Amateur talent show? Top mentors are my students.

He Xu himself was calmer than anyone else while waiting for the test results.

He took a nap that afternoon when he returned to his lodgings.

I slept from 2:00 to 4:30. When I woke up, the sunlight outside the window had changed from the glaring midday sun to the warm, golden afternoon light.

He sat on the edge of the bed in a daze for a while, then went downstairs to pour himself a glass of water, sat down on the sofa in the living room, and picked up his phone to take a look.

It was a little after 8 a.m. in China, and the NOVA group was quiet.

He was about to put his phone down when the screen suddenly lit up, and a video call request popped up from Jiang Yang.

He Xu paused for a moment, then pressed the answer button.

The moment the screen lit up, five meticulously made-up faces simultaneously squeezed into the frame.

The camera was shaky, and the background was a dimly lit interior with several light fixtures piled up in the corner and a reflector on the side.

Everyone was dressed in black stage costumes, their hair was messy, and their faces had that kind of excitement that comes from staying up until the early hours of the morning.

"Teacher He!!!" Jiang Yang's voice boomed from the screen, loud and clear, filled with barely suppressed excitement, "We just finished filming the music video! All night! Until now!"

He Xu held the phone a little further away: "...Why are you shouting so loudly? I can hear you."

Jiang Yang immediately lowered his voice a little, but his excitement didn't diminish at all: "Teacher He, we're done filming! The music video for our debut song! We filmed all night! We just came out of the studio!"

In the scene, Li Bufan peeks half his head out from behind Jiang Yang, his hair styled in a messy shape with hair gel, and his eyes are covered in dark circles: "Brother He Xu! I danced seventeen times! Seventeen times! The director only said my solo part was okay now! My legs don't even feel like my own anymore—"

Yang Sheng appeared at the edge of the frame, his tone calm, but with a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth: "The overall effect should be good. It will take a few more days of post-production editing, but the footage is all ready."

Song Yingwen peered over from the other side of the screen: "Teacher He, how's it going on your end?"

He Xu leaned back on the sofa, looking at the tired yet excited faces on the screen, and paused for a second: "...Waiting for the test results. The pre-operative tests were just completed two days ago, and the doctor said the results would be available in two or three days."

There was a moment of silence in the frame.

Then Jiang Yang's voice became cautious: "So... what do you think?"

"What, how is it?"

"So, are you nervous?"

He Xu thought for a moment: "...So-so. Being nervous won't help, right?"

Li Bufan squeezed in from the edge of the frame, his dingy orange hair standing out starkly under the lights: "Brother He Xu, you make it sound so easy—we were all nervous for you!"

Why are you so nervous for me?

"Someone has to be nervous!" Li Bufan said matter-of-factly. "We filmed a music video here all night, and during breaks we were talking about you the whole time—Yang Sheng said you definitely weren't nervous, and I said you were definitely nervous but pretending not to. We even made a bet!"

He Xu raised an eyebrow: "What are we betting on?"

"A hot pot meal," Yang Sheng's voice came from off-screen. "He insisted that you'd have insomnia until the test results came out."

"Then you're doomed to lose," He Xu said. "I'm sleeping very well every day now."

Li Bufan's expression fell: "Brother He Xu! Can't you be a little nervous? Give me some face!"

"cannot."

Jiang Yang was laughing so hard he was slapping his thigh, making the whole scene shake.

Then Qi Xunan's voice came from behind the screen, still with his signature calm tone: "Teacher He, the surgery is next week, right?"

"Yes, if the test results are fine."

"How long will you be unable to speak during your post-operative recovery period?"

He Xu recalled: "The doctor said I needed to rest my vocal cords, and stay completely silent for at least two to three weeks, after which I could slowly recover."

There was a half-second of silence on the screen, then Jiang Yang's voice carried a hint of disbelief: "...Not saying a word at all? Two to three weeks?"

"Um."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Typing on your phone," He Xu said calmly, "or gesturing."

Li Bufan's voice broke in again, tinged with the excitement of "I've come up with a brilliant idea": "Brother He Xu! What will you do when you want to scold us? Haha, you won't be able to scold us anymore—I never thought Teacher He would have this day—"

"Do you believe I can type out insults at you right now?"

"I was wrong."

Lu Yiming's voice finally emerged from the edge of the screen, his soft, nasal tone still tinged with the strain of having just finished a sleepless night: "Teacher He, take good care of yourself... We'll be waiting for you to come back."

He Xu glanced at the screen—Lu Yiming was sitting in the corner of the screen, his eyes slightly red, but a smile on his lips.

He paused for a moment, then said, "You guys too, don't just focus on filming the music video and neglect to rest."

"Okay, Teacher He!" Jiang Yang's voice regained its bright and energetic tone. "Take good care of your voice! We're waiting for you to come back and scold us!"

He Xu smiled and said, "Alright, I'm hanging up. You guys should go back to sleep early."

The seven people on the screen said "Goodbye, Teacher He," "Teacher He, take care," and "Teacher He, have a successful surgery" all at once, and then Jiang Yang hung up the call first.

After the screen went dark, the living room fell silent again. He Xu put his phone on the coffee table and stared at the ceiling for a while.

My phone vibrated again.

He glanced down at the message from Han Yu, which went straight to the point without any pleasantries: "The test results are in?"

He Xu typed: "Not yet, it will take two or three days."

Han Yu replied quickly: "So what are you doing over there?"

"wait."

What should we do while we wait?

"Sleeping, eating, and being taken around by Jiang Yanbai."

Han Yu was silent for a few seconds, then sent a message: "You're not anxious at all."

He Xu stared at that line of text for two seconds, then typed: "Is anxiety helpful?"

Han Yu clicked his tongue and then added, "Say it anytime if you need anything."

He Xu replied with an "Mm" and then put down his phone.

He leaned back on the sofa, turned his head to look at the sky outside the floor-to-ceiling window, and slowly closed his eyes in the amber light of the California evening.

But today seems destined to be anything but quiet.

My phone vibrated again.

This time, it was a WeChat message from Shen Yiheng.

And he posted three messages in one go.

The first question: "Teacher, have your test results come back yet?"

Second question: "The surgery is next week?"

The third point: "Are you nervous?"

Are these people just bored out of their minds?

He Xu stared at the three messages for a few seconds, then typed: "You're even more anxious than I am."

Shen Yiheng replied instantly: "Of course."

Then he added, "You're all alone over there, if I don't worry about you, who will?"

He Xu looked at the line of text, paused for a moment, and typed: "Jiang Yanbai is over here."

Shen Yiheng's reply was a beat slower this time, and then a line of text popped up: "...He has to be anxious for you too."

"Then you two would make a perfect pair, don't rush it."

Shen Yiheng didn't respond to that question, but changed the subject: "How long after your surgery will you be unable to speak?"

"Two to three weeks of complete silence."

"Then how do you communicate with people?"

"type."

Shen Yiheng pressed further, "Is someone taking care of you after the surgery? Is Jiang Yanbai home every day? Isn't he busy with his album? What about Jen? Are you close to her? Does she speak Chinese?"

He Xu stared at the string of questions, his fingers hovering over the keyboard for a moment before typing: "Are you checking my household registration?"

Shen Yiheng replied with "I care about you".

He Xu stared at the screen for a few seconds, a slight smile playing on his lips, before typing: "You just need to manage NOVA, make sure they don't go astray right from their debut. I can handle my own affairs."

Shen Yiheng replied after a long pause: "I understand. But send me a message on the day of your surgery."

He Xu replied with an "okay," put down his phone, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes.

The sky outside the window had changed from amber to grayish-blue, and the lights by the pool were not yet on. The whole house was shrouded in a quiet, half-lit twilight.

My phone vibrated again.

This time, in NOVA's group chat, Jiang Yang posted a photo—the other six people were crammed into the back of the van, exhausted and slumped over. Some had fallen asleep with their heads resting against the window, while others were still making peace signs at the camera.

Li Bufan's dirty orange head was squeezed at the front, his mouth stretched to his ears.

The caption read, "Teacher He, we're done filming! Time to go home and sleep! You should get some rest too!"

He Xu looked at the photo and a slight smile played on his lips. He typed a message and sent it: "Go to sleep. You'll have the energy to get scolded if you're well-rested."

The replies in the group chat came quickly—Jiang Yang sent a "ZZZ" emoji, and Li Bufan sent "Goodnight, Brother He Xu".

Then the group finally quieted down.

He Xu put his phone on the coffee table and leaned back against the sofa.

Night fell through the floor-to-ceiling windows, turning the entire sky a deep, serene blue.

The poolside lights finally came on, casting a warm yellow glow on the water's surface, swaying gently with the ripples.

Sitting in that light, he suddenly felt that the wait wasn't so long after all.