Almost Lover

Chapter 133 Blessings

Liaocheng quickly entered midsummer, and the official recordings began.

Teng Yi only learned on the day of recording that Ruan Yu was the host of this show.

When she arrived on set with Wang Jing, fully made up, everyone was stunned—especially Teng Yi. He never expected Ruan Yu to keep it such a well-guarded secret, without even the slightest leak.

The captains and contestants from all four crews stared at Ruan Yu.

"Wow, Sister-in-law looks absolutely stunning today," Cai Hong whispered to Xiao Qing beside her.

"Can you even speak? Sister-in-law has always been beautiful. No wonder you still don’t have a girlfriend."

The crowd burst into laughter.

Teng Yi stood at the back, studying Ruan Yu.

Her look today was specially tailored by the stylist to match the street dance theme. A white T-shirt paired with an asymmetrical denim skirt, her hair styled into simple dreadlocks adorned with colorful hair ties—fresh and full of energy.

Not just beautiful, but also effortlessly cool.

"Everyone, let me introduce Ruan Yu, our host. The original concept for this street dance show came from her. In other words, without her, this show wouldn’t exist today. Let’s give a round of applause to thank Host Ruan!" Wang Jing announced passionately.

As soon as he finished, applause erupted across the set.

Ruan Yu smiled sheepishly. "Thank you, everyone. In the days to come, I hope we can all contribute a little to street dance culture together."

After speaking, she turned her gaze and locked eyes with Teng Yi, who signaled for her to step outside for a word.

Taking advantage of the unfinished setup, the two slipped into the hallway.

"Host Ruan, did you work for the intelligence agency or something?" Teng Yi pressed a hand against the small of her back, giving it a light pinch. "How did you keep something this big under wraps so well?"

"What? Are you mad?"

"No, just surprised."

"Only surprised? Not pleasantly surprised?"

Teng Yi fell silent, studying her for a long moment before nodding. "Pleasantly surprised. Overwhelmingly so."

Ruan Yu grinned.

After leaving TG, several TV stations had extended olive branches to her, including Zhongguang TV. After much deliberation, she ultimately chose Zhongguang—not just because of its strong reputation, but most importantly, because of this show.

This was, after all, Teng Yi’s first variety show. She wanted to be by his side.

"I want to fight alongside you," she said, looking up at him with starry eyes. "And share the wins and losses with you."

Moved, Teng Yi pulled her into a tight embrace and held her for a long time without letting go.

"Little Fish."

"Hmm?"

"If I kiss you now, will the makeup artist get mad?"

Ruan Yu hurriedly covered her lips. The makeup artist had spent a long time perfecting her lip look today.

"Yes."

"Alright, then let’s not add to their workload." Teng Yi took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it, his voice thick with emotion. "Little Fish, thank you."

"For what?"

"Everything."

Thank her for sweeping away the dust in his heart and bringing him here.

Thank her not just for helping him stand here, but for staying by his side.

Thank her for appearing in his life.

--?--The competition system was well-designed, and the team worked in harmony, making the entire recording process relatively smooth—except for the subtle tension between Luo Sheng and Teng Yi.

All the staff could tell that Luo Sheng was targeting Teng Yi at every turn. On stage, whenever it came to selecting an opponent for a battle, he would always choose Teng Yi. Off stage, when Teng Yi spoke to him, Luo Sheng would respond half-heartedly, exuding an inexplicable hostility.

The brothers from the Westside Crew couldn’t stand it and were also puzzled—how had Luo Sheng become so petty? Back in the day, he was known for his righteous indignation, even daring to confront Bi Chengjie head-on.

Teng Yi knew the reason, but precisely because he did, he didn’t let it bother him. He still felt mostly grateful toward Luo Sheng. When he had gone to Sanmenxia to pay respects to his late grandfather, Ruan Yu had told him how Luo Sheng had supported her through that difficult time after his grandfather’s passing.

Compared to that debt of gratitude, these minor conflicts meant nothing.

However, Teng Yi’s indifference didn’t lead to Luo Sheng backing down.

Everyone had assumed the two would remain at odds until the very end, but a turning point came during the recording of the third episode.

On the day of the third episode’s filming, the youngest member of the "L" crew suddenly suffered heatstroke and fainted while shooting an outdoor segment. At the time, Luo Sheng had been called away by the production team for a personal interview, leaving only the Westside Crew members present. Teng Yi immediately administered first aid, then, along with Xiao Qing and the others, carried the young man under the scorching sun for half a street before getting him to the hospital.

After regaining consciousness, the young man repeatedly thanked Teng Yi and the Westside brothers, creating a touching scene. The crew filmed the entire incident, and the director initially wanted to include it in the main footage, but Teng Yi refused. He believed a street dance competition should focus solely on the dance, not use such moments for publicity.

When Luo Sheng later found out about this, he didn’t say much, but gradually, he stopped antagonizing Teng Yi. If any issues arose during recording, they could now discuss and resolve them amicably, and the atmosphere between them noticeably improved. Teng Yi’s sole focus was promoting street dance, and his indifference to fame and personal gain earned Luo Sheng’s respect and admiration.

The two grew closer, and their relationship flourished.

Once, after a late-night recording session, Teng Yi was so exhausted that he fell asleep right in the audience seats. Ruan Yu even caught Luo Sheng quietly draping a jacket over him.

"Tsk tsk," Ruan Yu couldn’t resist teasing Luo Sheng. "After the way you acted the past few days, I thought you two were sworn enemies. How did you suddenly become so… intimate?"

"Stop talking nonsense," Luo Sheng chided softly. "Even if the production team wants to stir up drama, shipping people like this isn’t the way to do it. Besides, I’m straight—just because you won’t date me doesn’t mean you can randomly pair me up and ruin my future prospects."

Ruan Yu covered her mouth, laughing so hard she could barely stand straight.

Luo Sheng glared at her. "Still laughing? The way I acted earlier was just to test him for you!"

"Well, I really should thank you then."

"Don’t mention it. Call it the remnants of affection."

"Ugh." Ruan Yu exaggeratedly shrugged. "Aren’t you just disgustingly cheesy?"

Luo Sheng suddenly smiled. He reached out and gently ruffled her hair."Ruan Yu, I've said before that I need to see him treat you well before I can let go. Lately, while we've all been recording the show together, I've witnessed firsthand how attentive and caring Teng Yi is toward you. He's an exceptional person—both as a dancer and as a man—absolutely flawless. Knowing you're with him gives me more peace of mind than if you were with me. I sincerely wish you both happiness."