style. Everyone's dance steps were neatly performed. The way they turned around clasping each others' hands in unity, that scene looked very powerful, like real Chinese youths working hard for their motherland. It was as if they were letting everyone see the power of patriotism in them. When the spotlight fell, their entire bodies were shining as well as their young faces.

With the high-pitched music, the youths sang in unison on the stage, which made everyone's scalp numb. The blood and faith contained in them and their voices made people's hearts surging:

"Young strong China definitely makes us proud. Whether we lose or win, we continue to believe........carrying infinite hopes and dreams, flying like a dragon..."

This song was actually an ancient song, but its style and tune had been fine-tuned in the middle out of nowhere, and such fine-tuning made the whole song more enthusiastic, full of hope and vitality. It was something that made the audience realize that they were mesmerized not just because of the boys' cool and handsome faces but because of the power of hope and belief that they were seeing in the eyes of those young boys. Yes, they were the boys who were one day going to make themselves, their families, and the entire nation proud. Even if they fail, they will fail with smiles on their face. Nothing was more powerful than this message.

When a song came to an end, there was silence at first................followed by a burst of applause.

The live broadcast room exploded:

"I will see which fellow won't vote for "Youth China"!"

"Who edited the song's tune! I beg to put it on the album soon, I'll play it on a loop!"

"It's amazing, my eyes can't fall on anyone, because each of them seems to be shining!!"

When the performance was over, everyone was sweating and everyone was cheering.

Mentor Tuya took the lead to pick up the microphone and said, "Very good, your performance was very good."

Jian Zhi also picked up the microphone, but instead of praising the team, he called someone's name and said, "An Ran, you danced very well. How many years have you learned dance?" (T/N: Seriously bro?)

An Ran panted, and he said, "I have been learning dance for more than ten years. I have started learning since I was a child."

"This kind of national style dance is difficult to learn." Jian Zhi sighed: "It takes a lot of effort."

An Ran was very tired, but he still answered the judge's words in the best manner: "Well... it was indeed very hard. When I practiced dancing before, my feet suffered a lot of injuries. When I was young, I would cry a lot. While practicing, I sometimes thought of giving up, but fortunately, I have been insisting on it, which is also the most fortunate thing for me."1

His strong appearance also made many viewers feel distressed: (T/N: Ohh I see............)

"Little Angel Ran Ran is amazing."

"He is really inspirational."

"He looks good too!"

Jian Zhi kept giving An Ran shots, and also won a lot of goodwill for An Ran. Originally, all the audience's attention had been attracted by the narcissist duo. Unexpectedly, Fu Jinxiao, who was next to Jian Zhi, slowly picked up the microphone and only asked a question lightly. After that, everyone's attention was drawn back: "Who edited this song?"

Everyone looked at Jian Xingsui.

Jian Xingsui slowly took a step forward and replied, "I edited it, Teacher Fu."

"En." Fu Jinxiao lifted his eyelids to look at him. His eyes were full of sincere praise: "Very good."

How fiercely he had scolded the boy in the training room, that is how frankly and sincerely he expressed his praise.

Film emperor Fu affirmed: "Your edit was very successful."

It was definitely the most exciting and happy thing to get praise from your idol. Jian Xingsui couldn't help showing a smile. He bowed deeply but he did not take credit. He said: "I was indeed the one who completed editing the song but I received a lot of help from my teammates as well. Even to improve my dancing skills, they helped a lot, especially Xingchen, who despite being a captain with greater responsibilities often accompanied me to practice all night."

When he was given the camera shot and was named by his mentor, he did not only focus on himself but also pulled his teammates to come forward and speak. Because he knew how hard each and every one of them had worked. However, even such a small detail made all his teammates instantly move.

They used to despise Jian Xingsui and even thought he will drag them. They also heard some rumors that Jian Xingsui had a bad character, but after getting along, they realized how wrong those rumors were.

Jian Zhi's face was not very good. He said softly: "I think editing is one aspect, and personal strength is also very important. If you have a poor foundation in dancing, it will still affect the team."

No one thought he would actually speak to a contestant in that tone.

However, what was even more unexpected was that Fu Jinxiao who had never intervened in the evaluation of other mentors, at this moment, when Jian Zhi's voice fell, the corner of Film emperor Fu's mouth evoked a sneer, and he opened the microphone: "A complete team definitely would have both shortcomings and strengths. It is precisely because of mutual improvement and mutual compromise that a real team can be formed. If you focus on your weakness instead of the contribution to the team, you won't get very far."

Jian Zhi didn't expect that Fu Jinxiao would actually speak. He himself was someone who couldn't be provoked in the circle, but even for someone like him, there were some people who they could call daddy in terms of power, and Fu Jinxiao......... was one of them.

Tuya also said: "I think all of you are improving smoothly. You guys performed very well. Jian Xingsui, your dance has improved very fast, you are doing great as well."

The best dancer in the national style dance there was An Ran, but because Jian Zhi had constantly talked about him from the beginning, other mentors then only talked about remaining other contestants. The audience gradually forgot An Ran. After everyone got their evaluation and praise, the whole team was quite happy, only An Ran, who wanted to make a name for himself, was not very happy. He looked at the group of people in front of him who were maintaining a harmonious atmosphere, and secretly clenched his fists.

............

During the break, Xu Enzhen found Fu Jinxiao backstage to learn about her son's situation: "Tonight, Xingchen didn't cause you any trouble, right?"

Fu Jinxiao leaned against the handrail of the corridor leisurely: "Auntie, you are very kind, what trouble can I have?"

Xu Enzhen admired Fu Jinxiao very much. This person was young and promising. The most important thing was that he had a valuable character and was very capable. In fact, he was very good at taking care of others. So she sighed in a cliché: "Xingchen ah, this child, we spoiled him a little bit when he was young, so when he grew up, his temper is a little more willful and arrogant. In fact, originally, I was thinking, our Shen family and your Fu family have such a good relationship, if we can have a marriage kind of relationship....then....hehe..won't that be..."

"Tsk."

Fu Jinxiao smiled helplessly: "Auntie, stop joking, Shen Xingchen, that little brat, is really not my type. Don't even think about it. So please stop involving me in a messy thing like marriage........"

Just as he was talking, a group of boys walked by not far away, it was Shen Xingchen and his team.

Fu Jinxiao squinted a little, watching Shen Xingchen hug Jian Xingsui's shoulder. The slightly shorter man was surrounded by the team members, he probably didn't know what to say, so he was smiling lightly. The small buzz head looked too cute.

Xu Enzhen was a little helpless: "It seems that Xingchen is not lucky, but so are you. In fact, it is time to start a family at this age. In fact, aunt is quite curious. What kind of child can catch your eye?"

Fu Jinxiao smacked his tongue lightly. On his elegant and handsome face, his eyebrows were slightly raised, and a smile flashed across his eyes. He seemed to be very mature and stable, but at this moment, his heart started to scatter his thoughts indiscriminately.

I think.... that kid is fine.

Film Emperor Fu thought to himself......