The reveal of Nie Luo as the mysterious mentor hit like a bomb as soon as the second episode aired.
He opened the show masked, moving through the dance floor while singing his new song in a voice uniquely his own.
Cold expression. Perfect form. Every movement precise and restrained, exuding restrained allure.
The rhythm was perfect, sharp, fleeting, yet carrying an intoxicating restraint.
Eyes captivated, bodies moved with the beat, ears hit with sudden, piercing high notes.
Hearts raced. Bodies trembled. Noses hummed along with the melody involuntarily.
On stage, off stage—the audience moved with him.
Until the climactic high note tore through the venue, snapping everyone back to reality.
The four mentors on stage exchanged glances.
“Is it him?”
“It is.”
“Definitely him.”
The last mentor smiled faintly and stood, applauding fervently.
“This mysterious mentor is undoubtedly Teacher Nie Luo. Let’s welcome him!”
Thunderous applause filled the broadcast. The tall man removed his mask deliberately.
Nie Luo’s makeup was bold, accentuating his sharp, deep features. His eyes were cold yet magnetic, mysterious yet inviting, impossible to look away from.
“He was born for the spotlight,” someone whispered, unchallenged.
Even the laughing online audience fell silent.
A minute passed before a single comment appeared in the barrage.
“WTF! I thought this was supposed to be a comedy, who let this hex king out?”
“Hex king?”
Fan Qing read the comment, licking his lips with a trace of red.
Not wrong at all. In his mind, Nie Luo was indeed the hex king.
A low chuckle escaped him. He flipped through his social feed.
Jin Yi skiing, surfing, sitting by a fire under the stars. Life seemed pleasant.
Let Jin Yi enjoy these days. Fan Qing exhaled slowly and returned to work.
Nearby, Jin Si lounged lazily, fingers kneaded by his assistant.
A satisfied sigh, barely audible.
“Thought he was being more sensible now?”
The assistant smiled wryly, then chuckled again.
“Your second young master only gets these comfortable days for a few days.”
“Oh?” Jin Si’s curiosity peaked, fingers pressing slightly.
The assistant moved closer, adjusting to his grip.
“What do you mean?”
The assistant steadied himself on Jin Si’s shoulder, expression exasperated.
“When Second Young Master goes out this week, it’s part of a deal with Fan Qing.”
“I see,” Jin Si interrupted, leaning back lazily.
“If he wants to trade with Fan Qing himself, then I won’t interfere.”
Just as he expected.
The assistant shrugged, continuing to massage his fingers.
Elsewhere, an employee nervously knocked and entered.
No response.
He pushed the door open cautiously.
The TV showed Nie Luo’s entrance.
The employee had seen it; even his girlfriend had screamed beside him—Nie Luo’s appearance was breathtaking.
Perfect to the point of disbelief.
Yet…
The room was a mess. A stark contrast to the polished scene on TV.
Swallowing nervously, the employee regretted not listening to his girlfriend’s advice—maybe he should have changed jobs, or at least companies.
Otherwise… here he was, facing this.
“Did you see that?”
The man on the sofa, previously silent, suddenly spoke.
The employee jumped.
“See… see what?”
The employee stammered, quickly backtracking.
“N-nothing! I just came in, I didn’t see anything!”
“Who asked you that?”
Jing Yuan rose slowly from the sofa, his expression calm, almost serene. Yet beneath that calmness was a faint, unsettling excitement.
“I asked you this—did you see Nie Luo’s expression? What did you think? Wasn’t he perfect?”
Jing Yuan paused, his voice dropping into a low, almost unspoken eeriness.
“Perfect… beautiful… and so cold that just looking at him makes you want to possess him… and destroy him… to erase that proud expression from his frozen face forever.”
The employee recoiled, stepping back. Was this man… insane? Could he resign fast enough?
“…Useless trash.”
Jing Yuan gave him a disdainful glance, then his eyes swept past the sofa to the paused image on the screen—Nie Luo.
He was too perfect.
A person this perfect… Zhuo Yuan would want him, wouldn’t he?
And what better way to destroy someone than to place them directly into Zhuo Yuan’s hands?
Without Nie Luo in the picture, his own opportunity would arrive.
The second episode of Shining for Tomorrow moved quickly.
The initially inexperienced trainees showed clear improvement in both singing and dancing after just two classes with Nie Luo.
And the next stage performance was approaching even faster.
Of the 108 trainees who made it past the first selection round, only 88 remained. From those, only 64 could advance.
It was cruel—and ruthless.
As the mysterious mentor, Nie Luo did not invest in the trainees like the other four mentors did. He was more like a surprise, a secret weapon.
During these seven days, he could teach and nurture any trainee at will.
The camera crews had followed him for days, yet no one could discern his preferences.
Though the show had stated that Nie Luo could guide anyone he wished—partly suggesting that luck is also a factor—cameras following him would ideally reveal his tendencies.
Yet…
The cameramen were somewhat exasperated.
Nie Luo clearly showed no bias.
After days of filming, he seemed like a perfect, precise machine, fair in every calculation.
Almost every trainee had been watched and guided by him.
Had Nie Luo been born in ancient times, he could easily have been an emperor who ensured every concubine received equal attention.
Nothing about him gave away his thoughts.
This continued until the day of the competition.
The recordings ran flawlessly, much to the surprise of the production team.
Almost every trainee had made significant progress, subtle at first but glaringly obvious on stage.
The cameraman following Nie Luo immediately noticed: all improvements had come from Nie Luo’s direct guidance.
He was stunned. Unbelieving. Could someone really have that level of skill?
The more he observed, the more he realized—it was true. Every trainee had improved under Nie Luo’s mentorship.
The last group finished their performance, and the four main mentors praised them all highly. They were surprised by the growth but satisfied—after all, they were officially the trainees’ mentors.
According to the original plan, Nie Luo was to give the final summary—the last time he would appear on the show. After this, he could finish filming and leave.
But…
Nie Luo sensed something off in the production team’s expressions.
Not right.
He detected the anomaly almost instantly—the cameras had shifted.
Nie Luo’s sensitivity to cameras was extraordinary, honed from years of experience.
Now, he realized something was wrong.
All the cameras were quietly turning toward the backstage area—the same place he had entered from before.
Nie Luo immediately concealed his presence, slipping behind the cameraman as if casually moving, subtle enough that the crew, distracted by other instructions, didn’t notice.
On the road, a low-profile business car sped along.
Fan Qing pinched the bridge of his nose, exhausted.
But the thought of surprising Nie Luo soon refueled him with inexhaustible energy.
Before that…
Fan Qing quickly dialed Jin Si.
“Although Second Young Master has already spoken with you, I still think I should personally thank you.”
Jin Si let out a light hum, unusually approachable.
“No need. I heard you persuaded that brat to show up for work today?”
“I couldn’t hide it. It was a deal between me and him.”
Fan Qing strode out almost in a rush.
The person assigned to escort him clearly understood the urgency and quickly handed over a temporary work pass, guiding him inside.
“I heard before I left that someone had brought Jing Yuan in, but I still don’t know what’s going on over there,” the escort said.
Fan Qing’s steps were swift, his face icy.
He had been careless.
He should have known—Jing Yuan had always coveted Nie Luo’s position.
Even though the show was pre-recorded, any mishap involving Nie Luo would inevitably be caught on camera.
And there was no scandal more explosive than that.
What could he do?
How could he resolve this predicament?
He needed a plan, and fast.
As his mind raced, Fan Qing noticed they were passing a particular spot.
“Wait.”
He gripped the guide firmly.
Quietly, he studied the area and said calmly, “Can I get in here?”
The guide hesitated, instinctively looking up.