Chapter 47

October 20th
The first recording of "Cross-Border Singing Joy" begins.
"Xia Xi, how have your preparations been lately? Do you feel confident about the singing competition?"
Since this was Da He's first time sending Xia Xi to participate in a variety show competition, he felt a little excited. While driving, he turned his head to look at Xia Xi sitting in the passenger seat and asked about her feelings.
"Da He, your question sounds like something a reporter would ask, way too formal." Xia Xi squinted her eyes and teased him mischievously. "To answer your question, dear reporter friend, all I can say is that I will give my all in the upcoming competition, showcase my unique style, and strive to perform at 120% of my ability. The rest will be up to the judges and the audience."
“...”
Da He turned his head and gave Xia Xi a helpless look, unable to describe his current emotions. He sighed silently and, unsure how to respond to her words, wisely chose to stay quiet and let Xia Xi amuse herself.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the car suddenly turned chilly. If this were an anime, a row of crows would surely fly by, cawing their familiar "caw, caw" sounds,
"Hey, Da He, why did you suddenly stop talking? You're making me feel awkward," Xia Xi said pitifully, staring at Da He, who was focused on driving.
"Because I don’t know how to respond."
Upon hearing Da He’s reply, Xia Xi felt a wave of exasperation. She couldn’t help but wonder to herself, Am I really a conversation killer? Probably not, it’s just a coincidence.
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Xia Xi felt like the car moved unusually fast. In the blink of an eye, they had already arrived at their destination.
Staring at the uniquely designed yet strangely familiar building before her, Xia Xi couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotions.
Although this world was different from the one she had known before, there were always overlapping aspects, like her name, which was the same as the original owner’s, the identical film awards, and this very building where she had recorded countless shows in her previous world.
Even if these were all coincidences, they evoked an indescribable feeling in her. Everything felt so nostalgic, making her feel as if she had returned to that world, the one where she had lived, achieved many honors, yet felt profoundly alone.
"Xia Xi, what are you spacing out for? What’s on your mind?"
Da He’s voice snapped Xia Xi out of her reverie, pulling her back to reality. She turned to look at him, smiled softly, and shook her head. "It’s nothing, just some memories from the past. I just feel like I’m about to embark on a new journey, and I’m both nervous and excited."
"Don’t worry, I’ll be with you all the way." Seeing Xia Xi’s somewhat melancholic expression, Da He unexpectedly spoke words of comfort. "Let’s get out of the car and work hard together for our dreams!"
"Da He, your sudden burst of enthusiasm is a bit hard to get used to."
Da He: “...”
After parking the car, Xia Xi and Da He walked to the main entrance of Fruit TV and found that the production team had laid out a red carpet with great ceremony. Barriers had been set up around the area, and fans were eagerly waiting behind the lines, hoping to catch a glimpse of their idols.
Although Xia Xi arrived very early, there were already quite a few fans gathered at the entrance of Fruit TV Station. They held up support banners for their idols and dutifully stood behind the barricades, quietly waiting.
But the most awkward part was that Xia Xi carefully scanned the area several times and couldn’t find a single fan holding support items for her. Watching other artists surrounded by at least a few fans, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness, realizing she was clearly the only one without any supporters.
"Da He, I’m really too pitiful," Xia Xi muttered with a particularly gloomy expression as she walked, speaking softly to Da He. "Not a single fan came for me."
"Maybe it’s just too early. Your fans probably haven’t woken up yet. They might show up later."
Xia Xi glanced sideways at Da He’s expression and noticed he looked extremely serious, clearly not joking. She paused, surprised. "Are you being serious?"
"Of course," Da He replied without batting an eye, nodding calmly. Then he continued, "Actually, it might be a good thing that your fans aren’t here right now. Because most of your fans are anti-fans. If they showed up in a place like this and started verbally attacking you, wouldn’t that be even more awkward?"
Xia Xi: “...” Ouch, buddy, why do you have to be so brutally honest?
"Hello, are you Xia Xi? You’ve arrived quite early." As soon as Xia Xi and Da He stepped into Fruit TV Station, a staff member immediately approached them with a warm smile. "Please follow me this way. Over there is where 'Happy Camp' is recorded, and that side is for 'Secrets in the Fridge.'"
"Are these shows starting recording this early?" Xia Xi glanced at the time, a bit puzzled. She hadn’t participated in many variety shows before, as she mostly focused on acting, so she wasn’t very familiar with these details.
"It’s 4 p.m. now. Recording usually doesn’t start this early, it’s around 7 p.m. But we need to finish all the preparatory work in advance." The staff member who came to greet Xia Xi was very enthusiastic and patiently answered her questions in detail.
"It seems you variety show staff are just as exhausted as us agents. You have so many things to worry about, and the workload is huge and hectic." Da He, who had a good impression of this staff member, empathized with her. "And if you end up with a celebrity who loves causing trouble, it’s even more unbearable."
Xia Xi: “...” I feel like he’s making a veiled dig at me. Did I offend him just now?
"Hahaha, yeah," the young woman chuckled lightly. "Honestly, when I run into tough situations, I’ve thought about quitting too. It often feels like the work I do isn’t appreciated, and I’m constantly working overtime with no time to spend with my family. Every day is a whirlwind of busyness, and sometimes I don’t even know what I’m doing."
The young female staff member paused at this point, her voice gradually growing louder. "But when I saw the audience's support after our variety show aired and the results of my own hard work, I suddenly felt re-energized, as if all the grievances I’d endured didn’t matter anymore. Because this is what I love, this is the career I’m passionate about."
Xia Xi was left speechless for a long moment after hearing the staff member’s words. She stared blankly at the young woman.
She wasn’t sure whether she should be moved by these words, they were both ordinary and extraordinary. Moreover, Xia Xi realized that lately, she had been hearing such soul-stirring voices, leaving her both shaken and confused. She didn’t understand. She had never thought about these things before, merely acting step by step, winning awards step by step, and living her life step by step. There were no ups and downs, no difficulties, everything had unfolded naturally.
Right, just like a puppet on strings, she had gradually lost the ability to think for herself.
Was that how it was?
"Xia Xi, we’re here."
Unconsciously, Xia Xi had followed Da He and the lovely staff member to the rest area for the "Cross-Border Singing Joy" program.
The rest area was about 100 square meters, furnished with sofas, tables, posters of the participating celebrities, the "Cross-Border Singing Joy" logo, and other basic amenities. The cozy setup caught Xia Xi’s eye, and she instinctively walked over to stand in front of her own poster.
The original host’s looks were truly impressive. Even in an entertainment industry filled with beauties, Xia Xi’s appearance stood out, which was why her poster was placed right in the center, the undisputed C-position.
"Ring, ring, ring…"
Xia Xi, who had been staring blankly at her poster, turned toward the source of the jarring ringtone.
"Hello, Director?" the staff member asked, sounding puzzled, perhaps wondering why the director would call her so abruptly at this time.
"What!" Whatever the person on the other end said, Xia Xi saw the staff member’s expression instantly change, her voice suddenly rising. "But wasn’t it already agreed upon? Why the last-minute change… Ah, alright then, I’ll go make arrangements right away."
As she spoke, she hurriedly headed outside, leaving Da He and Xia Xi staring at each other in the rest area, utterly bewildered.
What was going on? Why did she rush off without explaining anything?
"Da He, what’s happening here?" Xia Xi looked at Da He with a confused expression, hoping he could give her a satisfactory answer.
"Don’t look at me like that. If I knew, I’d tell you, but I’m just as clueless as you are."
"Alright." Xia Xi thought back to the tropes she’d seen in variety shows. "Is this some kind of test? Like putting the celebrity in a confined space while the staff observes their behavior from a monitoring room?"
"You’re overthinking it. Isn’t this a competition-style variety show? What would be the point of the director setting up such a scenario?"
"Okay, you have a point. But what do you think is going on with us now? Are we just being left here by the staff without any guidance?" Xia Xi’s expression looked troubled.
"Just wait patiently. They definitely won't forget about us. We'll naturally find out the reason soon." At this moment, Da He seemed more reliable than ever.
The two of them stayed in the rest area for about half an hour. Xia Xi was so bored that she started making casual conversation, though Da He wasn't particularly interested in engaging with her.
"Da He, look, my photo is placed right in the center. I'm debuting in the C-position! It looks like I'm on track to win the championship."
Da He: "-_-"
"Hey, what's with that expression? Don't you believe in my skills? You know how hard I've been practicing lately."
"I don't know,"