Suspension Bridge Effect

Chu Yiqi paused for a moment, then decisively chose to ignore the faint electrical noise and continued singing as if nothing had happened, but slightly adjusted her tone and singing style.

Anella nodded.

Xi Ai frowned and reached for the microphone, but because she had been hiding to the side, no one saw her move.

The sound from the speakers seemed a bit low, unlike when they were adjusted before. They were quite sensitive to this, but there's a right way to play something low. The main issue was the occasional crackling or buzzing of electrical current, which was a bit ear-piercing.

Chu Yiqi remained outwardly calm, but she couldn't help feeling a little flustered. Even if it was a performance that wasn't scored, she didn't want to leave any regrets—it would only leave a bad impression.

It was like a panicked and unexpected situation due to lack of preparation.

Xi Ai joined in early, and a sentence in English came from a voice different from Chu Yiqi's. As a result, the stage style changed, and even the slightest electronic music seemed like a well-designed stage.

After a long period of interruption, the person who had struggled to the end was rescued and secured victory.

Chu Yiqi looked up, and Xi Ai stood not far away beside her. Across the wooden bridge over the Lanxi River, separated by countless molecules, they saw each other's eyes.

So the radio station connected to the signal, and a broadcast began as scheduled.

"Save those dirty tricks."

As she sang this part, Xi Ai looked up at Chu Yiqi. She actually wanted to laugh, but when she saw that Chu Yiqi's expression was normal, her competitive spirit was amplified and extended.

It's like an oxygen tank suddenly bursting open, with every molecule screaming and spreading out of control.

How can someone with formal training in acting be outdone by someone who studied music?

How embarrassing.

Xi Ai's expression changed, she crossed the bridge, and turned to look at the audience with Chu Yiqi.

"Wow--"

Chu Yiqi and Xi Ai looked at each other, not thinking that this was because the climax had just passed.

The answer reached your ears the next moment: "Shooting star!"

It was an extraordinary coincidence.

So even in a hazy dream years later, Chu Yiqi would still feel his heart stop for a moment, and then speed up as if it were about to go on strike.

In his dream, Chu Yiqi was exceptionally clear-headed as he observed his past self, and the stirrings he had once felt were vividly recreated.

This is it.

Perhaps it was the first anthill that induced the breach of the dike to begin construction, the first butterfly flapping its wings as the storm pushed forward, and her first wrong step that gradually led her to sink.

It's all here.

However, Chu Yiqi at the time attributed this instantaneous reaction to the illusion of the suspension bridge effect.

But that's not how it works.

This was a genuine feeling of being moved, the most ordinary truth among her countless acts of self-deception.

Thus, Chu Yiqi looked away and failed to catch the fleeting disappearance of the shooting star, which was irreversible.

The microphone suddenly went silent. Chu Yiqi glanced at Xi Ai instinctively, but his expression remained calm. Xi Ai, receiving his look, once again disrupted the established plan and joined the chorus.

Her mouth was even faster than her nerves.

The next moment, the voices of the two people drowned out the artificially muted microphone.

It also ironically corresponds to the lyrics.

"They want you to shut up."

“F**k fairness.” Xi Ai blurted out, even slightly altering her words.

Chu Yiqi was slightly surprised, but the line from the chorus had no effect: "I insist on finding my own voice."

The official performance was the day after tomorrow, so Chu Yiqi avoided his enemies for the next two days, having no chance to settle scores.

Then we'll wait for the post-war settlement; that's when we'll settle the accounts.

"Will they really know how to use it?"

"Probably." Xi Ai was making lemon water at the time. Upon hearing this, she slightly raised her eyes, her gaze falling lightly before drifting back down.

Chu Yiqi asked with some doubt, "Are you so sure?"

"You forgot something very important." Xi Ai closed her water glass, swirling it as she spoke, looking exactly like a hunter sitting in the back waiting to reel in the net—or rather, a hunter sitting high up with a god-like view. "Your name isn't on our composition or arrangement list. And...did you even bring your own laptop?"

Chu Yiqi nodded, then remembered something else and said, "And you changed the time, right? That's a subtle psychological suggestion."

Xi Ai nodded.

That day, she changed the time in front of Chu Yiqi and said, "They shouldn't be able to see this bug, and they won't notice it."

Chu Yiqi frowned slightly, and asked her, "How do you know this?"

"I only encountered it when I was in school, and then I studied it specifically. I don't know anything else," Xi Ai said casually.

"Oh." Chu Yiqi felt a little uneasy, and thought that she should learn some programming when she had time.

They looked at each other.

Actually, we all know what each other is keeping.

The terms "vindictive and scheming" are not suitable for this matter. At most, it can be considered that he deserved it and suffered the consequences of his own actions.

Group B's performance was scheduled for later.

So the whole group listened to the previous songs in the preparation room with a very strange feeling.

I listened to the adaptation of Xi Ai's music.

Then a consensus was reached.

Xi Ai shrugged indifferently, feigning innocence and fearlessness: "I don't know, our charity work doesn't usually cover that much ground."

"But I just think my lyrics are particularly good."

"The choreography must be the MVP."

"Get out of the way, lyrics come first."

"Alright." Chu Yiqi watched them argue, but as a participant in the choreography, she didn't get involved. She spoke in a pretentious tone, just like Xi Ai's usual sarcastic manner: "Who is Parrot? It's so hard to guess."

Xi Ai chuckled, relieved that there was no recording here for the time being. She said, "One-click to collect the damaged reading pen."

"Only Red Kangaroo is heard."

"You're really picky."

"We're all really crazy."

"Birds of a feather flock together." Xi Ai adjusted her belt and gave a very objective assessment.

"Actually, people group themselves together based on their similarities."

Chu Yiqi smiled and said, "Can you use a positive word?"

Xi Ai: "Then we share the same ideals."

Chu Yiqi pursed his lips and objectively gave the standard answer for reading comprehension: "This word is really derogatory in your case, the irony is top-notch."

"..."

Zhou Yangxi quietly nudged Zhou Qingxi, then turned off her mic and whispered in her ear, "It's starting again."

Why are you so excited?

"But they're really interesting."

"A mortal enemy is a mortal enemy."

“My nemesis is my lover.” Zhou Yangxi read with great interest.

Zhou Qingxi covered her microphone and looked at Xi Ai: "The widow is being slandered."

"Is anyone going to do anything about this going off-topic?"

"I've already mentioned it, the reading pen appreciation competition."

"Xi Ai, I never expected you to be like this, Xi Ai."

"That's so poisonous."

Chu Yiqi stood up and straightened her clothes. She was usually incredibly tough on herself during practice, so this moment was surprisingly relaxed: "Do you have a drug resistance? How come you weren't poisoned to death?"

The advantage of half-live and half-edited broadcasts becomes apparent at this time; at least these nonsensical remarks won't be executed on the spot.

The group laughed for a while, and the tense atmosphere before the event was dispelled.

During the break, Chu Yiqi faced off against the person who had just finished performing. He then witnessed firsthand what it meant for a petty person to gain power.

She almost wanted to call Xi Ai over to learn some acting material, so that she wouldn't be unrealistic when she wanted to play a villain in the future.

But what does it have to do with me?

So Chu Yiqi walked over with her head down, suppressing a hint of resentment and forbearance.

It was so good for Xi Ai that she didn't enter the entertainment industry.

Chu Yiqi mentally gave herself a thumbs up, then pressed it down, because she realized that Xi Ai was even better at acting than she was.

It's unfair to her to be named Best Newcomer.

Chu Yiqi shook off some of his inexplicable thoughts and then caught up with the others.

They had only sung a few lines when the audience became quite agitated, and even the people recording the performance hesitated.

For a moment, it was unclear who was in the most awkward position in this meeting room and live broadcast room.

After the performance, the previous group was already waiting. Anna tapped the table, her expression extremely serious.

Sisley suddenly remembered that Anna had handled another matter in the same way a long time ago, and it was particularly intimidating.

I'm so sorry, I've been involved in both of these incidents.

"Let me talk about the first draft I wrote."

Zhou Qingxi nodded: "I'll handle the post-production arrangement; I'll see what I'm doing."

Neither side seemed nervous, and since the live stream couldn't be turned off, they had no choice but to continue awkwardly.

Fortunately, all four groups have now finished their performances.

Xi Ai was unusually serious at this moment, as if she were negotiating for every penny at the negotiating table.

"You wrote it yourselves, right?"

"certainly."

Their thinking was that they already knew Chu Yiqi didn't bring his computer, so every song was a unique backup. Now that they wanted to get evidence, it wouldn't be so easy.

"Can I request to watch a video?" Xi Ai looked at Anna, who, though he had some doubts, nodded after considering the matter and discussing it with the other mentors.

So Xi Ai took out a tablet from in front of the camera and pulled out a video from a long time ago.

She set the timer to about a minute and then played a melody. It was a piano solo, and it sounded very familiar.

It overlaps significantly with their main theme today.

Anna suddenly frowned.

The video continued playing, but the focus shifted away from it; however, Chu Yiqi listened to it all.

Xi Ai smiled and called out, "Miss Shi, please don't take pictures of her face."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Xi, I've already recorded it, including your expensive dress."

“You’re terrible.” Xi Ai continued playing the cello, then paused slightly, but quickly recovered.

Did you play it wrong?

Xi Ai, being extremely proud, said, "Of course not, it wasn't that smooth."

"Nonsense, you didn't play it like this when we went to the dinner party this morning."

"Please mute."

The speculation that Shi Yunshan was the one who recorded the video was quickly confirmed, as Shi Yunshan suddenly spoke up: "I recorded the video. It was during the final performance rehearsal when I was on exchange at the Royal Academy of Arts a long time ago."

Anna nodded, having made her judgment, and then stared at the other side.

"Does this segment prove that the rest is authentic? Our original audio is from a month ago, and we have archives for all subsequent adaptations."

Xi Ai almost laughed.

Chu Yiqi silently watched Xi Ai, who didn't dare to turn around and look at him, afraid that she would burst out laughing first.

"This is such a familiar scene." Xi Ai couldn't help but laugh, but quickly picked up her acting skills again in front of the camera.

Anna glanced at her, vaguely guessing a certain possibility, but didn't say it outright. She just looked at the people from the technical team again.

"Wait a moment, we just restored the computers in both groups. Group B's timeline is from three months ago, but..." She turned to the other group, "You, the earliest timeline is from the last two weeks."

Zhou Qingxi chuckled, and Chu Yiqi quickly lowered her head and bit her lower lip.

How could someone just happen to arrive at such a coincidence? It's like a play that was directed and acted by the actors themselves.

It was a somewhat terrible but very funny scene that we couldn't call "cut".

Perhaps this could be considered one of Xi Ai's mistakes.

However... from another perspective, it's truly a fast-paced and satisfying drama.

The plot continues in some chaotic moments, but Chu Yiqi can no longer dream of it. So, Chu Yiqi, who was watching from the sidelines, recalls the rest of the story.

Anna came to her senses and, having secretly asked Xi Ai, but in front of Chu Yiqi, asked, "You deliberately set this up, didn't you?"

"Why?"

"I've always been a somewhat shady person, so I like to be implicated by others and to seek revenge," Xi Ai said nonchalantly, without any intention of revealing Chu Yiqi's identity.

Was she blocking your way?

"Oh, no, it just reminded me of some people from the past. I tend to act impulsively, so it affects my state of mind."

"Can't you... speak properly?"

Xi Ai remained silent, and Anna didn't ask any further questions, only glancing at Chu Yiqi out of the corner of her eye after leaving the room.

She always felt that Chu Yiqi was not as innocent and harmless as he seemed.

It turns out that this might actually be true.

They are vengeful and will seek revenge for even the smallest wrongdoing.

There was no time for Chu Yiqi to think too much, because she saw that the background of her dream self had changed, and Xi Ai was now by her side.