Chapter 54

"Let me go first!" Xia Xi glanced at the hesitant expressions of the others and stepped forward voluntarily. She hated the awkwardness and wasted time that came with excessive politeness and back-and-forth hesitation.
Of course, although Xia Xi volunteered, she had no intention of being a hero. She simply thought that even if she drew first, the chances of getting number 1 were slim, she definitely didn’t have that kind of luck.
"Alright then, let Teacher Xia draw first." Whether it was Xia Xi’s imagination or not, she felt the staff member in charge of the draw seemed momentarily unnatural in their attitude toward her. Yet, when Fang Duoduo had interrupted earlier, the same staff member hadn’t even frowned.
This kind of attitude was rather puzzling. Xia Xi furrowed her brows slightly, for someone with her level of emotional intelligence, understanding the reason behind this was indeed a bit of a stretch.
Unbeknownst to her, Xia Xi’s actions had already been widely mocked by netizens. The barrage of comments criticizing her unnecessary move was particularly abundant, and some of the netizens’ responses actually shed light on the confusion in her mind.
[Honestly, I think Xia Xi’s emotional intelligence is really low. It’s obvious the "Cross-Border Singing Joy" program team intended for Mr. Feng Yuting to draw first, and the other artists clearly understood the program’s intention. They were definitely planning to defer to one another before nominating Mr. Feng Yuting to draw first. Everything was perfectly planned, but who would’ve thought Xia Xi, this clueless newbie, would jump the gun? And since it’s a live broadcast, they can’t reshoot or explicitly instruct Xia Xi, so they just have to go along with the mistake. Hahahaha…]
[I disagree. Their behavior must be scripted. The production team deliberately had Xia Xi draw first to highlight her attention-seeking persona, creating natural conflicts or even arguments with others to stir up hype for the show! That’s definitely it, my eyes have seen through too much.]
[But this is clearly a losing situation for Xia Xi. I don’t think she’d agree to the production team’s plan unless she’s foolish.]
[I think you’re overcomplicating it. Xia Xi might just have low emotional intelligence. "Xia Xi’s low EQ" has trended many times, and hasn’t she offended a lot of people because of it? I think that’s the truth!]
[What low emotional intelligence? Let’s call it what it is, she loves the spotlight.]
[Xia Xi loves the spotlight +1]
[Xia Xi loves the spotlight +2]
…
[Xia Xi loves the spotlight +10086]
Regardless of what netizens initially discussed about Xia Xi’s actions, it eventually devolved into a flood of comments labeling her as attention-seeking. Who knows how Xia Xi would feel if she found out.
But then again, even if Xia Xi knew she was being criticized from all sides, she probably wouldn’t care. It might be that mindset of "when you have too many lice, you don’t feel the itch; when you have too many debts, you stop worrying", a kind of resigned acceptance. Since she can’t immediately change her image in the eyes of netizens, there’s no point wasting effort on it for now.
Back to the main point: after Xia Xi declared she would draw first, although the others were somewhat displeased, none openly confronted or refused her. They just silently cursed her for not knowing her place.
Thus, the drawing box was placed neatly in front of Xia Xi. She glanced at the identical cow-print boxes and, without hesitation, picked the fourth one from the right. Then, she leisurely opened it.
Inside the box, the number tag was attached to a spring, so the "No. 1" icon she had drawn bounced incessantly, as if celebrating her stroke of luck.
After seeing the number Xia Xi had drawn, the venue fell silent for a moment, as if a noisy TV drama had suddenly been paused. Once everyone processed what had happened, their moods couldn’t help but lift considerably.
The artists who had previously looked down on Xia Xi for her lack of tact now found her actions unexpectedly endearing. This was simply fantastic. While the earlier flurry of pushing and shoving to flatter Mr. Feng Yuting had been a superficial display of courtesy, Xia Xi’s current move had directly helped the artists eliminate the worst possible option, now that was practical.
The outcome of Xia Xi drawing the number one slot didn’t just delight the artists present; it also left the live-stream audience in awe.
[See? See! I knew Xia Xi being the first to step up was scripted. How else could she randomly draw the number one slot? It’s definitely the Cross-Border Singing Joy production team setting this up to create buzz and add drama to the show!]
[I don’t think so. I really can’t see how drawing the number one slot benefits Xia Xi at all. Is she just that confident in her own abilities?]
[What abilities does she even have? She’s just a pretty face. I think she got played by the production team, they probably misled her about which slip was number one to make her look foolish. Xia Xi definitely didn’t expect to draw it. Hehehe, talk about hoist with one’s own petard! If you don’t believe me, rewind and check her expression just now, it was absolutely priceless!]
[It’s a live stream, how are we supposed to rewind? But I think the earlier comment makes sense! Xia Xi was probably set up by the production team.]
[Gotta say, seeing Xia Xi draw the number one slot is incredibly satisfying. People who love showing off deserve exactly this kind of outcome.]
[Schadenfreude at its finest.]
[It really is satisfying.]
It seemed the netizens’ dislike for Xia Xi had reached its peak. Everything she did was wrong, and seeing her face misfortune brought joy to many. It was baffling how she had managed to provoke such intense resentment from this wave of internet users, truly remarkable.
As for Xia Xi herself, she was momentarily stunned when she saw she had drawn the "lucky" number one slip. She genuinely hadn’t expected such good fortune; the result was completely unexpected.
However, she didn’t feel particularly resistant or upset. In her view, the performance order was merely a formality, something that shouldn’t stand a chance against sheer talent.
"Am I done after drawing the slip?" Xia Xi held the number one slip in her hand, studied it for a few seconds, then turned to the staff member in charge of the draw. Her tone sounded perfectly calm, but to others, it came across as forced composure, an attempt to mask her embarrassment and regret with a facade of nonchalance.
"Ah, yes, that's all." The staff member who had been spacing out snapped back to reality upon hearing Xia Xi's voice. She awkwardly lowered her head, touched her nose, and smiled at Xia Xi. "Teacher Xia Xi, please wait here for a moment. Once everyone has drawn their lots, you'll be the first to perform on stage in order."