After the free-spirited and exhilarating performance, the stage lights blazed brilliantly as the resounding cheers of the audience filled the air. Boisterous shouts, thunderous applause, and roaring excitement swirled together into a whirlwind of euphoria, sweeping everyone off their feet.
In the contestants’ seating area, Wang Nali and Scallion, seeing their friend step down from the stage, could hardly contain themselves. They waved eagerly, signaling for her to join them.
Chu Duxiu jogged briskly over to her companions.
Wang Nali gave a thumbs-up. “That was amazing!”
“Well, we’re all from Yancheng, after all,” said Scallion. “When you make it big, Rookie Queen, don’t forget to appoint me as vice president or something.”
Lu Fan laughed. “If we’re going that route, I should be considered the Royal Tutor—so my official title should be even higher.”
The group bantered lightheartedly as they awaited the announcement of the rankings.
The live audience quieted down momentarily, but the barrage of online comments grew even more lively.
[Sniffles, so touching—this feels less like a finale and more like a farewell after the college entrance exams!]
[Shanle Culture, give me a face, just give her shares already.]
[Boss: give you face]
[Advising the boss not to be ungrateful—sacrifice yourself for the happiness of the whole company! (dog head)]
[Based on the live reaction, she’s definitely in the top three.]
[But the depth of her material is just average.]
[I loved this one—Cheng’s style is so refined, but I didn’t dare laugh; there’s always a hint of sadness.]
[So much fun! The live stream has no subtitles, so if you can’t grasp the depth, just enjoy the hype!]
The number of online live stream viewers kept climbing, and the screen was flooded with dense layers of text, all discussing the impact of the first-round performances.
Before long, the performances of the top nine contestants concluded. Luo Qin and Su Xinyi took the stage to host, ready to announce the rankings for the self-selected topic round.
With intense and grand music swelling, the suspense in the venue instantly peaked, capturing the full attention of the audience.
Bei He drew a sharp breath, rubbing his hands together nervously. “I’m so nervous—not about the ranking, but about being the unlucky one who has to perform three sets in the finale.”
Lu Fan shot him a glance. “Running out of material already?”
“Of course! Three five-minute sets could be stretched into a full commercial show. I could tour with that for a year offline.”
The finale was undoubtedly a test of high-intensity creativity. Each contestant had to deliver at least two sets, and one unfortunate soul would even be forced to perform three.
Earlier in the competition, the comedians relied on well-prepared material, polished over long periods offline. But as the contest progressed, their stock of jokes dwindled, yet the recordings pressed on—truly a trial of endurance.
With the semi-finals and finals scheduled so close together, opportunities for open mic practice were scarce. On top of that, everyone had to prepare a mandatory assigned piece, adding pressure to each and every one.
Scallion stared at the large screen, speculating, “The top three should all have gotten four lights. Five people actually achieved a perfect score.”
With four laughter representatives able to press their buttons, five contestants—Chu Duxiu, Cheng Junhua, Bei He, Lu Fan, and Nie Feng—had received a full set of lights in the first round, giving them a slight advantage in the vote count.
Su Xinyi announced softly, “Next, we will reveal the vote counts for the first round of the self-selected topic competition. The top three will advance directly to the final four, while the remaining contestants will enter the knockout round to compete for the last spot in the finals.”
The next moment, sound effects surged as the giant screen lit up with the rankings and vote counts, drawing gasps of astonishment from the audience.
First place: 367 votes
Second place: 359 votes
Third place: 341 votes
Wang Nali’s eyes widened. “Wow.”
Nie Feng remarked, “The top two are quite a bit ahead in votes.”
Luo Qin continued, “First, let’s announce the third-place winner, with a total of 341 votes…”
The top nine contestants held their breath, waiting for the hosts to announce the results. Aside from the well-known Chu Duxiu and Cheng Junhua, the third spot was undoubtedly the most suspenseful.
The remaining contestants had relatively similar levels of popularity, making it difficult to predict who would come out on top.
“…Bei He, congratulations on advancing to the final four!”
“Wow, it’s actually me…” Bei He was taken aback and instinctively glanced toward Lu Fan, looking somewhat dazed.
Lu Fan remained calm and clapped. “Well done! That means one less set for you to perform.”
Scallion added, “Bei He totally deserves it! He even stepped up to open the show—what a champ!”
“Absolutely, absolutely!”
Rarely one to be bashful from praise, Bei He hurriedly made his way to the final four seats.
“Next up is second place, with a total of 359 votes…”
On the screens flanking the stage, close-up shots of Chu Duxiu and Cheng Junhua suddenly appeared, placed side by side for comparison.
The live audience gasped in excitement.
Qi Yunhan and Lu Yi stared intently at the rankings, then simultaneously looked up.
Chu Duxiu was momentarily startled, remembering her mother’s advice not to slouch. She straightened up slowly and deliberately.
The atmosphere was reminiscent of the peak showdown in the semi-finals, but unlike that time when both Chu Duxiu and Cheng Junhua had been tightly wound, they now seemed far more composed after enduring the grueling and lengthy competition. With one more round still ahead, their demeanors were noticeably more relaxed.
“Cheng Junhua.”
As the result was confirmed, Qi Yunhan began clapping, while Lu Yi let out a soft sigh.
Luo Qin smiled and said, “Congratulations on advancing. Please proceed to the final four seating area.”
With a calm and gracious expression, Cheng Junhua nodded unhurriedly and made his way up the stairs to the second-level seats.
“And finally, first place in the opening round, with a total of 367 votes…”
Before the host could even finish, the venue erupted with shouts of a single name, as if answering the announcement in unison.
“Chu Duxiu—”
Wang Nali and Scallion buzzed with excitement, gathering around Chu Duxiu and urging her toward the final four seating area.
Before Chu Duxiu could say much more, she waved a quick goodbye to the others and was guided toward the staircase.
Su Xinyi continued, “Let’s welcome these three into the advancement zone. The remaining contestants will now compete for the last spot in the final four during the second round—the knockout stage.”
The noise faded into the distance.
The final four seats were arranged on an elevated second level, offering a clear view of the stage and the audience below. Set slightly farther from the main action, the area was relatively quiet, with only a camera set up in the corner.
Chu Duxiu, Cheng Junhua, and Bei He took their seats, leaving one chair still empty—reserved for the winner of the knockout round.
The three of them would watch the second round from here, temporarily cut off from communicating with the contestants on the first floor. It was as if they had been placed on a secluded little island, observing the lively scene from afar.
Bei He remarked with emotion, “Such a familiar lineup—just the three of us again.”
“Kinda feels like the preliminary rounds,” Cheng Junhua said, glancing around. “Getting held back after the show to film promotions.”
Chu Duxiu hummed a little tune, “Back to where it all began, sitting dazed in the corner once more…”
A short while later, a production assistant dressed in black quietly made her way to the second level. She spoke in a hushed tone, “Excuse me, could the three of you please remove your microphones and step outside for a moment? We’ve just been asked to record a quick promo.”
“Wow, the master’s words are truly prophetic!” Bei He exclaimed, half amused and half exasperated as he removed his equipment. “Win and you film ads, lose and you fight in the knockout—not a moment’s rest. The production team are real capitalists.”
With numerous advertisers for the finals and the live broadcast gaining explosive popularity, last-minute tasks were inevitable. Fortunately, since the cameras weren’t currently focused on the final four seats, the three could slip away temporarily without causing any issues.
Outside the studio, the hallway was bustling and slightly chaotic, filled with staff shuttling back and forth, everyone busy and on the move.
Chu Duxiu felt a bit disoriented as she hurried after Bei He and Cheng Junhua. Along the way, she lost count of how many people she greeted, nodding repeatedly like a chick pecking at grains and occasionally offering deep bows. It felt like an endless stream of unfamiliar faces rushing past her.
After navigating through the crowd, the three finally found a quiet corner and began filming the promotional voice-over.
Cheng Junhua went first, reciting his lines in front of the camera.
Bei He stood to the side, where a middle-aged executive in a polo shirt—surrounded by an attentive entourage—was speaking with him. The man was a high-level executive from Lingguo Video who had exchanged a few words with the trio earlier, apparently here specifically to observe the finale of The King of Stand-Up.
Seeing Bei He pulled into conversation, Chu Duxiu cautiously edged toward a corner, trying to avoid getting drawn into any social interactions. She planned to wait quietly and obediently for her turn to film.
Just then, she felt a light tap on her left shoulder—two polite, measured touches.
Thinking she might be blocking someone’s path, she quickly turned to her left and glanced behind her, but no one was there. Pivoting all the way around, she finally spotted Xie Shenci.
Dressed in a sharp suit with neatly styled black hair, Xie Shenci watched her spin with an unreadable expression. Though he stood on her right, he had deliberately tapped her left shoulder—playing a childish prank reminiscent of grade-school antics.
If others in suits looked like refined scoundrels, he was a refined… kindergartener in a suit.
Chu Duxiu was both annoyed and amused. “Mr. Xie, are you in elementary school? Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“You haven’t even gotten 51% of the shares yet, and you’re already being blunt with me,” he remarked meaningfully. He tilted his chin slightly toward the side. “They’re still talking. I’m free for now.”
Chu Duxiu turned and noticed Bei He still speaking with the Lingguo executive. Finally, it dawned on her—Xie Shenci was here accompanying the executive.
No sooner had she declared her intention to “take over Shanle” than she was caught red-handed by the company’s actual owner.
Hearing him reference her comedy bit, she defended herself guiltily, “Well, since I haven’t gotten it yet, I can still afford to be blunt, right? Once I actually get those shares, it’ll be harder to run—we’d be seeing each other all the time.”
He looked taken aback, raising an eyebrow. “You’re planning to run?”
“What else, follow in your footsteps and go hiking?” she retorted with mock seriousness. “Mr. Xie, job hunting is a two-way selection process…”
“But you already agreed to sign,” Xie Shenci said. After a brief pause, as if worried it sounded like coercion, he quickly softened his tone. “Shang Liang asks about it every day. I told him you were on board. If you’ve changed your mind… you’ll have to be the one to tell him.”
“See? The true colors come out! No wonder you’ve been so nice to me—you just want to trick me into working for the company!” She clutched her chest in mock distress. “I misjudged you. How heartbreaking!”
“…”
Xie Shenci watched her exaggerated performance and realized her talk of not signing was just a joke. He relaxed almost instantly.
Her hair was tied into a ponytail that swayed occasionally with her movements, like a playful tail that caught his attention—swinging back and forth right over his heart, bringing a faint, tingling, and utterly delightful itch.
It was hard to describe this feeling—as if something had gently bumped against the door of his heart.
Even though they weren’t trading jokes, just talking about simple everyday things, a sense of lightness and joy still emerged, quietly hidden deep within.
Somehow, just seeing her made him inexplicably happy. Maybe it was because of her humor, or maybe it was because of something else.
That was why he couldn’t resist teasing her in such a childish and silly way.
Xie Shenci met her bright, piercing gaze—like looking directly into the sun—and instinctively glanced away, forcing a tone of calm. “See? Now your true colors are showing.”
Chu Duxiu looked puzzled.
His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he stole a glance at her from the corner of his eye. “No wonder you’ve been so nice to me—you just want to trick me out of my company shares.”
“?”
Why did he keep echoing her words?
Lately, Chu Duxiu had noticed that Xie Shenci loved callback her jokes. Left to his own devices, he’d play mute, but he repeatedly threw her own lines back at her.
If puns get fined, then copying someone else’s bits should cost him shares!
“I’m not tricking you—I’m planning to take them by force, just like in those corporate drama news stories,” Chu Duxiu declared righteously. “You know, storming in with a sword, snatching the company seal and shares… Mr. Xie, you’d better sleep with one eye open.”
“???”
Cheng Junhua was still filming, and Bei He hadn’t finished either. With nothing urgent to do for the moment, Chu Duxiu and Xie Shenci stood to the side, occasionally glancing at the filming progress while casually chatting.
Xie Shenci said, “I heard from the team that you’ve already booked your ticket—leaving tomorrow or the day after?”
“Yes, heading home for a couple of days to pack up, then I need to rush back to campus. There’s still a lot to wrap up for graduation,” Chu Duxiu replied quietly. “I already explained to Mr. Shang that I probably won’t make it to some of the upcoming events…”
Thanks to her explosive popularity from The Stand-Up King, her schedule had been completely upended—far beyond what she’d ever expected.
Before joining the competition, she had planned to return to school during breaks in filming. But between commercial shoots and preparing new material for the show, she simply hadn’t found the time to go back and handle her academic responsibilities.
Even though life as a graduating senior was relatively flexible—with most students either interning or studying for exams, and few mandatory classes—there were still certain official events that couldn’t be skipped.
Always one to play by the rules (she didn’t even jaywalk), Chu Duxiu felt too awkward to turn down the company’s commercial offers, but also didn’t want to violate college policies. So she made a point of explaining her situation to Shang Liang—and fortunately, he understood.
Chu Duxiu said, “I still have to move out of my dorm when I get back, and my roommates and I made plans to grab a meal too.”
Graduation meant completely clearing out her dorm room—another massive task in itself.
Xie Shenci thought for a moment, then suggested, “If you have things in your dorm that would be a hassle to ship home and then move again, you can send them directly to the company for temporary storage.”
Chu Duxiu was taken aback.
He explained, “Bei He and the others did the same when they first moved to Haicheng. They kept their things at the company until they found a place to settle.”
She pursed her lips, glanced at him sideways, and hesitated before speaking. “…I haven’t even said yet that I’m planning to develop my career in Haicheng.”
Although she had already given some thought to handling her belongings and had even discussed renting a place with Wang Nali in private, hearing him offer advice stirred a hint of resistance and defiance in her. She didn’t want to feel like her decision was being taken for granted—as if joining Shanle was already a done deal.
If Bei He, Lu Fan, or others asked, she would answer openly and calmly. But with Xie Shenci, she couldn’t help feeling a little awkward and coy.
Xie Shenci let out a soft sigh and apologized, “I’m sorry. But it will take some time for Shanle to set up branches in Yancheng or Wencheng.”
“…”
Not far away, Cheng Junhua had already finished his shoot. The crew was adjusting the equipment and signaling for Bei He and Chu Duxiu to come over and get ready.
Xie Shenci noticed the photographer waving and knew he couldn’t keep her chatting any longer. He said, “The recent recordings have been so busy, and the studio is quite remote. Haicheng has a lot of interesting places worth visiting—different from the scenery in Yancheng or Wencheng. Once you move here, you’ll have time to explore. There are spots both in the city and the suburbs, and plenty of great places to eat too.”
“Um…” Chu Duxiu’s lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but her throat felt dry, and words suddenly failed her.
Will there really be time to explore? And with whom?
Other bosses talked about career plans—why was he suddenly bringing up sightseeing?
But asking something like that felt a bit ambiguous. Maybe he was just kindly making recommendations; maybe he was thinking of company outings. She shouldn’t read too much into it or let her imagination run wild, as if they were sketching out a future together.
The main thing was how enthusiastically he kept painting this picture, down to the details of food, transport, and living arrangements—as if they were setting off tomorrow. It naturally made her feel a little flustered and unsure how to respond.
Simple, pure sincerity has a way of touching the heart like nothing else. There were no hidden motives, no selfish undertones—it felt like playing video games during summer break as a child.
The blazing sun, the lush shadows of trees, the noisy cicadas, the cool sweetness of watermelon… comfortably curled up at home with an old game console, not aiming for any particular victory, just leisurely playing—truly content from the heart.
That was the feeling he gave her when he spoke: as if just traveling together and wandering freely would be joy enough, with no further agenda.
Maybe it was like his love for hiking—something others might not understand, but that brought him genuine happiness.
Was her move to Haicheng—or even her very presence—something worth his anticipation?
A faint flame flickered in Chu Duxiu’s chest, warmth rising with it until her ears tingled with heat.
She didn’t dare dwell on the answer, deliberately setting the thought aside and masking her fluster with vague mumbling, avoiding the traces and subtleties that hinted at more.
By the camera, Bei He had begun filming his promo, and someone called out to Chu Duxiu.
Xie Shenci reminded her to go, but just before she left, the corner of his lips lifted slightly, betraying a hint of a smile. “Once everything is settled, I look forward to working with you.”
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