Chapter 68

Xia Xi paused her steps, waiting until Lu Yisheng caught up to her side before turning to look at him. With a light laugh, she asked, "Can you stay here the whole time? Won't it affect your work?"
Lu Yisheng nodded gently, smiling as he looked at Xia Xi. "It's fine. The recording for my show isn't for a while yet. Since I don't have anything else to do right now, I might as well stay here with you. Unless, you don't like being with me?"
Stay with me?
Hearing Lu Yisheng say this, Xia Xi's eyes widened involuntarily. She stared at him in a daze, her face flushing red without her realizing it.
"Am I really that good-looking?" Lu Yisheng's voice carried obvious delight, snapping Xia Xi out of her trance. She took a step back as if startled, her ears gradually turning bright red.
Seeing her reaction, a flicker of hurt flashed in Lu Yisheng's eyes.
"Ah, Lu Yisheng, I didn't, I didn't mean to avoid you," Xia Xi said, on the verge of tears at his expression. She quickly stepped forward and linked her arm with his, pursing her lips before shaking her head and then nodding. "I'm just worried I'll hold you back from your work. I think you're amazing, and your acting is incredible. I like being with you."
You like being with me?
This was the first time Xia Xi had ever said something like that to Lu Yisheng, leaving him both surprised and delighted.
"Mm, I know," Lu Yisheng replied, watching as Xia Xi's blush spread all the way down her neck. His mood lifted considerably, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes as a smile threatened to spill over. He reached out and gently ruffled her soft hair, thinking that his little girl would always be this adorable. No matter how long they were apart, every time they met, he found himself liking her even more.
Although Xia Xi was no longer young, this was her first time experiencing romance. With no prior experience to draw from, she was like an innocent little rabbit, completely led along by Lu Yisheng's cunning ways. She didn't even notice how the distance between them had subtly narrowed.
As the saying goes, in the eyes of a lover, even flaws become virtues. In Lu Yisheng's eyes, Xia Xi was perfect in every way, but others might not see it the same.
For instance, when the system observed the dynamic between Xia Xi and Lu Yisheng, it felt a bit thunderstruck. It simply couldn't reconcile the image of Xia Xi, so domineering during their negotiations, with this foolish version of her in love, completely unable to see through even Lu Yisheng's simplest tricks.
So childish, and completely losing herself!
The system curled its lip in disdain.
She’s so fond of acting cute, blushing at the drop of a hat, taking forever to finish a single sentence, so slow it’s maddening. Could anyone actually like this? Seriously, what’s wrong with people?
Is this even Xia Xi?
It’s like she’s been body-snatched!
This is terrifying. Is this how all human girls act when they’re in love?
So disgustingly lovey-dovey.
While the system was utterly disgusted and contemptuous of Xia Xi’s foolishness in love, netizens were equally disgusted and contemptuous of the young idol who drew the second performance slot.
Whether it was because he performed right after Xia Xi and paled in comparison, or because he was too nervous to showcase his true abilities, or perhaps because he simply wasn’t prepared this time, whatever the reason, his performance was an absolute disaster. Even his looks couldn’t save him. And his die-hard fans, who once showered him with praise, couldn’t bring themselves to lie through their teeth this time.
[Honestly, I don’t even know where to start with the second young idol’s performance. I’ve never seen a singer forget the lyrics halfway through. Did he just give up before even stepping on stage?]
[It was a complete disaster! I won’t even comment on his singing because sometimes talent is just innate. But his attitude toward singing is completely off, he clearly doesn’t care about this show and is treating it like a joke!]
[Where are the delusional fans who were bragging earlier? How does it feel to have your faces slapped? Don’t even compare your idol to Xia Xi, he’s worse than the last-place contestant from the previous round.]
[No comparison, no harm!]
[This show is such a scam. Why can’t we just let Xia Xi keep singing?]
[Xia Xi’s fans, show some respect for others! This isn’t her solo concert, it’s a competition, thank you. Our idol worked hard too!]
[Our idol practiced singing and dancing so hard this week, and the song he chose was way more difficult than Xia Xi’s. She just sang an easy song, what makes her better? If she’s so great, let’s see her try a singing-and-dancing performance next time!]
[If you don’t like someone, at least don’t attack them. That’s basic human decency.]
[I used to think Xia Xi sang well, but her fans are seriously turning people off. Can’t you learn to respect others’ efforts? It’s true what they say, like fans, like idol. No wonder Xia Xi always gets accused of being a diva!]
[I’m not a fan of anyone, and my actions don’t represent Xia Xi’s views. I don’t understand what the person above means, I was just expressing my opinion, and they twisted it to smear Xia Xi. Well, if that’s how it is, I’ve decided to support Xia Xi from now on because I think she’s always getting blamed unfairly.]
[The second young idol’s singing was terrible. Why can’t we speak the truth? Wasn’t his performance awful?]
[His singing is bad, and his acting is even worse! The second young idol fails at everything because of his attitude, and that’s the scariest part.]
[To be honest, after listening to Xia Xi sing, I’ve started to like her a bit. Talented people never have to worry about not being liked!]
[Work in the entertainment industry should be based on merit, just like any other job. Since Xia Xi is more skilled, why shouldn’t I support someone capable instead of a talentless young idol? And even if looks are all that matter, Xia Xi’s appearance probably leaves others in the dust!]
Just as netizens were fiercely criticizing the young idol No. 2’s singing skills, the live broadcast suddenly cut to a scene featuring Xia Xi and Lu Yisheng.
Even though the viewers weren’t on-site, they could feel the romantic tension between the two.
The barrage of comments mocking the young idol No. 2 instantly vanished, replaced by the image of Xia Xi and Lu Yisheng smiling at each other.
It was serene and beautiful.
Seeing the two of them like this, netizens were momentarily stunned, as if someone had pressed the pause button. They stared blankly at the screen, their minds flooded with deep confusion.
What was going on?
Could Xia Xi and Lu Yisheng really be in a relationship?
They had been together the whole time, and what was with that intense, exclusive gaze that seemed to shut out everyone else?
[Oh my god, could Lu Yisheng and Xia Xi really be a couple? They actually seem… quite well-matched.]
[Honestly, standing together, they look like the perfect pair, talented man and beautiful woman. But Xia Xi’s skills might not quite measure up to Lu Yisheng’s.]
[As long as Lu Yisheng hasn’t openly admitted that Xia Xi is his girlfriend, I’ll never believe they’re together, even though they do seem kind of compatible.]
[I don’t believe it, I won’t listen, and I don’t care! Lu Yisheng is mine!]
[Xia Xi isn’t worthy of Lu Yisheng! How can a queen of bad movies be compared to our Lu Yisheng?]
[I must be getting old, because I actually think they’re pretty good together. I’m shipping this couple, their visuals are just too perfect!
[I love it! The way they look at each other, it’s like there’s no one else in the world.]
[There’s definitely something going on between them. I knew it when Lu Yisheng posted that Weibo in support of Xia Xi a while back!]
[Even though I don’t think Xia Xi is good enough for our Lu Yisheng, I’ll wait and see. After all, this is the first time our idol has shown interest in a girl, we can’t scare him off.]
Perhaps because Lu Yisheng’s fans are generally more level-headed, or because they love him so much that they’ve warmed up to Xia Xi by association; maybe it’s because Xia Xi’s performance in Cross-Border Singing Joy was truly impressive, or perhaps it’s simply because the chemistry between Xia Xi and Lu Yisheng was so palpable. Whatever the reason, when rumors of their relationship surfaced, everyone surprisingly chose to support them right from the start!
[Actually, it's not really about support, it's just that there aren't as many people cursing Xia Xi online as everyone imagined. In fact, most of them were grinning like doting aunties.]
The director glanced at the online comments, checked the trending topics on Weibo, and then looked at the show's ratings. His mood was absolutely ecstatic. He felt that agreeing to Lu Yisheng's cameo appearance was the best decision he had ever made.
The content he and Xia Xi had just broadcast live had completely stirred up a storm online, pushing the popularity of Cross-Border Singing Joy to new heights. What’s more, the top spots on the trending charts were all dominated by their show.
This was pure bliss.
Liang Hui watched the soaring ratings of Cross-Border Singing Joy with a grin so wide his eyes nearly disappeared.
The camera, which was originally supposed to cut back to the studio, remained fixed on the scene of Xia Xi and Lu Yisheng walking one after the other toward the dressing room.
"Director, although hyping up Lu Yisheng's relationship can bring our show more attention, there are two issues. First, whether Lu Yisheng agrees is a question. Second, our show is ultimately a singing competition, we can’t let the hype overshadow the main focus," the assistant director whispered as she approached Liang Hui, noticing that he hadn’t instructed the crew to switch the camera back. "So, Director, don’t you think we should cut back to the studio? Contestant No. 2 is almost done singing."
Hearing this, Liang Hui chuckled lightly and said calmly, "Switch it back. We’ve had enough fun watching the commotion."