“Lust” is not an idol group’s song; it has no official choreography, only dance clips with similar movements circulating online.
To put it bluntly, some bloggers use it as BGM for freestyle, so in random dance challenge events, this song is only used to warm up the crowd and as a free expression segment for transitions.
After all, this was part of the scenic area’s Halloween event, not a professional competition. Considering the dancers’ physical limitations, it’s impossible to have high-intensity dancing from start to finish. Warm-up tracks like “Lust” are still very necessary.
As the intro began, the lighting began shifting to blue-purple tones, and many young people resting off-stage lit up, putting down their water bottles and towels to join in enthusiastically.
The large number of people made the random dance zone a bit more crowded.
Quentin stood in the corner, his left hand casually resting on his belt as if warming up, his body moving naturally to the music.
Even during freestyle, he still didn’t slack off. Apart from Yan Qiao and Cheng Shaozhi standing beside him, no one could tell his energy was running low.
He didn’t seem to understand the concept of slacking off; his movements were not perfunctory in the slightest, every ending pose was clean and crisp, and his stage presence was commanding as always, effortlessly merging with the music and the stage.
In this moment, he no longer resembled a fox spirit bewitching people, but rather a fish entering water. The stretching and contracting of every muscle in his body was as natural and free as breathing.
His slender fingers lightly traced the uneven mask, sliding from the hollow, eerie eye sockets across the carved ridges and grooves.
The cyan-black ugly mask only made his hands look fair as jade, making people involuntarily want to reach out and cover his hand, to take off the mask for him and see what the face behind it truly looked like.
The short video the production team had used for practice was less than twenty seconds, but the live performance played the full version of “Lust.” Apart from the most popular segment online…the shirt-lifting hip thrust…the rest was up to their own interpretation.
The music quickly reached the climax corresponding to the short video segment.
Yan Qiao placed one hand on Quentin’s shoulder. Together with Cheng Shaozhi on Quentin’s other side, the three stood side by side, hitting the beats in sync.
Although the wave amplitudes varied slightly, still some distance from synchronized dancing, it could be seen as each having their own characteristics and style. The overall scene was truly pleasing to the eye.
Quentin’s two hip thrusts directly exhilarated the audience in the nearest rows, and the chest pops that followed made their scalps tingle, sending shivers down their spines.
“Holy crap… that intensity… So impressive.”
“Fck, that dance was so fcking satisfying, I’m flying.”
“He can move so well, what do I do, my love brain is acting up…”
“What did he put in the air? Does anyone have a fan? Whew… I’m getting hot.”
Mi Tong tried her best to keep the camera steady, but facing Quentin like this, she still couldn’t help her hands shaking a few times.
Quentin knew many cameras were aimed at him, but he didn’t expect that among this crowd, someone would recognize who he was.
After finishing this song, he walked out of the random dance zone and took a bottle of mineral water from a production team staff member stationed nearby.
Then he squatted down in the front row of the rest area, twisted off the cap, lifted his mask slightly, and slowly drank half the bottle.
The live lighting was mainly focused on the random dance zone, and the seating areas for the audience were darker.
So even though Quentin revealed his chin and lips while drinking, it was still hard to see his exact features.
Only a glistening droplet of water could be vaguely seen rolling down the corner of his lips, the Adam’s apple at the center of his upturned neck moving with his swallowing motion.
It wasn’t just Mi Tong and her group staring at him. The gazes of the audience members who had been excited and captivated while he danced followed him, like pairs of hungry eyes hiding in the darkness.
It wasn’t until he put his mask back on, set down the water, turned around, and faced the stage like the audience that whispers began spreading.
“Did you see clearly? He actually seems quite handsome…”
“He had his back to the light just now, I couldn’t see clearly, but his face seemed small and fair.”
“I wonder if he has a girlfriend. We can ask him when it’s over. Hey, want to go together?”
“Forget it, I don’t dare. I can’t handle a handsome guy like that.”
Someone joked, “If you dated him, wouldn’t you have to worry every day about someone trying to seduce him? He’s too popular; ordinary people couldn’t handle it.”
Her friend laughed along: “Simple. Just keep him locked up at home.”
“Wow, you really think big. I’ll dream about that tonight.”
The chatter around didn’t reach Quentin’s ears but was heard clearly by the three girls sitting in the front row.
They exchanged subtle glances, then a few seconds later, burst out laughing.
So many audience members were drawn to him, yet besides them, no one knew who he was.
And no one knew that the face beneath that mask wasn’t just any handsome… it was divine, and also exceptionally popular.
As she laughed, Wei Man suddenly remembered something. She looked left and right, then asked: “By the way, how did we get seats in this area? Aren’t these the spots reserved for the production team?”
Mi Tong was busy roughly editing the video she had shot. Mo Fan answered first: “Well, ‘NS’ is filming here, right? I asked my brother for help.”
“Your… Qi Yang?”
Mo Fan nodded.
“No way,” Wei Man clenched her fists, looked around, then suppressed her excitement and lowered her voice. “Then can we… can we meet Quentin?”
She added eagerly: “We’re staying at the same hotel as them. Can we meet?”
Mo Fan wasn’t surprised by her words: “I’d like that too, but my brother and Quentin don’t seem close. They haven’t even spoken in the show, have they?”
Her brother was indeed a cool guy, a real introvert when it came to socializing, and Quentin clearly wasn’t the proactive type either.
The guys close to Quentin in “NS” were all more and more proactive, but her brother… sigh.
Wei Man deflated immediately: “That’s true. If they’re not close, there’s no way.”
Mo Fan comforted her: “It’s okay. There’ll be other opportunities eventually. My brother said he’d come back to the hotel with us later and pick up some late-night snacks.”
…
Today’s random dance challenge ended at 10 PM. Quentin and several trainees took a taxi back to the hotel together.
In the car, they took off their masks to breathe. The driver noticed through the rearview mirror that these young people had unusually handsome faces and kept glancing over several times.
Tsk, did he pick up celebrities? And one with green eyes and dyed red hair, he was like some kind of fairy.
The driver muttered to himself as he drove steadily to the hotel entrance.
The fare was paid with cash from the production team. Quentin put his mask back on, got out of the car, and walked toward the hotel with an arm slung over his shoulder by one of the guys beside him.
Many tourists in costumes were returning to the hotel at this hour; their group blended in without looking out of place.
Quentin was quite tired from dancing today. Not only did he participate during the time slot designated by the production team, but he stayed at the random dance event almost until the very end.
This was different from performance stages, which were rehearsed countless times and couldn’t afford any mistakes.
But today’s random dance challenge let them go wild however they wanted. With masks on, no one recognized them, and they could dance freely with strangers from all directions.
The audience enjoyed watching, and they enjoyed dancing.
Young people just love excitement and fun, especially those in the arts or entertainment industry.
In his previous life, Quentin was a bit of an anomaly; he never actively involved himself in crowded places. But now, starting from scratch, back at 18 when he had nothing but youth, the fame and fortune that once bound him had all dissipated.
“Hey, isn’t that Qi Yang?”
One of the trainees suddenly pointed at the hotel entrance in the distance, puzzled. “What’s he doing with three girls?”
Several of them looked in the direction he pointed, their expressions gradually turning strange.
Qi Yang stood side by side with a beautiful long-haired girl, while the other two girls seemed to be her friends, standing a bit farther away.
The three girls chatted and laughed together, while Qi Yang held a bag of takeout barbecue and stood silently to the side.
Quentin heard someone mutter: “No way… is he that bold?”
Xue Mingzhu was also stunned for a few seconds before coming back to his senses, then instinctively glanced at Yan Qiao on the other side and murmured as if to himself: “Damn, did I get it wrong?”
Yan Qiao let out a soft, sarcastic snort and couldn’t be bothered with him.
“The finals are next month.” Xue Mingzhu frowned, somewhat puzzled. “Qi Yang… is he serious?”
And so blatantly, relying on his mask to act recklessly? After the show airs, everyone will know what mask and clothes he wore.
Idol group members aren’t actors…getting into relationships is not something to take lightly.
There was only one hotel entrance, and they didn’t deliberately avoid Qi Yang. As they got closer, the people standing at the entrance also noticed them.
Qi Yang had a mask on, making it impossible to tell his reaction, but the eyes of the three unfamiliar girls lit up when they looked over, all fixed on a certain red-haired, red-clothed boy.
Their eager gazes were far more enthusiastic than when they had faced Qi Yang.
The several boys who had been silently speculating realized belatedly what was happening and turned to look at Quentin in confusion, then at Qi Yang.
Not a girlfriend? Fans? Even with masks on, they could recognize him? No way!
After Qiao Xue and Huo Donghua from Wanming Media were eliminated, there was no one left in the show close to Qi Yang. The group exchanged looks, and finally Wen Xinyi spoke first.
“You just went out for late-night snacks?” He asked gently, reminding them: “Be careful the director doesn’t find out.”
Qi Yang knew he wasn’t talking about the late-night snacks. Even through the mask, he could feel the trainees’ strange looks, and he proactively explained: “This is my sister. She and her friends are on a trip and happened to run into me.”
Oh, a sister…
Someone muttered: “If she’s his sister, why is she staring at Quentin?”
They were skeptical of Qi Yang’s explanation, but whether it was true or not had nothing to do with them. It was better to get back to the hotel and rest as tomorrow would be busy.
Before leaving, Quentin’s gaze paused on the face of the girl said to be Qi Yang’s sister.
He had a good memory. After the second public performance ended, outside the performance venue, he had seen the person who triggered Qi Yang’s BE plot progress bar.
— A sasaeng fan disguised as a girl, wearing a wig and a mask.
That sasaeng hadn’t shown their face, only their eyes were visible behind thick bangs. Quentin still remembered what those eyes looked like, and when he compared them to Qi Yang’s sister, they were actually 80% similar.
Similar eye shape, a mole in the same spot below the eye, even the hairstyle was the same… straight bangs and long black hair… Could it be a simple coincidence?
Quentin didn’t know if he was overthinking, and for now, he had no way to verify.
He wasn’t sure if that person had intentionally mimicked Qi Yang’s sister through makeup or if they just naturally looked alike.
He made a note of this and planned to ask Qi Yang about it if the opportunity came up.
*
Without the trainees knowing it, videos of the Lulin Ancient Town random dance challenge began spreading on forums.
Title: [ECHO Hit Song Cover, Succubus Fox Casting Spells Online [Yellow Heart]]
Content: [Video.mp4]
1L (OP): [Does anyone know about the red fox at Lulin Ancient Town? I’m begging on my knees for Red’s forum account. I can’t even eat without seeing Red [cry]]
2L: [I want to know too… The dance is really good. ECHO’s dances are hard to cover.]
3L: [Nine-year ECHO fan here. I haven’t seen anyone cover this dance in so long…I’m so moved!!]
4L: [This dance is very popular; it’s always a staple in random dance challenges. Anyone who studies hip-hop should know it. ECHO might be irrelevant now, but they were really popular back in the day.]
5L: [No one should doubt ECHO’s popularity and talent… Just look at their faces and you know these guys are scarily talented.]
6L: [Pfft, don’t say that ahhh, ECHO’s visual is handsome, okay?]
7L: [It is quite difficult to cover ECHO’s dances and capture the feel. This Red does a pretty good job. The White and Black dancing with him also dance well… hmm, I think Black might be the best dancer of the three.]
8L: [I think Red dances better. He has an edgy quality. Black feels wicked; it doesn’t match ECHO’s song.]
9L: [I feel like White has the best fundamentals. His movements are so standard, like a 1:1 copy-paste of the original choreography.]
10L: [That’s because Red and Black added their own improvisation. They’re really enjoying the stage. Watching them dance lifts my mood.]
11L:[ Anyway, I like Red best. Foxes are definitely cutest when they’re red!!!]
12L: [Did anyone get a photo of them taking off their masks to drink water? I heard all the staff wearing masks at today’s event were good-looking. What’s the story with this random dance challenge? Where did they find so many handsome guys?]
13L: [You’re probably a shill, right? Stop exaggerating. Not enough “handsome guys” who turned out to be scams online? Have some higher standards.]
14L: [Praising their dancing is fine, but don’t fantasize too much. No need.]
15L: [Putting everything aside, the hands are really beautiful [drool]]
…
72L: [Ahhhh OP you got noticed!!! Ji Sheng shared your post!!!]
73L: [Did Brother Ji buy a house online? He’s too fast. Truly the only active member of ECHO left.]
74L: [Ji Sheng shared the post? What did he say?]
75L: [He didn’t say anything, just liked and shared. Don’t get too excited, everyone. Our Brother Ji is like that. He always likes to like posts from fans covering their group’s songs, and if they’re good he’ll share. This guy is seriously online 24/7, active enough to be scary.]
76L: [But they’re not his fans…]
77L: [I’m envious of OP, envious of the red fox, to be seen by Ji Sheng qwq. I haven’t seen more of Brother Ji in over half a year.]
…
1378L: [This post blew up. If the red fox can catch this wave of attention, he could become a minor influencer and be financially free!]
1379L: [Came here from the homepage; it’s already a trending hot post. Amazing. If I were him, I’d seize the chance to create an account, post a dance video right away, and gain 100k followers overnight no problem.]
1380L: [Is ECHO really washed up? A simple share can get this much attention.]
1381L: [For the record, ECHO isn’t washed up… they were ruined by their shitty company [eye roll]. Once they successfully terminate their contracts, every one of these guys could get top-tier resources. Except for that one cheating bastard.]
1382L: [Actually, even if Ji Sheng hadn’t shared it, the red fox would have blown up anyway. The “Lust” cover video has already passed 500k likes…]
1383L: [I’m starting to believe in fate. This guy is destined for fame. The black fox and white fox also danced really well, so why aren’t they as popular?!]
1384L: [The red fox probably has a company behind him. The videos he went viral in are all shot better than the ones of white and black fox, like idol dance focus cams. Definitely shot by a sasaeng fan or a professional photographer.]
1385L: [Ji Sheng’s share… could this be arranged by BKL? Is the red fox a BKL artist?]
1386L: [Don’t be so conspiratorial. Even though the shitty company is indeed shitty, there’s no way Ji Sheng would honestly do what BKL says unless BKL logged into his account behind his back.]
…
“Ji Sheng, what did you do now?”
A man in a casual shirt walked out of the recording studio, looking down at the red-haired man sprawled on the couch playing with his phone. “Brother Wei sent a message telling you to behave and not use your main account online. Did you accidentally like some influencer’s post again?”
Ji Sheng glanced at him. The band-aid across his nose made him look even more unruly. “It’s my account. I’ll use it how I want. Tell him to stop controlling me. You stop controlling me too.”
The man laughed, walking over unhurriedly to sit on the other side of the couch. “Fine, I was just passing along a message. I wasn’t planning to control you. Look at yourself…how many times have you blocked his account now? He just posted in our group about upcoming work arrangements. Did you see it?”
“No. Who wants to hear him talk.”
“I figured you didn’t. The gig he took this time isn’t bad, though it’s still to help promote newbies.” The man paused, seeing the anger flare in Ji Sheng’s eyes before continuing with a smile, “But it’s for that variety show you’ve always wanted to do. Guess which one?”
Ji Sheng scoffed deliberately: “Sing If You Want?”
The man: “Stop messing around. What would a main dancer like you do on Sing If You Want?”
“Enough with the games, just tell me. Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“Busy watching foxes dance?”
“Tsk, you know the answer already.”
The man laughed: “Didn’t you always say you wanted to go on Cat and Mouse for fun? Brother Wei wants us to be fly-in guests for one episode, along with the company’s new boy group. I heard they’re also inviting trainees from ‘NS.’ What do you think? Want to join in?”
“You’re joking?”
Ji Sheng put down his phone, a strange tone in his voice. “Trainees from ‘NS’? How are they getting mixed up with Inferno?”
“You know the new boy group is called Inferno? I thought you didn’t care about any of this.”
The man shrugged indifferently. “Maybe because ‘NS’ is too popular right now and got on our company’s radar? The talent show group debuting from ‘NS’ would also count as 7th generation, so Inferno will inevitably clash with them eventually. Might as well let them clash first on Cat and Mouse.”
Ji Sheng was actually intrigued. He knew Inferno’s debut buzz had been crushed by “NS,” and the company’s early marketing investment had all gone down the drain. It didn’t take much to guess how unwilling BKL must be.
Even though he hadn’t watched “NS” and didn’t know the trainees on the show, if it meant the shitty company got the short end, he was happy.
Ji Sheng agreed readily: “Fine. If it’s confirmed that people from ‘NS’ are going, I’ll go. By the way, when does it start, and where’s it being filmed?”
“Probably next month, in the south. The specific city hasn’t been decided yet.”
“Okay, got it.”
