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

6:17 a.m.

When Jiang Che opened his eyes, the red lights on the fire sprinklers on the hotel ceiling were still flashing.

He didn't sleep well.

To be precise, I didn't sleep soundly at all.

What kept replaying in my mind wasn't Song Yuqi's words, "What do you think of the second half I added?", but rather the set of numbers on the system panel.

He glanced at it from the side.

Current Reputation Value: 1003472

[Singing ability (SS level) has been unlocked.]

[Note: The talent has been implanted and can be used immediately. It is recommended to use it for the first time on a public stage to maximize reputation gains.]

Jiang Che sat up and his throat moved slightly.

I tried humming two notes.

C major, Do, Re, Mi.

The moment the sound came out of his chest, he stopped himself.

stable.

quasi.

Each note falls where it should, and the breath is sustained without wavering.

He went up a few more notes.

There was no strain in the high register, and the vocal cords sounded so smooth, unlike someone who had just woken up.

Jiang Che gripped the blanket tightly.

It's been ten years.

He had been waiting for this moment for ten years.

My phone vibrated.

Lu Han: [Are you up? We're meeting at 7:00, don't be late.]

Jiang Che replied with an "Mm" and tossed his phone onto the pillow.

He closed his eyes, steadied himself, and hummed the melody that Song Yuqi had sung last night.

He wrote the first half, and she added the second half.

When he sang it, the melody was brought back to life, and its texture changed.

The tone is clean, slightly hoarse, and has a slight vibrato at the end.

Jiang Che opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling.

I can sing now.

I can finally sing!

But he cannot reveal it now.

The process sheet says "talent show," so he has to find a reasonable way to present it without it being too abrupt.

How can someone who was tone-deaf yesterday suddenly become a singing god today?

The audience isn't stupid.

There needs to be some groundwork laid.

He got out of bed and went to wash up.

The person in the mirror had dark circles under their eyes and their hair was sticking up in all sorts of mess.

"Fine," he muttered to himself in the mirror, "let's get through today first."

At 7:00 AM sharp, at the recording studio.

A row of folding tables was set up in the courtyard, with Chongqing noodles and oil tea on them.

Deng Chao was already seated at the table.

Jiang Che pulled out a chair and sat down.

Deng Chao looked up and glanced at him: "Bro, what are you doing last night with those dark circles under your eyes?"

"Insomnia."

"Who's having insomnia?" Deng Chao pointed with his chopsticks to the empty seat next to him. "She hasn't arrived yet."

Jiang Che didn't reply, but picked up the oil tea and took a sip.

Chen He strolled out of the inner room, holding a cup of coffee in his hand, his face showing that he was still half asleep.

What time will the computer be turned on today?

Nine o'clock.

Wang Mian followed behind, holding a stack of process sheets in his hand, his tone full of the weariness of a working man.

Chen He slumped back in his chair: "Two more hours, I'm going to sleep a little longer."

Deng Chao patted him on the shoulder: "Eat noodles! The director said the styling needs to be finished before nine o'clock."

"Styling?" Chen He didn't even lift his eyelids. "Does my face even need styling?"

Lu Han ran in through the front door, her hat askew, carrying two plastic bags.

"Here you go! I brought some soy milk. I bought it on the street this morning, it's authentic Chongqing soy milk."

He put the bag on the table, glanced around, and finally his gaze fell on Jiang Che.

He leaned closer and lowered his voice: "How long are you planning to keep what happened in the elevator last night from me?"

Jiang Che took a bite of his noodles: "What's up?"

Lu Han narrowed her eyes: "I asked the staff. Song Yuqi was the only one who came up from the twelfth floor."

"You're still asking about this?"

"I care about my brother's marriage prospects," Lu Han said matter-of-factly. "What were you two talking about in the elevator?"

Jiang Che chewed on his noodles and mumbled, "She said I've lost weight, and I said she's changed a lot."

Lu Han waited three seconds: "That's it?"

"That's all."

Lu Han slammed her hand on the table: "Are you useless! The nation's goddess struck up a conversation with you in the elevator, and all you said was, 'You've changed a lot?'"

A muffled laugh came from Chen He's side.

Deng Chao stopped eating: "Wait a minute, did they run into each other in the elevator last night?"

Lu Han nodded to him: "We ran into each other. Our Mr. Jiang, the great poet, really killed the conversation."

Deng Chao took a sip of noodles and shook his head: "Brother, if you were a piece of wood, I'd chop you up for firewood."

Jiang Che looked up: "Thank you all for your concern, but could you let me eat my noodles in peace?"

Wang Mian interjected, "Eat faster, the makeup artist has asked us three times already."

At 8:45, everyone was ready to get dressed.

Jiang Che sat in the dressing room, with a row of hair wax and setting spray in front of the mirror.

The stylist gave him a neat, choppy hairstyle, and he changed his black T-shirt into the orange jacket that the production team provided.

He looked at himself in the mirror.

Okay.

At least he doesn't look like that gloomy guy with messy hair from last night.

Footsteps came from the doorway.

He saw Song Yuqi walk in through the mirror.

Wearing a white sweatshirt, with her hair in a high ponytail, and only wearing lipstick on her bare face.

The stylist went up to her, and she greeted her with a smile, her voice as low as it was during the live stream.

Her gaze swept across the dressing room, lingering on Jiang Che for a moment.

I didn't look at it much.

Jiang Che didn't look at it much.

But several pairs of eyes were fixed on us from inside the dressing room.

Lu Han leaned against the door frame, barely able to suppress the corners of her mouth.

Deng Chao turned his chair around to face them, his expression saying, "I want to watch the show."

Chen He even opened his eyes.

Wang Mian silently took out his phone to record a video, but Lu Han stopped him.

"Don't cause trouble!"

Nine o'clock sharp.

Director Wu Zheng stood in the center of the courtyard, holding a walkie-talkie.

"Everyone, this is the first episode of the Wuha Chongqing Station."

He looked around.

Deng Chao, Chen He, Lu Han, and Wang Mian stood in a row.

Jiang Che stood on the far right.

Song Yuqi was standing on the far left.

There were four people in between.

Wu Zheng chuckled: "Why are you standing so far away? It's not a dating show."

All the staff members tried to suppress their laughter.

Deng Chao squeezed into the middle first: "Director, I think the position is pretty good. I can be the partition."

Chen He added, "Human-shaped screen, Deng Chao brand."

Song Yuqi didn't pick up on the joke and instead looked down to straighten her cuffs.

Jiang Che put his hands in his pockets and watched as the red light on the camera opposite him came on.

Filming has begun.

Wu Zheng raised the walkie-talkie: "The first part is an icebreaker game. The rules are very simple."

The staff behind him pushed out a whiteboard with six headshots on it.

Jiang Che's ID photo was taken from his studio's official website, and his expression was as serious as if he had just been owed money.

Lu Han was the first to laugh out loud.

"Dude, you really need to change this photo."

Wu Zheng continued, "The game is called 'The TA You Don't Know'."

"Each person draws a question card and answers a quirky question about one of the members present. Correct answers earn points, incorrect answers incur penalties."

"What punishment?" Chen He asked.

Wu Zheng laughed: "You'll find out soon enough."

Jiang Che glanced at the whiteboard.

Six photos, six people.

The live stream audience was all waiting for his interaction with Song Yuqi.

The director couldn't possibly let this storyline go.

If Song Yuqi were chosen as the questioner, he wouldn't even have anywhere to hide.