Chapter 38

Zhang Lixin nodded, looking at the booklet with a light chuckle. "These are some experiences I've gathered over the years of learning to sing. I think they might be useful to you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime."
Hearing this, Xia Xi was taken aback. She stared at the small notebook in her hands, her feelings a mix of pleasant surprise and disbelief. "This, this is really for me?"
Because Xia Xi had never been valued so much by a senior before, she was genuinely shocked now.
In Xia Xi's eyes, what Zhang Lixin had given her wasn't just a simple notebook, it was like a martial arts manual for rapid improvement, one that could instantly overpower everyone in the room.
Zhang Lixin immediately understood what was going through Xia Xi's mind when he saw her expression and couldn't help but chuckle. He lightly teased her, "This notebook is just basic introductory training for pitch accuracy. Don't overthink it."
Xia Xi: “...” Alright, then.
Time always flies when one is focused, so while Xia Xi and Zhang Lixin were seriously practicing singing, the entire morning passed in the blink of an eye. She rubbed her stomach, stretched lazily, and happily prepared to go eat.
"Xia Xi!"
Just as Xia Xi was about to head out, she suddenly heard a magnetic voice call her name from behind. She raised an eyebrow and turned around to see the usually inconspicuous "Teacher Zhang." Wondering why he had called her, she smiled and asked, "Hello, is there something you need?"
"Your singing is really beautiful."
Xia Xi was taken aback by "Teacher Zhang's" words. She didn't process it immediately, so her expression turned somewhat blank. "Huh?"
"Your singing is truly beautiful, better than many others. You don't need to underestimate yourself." Thinking she hadn't heard him clearly, Teacher Zhang looked directly into Xia Xi's eyes and repeated his words with utmost seriousness, as if stating something of great importance.
At first, Xia Xi found it rather odd that the usually reserved "Teacher Zhang" would repeat his praise again and again. But when she noticed his furrowed brow, she gradually set aside her dismissive attitude. Pressing her lips together, she nodded and said, "Thank you, I understand."
Teacher Zhang let out a sigh of relief, his previously tense brow relaxing. He then returned to his calm and composed demeanor, nodded at Xia Xi, and turned to leave.
"Wait a moment!" Xia Xi quickly called out to him. Seeing him turn around unhurriedly, she smiled and said, "We're classmates now, and you already know my name, but I still don't know yours. That's not fair, is it?"
Teacher Zhang nodded and replied succinctly, "Zhang Xuanrui."
Zhang Xuanrui?
Watching Zhang Xuanrui's retreating figure, Xia Xi chuckled softly and brushed off the boy's inexplicable encouragement.

"System." After eating her fill, Xia Xi began pondering her earlier doubts. After some thought, she decided to seek confirmation from the system. "I have a question. Is my improved singing due to the modifications from the book Introduction to Singing Techniques?"
Or had the system done something else?
In truth, when Xia Xi first realized how beautifully she could sing, her initial instinct told her it was the system's doing.
There was no logical basis for this intuition, but it was often accurate, what some might call a woman's sixth sense?
"No, it's not." The system immediately denied the possibility, its response crisp and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.
It isn't?
The system's affirmative attitude actually surprised Xia Xi a bit. After thinking for a moment, she said, "So the original host's voice was naturally pleasant? But the original host is me, and I don't sing well."
"I'm not entirely sure about that either, but I imagine Xia Xi's original voice should have been quite nice. Even if the 'Introduction to Singing Techniques' has an influence on your voice, it would only be gradual. If your vocal foundation weren't good, no matter how positively the 'Introduction to Singing Techniques' affected you, the results wouldn't be so immediate."
"I see." Hearing the system's words, Xia Xi thoughtfully touched her chin and immediately grasped the key point. "But according to that, there are still significant differences between me and the original host because I sing off-key. This contradicts your previous statement that I am Xia Xi, and Xia Xi is me. We're clearly not the same."
The conversation circled back to the very point Xia Xi had been struggling with from the beginning,
The system remained silent for a long while before saying, "Actually, there's no contradiction here."
Its voice sounded very calm, as if it had long prepared how to respond to Xia Xi's question.
"Host, you are Xia Xi, and Xia Xi is you. You shouldn't doubt this." The system paused at this point. "The fact that you and Xia Xi now exhibit different abilities isn't because you're two separate individuals, but because you've focused your efforts in different directions. Essentially, you're still the same person."
Noticing Xia Xi's confused expression, the system continued to explain, "For example, the Xia Xi in this world worked very hard and had talent in singing, so she sings beautifully. But the Xia Xi in another world devoted herself to honing her acting skills, she may not sing well, but her acting is excellent. To put it simply, when you choose different paths to work hard in life, your outcomes will differ. Naturally, you and your former self will have many differences. Perhaps your acting is great, while the original host's singing is exceptional."
Listening to the system's explanations jumping between past and present, Xia Xi felt completely bewildered. She thought the system had successfully confused her. Rubbing her throbbing temples, she said helplessly, "You're elevating this to a philosophical level. I feel like you're just trying to trick me."
"Not at all."
So firm in the response?
Xia Xi didn't know what to say for a moment because her mind felt tangled. Frowning, she decided to digest what the system had just said.
Sigh,
Seeing that Xia Xi wasn't pressing the issue aggressively, the system secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Heaven knew how nervous it had been earlier.
After a long while.
Xia Xi finally sorted out her thoughts, her voice filled with doubt, "However…"
The system, which had just relaxed, felt its heart leap into its throat at the word "however." It let out a soft sigh before speaking unhurriedly, "However what?"
"System, after all that talk just now, what you mean is that the original host and I are the same person, just with different choices in the direction of our efforts, right?" Xia Xi, as expected, still felt there were too many loopholes in the system's words and wanted to clarify the matter further. She couldn't shake the feeling that the system was inexplicably evasive about this issue.
"Correct."