Chapter 61: End of Second Performance
After the round of endings, the five members of Group A for Crane Bell stood up, gasping for breath, amid the thunderous calls and screams from the audience.
The dance was bold and explosive in style, requiring both strength and grace. Everyone had been practically living in the practice room for two weeks, coming early and leaving late.
It was like they had treated the second elimination round as a life-or-death battle—giving it everything they had.
Thankfully, he delivered the best stage performance.
Mao Ding was breathing heavily. The itchy patch on his back seemed to have vanished; he couldn’t feel anything. But he couldn’t stop the tears from welling up.
A mist of emotion blurred Mao Ding’s vision.
Through the haze, he saw Yue Zhaolin, and the chants of “Yue Zhaolin” from the crowd began to flood his ears.
Excitement, gratitude, and some unnamed emotions all tangled together.
As soon as he started crying, Shu Yang and Orleans immediately came over—offering comfort, it seemed—but just a second later, Yue Zhaolin also walked over to his side.
Having danced with everything he had, Mao Ding’s mind was short-circuiting. He didn’t know what to say. His lips quivered: “I’m sorry…”
It should’ve been Yue Zhaolin’s moment in the spotlight, yet here he was, crying at the wrong time—like he was stealing attention.
His emotions were overwhelming. As he exhaled, a bubble of snot popped out of his nose. So embarrassing!
Before he could say anything else, in the midst of the noise, Yue Zhaolin pulled him along with the rest of their teammates, and they bowed deeply and sincerely toward the audience.
In his dazed state, he heard someone say—
“You did really well.”
…
Below the stage, the PD and five mentors also broke into smiles, hearing the persistent cheers echoing through the studio.
When Yue Zhaolin stood back up, Li Ying picked up the mic and let out a long breath. “If the full score is ten, I’d give this performance a twelve.”
“Thank you, PD.”
Rap mentor Verse followed up immediately:
“I’m no expert in dance, but your stage felt more real than fight scenes in TV dramas.”
Shu Yang was startled.
If that line made it into the final broadcast, netizens were definitely going to use it to throw shade—especially those fans of certain costume idol dramas with weak fight choreography. It would instantly spark a war of words.
But Verse’s comment also fit the persona of a rapper—after all, the golden rule of the rap world is keep real.
Chu Li: “……”
Since he had plans to enter the costume drama field in the future, he decided to stay quiet for now and just forced an awkward smile.
One of the dance mentors, Ni Yanzhen, quickly picked up the mic to steer the conversation away: “Your choreography was excellent.”
“Especially the battle segment in the middle—several of those high-difficulty moves were both powerful and beautiful. I never would’ve guessed you’d only been training for less than two weeks.”
For some people, the rap motto keep real was just that—a motto.
Take Verse for example. He regularly dissed traffic-driven idols, yet still relied on traffic himself. Comments like this were calculated—to reinforce his real image once the episode aired.
If Yue Zhaolin responded, he’d be dragged straight into a bigger public opinion mess.
Both Ni Yanzhen and Yue Zhaolin were artists under Xingqiong, and as his senior, she had no intention of letting him step on that landmine.
In the audience, Peng Tao also felt that the rap mentor’s words were off somehow—but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
As the saying goes, she was “missing her soul”—her body was still here, but her soul had already flown away… with Yue Zhaolin.
Up on stage, Yue Zhaolin was speaking.
“For the stage of Crane Bell, from choreography and styling to stage design, all of my teammates put in a lot of heart and effort.”
“The stage wasn’t perfect, but I hope that all the Starlight Producers here and watching from home were able to enjoy it with us.”
His smile deepened slightly, and he softly added, “See you on stage next time.”
—
Outside the venue, Xu Mingmei, who had been waiting from sunrise to sunset, finally saw the crowd begin to disperse. She craned her neck and spotted Peng Tao in the sea of people.
“My kid is about to starve to death waiting—hurry up and tell me, what’s the vibe of the second performance?”
As she spoke, Xu Mingmei handed her best friend a hamburger takeout meal she’d prepared in advance. Three or four hours of recording was no joke—she had to be hungry by now.
Peng Tao: “…I think I… lost my memory?”
The impact of the sword dance was just too strong. She hadn’t properly registered anything that came after it—her brain had been running wild with thoughts. And now that she was out… it was like amnesia.
Why did all the stage details feel fuzzy? Was there something wrong with her head?!
Xu Mingmei: “???”
What do you mean, lost your memory?
Xu Mingmei let out a dramatic shriek and grabbed Peng Tao in a bear hug—she had to jog her memory.
Who was the one that patted her chest so confidently before entering and said, “Relax, leave it to me”?!
—
Later that night.
In the “Moonlight Shop” WeChat group (500 members):
The group owner posted a Weibo link:
[@TideAndMoonCandyShop: A compiled set of detailed stage repo (report), available in the comments!]
[Aaaa I didn’t even know what a “repo” was before I started stanning, but this one? This one was truly satisfying to read—]
[Just got off work and only now found out that the second stage was historical style. And not just any historical style, but the kind that taps into the deepest instincts of every Chinese person’s DNA—ha… white hair, youthful face, sword dance…]
[What’s a five-digit ticket price… what’s a denied leave request from my boss… I should’ve gone to the live show… now I’m triple-ordering midnight snacks out of regret]
[Too damn good]
[That opening segment was actually… romantic…]
[Who trained Yue Zhaolin to be like this?! He used to blush when teased, and now he doesn’t even flinch? — Oh, it was Tide? Never mind then.]
[The innocence is gone, hehe.]
[Tide was giggling on site, and it turned me into a giggling idiot in front of my screen too. Just left the novice village and already ran into a top-tier succubus—no match, defeated.]
[Super Topics are practically worn out. A few of the repo are just insane. Sharing one here:]
.
[@YueZhaolin’sBiteBlocker：
Just got out of the venue—couldn’t wait to write a quick repo.
First off, the entrance:
After a brief self-introduction, there was a hiccup with the music. This man just ignored his groupmates and casually played out a whole couple skit with Tide—teasing, coaxing, a combo move that flirted the entire audience into oblivion.
It was basically a public display of affection. ♀️
On top of that, he performed a sword move that wasn’t even in the official choreography. So I’m sure he learned it in advance.
One teammate said there was almost no rest during rehearsals—they were this close to sleeping in the practice room. And yet he still took time to learn that move.
So who, during exhausting rehearsals, was still thinking about surprising Tide?
Gee, I wonder who??]
[Wow, that interpretation is delicious.]
[I heard his teammates’ reactions were also tasty—but not sure if it’s true.]
[Why does the Moon attract dream-girls? This right here… Nothing more to say. They’re dating. They’re happy.]
[Some fallen-from-grace idols’ girlfriends are all in bed. Yue Zhaolin’s girlfriends are all in the audience. (Sorry, couldn’t help the sharp take)]
[Never thought I’d one day be happy in a multi-lover poly relationship… and yet, here I am.]
[Completely understandable.]
.
[Also—
@HoldingATaroBobaForTheMoon：
He walked on stage in that outfit, and without saying a word, he looked like a cool, aloof immortal from beyond the mortal realm—just like Yan Bisheng, the emotionless sword cultivator from those xianxia novels.
Everyone knows people just want to climb the mountain to pluck the cold aloof flower. But the second he glanced over… that thought completely shattered.
He’s just like his name—meant to remain high above, untouchable.
But when I shamelessly tried to get close, what came at me was both a glare and a flirtatious look.
The scent on his hand hit me even before the slap did. ]
[Pfft]
[This is absolutely reverse-su…]
[Wait, what’s that?]
[Easiest way to explain: regular “su” fans see Zhaolin as their husband. Reverse-su fans? They see him as their wife.]
[Zhaolin has always been gentle to fans, never cold-faced—but that just makes some people crave a little… edge ]
[From all the little details, Yue Zhaolin is actually really pure. But Tide just loves to bring the spice. Bilibili’s front page is full of trippy, sensual edits now (lol).]
[That “Twins × Me” dream-girl style edit really hit though… so good.]
[If you don’t get dirty thoughts about Yue Zhaolin, are you even human?]
[Copying for emphasis: If you don’t get dirty thoughts about Yue Zhaolin, are you even human?]
[In those fan edits, I’ll be the one to make Yue Zhaolin blush, the one to make him cry—and definitely the one to take advantage when he’s vulnerable.]
[Perfect. Tonight, I’ll be dreaming of the beautiful sword master.]
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[@LuckyIn2024：
Documenting my first ever time following a star offline, and also my first time becoming a fan.
I never used to understand what people meant by “stage presence”—but now I do.
If the first performance was a kind of sexy, in-between vibe of a boy turning into a young man, then the second one completely shed that style and redefined the stage.
He wore silver-white traditional costume, with a stunning figure. The outermost layer had subtle patterns, and when he moved, the hem fluttered like a flower.
I won’t spoil the sword dance in detail, but his posture, the pacing of his steps, everything was so different from the first performance.
All those subtle, easily overlooked details felt like his way of connecting and communicating with the audience—both those in the venue and those watching from afar.
That’s what kicked me straight into the pit.]
[Wow, is this the birth of a ride-or-die fan?]
[Once you stan Yue Zhaolin, it’s hard not to become a solo stan. He’s so genuine in every stage—it melts your heart.]
[Anyone who attends offline events ends up getting addicted to being a Tide. Yue Zhaolin = the God of offline events.]
[Having your first ever idol experience be Yue Zhaolin? That’s the dream. Who gets that lucky?]
[He gains fans just by showing his face. Who else can do that?]
[He’s the kind of natural beauty who outshines everyone in unedited pics, with both flawless bone structure and perfect features.
He’s untouchable in the “idol’s girlfriend” bot rankings.
And in the rumor bot? Only fake scandals can be used to try and drag him—he’s a lotus boy through and through.]
[A visible progress arc. No dark history. Pure type. Expert-level fan-flirter. This? This is truly satisfying.]
[One more thing—he’s not one of those “escaped the 9-year education system” fish. Our Xiao Yue? He’s a college student, thank you very much.]
[This one’s already a rare species in the entertainment industry.]
[Just thinking about how Yue Zhaolin also probably stressed over the CET-4 and CET-6 English exams makes me feel a weird college student solidarity. A true match made in heaven (not really lol).]
[That behind-the-scenes clip where he was chatting with Etienne showed that Yue Zhaolin’s vocabulary is actually pretty good—I only remember him saying “abandon” though.]
[Yet the haters still drag him for having an accent.]
[Classic.]
[Etienne speaks with a super heavy French accent, but no one’s judging him, huh?]
[You’re just staring at Yue Zhaolin all day. Doesn’t it piss you off eventually?
Our big fan account alone has more followers than his anti’s main idol has active fans.]
[The Melon Group has been triggered for so long.
Our Moon is now practically banned from their threads—no one brings him up, no one discusses him, they just pretend he doesn’t exist. Classic case of plugging your ears and pretending there’s no sound.]
[The comment upstairs? Golden.]
[By the way, episode 6 drops at 8pm—it’s the first elimination round, right? Is anyone planning to watch?]
[I’m not. Don’t have the patience for ugly people. Gonna wait for fan pages to upload Yue Zhaolin’s solo cuts.]
[Tomorrow’s the weekend, no work—got chicken neck bones and barbecue on standby. Gonna eat while I watch.]
[They say elimination, but honestly I don’t even know most of the contestants.]
[Same. I only know a few: Moocher Chi, Crown Prince Ying, Ancient Style Chu, Leech Meng, plus Emo Boy, Mango, and Monkey.]
[Add Tan Shen to that list too.]
[Those first few have been constantly trying to push CP content. Every time the show drops a behind-the-scenes or a mini-variety bit, one of them randomly latches onto Zhaolin like some clingy patch of duct tape.]
[Yue Zhaolin and his clingy “husbands.”]
[↑This right here is reverse-su.]