Chapter 141
Chapter 141
Ning Xi had been holding in a whole breath of anger, but Xie Lanchen’s gesture made her deflate like a punctured balloon.
A certain emotion flooded her chest, and her heart went impossibly soft.
This was hard. Why did it feel like she couldn’t stay mad at Xiao Xie?
Maybe… Xiao Xie hadn’t been deliberately flirting with her just now. Maybe he had only blurred the boundaries of how normal friends were supposed to get along?
Ning Xi came up with an excuse for Xie Lanchen’s earlier behavior all on her own, then unilaterally decided that she and Xie Lanchen were reconciled.
“The dissolution of the Soviet Union,” Ning Xi suddenly said.
Xie Lanchen was nearly smacked in the nose by the hand Ning Xi abruptly shot into the air.
Fortunately, after spending so much time by Ning Xi’s side, he could now successfully predict her movements and managed to save his face.
He tilted his head and let out a puzzled, “Hm?”
Ning Xi turned to look at Xie Lanchen. “-represented the end of the Cold War.”
She had already forgotten what had just happened.
However, because of what had happened before with… Shen Yibai, she still needed to remind Xiao Xie when she had the chance:
Even normal friends needed to keep a tiny bit of distance.
If they caused a misunderstanding, that would be very bad.
Xie Lanchen was even more confused. They… had been in a Cold War just now?
Xie Lanchen, who had thought he understood Ning Xi somewhat by now, was chagrined to realize that he still knew far too little.
It seemed he would have to keep working hard in the future.
[The shortest Cold War in history, with zero casualties]
[Huh? That was a Cold War?]
[Ah! Ah! Ah! I’ve wanted to say this forever-didn’t Ning Xi and Xie Lanchen just now look like a young couple having a little lovers’ spat!!! She never acts like that with Jiang Sheshe or Fu Zhi!!! But!! With Xie Lanchen, Ning Xi has little moods!!! She has Cold Wars!!!]
[Exactly, exactly! Ning Xi does horse around with Fu Zhi too, but even if Fu Zhi gets mad at her, argues with her, or breaks off their friendship, she can still laugh it off and not take it seriously at all. But with Xiao Xie, it’s not like that. She really listens to what Xie Lanchen says.]
[Suddenly I get it. Earlier, Xiao Xie said he seriously listens to every word Ning Xi says, but isn’t Ning Xi the same with Xiao Xie? Every word Xiao Xie says, she listens seriously, feels it, and responds to it.]
[You really do have to ship this CP with the rest of you to understand it properly. [wiping sweat]]
“Ahem!”
Director Qin adjusted the portable mic from deafening volume back to normal.
“Now we’ll announce the like-count rankings. We’ll start with third place. Congratulations to the Qin Se and Wei Xuan group for taking third place with 890,021 likes!”
That was one place lower than everyone had predicted.
However, Qin Se and Wei Xuan took it well. They did not show any regret or disappointment on their faces.
After all, their group and Jiang Sheshe and Shen Yibai’s group had been neck and neck in likes before.
Second or third place had both been within their expectations.
“Second place in the like-count ranking…” At this point, Director Qin paused. “Congratulations to the Ning Mingyue and Fu Zhi group for taking second place with 973,240 likes!”
“Yeah!” Jiang Sheshe, who had already prepared to pump her fist and cheer, froze on the spot.
Wait, that had to be a lie, right?
Wasn’t watashi supposed to be second?!
The others’ expressions also turned subtle.
Ning Mingyue and Fu Zhi’s group had been in last place in the earlier voting, yet now they had suddenly leapt to second place. Interesting.
[??? Before the Program Team hid the like counts, I clearly remember Ning Mingyue’s group having the lowest number of likes!]
[Was it rigged?]
[No, no, no, I’ve been watching the like counts the whole time. Before the likes were hidden, the Ning Mingyue and Fu Zhi group suddenly shot up by a huge margin. If their fans went crazy liking in the last half hour, it is possible for them to have counterattacked into second place.]
[Don’t be ridiculous. How many fans do those two even have? Enough to gain over three hundred thousand likes in half an hour?]
[Looks like someone sent a ghost army through~ Even a tiny PK like this has vote fraud. How insecure can you be?]
[Excuse me, our Mingyue is upright and aboveboard. She would never do something fake like that. Besides, Mingyue has been on trending searches nonstop lately, and she’s also in talks for a new film with a major director. Isn’t it normal for a rising young actress to rank second in a vote?]
[You call going from five hundred thousand likes to nine hundred seventy thousand in half an hour normal? Fine, fine. Very fine, totally fine.]
[This is way beyond what a handful of glutinous rice can fix.]
In the livestream studio.
Ning Mingyue also seemed very surprised.
Her cherry-red lips parted slightly in disbelief. She glanced at Fu Zhi beside her, who was staring intently at who knew where, then put on a look of sudden realization and spoke with a fair bit of surprise.
“Thank you to all the fans who voted for me. This is the best birthday present I’ve ever received!”
Aside from her fans in the Danmaku, however, not many people played along.
Even Jiang Sheshe, who had always defended Ning Mingyue the most, couldn’t muster the slightest enthusiasm.
If she wasn’t second place, then what place was she?
Could it be…
“Congratulations to Ning Xi and Xie Lanchen’s group for taking first place with 1,236,662 likes!”
“Jiang Sheshe and Shen Yibai’s group is in fourth place with 880,321 likes!”
Director Qin had just announced the results when Ning Xi raised a hand and fanned herself.
“No wonder I thought it was so hot. Turns out the glow of first place is just too dazzling.”
Hahahahaha, what a mess.
Xie Lanchen silently fanned himself from the side.
Mm. He wasn’t hot. He was merely basking in Ning Xi’s radiance.
Jiang Sheshe, who had come in last: “…”
Haha. All they did was say things that made people want to die.
And so, the performance order for tonight was decided.
Shen Yibai’s shadow puppetry would go first, followed by Jiang Sheshe’s solo, Wei Xuan’s violin performance, Qin Se’s singing and dancing, Fu Zhi’s dance, and Ning Mingyue’s one-woman stage play.
Ning Xi and Xie Lanchen’s skit would be the finale.
…
The guests were all making their final preparations for the show.
Jiang Sheshe, meanwhile, called Fu Zhi out alone. This time, she finally had the sense to avoid the livestream cameras.
“Did you spend money to buy likes?! I look down on people who use shady tricks like that the most! If you can’t play fair, don’t play at all! You little trash!”
Fu Zhi was still thinking about Ning Xi and Xie Lanchen’s interactions today, and he was irritated beyond belief.
Then, out of nowhere, a pot was dumped over his head. He immediately started cursing.
“Am I crazy? Why would I buy paid trolls to like Ning Mingyue’s solo photo? Do you think I’m an idiot like Shen Yibai?”
If he were going to buy paid trolls, he’d only buy them for Ning Xi.
But Ning Xi’s popularity didn’t need him to buy paid trolls.
Nor did she need his money.
Right now… Ning Xi didn’t need him at all.
The more Fu Zhi thought about it, the more powerless he felt. His heart was so anxious it felt like it was being fried in a pan of oil.
“Don’t come to me with this baseless crap again. I wouldn’t do it, and I have nothing but contempt for it!” Fu Zhi rolled his eyes at Jiang Sheshe and turned to leave.
But Jiang Sheshe grabbed him. “I have proof! Netizens dug it all up!”
As she spoke, she handed her phone to Fu Zhi.
Fu Zhi focused on the screen. Then he laughed.
Laughed out of sheer anger.
So when the director had announced their group’s ranking earlier, Ning Mingyue had deliberately glanced at him, then pretended to have “suddenly realized” something. As a result, some netizens believed the abnormal like count was his doing.
[Fu Zhi cares about his image. There’s no way he could accept coming in last, so it’s normal that he secretly bought paid trolls without telling Mingyue, right?]
[Mingyue was shocked when she found out the ranking too. I remember she looked at Fu Zhi at the time. Maybe she guessed this was the birthday present Fu Zhi gave her~]
[Treating second place in likes as a birthday present-so romantic.]
“Romantic, my ass!”
Fu Zhi was so furious he cursed out loud.
Ning Mingyue’s fans were seriously sinister to the extreme. They could actually say things like that.
“Why are you swearing at people?!” Jiang Sheshe got angry too.
If anyone was going to curse, she should be the one cursing Fu Zhi first!
Fu Zhi looked at the netizens’ comments, and suddenly the corner of his mouth tugged into a smile.
It carried a cold, vicious edge.
The insults Jiang Sheshe had finally managed to organize in her head suddenly got stuck in her throat.
All this time, Fu Zhi had given her the impression of being hot-tempered and impulsive. In front of Ning Xi, he was even childish beyond belief, played by Ning Xi like a dog.
But everyone had overlooked one thing.
Fu Zhi was only like that in front of Ning Xi.
At his core, he was still that little devil who could call the wind and summon the rain in Xiangcheng-the vile, arrogant eldest Young Master of the Fu Family.
“You little romance-brained idiot.” Fu Zhi slanted a glance at Jiang Sheshe and suddenly spoke.
Jiang Sheshe’s heart abruptly skipped a beat.
For some reason, she had a bad feeling.
“I have a secret about Ning Mingyue and Wei Xuan. Do you dare listen?”