It was half a month later when Yi Xing arrived at the Jiangning Radio and Television Building for the second time. Unlike last time, he didn't need to book a room next door himself; instead, he checked directly into the hotel arranged by the production team.
Staying in his room, he opened the question bank that the production team had sent earlier and quickly went through it in his mind, making sure he remembered most of it. Only then did he lie on the bed and enjoy a good sleep.
He was sleeping soundly when he heard someone knocking at the door. He rubbed his eyes drowsily and called out weakly, "Who is it?"
"Hello, I'm a staff member from the production team. I'm here to ask if you're awake and if you need hair and makeup. The recording is about to start soon."
"I'm up, I'm up."
Yi Xing's consciousness gradually returned. He had cram-studied too late the previous night, which left him still looking half-asleep. He hastily put on his clothes, went to the door, opened it, and gave an embarrassed smile to the person outside.
"Uh, do you want styling?"
"Of course, where is the dressing room?"
"Wait for me in the lobby after you're ready. I still need to wake up others, and then I'll take you there."
"Alright, thank you."
Yi Xing nodded at the words, closed the door after the staff member went to the next room, took out his own toiletries from his bag, and went into the bathroom for a good tidy-up. His cowlick was smoothed down, and the grime from the corners of his eyes was removed.
He picked out an outfit he thought was pretty good and put it on, then confidently took the elevator down to the hotel lobby.
There, besides himself, were several other contestants, and he saw a rather handsome young man whose looks were on par with his own.
He didn't know why, but even though it was their first meeting, he felt like they would get along very well—a feeling he hadn't experienced with anyone else. Driven by curiosity, he stood next to the other person.
This excited some female guests who were also there for the recording. They secretly took out their phones to snap photos, pausing to admire each one before deliberately moving around and standing in different spots to continue taking pictures.
Meanwhile, the two people in the photos, perhaps due to a matching aura or something, turned their heads and glanced when someone walked up to the young man.
Their eyes met, and both moved their mouths but made no sound.
"That..."
"That..."
"Hello."
"Hello."
The rapport between the two at this moment was indescribable; they spoke almost simultaneously, then fell silent simultaneously, even making the same gestures during their pauses.
"How about you go first?"
"Alright, hello, my name is Yi Xing. Are you also one of the contestants participating in this recording?"
"In a sense, yes. Hello, I am Liu Xuhui."
Liu Xuhui extended his hand in friendship. He could indeed be considered one of the contestants for this episode, but he was of the 'Big Boss' level.
Simply put, he would only appear when the challenger had defeated everyone else on stage; otherwise, he would remain on the sidelines.
Seeing this, Yi Xing extended his hand and shook his. He seemed to have seen that name somewhere before, but he couldn't quite recall where. He shook his head and continued to ask.
"Are you still a student? What's your major?"
"I just graduated this year, and I majored in Finance."
"What a coincidence! I majored in Economics."
Well, the two had found a common topic, starting with the current global economic landscape and then elaborating on their insights into future economic development trends.
Finally... there was no 'finally,' because the staff member responsible for waking people up had returned.
He led the few people behind him into the Radio and Television Building and arrived at the entrance of the dressing room. They lined up according to ladies first and height order, entering one by one.
Though called a dressing room, it only had equipment for styling hair; other items like foundation, blush, and setting powder were absent.
After all, the program Who is the Last Man Standing is primarily a knowledge quiz; no matter how well one does their makeup or how beautiful they look, few people will appreciate it.
When everyone in the room had nearly finished their styling, the program recording was about to begin. Yi Xing was honored to be the only challenger for this episode.
While the two hosts were delivering their opening remarks, he had already taken his position, ready to go on stage.
"We are about to introduce our challenger for today. He is an undergraduate student in Economics from Cambridge University, and he has boldly declared that he wants to know what it feels like to be a loser. So, who is he? Please welcome him."
As the music began, Yi Xing, backstage, performed a few cool dance moves. The screens on both sides opened, and he walked with a somewhat arrogant stride to the center of the stage.
This was unavoidable, to maintain his 'arrogant' persona on the show.
"Hello everyone, I'm Yi Xing, a native of the Magic City. I've come to the stage of Who is the Last Man Standing today because I want to see if I can find my opponent here."
"Is that so? Then, among these people on stage, who meets your criteria for an opponent?" the male host asked, standing beside him.
"Brother Hao, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
"Since we're on stage, of course, I want to hear the truth."
"None of these people are my opponents."
After Yi Xing finished speaking, he shrugged helplessly. His actions perfectly embodied the phrase "young and arrogant." The show had just begun, and the tension in the room had intensified considerably.
He was very puzzled; why wasn't Liu Xuhui on stage? He had clearly seen him in the dressing room, so why had he disappeared when it was time for recording? Could it be that he wasn't recording the same program as him?
The female host, standing on the other side, felt the situation was getting out of hand and proactively started a new topic: "I heard that Yi Xing, you also studied violin and dance. I wonder if you could give us a demonstration?"
"No problem." As soon as he finished speaking, Yi Xing performed a segment of popping in the center of the stage, earning a round of applause.
"If you win tonight, how about we keep playing this music for you?"
"Sounds good."
"Alright, without further ado, please choose your first challenging opponent for tonight."
"Just go from left to right."
"Wow, you're the fastest-choosing contestant I've ever seen! So, Lu Renjia, please choose whether to go with a buzzer round or a turn-based round."
The male host couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. He looked down at the script in his hand, which stated to guide the contestants to freely express themselves within their established personas. It was certainly free enough; he could barely keep up with what he was saying.
"I choose the buzzer round." It was clear that Lu Renjia was also a young man, and being looked down upon by someone roughly his age, he was certainly unconvinced. He intended to curb the other's arrogance and let him know that there are always people better than you.