Chapter 64: Third Performance (2)
“Please don’t let it be a spider, anything but that…”
“Uuuuugh, spiders are okay I guess—just please not snakes! I’d completely lose my ability to control my facial expressions on the spot!”
As an amateur reptile enthusiast who kept several snakes at home, Xiang Yueting chimed in with confusion, “Snakes… aren’t they super cute and beautiful?”
Upon hearing Xiang Yueting’s comment, the trainees who had just been whispering prayers all turned to stare at him in horror. They couldn’t help but blurt out reactions one after another.
“Cute?”
“Xiang Yueting, are you even speaking human language right now?”
“You are truly fearless!”
“Confirmed from your eyes alone, Xiang Yueting—you clearly have a very different idea of what ‘cute’ means!”
Xiang Yueting quietly tried to defend himself: “Those teeny adorable eyes, the little forked tongue that darts in and out—how is that not cute?”
Seeing that everyone seemed terrified of snakes, Xiang Yueting turned to Shen Xiu, Shang Yu, and Song Chengwang, who had been silent the whole time. “Not cute?”
As someone who had mentally added +1 to the number of times he’d imagined assassinating Xiang Yueting, Shen Xiu wasn’t surprised by anything Xiang Yueting said or did anymore. He had successfully built up an immunity.
Besides, everyone had their own preferences—some mainstream, some niche. Shen Xiu simply said, “As long as you’re happy.”
As for whether it was cute or not, Shen Xiu realized he didn’t really have any feelings about it.
Shang Yu, who also kept snakes, nodded in agreement when he heard Xiang Yueting’s comment. “Yeah, cute.”
As someone who was afraid of both snakes and spiders, Song Chengwang shivered internally, but under everyone’s gaze, he forced himself to stay calm and said, “They’re alright.”
Xiang Yueting’s eyes lit up as he looked at Shang Yu—the only one present who had also called them cute. “I didn’t expect to find a fellow enthusiast here! After the show’s over, you’re totally welcome to come to my place and meet my little cuties!”
After speaking, Xiang Yueting realized his words might have been a bit ambiguous, and quickly turned to the other trainees: “Don’t get the wrong idea—I welcome you all too! But Shang Yu and I will just admire the cute little snakes ourselves. Once you’re at my place, feel free to do your own thing.”
Xiang Yueting truly liked snakes, so meeting a fellow enthusiast made him genuinely happy. He might call his snakes cute, but he would never force anyone who was afraid of them to look.
[Didn’t expect this—our Brother Ting actually likes snakes!]
[A husky who loves snakes instantly becomes Brother Ting… feels so real, hahaha]
[I get it now, I’m really scared too. Zhou Tong was right—Xiang Yueting is truly brave. And bravery makes him a real Brother Ting! (double standards unlocked)]
[Ahem, not gonna lie, I also love reptiles. I keep leopard geckos and knob-tailed geckos. Ahhhh, just thinking about my baby’s big eyes and smiling mouth makes me melt from the cuteness!]
The production team only told the trainees to open the locker with the number on their key—they didn’t specify an order.
During a break in conversation, the trainees instinctively lined up in numerical order.
Shen Xiu had locker #18. He was the only one from the Heaven group who had a double-digit number, which meant he was at the very end of the list. As a result, Shen Xiu ended up blending in among members of other groups.
While this spot wasn’t exactly last, it was somewhere in the middle—suiting Shen Xiu’s preference for staying under the radar.
What made Shen Xiu even happier was that everyone’s attention was focused ahead, curious about the lockers. Hardly anyone was looking at him.
None of the trainees knew what was inside the lockers. They craned their necks, eager to see what kind of “mystery boxes” their teammates had opened.
As one locker after another was opened, the trainees in the back reacted with a mix of speechlessness and surprise.
“A broom? The production team actually stuffed a broom in a locker as a mystery item? That’s some next-level trolling!”
“6—Shang Yu got handcuffs? The production team is really going all out.”
“Xiang Yueting pulled out a pair of feathered wings?! Damn, that’s awesome. So cool, I’m jealous!”
“WTF, handcuffs are one thing, but Song Chengwang got chains? What even is this show anymore?”
“Wait, is that… a fluffy fox tail?”
“A riding crop??? I’m about to lose it—this production team is insane!”
“That’s nothing—look, Lu Fei literally drew a rope.”
“I don’t know why, but the whole vibe is getting weird… and yet… I love watching this!”
Mu Zhenchu, standing behind Xia Wenhao, gasped, “Well, the good news is, it’s clear now—there’s nothing alive in the lockers. The bad news is, the stuff inside is totally bizarre. I don’t get it at all.”
Xia Wenhao turned and said bluntly, “Clearly you don’t watch enough of those headless abs-hot-guy videos. If you had, you’d get it.”
“Headless and hot? Aren’t headless people from horror stories? How can that be associated with attractive guys?”
Xia Wenhao sighed: “Tsk, you really don’t get it. If you don’t have a face like Shen Xiu, Shang Yu, or Song Chengwang, showing your face is basically a horror story for the audience. So, unless you look like one of them, if you don’t wanna lose followers, just stick to being a faceless torso guy, show off your abs. And if you don’t have their voice either, it’s best to stay silent—talking might ruin the illusion.”
Mu Zhenchu looked even more confused after hearing the explanation: “I really don’t understand what you guys are thinking.”
Behind Mu Zhenchu, Shen Xiu also had a giant question mark over his head: “?”
What’s all this about heads and no heads? And how did the three of them end up in this weird metaphor?
[Handcuffs, tails, chains… sisters, I can confirm—not only does the production team get us, but Xia Wenhao really gets us too. Hehe~ I don’t have many hobbies, just love watching hot guys wear a few props and shoot a few videos~]
[At this very moment, I desperately want to interview Xia Wenhao—how does he understand us so well?!]
[Darn it, it’s not snakes or spiders after all… but I’m still totally into the stuff they did draw, hehehe]
[Ahhhh there’s even fluffy paws—furry fans are THRIVING!]
[Hurry, hurry! What will Boss Xiu draw from his mystery box? I can’t wait any longer!]
[HAHAHA Lu Qian got a husky headpiece—I’m laughing myself to death! Lu Qian, you have to go ask Xiang Yueting if you two accidentally swapped keys, LOL]
With everyone burning with curiosity, after Xia Wenhao and Mu Zhenchu had their turn, it was finally Shen Xiu’s moment.
He stepped in front of locker #18, slid his key into the lock, and was just about to turn it—when He Ting suddenly darted up and blocked his way.
He Ting shoved a mic in Shen Xiu’s face: “Shen Xiu, out of the 17 people before you, whose item did you like the most—like, really want for yourself?”
Shen Xiu’s gaze shifted briefly toward the items in Shang Yu and Song Chengwang’s hands. Among the 17 previous contestants, only Shang Yu and Song Chengwang had drawn small items.
According to the law of attention, the smaller something is, the less visually arresting it is. Bigger items are more noticeable—let’s call them “attention bombs.”
Shen Xiu answered without a hint of hesitation: “Shang Yu and Song Chengwang.”
The moment the words left his mouth, everyone froze, staring at Shen Xiu’s calm expression. The scene fell into a deathly silence.
Shang Yu: “…”
Song Chengwang: “…”
He Ting: “…”
The audience: “…”
All the other trainees: “…”
On the surface, Shen Xiu’s answer sounded perfectly ordinary—until you remembered what items Shang Yu and Song Chengwang had drawn. Then suddenly, his answer exploded like a bomb.
At that moment, everyone had the same thought: Classic Shen Xiu—no shame at all about his preferences.
But then, everyone thought about it again—
This was Shen Xiu we were talking about. Was it really that surprising that someone like him would prefer items that symbolized absolute control?
Not surprising at all.
The crowd instantly calmed down.
The two people involved, Shang Yu and Song Chengwang, looked down at the items in their hands, then looked over at Shen Xiu. Their eyes met, and in that shared glance, both saw the same unspoken phrase: “As expected.”
It was Shen Xiu, after all. The choice made perfect sense—nothing weird about it.
[Exactly! That’s why he’s called Demon King Xiu. The ultimate S, through and through.]
[Top-tier Alpha energy is not just a rumor.]
[Boss Xiu really doesn’t hide anything, huh.]
[Seriously though, even a single strand of his hair radiates S-energy. You think he could hide it? If he could, he wouldn’t be Demon King Xiu.]
Meanwhile, Shen Xiu noticed the sudden change in atmosphere. Not only had everyone gone silent, but the way they were looking at him now felt… off.
“?”
Did I… say something wrong? Shen Xiu was genuinely confused.
Backstage.
Shi Buwen turned to the assistant director and asked, “What did we leave in locker #18 again?”
The assistant director pulled up the list and showed him.
After one glance, Shi Buwen let out a sigh: “Welp, not what we hoped for.”
“Not sure if Shen Xiu will like it, but I know the audience definitely will.”
On stage.
“Ahem…” He Ting cleared his throat, finally recovering from the awkward moment. “Well… good luck.”
Shen Xiu calmly replied, “Mm.”
Clack—the thin metal locker door swung open.
From the audience’s point of view, the inside looked pitch black—nothing was immediately visible.
But as Shen Xiu saw what was inside, the tension in his chest eased.
It suited him perfectly. Compared to the others, it was something small. Shen Xiu couldn’t even begin to imagine the nightmare scenario of drawing something like Xiang Yueting’s huge wings. That would’ve been mortifying.
Looked like his luck wasn’t bad this round—turns out “18” didn’t mean “go die” after all.
Shen Xiu reached into the compartment and swiftly pulled out the item placed at the very back.
As soon as the locker opened, both the audience and the other trainees locked their eyes on Shen Xiu’s every move, watching in anticipation.
All they saw were long, slender fingers—clean-cut and defined—reaching into the pitch-black space, and after a few seconds, effortlessly hooking out a black leather choker and a pair of black, furry wolf ears.
Trainees: “!”
Audience: “!!”
For one breathless second, the venue went dead silent—Then came an eruption of screams, cheers, and giddy gasps.
“Ahhh is this the legendary cold, arrogant wolf king?!”
“That aloof, untouchable wolf king wearing a choker on his neck—who can handle this?!”
“Are we just gonna ignore the choker?! The showrunners totally get us! I officially declare Youth Unstoppable my favorite program ever—mua, bomb kiss!”
“Help, just imagining Boss Xiu wearing that combo has me on my knees!”
[I just kicked open my coffin lid and sat up vertically!]
[S-Xiu likes stuff that symbolizes control—handcuffs—but ends up pulling the exact opposite. The irony? 10/10.]
One second he was pulling his draw out of the locker, the next—Shen Xiu was hit by an explosive wave of audience reactions.
Shen Xiu: “?”
What was going on?
Once again, he found himself utterly confused. He had no clue why the others—and the audience—were freaking out.
Feeling helpless, he clutched the items in his hand and slinked back to the Heaven group, hoping to vanish into the crowd like some background extra.
But when Lu Qian saw those long fingers casually hooked around the choker and wolf ears, and Shen Xiu—expressionless—walking step by step toward him…
He couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Shen Xiu didn’t pull the item he wanted—so, was he disappointed?
But… even though he was holding a pair of fuzzy animal ears, why was his Alpha aura still so overpowering?
Lu Qian had originally been standing next to Zhuang Yi, but the moment Shen Xiu walked over, he immediately swapped places with Zhuang.
Shen Xiu stood at the far end of the Heaven group. To his left was empty air, to his right was Shang Yu, then Song Chengwang next to Shang Yu, and finally Zhuang Yi—who had taken over Lu Qian’s original spot.
Zhuang Yi glanced sideways at Lu Qian with an expression that said:
“Dude, we’re two people apart. Why are you still flinching?”
Lu Qian gave him a sheepish grin and raised his hands in a pleading gesture.
[Help, my Xiao Qian being all timid is too cute!!]
[Lu Qian: The moment Boss Xiu started walking toward me, I was SCARED FOR MY LIFE]
[Qian-baby: Sorry Zhuang-zhuang, better you than me! Our friendship was always made of plastic anyway—this kind of sacrifice is necessary in the face of Boss Xiu]
While the rest of the trainees continued unlocking their mystery boxes, Shang Yu leaned in slightly and asked in a low voice:
“Do you like it?”
Shen Xiu looked at the items dangling from his fingers. Personally, he didn’t really like or dislike them—but they were small, and that was a win in his book.
He recalled the loud cheers from the audience when he pulled the items out—They clearly liked it.
So he answered simply, “Yeah. I like it.”
Shang Yu raised an eyebrow. Shen Xiu had clearly hesitated for a few seconds when he first saw the items. That hesitation? It screamed not his taste.
As expected—Shen Xiu didn’t like the feeling of being controlled. Even if it was just metaphorical, pulling out something that symbolized submission didn’t sit right with him.
Still, he answered “like,” because—well, it was already drawn. No returns, no exchanges. Might as well pretend to like it.
[Boss Xiu: sigh—I already pulled it, what can I even do at this point.]
[Help… sisters, has anyone else noticed that the items drawn by Shang Yu, Song Chengwang, and Shen Xiu look really weird when you combine them?]
[Material… we’ve just been handed gold~]
[Hehe, everyone’s almost done opening their boxes. Smart ol’ me already started screen recording—just waiting to catch the moment when Boss Xiu puts it on himself!]
[You’re so thoughtful, sis! Attention all video editors, come take a look here~]
[I can already feel it: after the third performance, the fan video accounts are gonna drop another wave of clips that make my grin uncontrollable. So curious what the trainees will feel when they see themselves starring in those kinds of videos~]
On stage, the last trainee finished opening their mystery box. The staff quickly came on and removed the now-empty boxes.
Seeing the boxes being taken away, the trainees had a bad feeling.
A second later, the host’s voice confirmed their fears:
“Why are you all frozen? The mystery boxes are open—put the stuff on! You’ve got three minutes. Timer starts now. Anyone not wearing their item after three minutes, please leave the stage.”
“Oh, and here’s a fun little update: until noon today—that is, until we finish this morning’s activities—you’ll all be wearing the item you drew.”
Mu Zhenchu looked down at the duck-egg-shaped blindfolds in his hands. Realizing he’d be stuck wearing them all morning, he sighed in despair: “I’m shutting down.”
Hearing that, Lu Qian turned around, lifting up his husky dog headgear with a haunted tone: “Shutting down? Look at mine. Can you feel the sound of my silence? It’s deafening.”
Mu Zhenchu laughed, trying to hold it in as he nodded: “Thanks. I feel it.”
Xiang Yueting put on his black wings and gave a dramatic “ugh,” then turned to Lu Qian and said: “Silence? You’ve still got plenty to say for someone supposedly speechless.”
Lu Qian: “…”
Great—his first instinct wasn’t to learn, but to learn how to beat someone up!
[Hahahaha bro please I’m begging you, stop talking! If you keep running your mouth, I’m afraid Qian-baby’s gonna hit you!]
[Lu Qian: The more I think about it, the angrier I get. I wanna hit someone!]
No matter what they drew, with the show’s rules in place, the trainees—whether they liked it or not—obediently put the items on.
Shen Xiu raised his arm, looked at what he was holding, and thought it was a collar meant for a puppy or kitten.
To free up his hands, Shen Xiu first put the wolf ears on his head. Then he undid the silver metal clasp and fastened the item around his neck.
Shen Xiu had never raised a cat or dog before, so he wasn’t very practiced at putting it on—it was a bit slow.
Because he lacked experience, he accidentally fastened it too tightly. Shen Xiu couldn’t help but tug at it briefly to loosen it a little before finally letting go and looking toward the audience.
It was so small, and the presence was kind of subtle. He personally liked it a lot, but he wasn’t sure if the audience could see it clearly.
Shen Xiu’s searching gaze fell on the audience.
To the viewers, what they saw was Shen Xiu casually placing the wolf ears on his head with one hand. Then, with his eyes lowered slightly, his expression indifferent, he slowly undid the silver clasp with his long, slender fingers.
Next, he tilted his chin up slightly, gracefully fastened the item around his slender neck, and slowly buckled the clasp.
Once it was on, Shen Xiu slightly furrowed his brow and tugged at it lightly with one hooked finger, exuding a defiant, untamed aura.
In the close-up shots of the livestream, the veins on the back of Shen Xiu’s hand stood out clearly, his long fingers entangled with the black choker.
Especially at the very end, when he finished tugging, lowered his hand, and looked up—the moment his cold, piercing gaze met the audience’s, his presence exploded.
The whole process of Shen Xiu putting on the choker didn’t feel like he was wearing an accessory—it felt like he was seducing the crowd.
A wave of enthusiastic reactions instantly erupted at the scene.
“Ahhh my heart!!!”
“I declare it now—today is Wolf King Xiu!”
“Shen Xiu forever, Shen Xiu is a god forever!!!”
[I don’t know why, but watching Boss Xiu put on that choker made my heart race out of control…]
[Heart racing? My eyes turned red. He’s too bewitching—this is clearly the production team spoiling us!]
[Red eyes? My tears of emotion are flowing straight out of my mouth! Those wolf ears look so exquisite and high-end. The show clearly poured money into this. They look so fluffy and real, but even so, they don’t look cute on Boss Xiu—on him, they give off a chilling, dangerous aura.]
[The proud, untouchable Wolf King willingly submitting at my feet, wearing that defiant, arrogant expression, and putting the collar on himself before my very eyes…]
[That description is god-tier! Sister, I’ve already bought you a 24k gold pen—write it down, write it for me! Don’t make me get on my knees and beg you!]
Song Chengwang looked at what he had in his hands and figured there was no way to wear it properly. After some thought, he wrapped it around his palm and the back of his hand.
Shang Yu couldn’t exactly wear the item on both hands—he’d look like a prisoner. Since the show only required it to be worn on the body, with no rules about how or how much, he exploited the loophole and only wore it on one hand.
Xiang Yueting didn’t even need the host’s prompt. The moment he received his black wings, he was grinning from ear to ear and immediately strapped them on his back.
The show’s props were all high-quality—those black wings had detailed textures and soft, fluffy feathers. They looked downright cool.
But that cool, dramatic pair of wings combined with Xiang Yueting’s beaming, goofy grin? Comedy gold.
“Lock me in! Lock me and President Shang together and throw the key into the ocean!”
“Brother Ha, listen to me—maybe you should swap props with Lu Qian after all, hahahaha!”
“I’m dying—his eyes have turned into two marinated eggs. Zhou Tong, have you turned into an Ultraman or what? Hahahaha!”
[Confirmed with a glance—President Shang is definitely trying to seduce. I even have proof! Look at the empty side next to him—that’s clearly where he wants to lock me in with him forever!]
[Now that you mention it… I suspect Brother Wang wants to go down the action star route. Isn’t there that classic movie scene where the martial arts hero wraps a chain around his hand to fight? He must be acting! Are there any directors watching? Please, look at my Brother Wang! Let him fight shirtless on screen!]
[That level of scheming—I could hear it all the way from Haitang Bay.]
[Qian-baby quietly standing there with a husky headpiece, and Xiang Yueting wearing his cool wings but grinning like a rich landlord’s foolish son—my stomach hurts from laughing, hahahaha!]
Once all 36 trainees had either worn or placed their randomly drawn props, the studio erupted in lively chatter and delighted shrieks.
Amid the enthusiastic cheers, social butterfly Xiang Yueting strutted across the stage, proudly displaying his wings.
What really caught Shen Xiu off guard, though, was seeing the usually shy Lu Qian—now donning a cool husky headpiece—completely let loose. He ran hand in hand with Xiang Yueting, making laps around the stage.
Elsewhere, Lu Fei, who’d drawn a whip, was chasing other trainees around like a stern instructor.
Even the serious Song Chengwang, with the chain wrapped around his hands, took a fighting stance like he was about to box with Shang Yu. Of course, that lasted less than five seconds before Shang Yu twisted his arms behind his back in a mock takedown.
Scenes like that played out one after another—the stage was utter chaos.
Standing there not knowing what to do, Shen Xiu spaced out: “……”
‘A whole stage full of extroverts. I can’t deal with this.’
Hearing the audience’s bursts of joyful laughter, Shen Xiu could tell—they were enjoying the show.
Should he join the others and run around on stage too? But no one was chasing him. If he suddenly started running on his own, would it look weird?
Before Shen Xiu could figure out a natural, non-awkward way to join in the fun and entertain the audience, He Ting’s voice rang out again.
“Alright, alright! Whether you’re our beloved audience members or our trainees who’ve finally shown their true colors—pause for a moment. We’ve got something important to announce.”
The trainees didn’t need to worry. The production team knew how to cater to the audience’s tastes, and the audience, happy to be entertained, quickly cooperated and quieted down.
Once the room had fallen completely silent and the trainees had returned to their original positions, He Ting continued:
“For the third performance round, it will be you—both our live audience and our viewers in the livestream—who will decide the group matchups!”
The audience gets to decide which group faces which?!
The trainees, who had just been goofing off a moment ago, were stunned into silence.
Not even a drawing of lots this time—the groups were to be assigned entirely by the audience? Was the production team trying to mess with them to death?
The audience, on the other hand, was thrilled by the news.
“What?! We get to decide?!”
“Oh my god, I didn’t expect to have this kind of power. Let me think… Which groups should go head-to-head?”
