CCTV’s “Chinese Good Songs” finals stage was quite luxurious. The four finalists would sing their newly created songs at Beijing’s largest Bird’s Nest Stadium, with 50,000 live audience members voting to determine rankings.
In the first round, contestants needed to collaborate with featured guests. Mentors could use industry connections to invite major singers as “featured guests” to support their students. Inviting professional, popular singers matching students’ song styles could elevate performance quality significantly.
After the first competitive round ended, the second round had students duet original songs with mentors. To highlight students’ works, mentors typically arranged songs somewhat, serving as “supporting roles” to assist students’ performances.
Vote totals from both rounds combined would determine champion, runner-up, third place, and fourth place.
Audiences were very curious about who Fang Yinnian would invite to feature. Major forums opened speculation threads, with many netizens analyzing and discussing under Weibo’s #Chinese Good Songs# super topic.
“I think Fang Yinnian will invite Xie Shiqi to feature!”
“He seems to be Xie Shiqi’s fan, right?”
“Could also be Ouyang Xi—he had good relationships with Ouyang Xi on ‘Sounds of Nature'”
“Need to ask? Definitely Chen Mian! They’re from the same hometown and collaborated on music variety shows”
“Definitely not former teammates hahaha”
August 19th afternoon, Mo Xun drove directly to Beijing.
Fang Yinnian was discussing backup dancer numbers with Yan Chi. He’d stay in Beijing this whole week preparing for Saturday’s finals, having requested Yan Chi’s Angle dance troupe for support—professional backup dancers could help him present the best stage effects.
When the practice room door was knocked on, Fang Yinnian thought it was some backup dancer instructor.
But the next moment, a familiar voice sounded behind him: “Yinnian, I’m here. Brother Chi is here too?”
…It was Mo Xun!
Fang Yinnian turned around abruptly, meeting Mo Xun’s deep eyes.
They hadn’t been able to meet for two years. Now separated by just a few meters, their gazes met and Fang Yinnian’s heart began beating uncontrollably.
Mo Xun had changed greatly.
After experiencing the tempering of several production crews these two years, he no longer had his initial youthful air. The current Mo Xun was mature and steady, with adult male charm in every gesture. His eyes were incredibly deep, his physique much more solid. Due to long-term action filming, his arm muscles were taut, his skin somewhat tanned—more handsome than before.
Meeting Fang Yinnian’s eyes, Mo Xun curved his lips slightly, then strode over and forcefully pulled Fang Yinnian into his arms.
The man’s low voice sounded in his ear: “Two years, Yinnian. I missed you so much.”
Fang Yinnian’s ears burned as he gently pushed: “Brother Chi is here…”
Mo Xun rubbed Fang Yinnian’s shoulder with his chin like acting spoiled, saying quietly: “It’s fine. I need to hold you longer—I missed you too much.”
Fang Yinnian’s heart pounded wildly—actually, he’d missed Mo Xun very much too.
Two years ago, Mo Xun had chased to the airport at midnight to see him off. They’d sealed their relationship with a kiss, then began a long-distance romance. So young, separated by half the globe unable to see each other—how could they not miss each other?
Longing for someone you like had long been carved into their blood.
Now, the familiar embrace awakened many sweet memories. Fang Yinnian was intoxicated in Mo Xun’s warm arms, reluctant to let go.
He gently hugged Mo Xun back, burying his face in the man’s chest.
Yan Chi glanced at the two embracing, saying flatly: “I’ll go get some water first. You two talk.”
After Yan Chi left with only the two of them in the room, Mo Xun could no longer suppress his bone-deep longing. His right hand tightly embraced Fang Yinnian’s waist while his left lifted Fang Yinnian’s chin, kissing him gently.
“Mmm…” Sparks seemed to fly in Fang Yinnian’s mind.
Though not their first kiss, every time Mo Xun kissed him, his heartbeat became incredibly fast, like wanting to jump from his chest. His mind went chaotic, completely unable to resist.
This kiss after two years was even more passionate than before.
Mo Xun smoothly pried open his teeth, exploring Fang Yinnian’s mouth with his tongue.
Yinnian had probably just eaten chocolate—his mouth still held chocolate’s taste, very sweet.
Mo Xun’s eyes darkened as his right hand moved up to cup the back of Fang Yinnian’s head, passionately deepening the kiss.
“Mmm… Mo… Mo Xun…” Fang Yinnian could barely breathe, fingers tightly gripping his clothes as electric currents down his spine made him weak all over. “Enough… enough…”
Mo Xun paused slightly before kissing Fang Yinnian again. The wet sounds of lips and tongues intertwining echoed in the quiet practice room, Fang Yinnian’s entire face burning.
Really—meeting and immediately embracing and kissing nonstop.
But he couldn’t bear to push away.
Fang Yinnian closed his eyes, opening his mouth to silently endure Mo Xun’s kisses.
Only their intimate kissing sounds remained in the room, mixed with their rapid heartbeats.
…
Much later, Mo Xun finally withdrew satisfactorily. Seeing Fang Yinnian’s dazed eyes and flushed cheeks, his throat tightened repeatedly, wanting nothing more than to completely possess this person right now.
But it wasn’t time yet.
Mo Xun took a deep breath, quickly suppressing his desire to possess him. He smiled while using his thumb to wipe Fang Yinnian’s moist lips, asking quietly: “Did you miss me?”
The man’s low voice carried sexy huskiness.
Fang Yinnian nodded shyly: “Mm, I missed you.”
Mo Xun pulled him into his arms: “These two years, I thought about you every day, often dreaming of you, wanting to abandon everything and fly to England to see you… But the company arranged many dramas for me. I could only cooperate filming one after another, saving money to build a foundation for our future business together.”
“I’m not a qualified boyfriend.”
“Couldn’t find time to see you even once in two years… I’m sorry.”
Hearing him casually mention these two years’ hardships, Fang Yinnian couldn’t help feeling sourness in his heart.
Mo Xun’s approach these two years was truly “risking his life”—barely resting after wrapping one drama before filming the next, with commercial livestream promotions in between. Sheng Yao truly exploited him to the extreme.
Through freezing winters and scorching summers, countless days he spent on sets hanging from wires repeatedly checking movements. In how many corners Fang Yinnian didn’t know about had he been injured, silently treating wounds with spray…
He never said he was tired because he always held firm belief in his heart.
He would make it in the film/TV industry, establish his own company with Yinnian, never again controlled by anyone. He wanted Yinnian to freely do what he wanted.
For that beautiful future, any current suffering was worth it.
Fang Yinnian touched Mo Xun’s face with gentle, heartbroken eyes: “It’s okay. I know you’ve worked hard these two years. I understand everything and support your decisions.”
Mo Xun’s heart warmed as he said quietly: “Mm, we’ve finally made it through the bitter to the sweet.”
Fang Yinnian looked at him: “Let’s start over together.”
They smiled at each other.
Setbacks and hardships were already past. The future road was long—they could walk it side by side.
Knocking sounded outside. They quickly separated.
Mo Xun said: “Come in.”
Yan Chi entered with water, teasing: “Done being lovey-dovey? Can we discuss choreography now?”
Fang Yinnian’s ears reddened: “B-Brother Chi…”
Yan Chi said: “Alright, I saw through your relationship long ago. No need to hide in front of me.”
Mo Xun chuckled while ruffling Fang Yinnian’s hair: “Brother Chi won’t gossip. Don’t worry.”
Fang Yinnian nodded, adjusting his emotions to say seriously: “This song’s rhythm is quite fast. I just discussed with Brother Chi—the finals stage is large, the backup dance crew can bring more people. Junwen and I need to learn a section to dance sword formation with them.”
Mo Xun quickly focused on work: “Let me hear the song demo. We’ll get the choreography done quickly.”
Fang Yinnian connected his phone’s Bluetooth to play the recorded demo. Since Junwen wasn’t there, the rap sections were left blank. He showed Mo Xun the lyrics.
After listening, Mo Xun praised: “This song is excellently written.”
Praised, Fang Yinnian felt very good, smiling with curved eyes: “Mm, I think it’s decent too—won’t embarrass myself at finals.”
Mo Xun replayed the song, stroking his chin thoughtfully: “How about we choreograph mechanical dance?”
Yan Chi said: “This song’s melody could incorporate mechanical dance. How do you want to choreograph it?”
Mo Xun said: “Consider the direction of mechanical puppets. We’ll specially order performance costumes—black leather with red silk threads. One person plays the puppet, another controls the strings.”
Yan Chi’s eyes lit: “You mean pairs—puppeteer and marionette?”
Mo Xun nodded: “Yes. Yinnian’s song tells of rules and struggle. I think this choreography better matches the song’s artistic conception. The stage effect will definitely be stunning.”
Fang Yinnian: “…”
Though Mo Xun had been filming for two years with little dancing, his love for dance remained. After all, he’d won international dance competitions and had unique choreographic understanding.
His proposed paired puppet mechanical dance amazed Fang Yinnian.
Fang Yinnian immediately agreed: “Let’s follow Mo Xun’s suggestion! What do you think, Brother Chi?”
Yan Chi considered, then nodded decisively: “Alright, let’s choreograph the dance first, then practice intensively. My backup dancers are all professional—one week to dance uniformly is definitely no problem. But Yinnian and Junwen, you two need to work hard.”
“For their joint sections, we can appropriately reduce choreography difficulty.” Mo Xun looked at Fang Yinnian with gentle eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll personally teach you.”
Fang Yinnian smiled: “Good.”
Tan Junwen also came to Beijing on the evening of the 19th. He flew privately without notifying his fan club, so fans didn’t know his recent activities.
His starring drama was currently airing, finishing at month’s end. Early promotional work had ended, so Tan Junwen’s sudden disappearance wouldn’t affect the drama.
After arriving in Beijing, Tan Junwen went directly to the practice room address Fang Yinnian had given him.
After two years apart, Junwen had also matured greatly.
Previously, Fang Yinnian always thought his messy hair made him look like a teddy dog, but current Junwen had refined temperament with infinite charm when smiling. No wonder playing an idol drama male lead could captivate so many girls.
Fang Yinnian smiled and greeted him: “Junwen, long time no see.”
Tan Junwen opened his arms to hug him tightly: “Fang Yinnian, how did you become even more handsome? Truly our group’s visual!”
Fang Yinnian patted his shoulder: “Thank you for coming to feature for me.”
Tan Junwen smiled: “That’s too formal. I’m thrilled you wanted to find me.”
Mo Xun said: “Junwen, practice singing first. Choreography comes out tomorrow.”
Fang Yinnian handed him lyrics and sheet music. Tan Junwen quickly finished reading the rap section, patting his chest: “This rap is well-written. Don’t worry, I’ll practice well and won’t drag you down.”
***
The following week, Tan Junwen and Fang Yinnian intensively practiced singing and dancing.
Mo Xun’s mechanical dance choreography was especially cool. After seeing the backup dancers’ demo, Fang Yinnian was very excited. Of course, overly difficult dances might be unmanageable for him and Junwen, plus they needed to hold microphones, so their singing-dancing movements were appropriately simplified.
Fang Yinnian hadn’t danced for two years, but the dance foundation built from daily practice at Sheng Yao was still solid. Moreover, with Mo Xun personally guiding him, he quickly learned the moves.
They seemed to return to their teenage days of staying up late practicing dance at the company.
On August 23rd, Fang Yinnian, Tan Junwen, and the backup dance instructors put on custom performance costumes and seriously practiced the complete dance for an entire day. Mo Xun and Yan Chi supervised on-site—the completion was very good.
On the afternoon of the 24th, they went together to see the stage built at the Bird’s Nest, simply rehearsing the dance positioning. In the evening, Fang Yinnian’s family also flew to Beijing—he’d arranged a private car in advance.
