I'm in Wuha, and the whole internet is shipping me and Song Yuqi as a couple.

Upon hearing Dilraba's voice, Song Yuqi almost choked on her own saliva.

Does this woman walk without making a sound?!

Jiang Che, on the other hand, looked completely at ease. He turned his head and gave Dilraba a cool glance.

"Your voice's warmed up? And you still have the leisure to eavesdrop?"

"Oh dear, I was just worried you two would start fighting in this hallway."

Dilraba bit her straw, smiling like a fox, her eyes fixed on Song Yuqi's reddened ears.

Song Yuqi stiffened her neck and stubbornly refused to dodge.

Jiang Che ignored Dilraba's words and directly grabbed Song Yuqi's hoodie hoodie, leading her towards the rehearsal hall.

"Alright, stop lingering here and go inside to rehearse."

He pulled Song Yuqi forward, though she didn't get the answer to the question she had just asked.

But Jiang Che's protective action helped her win back some ground in front of Dilraba.

The lights were already on in the rehearsal hall.

Wu Zheng, holding a megaphone, shouted throughout the venue: "All departments, get ready! Let's do a run-through of Dilraba's solo stage first. Lights and sound, get up!"

Dilraba's playful and smiling expression vanished instantly.

She walked onto the stage in high heels, took the microphone, and exuded confidence.

As soon as the intro started, Song Yuqi's heart sank.

It's that song, "Preference".

The song that Jiang Che personally produced back then, which propelled Dilraba to the title of Best Singer of the Year.

As soon as Dilraba opened her mouth, her powerful, live vocals resonated throughout the entire rehearsal hall.

The high notes were incredibly steady, the breath control was seamless, and not a single extra breath could be heard.

What's most striking is her relaxed and natural chemistry with the stage, which is something that can't be achieved through last-minute cramming.

Holy crap, that's amazing.

Chen He, sitting in the audience, slapped his thigh wildly, exclaiming, "That voice! That typhoon! Jiang Zemin really went all out back then!"

Deng Chao nodded vigorously, "This is the true power of a top star. The atmosphere here is so stable that I'm tempted to buy a ticket."

Song Yuqi sat in the corner of the sofa, her fingers digging into the seam of her pants.

Of course she knows Dilraba sings well.

But she could hear the details in the arrangement of the song; every drumbeat and every note transition was designed in Jiang Che's style.

That was a past she had never been a part of.

"Great! Dilraba, this take is good!" Wu Zheng gave a thumbs up in front of the control panel.

As Dilraba walked down from the stage, she raised an eyebrow and gave Song Yuqi a smile as she passed by.

Wu Zheng, holding a megaphone, continued shouting: "Next up, 'A Little Sweet,' Yuqi, get ready!"

Song Yuqi composed herself, took the newly printed lyric booklet, and walked to the standing microphone in the center of the stage.

Her mind was a little confused.

It wasn't just the extremely oppressive atmosphere Dilraba had just created, but also the unanswered question uttered in the corridor.

These things are mixed together, like a tangled mess.

"Da, da, da."

As the countdown ends, a light and upbeat accompaniment begins.

Song Yuqi opened her mouth and uttered the first sentence.

"Pick an apple..."

As soon as the voice came out, the several old men sitting below fell silent.

It's out of tune.

Not only was it out of tune, but it was also half a second too fast in the beat, making the sound seem to float in the sky.

Song Yuqi realized it herself, her face instantly turned bright red, and her palms were sweaty.

Oh no, this is so embarrassing!

She tried to make amends, but the more anxious she became, the more confused she got, and she sang off-key in her second sentence.

Even the background music couldn't save the day.

The rehearsal hall was eerily quiet.

Song Yuqi wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground. She clutched the microphone, so embarrassed she wanted to quit the performance immediately.

Wu Zheng was so anxious that he scratched his already sparse hair, and was about to pick up the walkie-talkie to say something to ease the tension.

A crisp "snap" sound came from the control panel.

Jiang Che directly pushed down the master volume fader, cutting off the accompaniment.

He didn't use the microphone to yell at people; he simply walked around from behind the control panel.

Chen He and Deng Chao exchanged a glance, neither daring to utter a sound.

Old Jiang is usually ruthless at work, treating everyone with extreme strictness.

Will he lose his temper in front of so many people this time?

Song Yuqi stood on the stage, head down, her nose tingling with emotion.

Let them criticize me; I sang utterly awful anyway.

A familiar minty scent approached, and the footsteps stopped behind her.

There were no curses, no impatient reprimands.

Jiang Che pressed himself against him.

He put one arm around her shoulder, loosely embracing her, while his other hand rested directly on the back of her hand holding the microphone.

The man's palm was warm and dry, his fingers long and strong, and he simply enveloped her entire hand inside.

Song Yuqi's mind went blank for a moment, as if "buzzing".

They were so close; Jiang Che's chest was almost touching her back.

"What's there to be nervous about?"

Jiang Che tilted his head slightly, almost touching her earlobe, and spoke in a very low voice.

Song Yuqi couldn't even breathe.

Brother, how can I not be nervous when you're like this!

My heart was beating at almost 200 beats per minute!

"Don't let your hands shake."

Jiang Che took her hand and lowered the microphone angle slightly. "This song doesn't require you to hit high notes. Just relax and sing."

He turned to the sound engineer and gestured with his chin: "Re-enter the accompaniment, give her a personal vocal monitor."

The prelude began again.

Jiang Che didn't let go, and just stood behind her, half-circling her.

"Listen to the first drumbeat."

Jiang Che's voice was right next to her ear, his breath brushing against the fine hairs at the base of her ear, "Three, two, one, go."

As if under a spell, Song Yuqi started speaking right on time, following his rhythm.

"I'll pick an apple and wait for you to pass by the door..."

It's stable now.

Her voice was no longer ethereal, but carried the sweet clarity unique to young girls, mixed with a slight tremor caused by nervousness.

The vibrato was just right, perfectly capturing the bittersweet feeling of unrequited love in the song.

Jiang Che's hand was still on the back of her hand, tapping the rhythm lightly with his fingers.

"Let your breath sink down, and follow closely with the second sentence."

He gave her instructions in a low voice while gently shaking her hand.

Song Yuqi's face turned so red it looked like it could bleed, but her voice became increasingly steady and sweet.

This isn't a rehearsal, this is practically trying to kill her.

Jiang Che's serious yet roguish way of giving advice is a million times more deadly than directly saying sweet nothings.

The elderly men in the audience were stunned.

"Holy crap, you can teach singing like this?" Lu Han's eyes widened. "Old Jiang's abacus beads are hitting my face."

Deng Chao smacked his lips and shook his head repeatedly.

"If this happened at a concert, the CP fans in the audience would probably blow the roof off the venue on the spot."

On the sofa in the rest area.

Dilraba was sitting with her legs crossed, swirling her iced Americano in her hand, looking on with amusement.

But as she looked at the man on stage who was practically holding Song Yuqi in his arms, coaxing her to find the right rhythm, the smile on her lips gradually faded.

Having known Jiang Che for so many years, she knew all too well how dictatorial and ruthless this man was at work.

When she recorded "Preference" off-key back then, Jiang Che sat behind the control panel and berated her mercilessly until she cried before she finally found the right feeling.

But now?

He couldn't bear to say a single harsh word, and personally went on stage to teach them step by step.

This favoritism is outrageous.

Dilraba lowered her head, looked at the melting ice cubes in the cup, and gave a slight smile.

The song ended.

Song Yuqi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took a step forward, escaping from Jiang Che's encirclement.

Jiang Che withdrew his hand and, looking at her flushed profile, raised an eyebrow in a good mood.

"Have you found your rhythm yet?"

"I found it!" Song Yuqi stammered, not daring to lift her head.