The Most Popular Comedian

Rong Yuheng always felt a faint threat in Wen Zhecheng’s words, but he quickly dismissed it in his mind—they had no grievances or conflicts, so why would Wen Zhecheng target him?

With this in mind, Rong Yuheng regained his spirit and hooked his arm with Wen Zhecheng, speaking sincerely, “I will work hard.”

“…,” Wen Zhecheng suddenly had a feeling of bullying someone.

The lights around the stage dimmed, leaving only a beam of light shining down on the two embracing figures. Under the bright and pure beam of light, even the floating specks of dust could be seen.

They didn’t make eye contact with each other. Both of them turned their heads in the same direction, their chins slightly raised, proud like kings surveying their territory.

On the judges’ panel, Jin Zhiyao couldn’t help but brighten up.

Two beautiful men, so pleasing to the eye!

On the internet video, the barrage was empty for a few seconds. Everyone held their breath, eagerly awaiting Wen Zhecheng’s rare dance performance.

This time, Wen Zhecheng was on the stage, and they couldn’t let them accompany themselves backstage anymore. As the music started, several beams of light spread out from the center to the sides.

At the same time, their feet moved.

Tighten the abdomen, take a step, perform a spin. The lively background music complemented the two striking figures on the stage. Wen Zhecheng’s steps were steady, his eyes determined, his turns carried a sense of composure, and he exuded a certain level of sophistication.

On the other hand, Rong Yuheng, with the background music, seemed to have wings attached to his dreams. His whole being swayed with his soul…

His “swaying” was indeed a physical “swaying”.

No matter how stable and composed Wen Zhecheng was, Rong Yuheng could jump and tumble beside him, even wrapping his leg around Wen Zhecheng’s waist for a spinning rotation.

Qiao Tan, “Hahahaha!”

Qiao Tan felt that although Wen Zhecheng appeared serious and reserved, he had a really good heart. He didn’t throw Rong Yuheng out even in this situation.

After a moment of silence, the barrage erupted like a volcanic eruption:

“Hahahaha, I’m laughing my head off!”

“I was originally jealous of this contestant, but now I sympathize with Wen Zhecheng!”

“Hahahaha, the key is that they are each doing their own thing, but they are both so serious… it’s amazing!”

“My brother Zhecheng has been innocent for over twenty years, and now he has some scandal material… doge…”

Once the music ended, Wen Zhecheng supported Rong Yuheng’s lower back, and the latter obediently fell backward, raising one leg high into the air!

They held the pose for three seconds, and the performance came to an end. Wen Zhecheng raised his palm, Rong Yuheng used his strength to support himself. They stood still in their original positions, their chests rising and falling slightly, both of them breathing heavily.

Rong Yuheng was mainly catching his breath because he was exhausted. He had been spinning, jumping, and even performing body wraps on stage, which consumed a lot of energy.

Wen Zhecheng was different; he was mainly being squeezed.

Rong Yuheng’s leg was clamped around his waist, twisting and turning. If it weren’t for Wen Zhecheng’s stamina, he would have probably lost his breath by now.

Song Tang was the first to applaud. “Brilliant, brilliant…” After saying that, he couldn’t help but chuckle. Then he composed himself and said, “Thank you, our teacher Wen, and thank you, contestant number 13, Rong Yuheng. Please step down and take a rest.”

Wen Zhecheng nodded and was about to take a step when he saw the young man beside him bowing to him, his eyes filled with admiration.

“Teacher Wen, you have such great stamina. Your dancing is truly powerful!”

Qiao Tan enjoyed the spectacle and joked, “Teacher Wen is only a few years older than you kids. He just became famous earlier.”

Jin Zhiyao inexplicably found the phrase “great stamina” intriguing and couldn’t help but smirk.

The camera at the scene happened to capture her, and the barrage erupted in excitement:

“Jin sister’s smile is my smile right now.”

“It seems I’m not the only one who thinks the phrase ‘great stamina’ has a naughty connotation. This contestant is really hilarious, damn it…”

However, the parties involved were unaware. After Rong Yuheng stepped offstage, he returned to the previous waiting hall. As soon as he appeared, almost half of the contestants in the hall turned their gazes toward him.

Zou Yi, with a shocked expression, came running over, clutching his hat. “You… You danced tango with the movie star!”

Rong Yuheng accepted the hat and said thanks, then asked, “How did you know?”

“After you went up, I opened my phone to watch the live broadcast, damn… you’re really awesome.”

Rong Yuheng received the praise and returned the favor, “It’s alright, you’re also awesome grabbing the land with your head.”

Zou Yi reluctantly held back his sarcasm about Rong Yuheng’s choice of words and shook his head to explain, “It’s not the same kind of awesomeness. Mine is technical, yours is…” He searched for the right words in his mind.

“Destructive.”

“…”

After confirming his advancement in the preliminary round, Rong Yuheng didn’t need to stay here and wait for the results anymore. After bidding farewell to Zou Yi, he returned to the temporary residence he borrowed from his friend, Lu Mingxuan’s villa.

Lu Mingxuan had been waiting at the gate and when he saw Rong Yuheng, he exclaimed loudly and rushed over, delivering a thunderous punch.

“Damn, you can actually dance tango! You dare to dance tango! And you even dragged Wen Zhecheng into it!”

Rong Yuheng indulgently looked at Lu Mingxuan’s frenzy of punches and hits, as if accommodating someone with a mental disability.

Once the latter had vented enough, they both calmed down and engaged in a conversation that belonged to the realm of human beings.

Leading Rong Yuheng into the house, Lu Mingxuan asked, “When did you learn tango? We’ve been friends for so many years, and you’ve never performed it for us.”

Rong Yuheng was silent for two seconds. “Why should I perform something like that for you guys?”

“… Fair enough.”

Rong Yuheng took off his shirt as he walked into the living room. The graceful lines of his shoulder blades moved twice, revealing a smooth and flexible back.

“It’s too hot. I’m going to take a shower first.”

“Sure, I ordered takeout. What do you feel like eating tonight?”

“Nothing too dry. I’m thirsty.”

“Got it.”

In a short while, Rong Yuheng finished showering, changed into clean clothes, and came down. They ate the takeout together, while Lu Mingxuan lounged on the couch, searching for information about the auditions.

“You’re really lucky. You happened to encounter Wen Zhecheng who came to deliver the phone and danced with him. It’s all over Weibo now.”

Rong Yuheng’s expression was shy, but his eyes were filled with shamelessness. “It’s just a stroke of luck. I deserve the recognition.”

Lu Mingxuan forcefully closed his eyes, not wanting to see his smug face. “You still haven’t told me when you learned tango and how to sing opera.”

“When I was studying abroad, they taught it in music class.” Rong Yuheng felt exhausted talking about it. “I’m really clueless. Our school was too strict. I couldn’t slack off in either my major courses or electives. I chose tango and opera because they were obscure, thinking I could skip classes.”

“You foolish idiot, it’s better to skip popular courses.”

Rong Yuheng hung his head and wiped away a tear, lamenting to himself, “I was just too naive…”

The preliminary round passed, and the next day, a text message notification arrived.

In the second round of assessment, all the participants who passed the preliminary stage had to undergo a two-month training camp, where continuous elimination and selection took place.

“At least we don’t have to worry about accommodation.” Rong Yuheng turned to Lu Mingxuan and said, “I’m leaving for City C in three days. The next time we meet will be two months later.”

Lu Mingxuan leaned over to look at the message. “Isn’t two months the total duration?”

Rong Yuheng felt that Lu Mingxuan really didn’t understand him. It was a waste of their many years of friendship that he was unwilling to offer even a shred of confidence. How stingy.

“You idiot, I’m not going to be eliminated.”

“Rong Yuheng.” Lu Mingxuan suddenly called out seriously.

Rong Yuheng looked up at him. “Hmm?”

“Wen Zhecheng has good arm strength, right?”

“What?”

“You floated all the way here with just one tango.”

“…”

Rong Yuheng felt exhausted. Not only did this guy not believe in him, but he also resorted to personal attacks. He couldn’t be bothered to explain, so he just turned his head to pack his luggage, preparing to leave for the training camp in a few days.

After the first round of preliminary selection, Rong Yuheng had already gained a small wave of fans who were won over by him online.

After all, an artist with high looks and a playful personality was truly a gem in the entertainment industry, not to mention his audacity to twirl the waist of a film emperor.

“You’re really bold for a newcomer.” Lu Mingxuan couldn’t stand the loneliness. Even if Rong Yuheng ignored him, he could still make his own chattering noises. “You dare to share the stage with someone like Wen Zhecheng. Aren’t you afraid of being torn apart by his fans?”

Rong Yuheng sighed. “This is a society governed by law.”

At most, there would be verbal criticism.

As Lu Mingxuan said, the power of fan clubs of top-tier influencers like Wen Zhecheng should not be underestimated.

However, surprisingly, this time Wen Zhecheng was forced to operate, and except for a few people murmuring, “Did he steal our Cheng-ge’s popularity on the 13th?” the rest of the fans’ reactions were unexpectedly positive. Some even openly thanked Rong Yuheng.

“If it weren’t for this brother, I would never have seen the breathtaking scene of our Cheng-ge dancing tango in my lifetime.”

“Although Cheng-ge didn’t arch his butt, I imagined that scene. I laughed so hard. Thank you.”

“No need for conspiracy theories. The audition is already halfway through, and many people are getting aesthetically tired. This is the time for a big surprise. Teacher Qiao also suggested sharing the stage to lighten the mood.”

Then someone in several major fan groups spoke up as a reminder,

“Don’t attack the amateur contestants! As fans of ‘Qianceng,’ we must maintain the position of a high-quality fan club in the entertainment industry. If the other side hasn’t done anything wrong, don’t create negative vibes. Otherwise, it’s smearing Cheng-ge’s reputation.”

“……”

“You’re right. The guy on the 13th is quite cute. In our ‘Qianceng’ group, we praise but don’t criticize, so that others won’t say we have a narrow mindset.”

Wen Zhecheng’s fan club was called “Qianceng1“千层” (qiān céng) is a Chinese phrase that translates to “thousand layers” or “thousand-fold.” , to describe complexity, intricacy manly for arts.,” which sounds similar to his name. As the main character, he gained fame early in the industry and had a good reputation. Since he rarely interacted with fans, his popularity relied on the accumulation of his works. The fan club also had managers to maintain order, so Wen Zhecheng’s fans were mostly rational in their idol pursuit.

The conversations within the fan club were unknown to outsiders, but there were still mixed comments on Weibo.

Rong Yuheng had never cared about online comments, but Lu Mingxuan anxiously scrolled through the hot search topics. “You have to be careful during the training camp this time. Although your popularity is not high among the participants who passed the preliminary stage, it’s not low either. You might become the target of envy.”

Rong Yuheng pouted. “Blame it on my excessive beauty.”

Lu Mingxuan choked for a moment and then spoke earnestly, “You’re asking for trouble. Not only are you outstanding, but you also want to stand out. I heard that some people in the industry are willing to do anything to make their debut. If someone targets you…”

“It’s fine.” Rong Yuheng retracted his pouted lips and pulled out a smooth and warm piece of Guanyin jade from his collar.

Lu Mingxuan’s gaze sharpened. “Are you seeking Buddha’s protection again?”

Rong Yuheng gently shook his head. “It’s better to save oneself than to rely on others.”

As he spoke, he lifted his chin and looked into the distance. The radiant light from the crystal chandelier above reflected on his face, revealing a hint of piety and serenity.

“I will save him.”

“…”

1“千层” (qiān céng) is a Chinese phrase that translates to “thousand layers” or “thousand-fold.” , to describe complexity, intricacy manly for arts.