CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol-Chapter 324 - 317: A Straightforward Confession

One minute later

"The group that received the most likes this time will be rewarded with a team-building coaching session led by all the mentors." Long Zitao read aloud according to the script.

All the girls erupted in cheerful applause.

In fact, the mentors were always very dedicated to them.

As the number of participants decreased, the time each mentor spent teaching them steadily increased.

The ones who worked the hardest were Zhang Wei and Long Zitao.

Zhang Wei frequently taught classes for six or seven hours consecutively, often leaving the base late at night.

Although Long Zitao didn’t teach classes, he often offered emotional support to these girls.

He even bought various items for them to help ease their moods.

"Congratulations to Meng Meixuan’s team. You’ve received the highest number of likes."

Long Zitao announced loudly, making it evident to anyone with basic reasoning that the team’s center was bound to debut.

Achieving the best performance in two consecutive shows—clearly, the program was overly favoring them.

Lv Fangxin, still recovering from the blow of the last performance, glanced at Ye Yuwei and noticed her smiling calmly and clapping her hands in congratulations.

She truly admired this older sister of hers. Everyone knew they were competing for the center position, but even after such a devastating defeat, she could still handle it with composure.

On the other hand, she herself had an urge to flee immediately and hide somewhere no one could find her.

Wu Zixuan, who was equally dejected, also observed Ye Yuwei and couldn’t help but admire her grace.

Meng Meixuan deliberately displayed an expression of surprise, though her eyes were brimming with pride.

Following her, jealousy briefly flickered deep in Gao Ziyi’s eyes, but she quickly expressed heartfelt congratulations to the former.

The other team members rushed forward too, hugging each other and jumping for joy.

Next, Long Zitao announced this round’s final "Like King."

It went straight to Zhang Zijing.

Inside Xiao Du’s mind was only one thought: "Is this just dividing pork among themselves?"

The traces of the program’s scripting were becoming more and more apparent. There were hardly any Zhang Zijing fans at the venue.

However, Xiao Du felt powerless to do anything about it.

He thought the show was over, but unexpectedly, Long Zitao asked all the girls to change outfits backstage and invited the senior performers on stage.

This group began an awkward interaction to liven up the atmosphere, and the mentors worked hard to engage the audience.

When the conversation grew unbearably awkward, the production team simply played the theme song, resulting in singing from both the stage and the audience, turning it into a final-performance-like scene.

Backstage, all the girls were frantically changing costumes and refreshing their makeup.

Meanwhile, the sound technicians at the venue were tense and busy adjusting the audio.

Finally, Long Zitao’s earpiece came alive with Yang Xiaoyue’s voice.

"Now, let’s invite our girls back. They’re bringing you a special gift."

"A gift for everyone looking for the brightest highlights in life."

Long Zitao felt that the past fifteen minutes had been the most awkward period of his life.

The stage lights came on, and Xiao Du saw the girls divided into two large groups.

One group stood on temporarily arranged tiers, splitting into five levels.

The other group stood next to them in two rows—the six C-positions from the six songs.

The sound of singing filled the air.

The beautiful melody spread like the fragrance of flowers in spring.

Wu Zixuan opened the performance, her expression impeccably managed.

Next came Ye Yuwei.

As soon as she started singing, her voice immediately overshadowed the previous singer. Although Ye Yuwei’s vocal tone wasn’t particularly memorable, her technical abilities were undeniably high.

Clear, bright, like a mountain stream winding its way through—untainted by the slightest impurity.

Xiao Du didn’t focus intently on the song; upon seeing the performance order, he could barely hold back his laughter.

The group with the highest likes: Meng Meixuan’s.

The "Like King" of the event: Zhang Zijing.

The singer opening the impressive stage: Wu Zixuan. The Left Protector: Ye Yuwei. And next, undoubtedly, came Lv Fangxin.

Sure enough, Lv Fangxin sang the third segment. She performed decently this time, without any major mistakes, though her usual unpleasant tone persisted.

Meng Meixuan, Lai Ruoxuan, and Zhang Zijing all sang solo parts.

This time, the fans seemed content. Based on how much they had invested monetarily in voting, there was no room for complaints.

If your idol was relegated to singing as part of the larger group, it simply meant their supporters didn’t push hard enough.

Afterward, the six soloists performed together in harmony, followed by a full-group chorus.

The song itself was quite excellent—the lyrics had a somewhat motivational, self-help vibe, and the tune was beautifully composed. Hu Binbin personally accompanied it on the piano.

When the song finished, countless blue confetti floated down from above.

This also served as a kind of farewell performance before the finale. Though tinged with sorrow, it gave the girls a memory they would never forget.

The girls threw paper planes with their photos and handwritten messages into the audience; Xiao Du and Li Ke didn’t manage to catch one.

Some fans ended up with planes that didn’t belong to their idol.

Long Zitao delivered one last emotional speech, and the stage performance concluded.

As Xiao Du left the broadcast hall, it felt like he had just woken up from a dream.

"Xiao Du, shall we grab something to eat?" Mu Yunchu said softly.

"Sure, I’m a bit hungry too. What do you feel like eating?"

"How about braised dishes?"

When Xiao Du heard this, he couldn’t help but give her a curious look.

He knew Mu Yunchu was picky when it came to food.

Even when it came to barbecue, she’d only eat at authentic restaurants and stuck strictly to beef, lamb, and vegetables—nothing else.

Braised dishes, traditionally regarded as simple, hearty fare, seemed unusual for her.

"I wanted to try something different. Do you think you’ll like it?"

"No problem at all!"

The two of them hopped into Mu Yunchu’s Maserati and headed directly to a renowned braised dish restaurant.

Though it was named after traditional "luzhou" cuisine, the dishes here weren’t the same as the authentic versions found in Shendu.

The restaurant used premium "Su meat" without any offal or other such ingredients.

They also ordered old vinegar peanuts, scallion tofu, spicy potato strips, and chilled jellyfish heads.

As they poured some Wuliangye and clinked glasses silently, they savored their meal slowly.

Steam rose around them, and Mu Yunchu lifted her gaze to meet his.

Her tone was gentle, "Getting along fine with the food?"

Xiao Du nodded.

"How long have we been together?"

"Hm?"

Surprised, Xiao Du looked over at her, unsure why she was asking this.

"Xiao Du, my family wants me to go study abroad."

Xiao Du’s hand, holding the wine glass, paused for a moment.

"...When are you leaving?"

Mu Yunchu’s expression dimmed: "...Do you want me to go?"

"No, but I can’t think of a reason to stop you."

"What if I found one for you?"

Mu Yunchu lifted her head, her eyes glistening in the light like shiny black gems.

Xiao Du’s heartbeat quickened; he knew what Mu Yunchu wanted.

"Sister Mu, you know I’m not well."

"What does that matter? The real regret is liking someone but not being together."

Mu Yunchu reached out and grabbed Xiao Du’s hand.

"Xiao Du, is it because of Yezi? Do you love her?"

Xiao Du smiled faintly and shook his head gently: "She’s just my spiritual anchor."

He poured himself another glass of wine and drank it in one gulp.

"I stan idols because it’s within this process that I find the meaning of my existence."

"My affection for Yezi isn’t the romantic kind. What I love is a kind of illusion."

Mu Yunchu held his hand even tighter. "Then let me be your tangible dream."

Xiao Du turned and smiled; his pale face seemed to regain a trace of color.