Chapter 64: Harmony and Friendship
Fu Wenze’s words were nothing more than a simple blessing.
He had always been a man of few words and spoke directly. But at that moment, Xie Xizhao realized that this man wasn’t just a block of wood—at the very least, he understood the art of language. He was well aware that Fu Wenze’s words were directed at Ai Qingyuan, though the latter remained completely oblivious.
—Of course, Ai Qingyuan did look somewhat absent-minded right now.
Xie Xizhao knew that he was most likely thinking about Guan Heng.
Retracting his gaze, he continued listening to the rankings alongside Ji Yan.
The trainee ranked fifth was Qi Hang, who had also ranked high last week—sixth place.
Qi Hang was a dance position holder, just like the ninth-ranked Ye Yiyang. Both had managed to make a comeback thanks to their performance in the second group battle with the Chinese-style stage, Divine Bird. One moved up a rank, while the other jumped from outside the top ten to ninth place.
Their personalities and backgrounds were quite similar as well.
Both came from small entertainment companies and had rather gentle temperaments.
With Xia Ruiyan’s departure, the two had become the clear competitors for the dance position within the top ten, significantly increasing their chances of making the debut lineup.
Compared to Ye Yiyang, Xie Xizhao had a stronger impression of Qi Hang.
The reason was simple—Qi Hang had a solid foundation in dance and was also very good at utilizing his skills. Somersaults, backbends, and splits—he had showcased everything he could in his past two performances.
And the results had been favorable.
Entering the debut lineup for the first time, Qi Hang was visibly excited.
Ji Yan clapped along with the crowd, lost in thought. “Now that Xia Ruiyan is gone, does that mean there’s an open spot for a dance position?”
Xie Xizhao, however, disagreed. “There’s no such thing as an ‘open spot’.”
Every survival show had its own unwritten rules.
Back in the early days, when vote manipulation wasn’t regulated, an entire dance-focused or vocal-focused group could be created through rigged votes. Now, in an era of transparency, this was even less of a concern. Only general show fans cared about balancing the group’s lineup when voting—solo stans just voted for their own favorites.
And as for capital? That was even more straightforward.
Some executives probably hadn’t even watched a full boy group stage before, yet they still held decision-making power. They cared even less about the group’s composition.
“True,” Ji Yan mused with a sigh. “After all, everyone hypes themselves up as an all-rounder ACE.”
Xie Xizhao smirked slightly.
Just as Ji Yan finished speaking, Lu Xing—the one who had been flooding the media with ‘all-rounder ACE’ press releases—took the stage.
Although his second public performance had been unremarkable, his company’s emotional manipulation strategy during the first public stage had clearly paid off. Over the past few days, Lu Xing’s fans had been the most fiercely independent—throwing all their votes his way.
Lu Xing himself clearly knew how to play along. His acceptance speech was well-crafted, at least enough that if Xie Xizhao imagined himself as a fan, he figured they’d probably be quite moved.
Then came third place…
The moment the ranking was announced, the air in the room went still. Even Ji Yan, who had been chattering non-stop just moments ago, suddenly fell silent.
The roaming cameras searched for their target.
Until they stopped right in front of Xie Xizhao.
Everyone present knew exactly who had ranked third the previous week.
—
Technically, Xie Xizhao’s current ranking was third. But deep down, everyone understood that his popularity had already far surpassed the other trainees—and even the entire show itself.
Especially after Boundless Sea.
People kept saying it was ‘closed practice,’ but whether it really was, everyone knew the truth.
This week, while using their alternate accounts to vote for themselves, many trainees had also been keeping an eye on Xie Xizhao’s popularity trend.
The stage performance of Boundless Sea had attracted far more than just survival show fans—or rather, the majority of its audience was no longer made up of survival show fans. Many casual viewers who never watched these competitions still appreciated it as a spectacular performance.
More and more people knew Xie Xizhao’s name. He had truly pushed the show beyond its niche.
This was the real reason the production team had stopped suppressing him.
In the face of overwhelming general public appeal and widespread popularity, rankings had become meaningless. Survival show fans admired strength, and casual viewers converting into die-hard supporters was only a matter of time—so long as Xie Xizhao didn’t act as foolishly as Xia Ruiyan.
But was Xie Xizhao foolish?
Anyone with eyes could answer that question.
And so…
Everyone was waiting.
Waiting for Xie Xizhao to go through the motions and step into the position that belonged to him.
As an industry insider, Dou Yu was well aware of the recent discourse. With a smile, he spoke up. “Trainee Xie Xizhao.”
Xie Xizhao had already expected to be called and responded smoothly, “Here.”
“In the first public ranking, you were in fifth place. As of last week, you had risen to third.” Dou Yu’s tone was unhurried. “Now that a new week has begun, do you have any new expectations for your ranking?”
Xie Xizhao simply smiled.
His smile was as refined and composed as ever.
It reminded many people in the audience of a recent in-depth analysis that had gone viral alongside his performance.
The author was someone with industry experience, known for sharp writing and keen judgment.
In the article, she had made an interesting point: “Why did Xie Xizhao become popular? Because he resembles the kind of idol who would have emerged in the very first generation of the industry. And I don’t mean the real ones—we’re talking about the idealized prototype, the benchmark for what an idol should be.”
It was the kind of praise that could be both a compliment and a trap.
If Xie Xizhao had even a single flaw, that sentence would have immediately turned into mockery against him.
But he didn’t.
Not only was he exceptionally skilled and dedicated to his craft, but more importantly, he possessed a remarkably stable and resilient emotional core.
That was an exceedingly rare quality.
Just like now.
Under the gaze of everyone in the room, their attention heavy and expectant, he stood there. His rank had skyrocketed, yet there wasn’t the slightest hint of arrogance or anxiety in his demeanor.
It was as if he were simply having a casual conversation with Dou Yu. He gave the question some genuine thought before answering:
“…If we’re talking about expectations, I do have one.”
Dou Yu smiled. “And what is it?”
“Just now, Wenze said he wanted me to go up a little later.” Xie Xizhao’s lips curved. “Our dorm is a harmonious and loving one, so I’ve decided to fulfill his wish—
Just kidding.”
“There’s nothing particularly special I’m hoping for,” he continued. “Making it to third place is already a surprising and delightful outcome.”
The moment his tone shifted, every trainee’s heart rose and fell with him.
Ji Yan glanced at the stage—where Fu Wenze actually looked genuinely disappointed—and then at Dou Yu, whose expression had subtly changed along with Xie Xizhao’s words. Finally, he thought back to how he himself had been momentarily dazed just now.
…Great.
His brother was a menace who could charm and toy with the entire world without discrimination.
Where was Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King? Someone, please bring a pagoda and seal this monster away.
At this rate, the whole world was going to be wrapped around his finger!
Unfortunately, Li Jing was clearly preoccupied and had no time to deal with trivial human matters.
So, the ranking announcement continued smoothly.
Third place was revealed—Qiao Ye.
With a lazy smirk, he strolled onto the stage.
Qiao Ye seemed to know that, at this moment, no one really cared about his ranking. He said a few brief words before stepping back.
All eyes were now on Ai Qingyuan and Xie Xizhao.
—No one had expected the process to move this quickly.
Ai Qingyuan finally snapped out of his daze.
His expression remained neutral, though the corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he followed Xie Xizhao onto the stage.
Dou Yu began, “Junior, you—”
“No thoughts,” Ai Qingyuan interrupted coldly. “Our dorm is a harmonious and loving place, especially between me and Xie Xizhao. What’s mine is his, what’s his is mine. Same difference—just a matter of who’s treating whom to dinner tonight.”
That response did not play along with the production team’s narrative at all.
In fact, his manager had approached him recently, subtly suggesting he should play up the angst for the fans. But he had refused.
Losing the center position was inevitable sooner or later. If his skills weren’t good enough and he got kicked down, it only meant the audience wasn’t blind. There was no need to sell a sob story.
His mind was still preoccupied with Guan Heng.
And that annoyed him.
Dou Yu: “…”
Another interesting character.
Without pressing further, he opened the envelope in his hands.
Then, his expression paused slightly.
Ai Qingyuan, who had been distracted just moments ago, suddenly refocused. He glanced thoughtfully at Xie Xizhao beside him—only to find that Xie Xizhao was also looking at him.
Their gazes met, and for a moment, Xie Xizhao seemed surprised.
Ai Qingyuan frowned. “…Why are you looking at me like that?”
Xie Xizhao replied, “You seem like you’re in a bad mood.”
Ai Qingyuan: “…”
“It’s not because of you,” he said awkwardly.
He replayed his own words from earlier in his mind. He hadn’t been particularly harsh, had he? Or was it his response that made Xie Xizhao misunderstand…?
All he had said was that they got along well. Even Fu Wenze had brought it up earlier. Or did Xie Xizhao think he was being passive-aggressive?
Xie Xizhao’s words threw Ai Qingyuan into turmoil, making him momentarily forget his frustration.
Then, he heard Xie Xizhao speak again.
“Uh, I know,” Xie Xizhao explained.
Ai Qingyuan: “…”
Damn it.
Now he really did feel like targeting him.
While the two of them whispered to each other on stage as if no one else was there, the atmosphere in the hall remained solemn. In front of the monitors, Ma Hongping and Lu Yan exchanged glances before looking away again. Their expressions remained unreadable.
They already knew the result.
In the heavy silence, Dou Yu picked up the microphone once more.
“Well then,” he said, “I will now announce the final result.”
He suddenly paused. “Just now, I was wondering what kind of tone I should use to announce this result. After all, personally speaking, I truly like both of you as contestants. No matter who takes first place, it might seem like favoritism on my part. But—”
He hesitated briefly before smiling. “As Qingyuan just said, no matter the result, he and Xizhao will remain good friends. So, I believe that simply from the perspective of this outcome itself, it is something truly worth applauding—a great miracle.”
“Congratulations,” he said solemnly. “Trainee Xie Xizhao.”
“You have received the highest number of votes in the public poll for the second round, making you the first-place contestant in this ranking.”
The entire venue erupted in shock.
Amid the sudden chorus of gasps and exclamations, a flicker of surprise crossed Ai Qingyuan’s face.
Then, just as quickly, it shifted into relief.
The sleepless nights filled with unwillingness, the relentless pursuit in the shadows, and the helpless self-mockery whenever he watched Xie Xizhao’s performances—all of it dissipated in an instant the moment the ranking was revealed.
All that remained was liberation and acceptance.
It was hard to describe the exact emotion.
In the end, Ai Qingyuan turned slightly, pulling Xie Xizhao into a firm embrace. Then, with a lazy yet mischievous smirk, he gave him a shove.
“Go on, First Place,” he said. “Give your speech.”
Xie Xizhao stumbled forward a couple of steps, pushed into the warmth of the dazzling spotlight.
He lifted his head—just in time to see a bird soaring past the window.
The sky was clear, the air crisp and bright.
