In the expectant gazes of everyone, Song Xi slowly removed her mask.
And just as she had predicted, everyone's expressions froze.
Especially Qin Feng, his face turned ashen.
How could it be her!!
The thought of how he had been fawning over Song Xi like a sycophant just moments ago made his face turn green.
The atmosphere seemed to come to a standstill.
Everyone had their own thoughts, but there was more regret and pity. How could a female guest with such excellent zither skills be her! If only it were someone else.
Everyone's attitude did a 180-degree turn. Some even suggested giving up, making the situation extremely awkward.
Only Ye Tian was incredibly excited. He tugged at Tao Qingyu and said, "Sister Xi, pick us, pick us!"
Song Xi also wanted to finish quickly, so she went along with the flow, "Alright then, I'll pick the fourth group."
Others breathed a sigh of relief.
The host: "Congratulations to the fourth group!"
After Song Xi stepped down, Ye Tian couldn't wait to find her to catch up, but he was stopped by Tao Qingyu.
He had heard before that Ye Tian and Song Xi had a good relationship, but he didn't expect it to be true.
He had thought Ye Tian had regained his spirit because of him, but now it seemed that was not the case.
This made Tao Qingyu feel a hint of displeasure.
He considered Ye Tian a good friend, and often tried to motivate him and give him pep talks, but this guy still seemed listless, always ready to be eliminated. Yet today, upon seeing Song Xi, he became so excited, as if he had lost his mind. Was it necessary?
While he admitted Song Xi was beautiful and talented, and that she had bravely used the "green tea" meme to tease him, still, was it necessary, was it really necessary?
... As it turned out, it was quite necessary.
After the selection process ended, Ye Tian, without explanation, dragged Tao Qingyu to meet Song Xi.
They were no longer filming at this point.
Tao Qingyu was a bit nearsighted. He had been far away earlier, so he could only sense that Song Xi must be quite beautiful, otherwise, the people around him wouldn't have made gasping sounds.
Now, face to face, Tao Qingyu stared at the woman's exquisite features and instinctively let out a "hiss—"
Ye Tian: "?"
Seeing Song Xi, Ye Tian had many things to say, but he didn't forget to introduce his good friend.
"Sister Xi, this is my good buddy from the big factory, Tao Qingyu."
He pushed him forward, but to his surprise, the usually coordinated Tao Qingyu slipped, performing a 180-degree split right in front of them.
Song Xi: "..."
Ye Tian: "..."
Tao Qingyu: "........."
In over twenty years of his life, Tao Qingyu had never been so embarrassed in front of a female artist. He fled in a panic.
Ye Tian quickly chased after him.
Song Xi stood in place, stunned for a long time, before finally bursting into laughter.
When Qin Feng came out, he saw Song Xi laughing.
He thought she was mocking him. He looked around, then walked forward with a dark expression.
"What are you laughing at!"
He shouted at her, luckily no one was around.
Qin Feng said fiercely, "Stop being so smug, just wait for death. Getting involved with a fool like Ye Tian means your whole group will be finished!"
"Also, don't talk to me, I don't want any connection with you!"
He was focused on his career now. The company said this was his last chance to make a comeback. If he missed it, even the king of heaven couldn't save him.
So Qin Feng was determined to debut this time and would show no mercy to anyone who stood in his way!
"Oh, really?" Just then, someone walked over, and Song Xi took the opportunity to say, "Brother Qin Feng~"
This startled Qin Feng, who quickly said, "It wasn't me," and ran off.
Song Xi sneered. Seeing a young boy, she quickly called out, "Hello, I'd like to ask about Ye Tian..."
The young boy was dazed by her gentle tone and spilled all the beans.
Meanwhile, in City A.
Lou Yuming called Shao Cheng and told him about Anna taking medication.
Shao Cheng roared on the phone, "She's always causing trouble, what does she want! Don't bother with her!"
These words were clearly spoken in anger. If his grandmother, who liked Anna so much, were to suffer any harm, he would be solely responsible.
After a while, Shao Cheng's anger subsided, and he said, "The flights are sold out today, I'll be back tomorrow."
Lou Yuming said calmly, "No rush, she's in the hospital now. I can have Yao Yifan look after her."
Shao Cheng sneered, "Unless you take care of her yourself, she won't be at peace."
He understood his sister's temperament.
Lou Yuming furrowed his brows, seemingly conceding to Shao Cheng's words, "Just one night, it's fine."
"No," Shao Cheng was unhappy with him getting close to Anna. After thinking for a moment, he suggested, "How about Song Xi?"
"No," Lou Yuming refused without hesitation.
Shao Cheng said, "You're protecting her so much."
Lou Yuming replied, "No, she went to City B early this morning."
"Why did she go to City B?"
"Work."
Speaking of which, he should give her a call.
Something flashed through Shao Cheng's mind.
It was too coincidental. Song Xi left today, and Anna took medication that evening. Could she have done it on purpose, wanting to take advantage of Song Xi's absence to do something?
Shao Cheng began to worry about Lou Yuming and warned him, "No matter what Anna gives you, don't accept it, and don't eat it."
Hearing this, Lou Yuming's brow furrowed.
After the conversation, Lou Yuming found Song Xi's number and dialed it.
But she didn't pick up.
At this moment, Anna started calling him from her hospital room.
"Yuming..."
Lou Yuming looked at the WeChat interface. There were still a few messages Song Xi had sent that morning, filled with worry.
The corners of his lips curved. He lightly tapped the screen with his fingertip and sent a hug emoji.
[Don't worry, I'm fine.]
After sending the message, Lou Yuming put his phone in his pocket and turned towards the hospital room.
Anna clutched her chest and cried out in pain on the bed.
"Yuming... I'm feeling a bit unwell..."
Recalling Shao Cheng's warning from earlier, Lou Yuming couldn't help but be vigilant, although he felt that a woman like her couldn't do anything to him.
"I'll call the doctor."
"Yuming!"
Anna reached out to grab his clothes, and then fell out of bed, landing on the floor.
"It hurts..."
She had fallen quite hard.