After their confessions were rejected, they regretted it for the rest of their lives.

The girl's musical skill gradually made Gao Jingshu, who had initially come to just get by, take the matter seriously.

Even Xia Weichan, who had mentally prepared herself and knew that Zhou Juzi was no ordinary person, was still somewhat taken aback.

Le Yi smiled and nodded repeatedly, but her gaze gradually shifted to Xia Weichan.

Just like Xia Weiyu, he would bring a girl with exceptional talent to this place after only a few days of meeting.

These two brothers are exactly alike.

As the plectrum plucked the strings, the concept of time was infinitely slowed down and extended in Zhou Juzi's mind.

She chose the piece she knew best and was most skilled at, but precisely because of this, she was very clear about the original length of the piece.

"Did you play a wrong section?"

Why did it become so long?

"Did I bounce back repeatedly?"

The pressure caused sweat to bead on the girl's fair face, trickling down her delicate features.

A drop of cold sweat fell onto the stage.

She glanced at where Xia Weichan was out of the corner of her eye. Zhou Juzi didn't know why, but she always wanted to take a look at the person who trusted her without any reason.

The girl was afraid to see disappointment on Xia Weichan's face.

But that face, from the very beginning, seemed to be smiling at her.

Finally, before Zhou Juzi ran out of oxygen, she finished playing the last section.

Her cheeks were flushed, and fresh air rushed into her mouth with each breath.

The electric guitar in her hands felt incredibly heavy, like she was being burned. The girl quickly let go.

The guitar naturally hung around her neck...

After a moment of silence,

Xia Weichan's applause pulled Zhou Juzi back to reality from her bewildered daze.

"..."

His smile remained on his face, as if offering encouragement; the familiarity of the scene reassured the girl.

At this moment, Le Yi also clapped. She looked at the figure on the stage, as if she had seen something rare.

"His vibrato and string bending are very skillful for his age, and his pitch is consistently accurate from beginning to end without any 'missing' notes. This means his fundamentals are extremely solid, indicating that he has truly been practicing since he was a child."

"The only drawback is that my breath control is a bit flawed."

"Don't evaluate me according to the standards set by the debut group."

Xia Weichan keenly noticed that Zhou Juzi on the stage, after hearing Gao Jingshu's words,

His expression turned somewhat strange, and he quickly spoke to ease the tension:

"By the standards of a new trainee, there's nothing wrong with it."

"Compared to those trainees who mis-strummed the strings after going on stage, they are indeed very impressive."

Gao, who was a judge, finally relented.

Only then did Xia Weichan feel completely relieved.

For this professional judge, who is always finding fault, to utter words of praise, it's clear that Zhou Juzi's level is indeed quite good.

To be able to maintain a flawless performance of the entire piece even when your fingers are trembling with nervousness.

Zhou Juzi's basic skills and muscle memory in her fingers are astonishingly solid.

"Have you been practicing since you were a child?"

Upon hearing Le Yi's question, Zhou Juzi shook her head as if waking from a dream.

She pursed her lips, clutched her collar, and wiped the cold sweat from her face.

She didn't dare look at the two judges, so she focused all her attention on Xia Weichan, whose face was at least somewhat gentle.

"I studied it systematically for three years, from junior high to the second year of high school. The rest of the time it was mostly... out of interest..."

"Shocking."

At this moment, Gao Jingshu's expression changed.

"Yes, she can definitely go in."

"I..."

Le Yi smiled and said, "You've passed. Go now, but leave the electric guitar behind; someone else will need it later."

Zhou Juzi quickly grabbed her guitar, rushed off the stage, circled around, and sat down next to Xia Weichan.

Then their eyes met, and the girl carefully moved to the side.

Xia Weichan looked at Zhou Juzi's somewhat reserved expression and calmly said:

"That's impressive."

"Thanks."

"Are you nervous? It's okay. When Tsuruo Kurimaki first went on stage, her hand holding the microphone was trembling too. She even almost tripped and fell after getting off the stage, haha."

"And also, Ke Yuexuan, you know, after her first audition, she was still in shock, like a frightened child with tears in her eyes, hugging me... no, the director."

Oops, I accidentally said it.

But it doesn't matter, only Zhou Juzi can hear what Xia Weichan says.

However, he still made some minor modifications.

One hand gestured to indicate the name, easing the girl's nervousness about going on stage for the first time.

"Take Ke Yuexuan, for example. She's a new actress who, after filming, clung to the director like a frightened little bird, clutching his clothes all afternoon. Imagine that scene."

"..."

"Compared to those two, your performance on the spot for the first time was already very strong, at least better than those two embarrassing guys." Xia Weichan said to Zhou Juzi without a care in the world, making fun of the two famous people.

He then took out a wet wipe from his inner pocket; it still smelled of alcohol. He pulled out a few and handed them to the girl.

"Wipe your sweat."

"oh."

The wet wipes still carried a faint smell of alcohol and a hint of the man's warmth.

In just one day of contact, Zhou Juzi was able to feel a unique sense of security from the other person's outstretched hand.

Whether it's the gentle aura or the unsettling trust.

It's just like that this man was born with.

She looked at the wet wipe in her hand and murmured softly to herself:

"The smell of alcohol..."

Actually, Xia Weichan's habit of carrying wet wipes was due to his birdwatching, while the alcohol-smelling wet wipes were a habit he developed during his first playthrough as a detective.

After all, contact with the scene inevitably involves getting bloodstains or other dirt on one's skin, and alcohol has a disinfecting and sterilizing effect.

After using it for a while, it is indeed much better than scented wet wipes.

"Was my first performance on stage really not bad?"

"Really, really, why would I lie to you?"

Hearing Xia Weichan's affirmative words, Zhou Juzi's eyes flickered left and right.

She then realized that, surprisingly, she didn't question Xia Weichan's words of comfort at first.

How did he know about Kurimaki Tsuruo and Ke Yuexuan's state when they first went on stage?

Xia Weichan spoke those words in a very natural tone, just like casually chatting about a friend's embarrassing past.

There is absolutely no intention to deceive you.

Could it really be...?

A certain possibility surfaced in her mind, which even Zhou Juzi herself found unbelievable.

To even think that Xia Weichan had previously trained those two, I must be crazy!

Maybe it's because of his brother, or maybe...

Just as the girl was feeling helpless about the absurd thoughts in her mind, Leyi's voice came:

"Yo ho~ Boss, shouldn't you fulfill your promise from yesterday and prove your abilities now?"

"Huh?"

Looking at the electric guitars left on the stage, neatly arranged.

Zhou Juzi's slightly upturned eyes drew in the stunned gaze. She glanced sideways at Xia Weichan, who was slowly rising beside her, and said with some disbelief:

"...You can play too?"

In response to her,

It's Xia Weichan's confident voice.

"Of course I will. Didn't I already say that you play first, then I'll play? After all, I'll be your producer, won't I?"