Chapter 72: Caught in the Rain
Afterward, Shen Cheng offers words of encouragement to Su Jinli.
Then, he says, "I always see topics about brothers An Zhiyan and An Zhihan on the trending list, and fans praising their exceptional looks. I just want to say that our looks aren't too shabby either."
Finally, he flashes a perfect smile at the camera, concluding his speech.
An Zhiyan watches the video intently, trying to remain calm. But in the end, he can't help laughing. He picks up the microphone and says, "A subtle provocation at the end there."
He then turns to look at Su Jinli, who has his head slightly lowered.
At this moment, a light rain begins to fall, and raindrops keep coming down.
None of the contestants on stage have umbrellas or any form of protection against the rain, and Su Jinli gets soaked as well.
"Although my little brother might not be as extraordinary as yours, the older brother is not to be underestimated!" An Zhiyan declares. This elicits laughter and cheers from the audience, and even some whistling.
Unfazed, An Zhiyan instructs the contestants to leave the stage and follows them down.
At the side of the stage, makeup artists start touching up their makeup and wiping the rain off their faces.
An Zhiyan addresses the producers through his earpiece, "We might need some help from the judges, and if it's too much, we can consider changing the order of appearance. Su Jinli isn't in a good state."
"Is it a health issue?" An inquiry comes from the earpiece.
"Yes. The rain seems to have affected him. I'll be on stage shortly."
The voice of Gu Ju comes through the earpiece, "If the production team can find my music, I can step in and sing a couple of songs."
To make such an impromptu save without rehearsal, only those with real talent dare to try it.
"Thank you," An Zhiyan responds, suddenly appreciating Gu Ju more.
Having made these arrangements, An Zhiyan takes Su Jinli back to their makeup room.
As soon as they enter, he sees uncontrollable fish scales appearing on Su Jinli's skin and it's clear that he's on the verge of tears.
"I'll try to arrange for an umbrella for you, or you could go up in a raincoat," An Zhiyan offers, while handing Su Jinli a towel to dry off.
"But no one else has those. I can't be a standout!"
"What's the alternative then – let everyone find out you're a fish?"
In his distress, Su Jinli suddenly lunges at An Zhiyan, grasping his clothes without any explanation and kisses him.
An Zhiyan now understands what Su Jinli needs to do and offers no resistance. Instead, he wraps his arms around Su Jinli, lending him support.
During this energy transfusion, Su Jinli, out of urgency, takes in more than he had previously. This is the first time An Zhiyan truly realizes that Su Jinli is, in reality, a supernatural being.
This is also the first instance when An Zhiyan experiences such an intense sensation; it's slightly uncomfortable, but he can still endure it.
As long as Su Jinli is okay.
With an adequate supply of An Zhiyan's energy, Su Jinli gradually recovers the magic power he had exhausted earlier. However, due to the haste and amount he absorbed, he develops a headache, frowning slightly in response.
Yet, An Zhiyan's tender kisses seem to have a soothing effect, and Su Jinli gradually starts to feel better.
The process lasts for about five minutes, after which An Zhiyan's earpiece comes alive with voice updates, saying that Gu Ju is halfway through his second song and asking about An Zhiyan's condition on this side.
He gently pushes Su Jinli away, and after Su Jinli wipes his lips, he asks, "Are you able to go on stage?"
Su Jinli ponders for a moment and then answers, "I think I can."
"Once you finish the performance, return to my makeup room, lock the door from inside. Don't open it for anyone. After it's all over, you can come back on stage. If you're not feeling right at that time, I'll explain it to the audience. Understood?"
"Okay."
Only then does An Zhiyan respond through his earpiece, "We're okay now, we're heading back."
When they both came out, Lily was waiting at the door. Without uttering a word, she pulled out a lipstick from her pocket to touch up their makeup.
After the end of Gu Ju's performance, An Zhiyan went on the stage, interacted with Gu Ju, and then introduced the next program, letting Su Jinli perform.
In this round, Su Jinli was singing a popular song that required simultaneous dancing.
Now, the stage was drenched in rain, and it was pouring heavier. Within a short span, Su Jinli was already soaking wet.
Nonetheless, there were no issues with his breath control during his performance, and the dance moves were accurately performed.
The rain added a visually impactful effect to Su Jinli's performance. His white shirt, drenched by the rain, had become translucent, hugging his body and revealing his admirable physique.
While performing, Su Jinli improvised his movements, kicking up the accumulated water on the stage, and using his magic to manage the water splashes, creating a stunning visual equal to blossoming flowers beside him.
At the end of the entire performance, Su Jinli stood on the stage, holding the final pose and breathing heavily.
He had utilized all his magical power for this performance and was barely able to hang on.
The dance sequences left him exhausted.
An Zhiyan stepped onto the stage, removing his suit jacket while walking and draped it over Su Jinli.
He then held the microphone to rally for votes for Su Jinli: "He has been unwell recently, and this sudden rain was quite unexpected. He's barely recovered from his sore throat, and his body hasn't entirely recuperated. Performing now is like taking a risk. Would you like to say something to our audience?"
Su Jinli, steadying his breath with a microphone in his hand, finally spoke, "Are you all cold?"
"Soooo cold!"
"Take care."
"Little Fish, we love you!"
"Make sure to take a hot shower once you return home. It will boost your metabolism. Drink more hot water, have some ginger tea, and be good to yourself," Su Jinli continued.
"I am trying to help you garner votes," An Zhiyan reminded him helplessly.
"Yes, you need to be healthy to continue loving me."
"Okay, you may go down now, I doubt I'll get more from you. Who's the next performer? Everyone knows, right?" An Zhiyan quickly wrapped up this round of the interview and pushed Su Jinli to leave quickly.
Without wasting any time, Su Jinli ran back to the backstage and entered An Zhiyan's dressing room as instructed. Immediately, he collapsed onto the carpet, gasping heavily. Fish scales gradually began appearing on his body.
Luckily, he managed to hold on.
And luckily, An Zhiyan was there.
After Su Jinli has been lying on the ground for some time, An Zhiyan entered the room with a key, promptly closing and locking the door behind him.
Upon entering, An Zhiyan immediately helped Su Jinli remove his drenched clothes and covered Su with a large bath towel, helping him dry off.
After a pause, An Zhiyan also removed Su's trousers, leaving him in his underwear, and continued helping him dry off.
"So cold," Su Jinli mumbled, his voice trembling.
Su Jinli hated the cold. Usually, he transformed into a fish shape during his swimming time. This was his first time staying in rain for so long while dancing in his human form.
Seeing him in distress, An Zhiyan knelt down, removed Su's socks, and tucked his freezing feet into his own clothing, precisely at his belly area. He held on and comforted, "It’s okay, you'll feel better in a bit."
"Don’t you have to host?" Su Jinli asked.
An Zhiyan nodded but felt uneasy leaving Su Jinli in such a state. After a moment of hesitation, he prioritized the bigger picture.
He released Su Jinli's feet, lifted him onto the couch, and covered him with a blanket, saying, "Sleep for a bit, I’ll get you excused. Be good."
"Mm." Su Jinli awkwardly responded, nestling into the blanket.
An Zhiyan didn't come back midway as he was afraid he wouldn't be able to leave Su Jinli and return to the stage.
When it came to the final vote count, An Zhiyan did not call Su Jinli. Instead, he explained to the audience that Su Jinli had health issues and was currently not feeling well, and thus, couldn't perform anymore.
Knowing that Su Jinli had been injured before, everyone accepted the situation with understanding.
In the end, Wu Yu's brilliant performance of his second song won him the most votes, placing first, with Su Jinli coming in second.
Astoundingly, the gap between the two was just three votes!
Wei Jiayu, the female contestant, maintained her strong performance and secured third place.
An Zhihan, being the young master he is, disappointed in his rain-soaked condition and ended up dropping to sixth place.
It was Fan Qianting who rose to seventh place, while Chang Siyin maintained the ninth spot, and Zhang Caini reached tenth place.
After the show, An Zhihan wanted to care for Su Jinli but was too disheveled himself. He left with a blanket under Jiang Pingqiu's escort.
An Zhiyan greeted the others and told them he would take care of Su Jinli, and no one questioned further.
In reality, An Zhiyan had been standing in the rain the longest. He went in and out of the rain multiple times, all while maintaining a smile as the host.
The audience had paid for their tickets, and everyone hoped to avoid a disheveled appearance when the show was broadcast, so An Zhiyan meticulously maintained his composure.
Truth be told, An Zhiyan was a truly persevering artist, capable of enduring grueling conditions and harsh environments, as long as his work was satisfactory.
However, he couldn't bear to see the person he cared about suffer.
Seeing An Zhihan's uncomfortable state, An Zhiyan allowed Jiang Pingqiu to take care of him for once. He, on the other hand, personally took care of Su Jinli.
Returning to his dressing room, An Zhiyan entered and saw Su Jinli still cocooned in the covers, resting.
After entering, he shed his wet clothes, dried himself, and changed into fresh attire.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door from a member of the program team with the hot milk tea he ordered.
There were two servings of the tea. An Zhiyan took them, placed both cups in Su Jinli's covers, took a hairdryer, and went to Su Jinli's side to help him dry his hair.
Sheltering under the covers, Su Jinli shakily held his milk tea, positioned the straw and then knee-sat on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, drinking his tea.
An Zhiyan moved closer to him. While blow-drying Su Jinli's hair, he glanced at his body. The scales had disappeared.
However, he quickly averted his eyes.
Since Su Jinli was still only wearing underwear.
________________________
Author's note:
An Zhiyan murmured to himself: Act like a gentleman, after all, it's not like this is the first time you've seen this...
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter
or purchase bulk advanced chapters here
No comments:
Post a Comment