"What is going on? The stream's been so laggy today. That aside, all these judges and mentors who are usually so strict are being so gentle I barely recognize them ∑(´△｀)?!"
"Yeah, yeah, I don't know if it's just me, but I keep feeling like everyone on the stream...
keeps glancing toward Shang Shujue from time to time, looking so shocked.
Did they see something incredible?"
"Ah, I really want to know. What on earth is it? Is this something my VIP membership doesn't let me see?!
Old Guo, don't be difficult. Move the camera over there already. I want to know what happened!"
"Is your stage floor too slippery? That first trainee nearly fell after he finished just now.
Make sure you mop the floor properly next time. Don't let my Brother Chenchen fall, or you'll have me to answer to! (ꐦ°᷄д°᷅)"
"...Your performance set a very good example for everyone. On a stage like this, you should show everything you've got."
"Your dancing brought us a lot of joy. Thank you so much. I hope you keep working hard. I'm putting you through."
After Ji Yunqing finished saying this to Xu Jiaqiao, he pressed the advancement button. He was as gracious and gentle as ever, his smile warm.
"Thank you. Thank you for your approval, Brother Qing. I'll definitely work even harder from now on. Thank you so much for your feedback."
Xu Jiaqiao successfully advanced. Fortunately, Shang Shujue hadn't thought about any nonsense during his performance, or he definitely would have made a mistake.
Mu Nanyu glanced discreetly at Ji Yunqing. At the sight of his gentle smile, his ears unwittingly flushed halfway up, and he quickly looked away, not daring to look at him again.
Brother Qing was as elegant and handsome as ever. He seemed startled by Shang Shujue's inner voice, too, but also very interested...
Shang Shujue really was an interesting guy. Rather than studying him, Mu Nanyu was more curious about how he and Brother Qing would end up... Would it really be that tragic?
*[Oh, Xu Jiaqiao, Xu Jiaqiao, still grinning away. You and Yu Zeqi could practically debut as a group.*
You could call yourselves the "Ultimate Pervert Magnet Squad."
A pervert has his eye on you, too. Once the show ends, your manager will tell you to add someone as a contact.
If you don't, you'll be taken to a banquet.
Then you'll meet your lifelong punishment-Li Yun'ao, the childhood friend of Su Youchuan, whose crimes cover half the criminal code-and star in a heart-wrenching, gut-spilling abusive romance with him.
After you die, your corpse will even be raped and soaked in formalin, and Su Youchuan will have a master suppress your soul so you'll never reincarnate.
That's about as literal as eternal damnation gets.
Oh, you clueless little baby~ No next life for you, and you're still smiling... You've got it even worse than Yu Zeqi. Tsk, tsk...
Poor kid. Your big brother will have to save you.
Hopefully his manager won't get too angry when I drag this kid away later.
*Hehe, why am I kind of looking forward to seeing his manager look like he ate dog shit? Keh keh keh...]*
Xu Jiaqiao had advanced and walked off the stage all smiles, but before he could even sit down, he heard this inner monologue, and the smile froze right on his face.
Xu Jiaqiao: Holy shit? Is that the kind of heart-wrenching and gut-spilling I think he means? Literally?
No! Why do I have it so bad? Even worse than Yu Zeqi! I was planning to comfort him after I got offstage.
Turns out I'm the one who needs comforting! How did this happen? Sob, sob, sob (╥╯﹏╰╥)ง
"Ahem... Xu Jiaqiao, how come you've got it even worse than me?"
After Xu Jiaqiao returned to his seat, Yu Zeqi couldn't help leaning over and patting his shoulder. He looked at him innocently, then unleashed his ultimate right in his face.
Xu Jiaqiao: "..."
"We're both miserable, both miserable. Neither of us has room to talk. Anyway, we've got the same goal now:
staying alive. So we're on the same side from now on. We need to present a united front."
"Also, you're a pretty powerful thigh to cling to. If I hold on tight, you won't throw me away, right? ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚"
Xu Jiaqiao's lips twitched. In the end, he reached out and clasped Yu Zeqi's hand, speaking quietly to him.
He accepted it rather quickly. He didn't get overly anxious about things that hadn't happened yet. He really had a good mindset.
Or rather, he still didn't quite believe it, which was why his mindset was so good. For now, though, he was half-convinced and would need to verify it before he knew the truth...
"No, no, I won't." Yu Zeqi's ears reddened with embarrassment, but he still nodded earnestly.
*[Huh? These two little bitter melons suddenly got so close? Could this be where the original story planted the seeds for Xu Jiaqiao's older sister secretly helping Yu Zeqi escape hell?*
That makes sense. Xu Jiaqiao died before Yu Zeqi did, and his sister was heartbroken and wanted their enemies dead.
When she met Yu Zeqi, who'd suffered the same thing, she would naturally feel heartache and sympathy for him. It was normal for her to lend him a helping hand.
*Unfortunately, she still lost completely in the end. Just before Li Yun'ao could capture her to use as a substitute, she jumped into the sea with her unborn child. His sister should have had a happy life.]*
Everyone: Holy shit! His whole family gets destroyed! These capitalists are too disgusting. What a headache. How are minor supporting characters like us supposed to survive? ʔ•̫͡•ʕ
Xu Jiaqiao, who adored his sister, froze for a long while after hearing this inner monologue before he reacted. Impossible!
How could my sister... No, wait. Shang Shujue said my manager would take me to a banquet after the livestream...
I need to verify it. This isn't necessarily true... My sister will definitely be safe and sound!
Xu Jiaqiao clenched his fists, secretly resolving to check whether this was true. He couldn't let Shang Shujue's unsubstantiated claims affect his emotions.
But... how did Shang Shujue know he had an older sister? He'd never mentioned it...
Besides, they'd never had any contact before this, not to mention...
Investigating someone else's family without permission was illegal.
However low Shang Shujue's standards were, he probably wouldn't do something like that. So what he said...
Was very likely true... But...
Xu Jiaqiao clenched his fists even tighter, gritting his teeth. Even his expression looked a little off. Fortunately, the camera wasn't on them, or they would have been in trouble.
Yu Zeqi hadn't expected anyone to be willing to lend him a helping hand in such desperate circumstances.
He froze for a moment, then took Xu Jiaqiao's hand, covering his fist for fear that he might act impulsively. He said nothing, merely looking at him to make him calm down.
"Thank you... I'm much calmer now..."
Xu Jiaqiao noticed the simple concern in Yu Zeqi's glistening eyes and froze for a moment.
Finally emerging from his anger, he quietly thanked him, then withdrew his hand with reddened ears.
"Okay."
Only when Yu Zeqi saw how embarrassed he was did he realize what he'd just done. His eyes and cheeks flushed, and he turned to watch the stage, not daring to speak.
The nearby trainees took in their reactions. Although they'd still had some doubts earlier, they were now mostly convinced. Shang Shujue might really have divine powers!
Everyone: Whatever happens, clinging to Shang Shujue's thigh from today onward definitely can't be wrong! (๑‾᷆д‾᷇๑)
"What do you think about this situation with Shang Shujue, Mr. Chen? How much of it do you think is true?"
Over in the mentors' section, the mentors also took advantage of the camera being elsewhere to chat in secret. Naturally, the topic was the inner voice.
The person asking was the renowned dancer Liu Jiyun, and the person being asked was the famous actor Chen Liqu.
Hearing the question, he unconsciously shook his head lightly.
"This is my first time encountering anything like this. I don't know whether to believe it or not, either."
"It's simply too supernatural. Science can't explain it at all."
Chen Liqu's answer was relatively neutral, but it did make sense. The renowned pianist Zhang Jinchen couldn't resist leaning over to join the conversation, his rather upright face looking a little troubled.
"I think it's very likely true. After all, we can all hear his **... Uh, I can't even say those two words. This isn't something ordinary powers can accomplish."
Liu Xinru, the girl group representative, also unconsciously joined her seniors' conversation. As a widely read young woman, she had believed it completely the moment she heard the inner voice.
"Seniors, I think I've seen something like this in novels. In those stories, the setting seems to be that only kindhearted people who've done a lot of good deeds can hear it."
"Bad people can't hear it, but I've noticed everyone here can. It looks like we're all kind people."
Liu Xinru was, after all, the youngest woman among the mentors, and her judgments on certain things carried a touch of innocence. Still, it had to be said that what she was saying now did make sense.
"Yes, I think that's the case, too. Although our Director Yu can be a bit of a menace sometimes."
"He really is a kindhearted person. At least, in all my years in the industry, I've never seen him use the casting couch on anyone."
"And he loves his wife very much."
Mu Nanyu turned and saw that Ji Yunqing seemed about to speak, so he deliberately spoke before him, as though opposing him. There was always a sense of rivalry in it.
When Ji Yunqing looked at Mu Nanyu, he received a provocative, slightly mocking look, just as he always did.
He sighed softly to himself, shook his head without taking it to heart, and gave a faint smile before joining their conversation.
"Anyway, there are a lot of trainees. If he can learn how everyone's future unfolds just by eating melons..."
"I think that's pretty good. If possible, let's all lend a hand. We can count it as accumulating merit for him."
Ji Yunqing's words made the others nod unconsciously. They all thought he made a great deal of sense and didn't object. Mu Nanyu didn't object either. He thought it was a good idea.
And so, before the second trainee took the stage, many people tacitly decided to help Shang Shujue in private.
They would let him gain merit as quickly as possible so he could help them escape their miserable fates and live brilliant lives of their own.
Unaware of the truth, Shang Shujue propped up his chin, complaining about how slowly things were moving. *ε=(´ο｀*))) Sigh. Two and a half hours per livestream. Can they even get through ten people?*
Yu Yang's response: Eating melons is human nature. Who told you to be able to eat melons? Just put up with it!