Chapter 42
“The voting segment is about to begin. Linxia, can you help the band get some votes?” the host said.
Xia Linxia shouted, “If you don’t vote, I don’t vote, and Silence will be sad enough to go bald! One vote for you, one vote for me, and Silence will send you a padded jacket!”
Audience: “Hahahaha!”
The host joked, “Will you really send a padded jacket?”
The lead singer blushed, “Yes.”
Xia Linxia smiled, then her playful expression turned serious. She said sincerely, “I hope everyone will support them. Support rock music. The stage should be inclusive. No matter what kind of music it is, there should be people who understand its content. Regardless of today’s outcome, please feel free to listen to their songs at music festivals or ZERO when you have time. It’ll double your happiness!”
“Great!!!” The audience cheered.
After rallying for votes, Xia Linxia went offstage with the band members. They exchanged smiles, and the lead singer said with a laugh, “Thank you. We definitely chose the right person this time.”
Xia Linxia nodded in agreement, “Remember to call me if you have any more performances in the future. I’ll do it for free.”
“That would be wonderful.”
After a brief chat, the band members had to return backstage to prepare for their final solo performance.
Xia Linxia remained in place, gazing at the audience. A voice sounded beside her, “Are you looking for me?”
She turned her head and saw Ji Fengxue, who had appeared at some point. She was smiling at Xia Linxia, who happily said, “You really came!”
“Otherwise? You even prepared a sign for me,” Ji Fengxue said with a helpless smile.
Xiang Huaimeng’s eyelids twitched. These two were chatting by the stage as if no one else was around, constantly showing affection. It was terrifyingly professional.
She couldn’t help but step forward to interrupt their harmonious scene, “Let’s go backstage to chat. We’re still filming the show.”
“Oh, right.” Xia Linxia led her to the backstage lounge. Wanting to stay a bit longer to see the results, she pushed the fruit platter on the table towards Ji Fengxue. “Have something to eat. I’ll check the final scores.”
The lounge wasn’t large, with only one large and one small sofa. Xiang Huaimeng sat on the smaller one, leaving Xia Linxia no choice but to plop down next to Ji Fengxue. Her eyes were fixed on the final vote count. As the host began to read out the numbers, she clenched her fists.
When the tens digit was announced, she gritted her teeth.
When the hundreds digit was finally revealed, she screamed, “Ahhhhhhhhh! Are we first?!”
“No.”
Xia Linxia’s smile froze, and she immediately looked at Xiang Huaimeng.
Xiang Huaimeng confirmed, “You’re only one vote behind the first place.”
“Why is it always this kind of tragedy? We’re always one step away from first place!” Xia Linxia slumped onto the sofa, rubbing against the backrest in frustration. She accidentally brushed against the person next to her.
Her gaze inadvertently swept over, and she remembered Ji Fengxue was still there. She secretly glanced over and saw Ji Fengxue watching her every move intently, her eyes full of amusement, clearly enjoying the show. Xia Linxia immediately sat up straight, putting on a dignified air, like a demon queen, and stroked her hair, saying coldly, “I’ve helped them enough. From now on, they’ll have to fend for themselves.”
As she finished speaking, Xiang Huaimeng pointed at the TV, “They’re scheduled to perform first. They’ll be on stage again soon.”
“Ahhhhhhhhh! Silence, go for it!” Xia Linxia scrambled to the front of the TV, cheering wildly. As the music started, she began to sing along.
Xiang Huaimeng glanced helplessly at Ji Fengxue, only to find her watching with great interest, a smile on her face. Her gaze wasn’t on the show, but on the person in front of the TV.
Something felt strange, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint it. However, she had more important things to do, like monitoring online comments and preparing to control the narrative and combat negative publicity.
Since the final round was live, the moment she opened the program, she saw them preparing props on stage. The camera then cut to the resting rooms of several singers, and that’s when she heard Xia Linxia’s frantic shouting.
Xiang Huaimeng: “……”
[Hahahaha, I’m going to die laughing from Xia Linxia.]
[The style changed so drastically. This howling person is completely different from the one on stage just now, hahaha.]
[The little girl has two faces. How many more surprises do you have that we don’t know about?]
[This is exactly like me screaming for my oppa, hahaha.]
[Wow, Ji Fengxue is sitting behind her. What a perfect match!]
[Xia Linxia should participate in more events like this, so she can bring two along and let us feast our eyes!]
[“Meeting One Summer” has a new edited video! Everyone go watch it on Bilibili, so cute!]
[Stubborn Silence must win first place!!!]
[I’ve really fallen for Xia Linxia. She’s so charming! I thought she was an arrogant traffic artist, but I didn’t expect her to be so silly! It’s one thing if it’s once or twice, but if she’s always this silly, it’s definitely not an act for the cameras. She might be even sillier in private, hahaha.]
[Ever since Xia Linxia started dating, she’s really thrown her idol image to the Himalayas.]
[Why invite traffic artists to this kind of show? Is the production team also chasing money? Ultimately, they can’t resist the trend of traffic everywhere. Why ruin their reputation at the finale of a good variety show?]
[No bias, Xia Linxia’s performance was really good. It broke my perception of traffic idols. I guess many people, like me, have prejudices against traffic artists. But honestly, we can’t just dismiss their abilities. Having traffic, popularity, and fans is not an easy feat in itself.]
Hateful comments from anti-fans still existed, but Xiang Huaimeng would keep some harmless ones. After all, too much control could backfire. Having both support and criticism was the norm in the entertainment industry.
Xia Linxia turned her head and saw Xiang Huaimeng looking at her phone. She asked familiarly, “Someone’s blackening me again?”
“It’s okay, not as much as I expected. As soon as a hater appears, the solo fans, CP fans, and Teacher Ji’s fans push them down. As expected, this CP is powerful and has earned a lot of labor,” Xiang Huaimeng said with a smile.
“Sister Yuan is indeed brilliant,” Xia Linxia praised. She was quite happy about the recent decrease in negative comments. She could ignore it herself, but when some extremists involved her family, she couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
Life had become much easier with fewer arguments and insults. She felt no aches or pains and could even climb five flights of stairs without getting winded. Even looking at Ji Fengxue seemed to make her more attractive.
She returned to the sofa, about to say a few words to the beautiful woman, when Chen Nian burst in, panting.
“Ji Fengxue, you’re getting bolder and bolder!” Chen Nian said resentfully, closing the door and sitting down. She picked up a bottle of water, took two large gulps, and began to scold, “Why are you running around everywhere by yourself? What if the media catches you? They’ll fabricate all sorts of accusations. Also, do you know how dangerous it is to get out of the car? You’re about to start filming soon, can’t you have some safety awareness? Don’t be like last time and get heatstroke midway…”
“What’s going on?” Xia Linxia frowned slightly as she listened to Chen Nian’s lengthy lecture. “What are you doing, scolding her like that?”
Ji Fengxue looked at her in surprise and said with a low laugh, “Are you defending me?”
“Of course. Next time Huaimeng scolds me, remember to defend me too,” Xia Linxia whispered in her ear, then turned to Chen Nian, “If you have something to say, say it nicely.”
Chen Nian summarized, “There was a traffic jam, and she got out of the car midway.”
“What the heck?” Xia Linxia looked at Ji Fengxue in shock. “What were you doing? Why did you run off… wait, don’t tell me it was to get here?”
“Exactly.” Chen Nian finally caught her breath and poked Ji Fengxue’s chest, pointing at her watch. “Look, you’re only half an hour late. If you had stayed put, you would have arrived by now.”
“But the performance is over,” Ji Fengxue said.
Xia Linxia blinked, her heart suddenly softening, feeling as sweet as syrup bubbling up. She grabbed Ji Fengxue’s hand and said emotionally, “Don’t say anymore, Lao Ji. I’ve received your sentiment. I’m very touched. How about this, as a thank you, I’ll treat you to…”
“No need for Enxima,” Ji Fengxue interrupted mercilessly.
“Hmph.” Xia Linxia’s plan was seen through, and she turned away, unwilling to talk to her.
In the end, the total votes from the two performances were tallied to determine the final result. Stubborn Silence ranked second overall, with the first place going to a legendary veteran singer who was difficult to unseat. However, as a dark horse band, this competition not only boosted their fame but also drew more attention to the band community as a whole, which was no small feat.
Xia Linxia was satisfied with the outcome. It was enough that everyone had seen them. Future tours would have an audience, and they wouldn’t feel disheartened. With the prevalence of fast-consumption music, many bands were losing money to play music. If given the chance, she truly hoped the audience could hear more authentic music with attitude.
Speaking of which, she wasn’t purely a musician anymore, as half of her focus was on acting. According to Xiang Huaimeng’s arrangements, there was a good movie audition recently. The director was Chen Lianjie, a new-generation director who had won many awards. It was said that many people had already volunteered for the female lead role.
In recent years, she had dominated variety shows and television dramas but had rarely participated in films.
Although the entertainment industry was called a circle, there was actually an invisible hierarchy. Those from formal training looked down on those from talent shows or unconventional paths, and the film industry looked down on the television industry. No matter how much fan traffic one had, in the film industry, they would immediately reveal their true colors. After all, the audience wasn’t just fans; it was mostly people who loved movies.
What’s more, some viewers disliked the involvement of traffic stars and would give one-star reviews without even watching the movie.
In the end, she was only superficially successful. The label “box office poison” had once stuck to her. After that, Xiang Huaimeng stopped her from rushing into the big screen, planning for her to establish a solid foundation in television dramas first.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but glance at Ji Fengxue and ask, “Why do you always act in movies? Have you ever thought about television dramas?”
“In the beginning, when I was in school, a director came to cast, and I was taken to film movies,” Ji Fengxue recalled. “Then I got used to the filming and cycle of movies. The short-term focused investment was more suitable for me to immerse myself in the role.”
“That’s true,” Xia Linxia said noncommittally. “Like when I used to film TV dramas, there were so many episodes. How could I refine every minute into a masterpiece? It was enough to get every scene to a passing grade, saving everyone effort.”
As they spoke, a staff member knocked on the door, informing them they could go home.
Xia Linxia stood up and stretched, then headed home.
Before they parted, she said, “It’s a shame you don’t like Enxima. How about this, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
Ji Fengxue didn’t refuse and asked, “When?”
Xia Linxia glanced at Xiang Huaimeng beside her. Xiang Huaimeng said, “I have to go to an audition tomorrow afternoon, attend a small event the day after, and then there’s ‘Love, This Little Thing’…”
“Then tomorrow evening,” Xia Linxia snapped her fingers. “Don’t schedule any other activities for now.”
Ji Fengxue raised an eyebrow, her lips curving up. “Okay, I’ll wait for your treat then.”
“It’s on me. I’ll message you after I’m done tomorrow,” Xia Linxia promised, patting her not-so-small chest.
Ji Fengxue’s eyes flickered, and she subtly averted her gaze.
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