Amateur talent show? Top mentors are my students.

The entire venue fell silent, the spotlight narrowed, leaving only a single spotlight shining on the center of the stage.

He Xu stood still, without striking any exaggerated preparatory pose, simply lowering his head slightly, his short black hair falling down to cover part of his brow bone.

Then the music started.

He Xu on stage moved.

The first eight beats consist of just a few simple steps, with the body rising and falling slightly, like warming up or testing the pulse of the music.

In the second eight beats, the rhythm suddenly accelerated, and he seemed to be ignited, exploding from his spine section by section—wave, pop, and fixation, every movement was crisp and clean, so powerful that his clothes whistled in the wind.

This kind of explosive power is not uncommon among top dancers.

But another quality about He Xu was that effortlessly filled the entire studio – a relaxed demeanor.

A sense of relaxed detachment from a superior position, resulting from an extreme degree of control.

Shen Yiheng recalled the first time he saw He Xu dance.

He was seventeen years old that year, a new employee at the company, arrogant and proud, feeling that he had reached the pinnacle of his career in his original dance class.

Then He Xu walked into the practice room, wearing an old hoodie and with his hair unkempt, looking more like a student than he did.

He Xu said, "Today we're teaching a new dance, so I'll dance it once first."

Then he jumped.

After reading it, Shen Yiheng remained silent for a full five minutes.

It wasn't just because he was shocked—though he was indeed shocked—but because he clearly realized at that moment that his previous "ceiling" was probably just a threshold in other people's eyes.

That feeling is back now.

He Xu on stage had already reached the chorus, his movements were so intense they were almost suffocating, but every movement was extremely clean, without a single unnecessary sway.

Shen Yiheng's lips began to curl upwards uncontrollably.

They even wanted to applaud and cheer like they used to.

But he held back.

No applause.

He is now a PD, a mentor, someone who is meant to maintain fairness and professionalism.

Besides, Xu Shutong's appearance was already suspicious enough—

She remained frozen in her seat, her hands folded on her lap, sitting obediently like a primary school student.

His eyes were fixed on the stage, his mouth slightly open; he had completely lost control of his facial expressions.

Shen Yiheng glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and sighed inwardly.

Sister, at least try to make your act convincing.

Can't you be a little more reserved? You're the mentor!

The music is coming to an end.

He Xu finished with a one-handed backflip, then slowed down, the ending pose was simple and casual, and his breathing didn't change much.

The music stopped.

But the heated atmosphere inside the venue didn't stop at all.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!"

"What is this?!"

"Is he even human?!"

At least half of the contestants stood up; some covered their heads, some covered their mouths, and some frantically shook the shoulders of the people next to them.

Li Bufan sprang up from his seat, his grizzled orange hair swaying wildly under the lights, yelling, "Bro!!! Bro, you told me before that your dancing was 'okay'!!! If you call this 'okay,' then what am I!!!"

If He Xu heard this, he would probably reply, "It's all about participation."

But he couldn't hear it at that moment because it was too noisy.

Yang Sheng, Song Yingwen, and Jiang Yang sat in the middle of the contestants' seats, their expressions a mix of pride, excitement, and a strange sense of embarrassment.

Yang Sheng whispered, "The teacher seems... even more intense than usual today."

Song Yingwen nodded: "It's probably because there are cameras on."

Jiang Yang immediately saw through the scheme: "Don't you think the teacher is trying to steal our debut spots?"

The other two fell silent.

They dared not even think about this problem.

On the mentor's panel, Zheng Zaiyuan stood up once again.

The choreographer, known for his strictness in the industry, could be described with four words at this moment: as if he had found a treasure.

"You..." He picked up the phone, took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly, "What's wrong with you—no, wait a minute, let me catch my breath."

The whole audience burst into laughter.

Jung Jae-won paused for two seconds before speaking again, his pace twice as fast as usual: "Your body control is the best I've seen on this show. No, it's the best I've seen in recent years."

"Your core strength, joint isolation, and understanding of music—you're beyond the level of an ordinary idol. You're fully capable of participating in world-class dance competitions!"

"You flatter me, teacher."

The crowd stirred again.

He said it was a world-class competition...

"Teacher Jung Jae-won gave it such high praise..."

He Xu stood on the stage, his expression unchanged, as if Zheng Zaiyuan was praising someone else.

Zhou Wei adjusted his glasses and continued, "Your choreography has a very mature structure, with a clear introduction, development, climax, and conclusion, and the emotional progression is also very clear. If this dance were placed in a professional choreographer's portfolio, it would definitely be of a high standard. May I ask about your work?"

He Xu picked up the microphone and said casually, "I'm a choreographer, and I occasionally teach kids to dance too."

"A choreographer?! He's a choreographer?!"

"No wonder the choreography is so sophisticated; that's what they do!"

"Wait, who has he choreographed for?"

Jung Jae-won's eyes lit up significantly, and he leaned forward, almost shoving the microphone in his face: "Choretist? Which artists have you choreographed for? Which team?"

He Xu remained unfazed: "These are all small jobs; you wouldn't know them anyway."

Shen Yiheng nearly ground his back teeth to powder while sitting on the mentor's seat.

A small job?

The dance you choreographed for me was criticized by you seventeen times before it was approved, and it eventually became the choreography for my debut song—that was a small job.

Zheng Zaiyuan frowned, looking incredulous: "Where did you come from? I've never heard of you before."

Indeed—having been in the industry for twenty years, which choreographer hasn't he met? At twenty-four, with such talent and that face, how could he possibly remain unknown?

He Xu smiled, a faint but irritating smile: "Maybe it's because I'm rather low-key and don't like to show my face in public."

Jung Jae-won opened his mouth, wanting to refute but then felt he had a point—there are indeed people who don't like being famous.

But he always felt that something was wrong.

From the contestants' seats, Li Bufan shouted, "Low-key? You think you're low-key with that face? You're just being high-profile standing there!"

Jin Xian was clearly also impressed by He Xu's face: "Indeed, you have a rather striking face. How come no agency has signed you?"

"I'm curious too, why don't you sign me, Sister Jin?" He Xu joked without any panic.

The audience burst into laughter again.

Xu Shutong seized the opportunity to pick up the microphone, trying her best to make her voice sound like an impartial mentor: "Um... we understand your professional background. I'd like to ask, what was your initial motivation for participating in 'Absolute Debut'? After all, you're already a professional choreographer."

This is a very standard, mentor-like, and safe question.

Shen Yiheng mentally gave Xu Shutong a thumbs up.

He Xu remained silent for a second.

Everyone was waiting for him to speak.

Then he said, "Because I'm bored."

"..."

"Hahahahahahahaha!!!"

"What the hell is boredom?!"

He said it was because he was bored!!!

"This is so real!!!"

Xu Shutong's expression froze.

It took her a full three seconds to swallow back her laughter, but the muscles at the corners of her mouth were already out of control.

Shen Yiheng lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Jin Xian frowned slightly, which was rare for her, but the corners of her mouth also curved up slightly.

Zhou Wei coughed, steer the conversation back on track: "In short, your talent is undeniable. My personal suggestion is that you could consider adding a vocal performance segment to the later rounds of the competition. Although you said your voice isn't great, talent shows are, after all, comprehensive—"

"I'll give it a try," He Xu interrupted Zhou Wei, his tone not impolite, but with a casual "we'll see" feel to it.

Zhou Wei raised an eyebrow, but didn't seem angry.

Shen Yiheng concluded by summarizing, trying his best to maintain a businesslike tone: "Since the teachers have finished their evaluations, I won't say any more. He Xu, your initial stage performance rating is—"

The large screen lights up.

A.

No doubt about it.