She debuted after having a child with a celestial being.

How is the center position determined?

Xiao He leaned against the speaker, arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the four people.

"Does this require any brainpower? Of course, the center position can only belong to me."

The practice room fell silent instantly.

Li Quanzhe remained lying on the floor, but his chin was lifted off the back of his hand.

Ding Zeren stopped in front of the mirror, his hand, which was trying out a move, hovering in mid-air.

Li Junyi pushed up his glasses; the lenses reflected light, obscuring his expression.

The little devil stopped writing.

"Or..." Xiao He's lips curled up slightly, "...who wants to battle me?"

No one spoke; they were all somewhat surprised.

Is it that direct?

What about the traditional virtue of humility?

Shouldn't he say so that everyone can choose? And then everyone can choose him as the center, or even possibly choose a new center?

This is a TV show recording, there are cameras all around, so you can just say what's on your mind like this?

Li Quanzhe burst out laughing first, got up from the floor, and dusted off his hands: "I'm not going to battle you. I still haven't learned how to draw that dragon on your first stage performance."

Ding Zeren lowered his hand, which had been hanging in mid-air, and continued to try out the next move in front of the mirror, only saying one sentence: "I'll do the choreography, you can be the center. But I'll scrutinize your verse moves, don't even think about getting away with an eight-count verse."

"make a deal."

Li Junyi pushed up his glasses: "I'll sing the high notes in the chorus, but I'll provide harmonies for your verses. If you sing off-key, I can support you."

"I won't sing off-key."

Xiao He didn't laugh when he said this; his tone was calm, not arrogant, but confident.

The little devil put the pen on the ground and stood up.

"If you dare say that, I'll admire you." He looked directly at Xiao He, his gaze fixed on him. "The opening verse, the one you wrote for me, what happened?"

"Writing."

"When will you give it to me?"

"Tonight."

The little devil nodded, sat back down in the corner, and picked up his pen.

"Okay. You're the center, you're the captain."

Two days later, the first episode aired.

There were no televisions in the practice rooms of Dachang Film and Television Town, so the production team placed two large screens in the cafeteria.

One hundred trainees were crammed into the cafeteria. Some were carrying lunchboxes, some were sitting on tables, and some were sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Xiao He leaned against the wall, Chen Linong squeezed next to him, Justin squatted in front, and Fan Chenchen sat in a chair, holding a bowl of noodles in his hands.

"Don't block it, it's starting!" someone shouted.

The screen lights up.

The opening sequence features fast-paced scene transitions, with one hundred trainees flashing by in turn.

Then came the passageway, the pyramid hall, and the introduction of the mentors.

When Zhang Yixing said, "Only nine people will be selected from Class A," someone in the cafeteria gasped.

Each mentor's appearance on the screen elicited cheers. When Lee Rong-ho said, "I can't influence them," the whole audience burst into laughter. When Wang Jiaer called out Locking Jack's name, someone whistled.

The editing pace of the initial stage performance was very fast.

The performances of several groups flashed by, and the judges' comments only included the most witty parts.

Cai Kunkun's performance was the longest recorded: a blue fur coat, a black fishnet top, full eyeliner, and colored contact lenses. As soon as the intro to "I Wanna Get Love" started, the cafeteria erupted in cheers.

The screen was flooded with comments.

"The typhoon is so stable." "This makeup is too heavy." "I can't recognize her." "The first A."

A longer excerpt of Chen Linong's "Girl" was also preserved, featuring a pink shirt and a bunny ear bow tie.

When Zhang Yixing said "You're so cute" after he finished singing, the comments section was flooded with "Nong Nong", "The biggest dark horse of this year", and "This is too sweet".

The part where Fan Chenchen forgot his lyrics was also broadcast. When Cheng Xiao said, "You haven't practiced enough," he lowered his head, and the comments section and the cafeteria went silent at the same time.

Xiao He's debut performance was scheduled for the latter half of the show.

When the words "Individual Trainee - Xiao He" appeared on the screen, someone in the cafeteria turned and glanced at the wall.

The comments section started flooded with messages.

"Is this the guy who drives the Porsche?"

"The Hong Kong style shirt is alright."

"He's quite handsome."

Then the intro to "Wild Wolf Disco" started playing.

On the screen, he was wearing a deep blue Harbor-style printed shirt and black flared suit pants, with his head down in the spotlight.

When the first line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," came from the speakers, some people in the cafeteria started swaying along.

"On the left, draw a dragon with me..."

On the screen, Xiao He extended his right index finger and drew an arc in the air.

More than a dozen hands reached out simultaneously in the cafeteria, following along with the drawing.

The style of the comments section is completely different from before.

In the latter half of the song, the densely packed bullet comments overlapped, making them almost impossible to see.

"Is this an original work?"

"This song is addictive."

Why am I following along with the dragon drawing?

"My mom asked me why I was gesturing in front of the screen."

"Draw a dragon on the left and a rainbow on the right."

"Hands can do it, brain can do it, but legs can't."

"Is this song called Wild Wolf Disco?"

Where can I download it?

"Cannot be found"

"No audio source"

"I listened to it on repeat on the show."

During the mentors' comments, Zhang Yixing said, "You've turned this place into your own stage," and Wang Jiaer said, "This song will be a hit."

The comments section went wild, with phrases like "prophet," "already famous," and "PD's endorsement."

However, one comment was copied and pasted several times: "Mainland Aaron Kwok".

"Holy crap!" Li Quanzhe jumped up from the floor, pointing at the screen, "Mainland Aaron Kwok! Who posted this?"

"Look, everyone's posting in the comments." Ding Zeren leaned against the mirror.

"No, no, look closely." Li Quanzhe leaned closer to the screen. "His Hong Kong-style shirt, his side-parted hair, and that relaxed vibe on stage really do look a bit like Aaron Kwok. Not in appearance, but in temperament. Like the 90s."

"It's a pity that the song is popular but the singer isn't."

Someone said something, and people in the cafeteria started laughing.

Indeed, most netizens are discussing the song itself, while ignoring the song's creator and singer, Xiao He.

After the show aired, it became a huge hit.

Within just one hour of its release, the video garnered over 100 million views.

That evening, the main topic saw an increase of 7.8 million views, and 18 program-related terms trended on the hot search list.

The show also topped the Thai trending search list, remaining on the list for three days. Many overseas fans left comments saying, "I really like this show and want to learn Chinese."

Regarding fan voting, the surge in traffic as soon as the voting system opened caused iQiyi's voting system to briefly crash.

Zhang Yixing's "balance" has become a trending topic online. Zhang Yixing has repeatedly emphasized the issue of balance among trainees, saying "Balance" nearly 80 times.

Music mentor Li Ronghao's serious expression and adorable inner thoughts were edited together in post-production, creating a strong contrast that made him the source of laughter that night.

Afterwards, the production team gave them a rare day off.

Xiao He leaned against the headboard of his dormitory bed, holding the cell phone he had just managed to get from the staff.

During the four months of closed-door recording, mobile phones were a luxury.

The screen lit up, and the WeChat icon was covered with red dots indicating hundreds of unread messages.

The name of the pinned chat box at the very top is "Sister Xixi".

"Little brother, did you advance?"

"Why aren't you replying to messages? Does the production team not allow us to look at our phones?"

"You brat, you're not lying to me, are you? What do you mean by participating in the show? You just want to ignore me."

"Xiao He, you're finished. The first thing I'll do after I finish my gigs is go to Langfang and settle the score with you."

"Did you advance? I watched the first episode, your dragon dance, hahaha."

"Mainland China's Aaron Kwok. Who gave you that nickname? It's hilarious."

"Little brother, have you figured it out?"

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. Let me know if you advance, and it's okay if you don't. Come back and I'll take care of you."

"I'm serious. Anyway, I have more than enough money to support a younger brother."

.........

The time span is from the end of December to mid-January.

The last news about him stopped a few days after his debut performance aired.

"No matter the outcome, you've already done a great job."

Xiao He leaned against the headboard, opened the chat box, and started typing.

"Sis, it's not that I don't want to reply to you or that I can't take my phone. I just got it approved today."

Less than three seconds after the message was sent, the status changed to "The other party is typing".

Then the "typing" indicator flashed for almost a minute, but the message didn't arrive.

The phone rang, and the words "Sister Xixi" popped up on the screen.

"younger brother."

Her voice came through the receiver, tinged with excitement.

"You've finally decided to answer the phone?"

"Sis, didn't we say it's a closed recording, and we're not allowed to use our phones?"

"So what are you doing now?"

"I'm off today, so I asked the staff for an hour."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

Then her voice suddenly dropped in pitch, and the teasing, older sisterly tone faded away.

"How are you doing over there?"

"fine."

"Did you eat well?"

"The cafeteria provides all you can eat."

"Have you lost weight?"

"Sis, why are you asking such detailed questions?"

"Nonsense. You're my brother, if I don't ask, who will?"

Xiao He shifted his grip on his phone, placing a pillow behind his lower back.

"Sister Sisi, did you miss me?"

He spoke casually, but his grip on the phone tightened slightly.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then Liu Yifei's voice came through the receiver, no longer teasing, but in a very soft and serious tone.

"To be honest, I do."

Xiao He couldn't suppress the smile on his face any longer.

"That's more like it."

"Almost what? Almost what?"

Liu Yifei's tone returned to its usual matter-of-fact manner.

"But Xiao He, you're an independent trainee with no existing audience. Before Weibo, nobody knew who you were. Don't have too high expectations; the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment. You've already done a great job getting this far."

"sister."

"Um?"

"I have to win the championship."

There was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the phone.

Then Liu Yifei's voice, filled with a mixture of confusion and worry, came up at the same time.

"Why? Why must we win the championship?"

"Because winning the championship is the first and most important step for becoming a top star."

Xiao He's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear and steady.

"When I signed up for 'Idol Producer,' I wasn't aiming to debut; I was aiming for the championship. The championship means the best resources, the best exposure, and the best springboard. I want to become a top star."

"Why haven't I heard you say you have such big dreams before?"

"I hadn't thought that through before."

"When did you figure it out?"

"Before meeting you, it was just a thought. After meeting you..."

He paused.

Images from her memories flooded back—she was in a villa in Shunyi, Beijing, her down jacket slipping off her shoulders, revealing a hint of her waistline beneath a Dior tulle skirt.

She laughed like a little girl at the ski resort in Chongli.

Eyes watching the fireworks display under the night sky of Nuanquan Ancient Town.

I also remember her whispering in my ear when we said goodbye at the airport, "Try to get pregnant with Xiao Qianqian when you go back."

"After seeing you, I missed you even more."

Why?

"Because only by becoming a top star can I marry Liu Yifei."