Superstar Ch.21

Chapter 21: The Real Answer

‘…It’s really not easy for Guan Heng,’ Xie Xizhao thought.

Basically, it was like raising a child.

The one “raising the child” stood to the side, veins throbbing at his temples. He had always been mild-tempered, but now, for once, he couldn’t maintain his usual composure. Stopping it once didn’t mean stopping it a second time. If those words weren’t cut out by the editing team, there would surely be an uproar online.

The only consolation was that the production team would almost certainly edit this part out—whether to protect Ai Qingyuan or for some other reason.

However, Ai Qingyuan’s remark left the male contestant who had originally planned to join his group in an awkward position.

Xie Xizhao had no particular impression of this contestant, which meant his ranking was at least below a C. Under these circumstances, it was obvious that he wanted to join Ai Qingyuan’s team for exposure and screen time.

Regardless of the reason, his ranking was higher than Xie Xizhao’s, and Xie Xizhao had no intention of competing for his spot.

He rubbed his temples, thinking of a way to turn down Ai Qingyuan without embarrassing this young master in front of everyone.

But before he could say anything, the male contestant had already regained his composure. He flashed a bright smile and said, “It’s fine, no problem. I’ll go to another group.”

As if nothing had happened.

Xie Xizhao’s fingertips paused slightly.

Most people in the entertainment industry were smart enough to know that offending the wrong person just to get into a certain group wasn’t worth it. Besides, given Ai Qingyuan’s attitude, even if he joined the group, he wouldn’t be welcomed.

That was probably why the contestant made that decision.

After speaking, he simply and decisively moved on to his second-choice group.

Ai Qingyuan responded with a casual “Mm,” but at least he remembered to say, “Sorry about that.”

Xie Xizhao had a feeling that Guan Heng was about to laugh from sheer frustration.

Feeling a bit helpless, Xie Xizhao glanced to the side, where Dou Yu let out a quiet sigh of relief before smoothly moving on to the next part of the process.

However, skipping over it didn’t mean nothing had happened.

With Ai Qingyuan’s words already out there, no one else dared to push their luck.

And so, Group A of Stand By remained with one empty spot—until…

It was Xie Xizhao’s turn.

Almost the moment Xie Xizhao stood up, every gaze in the room locked onto him in unison. The air grew so quiet it was nearly tangible.

The young man had a pale complexion, his features refined and elegant, carrying an air of leisure that seemed completely out of place in a high-stakes competition like this. Before the show aired, no one had expected him to become its biggest dark horse. Even Ai Qingyuan, who always held himself above others, had to take a second look at him.

Xie Xizhao stepped forward, standing before all the teams. By this point, only half of the contestants remained.

It was a great vantage point—he could see the varied expressions of every center position contestant.

At some point, Xie Xizhao had developed a keen interest in observing people.

People were complex—far too intricate to be summed up in a word or two. That was precisely why, when faced with the same unexpected situation, their reactions differed so dramatically based on their personal experiences and personalities.

Some were visibly terrified, practically praying to the heavens—these were the ones who lacked confidence in their own abilities, afraid that if he joined their group, he’d steal the spotlight. Others had eyes filled with defiance, itching to be in the same team just for a head-on confrontation.

The optimists were hopeful. To them, having the former center meant guaranteed traffic—there’d be no shortage of screen time. On the other hand, the pessimists had already caught on to the production team’s attempt to suppress him, fearing that an entire group might be sidelined along with him.

And so on, and so forth.

What they thought were carefully hidden little calculations were, to Xie Xizhao, almost entirely transparent.

He smiled to himself, silently amused, yet inwardly calm.

Of course…

…He was also a little troubled.

At this moment, both Ai Qingyuan and Zou Yi were looking at him.

Their thoughts were easy to guess—

Zou Yi said, “Xizhao, this song really suits you.”

As soon as he spoke, Ai Qingyuan panicked.

He blurted out, “Xie Xizhao, you promised me.”

Xie Xizhao’s mouth twitched.

…Wait.

Since when?

Hadn’t the two of them just casually exchanged thoughts about their preferred teams earlier?

He said, “Uh, actually, I—”

Guan Heng coughed lightly.

Xie Xizhao looked up. Guan Heng was staring at him with a pleading expression, as if begging: ‘Please, Xizhao, just go along with this kid’s wish, or he’s going to cause a scene.’

Xie Xizhao paused.

A moment later, he sighed inwardly, finished considering his options, and then lifted his head to offer Zou Yi a sincere apology.

“Sorry.”

Zou Yi smiled. “It’s fine. We’ll have another chance to collaborate next time.”

Xie Xizhao gave a small smile in return. “Definitely.” Then, he turned and walked toward Ai Qingyuan.

With that, Stand By Group A was officially full.

After recording ended, the trainees left the studio in small groups.

Guan Heng said, “Qingyuan, come with me for a bit.”

Ai Qingyuan stiffened, instinctively glancing at Xie Xizhao.

Xie Xizhao, walking behind him, deliberately slowed his pace and pretended not to hear anything.

Before long, Ai Qingyuan clenched his teeth and followed Guan Heng.

Ji Yan quickly caught up to Xie Xizhao and clicked his tongue as he watched Ai Qingyuan’s rare moment of obedience. “What’s up with him?”

“He’s giving the kid a lecture.” Xie Xizhao unwrapped a piece of candy and replied, voice muffled, “As he should.”

Ji Yan twitched the corner of his mouth. ‘Bro, you’re really bold with your words. Just don’t let Young Master Ai hear that.’

—

Meanwhile, Ai Qingyuan followed Guan Heng into the dimly lit emergency exit hallway.

Before Guan Heng could say anything, Ai Qingyuan spoke in a low voice, “Brother, I know I acted impulsively this time. You don’t have to lecture me.”

When speaking to Guan Heng, his tone was always more cautious and reserved.

Guan Heng sighed helplessly. “Do you realize that because of this, the company is going to have another headache? The editing team can handle the show, but can you shut up the entire internet? And what do you think Sun Yan will feel about this?”

Ai Qingyuan frowned. “Who’s Sun Yan?”

Guan Heng: “…”

Ai Qingyuan continued, “Also, there’s no need to edit anything out. I don’t care if it airs.”

“…Sun Yan is the contestant you just rejected from your group.” Guan Heng sighed in exasperation. “Do you really only have Xie Xizhao in your eyes?”

Ai Qingyuan didn’t care who Sun Yan was, nor did he answer Guan Heng’s question directly. Instead, he said, “Brother, let me ask you something.”

Guan Heng pinched the bridge of his nose. “Go ahead.”

“Do you think I lost to Xie Xizhao in the first center vote because he had the Class F trainees backing him, or… because I was really not as good as him?” Ai Qingyuan asked slowly.

Guan Heng fell silent.

Ai Qingyuan wasn’t just asking for the sake of it. These two opinions had been floating around since the vote. The first one mostly came from those trying to flatter Ai Qingyuan.

“I don’t believe it was the first reason,” Ai Qingyuan said, “but I also don’t want to admit the second one.”

He paused, pressing his lips together. “The production team’s setup was unfair to begin with. Besides, for this first public performance, I’ll split the center’s parts with him. This will be the first time we truly face the fans and the audience.”

“Brother, I want to know the real answer to this question.”

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