Chapter 71

Xia Xi lazily glanced at the young idol and said vaguely, "What do you think our relationship is?"
"How could I possibly know what your relationship is!" The young idol was taken aback by Xia Xi's retort, a flash of disbelief quickly passing through his eyes. His tone sounded flustered and irritated. "I'm asking you, and you're turning it back on me. Are you deliberately messing with me?"
Messing with him?
A hint of disdain flickered in Xia Xi's heart.
"If you didn't have any suspicions, why come to me for confirmation?" Xia Xi cast a faint glance at the young idol and Yang Jingyu, who was eavesdropping intently, and had no intention of saying more. "Our relationship is probably close to what you imagine."
"No, no, that's impossible!" Yang Jingyu, hearing Xia Xi's words, shouted in disbelief, her gaze filled with doubt and malice. "How could you and Lu Yisheng possibly be in a relationship? How could he ever be interested in someone like you?"
Seeing their expressions shift, Xia Xi let out a mocking laugh, stood up, and walked to a corner. She wanted to be alone in peace and had no intention of engaging with them further, letting them continue to speculate.
Because Xia Xi knew that sometimes leaving things unsaid could make people even more restless and agitated.
Although sarcastic remarks still occasionally reached her ears, she no longer had any interest in paying attention. She completely ignored everything Yang Jingyu and the others said, closing her eyes comfortably to rest and recharge.
There were too many troubles in this world. For unimportant words spoken by unimportant people, she had no energy left to spare.
In an environment without Lu Yisheng, Xia Xi only wanted to minimize her presence, no longer having to deal with those wearing masks or endure the biting sarcasm that made her uncomfortable.
So, in the time that followed, for Xia Xi, the moments dragged on yet passed quickly. Before she knew it, everyone had finished their performances and was sitting quietly in the lounge, waiting for the final results.
Meanwhile, netizens were anything but quiet, wildly speculating about the relationship between Xia Xi and Lu Yisheng.
[Where's Lu Yisheng? I've looked around several times and haven't seen him. When did he leave?]
[Sis, Lu Yisheng left a long time ago, okay? You're only noticing now? I followed the camera around the lounge several times and couldn't find him. I guess he left the show right after Yang Jingyu finished singing.]
[I've been looking for him for a long time too and still haven't found him. But as long as I saw him on camera today, it was worth it!]
[What I'm curious about is, what exactly is the relationship between Lu Yisheng and Xia Xi? Are they really what I think they are?]
[Definitely not! How could our Lu Yisheng ever be interested in a vase like Xia Xi!]
[Our Lu Yisheng is so pure and transcendent, how could he engage in something as mundane as a relationship? Especially with Xia Xi, the queen of scandals. It totally lowers our Lu Yisheng's standards.]
[Don't believe rumors, don't spread rumors! As fans, let's calmly wait for an official announcement. Any information from other sources is fake.]
[Xia Xi is such trash. Not only is she useless at everything, but she also clings to our Lu Yisheng. The shameless are invincible.]
"Lu Yisheng's fans, please watch your words. After watching these two episodes of 'Cross-Border Singing Joy,' everyone should have some thoughts about whether Xia Xi is just a pretty face. I haven't seen her acting, so I can't comment on that, but her singing skills are undeniable. In the near future, I believe Xia Xi's achievements in singing will not be inferior to Lu Yisheng's. What makes her unworthy of him?"
"The near future? How long is that? Will there really be such a future? You say it so lightly now, but it's just a vague assumption."
"Actually, I think, Xia Xi and Lu Yisheng are quite a match, at least in terms of looks. Both of them are so good-looking, and they look really perfect together."
"And the way they look at each other is absolutely mesmerizing. That atmosphere where their eyes are only on each other makes me feel like I'm falling in love again."
"Heart-fluttering, I want to fall in love!"
"But have you noticed? Without Lu Yisheng, Xia Xi seems to lack vitality! Look at her sitting quietly in that corner, not talking to anyone. Compared to her previous smiling self, I suddenly feel a bit sorry for her."
"Maybe only when Lu Yisheng is around does Xia Xi let down all her defenses and armor, reconciling with the world."
"I didn't have any feelings about them before, but after hearing your explanations, I suddenly think they're really great together."
Because Lu Yisheng has an enormous fan base and has never been involved in any scandals, the particularly affectionate interactions between him and Xia Xi during the live broadcast caused an uproar. Not only were comments discussing their relationship flooding the screen, but even Weibo crashed because of it.
Too many users swarmed Lu Yisheng's Weibo page to leave comments, overwhelming the database and causing the platform to run out of space, which pushed the incident to new heights.
The question of what exactly is the relationship between Xia Xi and Lu Yisheng continued to ferment in everyone's minds, adding an air of mystery and anticipation to their bond. It also shifted the focus for many from "Why is Xia Xi worthy of Lu Yisheng?" to "What is their relationship?"
This could be considered progress.
"Xia Xi, what place do you think you'll get this time?" Just as Xia Xi was curled up in a corner, resting with her eyes closed, a voice that was both unfamiliar and familiar suddenly spoke, making her frown and reluctantly open her eyes to look in the direction of the sound.
It was indeed Liang Hui, that troublemaking and talkative director.
"What do you mean?" Hearing Liang Hui's words, Xia Xi couldn't help but feel he was up to no good. She frowned and scrutinized him carefully, trying to decipher the intention behind his words from his expression.
"There's really nothing to it, don't be so tense." Liang Hui glanced at Xia Xi's guarded expression, chuckled lightly, and waved his hand. "I'm just doing this to liven things up a bit, get everyone guessing each other's rankings, and add some fun to the show."
Would guessing each other's rankings really make the show more entertaining?
Xia Xi was skeptical. She shook her head, still maintaining a strong sense of caution. "I'm not good at things that require analysis. Director, you should ask the others for their thoughts first."
"Alright, since you put it that way, I won't push you." Hearing Xia Xi's response, the director's eyes clearly flickered with disappointment, but he didn't lose heart and quickly shifted his focus. "Then let's ask last time's second-place winner, Yang Jingyu! Yang Jingyu, what do you think of your performance today? Where do you think you'll rank in this round?"
Yang Jingyu was caught off guard when Liang Hui called her name. She froze for a moment but quickly snapped back to attention. She immediately stood up and walked over to Liang Hui's side, putting on a thoughtful expression. Her reaction was a stark contrast to Xia Xi's cold and guarded demeanor, she was truly cooperative.
"This time, I chose to sing another slow song. To be honest, my performance wasn't ideal. I think my ranking probably won't be very high this time, somewhere in the middle." Yang Jingyu paused briefly before continuing to explain, "Most of the contestants on Cross-Border Singing Joy have chosen slow songs. The only reason I came in second last time was because of the audience's novelty and a bit of luck. There's no way I can replicate that success this time."
Liang Hui raised an eyebrow with a light chuckle and pressed further, "Then how do you think your performance compares to Lin Wei's?"
Lin Wei and me?
Why did the director specifically compare me to Lin Wei?
What does he mean by that?
Does he know that Lin Wei is the one person I absolutely can't afford to offend?
And Lin Wei's singing is clearly not up to par. Am I supposed to say I'm even worse than her?
Yang Jingyu was momentarily stunned by the question. She glanced at Lin Wei, who was sitting on the sofa nervously fidgeting with her hands, then looked back at Liang Hui, who was smiling cheerfully. She frowned, unsure how to respond to such a tricky question.
Although she had anticipated that Liang Hui might stir up trouble, she hadn't expected him to pinpoint her weakness so accurately.
This question was clearly a dilemma. No matter how she answered, whether she said Lin Wei was better or worse than her, it didn't seem like the best option.
Saying Lin Wei was worse would openly offend her.
Saying Lin Wei was better, while simple to say, would be awkward if the final results placed Lin Wei far behind her, especially since Lin Wei's singing skills were hardly commendable.
Even if she claimed they were equally good, someone with ulterior motives might mock her for being unable to discern technical ability and just trying to play it safe. It was a no-win situation.
At this thought, Yang Jingyu grew even more anxious, beads of sweat dripping one by one down her face. She felt she could afford to offend anyone, except Luo Chu'an's current girlfriend. After all, Luo Chu'an was her direct superior, holding the resources she desperately needed. A pang of regret washed over her; she wished she had followed Xia Xi's lead and outright refused to answer the question from the start. But now, things had already reached this point, and it was too late for regrets.
Helpless, Yang Jingyu pressed her lips together, steeled herself, and forced out the words, "Sister Lin Wei chose to perform 'Bang Bang Bang' by the incredibly popular Korean boy band Big Bang. The song has a strong, catchy beat, and paired with Sister Lin Wei's sharp and powerful dance moves, it created a striking visual impact that left a deep impression on me. I think Sister Lin Wei's performance this time was extremely successful."
"Extremely successful?" Liang Hui raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly at Yang Jingyu's evasive response. "Yang Jingyu, the question I asked was who you thought performed better, you or Lin Wei. Are you missing the point? You’ve been talking for so long without addressing the core issue."
"Director, I haven’t finished what I wanted to say," Yang Jingyu replied with a light laugh. Though inwardly frantic to explain herself, she maintained an outwardly calm and composed demeanor. She even silently reassured herself that offending the director was far better than offending Lin Wei. "As I mentioned earlier, I chose a slow song for my performance, and most contestants in this program tend to pick slow songs as well. So, slow songs are practically commonplace here, not to mention how much easier they are to sing compared to high-energy tracks. Everyone naturally opts for simpler songs to perform."
"But Sister Lin Wei is different. Even though she knew fast-paced songs are challenging, she still took on the difficulty. Her courage and confidence are truly admirable, and on top of that, she delivered such an outstanding performance. So, I believe Sister Lin Wei, who chose to sing and dance this round, clearly performed much better than I did."
After finishing, Yang Jingyu glanced at Lin Wei's expression and noticed she looked relaxed. When Lin Wei caught her gaze, she even smiled faintly in return. Yang Jingyu’s tense heart finally settled. She had taken a long, winding path but had successfully buttered up Lin Wei, a testament to her dedication and effort.