To You, My Era of Fireworks

Two handsome college heartthrobs recently went viral on a certain short-video app. Other people get famous for their looks, but these two made a name for themselves through comedic crosstalk.

Watching two handsome guys take the stage themselves to make everyone laugh, and occasionally sing a little tune that fills your heart with joy, fans couldn't help but say:

"I've spent my whole life doing good deeds. Seeing these two on my feed is what I deserve!"

As the pair grew more and more popular, fans noticed their interactions were getting increasingly improper.

The bigger the audience, the more likely they were to get handsy, and that likelihood was skyrocketing.

It got especially bad after a trailer for their ensemble short drama dropped. Veteran crosstalk masters from the old guard collectively blasted them for being shameless and betraying their teachers and ancestors!

Fans: "Our boys just want to win an award at a crosstalk competition. Is that so hard? They come from a family of celebrated performers and still get called an amateur outfit. Now they're so pitiful they have to sell a gay ship just to make a living!"

Yu Weili: "Partners are like spouses! We're real! For real!!"

Xia Xiyan (rolling his eyes): "Why explain so much? Look at that pathetic face of yours."

*

Before the crosstalk show began, Xia Xiyan wanted to build their bickering, gay-baiting image, so he deliberately made a move that looked like an indirect kiss to play along with Yu Weili. Little did he know, Yu Weili had already planned all kinds of publicity. All he had to do was put on the sunny little-idol act and tease his own straight man.

Once the show began, Xia Xiyan gradually shifted from taking the initiative to playing hard to get. In the end, he was the one pretending to resist while having his robe tugged open, and he was still the one blushing while hurling insults.

As soon as the livestream ended, Yu Weili immediately launched into a melodramatic act. He pinned Xia Xiyan to the bed and put on a pitiful face, as though all his ambitions had gone unfulfilled, hoping to soften Xia Xiyan's heart. Instead, Xia Xiyan cursed at him in Tianjin dialect:

"You miserable idiot, get up already! You're crushing my waist."

Yu Weili was so furious he stomped around.

In short, this is a story about a strutting peacock's many attempts to win love, which end up being nothing more than a hilarious crosstalk routine where he makes a fool of himself to show off.

A reading guide for you:

1. A Beijing straight man and a Tianjin gay man, with no real-life inspirations. Feel free to ship the official couple!

2. A medium-length, face-slapping feel-good story. If you like it, please leave comments and add it to your favorites!

Theme: There will always be a group of ambitious young people who, through all their struggles, quietly light the lamp that symbolizes the passing down of a tradition.