Translator: _Min_
When she reclaimed her own luck, her beauty was further enhanced, filling her with a sense of relief.
[Ha, itâs funny. Even though Brother Xie is older than Teacher Si, she looks at him with the expression of a father watching his son.]
[The interaction between the mentor and the trainees is so endearing! This is the right way to get along. What Lin Qingyan was doing earlier was so fake, I couldnât bear to watch.]
[To be honest, if a beauty like Si Fuqing were placed among a hundred male trainees, would nothing really happen? Theyâre all in the hormone-driven phase, tsk tskâ¦] [Yes, she would turn them all into good sons.]
The audience: â .
Another comment floated by.
[Is it just me or do Brother Xie and Teacher Si look like a family when they stand together?]
[Yeah, a bit. A family where the father is kind and the son is filial.]
The morningâs behind-the-scenes live stream lived up to the directorâs expectations. Si Fuqing alone had provided plenty of highlights and talking points.
He instructed the editing team to start working and reminded them not to maliciously edit Si Fuqingâs footage, as they had done before.
In Dance Room 2, Si Fuqing finally began her instruction. âThe performance starts at seven. Donât practice anymore this afternoon. Do some stretching and such, but most importantly, keep a good mindset. Donât get stage fright, understand?â
The six trainees chorused, âUnderstood.â
âAh, right, those two sets of costumes I was drawing earlier are indeed for you to wear,â Si Fuqing tilted her head, âTheyâre for your final performance.â At these words, everyone paused.
âIâm off to eat fried chicken,â Si Fuqing donned her coat, âIf any of you dare to touch any high-calorie foods, donât blame me for taking action.â
The trainees: 1ââ¦â
After Si Fuqing left, Shi Yu remained lost in thought.
A few seconds later, he turned his head. âXie Yu, can we all debut? Make it to the end?â
Xie Yu chuckled, âWith her around, we will.â
He stepped out and went to a secluded corner, pulling out his phone. âHello?â
The voice on the other end was respectful, âYoung Master.â
âMhmm, do we have any of Lanâs core design drafts?â Xie Yu pondered, âSend me a copy.â
âWe have a few that the Lady purchased at a high price,â the voice replied, âMay I ask why, Young Master?â
âJust suddenly interested, want to take a look,â Xie Yu added, âDonât tell Lady
Xie, she probably wonât remember anyway. If she does, say we lost them.â
The voice on the other end: â
Ah, what a harmonious mother-son relationship they have.
Noon.
Lin Qingyan came out for lunch.
She took off her mask and checked herself in the mirror; the red spots on her skin had faded considerably.
Her agent sat down and opened the lunchbox. âBe careful during the public performance. Donât let your mask fall off. Weâve arranged for some audience members to ask questions; you can play the victim then, to tug at the fansâ heartstrings.â
Lin Qingyan was not pleased, replying indifferently, âI understand.â
She picked up her chopsticks, hesitated, and finally, unable to contain her annoyance, slammed them down on the table.
Her agent frowned, âWhatâs wrong?â
âWhat is the production team thinking?â Lin Qingyan took a deep breath,
âTodayâs behind-the-scenes live stream only gave me five minutes of airtime.
After editing, how much will even be left?â
The agent blinked, âWho else would the production team focus on? Didnât they always give you the spotlight before?â
âWho else could it be?â Lin Qingyan scoffed, âOf course itâs Si Fuqing. Sheâs really fortunate; she overshadowed everyone in the production just by removing her makeup.â
âItâs unavoidable,â the agent shook his head. âSheâs the newly crowned divine beauty of the Great Xia . If you canât beat her in looks, youâll have to find another way. She canât be good at everything, can she?â
âYou must have something where you can surpass her. Play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses; thatâs the smart thing to do.â
Lin Qingyan gripped her chopsticks tightly, her expression enigmatic. She murmured, âI understand.â
After lunch, Lin Qingyan went to the hospital to visit Mu Ye.
Ever since the sports competition for the theme song, Mu Ye had been bedridden, his leg still in a cast.
Other than a single visit from his agent, Sister Ning, no one had come to see him.
Mu Ye knew he had likely been abandoned.
âTeacher Lin!â
Seeing Lin Qingyan enter, Mu Ye struggled to sit up but was pressed back down by her. âYou took quite a fall; youâre not healed yet, so donât move.â
âWith your condition, you certainly wonât be able to participate in tonightâs performance,â Lin Qingyan sighed. âAnd your opponents are Xie Yuâs team. You might as well withdraw.â
Mu Ye had never expected that he would go from a secure debut position to facing the possibility of dropping out.
He was extremely unwilling but helpless.
âYou should rest well,â Lin Qingyan stood up. âSi Fuqing is too aggressive, and thereâs nothing I can do to help you. But Iâll try to get you an opportunity to say goodbye on stage.â
Mu Ye pressed his lips together, âThank you, Teacher Lin.â Lin Qingyan smiled and left the room.
Mu Yeâs eyes darkened; he hated Si Fuqing to the core.
What irked him even more was that after Si Fuqing had removed her makeup, she had won over a large number of fans. She was no longer the insignificant person he could trample on at will.
Mu Ye felt deflated.
He was now powerless even to challenge Si Fuqing.
At that moment, his phone rang. It was his agent.
Mu Ye hurriedly answered, âSister Ning, 1ââ
Before he could finish, he was cut off. The voice on the other end was cold and formal, âThe company is aware of your situation. We have only one requirement: maximize profits.â
Mu Ye was puzzled, âWhat do you mean?â
âTonight is your first public performance,â the voice continued, âand the first elimination. Only fifty-five people will advance. Before you withdraw, you should challenge Si Fuqing to a battle and make her perform on stage.â âSheâs a mentor, and Iâm a trainee,â Mu Ye became agitated, âWhat if she doesnât accept?â
âIt doesnât matter whether she accepts or not,â the voice sneered. âThis is a live performance. If she doesnât go on stage, it means she canât perform.â
âAnd if she does perform, even better. Can she sing? Can she dance? If not, it will affect the popularity of her students as well. Fans care about talent. Do you really think you can conquer the world with just a pretty face?â
After a pause, the voice added, âWeâve also discussed this with Feng Peizhi. She agrees. Only you can handle this; youâre withdrawing anyway, so it wonât affect much.â
Mu Ye clenched his phone tightly and spoke in a deep voice, âFine, even without Sister Ning asking, I would have done it.â Si Fuqing canât sing or dance, how would she perform?