On the day of the dress rehearsal, when Lu Zhixian arrived at the dressing room, not even all the lights in the hallway were turned on.

He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 6:40 AM.

He pushed open the door to the dressing room, and inside, there was only one makeup artist organizing the tool table.

The young woman looked up, saw him, and paused in surprise.

"Teacher Lu? You're here so early?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I came over."

Lu Zhixian sat down in a chair and looked at himself in the mirror.

The makeup artist quickly put down what she was holding and walked over.

"Shall we start, then? What kind of look would you like?"

"Clean is fine."

Lu Zhixian said.

"Don't add too much embellishment."

The makeup artist nodded and opened the foundation.

"Have you decided on the outfit?"

"A red suit with a red shirt underneath."

"What about accessories? Earrings, brooches, bracelets, or anything like that—do you want to add any?"

"No."

The brush in the makeup artist's hand paused for a moment.

She had been in the industry for eight years and had seen too many people in the Spring Festival Gala dressing rooms.

Some people were desperate to hang everything they could on their bodies, terrified that the audience wouldn't notice them.

Half an hour later, the makeup was finished. Lu Zhixian stood up and turned around in front of the full-length mirror.

The makeup artist looked at the person in the mirror and couldn't help but say, "Teacher Lu, you don't need to add anything; you're already enough."

Lu Zhixian smiled. "That's exactly right."

At 9:00 AM, the full dress rehearsal officially began.

They went through them one by one, according to the program list.

Lu Zhixian sat in the backstage waiting area, holding a bottle of mineral water, his expression very relaxed.

Brother Zhao sat next to him, his leg shaking constantly.

"Can you stop shaking?" Lu Zhixian glanced at him.

"I'm nervous."

"What are you nervous about? You're not the one going on stage."

"Can't I be nervous for you?"

Brother Zhao lowered his voice. "The review is today, and the station leaders are watching in the control room. Do you know what that means?"

"It means I just need to sing well."

"Can't you show a little bit of seriousness?"

"I got here at 6:40," Lu Zhixian said. "You didn't arrive until 8:30. Who is taking it seriously?"

Brother Zhao opened his mouth, but had nothing to say.

The preceding acts went by one after another.

At 10:20, Han Zhaofeng's act began.

The backstage monitors showed the stage feed. Lu Zhixian opened his eyes.

On the screen, Han Zhaofeng was wearing a gold-colored, Chinese-style long gown, standing in the center of the stage.

The music started, and Han Zhaofeng began to sing.

His voice was still steady; after all, he'd been singing for nearly twenty years, and the foundation was there.

But watching the entire act, Lu Zhixian had a very intuitive feeling.

It was scattered.

Too many things were piled together, and every single one was fighting for attention.

Brother Zhao, sitting next to him, was also watching. "Six and a half minutes," Brother Zhao noted, glancing at the time. "It's over time."

Lu Zhixian didn't speak.

After Han Zhaofeng's act ended, there was applause from the audience, but it wasn't very enthusiastic.

The stage crew began the changeover, moving the marking tape off the floor and adjusting the lighting parameters.

Brother Zhao watched the monitor and suddenly whispered, "Do you think he's pushing himself too hard?"

Lu Zhixian stood up and tossed the mineral water bottle into the trash can. "Not my business."

He stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders. "It's my turn."

The changeover took fifteen minutes.

Lu Zhixian walked up from the side stage entrance and stood at the marker in the center of the stage.

Just him alone. Dressed in red, standing in the middle of the vast, empty stage.

The lighting crew glanced at the stage and then spoke into their walkie-talkie, "Ready."

The control room confirmed.

Director Fang's voice came through the earpiece: "Zhixian, are you ready?"

Lu Zhixian nodded in the direction of the camera. "Start."

In the control room, three station leaders sat in the middle seats.

Director Fang stood to the side, clutching the program schedule. He was watching the screen.

On the screen, Lu Zhixian took two steps, his hand holding the microphone naturally dropping and then lifting; the movements weren't large, but each one was perfectly on the beat.

The first chorus passed.

During the interlude, Lu Zhixian turned on stage, facing another set of cameras.

His expression was relaxed, a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth, as if he were enjoying the experience itself.

Then the second chorus was coming. The lights dimmed. Half a second. The lights pushed to full.

Every follow spot, front light, side light, and top light illuminated at the exact same moment.

Lu Zhixian's voice unfolded at that moment.

The stage crew in the front row started clapping along, though it was unclear when they began. Then the second row. The third row. People in the back were humming along.

When Lu Zhixian sang the final line, he extended the microphone forward, leaned back slightly, dragged out the tail note, and finished cleanly and sharply.

The last note fell.

A technician wearing a walkie-talkie took off his headset, turned his head, and said to the person next to him, "That was incredible."

Lu Zhixian stood on stage, looking at these people below, and smiled.

He walked off the stage.

In the control room, the leader sitting in the middle leaned back.

The screen was frozen on the frame of Lu Zhixian's final note.

He turned his head to look at Director Fang. "Is this a newcomer this year?"

Director Fang nodded. "Yes."

The leader's gaze returned to the screen, pausing for two seconds. "No problem."

Four words. Director Fang breathed a sigh of relief. The fingers clutching the program schedule loosened.

Lu Zhixian came out from the side stage and walked along the hallway toward the resting area.

After walking a few steps, someone ahead stopped. Zheng Weiyuan.

The two stood face-to-face in the middle of the hallway. Zheng Weiyuan looked at him without speaking.

Then he reached out and patted Lu Zhixian on the shoulder. The force was neither heavy nor light.

After patting, he withdrew his hand and walked past Lu Zhixian. From beginning to end, he didn't say a single word.

Lu Zhixian stood there, watching his back disappear at the end of the hallway.

Beside him, Brother Zhao was stunned. "He… just patted you?"

"Yeah."

"Zheng Weiyuan patted you?"

"You've said that twice now."

"Do you know how many years it's been since he voluntarily touched a young person at the station?"

Lu Zhixian turned his head to look at him. "Brother Zhao, don't make that face; it's like you've seen a ghost."

Brother Zhao opened his mouth, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Then, the news that the review had passed was officially released by the directing team.

Director Fang's assistant said over the walkie-talkie, "Program number eleven, passed."

When Brother Zhao heard this, it was as if he'd been electrocuted.

He grabbed Lu Zhixian's shoulders and shook him hard twice. "It passed! Brother! It passed!"

Lu Zhixian was shaken back a step and pushed him away. "Calm down."

"I can't calm down!"

"Let go, stop pulling on my clothes."

"This is the Spring Festival Gala review! Do you know what this means? From today on, your act is set in stone; no one can…"

"Brother Zhao." Lu Zhixian interrupted him.

Brother Zhao stopped. Lu Zhixian looked at him, very calmly. "I know."

Brother Zhao stared at his expression for two seconds. Then he let out a breath and released his hand. "Fine," he said. "As long as you know."

At 4:00 PM, the full dress rehearsal concluded.

Lu Zhixian changed back into his own clothes and walked out of the dressing room with his bag.

People were coming and going in the hallway; some were moving props, others were checking the schedule.

Passing by the exit, he saw Han Zhaofeng walking out from another direction.

Han Zhaofeng had changed back into his casual clothes, but his makeup wasn't fully removed; there was a trace of foundation at the corner of his eye.

His assistant and Music Director Zhou Liang followed behind, neither speaking.

Han Zhaofeng walked very quickly. When he passed Lu Zhixian, the two made eye contact.

Han Zhaofeng's expression was flat. No emotion could be seen.

He nodded, acknowledging him, and then continued walking forward.

But Lu Zhixian noticed that Zhou Liang, who was following behind him, didn't look very happy.

Brother Zhao whispered from behind, "His act passed too."

"Yeah."

"But his expression was off when he came out just now. Do you know why?"

Lu Zhixian didn't ask. Brother Zhao continued on his own: "Because when he came out, a few staff members in the hallway were chatting, and one of them said something about which act was the most explosive for this year's Spring Festival Gala."

Lu Zhixian glanced at him. "And then?"

"Then another person replied. 'It's definitely the one in the red suit.'"

Lu Zhixian didn't respond.

He shifted the bag strap on his shoulder and pushed open the main door. Lu Zhixian stood on the steps and took a deep breath.

That evening, Lu Zhixian was lying on the sofa looking at his phone.

Brother Zhao sent a WeChat message. "Zhixian, let me tell you something. From the moment I received your first call until now, I feel like the best decision I've ever made in my life was to follow you."

Lu Zhixian looked at this message, staring for a few seconds. Then he typed two words and sent them back. "Less sentimentality."

Brother Zhao immediately replied with a wronged emoji.

Lu Zhixian put his phone on the coffee table and looked at the ceiling. Seven days until Lunar New Year's Eve.

The phone lit up again. He picked it up to look. Lin Shiya sent a message. "I heard you had your rehearsal today. How was it?"

Lu Zhixian looked at the message, thought for a moment, and typed a few words. "You'll know once you watch it on Lunar New Year's Eve."

The message was sent, and the other side replied quickly. "Can't you give me a spoiler in advance?"

"No."

"Stingy."

"Yeah."

"…"

"Remember to watch TV on Lunar New Year's Eve."

"Who wants to watch you."

Lu Zhixian chuckled and put the phone down.

Outside the window, the night in Jingzhou was deep. In the distance, the sporadic sound of firecrackers could be heard. The atmosphere of the New Year was getting closer and closer.