Chapter Thirty-Seven: He Makes a Fuss, She Laughs (Please Keep Reading and Vote Monthly)

The song ended.

The guests on set could no longer hold it back, bursting into fits of laughter.

"What on earth was that? All I saw were those mustard-yellow boxers swaying back and forth in front of my eyes!" Wang Sulong couldn't bear to look anymore.

Wang Chuanjun laughed loudly, "Ahahaha! You are so sultry! But when you're being so sultry, could you please not do it facing me? Can you go face the audience instead?"

"I was wondering why you were so quiet all evening," Li Xueqin said, her face twisted with amusement. "So you were holding back a 'big one' just for us?"

Song Dandan walked over and patted Xu Xiu on the arm. "You unlucky child, hurry up and put some clothes on."

Even with Song Dandan’s vast experience and knowledge, she felt compelled to interrupt Xu Xiu’s performance. It was truly an assault on the eyes, like having something unsavory forcibly shoved into one's vision. It was almost like a ritualistic exorcism; she was genuinely afraid that if Xu Xiu got too carried away, he might launch into a rendition of "Cancer," which would probably scare the entire audience away.

Xu Xiu had reaped enough exposure, and with so many people joining forces in protest, even he couldn't hold his ground despite his thick skin. *Blushing face.jpg*

He scurried off stage to change back into his clothes. Slow and steady wins the race; one shouldn't force things, as that would only lead to mutual misery.

His reason for acting so wild was quite simple.
The fake motive: He wanted to farm exposure points!
The real motive: He wanted to quickly bridge the gap between everyone through this dance, as they had all now seen each other at their most disheveled. Psychologically speaking, this helps people build resonance and closer connections.

"Alright, we just brought everyone 'Little Apple.' I imagine many of you are dying to rinse your eyes right about now, aren't you?" Wang Sulong said with a straight face.

Li Xueqin added, "Indeed. The audience is probably wishing this segment would end as soon as possible. The audience is innocent!"

"Then let us enjoy 'City of Stars,' brought to you by Chen Yu and our pianist Wu Muye," Lamu announced the next segment.

"Ohhhhh! Go Teacher Wu!"
"Go Chen Yu!"

"This is the young lady's first time performing on stage; she's truly very brave," Song Dandan praised.

Xu Xiu immediately felt disgruntled. Was it not his first time performing on stage too? Why was no one praising him? Am I chopped liver? Or am I just not standing high enough?

But truth be told, this model named Chen Yu sang quite well. While her performance was standard, her voice was beautiful. Especially when accompanied by the piano master Wu Muye, it was like adding flowers to a brocade.

Wang Chuanjun, sitting behind Xu Xiu, could no longer sit still. His hands were rubbing against his legs in nervousness. It wasn't because he was nervous about watching the show, but because he also wanted to perform. This time, it wasn't due to coercion; he genuinely wanted to go on stage and perform a solo.

But he didn't know how to bring it up... He had previously made grand declarations that he would leave, or even jump into the sea from a cliff, before he would ever perform!

*Oh my~ "True Fragrance" effect in action!*

"Xu Xiu, do you think it would be okay if I went up to perform later?" Wang Chuanjun patted Xu Xiu on the shoulder.

Xu Xiu looked at him, confused. "What? You want to perform?"

"Yes, there's a song I'd like to sing. I'm just not sure if it would disrupt the original program?"

Xu Xiu didn't reply immediately. Instead, as soon as Chen Yu and Wu Muye finished their performance, he jumped up and shouted, "Hi! Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, Teacher Wang is about to perform for us! Let’s give him a warm welcome!"

Xu Xiu's sudden move caught Wang Chuanjun completely off guard. *Hey—what are you doing?* Is it really that direct? You're just going to tell everyone right away? You didn't leave me any mental preparation time at all!

"Oh? Really? Teacher Chuanjun is going to perform?"
"Give us one! Give us one!"
"Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome!"

"See, I told you long ago, now you know how fun the show can be, right?" Song Dandan teased.

Wang Chuanjun stood up, looking dazed. He felt completely cornered by Xu Xiu; he felt like Xu Xiu was forcing his hand! But this time, he didn't have his previous resistance. Instead, amidst the applause and cheers of the crowd, he walked onto the stage.

Meng Ziyi was extremely excited, standing up and clapping incessantly. Taking advantage of her distraction, Xu Xiu reached a large hand into her bag of cucumber-flavored Lay’s chips and threw a handful into his mouth.

*Crunch, crunch~*

Meng Ziyi noticed the chewing sound Xu Xiu was making and asked, puzzled, "What are you eating? Are you hungry? I have chips here, do you want some?"

Xu Xiu shook his head at her, but the crumbs from the corner of his mouth began to fall as he shook his head. Meng Ziyi looked over suspiciously but saw nothing. Once she sat back down, she habitually reached for the chips.

Empty!
She dug deeper.
Empty!

(･᷄ὢ･᷅) Huh?

Meng Ziyi frowned and looked at Xu Xiu. "Why are my chips gone? Did you see anyone stealing them?"

Xu Xiu hurriedly swallowed what was in his mouth and said, "No, maybe you remembered wrong? Think about it—did you finish them earlier?"

"Hmm~ Alright then!" Meng Ziyi pouted. She truly forgot. She remembered... did she bring a full bag? Or did she take the wrong one when she came? Never mind, let's watch the show!

*Hehehe~*

Xu Xiu hadn't expected Meng Ziyi to actually believe his improvised lie! Is she really that easy to fool? The corners of Xu Xiu's mouth curled into an evil smirk. *Hehehe...*

"Xu Xiu, did you see the oranges I brought? How did they disappear as soon as I turned around?"
"Ah! Why is my milk candy gone? I was planning to sneak one!"

Xu Xiu wiped the juice from the corner of his mouth. "I have no idea!"

Meng Ziyi's naivety and Xu Xiu's mischievous behavior immediately amused the audience.

"Pfft~ Hahaha, Sister Meng! He's lying to you! Everything was stolen and eaten by him!"
"Xu Xiu! You are such a rascal! You truly are everywhere!"
"This is too disgusting! How can he dance shirtless? And to make such lewd poses—how can such a person be allowed on a show? It will corrupt the children!"
"To the person above, Fu Shou'er, go buy a ticket on 12306 to a place in Sichuan called Leshan. There's a Giant Buddha there; you tell him to get up and you go sit in his place!"
"Ying ying ying~ Don't you guys think 'Xu-Meng' is so shippable? He's causing trouble, and she's just laughing!"

*

On stage, Wang Chuanjun held the microphone. His expression looked somewhat nervous, but his body was clearly enjoying the stage. He had debuted through a talent show once, a music program called "Good Men." This stage made him feel as if he had traveled back in time.

At this moment, he felt neither coercion nor resistance; there was only joy and the desire to share. He wanted to share his singing with everyone, hoping to keep the happiness and joy going. He had come to "Peach Blossom Dock" and was being healed by this place, and he, in turn, wanted to heal everyone else.