187: The silence dried

The production team was starting to wonder if Shen Lian had a grudge against Xiao Weiran; otherwise, why was he constantly going against him?

That wasn't the case at all; Shen Lian was purely following his heart.

In the subsequent PKs, there were times when Shen Lian made the same choices as Xiao Weiran. It had to be said that Teacher Shen really looked out for the audience's eyes; every vote he cast was firm and honest. Two rounds went into overtime because of his single vote, and once the audience got involved, the so-called resource-backed celebrities stood no chance.

They wanted him to be the villain. Shen Lian chuckled—how could it be such a coincidence? Several times it was six to five, seemingly giving him the power of choice, but in reality, according to the production team's instructions, once he synchronized with Xiao Weiran, it would look to the audience like he was the one eliminating the contestants.

Among those who almost got eliminated were a few with particularly good public reputations. If he had actually done it, Shen Lian could imagine how much his own reputation would have collapsed once the show aired.

So Shen Lian refused to do it; they hadn't mentioned any of this before he came.

Besides, this episode should have enough highlights already. After all, three resource-backed celebrities were eliminated; he just didn't know how they would write the script for what came next.

In the final resurrection round, all the eliminated contestants took the stage one by one. Afterward, the audience and the teachers voted together. However, the teachers' votes carried more weight—one vote added thirty points, while the audience votes were one point each. Once the backstage statistics were finished, they were displayed on the big screen, simple and clear.

The highlight of the resurrection round was that eliminated contestants could seek off-field assistance. As long as the chosen teacher didn't refuse, they could compete together. This method was also an indirect test of the teachers' level and ability.

By this point, there wasn't much left for Shen Lian to do. He checked the time; it would probably wrap up before eight o'clock.

In fact, the production team still wanted to stir up trouble. The director even went to find Hu Kailan, saying they could add a segment where Shen Lian and Xiao Weiran showed off their talents. After all, the tension between the two was already there. Hu Kailan listened quietly and then offered a sincere suggestion: "How about this instead? Let's add a segment where you and I PK. The show's director and Shen Lian's Agent—now that's a highlight. I'll sacrifice my dignity and burn myself for the show's ratings, how about that?"

Director: "..."

Hu Kailan had a sort of aesthetic of calm madness; the director left with a long face.

It was ridiculous. Show off talents? Shen Lian was an actor; could he beat Xiao Weiran in that area?

When it was time to clock out, Shen Lian went backstage to change. When he came out, he reluctantly took off his rainbow wig and returned it to the makeup artist.

The makeup artist saw his expression and said, "I can give it to you..."

"No need." Shen Lian sighed. "My partner at home probably wouldn't tolerate it."

Shen Lian spoke with great emotion. The makeup artist froze for a moment before replying, "Teacher Shen, you really know how to joke."

Shen Lian was already used to this; no one believed he had a lover.

Coming out of the dressing room, Shen Lian looked up and saw Fan Xi, who had been waiting for a long time.

Today, Fan Xi's fate had been rewritten. His skill provided the hard points, but his luck had indeed been reversed by Shen Lian.

"Teacher Shen!" Fan Xi bowed deeply. "Thank you!"

"It's nothing, no need for thanks," Shen Lian said with a smile. "Isn't that what special guests are for? Your dance is very moving. Keep up the good work!"

This was all Shen Lian could do, but for Fan Xi, it was enough. Many years later, when Fan Xi became a premier master in the dance world, he still clearly remembered Shen Lian's expression and tone when he said those words today.

Hu Kailan was waiting for Shen Lian at the exit and saw Fan Xi.

"What did he want with you?"

"Just to say thanks," Shen Lian said. "He's a good kid."

Hu Kailan grew wary. "You didn't go around recklessly releasing pheromones, did you?"

Shen Lian: "...You haven't been bought off by Chu Yilan to act as his little spy, have you?"

"Bullshit. I have a knife to my throat; my survival instinct is just through the roof," Hu Kailan said, emphasizing every word.

Shen Lian smiled.

When Shen Lian returned home, Aunt Fen had left some soup and rice for him—two simple, refreshing, and appetizing dishes. He was almost finished eating when Chu Yilan arrived home.

"You're so late," Shen Lian said, his voice a bit muffled by food.

"You're not early either." Chu Yilan frowned. "What time is it that you're just now eating?"

"Between the overtime and the resurrection rounds, it took quite a while," Shen Lian explained. "Have you eaten?"

"I've eaten." As Chu Yilan spoke, he walked over to Shen Lian's side and reached out to gently ruffle his soft hair twice.

"I didn't dye it; that really was a wig, don't worry." Shen Lian finished his last sip of soup.

Chu Yilan paused. "You only took one selfie?"

"Yeah." Shen Lian answered before realizing something was off. Soon, his expression turned teasing as he looked back at Chu Yilan. "So you *did* like it."

Chu Yilan didn't respond.

"Just one, but don't worry. There will definitely be some experts taking screenshots. That look of mine was cool and explosive," Shen Lian added.

This wasn't an empty boast. After all, when the show aired a week later, Shen Lian indeed trended on social media like a bombshell.

[Wow, it's been so many years. I've never seen it, I've really never seen it.]

[I never expected that one day, a rainbow-haired biker suit would appear on my list of fetishes... Save me!!!]

[Is this the legendary 'having a face so good you can do whatever you want'?]

[Isn't this a bit too reckless? I suggest locking me and Shen Lian in a room together so I can have a good talk with him.]

Setting aside the online comments, Chu Yilan happened to be working overtime at the company when the show aired. He thought the rainbow hair was the limit, but he hadn't expected Shen Lian to also accept a studded biker suit. Put it this way: even during Feng Yueshan's wildest years when he loved riding his motorcycle all over the world, if he had dared to stand before Chu Yilan dressed like that, he would have been beaten.

It wasn't that Chu Yilan couldn't accept new things; it was just that he had a certain rigidity bred into his bones from his traditional, elite upbringing.

But at this moment, as he stared at Shen Lian's long legs, he was somewhat speechless.

Chu Yilan instinctively reached for a drawer. Inside was a pack of good cigarettes—spares, for when business partners occasionally visited. But thinking of Shen Lian's reminder, Chu Yilan restrained himself. Forget it; he'd look at a document to calm down.

He did pull out a document, but then Master Chu had a second thought. No, the show wasn't over yet. As Shen Lian's partner, he had to contribute to the ratings.

As if the show was missing just his one view.

When Sun Binghe entered, he saw his boss with a cigarette in his mouth, unlit. The craving must have been heavy; otherwise, he wouldn't be like this.

As he got closer, Sun Binghe noticed that Chu Yilan's gaze was intensely dark.

"Teacher Shen, Teacher Shen..."

The host's excited voice came from the computer, and Sun Binghe understood.

Assistant Sun hadn't seen Shen Lian's look yet, so he couldn't help for the moment. He simply said, "Boss, the gift for Old Mr. Feng's birthday banquet is ready. Will you be going in person?"

"Yes," Chu Yilan replied. "I'll take Shen Lian with me."

"Right." Before Sun Binghe could leave, Chu Yilan called him back. "Go to that whatever super topic square and save all those photos."

"Okay." Sun Binghe wondered if Teacher Shen had released some divine photos again.

The result was that as soon as he entered the square, Assistant Sun's silence was dried up.