Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Su Xingyao was delayed by everyone wanting to take group photos with him, and by the time he came out, it was already completely dark.

Outside The Voice of Heaven building, seven or eight square dance groups, each with dozens of people, were dancing enthusiastically to different tunes.

Around the square dance groups, many parents had brought their children to play.

The loud singing filled the air, but Su Xingyao couldn't catch a single word.

However, such a strong sense of life made him stop in his tracks.

It felt like he was back in the days when he and his sister would go out to set up a stand at night.

Besides the night market, they would also set up a small street vendor stand in such lively squares, sitting on small stools, with the same lively and noisy singing voices in their ears.

Under a tree, Su Xingyao watched the crowd before checking his phone.

But after pressing the power button several times, the phone remained dead.

That's when he realized his phone was dead...

Could it be that he was so busy checking the message Lu Jiuxu sent earlier that he forgot to turn off his phone when handing it in?

Su Xingyao glanced around, assessing his options.

The Voice of Heaven building was somewhat isolated, not quite in the city's hustle and bustle.

With the subway station far off, his only way home was a cab.

A dead phone meant no way to call a ride.

Su Xingyao helplessly put his hands into the hidden costume pockets.

Well, there wasn't a single dollar inside...

Used to paying with his phone and never carrying cash, a dead phone and no charger spelled trouble.

Su Xingyao decided to head back into The Voice of Heaven for help.

However, he had only walked a few meters when, in a quiet corner, he was suddenly stopped.

"Yo, bro!"

"Hey, Cat Guy, hold up!"

Head down, Su Xingyao suddenly heard two rap lines.

He quickly looked up and found himself blocked by two people in frog costumes.

Two figures in matching frog suits stood before him, flanking him left and right.

One frog stood hands on hips, chin up.

The other was carrying a bunch of small frog toys, with its right foot stretched out in front.

Su Xingyao gaped at the frogs, his cat paws pressed together, glancing side to side.

Then, following their tune, he said, "Yo, bro, I can't rap~"

As soon as Su Xingyao spoke, the two cool frogmen, who looked like they didn’t want to be bothered, were immediately amused and started shuffling and wiggling in place.

Then, the frog on the right broke into a street dance right there.

He kept rapping while dancing.

"Hey bro, no big deal, just watch me dance."

After the frog on the right finished, the frog on the left also started to dance.

"Bro Cat, you be the judge, tell us, who’s the coolest dude on this block?"

They both sounded young, like college kids.

After they started rapping, they went back and forth with their freestyle.

Su Xingyao caught on after listening for a bit.

Turns out, the two frog moms were competing to sell their "kids" at the same spot, and neither was ready to give an inch. Now, they were showing off their skills to see who’s the coolest frog around.

And because he was also wearing an animal headpiece, he got roped into being the judge.

Even though it seemed a little crazy, Su Xingyao found them quite interesting and didn’t rush to leave.

After watching their performance for a while, Su Xingyao jumped right in, getting into the spirit and gave the frog on the left a round of applause.

"That’s awesome!"

Seeing this, the frog on the right immediately pulled off a kinda shaky Thomas spin.

"What about me? Huh?"

Su Xingyao quickly raised his hands and gave a thumbs-up with his cat paws, "Too cool for friends."

With Su Xingyao's cooperation, the two frogs got even more into their act.

Even though they kept trying to one-up each other, it was clear that they knew each other underneath.

After showing off in front of Su Xingyao for a bit, they agreed to pick it up again tomorrow.

The two frog moms wrapped things up in a flash and carried their frog babies over to Su Xingyao.

They earnestly asked him, "Bro Cat, you coming back to hang with us tomorrow?"

Su Xingyao was totally down to come, but he had an agreement with the production team, so he gave a regretful wave with his cat paws.

"Tomorrow, I have to take my baby on a world tour."

Hearing this, the frog on the right, a star, looked crushed. He covered his face with his gloves, looking as if the sky had fallen.

"That’s such a pity TAT."

After saying this, he immediately handed Su Xingyao an inflatable frog.

"Since you can't come, why don't you take my baby on a world tour too."

The frog on the left was clearly a strong-willed and competitive one.

Seeing his opponent give Su Xingyao a frog, he immediately hung the only inflatable turtle he had on Su Xingyao's paw.

"Have a pleasant journey, and let my turtle minister guide you safely."

After each had given their gifts, the two frogs bossily told Su Xingyao not to refuse, then wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders, carrying their unsold "children" and striding away with a swaggering stride.

Su Xingyao looked at the two small animals that had mysteriously appeared in his hands, feeling amused and entertained.

The two frogs had already disappeared, so he had no choice but to carry one small animal in each hand and head back towards the building.

It was getting late.

In just a short while, the square dancers had mostly dispersed.

As Su Xingyao crossed the square and stepped onto the road, he heard a familiar voice.

"Coral Cat,"

Su Xingyao stopped in his tracks, surprised, and turned toward the voice.

Lu Jiuxu stood under the streetlight, his face in the night radiating an indescribable handsomeness.

Su Xingyao was stunned.

After a few seconds, he finally walked over to him, "What are you doing here?"

Why would he be here at this time...

Lu Jiuxu looked into Su Xingyao's eyes through the costume and spoke slowly.

"To pick you up."

Su Xingyao's steps suddenly halted.

He came here for me...

As if knowing what Su Xingyao was thinking, Lu Jiuxu walked up to him.

"Your phone was off, and I was in the area for a meeting, so I decided to drop by."

His gaze swept over the two inflatable toys in Su Xingyao's hands, and he chuckled lightly, "I didn't expect to bump into you right after getting out of the car."

Realizing that Lu Jiuxu had come specifically for him, Su Xingyao quickly patted his bag, feeling for his phone inside, he explained, "Sorry, my phone died."

At the mention of his dead phone, Su Xingyao remembered.

His phone was completely off; if it weren't for the lucky encounter with Lu Jiuxu here.

Wouldn't his trip have been in vain?

But even knowing there was a high chance he wouldn't be able to reach Su Xingyao.

Lu Jiuxu still came.

"Thank you, Mr. Lu."

Su Xingyao looked at Lu Jiuxu, his light-colored eyes beneath the costume brimming with unmistakable gratitude.

Lu Jiuxu didn't say anything or explain why he had come specifically to pick up Su Xingyao, he simply pointed in a direction.

"My car is parked over there."

After speaking, he led Su Xingyao towards the parking spot.

Once inside the car, Su Xingyao noticed Lu Jiuxu had come alone, without a driver.

Lu Jiuxu asked him to sit in the front passenger seat and placed his frog and turtle on the back seats, one on each side.

Su Xingyao looked a little awkward in the car due to his mascot costume.

While buckling his seatbelt, he heard Lu Jiuxu ask, "Am I driving some kind of animal bus or something?"

Su Xingyao paused, looked back at the turtle and frog, then looked down at his cat paws.

"Nah, you're driving a cute pet-mobile."

He then introduced to Lu Jiuxu, "These two little animals were given to me by two frog moms I ran into."

Maybe remembering the earlier happy moment, Su Xingyao's voice was livelier than usual, and he chatted more than he normally did.

Hearing his voice, a faint smile crept into Lu Jiuxu's eyes.

Su Xingyao was really in a great mood today. As he sat in the car, gazing at the passing scenery, ideas kept flooding his mind.

He grabbed his phone, which had been charging in Lu Jiuxu's car, took off his cat gloves, and quickly jotted down the lyrics in his memo app.

As he looked over the lyrics, a few fitting melodies popped into his head.

Lost in thought, he started humming the tune softly.

Lu Jiuxu listened to the unfamiliar but lovely melody, and when they stopped at a red light, he quietly became Su Xingyao's first listener.

It was the first time he'd seen Su Xingyao so genuine.

So focused, yet so adorable.

As Su Xingyao bent over his phone, writing the song, a car pulled up next to theirs.

Since the red light took a while, Su Xingyao glanced up once.

His eyes briefly skimmed the car beside them, but he didn't think much of it.

When the light turned green and the car zoomed off, it struck him that the car looked familiar.

It kinda looked like Qin Mingchuan's car.

But the thought just flickered through his mind.

He didn't bother checking or looking up again. Instead, he turned his head slightly and quietly watched Lu Jiuxu, who was focused on driving.

In that moment, he felt a deep sense of calm and relaxation he'd never experienced before.

"The Voice of Heaven" building was a good distance from Lu Jiuxu's villa.

By the time they got home, it was already late at night.

Upon arriving home, Su Xingyao quickly took off his mascot costume.

Even though his custom-made mascot suit was less stuffy than regular ones, wearing it all day still left him feeling a little lightheaded.

After bidding Lu Jiuxu goodnight, he quickly showered and went upstairs to sleep.

When he woke up the next day, it was already bright outside.

Maybe he was too tired from yesterday, so he slept in a bit today.

When he went downstairs, he noticed Lu Zhiyun had arrived at some point.

He was lounging on the sofa, holding his phone, laughing happily, completely absorbed in a video.

Su Xingyao glanced his way.

Lu Zhiyun laughing while holding his phone didn’t seem unusual to Su Xingyao.

That’s just how he was—always easily amused by little things.

What surprised him, though, was the usually dignified Lu Jiuxu, now standing behind Lu Zhiyun, even leaning over to watch the video with him.

He was all smiles.

Before Su Xingyao could even wonder what the brothers found so funny, Lu Zhiyun, sharp-eyed as ever, spotted him first.

"Su Su, come over quick, I’ve got a hilarious video to show you."

As Lu Zhiyun eagerly called out to Su Xingyao, Lu Jiuxu also stood up and smiled at him.

A funny video?

Curious, Su Xingyao walked over, stood next to Lu Jiuxu, and looked down at Lu Zhiyun's phone.

The video showed a cat and two frogs interacting intensely.

The person who filmed it had thoughtfully added captions.

"Adorable cat performing as a water-balancing master."

When the cat gave a thumbs-up and clapped at the two frogs, another line of text appeared.

"The cat is definitely the top cheerleader, clapping so adorably."

As soon as Su Xingyao saw the video clearly, his expression froze.

This scene...

Why... does it look so familiar...

Unaware, Lu Zhiyun paused the video and pointed at the cat costume, saying to Su Xingyao.

"Look at this cat, doesn't it look a lot like our Coral?"

Coral, who was mentioned by Lu Zhiyun, meowed from the opposite sofa.

Standing behind, Su Xingyao was momentarily speechless as he looked at Coral.

Well...

This cat costume isn’t just similar.

It's exactly the same...

Completely unaware, Su Xingyao never expected that his interaction with the frog moms last night would be captured on video, posted online, and suddenly go viral.

The video had been up for less than seven hours, yet it had already garnered over a million likes and quickly climbed the trending charts on short video platforms.

The comments under the video were almost all filled with laughter and exclamations about how adorable it was.

Initially, people were drawn in by the two funny frogs.

But after watching the video, almost everyone was deeply captivated by the cat that seamlessly interacted with the frog moms.

After all, no one can resist the charm of a cute cat!

"How is every move it makes so adorable?"

"I really want to take this cat home, wahhh."

"I absolutely adore this supportive cat!"

"Wahhh, the fur on this cat looks so soft and fluffy."

"So this is another way to enjoy cats, T_T."

"Ahhh, it's so cute, I'm losing my mind over how adorable it is! Does anyone know where to buy a similar cat costume? Please send me a link; I want to get one."

"Hey sis above, I've been searching all night, and there's no similar product online, T_T. Just enjoy the cat in this video."

Lu Zhiyun was clearly in sync with the netizens, even going so far as to take a screenshot and search for the image online.

"I really want to buy this costume to wear."

Seeing Lu Zhiyun's longing expression.

Su Xingyao turned to look at Lu Jiuxu and finally understood why he had been smiling so happily when he saw him earlier.

After failing to find a similar product online, Lu Zhiyun noticed the inflatable frog and turtle next to Coral.

Feeling a sense of déjà vu, he curiously picked them up.

"Bro, why do you have these at home..."

Lu Jiuxu didn't answer but smiled at Su Xingyao and whispered.

"What were those two frogs doing at the time?"

Su Xingyao: ...

"They were battling for the title of Frog King..."

*

The video of the frog moms and the cute cat became a massive hit on short video platforms, amassing over ten million likes in just a few days.

Su Xingyao, who played the cat, suddenly became a beloved 'internet sensation' in a rather quirky way.

However, Su Xingyao didn't expect that before the hype of this video could fade, he would soon trend on social media again in an even more bizarre way.

After recording the first episode of "The Voice of Heaven," the production team, working tirelessly, quickly edited and released it.

The show had been heavily promoted online for a while, and the buzz around it was always high.

Thus, within hours of its release, the first episode racked up over ten million views.

The production team is well-versed in the tricks of the trade, creating a fiercely competitive atmosphere in the first episode.

Soon, the audience realized that they had watched most of the show without seeing a single contestant advance.

It must be said that having no one advance indeed masterfully manipulates the audience's emotions. Everyone was on edge due to the nail-biting competition for the pass, sweating for the contestants.

Although their emotions were manipulated by the production team, the viewers remained confident that this editing was just for effect.

The technique of building up before the climax is quite common. Towards the latter half or the end of the episode, a clip of an advancing contestant would surely be shown.

Therefore, with this mindset, they comfortably continued watching, anticipating the appearance of the first advancing contestant.

However, they never expected that they guessed the beginning but not the ending.

The production team did indeed release a video of the advancing contestant singing, as they had imagined.

But they only released one line.

When the first line of "Goodbye Yesterday" reached the audience's ears, it immediately captured everyone's hearts.

Almost everyone who heard this segment thought that this person was surely a lock.

So, just as everyone reached this consensus and eagerly continued watching to find out which contestant it was, they were shocked to find that the episode had come to an end.

No matter how they dragged the screen, the progress bar remained stuck.

The first episode of "The Voice of Heaven" ended abruptly without warning.

The show capriciously did not let the audience hear the full song, nor did it show any footage of the singing.

They didn't even reveal the contestant's number.

The netizens were stunned by this move, and the barrage was instantly flooded.

"Damn, one line??? Just one line???"

"This is an ending I never expected..."

"Can anyone understand this feeling of being left hanging and restless..."

"The first time in the history of domestic entertainment to only hear one line... Song Yingming, it's definitely you."

"Alright Song Yingming, I admit you are the top variety show director in domestic entertainment, hurry up and release the rest!!!"

"I've never had anything good in my life, finally heard celestial music, but now I can't even see who the celestial being is, just staring at a black screen going crazy, I'm going crazy, I really am, if I don't see the next episode soon I will go completely mad."

No matter how crazy they went, the end of the video still firmly displayed the line, "Who will become the first advancing contestant? Next Saturday, stay tuned."

Seeing this familiar subtitle, the audience felt like they were being driven mad by this damn show.