"From Jincheng to the capital, from trainee to singer, from in front of the mirror to in front of the screen... No matter who I become, wherever I go, my family has always supported me unconditionally. It’s precisely because of this that I, Xie Yizun, who wants to explore more possibilities, always have the courage to move forward."

Before the final round.

Holding the trophy, Xie Yizun stood on the stage and said emotionally, "Since I was young, because of my mom, I’ve had a clear understanding of what it means to be a star, to be an artist. But what made me determined to become an artist at any cost is because I know very well that I love the stage, I love singing and dancing. Some people might say, ’You can be so reckless because you have the conditions,’ but I know that’s not the case. The reason I insist on this path so tenaciously is that, whether I’m clear-headed or confused, I remember what someone once told me—"

His slightly reddened eyes gazed past the stage, landing on Ning Youguang in the front row, "The time and effort you put in to achieve your dreams make your life so important."

"So, even though I know clearly that this path is not easy, that it’s tough, I’ve never thought of giving up. I believe that no matter how many years into the future, I will not give up on this profession. No matter how tough it gets, I won’t give up because I love it so much..."

...

The youthful figures of the boys faded from the stage accompanied by the moving melody.

Many of the audience members orderly exited under the arrangement of the staff.

Ning Youguang took one last serious look at the now empty stage in front of her and stood up.

"Let’s go, let’s head back."

"Yiyi was really amazing, looks worlds apart from ordinary people." Beside her, Zhuang Siqi was still immersed in the dazzling stage performance earlier, her face full of admiration, reluctant to leave.

"Wake up, he’s not an ordinary person to begin with, okay?"

Zhuang Jianxian quickly stood up, reaching out to forcibly half-drag, half-pull Zhuang Siqi, who seemed glued to her seat.

He himself also plays music and loves street dancing.

So, for tonight’s final, the angle from which he watched the stage performance of the contestants was different from his sister’s.

His sister is a face-only fan, following stars just for their looks.

As long as an idol’s face is good-looking, their character can be forgiven for anything else.

But he isn’t like that.

When watching these contestants perform, besides their looks, he pays more attention to their stage presence.

The unspoken rules of competitions in talent shows are mostly about music and dance, relying on strength, and exam tactics are also very crucial.

For someone to come out on top in such a contest, strength, skill, and luck are indispensable.

After several competitions, he observed that Xie Yizun already possesses the capabilities of a professional singer and dancer.

He too has worked hard for his hobbies.

He still vividly remembers his dance teacher once told him, "Only when you’ve put in the effort can you understand how important talent is."

This sentence is particularly cruel—meaning that effort without talent might be effort wasted.

So witnessing Xie Yizun’s stage performance in person.

He understands better than his sister that reaching his level of overall excellence is impossible without talent. Xie Yizun, standing on the stage, though still young, was full of spirit and shining all over.

"Okay, you’re right," Zhuang Siqi couldn’t grasp the true meaning of her brother’s words, but that didn’t prevent her from agreeing with him, "After all, his mom is an award-winning actress, right?"

"Let’s go have a midnight snack now." Ning Youguang glanced at the twins behind and said to Shi Wangyue, "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat." Shi Wangyue nodded, "What do you want to eat?"

Ning Youguang turned and asked the twins, who were playfully joking around behind them, "Are you hungry? We’re planning to have a midnight snack, do you have anything in mind?"

"Yes, barbecue," said Zhuang Siqi. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Clay pot porridge," said Zhuang Jianxian.

Ning Youguang looked at Shi Wangyue, "How about we find a place where we can have both barbecue and clay pot porridge for a midnight snack?"

Shi Wangyue nodded, "I’ll ask Assistant Jin if he knows a suitable place."

"No need to ask." Ning Youguang said as she took out her phone, "Let’s just Google it ourselves."

"There are a lot of people right now, let’s check when we get in the car." Shi Wangyue took her phone and put it into his pocket, "Let’s head out first."