Rebirth: Spoiling the Obsessive Film Emperor Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Favorite 

After speaking, both of them froze. 

Yin Chengjue just wanted to slap himself. Why did you have to say so much? Now he knows you came to watch the performance! 

Rong Yu, however, didn’t seem to overthink it as much as Yin Chengjue did. Faced with these encouraging words, he nodded very seriously: "Mhm!" 

Yin Chengjue estimated the time and figured the final scores were about to be announced, so he thought about returning to his seat in the audience. But then he realized the person being scored was right here, so he couldn’t help but ask, "Aren’t you going back to the stage to wait for your score?" 

"Ah, I am!" Rong Yu, who had originally been heading to the balcony, now followed Yin Chengjue’s steps back, smiling sheepishly. "Actually, I was a little nervous earlier. I asked around, but no one had any candy, so I thought I’d come to the balcony to get some air. I didn’t mean to disturb you." 

"You didn’t." Yin Chengjue glanced sideways at Rong Yu and noticed the other was half a head shorter than him. From this angle, he could see inside Rong Yu’s half-open collar… 

Yin Chengjue frowned slightly, thinking to himself: Why doesn’t this guy button up his shirt properly? His fair chest muscles are practically on full display, letting others feast their eyes on his tender tofu!
[嫩豆腐 nèn dòufu): lit. tender tofu; fig. smooth, delicate skin (often used humorously or flirtatiously to describe someone's fair complexion or softness)]

His gaze only lingered for a second before he looked away, reminding himself he had no right to dictate how others dressed. Still, he inexplicably felt a little irritated. 

Lost in his own sulking, he didn’t notice that Rong Yu’s eyes hadn’t left him since they met, as if pulled by an invisible thread, following him all the way back. Rong Yu was also talking more than usual. 

"Thank you for your encouragement earlier. I feel much better now, not as nervous." Rong Yu touched his chest, his expression relaxing slightly. Then he added, "Can I ask… which performance did you like the most?" 

Seeing the faint anticipation in Rong Yu’s eyes, Yin Chengjue suddenly felt the urge to tease him. So he stopped walking, raised a brow, and said, "Definitely not yours." 

As Rong Yu froze in place, looking like a startled little rabbit, Yin Chengjue couldn’t help but laugh. "Because you’re my favorite." 

The moment the words left his mouth, an awkward silence fell between them. 

Only then did Yin Chengjue realize how ambiguous his phrasing had been. He quickly corrected himself, "What I meant was, your performance was my favorite." Not just one of the favorites. 

"Ah, thank you…" Rong Yu cleared his throat, the tips of his ears turning slightly red. "Then… um… since you liked it, I can send you the full dance video." 

With that, Rong Yu took out his phone, swiftly opening the WeChat interface. "Let me scan your QR code." 

Wait, if I wanted to watch the full version, I could just look it up online. The show will definitely edit it out…

But Rong Yu had already pulled up the scanner. If Yin Chengjue refused now after praising him earlier, wouldn’t that make his earlier compliments seem insincere? 

Reluctantly, Yin Chengjue took out his phone, watching helplessly as Rong Yu quickly added him and set a contact name. Only then did he suddenly remember something: "Aren’t you guys not allowed to carry phones?" 

Rong Yu nodded. "Yeah, we can only bring them when we leave the training grounds for outside performances." 

Yin Chengjue thought about it—it made sense. Phones were restricted during training, but if they went out to perform without them, how would they regroup if they got separated? 

"Ah! It’s almost time. I need to get back to the stage." There was a hint of expectation in Rong Yu’s voice, so Yin Chengjue naturally replied, "Good luck." 

"Okay!" 

Rong Yu turned and headed backstage, while Yin Chengjue came down the stairs to return to the audience seating on the first floor. 

At that moment, the final group’s PK performance was underway. As the grand finale, the atmosphere was electric again, and the group’s fiery dance further hyped up the crowd, drawing waves of cheers. 

Perhaps the cheers were too loud, drowning out their in-ear monitors—the two members of this group missed a few beats, and the vocalist also went off-key, resulting in noticeable flaws in the performance. 

When the scores were announced, they lost to their competing team, leaving their live-streaming fans furious. They cried foul, claiming the show was rigged—how could this team lose just because of a few missed beats and off-key notes when their stage presence was clearly stronger? 

But mistakes were mistakes. Imperfections were imperfections. Against a team of equal skill, the one with a cleaner, flawless performance would win. 

Thus, the fans of both teams began tearing into each other online. 

Hey Brother, Let's Debut! thrived on fan wars—the fiercer, the better. The show wasted no time pushing several trending hashtags, effortlessly reaping a wave of traffic. 

However, the top trending topic had nothing to do with Hey Brother, Let's Debut!, but was instead the follow-up to a once widely mocked scandal. 

#Yin He and Feng Chengda Divorce

An expected outcome—one that only further confirmed Feng Chengda’s infidelity, mistress-keeping, and illegitimate child. 

In an instant, Feng Chengda was branded as scum, becoming the target of widespread condemnation.