Chapter 62

Xia Xi was dumbfounded.
She stared blankly at the disconnected call, her emotions a tangled mess. Though not entirely clear, a distinct sense of panic flashed through her, followed by even more confusion.
Did Lu Yisheng hang up? Didn’t he say I should hang up first? It’s not a big deal, but surely Lu Yisheng wouldn’t go back on his word, right?
Xia Xi was just about to call Lu Yisheng back and demand an explanation, why had he hung up so abruptly, without giving her any warning?
"Host, don’t call, don’t call!" The system, which had been pretending to be mute, immediately spoke up upon sensing Xia Xi’s intention to call Lu Yisheng, cutting off the call she had just dialed.
Xia Xi watched as her phone automatically ended the call, narrowing her eyes with a faint, ambiguous smile. "So it was you who hung up just now too? Since when have you started acting on your own?"
"I, I, I," The system stole a glance at Xia Xi, stammering and unable to form a coherent explanation.
But Xia Xi had no intention of listening to the system’s excuses, or rather, it had no way to explain itself. So, as soon as the system uttered its third "I," she calmly interrupted whatever it was about to say. "Don’t let it happen again."
"Mhm." The system glanced at Xia Xi's unfriendly expression and cautiously replied, "Host, don't worry, there definitely won't be a next time."
Hearing the system's response, Xia Xi frowned, her mood worsening. Frustrated, she ruffled her hair, while her other hand gripping the phone unconsciously tightened. The bulging veins on her arm and her deeply furrowed brow cast a gloomy atmosphere around her.
The first person she had ever liked in her life, not only could she not actively approach him, but she also had to push him away. She had no idea how long his passionate feelings would last after being toyed with like this. Xia Xi gloomily glanced at the name "Lu Yisheng" in her phone's contact list and cursed the system a thousand, no, ten thousand times in her heart!
What a mess this was!
Annoyed, Xia Xi stuffed her phone back into her pocket. Frowning, she strode out of the Fruit TV station without looking back. Lost in her thoughts, she unexpectedly collided head-on with someone, sending her tumbling to the ground.
Xia Xi: “...”
That hurt.
Sitting on the ground, she rubbed her throbbing forehead and took a moment to recover before slowly opening her eyes to see who the other unlucky person was.
At a glance, she realized she actually knew the other unlucky soul, it was her current number one fan, the young student Li Qi. He seemed to have been hit pretty hard too, lying motionless on the ground.
Xia Xi rubbed her shoulder and slowly stood up. Walking over to Li Qi, she patted his shoulder and waited until he gradually opened his eyes, confirming he was fine, before silently letting out a sigh of relief.
"Li Qi, how are you feeling? Does anything still hurt?" As soon as Li Qi opened his eyes, he saw a figure extremely close to him and flinched back in surprise.
It took him a while to adjust to the light before he realized the person standing so close was none other than his goddess. His expression of shock and anger quickly turned to delight. He immediately sat up, moved his shoulders, rubbed his legs, and waved at Xia Xi. "Look, Goddess, I'm completely fine."
Seeing his eager-to-please expression, Xia Xi couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Were you in a hurry? Why were you rushing like that earlier?"
"I was actually in a hurry to find you," Li Qi scratched his head awkwardly, looking a bit embarrassed as he glanced at Xia Xi. "I just got some intel!"
Amused by Li Qi's attempt to look serious, Xia Xi didn't take his earnestness to heart and merely replied dismissively, "What intel?"
"Goddess, you won't believe the coincidence today!" Li Qi's face clearly showed he was seeking praise. "Earlier, when I passed by Lin Wei and Yang Jingyu's door, it wasn't closed properly, and they happened to mention your name inside. At first, I didn't think much of it, but then it occurred to me, listening wouldn't hurt. So, I had the other friends who came with me keep watch while I carefully eavesdropped by their door."
At this point, Li Qi paused for a moment. "Goddess, I was shocked when I heard it! Those two were secretly discussing how to scheme against you! They plan to hire internet trolls to hype you up while putting down other artists. They said this would not only anger the fans of other celebrities but also raise the public's expectations of you. As the saying goes, 'The higher you fly, the harder you fall', they're deliberately setting you up for a downfall. What's more, they've bribed many well-known music critics to praise you first, and once you've gained enough attention, they'll all switch their tone, saying your singing is actually nothing special, just relying on novelty, and that you'll ultimately end up as a has-been. Goddess, they're going too far! This is a completely underhanded way of targeting you. What should we do?"
Xia Xi narrowed her eyes, took Li Qi's hand, and pulled him up from the ground. Seeing the genuine worry on his face, she gently patted his shoulder and said calmly, "Thank you for telling me this. It gives me time to prepare. I already thought the online hype around my singing video was too intense, it seemed like someone had ulterior motives. It looks like I was right."
"Hehehe." Li Qi, thrilled that he had been able to help Xia Xi, grinned widely, perfectly embodying the image of an adoring fan. He scratched his head sheepishly, his face flushing as he stole a glance at Xia Xi. Noticing her gentle gaze, he awkwardly lowered his head, his tone full of contentment. "As long as I can help you, Goddess, I'm satisfied. Besides, you were absolutely radiant on stage just now, completely outshining Lin Wei and Yang Jingyu. There's no way their schemes can touch you."
Seeing Li Qi like this, Xia Xi chuckled softly. For the first time, she truly felt that his earlier declaration about becoming the president of her fan club wasn't just a whim, he was serious. He was her first fan in this world. Gazing at his profile, she whispered, "Thank you, Li Qi. I'm really touched."
"Hehehe, it's really nothing." Li Qi scratched his head again, grinning from ear to ear as he turned to sneak another look at Xia Xi. But this time, he noticed her tightly furrowed brow and slowly let his smile fade, his laughter cutting off abruptly. Standing there awkwardly, he hesitated for a long moment before saying, "Goddess, don't worry too much about these things. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will straighten itself out, there's always a solution."
Hearing Li Qi's words, Xia Xi was taken aback and took a moment to process them before replying, "I'm not troubled by Lin Wei and Yang Jingyu's schemes. No matter what they plot, I have plenty of ways to handle it. What's bothering me now is actually something else,"
She trailed off suddenly, sighed quietly, and didn't continue. She felt that this matter didn't need to be shared with outsiders, it was something she had to work through on her own.
"Goddess, what's troubling you? Tell me about it. Maybe I can help you think of a solution. You know what they say, 'Three humble cobblers with their wits combined surpass Zhuge Liang, the mastermind.'"
Xia Xi pursed her lips and glanced at Li Qi's worried expression. Her initial reluctance to share her troubles with anyone wavered slightly. After a moment of thought, she carefully organized her words and spoke slowly, "Suppose there's something you don’t want to do, but someone is forcing you to do it, and you might lose something very important because of it. What choice would you make?"
"Don’t want to do it, but being forced?" Li Qi repeated her words, momentarily stunned. He pondered for a while before replying, "If it were me, I’d choose to feign compliance while acting independently."
Feign compliance while acting independently?
Xia Xi couldn’t help but furrow her brow and looked at Li Qi curiously, waiting for further explanation.
"For example, my mom always wants me to study. She genuinely hopes I spend two-thirds of my day sitting at my desk studying instead of hanging out with my so-called 'good-for-nothing friends' every day." Li Qi blinked, a hint of slyness flashing in his eyes. "To make her happy, I always agree to her unreasonable demands. But when it comes to making actual choices, I base them on my own situation instead of blindly obeying my parents. After all, only I know what I truly want and what I aim to do in the future. That’s what 'feigning compliance while acting independently' means!"
Feign compliance while acting independently!
Hearing Li Qi’s explanation, Xia Xi felt a sudden clarity. She realized she might have been too rigid and overly concerned with the system’s opinions before. Now, with this new perspective, she immediately discarded her previous naive thoughts and decided to apply the same approach to the system.
She would still pursue Luo Chu’an, because only by winning him over could she survive in this world. And she would also get closer to Lu Yisheng, because she had suddenly realized who the most important person in her life was.
"Xia Xi, this idea of yours is unacceptable!" The system, residing in her mind, naturally sensed her thoughts and grew anxious, fearing the situation was spiraling out of control. It immediately spoke up nervously, "Xia Xi, you must complete the task first. Have you forgotten what I told you? Only after you completely break up with Luo Chu’an can you have a future with Lu Yisheng!"
Xia Xi chuckled lightly at the system’s words, her tone relaxed. "Do you really think I’m scared of your threats? The only thing holding me back was my own mental barrier."
"But you promised," the system’s voice carried a hint of grievance.
"Don’t worry, I’ll fulfill the original host’s wish, that’s my bottom line. But from now on, my other actions are none of your business." Xia Xi’s words were resolute, making it clear to the system that she meant it this time.
Indeed, she had never taken the system’s threats seriously. What had truly troubled her was the feeling that pursuing Lu Yisheng while still involved with Luo Chu’an made her seem like a "green tea bitch." But today, Li Qi’s words had awakened her.
What was truly most important to her?
After meeting Lu Yisheng, Xia Xi had no doubt chosen love.
Sometimes, a single thought can lead to vastly different choices.
"Alright, as long as you can complete any task, we can negotiate everything else." After struggling internally for a moment and sensing Xia Xi's firm stance, the system ultimately conceded.