ebookland Chapter 445 Lin Mu Anran
Chapter 445 Lin Mu Anran
The topic of Lin Xiucheng and Yu An being true brothers replaced the negative trending topics, and the criticism under the official Weibo account of the program was drowned out by the support of fans.
On the day of the performance, Cheng Yu'an stood backstage and took a deep breath.
Lin Xiu walked over and, unusually, gave him a hug: "Don't overthink it, just jump like you're on the roof."
"Breaking the Cocoon" appeared as the fifth program.
As the lights dimmed, Cheng Yu'an huddled in the center of the stage, a spotlight shining on him.
As the music began, he embarked on his journey of struggling to break free from his cocoon.
When the climax arrived, the moment when all five team members "emerged from their cocoons" at the same time, the entire audience stood up and applauded.
After the performance, Cheng Yu'an, panting, looked towards the judges' panel.
PD Xu's eyes gleamed, and Su Rui quietly wiped her eyes.
What surprised Cheng Yu'an the most was that Lin Xiu, the boy who always had a blank expression, was now giving him a thumbs up with a sincere smile on his lips.
During the scoring phase, the "Breaking the Cocoon" group won second place, just behind "Mechanical Heart," and Cheng Yu'an's individual votes surged to third place overall.
As the host announced the results, Cheng Yu'an's gaze pierced through the crowd and met Lin Xiu's eyes.
Without a word, they all understood—this was just the beginning.
It was already past midnight when Cheng Yu'an returned to his dormitory, but he was wide awake.
He tiptoed into the training room and found Lin Xiu already there, practicing new dance steps in front of the mirror.
"Can't sleep?" Cheng Yu'an asked.
Lin Xiu stopped what he was doing: "I'm used to it."
He tossed Cheng Yu'an a bottle of water, "You did well today."
"Thanks to you." Cheng Yu'an unscrewed the water bottle. "Why did you help me?"
Lin Xiu was silent for a moment, then suddenly pulled a photo out of his wallet: "Look."
The photo shows a seven or eight-year-old boy standing on a simple rural stage, holding a microphone and looking serious.
"This is..."
"Me," Lin Xiu said softly, "the first time I sang on stage, I sang off-key and the whole class laughed at me."
Cheng Yu'an looked in surprise at the little boy in the photo, who was completely different from how he looked now.
“Back then, I vowed to become the best idol,” Lin Xiu said, putting away the photo. “But later I forgot that the stage isn’t just for proving anything.”
He looked at Cheng Yu'an, "Until I saw you—working so hard, just because you love being on stage."
Cheng Yu'an felt a lump in her throat.
He pulled out an old photo from his phone: "I have one too."
The photo shows Cheng Yu'an, who is about ten years old, wearing an ill-fitting suit and playing the electronic keyboard at a school arts performance.
“My parents thought it was too noisy and wouldn’t let me learn music,” Cheng Yu’an said with a smile. “But I secretly saved up my allowance and studied with the school music teacher for three months.”
The two sat side by side on the floor, sharing their childhood photos and musical dreams.
Before we knew it, the sky was beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn.
"For the next performance," Lin Xiu suddenly said, "let's build a stage together."
Cheng Yu'an turned to look at him: "Not competing anymore?"
Lin Xiu smiled, a rare occurrence: "Competition and cooperation are not contradictory."
Morning light streamed through the window into the training room, casting long, long shadows of the two boys.
On this ordinary morning, they seemed to have found something more important than the competition—a companion who understood their dreams.
"Cheng Yu'an, Lin Xiu, PD Xu requests your presence in his office."
The day after their third performance, a staff member's notification interrupted their extra practice.
Cheng Yu'an wiped his sweat and looked at Lin Xiu: "What is it?"
Lin Xiu shook his head, but a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes.
The two walked silently down the corridor, passing a wall covered with ranking posters—Lin Xiu remained firmly in first place, while Cheng Yu'an had risen to third.
PD Xu's office is spacious and bright, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the entire training base.
On the desk was a folder labeled "Project Gemini," and PD Xu gestured for them to sit down.
"Do you know why I called you here?" PD Xu pushed up his glasses.
Cheng Yu'an shook his head, while Lin Xiu remained expressionless: "About the finals?"
“Brilliant.” PD Xu opened the folder. “We have a new idea.” He pulled out two proposals. “After the show ends, instead of having you debut solo, we’ll launch you as a duo.”
Cheng Yu'an's eyes widened.
A duo? This means...
“You two complement each other very well,” PD Xu continued. “Lin Xiu’s dance and stage presence, Cheng Yu’an’s vocal timbre and emotional expression—together they make a perfect combination.” He paused, “Of course, it depends on the final results and your own wishes.”
Lin Xiu tapped his fingers lightly on his knee: "Isn't the rule that the individual champion gets the chance to debut as a solo artist?"
"Rules can change," PD Xu smiled. "The market needs fresh blood, and the chemistry between the two of you..."
He pointed to a data report on the table, "Audience voting shows that the 'Lin Mu An Ran' couple has three times the popularity of other trainees."
Cheng Yu'an's face instantly flushed.
"Lin Mu An Ran" is the CP name given to him and Lin Xiu by fans. He didn't expect the production team to value it so much.
“No need to answer now,” PD Xu said, closing the folder. “Just give me the answer before the final.”
Stepping out of the office, the two tacitly turned towards the deserted stairwell.
Cheng Yu'an leaned against the wall, her heart still pounding: "What do you think?"
Lin Xiu gazed out the window: "I was trained to be a solo artist from a young age."
“I’m also here aiming for the individual championship…” Cheng Yu’an said softly.
Strangely, the thought of teaming up with Lin Xiu stirred a sense of anticipation within him.
Lin Xiu suddenly turned around: "Don't think about that now. Have you seen the results of the third performance?"
Cheng Yu'an nodded.
They still belong to different teams. Lin Xiu's "Electric" team won first place, and his "Under the Stars" team ranked third.
In terms of individual votes, Lin Xiu firmly holds the top spot, and the gap between him and the second place has narrowed to less than 5,000 votes.
"The final is an individual competition," Lin Xiu said, his voice unusually serious. "Until then, we remain competitors."
Cheng Yu'an looked him straight in the eye: "I know."
Their eyes met in mid-air, and a silent agreement was quietly established.
Regardless of what the future holds, they must give it their all right now.
Back in the training room, Cheng Yu'an found more than a dozen missed calls on his phone—all from his father.
His heart tightened, and he hurriedly called back.
"I'm at the entrance to your training base." My father's voice sounded much older than I remembered. "The security guards won't let me in."
Cheng Yu'an almost ran to the front gate.
The father stood outside the police line, wearing a faded blue shirt and holding a brown paper envelope in his hand.
Three years had passed, and his back was even more hunched, and his temples were completely white.
"Dad..." Cheng Yu'an's throat tightened, "Why are you here?"
The father glanced awkwardly at the fans around him holding cameras: "Let's find somewhere to talk."