Chapter 34

“...”
Xia Xi rolled her eyes silently, deeply exasperated by the system’s words. She replied flatly, "Do you think I’m a fool? This is way too obvious, isn’t it? The original owner and I have completely different personalities, and I haven’t made any effort to hide it. Yet no one suspects I’m not her, as if Xia Xi should naturally be like this. Isn’t that strange," She paused here, recalling that probing gaze, and added with lingering unease, "And the only one who seemed a little suspicious was Fang Zichen, who wasn’t even that close to the original owner."
After hearing Xia Xi’s words, the system fell into an eerie silence. Its reaction only made Xia Xi more convinced that something was off.
Just as Xia Xi’s last shred of patience ran out, the system finally spoke. "Host, it’s not actually something I did. The reason they don’t suspect you is that you are Xia Xi, and Xia Xi is you. And since Xia Xi is Yan Wei’s only sister, he would naturally dote on you, how could he possibly doubt you?"
I am Xia Xi, and Xia Xi is me?
Hearing this, Xia Xi’s first thought was whether this damn system was reciting a tongue twister. Her second thought was: Is it messing with me?
For the most part, she didn’t believe it, because Xia Xi had never once thought of herself as the original owner. Her personality, appearance, and acting skills were worlds apart from the original owner’s.
How could she possibly be the original owner?
But the system sounded so certain.
In the end, a seed of doubt had been planted in her heart. Xia Xi frowned.
She had no idea whether the system was telling the truth or not. If it was true, then her thirty-plus years of life as Xia Xi in another world were still vivid in her memory, were those just a dream? But if the system was lying, how could she explain Yan Wei’s complete lack of suspicion toward her? Besides, the system had no reason to lie. If it didn’t want to answer, it could have just remained silent as it had before…
Moreover, Xia Xi wasn’t sure if the system had told her this deliberately to make her more confused about her current situation, or if it had some other purpose.
If the goal was to confuse her, then Xia Xi had truly fallen into the system’s trap, sinking into unprecedented chaos. She was now deeply questioning everything that had happened in the past, what was happening now, and what would happen in the future.
Her thoughts were a mess.
She didn’t sleep a wink all night.
The next day, Da He came early in the morning to pick up Xia Xi, intending to take her to the vocal coach.
But he hadn’t expected that, as soon as he entered, he would see Xia Xi standing in front of the mirror, sporting obvious dark circles under her eyes and sighing deeply.
“Xia Xi, did you not sleep well last night? Why are your dark circles so bad?” Da He frowned, a worried expression on his face as he looked at her pronounced dark circles. “Are you okay?”
When Xia Xi saw Da He looking at her as if she were in mourning, she froze for a moment. Once she regained her senses, she decisively shook her head and said firmly, “Da He, I’m fine. I’m really fine. Don’t worry.”
As if afraid Da He wouldn’t believe her, Xia Xi forced a bright, stiff smile to prove that she was truly very happy.
She had a feeling that if she didn’t reassure Da He, he might do something that would give her a headache.
This feeling came suddenly and seemed unreasonable, but ultimately, it was a woman’s intuition. Xia Xi thought it was better to believe it than not.
On the other hand, Da He was genuinely taken aback by Xia Xi’s reaction.
He looked at her pitiful expression and abandoned his original intention of lecturing her. Instead, he sighed helplessly and ruffled her hair. All his dissatisfaction melted into heartache for Xia Xi, heartache for everything she had been through recently. Softly, he comforted her, “Xia Xi, don’t worry. Those awful things will pass one day. I’m really touched that you’re being so considerate and trying to comfort me.”
“…”
What in the world is this all about? Xia Xi thought to herself as she saw the heartbroken look on Da He’s face. Her eyes flickered slightly. She couldn’t help but feel that Da He must have imagined something strange, otherwise, why would his expression be so odd?
Just as Xia Xi had thought, Da He had indeed misunderstood. He believed that Xia Xi hadn’t slept well the previous night because of the unpleasant events that had happened recently. And when he showed concern for her, Xia Xi’s obvious reluctance to bring it up made Da He think she must be avoiding the topic to keep him from worrying.
What more could be said?
It could only be described as a beautiful misunderstanding.
However, Xia Xi had no intention of explaining anything. Her idea was to let Da He continue misunderstanding, after all, it didn’t affect her in the slightest, so why not?
"Oh, right," Xia Xi said, as if suddenly remembering something. She looked at Da He, her face glowing with the enthusiasm of a beginner cook. "Have you had breakfast? If not, I can make something for you."
"You?" Da He was taken aback by her offer. He had originally planned to say he hadn’t eaten yet, but after a few seconds of consideration, prioritizing his own safety, he firmly nodded and said he had already eaten breakfast before coming to pick Xia Xi up for her singing lesson.
"Alright."
Xia Xi’s face clearly showed disappointment at his response.
Though she felt a bit regretful about not being able to prepare an unforgettable breakfast for Da He, she didn’t dwell on it too much. After all, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. She believed that, sooner or later, Da He would surely be won over by her genius-level culinary skills.
Hmm, quite confident indeed.
But let’s get back to the main topic, Xia Xi’s upcoming singing tutorial.
As the name suggests, the singing tutorial is a basic introductory course to singing. However, the teacher Da He found for Xia Xi was far from ordinary.
This teacher, though not widely recognized by the public and without any authoritative awards for his singing, was absolutely top-tier when it came to teaching.
Many renowned singers, before they became famous, had received guidance from him. Even an international superstar like Fang Zichen, back when he was just starting out and unknown, had been under his tutelage, which helped him avoid many pitfalls. So, at this stage, having that teacher guide Xia Xi in the basics of singing was undoubtedly the right choice.
Xia Xi looked up at the towering building of Yuefeng Entertainment, gripping the "Introduction to Singing Techniques" provided by the system a little tighter. "Da He, is that Zhang Lixin really as amazing as you say?"
Da He thought for a moment, his tone slightly uncertain. "He should be pretty impressive, Fang Zichen recommended him to me, so I’m not entirely sure about the details. But I’ve heard from others that he’s really sharp when it comes to teaching, direct, targeted, and very patient."
Xia Xi paused, then asked timidly, "Aren’t 'direct' and 'patient' contradictory?"
Da He gave her a brief, dismissive glance, completely ignoring her question. "Enough chatter. Fang Zichen said that at your stage, Zhang Lixin is definitely the right choice. Just go in with confidence."
"Alright."
Xia Xi blinked, sighing silently to herself as she obediently followed behind Da He, heading into the Yuefeng Entertainment building.
Was it time to start learning singing again?
For some reason, she felt a little uneasy.