Sulan Qiao never expected that Chu Cheng's reason would be so embarrassing. Who would believe it? He sponsored the program just to pamper a pet?
His hands pressed against the leather seat almost leaving nail marks. After thinking for almost a minute, he muttered to himself, "That's a cold joke."
"I'm serious," Chu Cheng shifted his body to a more comfortable position. "Seeing you always being bullied by Xia Ran, I thought it's time to deal with it head-on. Don't tell me you're going to cry under the blanket every day?"
Of course, he had other reasons for supporting, such as the fact that both Sulan Qiao and Xia Ran were invited to the show, and the high viewership was friendly to sponsors. Also, to solidify and collaborate with Weibo's cooperation, but those weren't the main points.
The moment Chu Cheng saw the information sent by Ling Feng, he decided to sponsor it. As he said, he couldn't bear to see Sulan Qiao looking aggrieved.
Sulan Qiao pursed his lips, "I won't cry under the blanket every day. You underestimate me."
While saying this, he felt so happy inside that he almost wanted to jump up.
The curfew time was getting closer. Sulan Qiao remembered the threat of disqualification for rule violations and reluctantly knocked on the car door. "I have to go, really. I really have to go."
"Okay, go ahead," Chu Cheng maintained the same sitting posture, squinted, and thought, 'Why is this person speaking so cutely, with an expression that's so endearing?'
Su Lianqiao got off the car and greeted Lao Chen before retracing her steps on the alley, reaching the downstairs just a minute before eleven.
"Put your phone in the basket at the door, then you can go upstairs to rest," the assistant dutifully repeated by the side.
Su Lianqiao placed her phone in the basket, took the elevator to the third floor, and bumped into Xu Zhili at the corner. He had an expression that seemed to comprehend everything and patted his shoulder, "I saw it."
"Saw what?" Su Lianqiao frowned.
Xu Zhili moved his lips slightly, forming the shape of 'Chu Cheng', and then said, "His car is parked outside."
Su Lianqiao instantly became alert, "You can't see that standing on this third-floor corridor, can you? Do you have super vision?"
"My eyesight is indeed very good," Xu Zhili put his hands in his pockets, "Don't be nervous, I won't say anything."
Su Lianqiao was making a final struggling defense, "We really are just ordinary friends... Don't think too much."
Xu Zhili smiled and walked towards the dormitory, "Su Lianqiao, I have been in this circle since I was a kid, you can't hide it from me. Your relationship with him is not ordinary. Don't worry, I won't gossip too much."
Following him into the room, Su Lianqiao thought to herself, 'You really hit the nail on the head there'.
Their relationship with Chu Cheng was indeed unusual, but she couldn't quite pinpoint what exactly it was.
Since Xu Zhili had spoken so frankly, it would be pointless to be too dramatic. Just before pushing open the door to the dormitory, she whispered a quiet 'thank you'.
In the room, Xia Ran and Jing He were chatting while applying face masks. When they saw the two entering, the harmonious atmosphere abruptly stopped.
Xia Ran glanced at Xu Zhili, took a mask and handed it over, speaking in a very gentle and friendly tone, "Hey handsome, do you want to apply a face mask?"
Su Lianqiao could tell that Xia Ran was trying to coax Xu Zhili to join them, forming a small isolated group, like kids. It seemed quite childish.
Xu Zhili leaned on the iron bed in the dormitory, shaking his head gently, "No, I don't have the habit of applying face masks."
Xia Ran was disappointed, pouted, then turned away to continue chatting with Jing He.
Su Lianqiao took some clean clothes to the bathroom for a shower. When she came out, the dormitory lights were already out. She quietly climbed into bed, feeling unusually clear-headed.
She had heard that the recording tomorrow was for the cover shoot, to be judged by the audience without any judges. The following week would be filled with rigorous physical and body training, lockdown management, and no going out.
That meant she wouldn't see Chu Cheng for a week. When she had planned to return to England before, even though she was reluctant to leave Chu Cheng, she had prepared to keep her affection for him in her heart, leaving behind some regret.
But after the frequent interactions between them, she just couldn't bear being too far apart.
Su Lianqiao recalled the recent moments with Chu Cheng and sighed again. The thought of him made her feel everything about him was perfect. It's a pity not to have a romance with him.
---
Early the next morning, the alarm in the dormitory sounded sharply, "All contestants, please get up immediately, after washing up, go to the dining room for breakfast, and gather at the entrance of the building in half an hour for the morning run."
"This show really can't tolerate sluggards, they're getting us up at six thirty in the morning," Jinghe grumbled with serious morning grumpiness, sitting on the bed with a messy head of hair, "I haven't gotten up this early since high school."
"Do you think the appearance fee comes easily?" Xia Ran was already getting up and starting her morning beauty routine, looking exquisitely refined.
Su Lianqiao hesitated for a few seconds before getting out of bed, seeing Xu Zhili sleeping soundly in the next room. She couldn't help but pat his face, "Bro, if you don't get up now, you'll be late."
"I don't want to go..." Xu Zhili turned over and continued sleeping.
"He's the young master, it's okay if he doesn't go, don't bother calling him," Xia Ran, watching the interaction from the side, couldn't help but comment.
Su Lianqiao ignored him and shook Xu Zhili again, "Get up quickly, the camera is still recording, don't leave a bad impression."
Xu Zhili finally came to, rubbed his face, and said, "Thanks, I'll get up right away."
Because Xu Zhili woke up a few minutes late, when they reached the canteen, the dishes had already been picked through, leaving them with nothing but bits and pieces. Xu Zhili didn't seem to show any discomfort, making Su Lianqiao couldn't help but lament that this rich second generation had a really good character, not delicate or affected.
The morning exercise was a long run around the forest park next to the building, a total of 8 kilometers with uphill terrain. It was more exhausting than running on a treadmill.
Fortunately, Su Lianqiao usually worked out, so she could endure it even while panting.
Xu Zhili couldn't keep up. Although naturally blessed, his body couldn’t handle it. He sat on a nearby bench halfway through and refused to continue.
"Don't sit, your heart won't be comfortable like this," Su Lianqiao reached out to pull him up, "Adjust your breathing, it's not that difficult."
"I suddenly want to go back and inherit the family business," Xu Zhili made a sarcastic remark, "This is too tiring."
Su Lianqiao smiled, "You're changing too quickly, don't be such a complainer, run with me."
The camera crew filming on the sidelines carefully recorded their conversation and expressions, and some of their earlier interactions were simply edited together as preview footage and posted on Weibo at noon, with the caption: First Preview: Qiao X Li, helping each other like brothers.
Originally, the show's early promotion was already on point, and netizens were clamoring to see the first episode. This first preview turned out to be explosive, and the comments instantly blew up.
[We originally came to see Su Lianqiao and Xia Ran argue, but suddenly, I want to ship this pair]
[The heartwarming cutey X the cool big young master, this CP is so cute!]
[They both have good looks and live in the same dormitory, they really should consider developing something?]
[This morning, Su Lianqiao was so gentle waking people up.]
[No matter what, I'm giving this CP a name, QiaoLi CP!]
[Two grown men, god damn, QiaoLi CP, hahaha!]
[Don't you think Su Lianqiao looks so cute when caring for others, my heart is melting...]
...
The Weibo players don't know what the contestants are like, besides this pair, the program team has also successively updated some other contestants' behind-the-scenes on the Weibo, to promote the program.
After finishing the long-distance running, the program team sent everyone back to the dormitory for a simple wash, and the pending contestants were about to start the afternoon makeup and photo shoot voting, to decide the fate of the first round of elimination.
Sulan Qiao and the other pending contestants stayed in the dressing room together for the makeup and photo shoot. The chief director came in and said, "This afternoon, the theme of your shoot will continue to be Chinese style. This time, we will shoot with some elements of Peking Opera based on the roles you will draw. If you are familiar with the background story of the drawn role, it will greatly help your performance."
Sulan Qiao reached into the box and pulled out a piece of paper. Spread out on it was "Yu Ji."
Damn, cross-dressing too? The program team is playing games.
"Do you know these characters, Sulan Qiao?" Summer, a pending contestant, who appeared from nowhere, standing behind him, spoke leisurely. "Let me teach you. Yu Ji, a foreign-raised kid like you probably hasn't heard of it."
"I've heard of it." Not only had he heard of it, but he was also quite familiar with the story of Farewell My Concubine. This was thanks to his mother; although he grew up in an English-speaking environment, the bedtime stories were all about Chinese historical allusions, and he couldn't be more familiar with them.
Summer looked on with an expectant expression. "Then tell me who Yu Ji is?"
If Sulan Qiao couldn't answer, it would expose his lack of literary knowledge, which he would love to see happen.
Sulan Qiao raised his head slightly and looked him in the eye, speaking deliberately, "It's the story of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, and his love, Yu Ji. Don't you know about it? It seems that Mr. Summer needs a good review of Chinese history."
"I definitely know!" Summer had not expected Sulan Qiao to be able to respond, and his face reddened a bit. "Why don't you continue?"
"In the struggle between Chu and Han, it's the story of Xiang Yu and Liu Bang vying for the throne. After four years of war, Xiang Yu was defeated at the Battle of Wujiang and knew the overall situation was lost. He bid farewell to Yu Ji before breaking out of the encirclement and then committed suicide."
Sulan Qiao smiled faintly, looking at Summer. "It's a truly sad story."
Summer, always critical and picky, was happy to see someone else's downfall, as it would improve his favor with the audience.
Behind the camera, the photographer gave him a silent thumbs up.
Realizing he was in the wrong, Summer tried to make amends, "I didn’t expect you, a mixed-blood, to know so much about history. I just wanted to see you demonstrate."
"In that case, let me also have Mr. Summer demonstrate," Sulan Qiao said. He glanced at the slip of paper in Summer's hand. "Li Kui? Mr. Summer, do you have any insight into that?"
Summer turned his head away, an uneasy cough, "Hurry up and do your makeup, time is running out."
Sulan Qiao did not expose him, just patted Summer's shoulder, and took a seat in the nearby makeup chair.
Their makeup, of course, didn't fully resemble Peking Opera facial makeup. They only added some character traits as decoration, a test of their storytelling sense in front of the camera.
Sulan Qiao naturally had innocent cat-like eyes, with slightly round eye shapes. The makeup artist elongated the ends of his eyes and added some red below the corners, giving him a slight sense of Yu Ji in the makeup, without being overly feminine.
After the makeup was finished, Sulan Qiao went to the studio for the shoot. The photographer, Li Xiang, did not give much guidance, only letting Sulan Qiao interpret the character and freely extend his tension.
To better set the mood, while he was being photographed, the background played the theme song from the movie "Farewell My Concubine," and Sulan Qiao was immediately immersed in that atmosphere.
He stared straight at the camera, holding the sword lightly at his side, no unnecessary movements, exuding a faint sense of desolation.
The entire shooting process was very quiet, only the clicking of the shutter. In just twenty minutes, his shoot was coming to a close.
The photographer was preparing to pack up, indicating that he could finish. Suddenly, Sulan Qiao turned back and showed only a profile, a tear dropping slowly from his left eye, appropriately timed.
This photo became the makeup photo he chose to participate in voting.
The contestants each entered the studio for the shoot one by one, while Sulan Qiao stood by, bored, kicking the ground, waiting for the final results to be announced.
Three hours later, all the pending contestants had finished shooting, and the voting was still done by the audience brought in by the program team the day before. They voted randomly in pairs, with 9 groups for the 9 eliminations.
It was a very cruel format.
Each time a set of photos was shown on the big screen, one minute later, one photo would be turned off, indicating elimination.
In Sulan Qiao's group, the one he was up against was Mu Guiying, also playing a cross-dressing role, completely different styles.
One was poignant and charming, the other heroic and valiant.
However, the photo of Yu Ji shedding tears had a very cinematic feel to it, with 200 audience members voting, 160 of them voted for Sulan Qiao, and the photo of Mu Guiying holding a pear blossom spear was instantly turned off.
Sulan Qiao breathed a sigh of relief. Just about to cry at the end, it made him suddenly think of his mother, who had it worse than Yu Ji and died in a car accident in a foreign land.
Just thinking about that scene made him feel suffocated, unable to catch his breath.
Xu Zhili noticed that his mood wasn't quite right and touched his arm. "Aren't you happy that you won?"
"No, I got a little too into the role." Sulan Qiao forced a smile, feeling relieved that he had safely passed the first round of elimination.
-
After the first episode was recorded, "The Pinnacle of the Sky" began a week-long closed training. From physical fitness to deportment and stance, every detail was meticulously trained from dawn to dusk.
At the end of the week, the training for the catwalk was finally finished. The chief director came to the training room and said, "In order to present a better effect and provide raw material for the program's editing, everyone has worked hard. Next, you can go back and rest. We will start recording the second round of the elimination in a week."
"Oh, we can finally go back. I'm so exhausted."
"I've been eating diet meals every day these past few days, my mouth is getting bland. I'm going to have some barbecue tonight."
"We've been locked up for a week, I don't know what's been happening outside, like a caveman."
"I think it's not bad to be locked up, it's like staying at a boarding school."
"Is the camera off? Damn, I can finally swear, this 24-hour recording was really suffocating me."
...
A group of people grumbled, retrieved their phones and wallets, and then went back to the dorm to pack up.
Sulan Qiao was scarce of necessary items. He finished in ten minutes. He had already seen the location sent by Yue Xi, a barbecue restaurant, saying that he wanted to comfort the poor little one who hasn’t had any meat recently.
Just looking at that picture, Sulan Qiao felt like his mouth was watering.
He hurriedly greeted Xu Zhili and took the elevator downstairs with his luggage, passing by the first-floor safety passage. A pair of hands pulled him in, and the door slammed shut.
Sulan Qiao looked up and saw Chu Cheng, who had a big smile on his face, "What are you doing here?"
Chu Cheng looked at the person who was panting and sighed, "Nothing, I just came to see, why are you in such a hurry?"
"I've been locked up for a week, and Yue Xi is waiting for me to eat barbecue." Sulan Qiao looked excited, "I've been doing physical training these days, and I'm almost starving."
Looking at his innocent look, Chu Cheng found it amusing. "I'll take you to eat even better food. Do you want to go?"
"I've already promised Yue Xi..." Sulan Qiao hesitated for a moment, "What are we going to eat?"
"Kaiseki cuisine, do you want to go?" Chu Cheng leaned against the wall of the safety passage and spoke slowly and persuasively.
Sulan Qiao contemplated for a few seconds, took out his phone, and sent a message to Yue Xi, [I'm going to have dinner with Mr. Chu. Let's arrange another day to meet]
Yue Yue: [??? Sulan Qiao, you this unreliable friend!!! You can't even come out for barbecue]
Yue Yue: [I'm already here!!! You're standing me up for a guy again]
Yue Yue: [Decide between our friendship or I'll cut you off!]
"Did you discuss it with your friend?" Chu Cheng took out a cigarette, holding it loosely, appearing very relaxed.
Ignoring the crazy messages from Yue Xi, Sulan Qiao smiled innocently, "It's all set. He said it's no problem."
"Then, I have one last question." Chu Cheng, fearing to burn himself with the cigarette, moved back slightly, leaning close to his ear, "My pet has been running around for a week, and I have to wait to catch it. I'll treat you to a nice meal, should you not fulfill another duty?"
"What?" Sulan Qiao rubbed his itchy ear, looking puzzled.
Chu Cheng cleared his throat and spoke softly, "Shouldn't you fulfill the obligations of a bed companion?"