Chapter 55

Hearing the staff member's words, Xia Xi pressed her lips together, gave a slight nod to show she understood, and then walked to a corner to space out alone once again.
This left those with ill intentions who had prepared to mock Xia Xi, as well as others with ulterior motives who wanted to comfort her, with no opportunity to act. She had calmly walked away, leaving a crowd of people staring at her back in bewilderment, their words stuck in their throats.
"Let's continue drawing lots," Feng Yuting said, raising an eyebrow as everyone was still silently observing Xia Xi. She interrupted their gazes, some gloating, some probing, some hostile, and redirected everyone's attention back to the matter at hand, effectively helping Xia Xi out of an awkward situation.
To be honest, once everyone saw that the first performance slot was already decided, it seemed as if half the weight had been lifted from their hearts. As a result, the remaining performance order was quickly arranged.
Xia Xi was number 1, and Lin Wei was number 2. The two rivals were scheduled to perform right after each other. If Xia Xi didn't know that this was a live broadcast and that no staff member had instructed her which box to pick from, she would have suspected the program team of deliberately arranging this. What made it even more suspicious was that the four big shots had drawn numbers 7, 8, 9, and 10, exceptionally favorable slots toward the end.
Sometimes, you just have to marvel at how fate can be such an inexplicable thing.
[Honestly, if this wasn't arranged by the program team, I'll livestream myself eating a table! It's just too obvious. What kind of luck makes Xia Xi and Lin Wei draw consecutive slots, and even numbers 1 and 2? If it wasn't arranged by the program team, then these two are truly kindred spirits, falling for the same man and both drawing the worst lots.]
[If you're talking about Xia Xi and Lin Wei, just talk about them. Don't bring Luo Chu'an into this. That's their private life. Please focus more on Luo Chu'an's latest work, "Soaring to the Skies," premiering on XX/XX.]
[Luo Chu'an's fans are overreacting. No one even mentioned him by name, and you're already stirring up drama. I think you're just looking for attention.]
[Does Luo Chu'an need to seek attention? His fame surpasses those two women by miles. I just hope they don't try to ride on his coattails.]
[Ride on Luo Chu'an's coattails? Is Luo Chu'an even yours? His officially acknowledged girlfriend is right here, so stop deluding yourselves!]
[What's it to you? Luo Chu'an is mine! That bitch Lin Wei isn't worthy of God Luo!]
[You've gone off-topic! Let's get back to discussing the show! Is there a moderator who can ban those two accounts with the nasty comments? We're here to watch a show, and you're starting fights with such rude remarks. Your manners are terrible!]
[Yes! Quickly ban those two accounts that are arguing. It's the weekend, and I just wanted to relax by watching a variety show, but seeing all these curses on the screen is really upsetting.]
[Anyway, back to the topic! I also think this plot was deliberately arranged by the production team, it's just too dramatic. What I can't understand is why Xia Xi would agree to such an arrangement. Isn't she known for being difficult? Would she really let Cross-Border Singing Joy use her to create buzz, especially when it might not even be positive?]
[Hah, could Xia Xi's reputation get any worse? She's already being trashed all over the internet, she probably doesn't care about her image anymore. Besides, she could use this opportunity to generate some hype. She must be begging Fruit TV for this chance. After all, Fruit TV is a major platform with a lot to offer her.]
[Can't argue with that. I think you're probably right, this must be the truth.]
[Am I the only one who thinks this might actually be a coincidence? Because Xia Xi's expression clearly showed she had no idea what was going on.]
Regardless of how heated the online discussions were, Xia Xi and the others remained completely unaware. She closed her eyes and vigorously ruffled her hair, messing up her originally neat shoulder-length locks. As she shook her head, her hair became even more disheveled.
Come on, you can do this!
This was Xia Xi's unconscious way of cheering herself on whenever she felt nervous or anticipatory. In this context, her seemingly frantic behavior startled the other artists and staff around her. Yet, in their hearts, they felt this was exactly what they'd expect from Xia Xi.
See, this is more like it. How could Xia Xi not care? Her earlier calm was clearly an act. This behavior is normal for her, she must be really upset and frustrated about drawing number one, which is why she's acting so crazy!
This wasn't just the inner thought of everyone present but also the sentiment of most netizens. They took great pleasure in watching Xia Xi make a fool of herself and act unreasonably, though it was unclear what she had done to provoke such widespread dislike.

"Hello, everyone! Welcome to the live recording of Cross-Border Singing Joy. I'm today's host, Fang Duoduo. Due to budget constraints, our production team had to ask me, a contestant, to step in as the temporary host. I hope you don't mind!"
"We don't mind!"
"Then, are you looking forward to me as a singer?"
"We are!"
"But honestly, participating in this show has really challenged me. Not only have I become a contestant singer, but I've also been thrust into the role of a host. You have no idea how fast my heart is racing right now, I'm so nervous!" As she spoke, Fang Duoduo playfully blinked her eyes.
"Goddess, don't be nervous! We support you!" a male audience member shouted loudly.
Fang Duoduo couldn't help but smile at her fans' loving declarations. In high spirits, she enthusiastically waved toward the direction of the loudest cheers and said, "Thank you for your unwavering support. I will continue to do my best in my work, step out of my comfort zone to try new things, and become a better version of myself, someone worthy of your expectations. Of course, it’s all thanks to your votes that I ranked first on the female artists’ most-anticipated list, giving me this opportunity to host this stage. It’s been a fun experience trying my hand at hosting, so thank you all!"
"No problem! Goddess, you’re the best in my heart, no one compares to you. I’ll always support you!"
Hearing her fans’ enthusiastic response, Fang Duoduo felt a surge of pride, and her smile widened even more.
"Alright, let’s get back on track." Fang Duoduo would have loved to chat a bit longer with her fans, but she had no choice, she spotted the director holding up a large sign that read, "Hurry up and move to the next segment, or we’ll run out of time!" Her tone carried a hint of barely concealed impatience.