Into your heart! [ZhanYi FF]

Chapter 12 - The big winner

The first competition between art colleges and art academies this year, had started on Saturday morning. A total of 8 art colleges and art academies drew into the competition. The television broadcast the competition live and also on the internet you could see the live streams through different platforms.

On Saturday morning, the first groups determined by the art colleges and art academies performed and competed against each other. After two groups, two duets followed and so they kept alternating. The solo performances were scheduled for Sunday afternoon. The award ceremonies were scheduled for Sunday evening.

Throughout the day, the various art schools and academies competed against each other, and the audience could then cast their votes live. This way it could be decided who would pass to the next round until they reached the semi-finals in the evening and only 4 groups were left, which then competed against each other on Sunday and where the audience could again decide which two groups would make it to the finals.

Since Yibo was not allowed to participate in all competitions for health reasons, but only his two solos dancing, he used the free time to rest and to train. Besides, he followed the competition via the live stream of the Keno Academy. He was proud to see that the students of the Keno Academy were so outstanding and won "almost" every single competition they competed in.

They lost one competition. In the Classical Ballet category. Alessia Milan and one other student from her year, had a joint performance. Unfortunately, her partner had not been as well prepared as she was, because he kept stumbling and during a lifting figure he was unfocused and dropped Alessia. She sprained her ankle in the process and thus the competition was over and lost for both of them. Yibo almost felt a little sorry for her. But only almost!

What Yibo found great was that so many families came to cheer on their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters in the competition. Yibo himself wasn't sure if anyone from his family would come. His mom is still in the hospital, his dad said he might come and his big brother said he would try but couldn't promise anything. His other 10 siblings from his mom's sister wives, were too young to come themselves. And his other mothers, he didn't want to have there.

Although Yibo always told himself that he did not like or need his other 10 siblings, he realized at the moment of this important first competition how much he missed his smaller siblings. Although he paid little attention to his smaller siblings, except for his youngest brother who was almost 2 years old, they always adored him and his talents. They were proud of him and always told him so. And suddenly he wished that at least one or two of his other siblings could be there to cheer him on.

When Yibo finally stood backstage on Sunday afternoon and warmed up, his eyes kept wandering to the audience rows. He hoped to see familiar faces there, like his dad or big brother. But the seats reserved for them had remained empty. Instead, he saw the families of his two friends Youn and Cheng.

Next to Cheng's parents, Cheng's big sister Yanli and his brother Zhan were sitting. Yibo had wondered why Zhan was not participating in the competition, since the Paradise Academy was also participating. Cheng had explained to him that Zhan had caught a cold and was too hoarse to sing. Of course, Yibo found this very unfortunate, because he wanted to finally see and hear Zhan sing live. But that was only a thing that kept him busy on the sidelines.

When the two presenters finally announced the start of the solo performances and Yibo had to go on stage first for his first solo performance, he sighed when he saw that the reserved seats were still empty. He entered the stage with a pounding heart, trying to concentrate fully on the here and now, when suddenly he heard a cute voice calling his name.

"BoBo, my big brother." Shouted his little almost two year old brother as he came running to the stage. Yibo waved to his cute little brother who stopped in front of the stage and called his name over and over in his little starfish suit. His dad, big brother and one of his small sisters had also come.