Chapter 21 Court Summons, House Collapse, and Ascension
Jian Mingzhou's career has completely collapsed.
Starting with Shi Yao posing as the first "Sweet Potato Sister-in-Law," followed by the second "official" sister-in-law, Ye Rou, and then the third, fourth, and fifth "sisters-in-law" who jumped out on Weibo to join in attacking the scumbag, this campaign to expose the scumbag spread wider and wider in an unexpected way, eventually even escalating to the point that the official Shanghai Municipal Government issued a statement.
The report came after the hotel called the police. Apparently, Jian Mingzhou's agent couldn't contact him, and the hotel doors were locked from the inside. Fearing a potential tragedy, the hotel management immediately called the police.
That night, the sound of sirens and ambulances filled the air at the Lika flagship store in Shanghai. When the police arrived and broke down the door, they found Jian Mingzhou unconscious on the carpet in the room, reportedly due to a sudden shock.
As Jian Mingzhou's next-door neighbor, Shi Yao naturally heard the commotion outside. While eating her fruit platter, she was in a good mood watching the real-time updates on Jian Mingzhou's house collapse on Weibo. When she saw the official report from Ping An Haishi, she almost burst out laughing.
She hadn't forgotten the real purpose of her trip; she opened the employer's chat window.
[Shi Yao: Boss, have you had your popcorn yet?]
The other side's response speed was as fast as ever.
Pei Zixuan: I ate it.
[Shi Yao: Are you satisfied?]
Pei Zixuan: Very satisfied, thank you, I will transfer the money to your card.
[Shi Yao: No need, boss, you've already paid in full, you don't need to pay anymore.]
Pei Zixuan did not reply further, but instead proved with his actions that he was not lying.
[Dear customer, your bank savings card ending in 7396 received a remittance of 500,000 yuan at 00:48:17, leaving a balance of 1,410,532.46 yuan.]
Shi Yao: !
Forgetting that she still had a face mask on, she excitedly sat up straight in bed, opened her eyes wide, and carefully counted how many zeros there were.
Ones, tens, hundreds... another five hundred thousand!
Including the 500,000 yuan he had given her before, Pei Zixuan had transferred a total of one million yuan to her. What an amazing boss!
She was so quick and generous with the money, it was almost embarrassing.
Shi Yao was so happy that her eyes narrowed. She had been a little distressed about the money she had spent on hotels, concert tickets, and luxury clothes over the past few days, but now she had no such thoughts.
[Shi Yao: Oh boss, why are you being so polite? I already said there was no need to transfer anymore. You already exceeded the limit last time, and you're making me feel really bad [shy]]
She's shy on the outside, but she's incredibly fast at taking money.
Pei Zixuan didn't reply to her directly, but instead asked:
[Pei Zixuan: Isn't that your alternate account on the sweet potato forum actually yours?]
Shi Yao raised an eyebrow. Pei Zixuan had never met her before, and none of the pictures on her Sweet Potato account showed her face. Although there were pictures on the trending topics, they were all taken by Jian Mingzhou's fans at the concert venue. They were far away and blurry, and she was also wearing sunglasses. How could Pei Zixuan recognize her like that?
[Shi Yao: Yes, boss, you recognized me?]
Pei Zixuan: You're easy to recognize.
These words startled Shi Yao. She immediately jumped out of bed, rummaged through her suitcase, found the outfit she wore to the concert that day, put on sunglasses and a hat, and stood in front of the full-length mirror, looking at herself from left to right.
Is she really that easy to recognize? Pei Zixuan recognized her even though she had never met her in person, so surely the people on Jian Mingzhou's team could recognize her too?
Although it's not a big deal that she was recognized, since Shi Yao won't be in the entertainment industry anymore anyway, it's always better to avoid trouble, especially since Jian Mingzhou's reputation has been completely ruined and his mentality must be very twisted. What if he finds out her true identity and starts harassing her?
The phone vibrated again. Shi Yao took off her sunglasses and picked up the phone, only to find it was still Pei Zixuan. He was explaining what he had just said.
[Pei Zixuan: I didn't mean your outfit made you easy to recognize. What I meant was, you're very easy for me to spot, no matter what you're dressed up as.]
Pei Zixuan: ...
The other party has retracted a message.
The other party has retracted a message.
[Pei Zixuan: Don't worry, no one else will recognize you except me]
[Pei Zixuan: Don't wear his clothes anymore, they don't suit you]
Shi Yao picked up her phone the moment the other party sent the message, so she didn't miss the two messages that the other party had retracted. As well as the few messages that the other party sent afterward, the more Shi Yao looked at them, the stranger her expression became.
Why is Pei Zixuan talking so strangely, as if he knows me very well? What do you mean he can recognize me no matter what?
Shi Yao shook her head. Never mind. She thought about it again. Pei Zixuan always spoke in this tone. There was always a kind of dry humor in their conversations before. She pretended not to see the two messages he had retracted and replied to his last sentence in a teasing tone.
[Shi Yao: Boss, I'm not wearing his clothes, you can't say that!]
[Shi Yao: Those clothes were just one of the necessary conditions for setting up the scheme. Don't worry, I definitely won't wear them again.]
[Shi Yao: But it's really expensive! It's a pity I only wore it once.]
Pei Zixuan: How much? I'll reimburse you.
[Shi Yao: No need, no need, boss, you've already transferred enough, it's enough for me to reimburse.]
Pei Zixuan didn't respond to her words, but directly transferred 100,000 yuan via WeChat.
Pei Zixuan: Is that enough?
Shi Yao: ...Help!
That's too much! How can someone just send money over a disagreement? Who can control themselves like that?
She closed her eyes, trying to force herself to resist the temptation of the 100,000 yuan transfer and return the money to Pei Zixuan. However, it was difficult to operate with her eyes closed, and her hand trembled, so she still clicked "receive payment".
Shi Yao: ...Would you believe me if I said I accidentally clicked on the payment request?
Pei Zixuan seemed to sense her hesitation and thoughtfully added another sentence.
Pei Zixuan: Please accept this. You've worked hard for so many days, you must be exhausted. You can take a good rest now. If you need more money, just let me know.
[Shi Yao: !]
[Shi Yao: That's enough, boss, that's really enough]
[Shi Yao: Stop transferring money to me!]
Otherwise, she really couldn't do it without clicking "receive payment"!
The young man on the other side of the screen chuckled, his slender, long fingers typing a line of text on the screen.
Pei Zixuan: Okay, I won't share it anymore.
Shi Yao wiped away non-existent sweat and let out a long sigh. She hadn't felt particularly tired doing the tasks, but communicating with this boss was inexplicably exhausting.
She suspects the most tiring part is having to resist the temptation of her boss to transfer money at any time.
[Shi Yao: Boss, please remember to give me a good review if you're satisfied!]
[Pei Zixuan: Okay, how should we evaluate it?]
[Shi Yao: Just mention me a couple of times when you chat with your friends in the industry and say a few good things about me. If you refer a new customer, I can give you a discount on your next order~]
Pei Zixuan: Okay, no problem.
Almost the instant he sent his reply, Shi Yao heard the announcement that the mission was complete.
[Congratulations! The key supporting character Pei Zixuan has increased your favorability by 80 points. Main quest three is complete. The quest reward has been sent to your mailbox. Please check.]
Main Quest 4 Unlocked: Gain 50 points of favorability with the main character or key supporting character. Progress: 0/50
Task Rewards: 20 Free Attribute Points, 5 Health Points, 1 Grade A or Higher Useful Item, 2 Lottery Draw Attempts
"Oh my god, host! His favorability rating has increased by 80 points! Your side quest is likely to be completed!" the system exclaimed in delight.
Shi Yao was also a little surprised. Pei Zixuan was one of the people with the highest favorability towards her. She originally thought that he could only increase her favorability towards her by 30 points at most. After all, the two had never met and were just online friends. She had no hope of completing Task 3. Unexpectedly, she exceeded the target again.
Hearing the sound of the reward being credited to her account, Shi Yao squinted her eyes happily. It was so pleasant to do business with a straightforward boss.
At this moment, she didn't even have time to check the reward details. Since Pei Zixuan was so generous, she didn't mind giving him a little free after-sales service.
Having read the original novel, she knew that Pei Zixuan would soon terminate her contract with Yue Dong Entertainment. Although the termination occurred before the building collapse incident in the original novel, it was generally within this timeframe.
Although Pei Zixuan terminated the contract decisively in the book, he agreed to many conditions from Yue Dong, the most outrageous of which was that he would still have to pay Yue Dong two years' worth of revenue after the termination. This demand was practically robbery, essentially making Pei Zixuan work for Yue Dong for free.
However, after learning the truth about the company's internal corruption, Pei Zixuan was determined to leave. Even if it meant paying a high commission, he was determined to keep his freedom in his own hands, so he agreed to Yue Dong's unreasonable conditions.
Shortly after Pei Zixuan left Yue Dong, Jian Mingzhou was embroiled in scandal. His top star left the company, and his most popular artist was also exposed to shocking scandals. Yue Dong's stock price fluctuated wildly. Due to the ripple effect, the business situations of other Yue Dong artists were also greatly affected. Even trainees who were participating in talent shows were significantly impacted, and the entire company's image was severely damaged.
It's fair to say that for the next two years, the company relied entirely on Pei Zixuan, an unofficial employee who had already terminated his contract, to earn money and support the company.
While at the company, he was a financial supporter of the entire company. Even after terminating his contract and leaving, he couldn't escape his fate. Finally, his two-year probation period expired, and he started supporting the female lead, Qiao Xi, again. Pei Zixuan's path to becoming a top star is getting more and more difficult.
Shi Yao couldn't interfere with Pei Zixuan's future choices, nor did she know if he would still choose Qiao Xi as the female lead in his music video, or even put her on the album cover. However, she could offer a small helping hand in his battle to terminate his contract.
As for what path the other party will take afterward, whether they will continue to willingly donate blood or something else, she has no say in it.
The Jian Mingzhou affair was a hot topic all night long. The female fans who were furious about the scandal were not to be underestimated. In one night, they dug up almost all of Jian Mingzhou's sisters-in-law and casual sex partners.
Of course, Shi Yao must have played a role in this, and there may have been other "real" sisters-in-law involved.
The only thing to say is, if you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place.
Jian Mingzhou thought he had hidden it well, but after tonight's dramatic night of fan backlash and backlash, it seems that his fans weren't entirely unaware of what was going on. At least those who frequently attend offline events knew something about it.
Although Jian Mingzhou doesn't date people in the entertainment industry or fans, dating a celebrity is a very special thing in itself. Very few people can completely refrain from sharing it with anyone, not to mention that there are fans with a strong desire to pry into their privacy who are watching.
The reason he hadn't been exposed before was because he lacked a catalyst like Shi Yao and solid evidence like his wife Ye Rou. This time, all the conditions were met at the same time, with perfect timing, location, and people. How could Jian Mingzhou not be exposed?
Fans are the people who have the clearest likes and dislikes. When they love you, they will willingly praise you to the heavens and will turn a blind eye to your mistakes as long as you don't make any fundamental mistakes. But if they stop loving you or even turn from love to hate, they will really trample you into the mud.
But then again, the reason why fans became completely disappointed, unfollowed, and turned against him is because Jian Mingzhou himself let down his fans and trampled on their love.
He lives off the resources provided by the company and relies on his sister-in-law's support, forgetting that his real benefactors are his fans. As an idol who debuted through a talent show, he always talks about his naive and fearless persona in interviews, but his true character is so rotten and depraved.
He only has himself to blame for all of this.
Men who can't control their lower bodies deserve to be drowned in a pig cage!
Jian Mingzhou lost three million followers on Weibo overnight. It may not sound like a lot, but those lost followers were all real people. It's hard to say how many of those who remain are genuine.
Both Jian Mingzhou's personal account and his studio's account have remained completely silent, seemingly neither prepared to clarify nor apologize, and attempting to let the matter drop.
Unfortunately, Ye Rou herself did not intend to let him off the hook. She waited all night but did not receive the apology she wanted on Weibo. Instead, she made good on her word and posted the video she had recorded the night before, showing Jian Mingzhou crying with snot and tears streaming down his face. She also sent a lawyer's letter, naming Jian Mingzhou as the defendant.
Her lawyer's letter stated that Jian Mingzhou, during their four-year relationship, not only spent a lot of her money but also enjoyed many resources she provided. While it's true Jian Mingzhou has connections in the entertainment industry, he doesn't mind making his connections even stronger, hence his tendency to play the victim with Ye Rou, hoping she would help him secure resources. Ye Rou, who used to love him deeply, naturally obeyed, but she also had a backup plan: Jian Mingzhou had to promise never to betray her, or he would have to repay everything she had given him double.
Simply put, this is a debt collection letter.
Once this debt collection letter was sent out, Jian Mingzhou couldn't pretend to be dead anymore, because Ye Rou actually sent him a court summons.
Jian Mingzhou had just woken up in the emergency room, with an IV drip still in his arm, when his manager dragged him up to film an apology video. In the video, he looked pale and sickly, which made him look somewhat pitiful, making it easy to gain sympathy.
Unfortunately, neither his fans nor netizens bought into it. The comments were all telling him to stop pretending. All celebrities who have had their scandals apologize by putting on a sick person's makeup to gain sympathy, but that kind of thing is long gone now.
Jian Mingzhou had a bitter pill to swallow. How could he convince everyone that he was genuinely ill and not faking it?
Liang Yuexian and Jian Sheng rushed to his hospital room overnight. They already knew about Jian Mingzhou's messy private life and knew that the truth would eventually come out.
That's why they've been trying so hard lately to persuade Pei Zixuan to agree to create a CP (couple pairing) with a trainee from the company.
Unexpectedly, before they could even persuade Pei Zixuan to agree, Jian Mingzhou's side was exposed first, rendering all their preparations futile and severely impacting the company's image.
Seeing Jian Mingzhou lying on the hospital bed, looking utterly dejected and miserable, I felt nothing but utter disappointment.
However, before they could come up with a better public relations strategy, another crisis erupted within the company. An anonymous poster suddenly appeared on Green Leaf, revealing Jian Mingzhou's true identity as the undisputed heir of Yue Dong, a fact known to everyone in the company. This was also the reason why Pei Zixuan, despite being far more famous, received far less treatment than him.
But that's not all. The most crucial part of this revelation is in the last paragraph, where the whistleblower suddenly reveals the truth about the debut three years ago. They say that Pei Zixuan almost didn't debut as the center because Jian Mingzhou's actual ranking wasn't within the debut positions. In order to ensure his debut, YueDong chose to swap Pei Zixuan's center position with the program team. However, because Pei Zixuan's final votes were too high—so high that if he wasn't the center, he would not only be reported by fans but also by casual viewers—the program team voluntarily gave up the deal and chose another replacement method.
This revelation instantly went viral, even surpassing the popularity of gossip among casual observers, mainly due to the fact that the other protagonist in the story is Pei Zixuan, a true top celebrity.
Pei Zixuan's fans had long known that their favorite idol was not being promoted and that the company was very biased, but they didn't know that their favorite idol had almost been abandoned by the company to take the center position. How could they tolerate that!
It can be said that Pei Zixuan's fans have hated Yue Dong and Jian Mingzhou for three years since her debut. During the audition, she received far less screen time than Jian Mingzhou, who was from the same company. So they desperately voted for Pei Zixuan to debut in the center position, hoping that this would ensure that she would receive better treatment after debuting.
As it turned out, there was no good treatment at all. At most, it was only slightly better than the super poorest person in the team. People are always more concerned about inequality than scarcity. If everyone was poor, that would be fine, but some people had exceptionally good treatment. This person was not from another company, but Jian Mingzhou, a teammate of Elantra.
How could Pei's fans not hate this!
Instead of promoting a money-making machine, you insist on promoting that money-losing royal family. It's one thing to promote them yourself, but you also drag the already poor money-making machine into a CP pairing with the money-losing royal family, as if you want to suck every drop of blood out of Pei Zixuan.
Pei's fans are practically performing rituals every day to urge Pei Zixuan to terminate her contract with Yue Dong as soon as possible. They believe that having such a leech company that drags her down is only detrimental to Pei Zixuan's career.
Jian Mingzhou's bombshell revelation shocked the entire entertainment industry, and Pei's fans were almost universally overjoyed, spending the entire night sharing and giving away prizes in celebration. But their joy didn't end there; the long-awaited evidence of contract termination suddenly surfaced.
Almost immediately, Pei Zixuan's most ardent fans decided on a strategy: all the fans would work together to demand that Yue Dong reveal the truth about their debut.
There is only one goal: Pei Zixuan must terminate his contract with YueDong!
After Shi Yao secretly released the big gossip about the internal party struggle at YueDong using her gossip group account, she went offline completely. Pei Zixuan's fan group was mature and the fans were extremely powerful. They didn't need her guidance at all; they could just wait to reap the rewards.
Although it's unclear how YueDong signed Pei Zixuan, the contract probably wasn't very lenient. While Pei Zixuan's treatment has been rather average over the past few years since her debut, she has been very obedient to YueDong. She participates in whatever variety shows they ask her to, and she helps promote which junior members they ask her to. She's practically compliant in every way. The only time she rebelled was during this CP (couple pairing) incident, because it did indeed cross Pei Zixuan's bottom line.
Shi Yao wasn't sure if Pei Zixuan knew that he was almost replaced as the center when he debuted. She guessed he probably didn't know, otherwise he wouldn't have had no resentment for three years after his debut and would have been so obedient to the company.
Now that the other party knows about this, they should start considering terminating the contract, and they probably won't consider the harsh conditions agreed upon in the original book.
I wonder if I'll ever need her help again?
To be fair, Pei Zixuan's generosity has indeed made Shi Yao crave more, and she wouldn't mind taking on a few more of such lavish orders.
The check-out time at the Rica Hotel is 2 p.m., giving guests plenty of time to prepare. So, after getting up, Shi Yao first secretly put down a melon, then stayed in bed for half a day, reluctant to get out of bed.
Sleeping in an expensive hotel just feels different. This mattress is incredibly comfortable. Shi Yao looked at the time and it was almost one o'clock. She finally got out of bed reluctantly and decided to ask the staff what brand the mattress was when she checked out. She wanted to get one for her home too.
Shi Yao, a severe phone addict, saw the Show group on the homepage after leaving the gossip group. She couldn't resist clicking into it, thinking she would just browse around and then close it. But she happened to see a birthday post floating on the homepage. She clicked on it and jumped out of bed the next second.
"Oh no, today is Ying Xiaoxu's birthday!"
Shi Yao had actually memorized his birthday the first time she saw his official photo, because it was so close to his birthday. She thought she would definitely go and call out to him on that day to cheer him on.
I was so busy with Jian Mingzhou's affairs these past few days that I completely forgot about my birthday.
"President, quickly buy me a plane ticket back to the capital, the fastest one!" Shi Yao's procrastination was cured without warning. She packed all her luggage as quickly as possible, rushed downstairs to check out, and then rushed out to hail a taxi.
Of course, she didn't forget to ask the receptionist what brand the mattress was.
The supertopic for Yingxu is filled with all sorts of birthday greetings. Although the pictures are still the same old ones, it looks much more lively than before. Some fans are even asking in the supertopic if anyone is organizing offline support activities so they can bring Yingxu some birthday gifts, since he hasn't left the factory yet.
Popular contestants usually have fan clubs organizing support activities for their birthdays, sending gifts that fans have carefully prepared, and many fan site administrators will also send messages offline to cheer on the contestants.
Previously, he was an unknown figure, so naturally no one would consider these things for him. But now, he has gained a small number of fans because of the CP posts. Although it's not a lot, at least some people are genuinely worried about him.
Unfortunately, there weren't any fans in the supertopic who could go offline. First of all, everyone had only been fans of Yingxu for a few days and was still in the stage of getting to know him before they got really into him. Secondly, most of them were CP fans, or even the kind of CP fans who just passed by and shipped him without really getting into it, so they weren't really that emotionally invested.
The post went viral, but the pairing was really weird, and there was very little content to share. Without any follow-up support, the fans' enthusiasm quickly faded.
After all, talent shows are ultimately individual battles, and pairing up celebrities is just icing on the cake, a tool to solidify popularity.
And most importantly, the results of Yi Shun's elimination have not yet been announced, and this year's competition is very strict. Fans have not yet heard the specific elimination results and all thought that Ying Xu was eliminated in the first round, so naturally they are too lazy to support him offline.
In other words, he hasn't yet attracted his first wave of dedicated fans who are truly devoted to him.
Following Shi Yao's instructions, the system booked the nearest flight back to the capital. When Shi Yao arrived at the airport, there were only forty minutes left before boarding. She ran at her fastest speed ever and finally made it to the boarding gate before boarding closed.
Don't build such a large airport for Shanghai next time; it's not good for it.
It was already 5 p.m. when Shi Yao arrived at the Capital Airport. She was in a hurry waiting for her suitcase at the carousel. As soon as she got it, she rushed to the taxi area, hailed a taxi, and headed straight to Yuyang Film and Television Base.
Fortunately, going directly from the Capital Airport to the Yuyang Film and Television Base was much closer than going from her home, taking about three hours. At Shi Yao's request, the driver sped towards Dachang at the fastest speed he had ever driven before.
But given the length of the journey, by the time she finally arrived at the film studio, it was already completely dark.
The security guards at the factory initially refused to let her in, but after Shi Yao pleaded and begged, they softened and let her in, reminding her that she had to leave by 11 p.m. at the latest, otherwise the gate would be locked.
Shi Yao readily agreed and then rushed to the park where "Shining Idol" was located.
The places where the fansite admins usually wait for trainees to finish get off work are now empty. Trainees usually finish get off work around 7 or 8 pm, although some train until late at night. But the fansite admins won't wait that late. Unlike the trainees, they don't live in dormitories that are not far from the practice room.
The park was completely silent, but Factory No. 1, which served as a practice room, was still brightly lit. Shi Yao rubbed her hands together and rummaged through her backpack for the point-and-shoot camera she had bought before.
Unfortunately, she couldn't find it. She thought back and realized that she had indeed forgotten to bring it with her when she set off.
Fine, I'll just use my phone then.
Shi Yao silently berated herself in her heart, saying that she had said she wanted to be a fan site admin, but she forgot to install the camera she bought.
I don't know if I'll ever get the promise...
I think so. This kid always practices until the wee hours of the morning.
Hopefully he won't practice too late today, otherwise she'll have to go back.
Before she knew it, Shi Yao had been waiting outside for half an hour. There was nowhere to sit outside Factory No. 1, so she could only pace back and forth to avoid her legs going numb.
But she got tired after walking for a while, so she could only ignore the dust and sit on the side of the road, resting her head against her suitcase.
...
Yingxu practiced until the practice room was empty before packing her bag to leave.
He glanced at the time; it was already 10:30. He had originally planned to practice until the early hours of the morning, but since it was his birthday, he hesitated for a moment and decided to finish a little early and secretly light a candle for himself as a celebration.
Yingxu silently packed his canvas bag; in fact, he hadn't received a single "Happy Birthday" from him today.
Of course, this is normal. Currently, none of the trainees in the factory knew his birthday. His original roommates did know, but they were all eliminated and now live in the apartment complex reserved for eliminated contestants, so they can't see him. He hasn't gotten to know his new roommates yet, so naturally they haven't talked about birthdays.
He could tell that his new roommate wasn't lacking in experience to get to know him, but rather that she didn't want to, or rather, she didn't want to waste time getting to know him.
All the people who could barely speak to him before were eliminated in the first round. At this moment, he was the most awkward one among the 60 surviving trainees. He was as unknown in the factory as he was online, and even less known than online. After all, he had recently gained some fans because of Shi Yao.
Nobody understood why he advanced; everyone thought he was just incredibly lucky, perhaps because fans of some popular contestant voted for him during a decoy vote, which is why he survived.
Everyone basically assumed he would be eliminated in the next round, so no one talked to him, not even his current performance group.
The selection of songs for the second public performance is based on the ranking of the trainees. The number of people for each song is limited, and trainees with higher rankings choose first. The lower the ranking, the more disadvantageous it is, because the remaining songs are usually either too difficult or too common, which is not good for the actual performance.
Yingxu miraculously jumped to 44th place in the rankings and was lucky enough to get the song he wanted, which was for the dance group. He originally thought that even if he could advance, he would only be forced to sing a very difficult rap song because of his low ranking.
The average ranking of the group he's in now, apart from him, is around 20th. The highest ranking is 11th, which isn't too high but definitely not low either. At least advancing to the next round shouldn't be a problem. The person ranked 11th could even be aiming for a debut spot.
And he was the one who dragged the team down.
On the day of song selection, Yingxu did not miss his teammates who clearly showed disappointment on their faces when they saw that he was the last person in the group. He really wanted to ignore them, but unfortunately, it wasn't just one person who showed disappointment, but all of them.
The second round is a position evaluation, which is not only an individual battle but also a team battle. Each group in each position has to compete against each other. The team with the most votes on site can get extra votes. There are four teams in the dance group, so the competition is very fierce. The team with more popular contestants has an advantage.
Therefore, it's normal for his teammates to be unhappy about his joining the team.
He readily accepted that he was not popular, since he didn't really need anyone's attention anyway.
Others don't want to know him, and he doesn't want to know others either.
When the parts were assigned, he didn't deliberately hold back and actively competed for the center position. Although he wanted to get along well with his teammates, this was a talent show, so of course he had to try his best to show himself. Becoming an idol has always been his original aspiration. He had worked so hard to advance, so how could he waste such a precious performance opportunity?
Even though he wasn't chosen for the center position, and even though he ended up with the fewest part of all the parts, he wasn't discouraged.
He comforted himself by saying that he was already very lucky to be able to stand on the stage.
Since the end of Yi Shun, he has been feeling a vague sense of confusion.
He always felt that God was playing a joke on him.
If you say he's been good to the show, he's never been favored by the camera and hasn't even met a single fan in person. If you say he's been bad to the show, he somehow managed to advance without any warning and even encountered a mysterious studio.
Yingxu can honestly say that he never missed a single opportunity to perform after joining the factory, and he gave it his all every time, but the results were always... disappointing. This time, the selection of the center position was the same. In fact, the dance skills of the other teammates were far inferior to his, especially the contestant who ranked eleventh. However, in the end, the center position was not chosen by him but by the eleventh contestant. They even tacitly gave him the fewest parts, claiming that he was the most suitable.
Just when he was about to give up, fate would pull him back, only to watch him struggle and fall into a new despair. He even felt that the hand that pulled him back wasn't meant to help him, but rather to watch his pathetic struggle a little longer.
Why? Was his all-out effort wrong? He just wanted a little positive feedback, to let him know that his efforts weren't in vain. Why couldn't he have that?
Is the direction he's been pursuing truly wrong?
It is known that among the popular contestants, some are popular because they have a powerful company, some because they have their own fans, and some because they know how to curry favor with popular contestants, thus boosting their popularity as a result.
Shi Yao had previously told him to interact more with popular contestants whenever it was convenient and voluntary, but he hasn't done so yet.
Because he didn't want to, he only wanted to make friends with people he liked, not for any other purpose. In this round of performances, besides the center position, the sub-dancer 1 and sub-dancer 2 also had quite a few parts, and the two who got these two parts happened to be the two people who had the best relationship with the eleventh-ranked trainee, or rather, the two people who were best at currying favor with the eleventh-ranked trainee.
The performance voting is based on popularity, so each group has unconsciously started to rank and idolize each other. This is quite normal. Everyone feels that the voting is carried by the most popular contestants, and the lower the ranking, the less say you have. If you don't know how to socialize, your situation will be even worse.
The group's dance practice hasn't been going well these past few days because the teammates are intentionally ostracizing Yingxu, because he's not a team player.
But Yingxu also has his own temper. He is good at learning dance moves and doesn't need his teammates to guide him. When others practice their movements but don't call on him, wanting to see him make mistakes in front of the mentors, he will practice by himself and master the movements of all five people. No matter how much they exclude him, he can still keep up.
He was exhausted from practicing in the practice room, and things weren't much better when he got back to the dorm. His new roommates didn't openly ostracize him like his teammates did during the performance, but they were deliberately ignoring his presence. They wouldn't invite him to any group activities, as if he didn't live in the dorm.
These past few days, Yingxu has been staying in the practice room until late at night before returning to his dorm, partly because of this. Although he is used to being alone, the feeling of being deliberately ignored is not pleasant.
He felt like a transparent person in this big factory; no one remembered him, and no one cared about him.
He didn't know if his roommates would be there when he got back to the dorm; they often went out to visit other dorms. Ideally, they wouldn't be there, so he could light his own candles and celebrate his birthday in peace, without having to think about what excuse to use to answer his roommates' questions.
She tried to comfort herself by pretending to be nonchalant, saying it didn't matter that she didn't receive a "Happy Birthday" message. Her first birthday starting with the number 20 was more meaningful because it was special.
He turned off the air conditioner and lights in the practice room, checked the door lock, and then walked out the door. He hummed a tune from the Second Master while subconsciously glancing at the main gate of Factory No. 1.
There shouldn't be anyone left, right? They all have schedules and know what time the trainees get off work. The popular ones have already left... Hmm, I think there is?
A dark gray shadow was huddled on the curb by the main entrance. It was too dark for him to see clearly, and he had to try to make out what looked like a suitcase after a while.
Why is there a suitcase on the side of the road...?
Suddenly, a shadow sprang up next to the suitcase, startling Yingxu.
She was a tall, thin young girl. She seemed to have numb legs. After suddenly standing up, she curled up and squatted back down for a while before grimacing and standing up again.
Yingxu had excellent eyesight and adapted to the darkness after a while, so he could see the other person's expression clearly. He couldn't help but laugh at the other person's actions, and his lips, which had been suppressed for several days, relaxed slightly.
Is this a fan site admin? No, she's probably just a regular casual fan. Judging from the suitcase next to her, she probably came straight here to see her idols as soon as she arrived in the capital. It must have been quite a journey to wait this late, but unfortunately, all the other trainees have already left, so it's destined to be a wasted trip.
He glanced at the other person again and suddenly felt that the person looked somewhat familiar.
The young girl was also trying hard to see him, but her eyesight was obviously not as good as his. She craned her neck and squinted for a long time but still couldn't see him clearly. Just when he couldn't help but want to tell her directly that there was no one left in the practice room and that she shouldn't wait any longer, the girl suddenly spoke up.
She seemed to have finally seen Yingxu's features clearly and confirmed his identity. Her dark almond-shaped eyes lit up little by little, and a look of surprise appeared on her face: "Yingxu! It really is you! Thank goodness you haven't left!"
Now it was Yingxu's turn to be at a loss. Of course, he heard the other person calling his name and could hear the surprise in the other person's voice. His brain seemed to rust for a moment as he struggled to analyze the meaning of the other person's words.
She said, "Great, I haven't left yet. She's... waiting for me?"
Her beautiful peach blossom eyes gradually welled up with tears. Yingxu pointed to herself with some difficulty and said hesitantly, "Are you... waiting for me?"
"Yes! I've been waiting for you." The girl nodded without hesitation, revealing a bright smile. "I've been waiting for you for so long."
Promised fingers suddenly clenched.
It turns out, there are still people who remember him.
Author's Note: Thank you all for your support! Today's chapter will still have a small red envelope for leaving a comment. However, this book will be put on the shelf tomorrow, so I won't be able to update at midnight. The update time will be postponed to 11 pm. Please wait a little while, but I will definitely update on time at 11 pm!
And then I'd like to promote my pre-order again, "I Became the King of Jade Gambling in Hong Kong in the 1990s". If you're interested, please add it to your favorites. I'll remind you when it starts!
Synopsis: The news that the Ning family's youngest daughter had been found shocked Jade Stone Lane. Every household sent their younger relatives to the Ning family's shops to inquire about the situation, but they all returned dejectedly.
He was sent back by the eldest son of the Ning family.
Some people say, "I heard that the Ning family's youngest daughter has become mentally challenged and can only smile foolishly at people. The Ning family was already barely surviving, and if this news gets out, all their old customers will probably leave!"
Everyone felt sorry for them.
"That little girl from the Ning family is a genius at gambling on stones. When she was just a tiny little girl, she was even more accurate than her father."
"Back then, everyone said that the Ning family had produced such a genius, and they were destined for great things. Who could have imagined..."
"It seems the Ning family is really doomed. What a pity!"
The crowd dispersed, leaving behind a scene of schadenfreude.
To everyone's surprise, Ning Fengkai, the eldest son of the Ning family, made an unprecedented appearance at the public auction three days later, accompanied by a fair-skinned and pretty young girl!
Just as everyone was wondering who this little girl was, they saw Ning Fengkai take her advice and spend all his savings to buy a whole eighty-ton pile of waste rock that had been sitting on the plate for three years!
The Ning family has truly gone mad. It seems that their youngest daughter becoming mentally challenged has been a huge blow to them, and they've all started to give up on themselves.
After the stone was opened, it turned out to be completely filled with green, with a burst of spring purple on the side. The cut surface was smooth without a single crack, and the starting price instantly increased a thousandfold, making everyone green with envy.
Young Master Ning just smiled mysteriously, ignoring everyone's orders, and went home with the young girl, carrying the stones.
Wait a minute, who is that little girl?
Yesterday, Ah Rong, who had squeezed into the Ning family's shop, suddenly stammered, "She...she's the Ning family's youngest daughter!"
*
Ning Xu was different from others from birth; she could sense the state of jadeite rough and know what it looked like inside without cutting it open.
When she was three years old, she met an old Taoist priest who insisted that she had extraordinary talent and took her to travel to various worlds. She followed the old Taoist priest through various worlds for eighteen years, seeing countless stones, until the old Taoist priest passed away and sent her back.
When she returned home, her parents and brothers were initially overjoyed, but then deeply saddened, saying that before she left, her family was a wealthy and powerful family in the jade gambling industry, but now that she had returned, they were just a dilapidated household.
Ning Xu smiled nonchalantly and said, "So what? I'll help our family rise again. Who cares about the Hou family or the Song family? From now on, the Ning family will be the only leader in the jade gambling industry."
Her brother smiled and patted her head without saying a word.
Ning Xu didn't care what he thought, and simply said: "How about this, brother, you come with me to the public auction, and we'll gamble on stones again, how about it?"
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