RSDH CH47

At 5:45 PM, a new post refreshed onto the front page of the Lu Ye Shu Huai Super Topic.

Ye Du Xing He:

A beginner’s very first edit, please be gentle.

[Video]

With a bustling, active fan base in the Super Topic every single day, seeing a CP video naturally prompted everyone to click in.

The background music was “Tears of a Thousand Years.”

“Such an ancient, nostalgic song.”

“Childhood memories~”

“This isn’t going to be a tragic angsty romance, is it?”

The opening sequence remained Duan Xingye’s viral historical costume look, one that fans never grew tired of admiring.

The first lifetime was set in ancient times. The footage was spliced entirely from subtle eye-contact moments between Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye. Pieced together and paired with the sorrowful, melancholic background track, it conveyed a poignant sense of yearning and unrequited love.

The second lifetime bridged into the Republican era, incorporating several leaked on-set photos circulating online. The two were seen gazing at each other across a study table in the library, strolling hand in hand along the riverbank, and finally brushing past each other in a covered walkway, evidently ending in heartbreak once more.

“Keeping right up with current events! Materials that only dropped this afternoon are already edited into the video!”

“Are you sure this is a beginner? With editing skills like this, could the person behind the screen be some hidden industry master?”

“Wuwuwu, I have a bad feeling about this, holding out hope for a happy ending.”

The third lifetime transitioned to modern times. Here, the sorrowful atmosphere was swept away completely.

Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye, dressed in fresh, handsome outfits, stepped out of an RV. As sea breezes ruffled their clothes, cheers and applause erupted across the sandy beach, making them look just like a pair of newlywed grooms receiving blessings.

The bullet comments grew thrilled: Sweetness incoming, it’s finally getting sweet! In this lifetime, they got married right off the bat!

The pacing of the subsequent frames picked up significantly. It was obvious there were far too many sweet moments in the romance variety show, and the editor couldn’t bear to leave a single one out, cramming in almost every highlight. Consequently, while the individual clips were shorter, their quantity grew, yet the editing logic remained crystal-clear.

Inside the RV, Cheng Duzhou had just finished showering. Bare-chested, he cupped Duan Xingye’s face and planted a kiss on his lips. In the very next second, inside a tent, Duan Xingye was seen straddling Cheng Duzhou’s lap, leaning in to give a quick kiss back.

Screams rolled continuously across the bullet comments: The creator truly understands us!

Then Duan Xingye was seen sitting on the floor acting like a kitten. When the camera cut to Cheng Duzhou, the shot focused tightly on his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

“Ahhhh! That’s so hot!”

“The creator is undeniably a die-hard fan, observing things in such meticulous detail!”

“This video offers so much immersion! It’s like viewing his wife through President Cheng’s perspective!”

The scenes of the two embracing were assembled across five distinct snippets, alternating seamlessly from ancient times to the modern day. Though the outfits and backdrops shifted constantly, the two people remained the same, as if traversing through the passage of time.

At the very end, the montage returned to the scene of them squatting by the riverbank in Xi Village washing vegetables. The footage suddenly slowed down, and for reasons unknown, they met each other’s gaze and shared a tender smile.

Dreamy pinkish-purple floating text drifted into the top-right corner of the video.

[The moment you smile, the sky turns warm.]

Seeing this, the fans were thoroughly satisfied, rolling around in pure ecstasy across the bullet comments.

The genius of this video lay not only in organizing a vast array of high-sugar moments into a coherent narrative thread without a hint of jarring awkwardness, but also in highlighting nuanced details so vividly that viewers could genuinely feel Cheng Duzhou’s heart flutter every time he looked at Duan Xingye.

Brilliant, it was truly nothing short of brilliant!

Just when everyone thought the progress bar was nearing its end, a voiceover suddenly sounded. It wasn’t the original audio from the variety show or any public appearance, but a voice dubbed by the creator himself, ringing through with striking clarity.

“If I am fortunate enough, please allow me to reach straight to your soul through your eyes.”

The bullet comments exploded exponentially in that very instant.

“Holy crap! How many Cheng Duzhous did this person eat to produce a voice like that?”

“Shocking! I genuinely thought President Cheng personally dropped in to voice this. That deep baritone is way too accurate, isn’t it?!”

“Did the creator dub this themselves?”

“Definitely a master pretending to be a newbie!”

“That closing line fits the mood so well.”

Yet in the next second, another clean, crisp youthful voice rang out, instantly sending goosebumps across everyone’s skin.

“If I am fortunate enough, please allow me to touch your heart through your voice.”

Following that, the deep, magnetic baritone and the bright, melodious voice chimed together in unison.

“For all the days ahead, I wish to walk alongside you.”

Since bullet comments were locked once the video ended, netizens flocked to the comments section below to vent their sheer amazement.

If the creator dubbing the ending personally proved their sincerity, then the sudden addition of that second voice elevated the video’s quality by an entire tier. The interactive dynamic between the two voice actors sent the viewers’ shipping euphoria skyrocketing.

“That final duet harmony literally blew my mind!”

“Full marks for this imitation! It sounds way too identical to President Cheng and Teacher Duan! Voice actors really are absolute monsters!”

“I’m begging you, who are the two voice actors in this video?!”

“Turns out this was a high-budget masterpiece. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen an edit this sweet in both visuals and voice acting.”

This was precisely why, within five minutes of its release, the reposts, likes, and comments surged at a dizzying pace.

Dragging the progress bar back to those final seconds, Cheng Duzhou listened to it once more. He rested a hand against his scalding cheek, stroking it gently, before turning his head toward Duan Xingye.

After finishing the edit, he had taken the cat to the pet shop. Upon returning, he logged into his newly registered alt account, clicking upload without double-checking the video file.

It turned out Duan Xingye had swapped it out. His original closing audio track had been split open, weaving Duan Xingye’s voice seamlessly into the mix.

To think Duan Xingye knew everything all along, yet deliberately ignored him earlier, watching him sweat and even asking who made the edit, clearly acting out of sheer mischief.

Moreover, his awkward attempt at hyping up the edit had played out entirely before Duan Xingye’s eyes. It was bound to be ridiculed, and Cheng Duzhou felt thoroughly embarrassed himself.

Sensing Cheng Duzhou’s gaze, Duan Xingye looked over, only to see the man’s face flushed bright red, his dark eyes shimmering with flecks of light, looking at him with moist, dewy eyes like a dog that had just received a treat.

Duan Xingye couldn’t stand seeing Cheng Duzhou look like this the most. Lifting his foot, he kicked him again: “Aren’t you embarrassed? Day in and day out.”

He was a Best Actor, after all. Sneaking into the study to edit a CP fan tribute video on his own, and even posting it online pretending to be a newbie, people would laugh their heads off if word ever got out.

Like a roly-poly toy, Cheng Duzhou wobbled from the kick before tilting right back into place. Tossing his phone aside, he crawled onto the sofa.

“What are you doing? What are you doing?” Although their sofa was spacious, it was meant for only one person to lounge comfortably. Unhappy that Cheng Duzhou was encroaching on his territory, Duan Xingye eyed him warily as he approached.

Yet Cheng Duzhou stubbornly wedged himself into the gap between Duan Xingye and the sofa back, lying down on his side.

Unable to shoo him away, Duan Xingye moved to get up, only to be scooped into Cheng Duzhou’s embrace, an arm draping across his collarbone.

Cheng Duzhou said, “You keep watching yours. I won’t bother you.”

Frowning slightly, Duan Xingye decided to ignore him, resting his head against the man’s arm and continuing to watch the movie.

Pressed against Duan Xingye’s back, Cheng Duzhou occasionally caught the scent of his hair and the nape of his neck, murmuring softly, “If you found it so embarrassing, why did you record a part to help me out?”

Duan Xingye guessed that Cheng Duzhou had felt bothered by the fan-edit video of him and the trainee last night, feeling that their official pairing status was being threatened, which prompted him to edit one himself. That was fine, as he had experienced similar moments of irritation before; he just couldn’t bring himself to do something as childish as Cheng Duzhou did.

However, after checking the video, to Duan Xingye’s own surprise, he had actually gotten absorbed and watched it through patiently to the end.

Duan Xingye wasn’t purely mocking him. He could more or less appreciate the thought Cheng Duzhou had poured into it. At the very least, many of the moments featured were ones he hadn’t paid attention to before, yet Cheng Duzhou had meticulously dug them all out from the romance show footage.

Perhaps out of pity for this foolishly pathetic dog, he decided to do something.

This was a video concerning the two of them. If Cheng Duzhou was the only one providing a voiceover, it would look even more pitiful.

“If I hadn’t recorded a part for you, it would’ve been even more embarrassing, you know,” Duan Xingye said, keeping his eyes on the TV as he nuzzled into a comfortable spot against Cheng Duzhou’s arm.

Cheng Duzhou knew Duan Xingye was picky about everything. He probably looked down on his amateur video editing skills and had only stepped in to fix the ending because he couldn’t stand it anymore.

Cheng Duzhou held Duan Xingye tightly, tightening his arm, refusing to let go even if he was being scolded.

Duan Xingye just wanted to watch the movie in peace and paid no further mind to the man behind him.

Yet after a short period of quiet, he felt a puff of warm breath near his ear whisper: “Duan Xingye, you treat me so well…”

Duan Xingye pursed his lips lightly, an uncontrollable wave of heat rushing to his cheeks.

Cheng Duzhou continued to whisper softly: “I’ll go visit you on set tomorrow, alright?”

Duan Xingye: “No.”

His visit to Cheng Duzhou’s film set had been a requirement of Companionship Along the Way. There was no need for Cheng Duzhou to visit him on Singer-Songwriter, as it made it look like they were overly close.

Tracing along his forearm to grasp his hand, Cheng Duzhou laced their fingers together, deciding entirely on his own: “I’m going to see you.”

Duan Xingye ignored him.

At this moment, Cheng Duzhou felt like he was melting from sheer happiness. Merely holding Duan Xingye wasn’t enough to express his joy and affection.

Lowering his gaze, he glanced at Duan Xingye’s pale, delicate ear peeking through his hair, then brought Duan Xingye’s hand to his lips to brush against it, asking tentatively, “Are you hungry right now?”

“Not hungry.”

“Then I’ll cook later?”

“Mm.”

“…”

“…”

Inside the quiet living room, after a brief rustling sound.

Duan Xingye suddenly threw an elbow backward into Cheng Duzhou, his tone flustered and exasperated: “If you have nothing to do, go cook right now!”

“I have things to do…” Cheng Duzhou’s voice grew even softer, dropping into a tender mumble, “I’ll cook in a bit…”

“You… Close the curtains during the day!”

“In a bit…”

However, the “in a bit” Cheng Duzhou spoke of lasted far longer than just a little while.

The next morning, Cheng Duzhou returned to the film crew.

In the afternoon, Duan Xingye set out for the neighboring province to participate in the recording of Singer-Songwriter.

The second episode featured the trainees’ debut stage performances, but before the official start, the three mentors each had a solo showcase.

Duan Xingye arrived neither too early nor too late. Stepping into the dressing room, he began changing into his outfit. His stage wardrobe rarely leaned casual; he wore a formal, deep-black tailored suit, high-end haute couture. Just looking at it, one could tell the fabric was luxurious, cut immaculately along his physique, accentuating his narrow waist and long legs.

Sitting in front of the vanity mirror with his eyes closed, Duan Xingye let the stylist blow-dry and shape his hair.

Right at that moment,

a knock sounded from the door outside.

Duan Xingye opened his eyes, looking through the mirror.

The door swung open, and Jin Zimi walked in with a smile, followed by Tao Ziyi.

Having arrived early and finished their preparations, they dropped by for a quick visit before filming commenced.

Withdrawing his gaze, Duan Xingye lowered his eyes and checked his phone.

Less than an hour remained before the recording began.

The audience admission period was nearly over.

Jin Zimi was exchanging pleasantries with Duan Xingye, while Tao Ziyi merely listened without chiming in. On Singer-Songwriter, he likely knew his own abilities fell short and didn’t dare provoke Duan Xingye openly.

Just then, the director rushed in, his tone hurried: “Teacher Duan, we just received word from Elder Zheng. There might be a change to your performance arrangements.”

A flash of joy instantly crossed Tao Ziyi’s face. He had seen this coming all along: the classic hit Duan Xingye prepared wasn’t something he could just sing whenever he pleased.

The production team had previously provided backup song choices, but Duan Xingye had stubbornly insisted on performing Dawn, even rearranging the composition himself. The production crew must have exhausted all avenues and failed to persuade Elder Zheng, leaving him with no choice but to swap songs at the last minute.

How pathetic. Still, that was the price of arrogance.

Tao Ziyi covered his mouth to keep from laughing aloud.

Duan Xingye remained completely unhurried, asking, “What news?”

The director unlocked a tablet and held it out before him: “Elder Zheng just sent over a video message over a minute long expressing his gratitude, saying your adaptation was a tremendous success. Our team discussed it and plans to broadcast this video before you take the stage. Do you think that works?”

It was merely inserting a brief segment into the lineup. Duan Xingye replied, “That works.”

Tao Ziyi froze completely on the spot.

Not only were the music rights secured, but Elder Zheng had personally recorded a video to voice his support for Duan Xingye? What kind of immense prestige was this?

He asked blankly, “Is… is it really Elder Zheng?”

The director looked at him: “Yes, it is.”

The corner of Tao Ziyi’s mouth twitched: “How come I heard from a friend not long ago that Elder Zheng was determined to retire and didn’t want to appear in the public eye anymore?”

“Exactly, exactly,” the director said with deep sentiment. “Originally, the licensing rights seemed like a lost cause, and that’s what we told Teacher Duan. But then Teacher Duan placed a phone call to Elder Zheng on the spot, stating he wanted to sing the song, and Elder Zheng agreed without a second thought! This whole matter was only resolved thanks to Teacher Duan’s personal connections.”

Tao Ziyi grew increasingly shocked, staring at Duan Xingye: “You know Elder Zheng?”

Duan Xingye gave a cool, brief hum, making it abundantly clear he didn’t care to elaborate.

Tao Ziyi genuinely couldn’t wrap his head around it. A legendary figure whom even top music royalty couldn’t sway had been won over by Duan Xingye just like that.

Where on earth did Duan Xingye get this level of influence?!

After the group left, only the hum of the hair dryer filled the dressing room once more.

Duan Xingye checked WeChat from time to time, then casually set his phone back down.

Until five minutes remained before the show began, he flipped his phone over and tossed it onto the vanity table.

The rather loud clatter startled Xiao Dai, who looked into the mirror and noticed that Teacher Duan’s expression was inexplicably cold.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.

The taut string in Duan Xingye’s heart tightened once again, and he looked over.

The door opened, and a staff member peeked in: “Teacher Duan, you can head to the stage now.”

Duan Xingye lowered his eyelashes, pursing his lips as his jaw tightened for a fleeting second.

Traveling from Shanghai to here took three to four hours. Since Cheng Duzhou had to return to the film set, that daylight window wouldn’t even be enough to shoot two scenes, so how could he possibly show up at the recording studio?

“I can stay by your side forever.”

If you can’t manage it, don’t say it.

Straightening the hem of his suit, Duan Xingye stood up.

…

Walking from the dressing room to the main studio hall still required passing through the lobby. Along the edge of the cordoned-off security line, fans who couldn’t enter the venue were packed tightly together.

Seeing Duan Xingye emerge from the corridor, the crowd’s screams erupted into a wild frenzy.

“Teacher Duan! Teacher Duan! I love you!”

“Teacher Duan is so handsome!”

Keeping his head down to adjust his in-ear monitor, Duan Xingye paid no attention. Even if his aloof persona had nearly crumbled on the romance show, he consistently maintained distance with his fans.

Right at that moment,

a tall figure pushed through the crowd with great difficulty, slightly out of breath: “Excuse me, pardon me…”

The polite, gentlemanly voice was quickly drowned out.

However, a girl nearby happened to glance over, her eyes going completely wide in an instant. A fresh wave of shrill screams burst forth. Overwhelmed by excitement, she could do nothing but scream.

Following the commotion, Duan Xingye looked up, freezing for half a second.

Standing head and shoulders above the crowd, Cheng Duzhou had squeezed his way through the sea of people, arriving right beside the security guard holding the cordon.

Before Cheng Duzhou could look up and meet his gaze, Duan Xingye pulled his eyes away in time, pretending he hadn’t seen him, and stepped toward the studio entrance with an upright, elegant posture.

The fans nearby had recognized Cheng Duzhou as well, and the atmosphere at the entrance grew even more uproarious.

Facing a massive star up close for the first time, since real life always felt somewhat different from seeing someone on TV, the security guard didn’t dare jump to conclusions right away: “You are…”

Cheng Duzhou had sprinted all the way from the base entrance, and watching Duan Xingye on the verge of entering the studio, terrified of being held back, he pointed toward Duan Xingye’s retreating back and panted to the guard: “I’m that person’s husband.”

“…”

Duan Xingye’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt. He closed his eyes briefly, and ignoring the high-decibel shrieks echoing through the lobby, turned right back around toward the entrance.

Better claim him and drag him away right now, before he embarrasses himself any further.

__

Author’s Note:

President Cheng catches his breath: See? Didn’t lie to you, my wifey came to fetch me.

Security Guard: …

(This big star is shockingly down-to-earth)