Month: September 2020

DISCLAIMER: We don’t own any of the stories published. We don’t know any Chinese language and this is our first time MTL-ing a novel, expect inaccuracies in the translations.

❌ NO SPOILERS. WE ARE MTL-ING THIS AT THE SAME TIME WE’RE READING IT ❌

Translated by: Jie Jie

Editor: Qiaone

---

Chapter 26.2 – Milky voice, Milky An Xiao Mo¹RAW: 奶声奶气安小莫。Not really sure if it was MTL-ed correctly (｡•́︿•̀｡)7

The live feed swept across the audience, and many famous faces were captured by the camera. The crew of 《The Scarecrow》 was also among them. Zhou Jinchen was sitting in the middle of the group, with the director of 《The Scarecrow》 on one side of him, and Lin Rui, the actor who worked with him on the film, on the other side.

Since the ceremony began, 《The Scarecrow》 had been the first to take home two awards for Best Art Design and Best Editing. The film has no female lead and the awards focus on the finale for the Best Actor and Best Film.

The director of 《The Scarecrow》 Ma Zechi, was also shortlisted for Best Director but did not end up winning the major award announced in the middle of the ceremony. He himself is not very old, not even forty years old. People know him in the industry as a Clever Ma, referring to his talent for filming.

Ma Zechi was somewhat frustrated when he failed to win the prize this time. However, there are still two major awards to be announced. After being comforted by Zhou Jinchen and Lin Rui, he quickly regained his composure.

There are nearly twenty Wutong Awards in total, with each winner giving a speech, and midway through the ceremony, there are inserts of the memories and commemorative segment, and it was on until ten o’clock at night. An Xumo returned from his shower just in time for the preview of Best Actor. He was sitting on the couch looking at the screen, his eyes dimmed slightly.

Due to working overtime, Tang Tang also hasn’t left yet. Although she’s already busy, she plans to leave after the awards are announced. After all, it’s such a grand award. Witnessing the birth of the award is also a very ceremonial thing.

The passage of time was stretched out together in different people’s senses. An Xumo bit his fingers as he watched the light flicker until the screen began to flash across the selected films. He sat up straight and slightly widened his eyes.

Tang Tang on the side was looking forward to it, but looking at An Xumo’s expression, she felt as if she had completely calmed down. The amount of tension in this room was used up by An Xumo all by himself.

The host on the stage got the envelope containing the winner’s name. The guest who was invited to read the results received it and unfolded it, taking out the inscription card from the inside.

All eyes were focused on the guest’s face. He gave a slight, knowing smile before turning his attention back on the camera, leaning close to the microphone and reading the winner’s name out loud. “Forty-third Wutong Award winner of Best Male Actor is ——”

“…….”

“The lead actor in 《The Scarecrow》 ——”

Only after hearing the first two words clearly, An Xumo stood up from the sofa. He got up a bit sharply, startling Tang Tang who was concentrating on the side listening to the results. She then heard Zhou Jinchen’s name, so she naturally understood An Xumo’s excitement.

“Wow, Brother Zhou is really awesome, this is well deserved! Jin Dian had added a new film emperor, and the leader of this generation is probably about to sit….”

Tang Tang took it excitedly, but she didn’t hear An Xumo’s voice. When she turned her head to look, she found that the other party was already standing in front of the sofa, staring at Zhou Jinchen who was being chased by the camera on the screen.

If Tang Tang were to describe An Xumo’s expression, her first impression would be一一the little white cat that saw dried fish one by one.

However, apart from the excitement, there seem to be some accidents. Tang Tang tilted her head to look at An Xumo’s face, “Xiao Mo…….Did you bite the corner of your mouth? It’s bleeding, hey.”

An Xumo was staring at the screen intently. He didn’t care much when he heard Tang Tang’s words, wiping it at the back of his hand. Tang Tang had no choice but to bring a piece of unopened wet wipes from the desk to remove it, “Come and wipe. It’s not bad for these eyes….is the wound severe?

An Xumo took the wet wipes and pressed it on the corner of his mouth, vaguely thanking Tang Tang. When he heard Tang Tang’s question, he knew it should obviously be painful, but his smile curved his eyes, “It’s fine, it doesn’t matter.”

After he said that, he looked at the TV again and the smile at the corner of his eyes simply couldn’t be hidden. Tang Tang was both distressed and amused: “Biting it and still laughing. Are you so happy?”

She actually didn’t need to ask, even a blind man could feel the answer from An Xumo ——starting from the trainee or even a little earlier from the time they met at school back then, this was the happiest An Xumo, Tang Tang had seen in such a long time.

Tang Tang had always felt that An Xumo’s emotions were a bit too weak. Despite being consistently sincere and sweet to those around him, he was like a beautiful porcelain villain. He looked extraordinarily decent on the outside but was actually cold from head to toe.

Even when it came to matters concerning An Xumo himself, he always looked calm and stable. Even when it came to paying attention to Zhou Jinchen, he was always restrained, watching him quietly from behind.

It was only at this time that Tang Tang felt the real and vivid emotions that belonged to An Xumo.

In the camera, the handsome and impeccable new actor has just finished his acceptance speech. Holding a crystal trophy in the shape of a sycamore leaf in his hand, and gently drops a kiss on the tip of the leaf.

An Xumo watched the screen without looking away. The warmth in his chest overflowing a little, gradually wrapping his body.

He now finally has a little sense of reality.

To be in the same industry as his brother, being able to follow the other person, seeing hope, and even trying a little bit harder, it was possible to reach out and run into each other.

An Xumo took out his personal mobile phone and found the familiar number. He hesitated for a moment and typed two words²two words in the raws, one word in English.in the message box.

“Congratulations.”

It must have been the busiest time on Zhou Jinchen’s side, and An Xumo didn’t think he would get a reply to his congratulations. After winning the film emperor, his brother’s path would definitely get further and further, and he himself would bring forth new goals and pressure.

Tang Tang was considering whether to wait or not for the last award to be presented when An Xumo, who had finished texting, suddenly turned around and asked her, “Do I have an acting class tomorrow?”

Tang Tang was stunned, “Yes, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” An Xumo shooked his head and turned his attention back to the screen, “I want to practice a little more.”

Tang Tang looked at the screen that had moved on to the next award, “You’ve already done well, Xiao Mo. Plus, you don’t have to put too much pressure on yourself with the precious opportunity that Teacher Zhang Zhiwei has given you.”

An Xumo paused and said, “I’m worried that there’s a chance that I might not be chosen at the audition.”

Tang Tang has another idea, “The great director that Teacher Zhang is talking about, I’ve gotten to know him and he has his own ideas when it comes to casting. Not even the producers can be able to directly influence his thoughts. Since he agreed to your audition, it means you meet his requirements. We’ll step up our preparations in the next few days. I think that there’s still quite a bit of hope.”

As they spoke, the last prize of the Wutong Awards had already been announced. Surprisingly, several of the top candidates had fallen short and it was a small, unknown film that took the final prize.

《The Scarecrow》 didn’t win Best Director nor Best Film, but this year’s Wutong Awards is unpopular. In contrast to 《The Scarecrow》 which won Best Actor and Best Editing can also be regarded as a winner. In the end, this is a literary film, the box office exceeded expectations, and the film has won quite a few rewards. The cast and crew completely lost their pressure and coaxed Zhou Jinchen, who won the prize, to treat them.

Zhou Jinchen naturally won’t refuse. After the ceremony, the group headed to the nightclub. It was estimated that tonight, they had definitely won a treasure.

Zhou Jinchen wanted to take a group photo, while the others are one step ahead. He and Xin Zimai are left behind. Zhou Jinchen’s phone was now jammed with congratulatory messages from all directions. He picked a few important ones and saw An Xumo’s lone two words in a long, long list of congratulatory messages.

Zhou Jinchen’s fingers clicked and slowly crossed that message.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t locked himself in his heart before, but the only person he had specifically guarded against in the beginning was now the only person he could be sure that he didn’t have any intention to harm him.

Zhou Jinchen looked at the screen that was emitting a fluorescent white light, but before his eyes appeared An Xumo’s look when he was still a kid.

There were always nannies and chefs in the house. Zhou Jinchen also didn’t remember why they have to personally find something to eat for An Xumo. He only remembered the other party’s dark round eyes that looked at him, always squinting into a curved shape when he was full. The soft, waxy voice that called to his brother, smelling more like milk than the premium powder he bought home from abroad.

Afterwards?

An Xumo has not changed since then. He still looks at Zhou Jinchen with the same attentive and reverent gaze. He still calls out ‘brother’ in earnest, the milk scent of his voice never melting.

Later, it was Zhou Jinchen who distanced himself from him.

Zhou Jinchen let out a sigh of relief and put the phone back into his pocket. He was about to leave the award ceremony together with Xin Zimai, but his line of sight swept up to the figure who deliberately walked in.

Zhou Jinchen slightly raised his eyes and looked at the other with a sight that was not very warm.

“Brother Chen, congratulations, you got your wish.” The person who approached was none other than Han Ming, who had also come out to the Wutong Awards but he couldn’t get close because Zhou Jinchen was sitting with the crew.

Zhou Jinchen looked at him and only half-heartedly stretched out his hand to slightly shake with someone. Han Ming, however, seemed completely unaware of his indifference. Gu Zi said, “Brother Chen’s big event has achieved results. Shouldn’t we have an explanation from before?”

Zhou Jinchen’s face remained unchanged, his gaze locked onto Han Ming, but his voice was cold and indifferent. He couldn’t hear any emotion, “Indeed, it’s time to make an end to this.”

The smile on Han Ming’s face stiffened slightly, but he quickly adjusted his expression and smiled again, “What does Brother Chen mean by that?” He is a professional vocalist and is familiar with vocalization skills. No matter what words he uttered at this time, his voice still sounded with a clear and pleasant gentleness, “A contract signed in black and white, doesn’t Brother Chen want to recognize it?

---

The author has something to say:

Okay, it should be obvious by now that Han Ming is going offline, ahem.

Besides, a new male god has come out. xd anyone guess who it is~

NOTE: Because the chapter is quite long, it will be divided into two parts~

DISCLAIMER: We don’t own any of the stories published. We don’t know any Chinese language and this is our first time MTL-ing a novel, expect inaccuracies in the translations.

❌ NO SPOILERS. WE ARE MTL-ING THIS AT THE SAME TIME WE’RE READING IT ❌

Translated by: Jie Jie

Editor: Qiaone

---

Chapter 26.1 – Milky voice, Milky An Xiao Mo¹RAW: 奶声奶气安小莫。Not really sure if it was MTL-ed correctly (｡•́︿•̀｡)7

Xin Zimai looked at Zhou Jinchen, and after being signaled, he reached out and accepted the call. The call from there was just as Xin Zimai had expected and the purpose was to urge Zhou Jinchen to come out and cooperate with the marketing. This time, it was Li Xiuquing who personally called and the urgency was not hidden. Han Ming has recently been fired by gossip these days and this is the time when the onlookers are most curious. After this time, even if Zhou Jinchen comes out to cooperate, it is unlikely that there will be no way to achieve such a good effect.

Zhou Jinchen didn’t make a sound, Xin Zimai shunned it following their usual past practices. He knows communication skills and his manner of speaking is very sincere. Li Xiuqing was a little angry at first but by the time she hung up the phone, she was already satisfied with his tone.

It’s just that no matter how Xin Zimai responded, he himself understands that things can’t be dragged on anymore. Now, Li Xiuquing is concerned about Zhou Jinchen’s fans, worried that having Han Ming take the initiative to announce will trigger a fans’ dark fight, even if she really invite water armies, they may not be able to overpower Zhou Jinchen’s fans. But over time, if they make a desperate move to directly expose the scandal, it could be expected that Zhou Jinchen will also be affected.

Xin Zimai looked at Zhou Jinchen again. The man did not continue to respond. He looked at the desk in front of him with a straight face, and his entire person looked colder and colder. Not even his dazzling appearance could soften his imposing manner.

Xin Zimai asked: “Jinchen, Han Ming’s side…..”

“Other than making it public, do everything to hold them down.” Zhou Jinchen’s voice did not fluctuate, and the coldness in his eyes did not fade.

“The contract was signed to get rid of the shackles, not to put up a new rope.”

Xin Zimai sighed and replied, “Good.”

In addition to being Zhou Jinchen’s agent, he also took the role of being the other party’s assistant. This assistant wasn’t the kind of assistant who was responsible for taking care of his food, clothing, and daily life in the entertainment industry, but rather Zhou Jinchen’s own business economic advisor. Therefore, coupled with the news in the circle, Xin Zimai also understood and even participated in a lot of the Zhou family’s matters.

The two have been friends for many years, and Xin Zimai was also the one who handled the matter this time. Han Ming’s aunt, in addition to working in Jin Dian, also has inextricably linked funds to the Zhou family. She was looking for Zhou Jinchen last week not only to find Han Ming a bundle of marketing opportunities but also to develop further cooperation with the Zhou family.

After the time when He Wenbin jumped off the building was ascertained, many clues that were originally buried under muddy waters gradually emerged. In addition to compensating An Xumo who has been misunderstood for many years, Zhou Jinchen also did not give up on finding out the truth about his serious illness.

The Zhou family is a large family, coupled with its internal family ties which involve more than the word “a thousand threads”.²very complicated or chaotic. Even if Zhou Jinchen is pursuing it, various realistic factors continue to hinder his progress.

The biggest headache for Zhou Jinchen is that he used too many of the Zhou family’s resources in the past. By the time when he wanted to jump out of it and return to track it down, he found that he no longer had the power to control it.

It wasn’t that the Zhou family had full control over everything Zhou Jinchen did, it was just that when it came to this kind of investigation that involved the truth about what happened back then, Zhou Jinchen could no longer find a way to guarantee absolute safety. Those forces that he had originally cultivated to use for his own development had also mixed with the Zhou family’s resources and in the end, most of them were infiltrated.

In the past, Zhou Jinchen could refuse all private exposure and scandalous speculation because the Zhou family was behind him. Even if the family used his identity to carry out various financial manipulations, Zhou Jinchen never really had any resistance. In order to make more reasonable use of Zhou Jinchen’s identity, the Zhou family has also created an investment company in his name. Not to mention the large chunk that the Zhou family took away was the portion of the equity that Zhou Jinchen himself received, the gain was also quite impressive.

But now, Zhou Jinchen no longer intends to continue to be this glamorous puppet.

He needs a pair of scissors to cut the strings on his body. Li Xiuqing who signed the contract in the first place was the scissors that Zhou Jinchen had first envisioned.

Li Xiuqing’s initial meeting with Zhou Jinchen was not a position at Jin Dian, but a partner in the Zhou family. Because she has a nephew who is also an entertainer in the entertainment industry, she made several attempts to contact Zhou Jinchen hoping to deepen her ties with the Zhou family. At first, Zhou Jinchen ignored her, but it was only after Father Zhou’s birthday banquet that he changed his mind.

Zhou Jinchen’s profession makes it a good thing for the Zhou family that he remains single, as it is easier for them to manipulate – since Zhou Jinchen has been paying attention, he has found clues by himself. The Zhou family did their best to help him get rid of the scandal, but there were many times when some signs that hadn’t reached Zhou Jinchen’s presence had already been eliminated by the Zhou family in advance.

If it had been the Zhou Jinchen before, he probably would’ve thought that this was the family’s consistent favoritism towards him. However, looking at it in the new light, the current Zhou Jinchen felt that this was the Zhou family deliberately manipulating his love affair.

There was no doubt that Zhou Jinchen did not have the freedom to choose a partner. The most likely thing he could do was to accept the family’s arrangement to marry a second-generation from the same status as their high-end family.

If it were before, Zhou Jinchen still had some feelings for the Zhou family, but now that he already knew that the person who harmed him back then was still at home, how could Zhou Jinchen turn a blind eye to it?

Speculation of CP was a kind of bundled marketing where both parties could profit from it. Now, Zhou Jinchen’s investment in Jin Dian was extremely huge, and all of his actions could be restrained. In order to avoid the influence, he would have to start looking for forces he could use.

Under these circumstances, Han Ming, who has a cooperative relationship with the Zhou family, became an excellent choice. Zhou Jinchen could use this to take advantage of Li Xiuqing’s influence in Jin Dian while also avoiding the Zhou family’s restrictions on the person of his gossip – Li Xiuqing and the Zhou family were the business partners, and if the person was Han Ming, the Zhou family could still consider it.

That was why Xin Zimai had signed that cooperation and promotion treaty with Li Xiuqing in the first place.

“In addition to interfering with the post-editing on the Green City TV’s side, Han Ming’s side also revealed the image of discrediting Xiao An.” Xin Zimai said, “After the airing of 《Sunny Weekend》, Xiao An’s popularity will definitely be able to rise again, but it seems like the other side is treating him as a competitor. I heard the producer of 《Sunny Weekend》 even went there specifically to suggest that they don’t give Xiao An too many brilliant shots.”

Zhou Jinchen laughed furiously as he sneered coldly, “Then it would be better to have him be crushed by An Xumo’s things.” Xin Zimai was stunned, “You mean…..”

“Mm.” Zhou Jinchen responded and cut off the conversation at this point. He tapped his fingertips on the table, “Wait for the results of the Wutong Awards first.” The value of a Film Emperor is more than just a simple title. Zhou Jinchen had been named the “Most Commercially Valuable Male Artist”³Raw: 最具有商业价值男艺人 not sure if I MTL-ed it right. by the media for two years in a row, but regarding his status within the circle, he still lacked a substantial award that can stand up to the crowd. This is precisely why Zhou Jinchen had to use the Zhou family’s influence again and again to gain resources for himself after the 《Snow Road in the Forest》 failed to win the award.

The importance of this Film Emperor to him was self-evident. If he could win the Best Actor this time, Zhou Jinchen’s status in the circle would take a qualitative leap, and he would become the first person in the younger generation who truly combines popularity and strength. If they didn’t — then they would have to use another means to deal with the dual pressure of Li Xiuqing and the Zhou family.

Zhou Jinchen had been working for over thirty hours in a row before, and the things he handled were not just entertainment related matters. Xin Zimai duly noted down Zhou Jinchen’s words, and after putting his things away, he began to urge him: “Jinchen, you should go and rest for a while. You still have to catch the plane to B City in the evening, and you should be styled for the Wutong Awards ceremony”

Zhou Jinchen answered in a low voice and looked out of the window.

The sunlight outside the house fell in through the gaps in the window, and the starry spots of light covered the man’s body, but it did not give him the slightest bit of warmth.

–

The Wutong Awards ceremony was an annual event in the industry, which has always attracted the attention of the people of the whole country as usual under the social background of national security and entertainment.⁴国泰民安: the country prospers, the people at peace (idiom); peace and prosperity

Before five o’clock in the evening, the live broadcast of the Wutong Awards red carpet was ready to begin. An Xumo was originally only asked for a night off, but Tang Tang said she wanted him to familiarize himself with his fans, so he took him out of the dance studio in advance.

The movie audition that Zhang Zhiwei had mentioned will take a while, An Xumo had asked again and it would probably be close to the broadcast time of 《Sunny Weekend》.

An Xumo thanked Zhang Zhiwei again and again, but after hanging up, he still had no confidence. He had talent in dancing and was willing to put an effort to get these achievements today. However, acting is a field that he has never touched before. The only thing he has been involved in is watching movies – he has watched all of Zhou Jinchen’s movies countless times, but acting is not something that can be learned just by looking at it.

Tang Tang arranged acting classes for him in the company. In addition to daily dance and music practice, An Xumo had an additional training course, and time has become even more urgent. If Tang Tang hadn’t carried him out, he would’ve been stuck until the point where Zhou Jinchen walked the red carpet before leaving the rehearsal room.

Tang Tang showed not only his Weibo this time but also the popularity index of major films and television platforms. As a fan who was starstruck, An Xumo was introduced to the whole thing and realized how ignorant he was in the past.

But now that the focus was on himself, Tang Tang didn’t dwell on it and only taught him how to view these data and popularity indexes that were closely related to his idol.

An Xumo had thought that the huge number of blessings and confessions on Weibo were already very considerable, but he didn’t expect that there were even more spectacular scenes in the various forums where fans gathered. Tang Tang casually clicked on a few forums to show him, which were full of screenshots of him in 《Dance to the Top Show》 and words of enthusiastic confessions.

“My Mo’s physique is super nice! The waist is thin, the legs are long and the neck is beautiful. It is simply a deer in human form!”

“Ahhh Momo’s dance is so handsome! It feels completely different from his looks. I feel like I turned out to love the mindset of my underage brother. As a result, when he danced, he was held up by the power!”

“For me, when wuliMo⁵Wuli is written in English. Additional info which I forgot to add apologies: ‘wuli’ is the transliteration of the Korean ‘my’/’our’/’uri’, originally used by K-pop fans to express the nickname for their idol or slang used before the name of someone you admire or like. stood still, I wanted to buy him candy. After he danced, I just wanted to have a discussion with him on how to dance, ahem.”

“Watch your steps upstairs! Younger brother An hasn’t come of age yet. He should be spoiled. What bicycle do you want?”⁶What kind of bicycle is a popular term on the Internet, which means to discourage others from being dissatisfied and not thinking too much.

An Xumo was dazzled and clouded, there were a lot of words he clearly knew, but couldn’t understand the specific meaning.

Fortunately, in addition to texts, he could also look at pictures. There were a lot of screenshots in these several forums. An Xumo swiped down from the top for a while, but he didn’t even see a single duplicate picture.

His debut time is still short and only the show 《Dance to the Top Show》 did he really appeared on camera. After becoming famous, the newly changed team made a long-term plan for his development. He did not pick up those on the rush to hand over messy cooperation, but carefully selected a few suitable platform interviews, and a cross-page color inserts on a medium-size magazine. In this way, the excessive footage on An Xumo was reduced while taking the maximum advantage possible.

Correspondingly, however, fans have much fewer opportunities to dig into the footage, but that apparently didn’t make it difficult for the full-fledged fanbase. An Xumo didn’t expect to find so many on-cam contents when he thought he didn’t have much to show but it turned out he had a lot.

“Is this…… dissecting the entire show’s footage?” An Xumo was a little dumbfounded.

Tang Tang didn’t take it seriously: “You’ve only seen this much. I saw a Weibo account before, they took screenshots and added color corrections to produce more than nine hundred finished products. There are screenshots and photos in it, and each picture is only you the protagonist; the other background subtitles, and so on have been removed or covered. The key is that it didn’t appear obtrusive at all.

“This isn’t the marketing we came out with. This is done by the fans themselves, and the level looks very professional. I don’t know how long it took to get it out.”

Tang Tang clicked on An Xumo’s topic to show him: “Here, it’s at the top of these elite Weibo.”

An Xumo looked down at one glance and immediately saw the gif that was placed in the very middle of the grid, “This…..this isn’t a scene of me in 《Dance to the Top Show》, is it?”

Tang Tang leaned over and the gif showed An Xumo looking at the camera with a face that didn’t know what was going on. He was reporting that his lips were looking in another direction away from the camera with a particularly obedient look.

She thought to herself, “Oh, this is a tidbit from 《Dance to the Top Show》. In the preliminary contest, didn’t there was a time when the choreographer and the vocal music teacher got into a fight? When you were sitting next to them, you were photographed by the camera.”

An Xumo thought about it for a long time before he vaguely recalled a bit of his impression.

“That tidbit was one of the most reposted short videos in the beginning, and it is comparable to the video you made during the show’s finale. Not only did the fans like it, half of the reposts were contributed by the people who weren’t starstruck.” Tang Tang laughed, “There’s also someone who gave you a pair of cat ears and said it was a good little white cat that was scared.”

“……” An Xumo really couldn’t connect himself with the words “good little white cat”.

“You haven’t appeared in public much since the end of 《Dance to the Top Show》, have you?” Tang Tang hit her palmed with her fist and lamented, “You’ve been in the rehearsal room all day, and you haven’t even been scheduled for street photography yet.”

An Xumo said, “I have to take acting and dancing lessons.”

“Fine, fine.” Tang Tang looked at him helplessly, “You definitely won’t be able to miss the camera afterwards anyway. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to interact with fans. Didn’t we make a bet before because of Mao Yuntian and Prince Zichao fighting each other? How does it feel now that you’ve got so many followers?”

An Xumo stretched out his hands to press off the phone full of information and paused after hearing the question.

“…..It seems that it doesn’t feel real yet.”

“At first, it’s all like this.” Tang Tang said in a very old-fashioned tone, “After experiencing having your name called out in unison by thousands of fans, you’ll slowly find this passionate sense of reality heat up.”

An Xumo smiled and didn’t say anything more.

He looked up at the LCD TV not far away. It showed the most glamorous figures in the industry dressed in suits and leather shoes; long guns, and short cannon flashing non-stop. The bright red carpet was spread out from the feet of a figure to the distance, and the cameras are scrambling to focus on the big stars.

They are famous, they are admired by thousands of people, everyone’s eyes are on them and their hearts are moved by their words and smiles.

A slender, handsome figure appeared in the center of the screen. Before the man had stepped on the red carpet, the camera is already following him. Along with him is a well-known actress who has successfully played the role of a high-powered and luxurious queen, but now she’s holding a man’s arm and showing a young girl-like delicate smile.

An Xumo’s sight fell on the man who was still very prominent among the gorgeous crowd and subconsciously bit the tip of his tongue.

What Tang Tang said was very heartwarming, which is why countless of people dreamed of this entertainment industry. The feeling of the limelight is even more wonderful than the most powerful psychedelic drug and you can’t forget it once you tried it.

But for An Xumo, this was the only person who could give him a sense of reality.

An Xumo slowly put aside his phone that was constantly beeping with new information and looked at the figure that was being filmed on the TV. On the side, Tang Tang still wanted to say something to him, but seeing An Xumo so focused, she withdrew the thought.

Tang Tang thought helplessly, although Brother Zhou’s charm is unmatched, his own artist’s method of stargazing seems to be a bit too enthusiastic.

Let’s wait and see if we’ll be able to work together again in the future.

After watching the live red carpet broadcast, An Xumo went back to continue his classes. The live broadcast of the award ceremony would last for three to four hours. Key awards like Best Actor would be issued separately. The Best Actor and Best Film would have to wait until the end of the awards ceremony. Tang Tang promised to call him back when it was almost time.

On one side is the much anticipated award ceremony. The experienced hosts were on the stage making the audience laugh. Mr. Bo smiled and Zhou Jinchen, dressed in a dark gray high-end custom haute couture, whispered to the director on his side, giving a smile from time to time.

At the same time, in an empty dance room, the boy stretching his muscles is lowering backwards on the smooth wooden floor. His palms touched the floor with his body bent back forming a perfect circle together.

They’re thousands of miles apart, but they’re working together towards a goal.

DISCLAIMER: We don’t own any of the stories published. We don’t know any Chinese language and this is our first time MTL-ing a novel, expect inaccuracies in the translations.

❌ NO SPOILERS. WE ARE MTL-ING THIS AT THE SAME TIME WE’RE READING IT ❌

Translated by: jiejie

Editor: Qiaone

---

Chapter 25 – Zhou Jinchen sneered

During the trainee period, An Xumo had always been alone and had never taken the initiative to fight with anyone. So, as soon as Tang Tang mentioned the trainees, An Xumo remembered the time when he was blocked in the dance studio.

After Lu Yingtuo and the others have been sent down to Tianxiang, Tang Tang had also been paying attention to their movements. After all, this was the entertainment industry where the slightest movement would be magnified a thousand times, and any narrative could be dug up and make as a scandal by those who were interested. But, no one knows if it was Chen Li’s arrangement or Zhou Jinchen’s order, who had previously said that they would help solve this matter. The next encounter with Lu Yingtuo and the others had left them completely incapable of being distracted and making trouble. At least, in this industry, there was indeed no way for them to turn back

Other than Lu Yingtuo and the others, the only ones who knew about this were Zhou Jinchen, Chen Li, and…Han Ming.

An Xumo paused for a moment, then said: “Is the situation very serious?”

“It’s unlikely,” Tang Tang shook her head, “The PR plan has already been prepared, and the current situation is all under control. The only thing that’s a bit strange is that these rumored water army* seems different from what we’ve premeditated.”

[*a group of Internet ghostwriters paid to post online comments with particular content.]

An Xumo asked, “Different?”

Tang Tang said, “Originally, we envisioned that you would be questioned about your professional ability and performance during the show. Because the speed of your popularity is fast, it will have a partial impact on artists who have overlapping positioning in a short period of time. If they want to suppress you, they will surely work on the 《Dance to the Top Show》 that made you famous and look for your black spots.”

“As a result, now, someone has released this news during your trainee period. You didn’t debut before, no one paid attention to you. After you became famous, those previous things had already been dealt with us beforehand. It’s reasonable to say that even if someone went back and dug it up, it wouldn’t be possible to do it in a short period of time.”

The black material must have convincing parts to spread. Although the rumors were exaggerated, some of the events were real, but they have been shifted and the contents have been secretly changed. To be able to release such rumors in a short period of time it’s obvious that the main preparator had already prepared a long time ago.

“But you only debuted in the Dance show, how could someone have tried to set you up before?” Tang Tang was puzzled.

An Xumo pursed his lips, “If you can, can you pay attention to the movements inside Jin Dian?”

“Jin Dian?” Tang Tang’s eyes widened in surprise.

An Xumo didn’t explicitly say it and only said, “They know what happened during the trainee period, and the trainee’s movement is well known within the company, right?”

“…….” Tang Tang frowned, “Okay, I’ll pay attention to it.”

After the finals of 《Dance to the Top Show》 ended, An Xumo was quickly invited by three or four similar variety shows, more than a dozen advertising endorsements, and countless interviews. If he hadn’t signed in Jin Dian, there would have been teams coming to him and wanting to pack him.

However, it is precisely because he signed with Jin Dian that An Xumo had to hand over all the numerous commercial activities to a professional team for selection. But a few days later, he received an opportunity that was even more precious than all the commercial activities combined — Zhang Zhiwei called and asked if he wanted to audition for a supporting role in a new movie.

The movie was a new film by a major director and it is just in the casting stage. Zhang Zhiwei had worked with the great director before, so he recommended An Xumo. This was the actual big screen, and if it came to fruition, the results would never be worse than recording the episode of 《Sunny Weekend》.

“Can I?” An Xumo was a little uncertain, “I haven’t studied acting yet…”

“It’s fine, the role is a young dancer. Dancing skills and appearance are more important.” Zhang Zhiwe’s voice came over leisurely from the phone, “The exact time has not been set yet, someone will notify you, just prepare for this first.”

Until after the phone hung up, An Xumo was still somewhat unresponsive. Tang Tang on the side was much more direct than him. She threw the documents in her hand, fell into the swivel chair, and swung three times.

“Am I dreaming!”

An Xumo smiled helplessly at her. It took a while before Tang Tang finally calmed down. She herself picked up the papers that had been thrown flying. Although she still had the annoying black material to deal with in her hands, Tang Tang’s tone was incredibly calm and the way she looked at the papers was even somewhat kind.

“Alas, this little bit of trouble, what can it be in front of our Da Mo*

[*big mo]

An Xumo: “……..”

Nothing had even been confirmed yet, and he’d already been promoted from Little Mo to Big Mo.

After making a scene, Tang Tang finally regained her serious expression. “The black water army does have a connection within the company, but it’s still unclear why. It is estimated that it might be a matter of dividing resources, and someone doesn’t like what they see. But don’t worry Xiao Mo, we’ll handle this matter, you’ll definitely still have better resources after the broadcast of 《Sunny Weekend》.

The 《Sunny Weekend》 which was recorded a few months ago had stepped on a very precise spot and would air just when An Xumo needed to strengthen his popularity the most. By the time the show takes off, in a short period of time, An Xumo’s limelight will definitely shine left and right.

It was just that in An Xumo’s mind, he felt that the broadcast of 《Sunny Weekend》 would not necessarily bring the expected benefits.

Tang Tang had said before that these water armies involved in the fight had come prepared. Although they hadn’t been dominant, they had always been unclean. They don’t look like they’re slacking off, but rather they are like warming up as if waiting for something big.

What An Xumo is really worried about is that the other party is thinking about the upcoming 《Sunny Weekend》.

While Tang Tang is busy with her team to solidify An Xumo’s subsequent fan acquisition process, new news is constantly emerging within the circle. Looking at the heated discussion during the period, Han Ming is definitely an important figure that can’t be bypassed.

From the last time when Han Ming’s relationship as a same-sex couple came out, the information related to his romance began to be released one after another continuously. According to further information, some media have speculated that Han Ming’s other half is also a member of the circle. His scandal intensified, but he never came out to deny it. Even the studio did not come out to issue a statement. For a while, ‘Han Ming is in love’ has almost become solid news.

Han Ming’s fans are divided into two groups from the inside. One firmly believes that their idol is not in love, and the other believes that it is normal to be in love. Coupled with the object of gossip of gender relations, even a small group of people are excited. The CP fans had been derived and the figures of male stars in the circle are compared with men in several candid photos.

As soon as they were guessed by this group of fans, the other male artist’s fans were not happy. While Han Ming’s fans were busy giving their main master reviews, they also had to restrain their own chaotic CP fans, which was very lively for a moment.

However, how could Han Ming’s fans guess? They did not directly link the person in the photo and the male artist with the most similar height——they wanted to include Zhou Jinchen on the candidate list, but the difference in strength between the two fans was too far apart. They started a small fire, which was then extinguished by Zhou Jinchen’s fans with a high-pressure spray gun.

In addition to Han Ming’s scandal, another important piece of news has also caught the attention of many —— the Wutong Awards, one of the three major awards in Chinese language cinema, will soon be held. The film screening week has already begun, in less than two or three days, it will be the day of the new Wutong Awards.

As a person directly related to these two news, Zhou Jinchen who had been working non-stop for more than thirty hours had just found some time to rest.

Xin Zimai looked at his friend who has always had a straight back, but at this time was leaning directly on the back of the chair. His voice couldn’t help but bring some concern: “Jinchen, do you want to sleep for a while?

“Didn’t you have news for me?” Zhou Jinchen raised his hand and rubbed the corner of his forehead. His tired look didn’t damage his handsomeness, but instead added a different temperament, “Say it before going to bed.”

Xin Zimai then said, “It’s good news. There is a piece of information from the Wutong Awards’ organizing committee that 《The Scarecrow》 has been shortlisted for at least five candidates, the situation is looking good this time.”

《The Scarecrow》 was an art film that Zhou Jinchen had previously teamed up with the film star Lin Rui. Although the box office can’t compare with commercial movies, the reputation is not bad. Even though the reviews from various movie rating websites are somewhat polarized, from the current point of view, the film’s momentum towards the award is so far promising.

Being shortlisted candidates is something that has long been expected. This news can only be regarded as a reassurance that has already in hand, but it is impossible for the relations in the organizing committee to reveal further information. As for the result, it will be revealed at the award ceremony.

Zhou Jinchen supported his forehead with his hand and responded in a low voice. Xin Zimai looked at him carefully and said, “The momentum is much better this time than the last time in that 《Snow Road in the Forest》 if nothing else…”

His voice disappeared in Zhou Jinchen’s gesture, raising his hand to stop.

Two years ago, Zhou Jinchen starred in 《Snow Road in the Forest》. At that time, Zhou Jinchen was gaining momentum and wanted to hit the best male actor in one fell swoop. It’s a pity that the ending is unpredictable when he failed to win the anticipated Wutong Award. The star journey, which has always been smooth, also encountered the first deep hurdle.

Bringing it up again, Zhou Jinchen who is extremely exhausted is not in a good mood. He only said in a slightly hoarse voice, “Let it go.”

Leaving this matter unmentioned, there was another piece of news from Xin Zimai: “Another thing is the situation on Li Xiuqing’s side.”

Li Xiuqing was Han Ming’s aunt. In addition to serving in Jin Dian, she’s also involved in business with the Zhou family. Xin Zimai hesitated for a moment and said, “The news that is spread over there has been suppressed by our fans. They haven’t dared let Han Ming one-sidedly speak out, worrying that your fans are not easy to control. Li Xiuqing wants you to come forward and let you take the initiative to show kindness to Han Ming. She has been urging me these past few days…”

Before Xin Zimai’s voice could be heard, his phone on the desktop lit up and the words ‘Jin Dian Li Xiuqing’ flashed brightly on the screen, which looked quite dazzling.

Zhou Jinchen sneered and lowered his right hand that was propped on his forehead. His eyes were already a bit dry from the days of intense work, but there was a cold gloom on his pupils.

“She really is a relative of Han Ming. Both of them are so fond of dreaming.”

DISCLAIMER: We don’t own any of the stories published. We don’t know any Chinese language and this is our first time MTL-ing a novel, expect inaccuracies in the translations.

❌ NO SPOILERS. WE ARE MTL-ING THIS AT THE SAME TIME WE’RE READING IT ❌

Translated by: jiejie

Editor: Qiaone

---

Chapter 24 – Xiao Mo is Upgrading to Fight Monsters¹Raw: 小莫升级打怪中。If anyone has a better wording~ let me know in the comments! ♥

An Xumo didn’t say anything, he scrolled and looked down carefully at the content of the hot search keywords. What was spread out of the hot search were several sneak shots with thick watermarks, and a copy of Han Ming’s original itinerary. The report said that Han Ming was supposed to fly from E City to S City on Wednesday to prepare for the last concert of his tour, but he went north to B City and stayed a day before moving to S City.

The journalist’s sneak shot of Han Ming was when he was in B City. In the photo, he was tightly wrapped and only showed some obvious features in a side shot. The person photographed with Han Ming was even vaguer, and can only be judged by his height as a male.

The Weibo post said that Han Ming met with the person in the evening and stayed together for seven hours before leaving at the dawn to go to the airport. This kind of news of flying thousands of miles to meet up during the workday naturally makes people’s imagination run wild. Just like the onlookers said in the comments: if it’s really a couple dating, this kind of painstaking meeting must be true love.

Han Ming has enjoyed a good upwards trend in recent years, his variety shows and solo albums have good ratings and sales. In addition, he’s taking the idol route, attracting a lot of young fans and the fighting power of fans was quite impressive. The news broke on Weibo for three hours. In the hot comments, “We only believe the official announcement, paparazzi stay away.” and “Just mention the name. Welcome to follow Han Ming’s upcoming single, 《xxx》” which is sporadically mixed with the hot reviews of passerby. When you look at it, the reviews are already controlled by fans.

Tang Tang watched An Xumo for a while, but she became less interested. She was in this business, so she naturally knew how this kind of explosive information without real evidence came about. Either the paparazzi were trying to get attention, Han Ming’s side was speculating heat, or Han Ming was trying to pave the way for his romance to be announced, and there wouldn’t be any other possibilities.

“What a coincidence…this scoop coincided with the announcement of 《Dance to the Top Show》. Hey, Xiao Mo, forget about that for now, just take a look at your own Weibo account.”

Tang Tang’s first sentence mentioned what An Xumo is worried about. If this was deliberate news that happened to clash with the announcement of 《Dance to the Top Show》, An Xumo’s own hot search would surely wash away the attention of the news. Reasonably, An Xumo didn’t want to let himself interfere with his brother’s arrangements.

However, there were only a few ambiguous photos in today’s news, and they were not the secret shots took that night. In addition, the identity of the other person was not confirmed in the news, and no one mentioned Zhou Jinchen in the comments. It seemed that it wasn’t instructed by Zhou Jinchen, and An Xumo’s worries slightly alleviated.

He had his own private Weibo before, but he hadn’t posted any original content and only followed a few Weibo accounts related to his brother. Zhou Jinchen himself didn’t have Weibo, but his fans never took advantage of the social media platform like Weibo. Because of being the master of low-profile, his fans will not take the initiative to stir up trouble, they are the typical “not shooting easily but killing everything with one shot”. If Han Ming’s fans’ ability to control the field is placed in front of Zhou Jinchen’s fans, being “crushed” can not even describe them.

An Xumo was on Weibo before, and he just looked at Zhou Jinchen’s HD pictures and promotional information, so that he would not miss his brother’s various magazines and endorsements. However, he later signed a contract with Jin Dian and his daily free time dropped sharply, and he hasn’t been on his Weibo for a long time.

Tang Tang let An Xumo read Weibo and hot searches, but didn’t ask him to post new content. Tonight is a very important point, and using this time to win the most favorable impressions was precisely the key. After attracting so many new fans, what should be posted on the first new Weibo was also something to focus on.

“I originally fought for you to get on a hot search after the first episode of the show. The company promised to buy it, but before the money was spent, you went up by yourself.” Tang Tang said happily, “The people above called me just now, saying that you will be given a new promotional plan. The marketing team is no longer the original public group. If the follow-up is good, you may be able to sign a long-term contract with a new marketing team. The follow-up publicity will be more powerful.” 　

“I’m going to a meeting first to discuss your Weibo. Are you going to rehearse and take time off?

An Xumo smiled: “I won’t go. Thank everyone for me and for the trouble.”

Tang Tang took care of other things, and An Xumo plunged into the game with all his heart. Unlike many melon-eating accounts who guessed the “highs and lows”, An Xumo’s performance in the show is also very eye-catching. In the four rounds, he partnered with the two of the only female guests. As a result, after the preliminary rounds, among the three finalists were the two female guests.

Wang Yixiang also entered the finals together, his fans were happy to watch the other two fans fighting. They are also delighted as they watched their idol join the finals, and showed what a real winner he is.

After the preliminary round, An Xumo not only gained hundreds of thousands of fans but also gained the favor of the three guests. The two female guests’ best scores in the previous rounds were all danced with An Xumo. His dance skills are very good and his live performance has been very stable. Even when the guests made mistakes, An Xumo was able to make up for them with his on-the-spot reflexes, which are distinct from other dancers.

That’s not the only reason why the two women who worked with him appreciated him, but more importantly —— An Xumo never steals the spotlight of the host on the stage. He knew his place very well, even though he’s shinning brilliantly and has become popular in a few days, he still maintained a very disciplined attitude during the recording of the final round of preliminary rounds, doing his best to draw attention to the guests with his dancing.

As a result, when it came to the finals, An Xumo directly became the most sought-after powerful foreign aid in the process of selecting a partner. When the final results came out, it was Wang Yixiang, who partnered with An Xumo won the crown.

The ratings of the third season of 《Dance to the Top Show》 went up instead of down, and An Xumo was the biggest contributor among them. He is also the biggest winner himself. His popularity is based on luck, but maintaining his fame requires a constant investment of resources. The new fans who spontaneously reposted his screenshots were indispensable, and the promotion of the company’s team also played a considerable role.

Before the broadcast of 《Dance to the Top Show》, An Xumo hadn’t made his official debut yet. Although Tang Tang won a hot search for him, for the company, it was just testing water. If it didn’t have much success, the company wouldn’t continue to do charity. Unexpectedly, when the trailer was aired, An Xumo got on the hot search based on a gif and a video. The marketing account that didn’t originally say hello to him took advantage of the heat and forwarded it, which actually gave An Xumo a lot of fans.

In this way, the resources that the company invested in An Xumo were not just hot searches alone. Because of An Xumo’s own relationship, the conversion rate of these resources also became very impressive. Tang Tang mentioned to him that several marketing accounts that have been cooperating with Jin Dian for a long time even took the initiative to send a message to the company, asking if they needed their cooperation to promote.

The marketing accounts also need to publish hot content to maintain the attention of netizens, which is a win-win deal. An Xumo could be said to have become an overnight sensation with this, and even set off a wave of dance clubs applying to dance classes.

However, after the finals of 《Dance to the Top Show》 ended, An Xumo himself made a suggestion with Tang Tang.

“Are you saying don’t market too much content?” Tang Tang was rejecting back an endorsement, and after listening to An Xumo’s words, she moves her computer screen away, “I have noticed this, the marketing plan is also drastically reduced. You can rest assured that there is a special analysis of popularity in the team, and your fame won’t be overdrawn.”

Tang Tang had now stopped bringing other artists and had become An Xumo’s exclusive manager and assistant. An Xumo had never doubted her ability. After telling her what he thought and saw that the other party agreed, he didn’t ask anymore.

The speed of fame was too fast that An Xumo himself hadn’t had too many real feelings. He just keeps remembering what Zhou Jinchen had said before —— whether it was a variety show or marketing, it’s like a magnifying glass that could enlarge the sparkling points on the stars and attract more attention.

However, it was still the artist’s own business ability that could really make the artists stand on his or her feet. And that was knowing what could be magnified by the magnifying glass.　　

But Tang Tang didn’t stop there: “Our focus now is no longer attracting attention, but on consolidating these attracted fans. If we continue marketing, it’s likely that there will be a wave of backlash.”

This was a normal phenomenon within the circle, and An Xumo didn’t care too much about it. Being famous was just a way for him, and the final result was the most important thing to him.

Tang Tang frowned as she said: “But now it’s a little strange. It seems like someone has already deliberately led to spread rumors about you.”

An Xumo asked: “Spread what?”

“Some people have reported that you are short-tempered, that you fought with people during your trainee period, and disrespected your seniors…” Tang Tang has skipped the more exaggerated words and only picked out some simple ones to say, “But I just confirmed last week that the trainees who came to provoke you before have already been sent back to the closed training camp by Tianxiang because of their failed debut.”

“There’s no way they’d come out and talk nonsense, so how would there be someone who specifically carried out the rumors about what happened during your trainee period?”

---

The author has something to say:

The presence of Mr. Zhou Jinchen is back online in the next chapter! Han Ming’s scene will end soon.

---

Jie Jie: Apologies for the very late update! We only had a free day today so I was able to MTL this chapter~ Forgive us! (╯︵╰,)

Update schedule is still sporadic (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

DISCLAIMER: We don’t own any of the stories published. We don’t know any Chinese language and this is our first time MTL-ing a novel, expect inaccuracies in the translations.

❌ NO SPOILERS. WE ARE MTL-ING THIS AT THE SAME TIME WE’RE READING IT ❌

Translated by: jiejie

Editor: Qiaone

---

Chapter 23 – Together on the Hot Search

An Xumo didn’t dare to make a sound. He held his breath and stayed in the corner, watching as Han Ming and Zhou Jinchen leave. After a while, a short man who poked around came out from the side of the road with a big bag on his back and carrying something in his arms. An Xumo stared carefully before determining that it was an SLR.

Only when the surroundings were completely quiet did An Xumo come out from the shadows to where he’s hiding. He carefully looked around and made sure there were no bystanders before leaving the place.

Tomorrow would be the recording of 《Dance to the Top Show》, but now that he had met this kind of thing, An Xumo’s mind couldn’t help but feel slightly confused. What he cared about was nothing else but the entertainment that followed at the end. If Zhou Jinchen didn’t notice the secret shots and was caught in an ambiguous photo, then by the next day, this news could be slaughtered on the major social networks.

An Xumo recalled what Zhang Zhiwei had said during the previous recording of 《Sunny Weekend》. He said that Zhou Jinchen and Han Ming seemed to have a private relationship and asked An Xumo to be careful not to disturb their shots. Zhang Zhiwei’s words were vague and An Xumo was a little confused at that time, but now that he thought about it, it really seemed like he is on to something.

So if he makes it clear with Zhou Jinchen now, will it interfere with the other party’s plans?

An Xumo walked all the way to the bottom of the dormitory building and eventually decided to contact Zhou Jinchen. He thought if it was intentional planning, it would be just fine, at most he would leave a bad impression on the other party but if it was an unintentionally stolen shot, it would be big trouble for the other party.

He found a secluded place, took a deep breath, and dialed the familiar number.

“Beep-beep-“

After a long beep, the sweet electronic voice of a machine was heard on the call. An Xumo looked at his phone with some confusion, the call wasn’t connected.

The courage he had finally gathered was rushed by the busy tone of “toot”. An Xumo lightly scratched the rough bark of the tree trunk beside him with his nails and put his forehead against the trunk in frustration.

In his heart, he still… didn’t dare nor did he want to leave a bad impression on the other.

If Zhou Jinchen knew about this and they intended to use this to increase their popularity, then it would have been unwise for him to have rushed forward so rashly. An Xumo felt like burying his face in his palms at the thought of this possibility.

But if my brother was really being secretly filmed…

An Xumo hesitated in place for five minutes, but finally decided to try again. This time, he didn’t call Zhou Jinchen but dialed Xin Zimai’s number. The last time Xin Zimai sent him back, they also exchanged contact information.

Xin Zimai’s call was answered quickly, but it wasn’t Xin Zimai’s own voice that came from the other side.

“Hello, who is it?” The voice on the other side was slightly cool, and the tone was distinctly different from Xin Zimai’s.

“You are?”

“This is An Xumo, I need to talk to him for something.”

The microphone on the other side moved away a little, and An Xumo heard the other party call out, “Mai Mai, someone is looking for you,” and a distant and close voice complained, “Don’t you dare pick up my calls…”

An Xumo vaguely guessed who the first person to answer the phone was, and he remembered the tall doctor he had met when he had a seafood allergy.

Within a few moments, there was a different person on the phone, “Hello, Xiao An?”

“Director Xin, I’m sorry to bother you so late, but I have something to tell you.”

When An Xumo finished telling what he had witnessed earlier, there was a moment of silence, and then he said, “Thank you for reminding me, Xiao An. Did the two of them see you?”

An Xumo denied, “No.”

“That’s good,” Xin Zimai’s tone sounded serious. “I’ll take care of this matter. It’s so late, you should go home early soon.”

After hanging up the phone, a light scent of male perfume drifted over. Xin Zimai frowned, thinking about the stolen shots just now, momentarily unaware, he was hugged by the person behind him.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Xin Zimai raised his hand to block Li Qiucheng’s face; just under his palm was the other party’s straight high nose. “I have something to do, don’t disturb me…”

Li Qiucheng had a smile on his lips, but his voice was very serious. He said in a low voice, “Today’s pre-wedding task is still not complete.”

“What nonsense are you saying, didn’t we already kiss this morning oh…”

Xin Zimai, who is busy working overtime all day long and following his own boss, is neither fit as Zhou Jinchen nor as strong as him, and is rightfully no match for Dr. Li, who can perform three surgeries in a row.

After confessing the situation to Xin Zimai, the recording of 《Dance to the Top Show》 began the next day. An Xumo didn’t see the news about the two of them. After the busy preliminary rounds started, he was focused on the show, and this incident gradually faded away.

The preliminary contest of 《Dance to the Top Show》 invited seven guests. After three rounds of tests, three people will enter the finals. Among the seven artists, two are long-time supporting actors, one is a young artist who has gained popularity in variety shows, one is a host, and two are younger actors who are more famous and have been in leading roles. (T/N: I just noticed they aren’t 7 in total. After checking the raws, the author really missed one person lmao).

Unlike 《Sunny Weekend》, which tried to avoid being filmed by fans as much as possible, 《Dance to the Top Show》 has fans coming in to support during the live recording. Although fans could only enter the stage during the show, they didn’t disperse when they practiced in the backstage rehearsal room.

Most fans came for the two young actors and the variety star. One of them, Mao Yuntian seems to have something to do with the famous variety show, Li Zichao in the past. The preliminary game of 《Dance to the Top Show》 was recorded for two weeks. Except for the closed rehearsal period, these fans have been following the scene. During each stage match, the fans of Mao Yuntian and Li Zichao will secretly compete with each other, which one had a larger number of people and a bigger light board. Wang Yixiang’s fans watched the show and gave their own idol a boost.

An Xumo was too busy rehearsing. Tang Tang told him this gossips during his break. He knew that the other party intends to help him relieve his stress, but he was a little dumbfounded by these words.

The only person he likes is Zhou Jinchen. The other was indeed a popular artist, but An Xumo has never publicly expressed his love. Sometimes, he also thinks that these fans who can shout “I’m Zhou Jinchen’s wife” are very straightforward and cute. Unlike himself, because of this status, even liking him will bring a burden to the other party.

Tang Tang saw that he didn’t care much and couldn’t help but pat the armrest of the chair. “In less than two months, your fans will have such a battle.”

An Xumo just smiled, “Really.”

Tang Tang was choked by him, she felt like she couldn’t see this boy clearly. When it came to being attentive, An Xumo was definitely one of the most diligent trainees Tang Tang had ever seen. It’s hard to say but he always had an unusual indifference to his fame.

“How about we make a bet? At most sixty days, I bet you’ll have more than ten thousand fans.”

An Xumo smiled helplessly, “Alright, what are you betting on?”

“The nutritionist at this book is preparing a new nutritious meal. If I win, I’ll decline their invitation to taste it.”

“…….” An Xumo suddenly realized that he had a very strong motivation to become popular.

But this bet didn’t take two months at all. Two weeks later, the third season of 《Dance to the Top Show》 was announced and the trailer was released on various platforms.

The trailer, which has always been a fan of “bluffing”, enlarges the show’s effect that was originally 1 to 10. But it’s not the seven guests that have caught the public’s attention, it was a young unknown dancer in white who has been specially cut out of the trailer frame by frame.

He walks from the darkness to the light; his silhouette was clearly visible. A few seconds of a close-up of his side profile and a glimpse of his front face was so breathtaking that they can’t help but rewind the bar to the second he appears.

The appearance of this section in less than ten seconds was cut off by quick bloggers and posted a gif. On the night of the first trailer, the gif was forwarded for more than30,000 and the number of likes exceeded 50,000. The keyword, “good looking side profile” soared into the top ten of the hot search.

Countless people were amazed by this accidental figure, but it seems like everyone doesn’t know who this person really is. 《Dance to the Top Show》 has never had a precedent for inviting guests. The seven guests were announced and confirmed early. They have never heard of new stars who want to join the league.

With the broadcast of the second trailer, the brewing heat had reached a real explosion. Curious people finally learned the identity of the good-looking side profile in the trailer – he’s actually not a guest, but a dance partner with the guest partner!

The second trailer released a clip of this backup dancer dancing, and those who were left hanging were caught off guard by a new wave of shock. There’s no doubt that the man’s face is good enough, but dancing makes him look ten times better than he usually does!

The dance partner appeared in the fifty-five seconds of the trailer, and within half an hour, the keyword “fifty-five seconds” is on the hot search again. Even Fengcheng TV, which hosts 《Dance to the Top Show》 didn’t expect this effect. The online buzz directly influenced the order in which they released the trailer. A special trailer dedicated to each guest’s practice segment was released in advance. The user who frantically asked “who is this little brother” finally learned the identity of the dancer.

He’s a signed artist of Jin Dian, An Xumo who is only 17 years old.

An Xumo has his own Weibo, which was opened by the company before and has been managed by Tang Tang. His Weibo @An Xumo momo previously had less than 5,000 followers, which was the company’s unified wholesale zombie fan. After the trailer was released, his Weibo followers soared to 100,000 in less than three hours.

When Tang Tang held the phone that was vibrating until her hand was numb and showed it to An Xumo, he didn’t know that he was on the hot search. He listened to Tang Tang’s guidance and opened the hot search list. He scanned it once and froze, he couldn’t guess which one was related to him.

“It’s the ‘good-looking side profile’ and ‘fifty-five seconds’. Hey, it seems like a ‘good-looking side profile’ has gone down. Just click on ‘fifty-five seconds’ and maybe after a while, your own Weibo name should also be on the hot search… By the way, Xiao Mo, do you know what your Weibo name is?”

“… Huh?” An Xumo paused for a moment before answering. Tang Tang was so angry and amused. She was about to bring the phone over to An Xumo and find his own Weibo when she saw that he had already clicked on a hot search himself.

“Hey, what’s this, a new hot search content?” Tang Tang read out curiously, “Han Ming’s night meeting with a mysterious friend, his suspected romance exposed…?”

---

The author has something to say:

The progress of Xiao Mo’s upgrade and keeping a notebook for his brother are in sync…

DISCLAIMER: We don’t own any of the stories published. We don’t know any Chinese language and this is our first time MTL-ing a novel, expect inaccuracies in the translations.

❌ NO SPOILERS. WE ARE MTL-ING THIS AT THE SAME TIME WE’RE READING IT ❌

Translated by: jiejie

Editor: Qiaone

---

Chapter 22 – Unexpected Sneak Peek

The atmosphere was a little stiff for a moment. Although they didn’t know how the show would handle it later on, for now, Han Ming and Zhou Jinchen were indeed more than just ordinary friends.

After that, the recording went quite smoothly. In the evening, the two-day recording came to an end. The four hosts had to stay behind to shoot some more footage, so An Xumo and Zhou Jinchen left Sanya first.

Zhou Jinchen bought the ticket for the return trip but he had other things to do, so he didn’t travel with An Xumo. Back on the plane, Tang Tang was still in a daze, she grabbed An Xumo and asked twice, ‘Are we really done recording Sunny Weekend?’ before she started to work again.

The beginning of the day was a bit unexpected for An Xumo. He thought that his ultimate goal in the entertainment industry was to work with Zhou Jinchen, but by coincidence, the progress bar was pulled directly to the end. Before he had even officially debuted, An Xumo had been in contact with his brother for such a long time.

The achievement of the goal brings not the emptiness after the success, but the motivation to reach it next time. Not only did An Xumo not let go of his goal of working with his older brother, but he even put more effort into his next job.

It’s only been two weeks after returning to the company; An Xumo officially ushered in his busy debut activities. Due to the benefits of 《Sunny Weekend》, Tang Tang was able to secure more favorable resources for An Xumo. The original spot for dancers in Han Ming’s album was turned down by Tang Tang and replaced by a variety show theme dance competition.

The variety show is called 《Dance to the Top Show》 and the guests involved are already established artists who came across the border to train and compete in a dance competition. Tang Tang won the opportunity for An Xumo to be a backup dancer on the show. He’s going to finish the competition with the artists who came to compete.

The selling point of 《Dance to the Top Show》 is the fame of the artists themselves and the fun of crossing over. Naturally, there won’t be many scenes allocated to the backup dancers. However, for artists who have yet to debut, this resource is already much better than being a backup dancer in a music video, and An Xumo himself is fine with it.

For Tang Tang who knows An Xumo’s abilities, her expectations for this show are actually a bit higher than 《Sunny Weekend》. This kind of professional stage would definitely give An Xumo a chance to shine — something she hadn’t doubted since she picked up the person alone to sign the contract.

The final live format for 《Dance to the Top Show》 didn’t leave An Xumo much time to prepare. Unlike the crossover artists who needed to start from scratch in front of the camera, as backup dancers, they needed to practice beforehand. After bringing the prepared songs, An Xumo plunged into the dance studio. Although there would be a lot of adjustments during the recording of the show, a lot of things are needed to prepare in advance.

Since most of the artists participating in the competition didn’t have any dancing skills, the dance partners need to familiarize themselves with the choreography in advance and cooperate with the participating guests. The rating of 《Dance to the Top Show》 has always been high which has nothing to do with the dance effect in the program. For every song selected by the artists, there is a special choreographer behind the scenes.

In the first phase of preparation, An Xumo was assigned a total of five tracks. Whichever the guests picked the corresponding track, An Xumo would become their dance partner. As the elimination process progresses, the (backup) dancer whose five tracks have been eliminated will also be eliminated. Only the dance partner who retains the track will make it into the finals and receive a new dance piece.

The five choreographies are performed by the same team which means that there is one choreographer team for each backup dancer. In the initial process, An Xumo is involved in the whole process. In the beginning, he just watched and practiced by listening carefully. As time passed, An Xumo began to put forward some ideas of his own. At first, these established choreographers who had been working with the program for a long time were a little unimpressed, but An Xumo’s attitude was always very respectful, and the communication between them was much smoother.

Gradually, the choreographers began to ask for An Xumo’s opinion more and more frequently. At first, it was unintentional, but then it turned into a series of questioning of opinions. In the end, the first proposal had been changed beyond recognition but the result was so good that even several choreographers hadn’t expected it.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t choreographed such a smooth choreography before, but it was because An Xumo has integrated his opinions to the dance movements well. On one hand, his opinions were perfect for these tracks and directly improved the choreography of the dance moves. On the other hand, these opinions became a smooth oil¹Censored text. Hehehe that allowed him to personally show the charms perfectly of these movements without loss.

Like music, dance requires repetitive and boring practice and nearly rigorous maintenance conditions. In the same way, it relies heavily on the individual’s talent.

Throughout the three weeks of rehearsal, no one knows how many people had said to An Xumo: “You are heaven-sent.” However, those who had been with An Xumo for a long time gradually began to stop mentioning this compliment.

It was because An Xumo wasn’t only talented, but also because he had practiced each dance move hundreds of times in an empty studio, and was able to make the most effective and appropriate suggestions.

His calm shell is as thin as a cicada’s wing, but the pearl inside is silently containing an incomparably gorgeous luster.

After the preparations were over, An Xumo had gotten acquainted with the entire choreography team. The night before the program was recorded, An Xumo, who left the program group, returned to the company for extra training as usual. He greeted the security guard on duty and applied for the use of the training room for one hour.

The next day was the official recording. An Xumo didn’t dance those dances that he already knew by heart. He chose the slow songs he used to spend his rest time on. He thought about it and danced a few random moves he didn’t choreograph. During this time, dancing became the best way for him to relax.

After taking a simple shower after dancing, An Xumo walked down the stairs of Jin Dian, which is the same place where he had met Zhou Jinchen and Han Ming. However, compared to that day, there weren’t many people who come and goes in the middle of the night. An Xumo walked out from the side door alone, intending to take the shortcut back to his dormitory.

Tang Tang had mentioned before that she wanted to help him rent a new single room in a couple of days so that he could move out of the company dormitory; An Xumo’s attitude hadn’t been very positive. He had been recently busy recording the show, so the matter had been put on hold.

It was true that the conditions in the dormitory weren’t very good, but when he remembered the person living upstairs, An Xumo didn’t care much about anything else.

As a long-established entertainment company, there was tight security around Jin Dian, but outside the scope of security was the daily squatting of entertainment journalists. There were many artists coming and going here, which would naturally attract many shots.

As he reached the convenience store, the light disappeared at the end of the striped sign, and the next store was more than ten meters away. An Xumo took a few quick steps to get past this lightless area but he accidentally caught a glimpse of a glimmer of light.

With the experience he had gained over the past few days, An Xumo could only guess that it was the reflection of the camera. He frowned and looked around the area.

Unexpectedly, the first thing An Xumo noticed wasn’t the exposed paparazzi, but the two tall figures half-hidden behind the bushes.

The two variety shows An Xumo participated in were still in production, so he naturally didn’t have any fame yet. Those paparazzi who stay to guard are clearly for someone else.

The distance between them was a bit far. An Xumo only heard some vague words, but the point was not that. Although the surrounding light was dim, An Xumo still saw the close distance between the two.

Was it worth entertaining taking sneak shots and squat here, what kind of action would it be?

An Xumo didn’t have a penchant for gossip or stalking, but at this time, he seems to be completely unable to move away from his gaze. He stood in an unnoticed remote area and waited for a while before he saw one of the people leave the darkness and walk into the car on the street.

Even if he couldn’t recognize anyone in the dark, An Xumo had already seen the artist’s car.

That person was Han Ming.

And the remaining one, the tall and upright man…

An Xumo had to raise his hand to cover his mouth in order to barely restrain himself from making a sound.

The man was wearing sunglasses and had his mask pulled up, so he couldn’t see the outline of his face. But the figure of the man had already revealed his identity to An Xumo.

It was the one that An Xumo wouldn’t mistake for no matter what—

His brother.

---

The author has something to say:

Make a note for my brother (pull out a small notebook)

---

jiejie: Since our school works have been increasing, we won’t be having any fixed schedule for updating new chapters. We’ll update as soon as we’re free. Apologies~ (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っ