Amateur talent show? Top mentors are my students.

The rehearsals were conducted in batches, in sequence.

The first group consisted of several vocal groups, who filed in through the side door.

Leading the way was Qi Xunan, dressed in the same training uniform. His expression was as calm as ever, showing neither tension nor relaxation.

He had just stepped into the studio when his gaze swept across the area below the stage, and he suddenly paused.

The people behind him almost bumped into him.

"Brother Qi? What's wrong—"

Qi Xunan did not answer.

His gaze was fixed on the person behind the monitoring console.

Wearing a black hoodie, head tilted, holding a pen, he was writing something on a piece of paper.

He was all too familiar with the lines of that profile.

"...He Xu?" Qi Xunan's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough from a distance.

He Xu heard the sound.

He looked up, his gaze passing over the monitor screen, and met Qi Xunan's.

"Hey." He Xu tapped the edge of the table with his pen cap. "What are you standing there for? Come in and rehearse."

Qi Xunan smiled, then quickly suppressed his smile and led the group inside as if nothing had happened.

But the people behind him didn't have such good composure.

"Holy crap, that's He Xu???"

"Why is he back?? Didn't he withdraw from the competition??"

"Look, the bandage on my ear is gone, it seems much better..."

The sounds came one after another, but He Xu pretended not to hear them and continued to draw circles on the flowchart.

Qi Xunan walked to the front of the stage and stood still, his gaze still fixed on He Xu, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

He Xu finally raised his eyelids and glanced at him: "What are you looking at? Get used to the stage first, and we can talk about any problems after you come down."

Qi Xunan opened his mouth, but in the end only said one word: "...Okay."

Then he turned around and began to guide his team members through the movement.

Qi Xunan's group was the first vocal group to perform. They were going to sing a lyrical arrangement of a song, which required a lot of positioning and lighting coordination.

Behind the monitoring station, He Xu lowered his head again, drawing a clean straight line on the paper with his pen.

"First verse," He Xu's voice came through the walkie-talkie, "Qi Xunan, you moved out too early. Wait until the first four beats of the chorus before you move."

"Liu Yuxuan, you've veered to the left—your current position will be silhouetted against the main light during the chorus. Move two steps to the right."

"Lighting team, the spotlight speed on the third bridge is good. But the timing of switching back to the full court should be delayed by two beats; the current pace is too rushed."

Qi Xunan remained silent.

He simply readjusted his position according to He Xu's instructions, moving only four beats before the chorus, landing precisely on the new spot.

Liu Yuxuan, who was next to him, moved two steps to the right, then stopped and turned his head to look in the direction of the monitoring station.

He Xu didn't look at him; he was writing something on a piece of paper with his head down.

"One more chorus."

The music started again.

This time, everyone's positioning was perfect, and the lights landed precisely.

After singing the last line, Qi Xunan paused in his ending pose.

He stood in the center of the stage, his expression still calm, but his breathing was a little heavier than before.

He Xu stood behind the monitoring console, looked down and drew a line on the process chart, then capped his pen and picked up the walkie-talkie to change the channel.

Meanwhile, news from the waiting area arrived even faster than the official notification.

Jiang Yang was the first to know.

He was squatting in a corner of the waiting area stretching his legs when one of the selection officers whispered to another, "He Xu is here, over at the monitoring station."

He sprang up from the ground, nearly hitting his knee on the wall.

"Who's here?!" Jiang Yang's voice rose half an octave, his leg-pressing motion halting in mid-air.

The selection officer glanced at him: "...He Xu."

Yang Sheng and Jiang Yang had almost the same reaction.

He was warming up his wrists in preparation for the second rehearsal when he heard those two words and his movements froze.

He turned his head to look at the entrance to the waiting area, but couldn't see anything. He could only hear intermittent music and familiar commands coming from the direction of the stage.

Song Yingwen stood next to Yang Sheng, his expression calmer than Yang Sheng's.

But he still straightened the hem of his training uniform.

Li Bufan's reaction was the most direct.

He was sitting on the ground, but when he heard the name "He Xu", he jumped up as if he had been sprung up by a spring.

His dirty orange hair swayed under the light, and he lost his balance, staggering to the side before bracing himself against the wall to steady himself.

"Brother He Xu is back?!" Li Bufan's voice echoed in the waiting area.

Several contestants nearby were startled by his commotion and turned to look at him.

Li Bufan ignored those stares.

Wang Yijun leaned against the wall, not saying a word, not even moving.

But his gaze shifted slightly toward the exit of the waiting area.

The rehearsals proceeded in sequence.

Lu Yiming is in Vocal Group B.

As he walked from the waiting area onto the stage, his eyes immediately locked onto the person behind the monitoring console.

His eyes reddened instantly, but he bit his lip and forced himself to remain silent, standing on the stage with his group members.

He Xu didn't look up at him, as if he hadn't noticed his presence at all.

"Lu Yiming," He Xu's voice came through the walkie-talkie, "You were too slow with your positioning for the second verse. Move two beats earlier, or you'll bump into the people behind you."

Lu Yiming sniffed: "...Okay."

"Let's start over."

After the vocal group finished, it was the dance group's turn.

Yang Sheng's group was the first one.

He Xu stood behind the monitoring station. When he heard the staff announce "dance group, get ready," he looked up at the stage.

Yang Sheng had already walked out of the waiting area.

He Xu lowered his head and turned to the third page of the flowchart.

"Dance Team A, please take your positions."

Yang Sheng led his five men up and they took their places.

He Xu's gaze swept across the monitor screen, pausing for a moment on Yang Sheng's position.

"Drum solo part," He Xu picked up the walkie-talkie, "the positioning is too scattered. Before the chorus, you guys had a four-beat convergence, but the current trajectory is too convoluted and will block the camera."

"Make a change—cut diagonally from both sides of the stage and converge in a straight line."

Yang Sheng's gaze fell across the entire studio on the person behind the monitoring console. He wanted to call out "Teacher," but in the end he just nodded and began to adjust his position.

"Let's do it one more time."

The music started again.

He Xu stood behind the monitoring console, his pen never stopping.

He issued one instruction after another.

"Yang Sheng, your timing for the floor move in the third chorus is too late."

"Side lighting, turn the brightness down two levels before the chorus starts, it's too bright now."

"Unit 4, you were too slow when you switched positions just now—follow the lead singer, not the drum beats."

The instructions were crisp, concise, and without a single wasted word.

Like a scalpel, it precisely cuts at every point that needs adjustment.

-

The rehearsal lasted for nearly four hours.

From vocals to dance to rap, from stage management to lighting and camera positions, He Xu stood behind the monitoring station the whole time, holding the process sheet in his hand, his pen never stopping.

When his throat feels uncomfortable, he will stop to take a sip of water from his thermos and then continue.

When the last group finished their rehearsal, the director said from the side of the studio, "You've worked hard today. We'll start recording tomorrow."

The staff began packing up the equipment, and the lights dimmed one by one.

He Xu rolled up the process sheet and was about to turn around and go backstage when he caught a glimpse of a crowd standing at the entrance to the waiting area.

He Xu stopped in his tracks.

Jiang Yang stood at the front, followed by Li Bufan, and then Yang Sheng and Song Yingwen.

Wang Yijun leaned against the wall a little further away, her arms crossed.

Lu Yiming stood in the corner, his eyes still red, but a smile on his lips.

He Xu tucked the rolled-up flowchart under his arm and slowly walked over.

"What are you doing stuck in traffic here?" he said, his voice hoarse but devoid of emotion. "Aren't you going home to rest after rehearsals?"

Nobody moved.

Jiang Yang spoke first, his voice a little unsteady: "Teacher He, when did you arrive?"

"Morning."

"Then why don't you—"

"I'm busy," He Xu interrupted him. "My schedule's been packed all day. Who am I supposed to chat with?"

Jiang Yang swallowed back what he was about to say.

Li Bufan took a step forward: "Brother He Xu, your ear—"

"Much better," He Xu said.

He said those three words very quickly, as if he didn't want to linger on the topic for even a second longer.

Li Bufan opened his mouth again, then closed it.

Yang Sheng stood in the middle of the crowd, without saying a word from beginning to end.

He just looked at He Xu, as if to confirm that the person in front of him was really standing there, and not just a hallucination caused by his exhaustion.

He Xu met his gaze and remained silent for a moment.

"Why are you standing so far away?" He Xu said. "Come here."

Yang Sheng walked through the crowd to him, the two of them less than an arm's length apart.

He Xu reached out and patted him on the back of the head, the force neither too light nor too heavy.

"You've lost weight too," He Xu said.

Yang Sheng's lips moved slightly, his voice a little hoarse: "...Teacher."

"Um."

"You're back—just to help out temporarily, or—"

"It's temporary." He Xu withdrew his hand. "The stage director is hospitalized, so I'll fill in for two days. I'll leave the day after tomorrow."

He Xu glanced at them and added, "Before you leave, watch your performance on stage tomorrow."

The moment those words were spoken, the expressions of the people at the entrance changed.

Jiang Yang was the first to react: "You came to see us?"

"Of course, I'm the stage manager now." He Xu tilted his head slightly towards the monitoring console. "It's just that I'm not watching from the audience."

Jiang Yang opened his mouth, then closed it again.

His eyes were even redder than before, but the curve of his lips was widening.

Li Bufan finally couldn't hold back: "Brother He Xu, then—then after you finish watching it tomorrow, can you—"

"No," He Xu interrupted him. "I'm here to work, not to reminisce."

Li Bufan swallowed the rest of his sentence.

"Alright," He Xu said, "Go back to sleep. You still have another day to go, so try not to stay up too late and drink plenty of water."

After he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the work passage. After taking two steps, he stopped and turned his head to point his right ear at them: "Lu Yiming, don't suppress your high notes, sing them out loud."

Lu Yiming's glasses reflected the light as he nodded vigorously.

He Xu withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.

At the corner of the work corridor, he paused for a moment. He didn't turn around, just stood there for two seconds, and then continued walking.

A few people were still standing at the entrance of the passage.

No one made the first move.

He's back, though not as a player.

But at least he's back.