Dad, Please Let Me Be a Solo Stan!

Chu Yuanqing blinked, deep in thought.

This Young Lady from Yunlan Entertainment was quite clever.

There were 148 low-rated contestants on the field. Spread across each A-Class contestant, that came to about ten people each. She had been the first to take in twenty-one people for herself and Ji Shuzhu. Not only did that keep others from criticizing her, but it also won people over and earned favorable reviews from the audience.

Moreover, she had considered the risk of nurturing future rivals. Almost everyone she took in was an F-Class contestant, so the other A-Class contestants would probably follow suit.

Sure enough, the A-Class contestants after her went along with the trend and adopted similar methods.

During that time, the remaining thirty F-Class contestants were all picked out like endangered species, and more than half of the forty-one D-Class contestants were claimed as well. The awkwardly placed C-Class group was completely ignored.

Chu Yuanqing was a little frazzled. The atmosphere made it seem as though everyone below A-Class and B-Class were left-behind children waiting for their parents to adopt them. Leaving early seemed disrespectful to the other contestants waiting to be "adopted," but she truly did not care what grade of practice room she learned to dance in!

Fortunately, one guilt-ridden Little Sakura, after repeatedly preparing herself to be stabbed, scolded, and rejected, still trotted down from the highest seats to stand before her.

The girl unconsciously tucked her hands behind her back. Her gaze flickered as she lowered her head, her long pale fingers nervously twisting together. She pressed her soft pink lips together before asking earnestly and carefully,

"Xiao Qing, can you keep training with me from now on?"

"May your martial fortunes prosper."

The CP fans in the Live Broadcast Room nearly lost their minds at the sight.

"Ahhh, the CP I ship is so sweet!"

"Gosh, Little Sakura is such a cute bottom."

"Yayoi is so nervous! I spent all night digging through old content, and the vibe of her past interactions with teammates was completely different!"

"Damn, this feels exactly like handing over a love letter and confessing!"

"I'm dying. I never thought Little Sakura was a bottom, but Qing Bao looks so tiny. Is she really going to become a top for love?"

"Hehehe, don't forget Qing Bao's first stage performance and that time she carried a girl in the rain! She was super cool! And she's always acted so mature. She's the kind of gorgeous younger girl with a huge contrast gap—more than qualified to be the top!"

Fortunately, as Dream Weaver Rabbit left, the Bullet Comments drifting around them dissipated as well. Otherwise, surrounded by the comments from all those CP fans, every scene of the two sharing the frame would have looked increasingly suggestive.

Chu Yuanqing's first reaction was that she could finally leave this troublesome place. Great!

But the next second, she suddenly realized something horrifying.

A-Class contestants had four hours of livestream time every day!

If she shared a practice room with Kiriwake Yayoi, then every one of her embarrassing, limp little movements, along with the scenes of her learning the theme song choreography, would definitely be made public!

She did not know how many fans she had now, but judging from those exclusive votes, something was clearly very wrong. Combined with Kiriwake Yayoi's own fans, there would conservatively be tens of thousands of people watching online during those four hours, right?

Damn it, how was that any different from a public execution?!

Something this terrifying absolutely, absolutely could not happen to her. Otherwise, when she slept tonight, she would be so scared that the curse of the Sea of Truth would swallow her whole!

—Probably.

Chu Yuanqing shook her head hard. Like a cat terrified of being put in water for a bath, she was extremely resistant.

But very soon,

Seeing Little Sakura become constrained and disappointed, as though she were imagining something, the girl did not know how to explain herself.

What should she do? She could not let the other girl misunderstand and think she disliked her, could she?

With a grave expression, Chu Yuanqing racked her brain. Then inspiration suddenly struck, and she found a suitable excuse. She refused righteously.

"Sorry, Yayoi."

"Although you may think this is old-fashioned, I believe the treatment decided by the stage should not be influenced by personal relationships or other people's opinions."

"My stage was only at a C-Class level, so the treatment I deserved should be the same. I already felt very bad about taking up your time in your practice room so you could teach me dancing. Now, even more so."

After saying that, Chu Yuanqing still felt it was not enough, so she thoroughly cut off any path for the other girl to persuade her.

"You don't need to worry about me. If the hardware gap between practice rooms causes me to be eliminated by other contestants in later performances, then it only means I have not worked hard enough and am not suited to being an idol."

After Chu Yuanqing finished speaking, she recalled comrades from the past who had sacrificed themselves for their ideals. Drawing genuine emotion from those memories, she did her best to make her lofty words more convincing.

The girl's lips curled slightly. Her smile was sincere, and her resolute tone carried a reverence that could not be profaned.

"Because, didn't Dream Weaver Rabbit say so?"

"An idol is someone who overcomes every injustice and can still shine and blossom on the stage."

"I want to become that kind of person. For that, I should start here and work hard to accomplish such things."

As her words fell, the contestants around them fell silent.

The viewers arguing noisily in the Live Broadcast Room were deeply shaken.

Even Dream Weaver Rabbit, in the most central area of the underground base, felt immensely gratified.

At that moment, in everyone's eyes, Chu Yuanqing seemed blessed by the gods. She shone brightly from behind, like an angel with a halo above her head!

Under normal circumstances, those words would at most have been considered empty rhetoric.

But with contestants having raised complaints of unfairness, excessive disparities between practice rooms, Dream Weaver Rabbit selling anxiety, and elimination meaning the end of their idol dreams, saying such words aloud required not only the persistence to match one's words with one's actions, but also respect for the stage, even faith and love for idols!

She was far too admirable. What a pure idol's heart!

Those low-rated contestants had allowed Dream Weaver Rabbit's rhetoric to blur their own stance. For their own interests and futures, they tacitly accepted this moral coercion and silently waited for the top A-Class trainees' charity.

Though no one thought that was wrong.

But she had resisted temptation, still held fast to her original heart, and had the courage to speak her mind. Even if she seemed stubborn, even foolish, she still shone brightly despite not standing on the stage, looking exactly like the idol everyone yearned for.

Kiriwake Yayoi was slightly dazed. Every word the other girl had spoken pierced deep into her soul.

It was as if she had seen another version of herself in this world.

Another self who was foolish, persistent, steadfast, and loved the stage beyond measure.

That was right. If she had been in the other girl's position, she would likely have made the same choice.

Dream Weaver Rabbit had not been wrong. For trainees who wanted to become idols, victory and defeat on stage meant everything. Seeking rewards beyond what was reasonable through factors outside the stage was itself a denial of the stage.

Kiriwake Yayoi had tasted all the warmth and coldness of the world and understood human relationships well. She had thought no one else was as foolish as she was, but Chu Yuanqing's answer shattered that belief.

Kiriwake Yayoi felt relieved. The guilt, nervousness, conflict, and even the urge to explain herself from earlier all vanished amid those words.

Because she understood that Chu Yuanqing, who could say such things, would never care about the theme song or exclusive vote results, much less misunderstand her or harbor ugly thoughts because of them.

This was an unspoken understanding between people of the same kind.

The girl's brows relaxed, her expression brightened, and she revealed a cheerful smile as she softly said,

"I understand."

"Then may your martial fortunes prosper."

After saying that,

Kiriwake Yayoi had no intention of seeking anyone else out. With light steps, her skirt fluttering around her, she simply walked away until her back vanished from sight.

Chu Yuanqing let out a sigh of relief, delighted inside.

As expected of me. Three sentences, and I easily handled that Sakura Girl!

The girl maintained her expression, suppressed the urge to jog away, and put on an indifferent air as she quietly rose to leave.

But in the next instant,

"Wow, Qingqing, that thing you said was so freaking cool!"

Chu Wangshu hugged her petite body like a koala, her face full of excitement.

Chu Yuanqing stumbled. A flash of memory suddenly crossed her mind, and she recalled carrying this child around Sea Capital Zoo ten years ago. A wave of sorrow rose in her heart, and she began deceiving herself.

Haha, who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, the child had grown this big? No wonder she could barely carry her anymore.

At the same time,

The CP fans in the Live Broadcast Room had already gone completely insane.

"Even though she rejected her, why is this somehow even better to ship?!"

"I'm shipping them to death! Don't they look like a married couple who respect each other?"

"Oh no, Chu Yuanqing could even refuse this. Why do I feel like we've shipped something real?!"

"Little Sakura really knows how to chase someone. Isn't the next line after 'may your martial fortunes prosper' 'may we meet at the summit'?"

Book recommendation segment.

Synopsis: Ron transmigrated into the world of Honkai: Star Rail and loaded a life simulation game. After each simulation ended, he could receive rewards based on the simulated plot.

So he simulated like mad, preparing to stack himself with god-tier equipment and become invincible across the world.

But what he had not expected was that, the moment he began the game, Bronya, Seele, Herta, Fu Xuan, and the others were all staring at the life simulation game appearing before them, fell into contemplation...

Many years later.

"First, I solemnly declare that raising their affection levels was merely a helpless measure I had no choice but to take in order to save the world. It absolutely did not come from personal selfish desires... When you publish the article, don't use my real name. Just call me an anonymous hero." Ron evasively answered the reporter's interview.

["I raised their affection levels entirely out of personal selfish desires. When you publish it, use my real name."

Ron frankly confessed everything he had done. Everyone is surely familiar with this anonymous hero, who had saved the universe several times and fought Aeon-level crises alone. Yet few knew what his real life was like.

This writer will spare no words in recording the depraved life of this Stellar Core Destroyer, Severer of Immortality, and mysterious anonymous hero, surrounded by beauties aboard the Astral Express, unveiling his mysterious veil for everyone...

*The following is paid content*

—Interastral Peace News, Entertainment Gossip Section.]

Book title: Honkai: Star Rail, You're a Player Too?

The livestream was quickly cut off.

The open and covert struggles in the tiered classroom also came to an end.

Kiriwake Yayoi and Xie Qingxuan became the only two among the fourteen top A-Class contestants who had not voluntarily shared their practice rooms. For a time, both became targets of public criticism and stirred up countless online arguments.

"I'm so done with this. Why is Xie Qingxuan so arrogant? She's that amazing, yet she's afraid others will use a practice room like hers? Does she seriously have no sense of the bigger picture?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're the one with the biggest picture. So big that you're begging on behalf of your fave."

"Hard to say. Looking at the other top A-Class contestants, Xie Qingxuan really has zero emotional intelligence."

"I'm dying. Stop with this moral coercion. I like the Great Demon King's straightforward personality."

"Online beggars are just like this. Your fave's stage performance was terrible, so whose fault is that? You blame others for not giving you charity?"

Xie Qingxuan had an enormous fanbase. Together with casual fans, haters, and fans pretending to be haters, they launched a prehistoric war that spread from the Live Broadcast Room to Douyin, Tieba, Weibo, QQ groups, and WeChat groups, nearly obliterating the Great Dao.

As for Kiriwake Yayoi...

Well, the situation on her side was extremely bizarre.

Because CP fans made up a considerable proportion of her fans, these terrifying people with extremely high Combat Power were happily writing praise posts, producing fanfiction, engaging in intense discussions and wild speculation, and throwing themselves into a carnival of digging for sugar. They had completely shifted the topic in another direction.

What? You said Kiriwake Yayoi was rude because she only invited Chu Yuanqing?

—Shipped it. I'm shipping them to death!

What? You said Kiriwake Yayoi did not seek out any other trainees after being rejected?

—Shipped it. I'm shipping them to death!

What? You said Kiriwake Yayoi had no emotional intelligence, did not know how to behave, was not humble enough, and had too narrow a perspective?

—Shipped it. I'm shipping them to death!

The CP fans' powerful ability to find sweetness was enough for them to interpret all these accusations as Little Sakura being willing to bear every bit of criticism just so she could open her practice room only to Chu Yuanqing. Thus, they dismissed the haters' attacks with disdain.

As for the normal fans who were not CP fans, they did not think Kiriwake Yayoi had done anything wrong either.

Ridiculous. What did outsiders like them know?

Little Sakura had been an idol for seven years. She had experienced every warmth and coldness of human relationships and sunk into the darkest mire. How could she not understand how much controversy this would bring?

Kiriwake Yayoi's decision was absolutely not an impulsive heat-of-the-moment choice. The smile she showed the camera at the end had been relaxed, her gaze firm, and her departing back straight.