Chapter 79

The person, completely unaware of the disruption he had caused, enthusiastically approached Lu Yisheng, beaming with joy. The delight in his eyes was unmistakable. "God Lu, I saw you earlier and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me! What are you doing here? Are you a contestant?"
Lu Yisheng glanced at the man who had so naturally inserted himself between him and Xia Xi, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. Annoyance swelled within him, but noticing the cameras not far away, he maintained a neutral expression and nodded.
Sometimes, as a public figure, one couldn’t simply do as they pleased, after all, he represented more than just himself now.
"God Lu, could I take a photo with you? I'm your fan," the man gushed excitedly. Just then, a few more people appeared in the hallway. Spotting Lu Yisheng, their eyes lit up with surprise, and they quickly swarmed around him, chattering nonstop, each eager not to be left out. In the commotion, Xia Xi was inadvertently pushed to the periphery. Though she stood not far from Lu Yisheng, the crowd formed an impenetrable barrier, keeping her at a distance.
Xia Xi watched quietly as the radiant figure stood amidst the crowd, a flicker of affection glimmering in her eyes. She knew she held a unique place in Lu Yisheng’s heart, but that uniqueness felt inexplicable and fragile. The distance between them remained like the layers of people, seemingly close, yet profoundly far.
A deep sense of insecurity and confusion weighed on her heart, riddled with doubts and uncertainties that made it hard for her to take a step closer. She knew exactly what she should do and what she wanted.
For Xia Xi, the timing wasn’t right to be with Lu Yisheng.
She could choose to be with him now, but that wasn’t what she desired. What she wanted was to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, on equal footing, where a simple reach of their hands would intertwine their fingers as they moved forward toward shared goals.
Xia Xi yearned for a love of equals, not dependence.
Amid the noisy crowd, with faces shifting around him like a revolving lantern, Lu Yisheng’s focus remained fixed on Xia Xi, not far away. He saw the confusion in her eyes transform into resolve, watched as she lifted her head, her gaze shining with a captivating brilliance.
It made him feel once again that she had returned, the clever, brave, and optimistic little girl from his childhood, the cherished memory of his youth, had merged once more with the Xia Xi standing before him.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don’t you all have nothing to do? Isn’t there a competition going on? Why are you all gathered here? Hurry up and get ready, the show is about to start! Can you please take this seriously," The originally frantic director paused for a moment the instant she caught sight of Lu Yisheng. She blinked once, then twice, before it truly sank in, Lu Yisheng had actually come to their show.
Although she had heard the news earlier, disbelief had been the dominant emotion. She felt that unless she saw Lu Yisheng in person at the recording site, she would find it hard to believe.
And now, Lu Yisheng himself was standing right in front of her. She pinched her hand hidden in her sleeve, wincing from the pain, and only then did she truly believe it, Lu Yisheng was participating in her show.
How surreal, right?
Totally unexpected.
"Lu Yisheng?" The director hesitantly approached the edge of the crowd. The contestants instinctively made way, clearing a smooth path for her to get closer to Lu Yisheng. "Are you here to join our show too?"
Lu Yisheng nodded, finally giving everyone a definitive answer. Upon hearing it, visible joy spread across everyone’s faces. It was an honor for every member of the Cross-Border Singing Joy production team. One could only imagine the massive viewership this episode would attract after airing.
Hearing Lu Yisheng’s response, the director was visibly stunned. It took her several seconds to snap back to reality. She ran a hand through her hair, her eyes gleaming with unmistakable happiness.
This female director, Liang Yu, was a top student who had returned from studying abroad. Her family was in business, and their influence in the capital was quite notable. During her student days, Lu Yisheng had been her long-time idol, the man she worshipped. Now, with her idol standing so close, she felt her dream had come true, and along with it, a touch of fantasy.
After all, most girls love to dream.
The sudden appearance of her lifelong idol left Liang Yu feeling both flustered and overwhelmingly delighted. She had never imagined they would cross paths, yet here they were, so close. It felt wonderful.
There’s a saying: "Force a flower to bloom, and it will not thrive; plant a willow without intent, and it will provide shade."
Sometimes, unintentional actions can lead to unimaginable consequences. Lu Yisheng’s inexplicable appearance on Cross-Border Singing had set off a butterfly effect.
But for now, it remained unclear whether this change would turn out to be a good thing or a bad one.
While Xia Xi was still lost in her thoughts, Lu Yisheng had vanished without her noticing. After he left, the backstage of Cross-Border Singing Joy grew noticeably quieter. Xia Xi gazed wistfully at the spot where Lu Yisheng had just stood, a vague sense of suffocation weighing on her. She frowned slightly, sighed, and then headed toward the singers’ rest area, forcefully suppressing the discomfort in her heart.
She pushed down the irritation she felt over Lu Yisheng leaving with others without even saying hello to her.
Step by step, one foot after the other,
As the lounge drew nearer, her irritability gradually eased.
When she arrived at the lounge and saw Zhao Qian, all her previous tangled emotions were cast aside. Her heart and eyes were filled with the joy of seeing her idol once again. She cheerfully sat down beside Zhao Qian, listening to his casual conversation with Liang Yue, and quietly let out a sigh of relief, feeling an unprecedented sense of calm.
"Are all the contestants ready? Our show is about to start recording, and we’ll be broadcasting live as usual. No need to be nervous, just relax and show your best selves." The chief director of Cross-Border Singing Joy seemed to be in a good mood. Seeing that most of the guests had arrived, he turned on the camera, adjusted the equipment for the live broadcast, and prepared to begin the official recording.
"Action!"
"Good evening, viewers of Cross-Border Singing Joy! We meet again. How has your week been…"
Same old recipe, same familiar flavor…
Xia Xi listened with a dark expression as the same noisy host from before started recounting his week, from Monday all the way to Friday…
"Alright, let’s get back on track." The host finally remembered the theme of the show. He chuckled lightly and continued, "I’m sure everyone still remembers last week’s champion, right? I doubt our audience would forget something so important, it’s Xia Xi…"
As soon as the host finished speaking, the camera suddenly shifted to Xia Xi, giving her, Zhao Qian, and Liang Yue a close-up shot. The three of them clearly hadn’t reacted in time and looked somewhat stunned. Xia Xi’s eyes still held a trace of panic that she hadn’t had time to conceal, while the two veterans beside her forced awkward smiles for the camera, clearly at a loss.
"Wow, it seems our champion wasn’t quite prepared this time. I wonder if she’ll be able to hold onto her title today." The host chuckled lightly as he observed Xia Xi’s panicked expression, speculating about the outcome of the competition with an air of detached nonchalance.
"Now, let’s draw the order for this round of the competition." The noisy host glanced at his script, his expression turning dramatically surprised. He exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Audience, do you know what the order for this competition is? It’s absolutely thrilling!"
Viewers familiar with the host’s antics knew he was just being deliberately mysterious, but first-time viewers had no idea. They watched him with genuine curiosity, eager to hear the answer. The show’s ratings began to climb sharply.
"Although the rules for this round are particularly exciting, the method for choosing the order is even simpler than last time, it’s self-selection!"
Self-selection?
Hearing the host’s words, Xia Xi froze, staring at him with a puzzled expression, clearly not understanding what he meant.
"Alright, judging by everyone's expressions, it seems you didn't quite understand. Let me give a simple example: for instance, Xia Xi was the winner of the previous round, so she can independently choose one opponent from the remaining contestants. Similarly, Yang Jingyu, as the runner-up, can choose anyone except Xia Xi and the contestant Xia Xi selected. Now, it should be clear, right?"
Xia Xi nodded in understanding.
"Now that everyone understands the rules, let's have Xia Xi choose her opponent." Liang Hui blinked at Xia Xi, signaling her to come stand by his side.
"Xia Xi, who will you choose as your opponent?" Once Xia Xi was beside him, Liang Hui narrowed his eyes and asked curiously, clearly overly enthusiastic about the question.
Who should she choose?
Xia Xi had never been conflicted about this question. It had been predetermined long ago, during the countless times she was suppressed and unable to fight back, during the countless times she yielded only to be treated even worse, and during the countless times she recalled the tragic and pitiable fate of the original female lead.
But she still had to put on a convincing act.
Xia Xi pursed her lips, furrowing her brows as if troubled, and said hesitantly to Liang Hui, "This question is really difficult to answer. I think I need some time to seriously consider it."
"But our show has a limited runtime, so we can't give you the chance to think it over carefully." Liang Hui's expression looked somewhat regretful. "I think you need to make a decision quickly."
Xia Xi frowned in apparent distress. She glanced at the contestants sitting in the lounge, then looked helplessly at Liang Hui. Finally, as if making up her mind, she closed her eyes and, relying on her memory, pointed at Lin Wei sitting in the corner. Loudly, she declared to Liang Hui, "Her."
At first, everyone only noticed Xia Xi's conflicted expression and didn't pay attention to who she had chosen. Only after she said, "Her," did they snap out of their daze and realize she had made a decision. Following the direction of her finger, they saw Lin Wei sitting in the corner, her face ashen. The expressions of the other contestants also turned somewhat subtle.
Was it unintentional or deliberate?