Chapter 60

Hearing the director's words, Yang Jingyu was momentarily taken aback. Her mind raced as she weighed the pros and cons before finally smiling and saying, "In my view, Lin Wei is slightly more skilled."
Lin Wei More Skilled?
Although she didn’t outright say Xia Xi was last, the implication was clear enough.
When the other contestants heard Yang Jingyu’s words, their expressions turned subtle. They glanced thoughtfully at Yang Jingyu, then at Lin Wei, who sat on the sofa with a grim expression, and exchanged looks with one another, each seeing mockery in the other’s eyes.
However, even though they all felt Yang Jingyu was clearly talking nonsense, no one stepped forward to refute his words. They chose to protect themselves, which, in a way, amounted to tacitly agreeing with Yang Jingyu’s answer.
"Is this everyone’s opinion?" Noticing that no one had spoken up to contradict Yang Jingyu, Feng Yuting frowned slightly. She observed the expressions around her, a flicker of disdain passing through her heart. Picking up her teacup, she took a slow sip before continuing unhurriedly, "I, however, have a different view from this young lady."
Feng Yuting had a different opinion?
Could it be that she also thought Xia Xi should be fourth, with Lin Wei in last place?
Hearing Feng Yuting’s words, everyone fixed their gazes intently on her, hoping she would voice what they had originally wanted to say.
"In my opinion, Xia Xi’s performance this time was on par with that of a professional singer. None of the performances we’ve just seen can compare to hers." As she spoke, Feng Yuting glanced at Xia Xi and noticed that upon hearing her words, Xia Xi immediately looked up in surprise, her eyes filled with clear disbelief. Seeing Xia Xi’s reaction, Feng Yuting pressed her lips together and gave Xia Xi a kind, gentle smile before turning to the infuriating director. "Director Liang, so I believe Xia Xi should be the first place in this competition… Am I correct?"
Feng Yuting actually guessed that Xia Xi was first? Wasn’t that an international joke?
A hint of disbelief appeared in everyone’s eyes. They followed Feng Yuting’s gaze toward Liang Hui, hoping to hear a different answer from him. Deep down, they felt that even if Xia Xi’s singing skills were exceptional, fourth place would be the highest she could achieve, she certainly wasn’t qualified to compete for first place.
Never mind her lack of power, influence, or strong backing, just the previous scandals surrounding her would be enough to crush her. How could anyone possibly vote for her?
"Yes, you guessed correctly." Upon hearing Feng Yuting’s words, Liang Hui couldn’t help but smile. He nodded emphatically, his certainty stunning the other contestants. Then he continued, "I’m afraid only someone like Feng Yuting could guess this so accurately. To be honest, when I first saw the results, I was quite surprised as well. But upon reflection, it actually makes perfect sense."
Liang Hui paused, scanning the room before continuing, "So the remaining rankings are as follows: Xia Xi, first place; Feng Yuting, fourth place; Lin Wei, twelfth place. We congratulate those who achieved good rankings, and for those who…"
By the time she heard her own ranking, Lin Wei’s mind had gone completely blank.
I got last place? I actually got last place?
Although voices of others still reached Lin Wei's ears, she could no longer comprehend them. Sitting on the sofa, her face deathly pale and fists clenched tightly, Yang Jingyu's earlier remark, "I'm better than Xia Xi", felt like a slap across her face. She was now utterly mortified and furious, convinced that everyone present must be looking at her with contempt.
Meanwhile, Yang Jingyu found herself in an equally awkward position. Her attempt to flatter had clearly backfired. Regretfully, she thought to herself that not only would Lin Wei resent her for what she had just done, but the other contestants would likely scorn her as well, viewing her as two-faced and deceitful. Her plan to stand out in front of Mr. Feng Yuting and gain her attention had completely backfired. Instead, she had left a negative impression on everyone, truly a case of the gains not outweighing the losses.
But it was too late for regrets.
"Xia Xi, what are you waiting for? Come up and receive your award!"
Liang Hui's voice snapped Xia Xi out of her daze. She blinked in confusion as he enthusiastically waved her over, surrounded by a mix of envious, jealous, and encouraging gazes.
Not only were others surprised by Xia Xi's victory, but even Xia Xi herself had never expected it.
Upon learning that she had won the first round of the singing competition, Xia Xi was completely stunned. Though she felt she had performed well on stage, the idea of winning had never crossed her mind. For one, the deeply ingrained stereotype of her being tone-deaf had left her with little confidence in her singing. Secondly, given her pitiful popularity in this world, she considered herself lucky to avoid outright criticism, let alone dream of anything more.
"Xia Xi? Xia Xi?"
Seeing her shocked reaction, the audience couldn't help but chuckle. Their initial dissatisfaction diminished by half due to her endearing response, and their previously half-hearted applause grew more sincere.
Finally roused by the repeated calls, Xia Xi hurriedly stood up from the sofa and awkwardly made her way to the stage, her movements clumsy and uncoordinated.
Meanwhile, the online audience had erupted into chaos the moment Liang Hui announced the results.
[No way, it's really Xia Xi? That's terrifying, did you all actually vote for her?]
[I voted for her, but only because I thought none of you would.]
[Same here, I had the same thought, so I voted for her too.]
[How could Xia Xi win? I just don't get it.]
[What's hard to understand? If you all voted for her, isn't it normal for her to come in first?]
[Well, that's true, but when I voted, I never actually thought she'd win.]
[Me neither]
"But to be honest, this result really is just as that unreliable director said, unexpected yet reasonable. Xia Xi's singing skills are truly impeccable, and she absolutely deserves this win."
"Xia Xi's reaction right now is kind of adorable. Did she not expect to win the championship either? She looks completely stunned."
"I've already screenshotted that earlier expression, Xia Xi's dazed look is seriously too cute."
"Fellow fans of her looks, please share the screenshot!"
"Xia Xi, you've achieved a great start by winning the first episode of 'Cross-Border Singing Joy.' Do you have anything you'd like to say?" Liang Hui glanced at Xia Xi's excited expression, chuckled softly, and handed her the trophy engraved with the word "Champion." He couldn't help but ask further.
"Honestly, I really didn't expect to win this championship. I want to thank the online audience and the live spectators for their support and affection." As she said this, she looked down at the trophy in her hands and added with a hint of helplessness in her tone, "I'm genuinely thrilled because this is my first award. I'll cherish this moment."

"Xia Xi, your performance was absolutely outstanding!"
After the recording ended, Da He walked over to Xia Xi, gently nudged her, his voice filled with pride. "Right now, the internet is full of casual fans praising you. Many music industry heavyweights have given high praise to your performance of 'Calming the Storm,' and quite a few musicians have bluntly stated that it would be a great loss to the Chinese music scene if you didn't enter the industry. Xia Xi, you've fought a brilliant comeback!"
"It's not that optimistic," Xia Xi replied, frowning slightly at Da He's words. She couldn't tell if it was her imagination, but she felt that all the praise was somewhat exaggerated, as if it were setting her up for a fall. "Da He, the compliments everyone is giving me now are mostly because they're seeing me sing for the first time and find it novel. This kind of praise is diluted, it's riding on the novelty. If later on, their expectations become too high, hoping for even more impressive performances from me, and I don't have the ability to match those expectations, I'm afraid I'll fall even harder. So, the more honors we receive, the more we need to stay calm, avoid arrogance and impatience. Only then can we see the path ahead clearly."
Hearing this, Da He was genuinely impressed. He put away his earlier smile and studied Xia Xi seriously for a moment. "I have to say, Xia Xi, you've really surprised me. I thought you'd be overjoyed by all this praise, but instead, you're staying so level-headed. That's really good, you're clear-minded and composed."
Xia Xi couldn't help but silently reflect inwardly: It's only because I've suffered so many setbacks in the past that I've learned this lesson. That's why I can stay calm amid all the glamour and clearly see that excessive praise might just be another kind of poison.
"So, Xia Xi, what do you think we should do next?" Da He didn't even realize it, but he had already started to rely on Xia Xi unconsciously.
"Nothing. Respond to changes by staying unchanged." Xia Xi lowered her head to check her phone, there were no messages or missed calls. A flicker of disappointment passed through her eyes before she replied nonchalantly.
"Are we really not going to do anything?" Da He had a different opinion when he heard Xia Xi say that. Frowning, he thought for a moment before continuing, "But I just saw all the other contestants reposting their cover songs on Weibo. Are we not even going to share it?"
"That’s exactly what I wanted to tell you, I don’t want to post my cover songs on my Weibo." She paused briefly, noticing Da He’s confused expression, and then explained, "After all, we don’t own the copyright to the cover songs, and the handling of copyright issues isn’t exactly straightforward. When I sang 'Calming the Storm,' I didn’t change anything at all, it was a straightforward imitation. Do you think a piece like that is worth promoting?"
"But, but everyone else, regardless of how well they sang, is taking their first competition video very seriously and promoting it hard. Honestly, no one is as calm about it as you are." Da He’s tone was full of helplessness.
Xia Xi glanced at Da He’s visibly displeased expression, stuck out her tongue pitifully, patted his shoulder, and said in a coaxing tone, "Da He, others are others. Let’s just do things our own way this once."
"Alright." Though Da He’s face was full of reluctance, seeing Xia Xi’s determination, he ultimately gave in. He realized he was increasingly taking on the role of a caretaker.