Chapter 348-353

Chapter 348. Livestream

This was strange. Ding Shan and Yang Lu had only met a few times, but they seemed to know each other well.

Ding Shan and Chen Tong met each other every day, and Chen Tong still believed that she was a hypocritical and disgusting woman.

...

"Oh, I see ..." Xiang Hong's tone was very calm, but several thoughts flashed through his mind.

Still not a friend? It meant that they wanted to develop into friends, right? Was the other party a man or a woman? Ding Shan didn't seem to have any work schedule recently, so who exactly did she go to see?

Xiang Hong didn't want to interfere with Ding Shan's freedom, so he knew that when Ding Shan left the film Park, he didn't send anyone to follow her.

He respected her freedom, but that didn't mean he wouldn't have doubts and worries.

However, Xiang Hong did not express his concerned and doubtful thoughts. He only nodded slightly in response, as if he was not curious about this matter.

Ding Shan recalled the news incident where Chen Tong had maliciously given her ratings. She turned to Xiang Hong. "You were the one behind Chen Tong's incident, weren't you?"

Xiang Hong revealed a cold smile. "Today, the officials will release a Weibo post to admit to the malicious grading."

When the official Weibo account admitted it, Chen Tong had utterly lost her reason to refute and could only realize that she had given marks maliciously.

No matter how this matter ended, it would become a black mark in Chen Tong's career.

It would be tough for Chen Tong to participate in other Variety Shows in the future.

Although this matter would not force Chen Tong into a desperate situation, it would still greatly damage her vitality.

"I've already taught her a lesson. You ..." Ding Shan did not expect Xiang Hong to drag the Festival Group into this.

If the judges gave unfair marks, the audience would also have a wrong impression of the program.

"I didn't make this up; I'm just telling the audience the truth. You don't have to worry that Yin Hui will feel uncomfortable. He doesn't like many of Chen Tong's actions."

As for the impact of Chen Tong's incident on the show, Xiang Hong felt that there was no perfect variety show in the world. Where there were people, there would be all kinds of schemes and intrigues. Since the slogan of 'Idol Creation Camp' was true, it was better to carry it out to the end.

When she heard Xiang Hong's words, Ding Shan no longer felt conflicted. She thought for a while and said to Xiang Hong, "Thank you."

The wind seemed to be getting stronger. Xiang Hong looked at Ding Shan, and the wind blew her long hair. From his angle, he could see her quiet and beautiful side profile and a slight ripple on the lake's surface.

"By the way, I went to look for Chen Tong. She told me that there's someone else behind this." Ding Shan recalled what Chen Tong had told her.

Xiang Hong had helped Ding Shan, and she had developed trust in him, so she shared the information she had obtained with him.

"Who's that?" Xiang Hong frowned and asked.

"I think she's called Madam Lin, but I don't know this person. I don't understand why this Madam Lin is targeting me." Ding Shan was perplexed.

After her rebirth, she did not know anyone with the surname Lin, and she couldn't offend her. She could not understand why she would set up such a trap to destroy her.

Madam Lin? Upon hearing this name, a person appeared in Xiang Hong's mind.

He remembered that the wife of the head of the Lin clan was called Madam Lin, but Ding Shan was a celebrity. How could she have anything to do with Madam Lin?

For the time being, Xiang Hong did not have any clues, so he kept this matter in his heart.

That night, 'Idol Creation Camp' officially released a Weibo post acknowledging the authenticity of the mentors' malicious scoring incident. After apologizing to the audience, they said that it would actively accept the supervision of netizens in the future and opened the mailbox of the Festival Group.

In addition, the Festival Group also announced that they would change all future programs to live broadcasts. The live broadcast would start from the first public performance to ensure the absolute authenticity of the program.

The netizens had been making a fuss on the official Weibo for many days, asking for an explanation. Now that they had received an official response, the netizens' emotions had significantly calmed down.

Someone expressed that the production team had changed the show to a live broadcast because of Chen Tong's malicious grading. "Their attitude of admitting their mistakes was excellent. I originally planned to give up on this show, but seeing the sincerity of the production team, I will continue to watch!"

Some people started to mock Chen Tong, "Why aren't Chen Tong's fans coming out now and saying that the whole world is framing your Chen Tong? The disgusting things she did were exposed, yet you say that others have wronged you. You act like a little white rabbit, but you're a black-hearted lotus!"

Chapter 349. Withdrawal From The Competition

Most of Chen Tong's fans didn't dare to argue and remained silent. Only a small group of crazy fans still trusted Chen Tong. They said that the Festival Group had decided to sacrifice Chen Tong for their reputation and that it was an extremely shameless act.

Ding Shan didn't pay much attention to the storm on the internet. The first public stage performance of the Festival Group was coming soon, and she was evaluating the students' practice progress.

...

Because of Mysterious X's unique identity, his team was training in a particular place arranged by the Festival Group. Even Ding Shan had no idea how their performance was going.

Just as Ding Shan was worried about Mysterious Person X's mysterious team, she saw Yin Hui looking for the stage effects director to discuss the layout of the live broadcast.

After they finished their discussion, Ding Shan walked over and greeted Yin Hui.

"Shanshan, I'm sorry. We didn't notice the problem with the score last time, so your team's overall score was a little low." Yin Hui scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed.

Ding Shan laughed. "It's fine. The fairness that came late is still fair. This is not your fault. I've also talked to the trainees of my team. They also expressed that they understand the Festival Group."

Although the Ding Shan team's trainees didn't complain about the Festival Group, they had a terrible impression of Chen Tong. In the past few days, they were not willing to cooperate with Chen Tong when they were recording the interaction between the instructors and trainees.

"Shanshan, you're so generous. I hope someone can learn from you and stop giving me that face all day." Yin Hui thought of a specific person and showed a disdainful expression. He then said to Ding Shan, "But it'll be a live broadcast from now on. This is your first time participating in a variety show, so I'm not sure if you'll be able to adapt."

Yin Hui had planned to make this variety show live from the beginning, but the technical members and Planning Director of the Festival team had rejected his idea and told him it was too risky.

Under the persuasion of these people, Yin Hui also lost the courage to do a live variety show and had to change the program into a recorded broadcast.

The malicious scoring incident once again ignited the idea of making the live stream more effective. He had four meetings with the members of the Festival Group and finally got everyone to agree to make the live stream more effective.

Yin Hui was highly excited at this moment. This talent show of his was about to become the first live variety show in the country. If it were successful, he would become a person who would create a new era in the history of variety entertainment!

Ding Shan did not notice Yin Hui's keen eyes. She asked, "How's the preparation for Mysterious Person X going? No problem?"

Yin Hui shook his head in confusion. "I don't know either. He kept it a secret from me. I don't understand what he wants to do."

Hearing Yin Hui's words, Ding Shan, became even more nervous.

Mysterious X's song wasn't suitable for the first public stage, and he didn't seem to have any group performance experience. What if something unexpected happened on set?

"Why? Are you worried about him?" Yin Hui blinked his eyes twice and revealed a meaningful smile.

"He's my team's trainee. Shouldn't I be worried about him?" Ding Shan said.

Yin Hui saw that Ding Shan's serious expression did not seem fake, and he suddenly gloated, 'It seems that Ding Shan doesn't care about Xiang Hong that much. What was this called, the one-sided love of an ice-cold CEO? Hahaha, I didn't expect that bastard Xiang Hong would have such a day ....'

"What are you laughing at?" Ding Shan looked at Yin Hui in confusion.

Yin Hui immediately became severe again. "Nothing. Shanshan, you're right!"

Yin Hui and Ding Shan chatted for a while, but he left in a hurry because he still had things to do.

As soon as Yin Hui left, Ding Shan turned around and saw a person at the door who was secretly looking inside.

Ding Shan furrowed her brows and walked to Wen Xiu's side. "Is there something you need?"

Wen Xiu raised his head and looked at Ding Shan. His eyes were wet, and it was hard to tell if he was about to cry or had already cried.

Ding Shan jumped in shock. What was this guy up to this time?

Wen Xiu's voice was hoarse and low as he said, "Teacher Ding, I ... I want to withdraw from the competition."

Ding Shan's mind was filled with question marks. In her opinion, the person who wanted to win the championship the most in the entire team should be Wen Xiu. Ultimately, this person tells her he wants to withdraw from the competition.

"Why?"

"My father is sick. His condition is severe. The doctor said that it's very likely ..." Wen Xiu's voice was choked with sobs as if he was too sad to continue.

Hearing this, Ding Shan fell silent.

Chapter 350. Scammer

The more Wen Xiu spoke, the sadder he became. His usually sunny and energetic face seemed shrouded in a layer of haze, but his eyes revealed a trace of strong determination in his fragility. This contradictory feeling, on the contrary, made people want to protect him.

Ding Shan's gaze shifted to a spot not too far away. Sure enough, there was a photographer taking photos. Although he did not record Wen Xiu's words, he did record Wen Xiu's expression.

...

Wen Xiu controlled his expression while secretly observing.

Wen Xiu had already used this tactic of pretending to be pitiful countless times. The facts had proven that women were quickly soft-hearted creatures.

Some women might not immediately develop a strong love for him, but as long as they see his fragile and pitiful side, they will be inspired to sympathize with him.

After thinking he was a 'Weak and pitiful' man, women would lower their guard against him, and their sympathy would quickly turn into a good impression between men and women.

Wen Xiu used this means to trick many women into loving him.

After realizing that Ding Shan wasn't an easily moved woman, Wen Xiu thought of this pitiful trick.

However, Ding Shan was all too clear on Wen Xiu's thoughts.

Because Wen Xiu's feigned weakness and pitifulness had piqued her sympathy in her past life, she could not refuse any of his requests. Like a prey that had fallen into a spider's web, Ding Shan had fallen deeply into Wen Xiu's lie trap; then, she was used by Wen Xiu until the last moment of her life.

Seeing Wen Xiu continue to use his poor acting skills to lie in front of her in this life, Ding Shan's heart was numb, but there was also a trace of anger.

She had initially thought that if Wen Xiu did not treat her in those disgusting ways in this life, or if he chose to give up on her after seeing her cold attitude, she might not continue to cause trouble for Wen Xiu.

However, she underestimated Wen Xiu's greed. Even though she had clearly expressed her attitude, Wen Xiu was still thinking of various ways to entrap her.

Ding Shan realized that whether it was her past life or this life, Wen Xiu was a complete liar. This point would not change even with Ding Shan's rebirth.

If it were any other woman in Ding Shan's position today, Wen Xiu would have done the same thing. He would have deceived her true feelings and used her to pave the way for his future.

The depths of Ding Shan's eyes grew increasingly colder. However, she only said surprisedly, "Oh? I'm sad to hear this news ... But I can't decide on this matter. I'll discuss it with the Festival Group."

There was nothing wrong with Ding Shan's answer, but Wen Xiu could see that Ding Shan's eyes did not have the slightest bit of sympathy or care!

Wen Xiu clenched his fist and thought resentfully, 'Could it be that this woman's heart was made of stone?'

According to his analysis of Ding Shan's personal experience, Ding Shan should have been a woman who was easy to deceive. She lacked love and company and had too many emotional weaknesses.

However, after interacting with Ding Shan for a while, Wen Xiu realized that no matter how hard he tried, Ding Shan's attitude towards him never seemed to change! Even when she smiled at him sometimes, there was no warmth in her smile.

He could feel that the distance between their hearts had never been closed!

"Okay, Miss. Ding, I understand. Sorry for disturbing you. I'll go back to training. I hope you can keep this a secret for me. I don't want to affect my teammates' mentality." As he spoke, Wen Xiu revealed a tired smile and blinked his eyes as if he was trying to hold back his tears.

Even if Ding Shan was unmoved by him, there were still scenes to be shot later. It was worth it to trick a few more audience members.

After Wen Xiu left, the team leader of the film crew ran over and asked Ding Shan what Wen Xiu had just said to her.

"Wen Xiu's condition hasn't been right since yesterday. It's like he's been dealt a blow. He even made a few mistakes while dancing. If this continues, it'll affect his performance on stage." The head of the photography team said worriedly.

Hearing this, Ding Shan felt that it was very ironic.

Had he already started laying the foundations?

In the next few days, Wen Xiu trained as usual. During this period, he maintained his pained state of suffering a resounding blow. Even Ding Shan felt tired of him.

Ding Shan had fantasized about Wen Xiu's withdrawal from the competition. She did not want to see this hypocritical 'Ex-boyfriend' anymore.

Chapter 351. The Damned Ding Shan

However, a fantasy could only be a fantasy. Ding Shan knew that Wen Xiu's father had always been in good health. Wen Xiu couldn't give up on this variety show. He was putting on an act in front of her.

If she were to say, "Wen Xiu, the Festival Group said that you can withdraw from the competition," she could guarantee that Wen Xiu would immediately say that his father's condition had improved. He could even quickly shed fake tears in front of the camera.

...

Three days after Wen Xiu's father was 'Seriously ill', the first public stage performance came.

At the venue, the audience was full of people. Many held light signs in their hands, on which words of encouragement for their idols were written.

The lighting design of the venue was comparable to that of the Spring Festival Gala. There were eight sets of unique effect lights and real-time live broadcast cameras in all directions of the venue.

Ding Shan wore a light white feather chiffon dress with a bare-shoulder design. The chest was made of white feathers gathered into the shape of a shell, and the tight belt outlined her extremely slender waist. Below it was a layered flowing chiffon dress, which changed into a psychedelic color under the illumination of the lights.

The audience burst into screams and cheers as soon as Ding Shan appeared.

After Ding Shan's incident, this was the first time that Ding Shan's fans had seen her in public. A few fans were waving light sticks and shouting Ding Shan's name with sobs.

Chen Tong was also dressed up very beautifully today, but perhaps because she had not been in a good state recently, her exquisite makeup could not hide her fatigue and anxiety.

Seeing that Ding Shan's appearance had attracted such exaggerated cheers, Chen Tong was jealous and angry. She walked to Ding Shan's side and gritted her teeth, "Ding Shan, I already told you last time that I'm not the mastermind behind this. Why are you still slandering me on the internet? I couldn't tell you're more skilled than anyone in backstabbing when you usually pretend to be virtuous!"

Chen Tong was mad with anger. Just because her malicious scoring was exposed, her reputation on the internet was now terrible. Her future career was also facing a significant threat.

The audience's affinity was both necessary and unimportant. She had now lost the trust and favorable impression of the ordinary audience. Although the fans would continue to support her, this also meant that no matter how active she was in the future, it would be difficult for her to attract new fans. It was equivalent to her inability to move forward in the entertainment industry!

This damned Ding Shan!

Ding Shan turned to look at Chen Tong with a calm smile. She even ran her fingers through her hair. "I didn't do this, but I'm thrilled. Chen Tong, no one is slandering you; it's just that what you've done has been exposed on the internet. As the saying goes, if you don't want people to know, then don't do it. I advise you to use your brain before you do anything in the future."

At this point, Ding Shan looked at Chen Tong's head and seemed to realize that she had said something wrong. "But to be honest, I'm afraid you'll need a 64GB USB flash drive in your head. In short, don't always think about doing bad things in the future. There will always be retribution for bad things."

Ding Shan's tone was not intense, and her calm tone sounded like she was lecturing Chen Tong. From the camera, it looked like Chen Tong was angry about something, and Ding Shan was comforting and talking to her.

Chen Ying was so angry that she almost smashed the teacher's sign in front of her. Her face was twisted, and her teeth were practically crushed. "Ding Shan, don't be so happy too early!"

Ding Shan laughed nonchalantly. "I'm not smug, and I don't care what you want to do in the future. Anyway, you should know my style of doing things. If others don't take the initiative to find trouble with me, I will never provoke them. If others want to harm me, I will pay them back double!"

It was as if sparks were about to be ignited between the two of them. Fortunately, the emcee spoke up and interrupted the confrontation between Chen Tong and Ding Shan.

After the emcee read a long string of passionate words, she introduced the public performance rules.

After that, the teams began to perform on stage.

This was the first time the trainees had performed on stage alone. The brilliance of the performance was closely related to the individual performance and depended on the level of team cooperation.

In many teams, one or two people performed outstandingly while the others sang out of tune. In the eyes of the audience, this kind of disharmony was simply a disaster for live performances.

As for some teams, although they didn't have outstanding members, everyone cooperated well and didn't make any mistakes. The overall performance made the audience very comfortable.

Chapter 352. New Prey

The performances went on one by one. There were surprising dark horse teams and teams that made mistakes that made people feel pity.

Among them, 'Lion' performed by the Wen Xiu group was perfect in terms of completion.

...

Before tonight's live broadcast, the trainees' first public performance had been uploaded to the internet in advance.

The netizens had noticed that something was wrong with Wen Xiu's condition. No one knew who had revealed the news of Wen Xiu's father's illness, but many netizens were very distressed that Wen Xiu had to endure the worry for his loved ones and continue to practice.

Especially Wen Xiu's fans were madly posting, "My heart aches for my brother", "Brother is too dedicated", and "My heart is about to break when I see him frowning".

There was also a portion of the audience that was worried that Wen Xiu's poor state might affect his performance.

However, in the stage performance of 'Lion', Wen Xiu's performance was very eye-catching, even more, outstanding than the performance of the center spot.

In an instant, the bullet screen was filled with "Wen Xiu, the only King of the stage! He's the well-deserved Lion King! He's so handsome!" "Wen Xiu, you're my god to be able to perform so well in such a state!"

The strong rhythm ended abruptly, and the trainees dancing passionately to the music gathered in the center of the stage, posing in a handsome and aggressive 'Lion' stance.

Wen Xiu revealed a fierce and sinister hunting expression. His fingers turned into sharp claws, and his keen eyes stared at the camera. There was a hint of charm in his dangerous aura, causing the audience to boil with excitement. Countless people were shouting Wen Xiu's name.

"The lion's team has the best performance, and the audience's response is also excellent." Chen Xi commented from the side.

Su Yan nodded. "It might be the team with the highest votes today."

Ding Shan had a calm smile on her face. She didn't express any opinion and calmly clapped with the other instructors.

Although Wen Xiu was a hypocritical liar, she had to admit he was mighty.

Ding Shan felt that if Wen Xiu had chosen to be down-to-earth and develop his career in the entertainment industry, he might have achieved a lot. However, he had put all his thoughts on being opportunistic and could not continue exploring his potential and talent.

However, all of this had nothing to do with Ding Shan. In her past life, Wen Xiu was considered her enemy, but in this life, the two of them were still incompatible as fire and water.

After the performance ended, Wen Xiu turned his gaze to the coaches' seats and revealed a bashful yet sunny smile.

Ding Shan felt that something wasn't right. Wen Xiu didn't seem to be smiling at her.

Ding Shan followed Wen Xiu's gaze and finally noticed the eye contact between him and Chen Tong.

No wonder Chen Tong showed an infatuated expression when Wen Xiu shone on stage just now and even applauded hard.

Could it be that Wen Xiu had decided to give up on Ding Shan and choose Chen Tong as his prey?

Ding Shan didn't know whether to be happy or speechless.

Although Chen Tong had offended her many times, Ding Shan still didn't want her to be deceived and used by someone like Wen Xiu. Her ending in her previous life was so miserable. If Chen Tong were to be targeted by Wen Xiu, it would probably not end well for her.

Chen Tong and Wen Xiu's gazes were vaguely ambiguous, but they did not look at each other for too long. The host took the microphone and walked to the side of the trainees, asking them how they were feeling.

"I think our performance was very successful!" Wen Xiu immediately stood up and spoke into the microphone.

The trainee next to Wen Xiu was the true center of this group. When he saw that Wen Xiu was the first to answer, his expression turned slightly ugly.

However, on the stage, it was not convenient to be calculative about such things. Wen Xiu and the host chatted for more than a minute. After being in the limelight, the others said a few simple words. Finally, this group of trainees went to wait below the stage.

When Wen Xiu got off the stage, he put his index and middle fingers together on his forehead and raised his finger at the audience. At the same time, he blinked and smiled. This incredible action made Wen Xiu's fans scream even more incensed below the stage.

"It seems like Wen Xiu is very popular, " Li Yang lowered her head and whispered to Ding Shan, "If there's no accident, they should be the first place in the first public performance."

An accident? Ding Shan thought of a certain someone.

Would there be no accidents?

Very quickly, the emcee announced that the last group for the first public performance would be coming on stage. The song they would be performing was 'Not just a song.'

The lights dimmed.

Unlike the explosive atmosphere of other passionate songs, this song was very gentle. The first note quieted the noisy venue.

'I crossed the mountains just to meet you here, to solve the mystery you buried for me ....'

Chapter 353. Not Just an Interlude

His low and magnetic voice had a unique and recognizable tone, penetrating the eardrums like an electric current.

Ding Shan could feel the audience behind her taking a deep breath. She lowered her voice and said to the person next to her, "It's so nice!"

...

Sitting in the instructor's seat, Chen Xi looked a little surprised.

He had heard the original version of the song. The first sentence was not in this tone. The song seemed to be ... Adapted?

Not only the tune but even the lyrics had been adjusted. The song was initially a little sad as if it was telling a beautiful story that had ended long ago. After the adaptation, the song became gentle and emotional. It was more like the beginning of a story but also like a subtle confession.

The light fell on the person who sang the first line. The light illuminated his facial features, which the creator favored, and even his long eyelashes. He raised his head and looked in a particular direction. As he sang, he revealed a faint smile.

"Fuck! Old Xiang had this up his sleeve? I thought he was born to be good at mergers and negotiations. I didn't expect him to be so good at lying to little girls!" In front of the screen, Lu Chen slapped his thigh and exclaimed.

Yin Hui laughed smugly. "Thanks to my show, I managed to invite Ding Shan. That's why you can see Xiang Hong, this iron tree, bloom. I was wondering why he chose this song of all songs. So this is the reason ...

Lin Si, who was next to the two, looked at the screen thoughtfully. He did not say anything and just watched the live broadcast quietly.

At the live broadcast, Ding Shan was looking at Mysterious X. Although they were far apart and it was difficult to focus their eyes on each other, she didn't know why, but she could feel that Mysterious X was looking at her. His voice seemed to penetrate the crowd and the thin air, reaching the depths of her heart.

Ding Shan had a strange illusion- This song was sung for her, and he was here for her.

Ding Shan almost forgot to breathe. She hoped that she was overthinking, but she could not ignore the man's deep and passionate eyes.

The blurry details of that night gradually became clear.

Under the faint moonlight, she closed her eyes tiredly and fell into a deep sleep. He leaned against her and looked at her through the darkness.

The relationship between the two was unfamiliar, but the atmosphere was warm as if they were meant to be in this kind of relationship.

At that time, Xiang Hong had not realized the meaning of that night. It was not until he saw her again and saw her appearance that he realized that that night might not have been an abrupt accident but an encounter arranged by the gods.

That was the beginning of their relationship.

Therefore, when Xiang Hong saw the song "Not just a song (an interlude)," he did not hesitate to choose it.

It wasn't just an interlude between them. He wanted to come into her world without any doubt and run through every minute and second of her future.

'It's a pity that I didn't meet you earlier. Please be sure to keep my restless heart ...' The song continued. The other trainees slowly walked out of the darkness and took turns singing the rest of the lyrics.

The beautiful and smooth melody awakened the most profound memories in everyone's heart. Many of the people present were touched and even forgot to discuss it. They just quietly enjoyed the song.

Ten seconds later, the light changed and fell on a white piano. No one knew when Xiang Hong had sat next to the piano. As he played the piano, the other trainees surrounded him. Suddenly, white petals fell from the sky, rendering the emotional atmosphere of the entire performance to the extreme.

'It was so magical that I met you on that day. You were my secret.' Xiang Hong sang as he played.

When Ding Shan heard this, it was as if her entire body had been frozen, and her face gradually became hot.

This song initially did not have this line of lyrics!

Ding Shan didn't know if this was a hint, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, the lyrics were too similar to describing that night ...

As the song gradually ended, everyone began to sing together. Some of them were responsible for the high notes. When the melody reached its peak, Xiang Hong squinted his eyes as if he was drunk. He slowly sang, 'When the sea turns into ice, when the sun no longer rises as usual, when people forget their names, I will still love you as much as I do now. Perhaps this is the meaning of my existence ....'