"Don't treat me like an enemy." Chi Li certainly didn't care about compensation. Besides, if he really accepted it, he would inevitably be remembered by this petty person. "And even if you succeed today, it will be meaningless."
Would Jiang Yue Su Yuan because of this? No.
"Yes, no matter what I do, it means nothing to him." Chi Li's words were like a needle piercing his heart. "But at least, I want to be able to look at him and see only him, and not those things that are in my way..."
"Stop." Chi Li interrupted him, "I'm not interested in your love story. My demand is that you immediately cease all your underhanded tactics, get down to business, and complete this performance with me."
Su Yuan pursed her lips, and after a long while, she finally spoke, "Okay, don't worry, now that I've admitted defeat, I won't target you this time."
"You'd better," Chi Li instructed Gu Nan, turning her head slightly, "Go and find the vocal coach."
Constantly being on guard against people is really exhausting...
He will never again accept invitations to sing in a group.
After finishing practice and returning to the Raising House, it was already 11 p. m.
The other members had already gone back to their rooms, leaving only Shen Qiang waiting in the living room, holding a book he had somehow acquired and slowly turning the pages.
"You're back?" Shen Qiang put down his book, gently lifted his leg, and leaned back against the sofa. "How was your first time working away from home?"
There's a high degree of freedom in the Raising House. There are very few things you have to do. Apart from seeing familiar and unfamiliar people every day, it's no different from being at home.
But if you go abroad, the experience will be completely different.
Chi Li had no desire to complain, summarizing it in just two words: "Mentally exhausted."
"It's normal to feel mentally exhausted; there aren't many normal people in this industry." Shen Qiang waited here specifically to give Chi Li a reminder. "Especially since your foundation is unstable right now, yet you're very conspicuous. Openly and secretly, quite a few people already see you as a rival."
"I understand." Chi Li bent down, took a mint, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.
Resources in the entertainment industry are limited. His sudden emergence attracted the attention of investors, which means less is left for others. No wonder these people resent him.
Shen Xunye frowned deeply as he listened, wishing he could drag out and denounce each of the people Shen Qiang had mentioned.
"But don't worry, your company is very experienced in handling these kinds of things," Shen Qiang reassured him. "Just do your job."
This stagnant and falsely prosperous entertainment industry desperately needs an injection of fresh blood to revitalize itself.
"Okay." Chi Li nodded, but still corrected Shen Qiang's statement. "No matter what, I will always be myself."
Shen Qiang was very pleased. "Hmm."
"Let's go." Shen Xunye abruptly ended their conversation, put his arm around Chi Li's shoulder, and headed upstairs. "I'm tired today, I need to rest early."
As Chi Li was being pushed along, she turned and waved to Shen Qiang, "Goodbye, Teacher Shen."
Shen Qiang waved back.
"You don't need to be so polite to him." Shen Xunye grabbed Chi Li's waving hand, slowly lowered it, and gently stroked it a few times.
Chi Li, oblivious to everything, simply said, "He's your brother, not mine. Of course, you have to be polite. Being polite means keeping your distance, understand?"
Hearing Chi Li's blunt words and seeing the almost imperceptible distance between them, Shen Xunye couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips and obediently replied, "Understood."
"There aren't two hours left today," Chi Li reminded him, afraid he might forget. "Don't come here again out of habit."
Shen Xunye: "╯╰"
He was only sad for a second before rushing to the fork in the road and saying, "I want a kiss."
I haven't kissed anyone today, so there's no reason why this application shouldn't be approved.
... We must kiss for a long time later.
"Rejected." Chi Li took two quick steps forward, making sure she was out of Shen Xunye's sight before turning back to explain, "You always take so long, but it's late now. If you keep going like this, I definitely won't be able to get up tomorrow."
Just as Shen Xunye was about to speak up to fight for his legitimate rights, he heard a very obvious gasp from not far away.
"Who?" Chi Li clearly heard it too.
"Uh, it's me." The owner of the voice emerged from behind a pillar around the corner.
" Jiang Lele?" Chi Li didn't quite understand. "Why are you hiding?"
The area outside the dormitory is a public area; everyone has the right to pass through and use it. What does "hiding" mean?
Judging from his appearance, he doesn't seem to have done anything shameful.
Jiang Lele hurriedly waved her hand. "It's nothing, it's nothing. I've just been watching too many spy movies lately, and I instinctively hid when I heard any noise."
Although the reason is absurd, he couldn't very well admit that he wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation to see if he could glean any useful information to provide his idol with strategy tips, could he?
However, judging from what he heard, it seems that no strategy guide is useful now.
"Hmm." Chi Li could tell at a glance that Jiang Lele wasn't telling the truth, but since he and Shen Xunye hadn't said anything strange, he didn't bother to investigate further. "You still need to distinguish between movies and reality, so you don't start dancing every time you hear a song in an Indian musical."
Jiang Lele stood at attention and nodded, indicating that she understood. "Okay!"
"Alright, I'm going back to my room." Chi Li waved her arm and quickly walked towards her room.
Jiang Lele patted her chest, and when she looked up, she met Shen Xunye's dark eyes and his slightly upturned, ambiguous smile.
"You heard everything, right?"
Jiang Lele shuddered instantly, raising three fingers to swear, "I absolutely will not tell anyone!"
"Don't be nervous." Shen Xunye adjusted his smile, making it appear more amiable. "I believe you can keep this secret, but..."
He deliberately dragged out his words, waiting for Jiang Lele to respond.
Jiang Lele couldn't help but check her fingers. "Just... just what?"
He was truly afraid that Shen Xunye would blurt out, "Only the mouths of the dead are truly sealed."
"But he's very cold to me now." Shen Xunye's expression turned sorrowful as she pointed downwards. "It's all his fault for coming..."
As a fan, Jiang Lele certainly knew that Shen Qiang was still downstairs.
"Uh, this..." Jiang Lele suddenly felt guilty.
Judging from Chi Li's comment, "You always take so long," he and Shen Xunye have probably been together for a while, but they haven't made it public.
Now that other excellent suitors have appeared, Chi Li's heart is wavering... and she even tried to play matchmaker...