Chapter 22: Assumption
At this point, there wasn’t much else Guan Heng could say.
He simply replied, “As long as you know what you’re doing.”
Ai Qingyuan let out a breath of relief.
He said, “Brother, don’t worry. I won’t cause trouble.”
Guan Heng gave a wry smile.
The two walked back to the dormitory, one behind the other. The atmosphere was noticeably more relaxed this time. As they walked, Ai Qingyuan suddenly asked, “By the way, Brother, what made you decide to be my opponent all of a sudden?”
He was referring to Guan Heng’s choice to join Group B for Stand By.
He asked openly, without any hesitation.
Guan Heng paused for a moment before answering, “Nothing much.”
“I just really like this song, and since I had the chance to pick, I did.” He added, “Standing in C position would mean more exposure.”
Ai Qingyuan suddenly understood.
He didn’t ask further and only said, “You may be my brother, but I won’t go easy on you.”
Guan Heng chuckled and shoved him into the dorm. “Got it.”
Ai Qingyuan staggered slightly, a rare, sly smile—almost fox-like—appearing on his face.
He rubbed his face, switched on the lights, and stepped into the dorm, only to see Fu Wenze alone.
He was momentarily stunned. “Where’s Xie Xizhao?”
“He took leave for a follow-up checkup,” Fu Wenze replied. “Said he’d be back tonight.”
“He’s not feeling well?” Guan Heng asked.
“No.” Fu Wenze was brief. “Seems like just a routine checkup.”
Ai Qingyuan let out an “Oh.”
After so long, they often forgot Xie Xizhao’s status as a medical miracle.
Of course, it wasn’t their fault.
It was just that this guy was a bit too ridiculously strong.
Who wakes up from a vegetative state and suddenly turns into an all-around ACE like some kind of mutation?
—
The mutated former vegetative patient, Xie Xizhao, was currently standing by the roadside, letting the cold wind blow against him.
He had indeed taken leave, but only because a previous task in the system had encountered a minor issue that required his attention. Fortunately, it wasn’t a big problem, and by now, his involvement was no longer needed.
Since he had already taken leave, he figured he might as well go home for a bit.
After hailing a taxi, he spotted the bright lights shining from his house as he exited the campus district.
He couldn’t help but smile. Without sending a message, he leisurely made his way upstairs.
The old residential building didn’t have an elevator, and the corridor lights cast a faint green glow.
When Xie Xizhao finally found his keys and opened the door, he realized there were guests at home today.
A young girl, around seventeen or eighteen, was sitting on the couch playing on her phone. As soon as she looked up and saw him, her eyes lit up. She immediately tossed her phone aside and jumped to her feet, exclaiming in surprise, “Cousin! What are you doing back?”
Her words instantly caught the attention of everyone seated at the dining table.
Xie Xizhao closed the door and answered the girl’s question first. “I took leave from the program team and stopped by the central hospital to see Dr. Chen.”
He paused for a moment before adding, “Just asked Dr. Chen about routine precautions. She said I’m pretty much fine now.”
As he spoke, he changed his shoes. Meanwhile, a middle-aged couple hurriedly took off their aprons and rushed out of the kitchen to the entryway.
Xie Xizhao greeted them, “Dad, Mom.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the gentle-looking woman immediately reached out and knocked him on the forehead—both anxious and exasperated.
“You still remember to come home?!” she gritted out through clenched teeth.
Xie Xizhao’s mother was Wu Mi, and his father was Xie Jiancheng. Both were professors at the same university—one taught physics, the other mathematics.
They had married young and shared a deep bond, which showed not only in their everyday sweetness—
But also in how they raised their only son.
The moment Wu Mi smacked him, Xie Jiancheng immediately followed up with his own reprimand, “Exactly! You still remember to come home?!”
Xie Xizhao: “……”
He chuckled. “Am I that unwelcome? Should I just leave now?”
As he spoke, he even made a move as if to walk out.
Wu Mi genuinely panicked this time, but before she could call him back, Xie Xizhao stopped at the door and obediently handed her the bag in his hand. “I brought some braised dishes, Mom. I haven’t eaten yet. Can I crash here for dinner?”
His tone was pitiful.
Wu Mi, both amused and exasperated, grabbed the bag and headed to the kitchen to prepare food. Xie Xizhao sat down, and his cousin, Jing Jin, gave him a thumbs-up in admiration.
Without changing his expression, Xie Xizhao winked at her before greeting the elders at the table.
As for why his parents reacted this way to him, that story had to start from the moment he decided to join the talent show.
Back when Xie Xizhao fell into a coma after his car accident, their relatives had initially been supportive of Wu Mi and Xie Jiancheng. But as the years passed—one year, two years—and the couple continued to pour money into his expensive medical care just to keep his vital signs stable, the initial sympathy turned into concern.
Even so, the two of them never wavered.
Xie Jiancheng had once said, “I only have one child. If he hasn’t given up, then I won’t give up either.”
When he said those words, he wasn’t even fifty yet, but strands of silver had already started appearing in his hair.
Before Xie Xizhao woke up, there was a night when, due to a system fluctuation, he briefly lost all vital signs. That night, Xie Jiancheng and Wu Mi were on the verge of despair.
They were both rational people, but the only place they allowed emotions to take over was when it came to their child. After everything, when Xie Xizhao finally woke up, their only wish for him was to be safe and healthy. He agreed readily on the surface—only to one day suddenly announce that he wanted to learn singing and dancing.
Fine, let him learn.
But before they knew it, he had gone missing.
If their ungrateful son hadn’t at least had the sense to call them before handing in his phone, Wu Mi would’ve stormed into Super Rookie’s dorms and dragged him back herself.
Even now, she was still full of resentment over the matter.
Luckily, Xie Xizhao was good at coaxing people. Over the course of dinner, he had mostly smoothed things over with them.
—
After dinner, Wu Mi still looked reluctant. “So this… competition of yours, when does it end?”
“That depends,” Xie Xizhao answered vaguely, then casually joked, “If I get eliminated in the first round, I’ll be back next month.”
Wu Mi’s eyes immediately lit up.
Xie Xizhao: “……”
‘Mom, do you have to look that hopeful?’
After chatting with his parents for a little while longer, he checked the time and got up. “Alright, Dad, Mom, I’m heading back.”
Wu Mi was reluctant to let him go, while Jing Jin eagerly volunteered to walk him downstairs.
Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, she patted her chest and solemnly assured him, “Don’t worry, brother, I won’t tell Aunt and Uncle that there’s no way you’re getting eliminated in the first round.”
Xie Xizhao laughed.
He and Jing Jin had grown up together and were very close. Back when he was in a coma, the little girl had shed plenty of tears for him.
He asked, “You’ve been watching the show?”
“Of course.” Jing Jin nodded. “I’m a die-hard talent show fan. But I haven’t even started lecturing you yet.”
Jing Jin stared at Xie Xizhao. “You can sing, and you never told me?!”
God knows how shocked she was when she saw her brother’s debut performance.
“I’ll explain later,” Xie Xizhao said. “Thanks for keeping my secret. I’ll treat you to a meal, or do you want an autograph from someone?”
“…You’re brushing me off again,” Jing Jin muttered. “Who even needs you to buy them food?”
She hesitated for a moment, then asked tentatively, “Brother, since I kept your secret… can you tell me who got the center position in your theme song performance?”
Xie Xizhao paused.
Jing Jin clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture. “Please, brother! I swear I won’t tell anyone. I promise!”
Jing Jin was a die-hard fan of Ai Qingyuan—a solo stan.
Well… now, with her own brother in the picture, she supposed she was technically a double stan.
She had started watching Super Rookie just for Ai Qingyuan, only to be hit with a bolt from the blue in episode three—her Brother Qingyuan had actually been robbed of the center position.
She couldn’t accept it.
Everyone—from the production team to the audience—knew that her idol was the biggest powerhouse in the competition. From the performances aired so far, she didn’t think anyone had the overall skill to surpass Ai Qingyuan.
For two whole weeks, she had been waiting for the show to release the theme song performance so she could see who this mysterious “heaven-sent” center was. But for once, the production team—who normally milked every bit of drama—was dead silent, refusing to release anything early.
Jing Jin was losing her mind.
She needed to know. Right now.
After explaining everything to Xie Xizhao, she noticed a rare, subtle expression appear on his face.
Xie Xizhao asked her, “Why do you want to know in advance?”
Jing Jin instantly got fired up.
“What do you think?” she said fiercely. “Obviously, I’m going to analyze him, scrutinize him, and judge him. This guy stole my idol’s center position—I have to see exactly what kind of divine being he thinks he is.”
Xie Xizhao: “…”
“…Sister,” he said thoughtfully. “Let me ask you a question.”
Jing Jin: “?”
Xie Xizhao carefully chose his words. “Okay, so—let’s consider a hypothetical scenario.”
He paused.
“…If your Brother Qingyuan and I both fell into a river, who would you save first?”
