Despite their internal complaints, the five couldn’t escape the spotlight. Under countless eyes, they forced awkward smiles and rose from their seats.

Backstage, everyone rushed to apply makeup and change outfits. Zhou Yang, fastening the buttons of his green robe, shot the director a venomous glare.

“Director, you’re done for. Once this performance is over, not even Jesus can save you. Mark my words.”

The director grinned cheekily. “Once it’s over, we’re heading back to the country—Jesus doesn’t handle things there.”

He then added, “This is for the show’s impact. Did you see when the spotlights hit you? Half the audience that was about to leave sat back down.”

Say what you will, but the show’s guests were all undeniably attractive. Even if the performance wasn’t perfect, just watching these stunning individuals was a treat for the eyes.

Ten minutes later, the red curtain slowly rose. Both the livestream viewers and the theater audience were greeted with a breathtaking scene on stage, leaving everyone in awe.

Amid swirling mist, the five performers stood in elegant, traditional Chinese attire. Li Shuqin and Fang Li wore ruqun (traditional Chinese dresses), their hair styled in high buns, faces delicately made up. Mu Wan stood tall with a violin in hand, Zhou Yang held a guitar, and Zhong Yi stood by a large red drum.

As the music began, Li Shuqin and Fang Li started dancing. Their every movement was mesmerizing, full of grace yet imbued with strength, perfectly capturing the essence of Tang dynasty women.

To ensure the violin and guitar blended seamlessly, Zhou Yang had specially rearranged the piece. Zhong Yi’s red drum, learned in haste, added a powerful rhythm, enhancing the grandeur of the performance.

[!!! I thought they’d just wing it. But this is incredible.]
[There’s no way they reached this level in just a day or two. Isn’t this a 24-hour livestream? Did they secretly practice all night after playing during the day?]
[Amazing.]
[Our Shushu (Li Shuqin) graduated from a dance academy, but there are so few opportunities to see her perform. Thanks to this show, her fans finally have something to cherish.]
[Fang Li danced so well! I’ve learned this choreography before—it’s really difficult.]
[Didn’t Fang Rui get scolded for disturbing neighbors while practicing dance late at night? Was she working on this piece?]
[…Okay, maybe her methods weren’t ideal, but if that’s true, she’s clearly been working so hard.]
[As a violin major, I’m looking at something different: Mu Wan’s technique is insane! No wonder she’s a three-time Stern competition champion.]
[Wait, Stern? Is that a big deal?]
[It’s one of the top international violin competitions in the country. What do you think?]

Meanwhile, Qin Jie, sitting in the audience, couldn’t take his eyes off Mu Wan. Clad in her elegant green attire, exuding both sophistication and charm, she shone brighter than anyone else on stage.

She was dazzling.

His heart was pounding fiercely, and all he could see in his eyes was Mu Wan’s reflection.
He felt a pang of regret, regretting that their first meeting had been so disastrous. Otherwise, even if they couldn’t be a couple, they could at least have been friends… Wait! Didn’t she mention before that she had opened a classical music agency in the country?

—The performance lasted only a few minutes. After the five of them finished their performance and bowed to the audience, the applause that followed signified the success of the performance. The livestream also ended at that moment. The official Weibo of the travel the world group posted a thank you message for the seven days of viewership, followed by a preview of the official airing time, inviting everyone to watch when it aired.

After all, the number of people who could watch the livestream 24/7 was still a minority. And the quality of livestream cameras couldn’t compare to professional cameras. With post-editing, the highlights of the show could be concentrated, and details that the livestream missed could be added. Because of the excellent quality of the livestream, Travel The World had already gained popularity before it even aired, with fans eagerly demanding faster edits.

—After returning to the guesthouse, everyone packed their luggage and prepared to go home. Though the cameras were no longer there, everyone was acting just as they had when being filmed. Mu Wan was the first to finish packing and waited in the living room for the others to join her before checking out.

Suddenly, she heard some faint sounds and turned to look at Fang Li’s room. There was crying, but it was the kind of suppressed, hidden sobbing. Mu Wan hesitated for a moment but then knocked on Fang Li’s door. She didn’t enter, but softly asked from the outside, “Fang Li, what happened?”

Fang Li’s panicked voice came from inside, “Sister Wan, it’s nothing. I’ll be done packing in a second.”

Mu Wan withdrew her hand from the door handle, thought for a moment, and then said, “Fang Li, if you consider me a friend, you can always tell me if you’re having trouble. Even if I can’t help, I can always listen.”

There was suddenly silence from inside the room. Just as Mu Wan began to feel like she was meddling too much, the door suddenly opened. Fang Li, her eyes red, invited her in. The moment the door closed, Fang Li suddenly hugged Mu Wan tightly, her tears falling onto Mu Wan’s shoulder, her voice choked with helplessness.

“Wan-Jie, my company wants to blacklist me. I won’t be able to dance again.”

Mu Wan quickly patted her back, comforting her. “What happened? Tell me slowly.”

This all started the night after the show recording. That day, Fang Li was mercilessly criticized in the live comments for not completing the five evaluations task. Her manager called her and scolded her, saying she had tarnished the company’s reputation. However, he didn’t mention the fact that she was being attacked by netizens. Instead, he told her, “Bad publicity is still publicity.”