"Year 2 Class 3, dance <X>," the host announced.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the entire class 3 erupted in cheers from the audience. The sound wave traveled from the back rows to the front, "Ohhhhh!"

A few people started screaming, and at first, the screams were sparse. But then, the lights surrounding the audience gradually dimmed from the front row to the back, leaving only dozens of spotlights shining down on the stage from various angles, blindingly bright.

"Take a deep breath," He Chao stood up and said, "Sports committee representative, you're shaking all over, what are you afraid of?"

Luo Wenqiang took two deep breaths, but he was still trembling. "I can't do it, I..."

"A man shouldn't say he can't do it."

"But I really can't..."

As Luo Wenqiang was about to finish his sentence, he heard Xie Yu say, "Or we could just beat him up to calm him down?"

Xie Yu was adjusting his cuffs and didn't even bother to look up.

Luo Wenqiang believed that this guy wasn't joking. He really thought that "beating someone up" was the best solution. If one beating didn't work, then two would do.

"No need, Brother Yu. Thank you," Luo Wenqiang suddenly felt his hands stop shaking. His survival instinct helped him calm down. "I believe in myself. I can handle this. I'm a man, after all."

He Chao had his arm around Xie Yu's waist and chuckled when he heard Luo Wenqiang's words. He leaned in and whispered in Xie Yu's ear, "You're pretty good."

Xie Yu took two steps forward, and He Chao's hand went from a light touch to an awkward grab. "Can you stop touching me, damn it?"

Xu Jing took the lead, and she and Xu Qingqing tied their hair into high ponytails, a simple yet stylish hairstyle. At noon, the two of them secretly changed their looks in the bathroom, tucking their shirts into their pants to make their legs appear longer.

A group of people marched confidently along the side steps towards the stage.

Xie Yu walked at the back, not wanting to squeeze onto the steps with them. He estimated that the stage wasn't too high, so he simply flipped himself up with one hand on the stage floor.

As he did so, his shirt lifted up, revealing half of his waist, which looked slender on his slim frame.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

The audience below was ignited by this simple yet arrogant move. Not only were the students from Class 3 screaming at the top of their lungs, but the entire auditorium erupted in screams and applause.

Sitting in the front row, several younger girls who had never seen the legendary school big shot before couldn't match his name to his face. "Ah, isn't that...?!"

"Xie Yu from the West Building."

The East and West Buildings were separated by a long corridor, and the two legendary school big shots hadn't caused any trouble since their first year. The only thing that seemed to be a big deal was the towering CP building on the school's forum.

Now, the two of them stood side by side on stage, under the spotlight, their entire beings coated in a layer of light, extremely eye-catching.

When He Chao doesn't smile, he looks distant, quite different from his usual casual appearance, which is quite in line with their imagination of a "school big shot".

The music started and the whole crowd went wild.

He Chao stood in the center of the stage, with others squatting and supporting themselves with one hand, doing the opening move.

The lights dim down a few notches.

He raised his hand, his arm raised high above his head. Following the intro's electronic melody and strong, fierce drum beats, his fingers curled up, casually gesturing a three in the air.

He Chao's momentum is strong, and with just a flick of his wrist, he lifted the entire crowd.

All eyes were on him, as the cuffs of his shirt slid down with this posture, revealing his distinct wrist bones, the red string on top particularly eye-catching. When the next drum beat sounded, he pressed down on his ring finger, changing his hand gesture.

Three.

Two.

One.

As the third beat of the drum sounded, everyone scattered and changed formation.

"Although he's really handsome, did they have to be so chuuni?"

The students from Class 3 were both excited and felt an indescribable sense of shame. "...Thank goodness it's Brother Chao, if it were anyone else doing these moves, I wouldn't even dare to watch. Such a show-off."

He Chao was usually shameless, so this couldn't even compare to time during the sports meet. He had started shouting "Who's number one?" before even crossing the finish line.

Out of their group, only Xu Jing had experience in dancing. The rest were just amateurs. Even though they had practiced the moves for days, they still couldn't quite get it right.

But what really touched them was the rawness of it all.

Their shirts were loose, and with each enthusiastic and bold move, their figures were faintly outlined between the motions.

Before taking the stage, Xie Yu even said, nervous his ass, what a load of crap, only idiots get nervous. However, perhaps due to the large range of dance movements, his body unexpectedly started to heat up, from head to toe, getting hotter and hotter.

The exaggerated screams from the audience echoed in his ears.

Although the audience area was pitch black, it seemed as if a layer of color had automatically been added.

One of the students from Class 3 had made a support sign, written in red fluorescent pen: Class 3 is the most handsome!

Brother Chao is invincible!

First place belongs to Class 3!

......

The performance only lasted five short minutes.

Old Tang held his phone up the entire time, his eyes not knowing where to look, torn between watching the stage and filming, afraid that the camera might accidentally capture something else.

The deafening music, combined with the visual impact of the movements, was overwhelming.

The screams from the audience below were continuous as they reached the part of wrapped their arms around their partners' waists. He Chao forgot all of Xu Jing's reminders to be serious and not smile before going on stage. A slight smile appeared on his lips.

As the final move was completed, the music abruptly stopped and all the lights on stage went out.

This was done to make the transitions between performances smoother, allowing the performers to exit the stage and the host to make their entrance from behind the curtain.

During rehearsals, they were reminded several times not to linger on stage for too long and to make their exit quickly.

"Holy crap, it's so dark," Liu Cunhao exclaimed as he groped his way towards the side of the stage. "...I think I looked so cool just now, it was practically explosive."

Luo Wenqiang said, "I also feel that this is my best performance. Many girls in the audience were screaming for me."

Wan Da had some self-awareness and remained silent for a moment before saying, "Are you sure they were screaming for you? Brother Yu, say something to make him see reality."

"Huh?" Xie Yu didn't pay attention and pulled at his collar, preparing to jump off the stage directly.

After he finished his "huh," he heard He Chao calling him from behind, "Old Xie."

There were only a few small windows around the auditorium, and it was almost dark outside with little light coming in.

Xie Yu was a little hot and had just unbuttoned a button when he turned his head and saw He Chao half-hidden in the darkness, pressing against the back of his head and kissing him without hesitation.

He Chao was also hot, and when he got closer, he even breathed heavily in a low voice.

The audience below consisted of half the school's teachers and students. Looking out, there were dozens of rows of people, with others watching the broadcast in the classrooms.

The applause had not yet died down, and the closest row to them was just a few steps away. Xie Yu stood in the center of the stage, able to hear even the whispers from the audience.

"They're so handsome!"

"Did you just record it? I want to watch it again."

"I did, I did. Wait a bit."

"..."

Although they knew that the audience couldn't see anything, their hearts still skipped a beat.

Following that, a very secretive and proud feeling rose from the depths of their hearts.

They wanted to tell everyone, "This person is mine."

"Thank you to the students of Year 2's Class 3 for their dance performance. The whole dance was very cool, and everyone's reaction was very enthusiastic," the lights in the auditorium were on, and the host had already walked out from behind the curtain and stood in the center of the stage. "Now, let's calm down and enjoy the piece brought to us by the students of Class 8 in Grade 10 - 'Super Student'."

"Shen Jie's class," He Chao just jumped down from the stage and ran to the seating area. When the lights came on, there was only a two-second difference. He was still a little shaken as he sat down and said, "I watched the rehearsal, it was really funny. They adapted a talent show..."

Xie Yu opened his mouth, "How come I didn't see their rehearsal?"

"How can you see?" He Chao asked. "You're either sleeping or playing games. Even if you sit next to them, the students wouldn't dare to talk to you."

Xie Yu let out a soft "ah" and said, "So you guys chatted quite happily."

"..."

He Chao didn't expect that his casual remark would bury himself.

During the noon rehearsal, the group of senior sisters kept circling around He Chao, giving him a bunch of instructions, from stage positioning to how to exit. Xu Jing, the lead dancer, and Liu Cunhao, the class representative, were standing on the side.

On stage, Shen Jie and the others were quickly moving chairs and setting up the scene. Except for the three students who were dressed in suits as "judges and mentors," everyone else was still wearing their school uniforms.

He Chao didn't know how to explain himself, but then he heard Xie Yu say, "I see you."

He Chao was stunned.

Xie Yu repeated, "I can see you, so you better behave."

Shen Jie's class skit was really funny. As soon as it started, the three judges turned their backs to the contestants*. The contestant introduced himself, "Hello judges, I am Xiao Cai from Year 2's Class 8. My dream is to let everyone feel the charm of learning. My program is to recite 30 English words in one minute."

*T/N: This is a typical contest in China, where the judges have their backs facing the contestants as they perform. If they approve of a contestant, the judge will press a button and their chair will swivel around to face them.

"This is good," the judges moved foolishly, and were eager to turn around. "I think this is really good!"

"..."

After Xie Yu finished speaking, He Chao laughed for a long time, his hand covering his mouth, unable to stop.

Who knew if he was laughing at the skit on stage or because of Xie Yu's words just now.

After a while, Shen Jie came out with test papers in hand, and He Chao whispered, "I got it, I'll behave."

After dancing, when the heat subsided, he realized he was only wearing a shirt and felt a bit cold.

When Old Tang came, he brought their school jackets from the classroom and put a small label with their names on each one, carefully marking them so that someone could deliver the clothes from behind.

One male student bent over, carrying a pile of clothes and squatting on the side, saying, "Hey, pass it over and claim your own. Look at the label with your name on it."

"Pass it over," Xu Jing said as she passed the clothes and flipped through the labels, turning her head and saying, "This one belongs to Brother Chao."

Liu Cunhao took it and handed it to Luo Wenqiang. Luo Wenqiang patted Xie Yu's shoulder, and before Xie Yu could say "thank you," He Chao said, "I'm not cold, you wear it first."

He Chao wasn't really afraid of the cold, but he accidentally touched Xie Yu earlier and found that his hands were cold.

After He Chao finished speaking, Xie Yu saw Luo Wenqiang's expression twist.

"..." Xie Yu put on He Chao's school uniform, which was one size too big and hung loosely on him. The sleeves were just right at the back of his hand. Luo Wenqiang's gaze looked too strange, so he turned his head and asked, "What?"

Luo Wenqiang waved his hand repeatedly, "No no no, nothing."

"Sports committee rep, your clothes," Xu Qingqing flipped to her own and threw Luo Wenqiang's over, "Catch it."

Liu Cunhao leaned to the side, narrowly avoiding being hit by Xu Qingqing's throw. "Brother Qing, can't you learn from Jingjing? She's so gentle. And you, who do you want to smash to death?"

Xu Qingqing threw another one at him.

After the final performance, the host gave a long thank-you speech on stage, and the school leaders took turns to come up: "Today is a special day for our Liyang No. 2 High School, and it's also a special day for all the students here..."

Xie Yu glanced at the time. It was already too late to have the evening self-study session.

There was a faint scent on He Chao's school uniform, not just the smell of laundry detergent, but something else that lingered around him. Whenever this person came near, without turning around, he knew it was him.

"Hao-zi, we're leaving first," the school leader spoke concisely, not making them wait too long. Then everyone started to exit from the back, and soon half of the people had left. He Chao picked up his school uniform and pulled the half-asleep little friend with his eyes half-closed, "Brother Qing, how are you going back? Otherwise, shall I and Old Xie send you to the station?"

Xu Qingqing said, "It's okay, my dad is coming to pick me up. You guys are going straight back to the dormitory? Remember to finish your English homework properly...Yesterday, the teacher called me over and talked for a long time about the test paper you guys wrote. Was that paper written by humans?"

He Chao smiled and skipped over this topic, patting Luo Wenqiang's shoulder, "Let's go, why are you so absent-minded?"

Luo Wenqiang had been absent-minded for a while.

Since they finished performing and stepped off the stage until now, he still hadn't recovered.

As he stepped down from the stage, he felt a sudden urge to pull the two people behind him. But when he turned his head, he caught a glimpse of something that didn't seem quite right.

...Or maybe it was just his eyes playing tricks on him.

This uncertainty gnawed at him, and the straightforward Luo Wenqiang couldn't bear it any longer.

He followed Liu Cunhao and Wan Da to the lobby of the main building and couldn't resist asking, "Um, did you guys see any surreal scenes when you stepped down from the stage just now?"

Wan Da remained calm and collected. "Actually, when you took two steps and stopped, I stopped with you."

Liu Cunhao chimed in, "When Da-zi stopped, I stopped too."

Luo Wenqiang: "..."

"I really want to tell them that even though it's dark in the auditorium, you can see everything within three steps," the three of them continued speaking as they crouched by the road near the teaching building, forming a small circle. "Can't they be a little more careful?"