Chapter 72

Hearing Yang Jingyu's words, Liang Hui narrowed his eyes and gave her a meaningful look that made her slightly uncomfortable.
She ran through her explanation once more in her mind, convinced she hadn’t said anything wrong and had certainly avoided offending Lin Wei. Putting her mind at ease, she ignored Liang Hui’s gaze, warmly walked over to sit beside Lin Wei, and quietly praised her outstanding performance.
Even Xia Xi, sitting far from them, could overhear their hushed conversation.
"Sister Lin Wei, your dance just now was absolutely amazing…"
Hearing this, Xia Xi couldn’t help but roll her eyes inwardly, thinking, What a bootlicker.
“Yang Jingyu, why did you sit down? I still have questions to ask!”
Yang Jingyu, who had just relaxed and started chatting with Lin Wei, immediately showed a hint of discomfort upon hearing Liang Hui’s words. “Wh-what other questions? Director, didn’t you just finish asking me everything?”
Could it be that he’s targeting only me to bully?
The feigned smile on Yang Jingyu’s face vanished instantly. Her eyes filled with clear accusation as she frowned at Liang Hui. However, when she noticed the teasing expression on his face, she quickly suppressed her impatience. Rubbing her eyes, she forced a slight smile and said, “Director, what else is there to ask me? I’ve already answered everything I should. Shouldn’t you move on to someone else? What’s the point of focusing only on me?”
“Although I think what you said makes some sense,” Liang Hui nodded slightly, pursing his lips in agreement.
“But I haven’t finished asking you the questions I want to ask. I don’t think I can switch to someone else just yet.” Seeing Yang Jingyu’s face light up with genuine happiness at his words, Liang Hui chuckled softly, a hint of mischief flashing in his eyes. Suddenly changing his tone, he picked up the microphone from the table and pointed it in Yang Jingyu’s direction. His hand remained suspended mid-air, waiting for her to come over and take the microphone.
Liang Hui’s move was completely unexpected, catching Yang Jingyu off guard. Her smile froze on her face as she stared at him in disbelief, her eyes filled with accusation and helplessness.
Why is it still me?
Why? On what grounds?
Frowning, Yang Jingyu met Liang Hui’s calm gaze. All the words of rebuttal she had prepared stuck in her throat, as she suddenly realized she couldn’t afford to offend this director.
After weighing the pros and cons in her mind, Yang Jingyu reluctantly stood up. Glancing at the other contestants sitting around and watching the scene unfold, a flicker of irritation crossed her heart. Slowly, she walked over to Liang Hui and took the microphone he handed her.
Seeing Liang Hui looking at her with a half-smile, Yang Jingyu forced a fake smile and said, “Director, if you have more questions, please ask them all at once. I had just sat down, and now you’ve called me back again.”
“It’s mainly because you were too impatient. I hadn’t finished speaking, and you ran off to sit down.”
Hearing Liang Hui’s blunt and unapologetic retort, Yang Jingyu paused for a moment, pursed her lips, and ultimately softened her attitude, giving in. “Director, what do you want to ask me?”
“It’s actually quite simple.” Liang Hui chuckled lightly as he observed Yang Jingyu’s tense expression. He pointed toward the No. 2 young heartthrob not far from them and then at Lin Wei.
Following his gesture, Yang Jingyu felt a sudden sense of foreboding.
“You just said that different types of performance styles are hard to compare, right? So, wouldn’t it be fair to compare contestants who both chose singing and dancing?”
Yang Jingyu hesitated for a moment before nodding, the uneasy feeling in her heart growing stronger. Sure enough, she heard Liang Hui continue, "Speaking of which, both of them happened to choose songs with strong rhythms today, and both performed with singing and dancing. So, between Wang Jia and Lin Wei, who do you think gave the better performance today?"
Another task that would offend someone?
And how was she supposed to answer?
Yang Jingyu stared blankly at Lin Wei, then at the young man named Wang Jia, her expression clearly hesitant. She furrowed her brows, looking deeply troubled, but her mind was racing, trying to figure out how to answer without offending either Lin Wei or Wang Jia.
But that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
When she saw Liang Hui’s beaming smile, she suddenly realized that her answer this time had to be clear and definitive. Liang Hui clearly wouldn’t allow her to be evasive or ambiguous again.
If she had to offend one of them, then she had no choice but to offend Wang Jia.
Yang Jingyu’s mind raced with calculations.
Although Wang Jia was known for holding grudges, their interactions were actually quite limited. As a connection, he was practically dispensable, and there was very little he could do to help her. Moreover, Wang Jia wasn’t particularly talented. His current popularity was largely due to his looks, and even those had been enhanced by multiple cosmetic surgeries. Who knew when his luck would run out and he’d become a has-been?
But Lin Wei was different. Although Lin Wei was new to the entertainment industry with little fame or status, she had a powerful boyfriend. Right from the start, Lin Wei had landed resources like Cross-Border Singing Joy, and her boyfriend was also Yang Jingyu’s boss. In the future, if Yang Jingyu wanted any opportunities, she would have to rely on them.
No matter how she looked at it, Lin Wei was clearly more important than Wang Jia.
With this in mind, Yang Jingyu quickly made up her mind. She gave a light laugh and glanced at Liang Hui. Though inwardly furious at his coercive tactics, she maintained a calm and composed demeanor on the surface. "Although this is a difficult choice to make, based on my understanding of singing and dancing, I’d have to say Sister Lin Wei performed better. The song 'Bang Bang Bang' that Sister Lin Wei sang is inherently more challenging, and the dance steps are more complex. In terms of stage presence and charisma, Sister Lin Wei also stood out more. That’s pretty much my answer."
As soon as Yang Jingyu finished speaking, she felt a malicious gaze clinging to her like a venomous snake. She tried her best to ignore the discomfort and turned to look at Lin Wei, who was smiling at her, which slightly eased the frustration in her heart.
What kind of situation was this? Just by participating in a show, she had managed to offend a popular young star.
"Hmm." Despite the undercurrents swirling around Yang Jingyu, Liang Hui remained completely unaffected. He seemed quite satisfied with her answer and nodded before stirring the pot again with another question, determined to make Yang Jingyu offend everyone to the fullest. "Then, among all the performances today, who do you think gave the worst performance? Or, to put it another way, who do you think should be ranked last?"
"Shouldn't you just announce who came in last? Why do you keep asking me?"
Yang Jingyu was nearly going crazy hearing Liang Hui toss another question her way.
She thought this host was really nagging and annoying. Wouldn't it be better to straightforwardly announce today's rankings? Why create so much trouble? And he seemed to have singled her out, constantly making her offend others. She really couldn't understand it.
Wasn't this a competition show? Was it really okay for the host to talk this much?
It was so irritating.
"Yang Jingyu, what are you thinking about?" Liang Hui turned his head and happened to see Yang Jingyu lost in thought after hearing his words. He gently nudged her. "Do you need me to repeat the question?"
"No need," Yang Jingyu replied instinctively. Only after she processed her own words did she realize what she had said, a flash of frustration in her eyes. She glanced at the other contestants sitting around, watching the scene unfold, and her eyes landed on Xia Xi, who was resting with her eyes closed in the corner. Instantly, she knew exactly who she should name. Still, she pretended to think carefully for a long time before saying, "I think the worst performance in this round was Xia Xi's."
Who?
Did she just say Xia Xi?
Liang Hui was momentarily stunned upon hearing the name. He thought for a long while before confirming, "Did you just say Xia Xi?"
"Yes, I think Xia Xi performed the worst." Yang Jingyu cast a casual glance at Xia Xi, hoping to see what kind of expression she would make when deliberately criticized. But clearly, she was destined to be disappointed. Xia Xi seemed as if she were asleep, showing no reaction at all. Her lack of response made Yang Jingyu slightly unhappy. She wanted to see jealousy and envy on Xia Xi's perpetually calm face.
Hearing this, Liang Hui raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a half-smile. At first, he said nothing, waiting until Yang Jingyu and the other contestants were growing impatient before suddenly shifting his gaze to the others in the lounge. Waving the card in his hand, he continued, "We just had a very interactive game. Now, let's get back on track, it's time to officially announce the rankings."
"We've already talked too much just now, so this time, I won't beat around the bush. I'll announce everyone's rankings directly." Surprisingly, Liang Hui was unusually straightforward this time, which caught people off guard.
Announce the rankings directly?
Yang Jingyu suddenly recalled the thoughtful look Liang Hui had given her earlier and felt a pang of regret. She couldn't shake the feeling that his gaze had held some hidden meaning.
As she was thinking this, she heard Liang Hui's voice stirring up trouble beside her. "First, let's congratulate Xia Xi! Her performance this time was once again eye-catching. Her voice was so mesmerizing it seemed to linger for days. Even though she performed earliest, she left the deepest impression on everyone. In this round's voting, she remains in first place!"
What?
Xia Xi is first again?
How is that possible?
Upon hearing Liang Hui's words, Yang Jingyu felt as if her scalp was about to explode. She swayed unsteadily, barely able to keep her balance, and turned her head in disbelief to glance at Liang Hui standing beside her. She noticed he was also giving her a thoughtful look, and a wave of deep regret washed over her.
She shouldn’t have vented her frustration by deliberately claiming Xia Xi was the worst performer just because she disliked her. Now, even if she wanted to make amends, she had no idea what to do. Could she possibly take back what she had just said? That would be like slapping her own face. She could already imagine the mockery she would face from netizens.
Xia Xi didn’t even need to refute her, her performance alone was enough to shut up those who had sneered at her. It was undeniably satisfying.