Showbiz Scandal: The Official Announcement of My Ex and Myself-Chapter 129: Little Brother in a Basketball Jersey
Xie Qingci’s group was the fifth to perform.
Because they only sang, apart from some positioning, there weren’t any dance moves. They just stood quietly for the audience to enjoy.
When Yu Xia saw Xie Qingci’s outfit today, her eyes lit up.
A full suit with purple gradually fading to black, adorned with many small rhinestones, sparkling subtly under the lights, looked like a starry sky from a distance.
This must be sponsored by some brand.
He is tall, and although not as slender as Song Xi, he is well-proportioned and lean, with an upright posture, and looked very good in this suit.
As the center position, combined with his unexpectedly pure singing voice, he was the most eye-catching on the entire stage.
Xie Qingci has never had formal training, and he had sung very little before. Yu Xia thought that the song "Summer Wind" was the extent of his abilities, but to her surprise, he could also take on such challenging pieces.
"If I could take another glance, a burning heart, fiery eyes... can’t say a proper goodbye, leaving a thread behind... how far is forever, distance between hearts, so far apart in thought..."
At the climax, his voice filled the entire recording hall. He stood at the center of the stage, favored by the spotlight, with the main camera around the stage staying on him much longer than on anyone else. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
He was so dazzling, it felt less like a talent show performance and more like his personal concert.
Tens of thousands of viewers were cheering for him both in the venue and online, calling his name, offering him enthusiastic applause and genuine admiration. The name "Xie Qingci" became more pronounced in the minds of the public with each performance.
Like the red line on a mercury thermometer, rising in boiling water, he became hotter by the moment.
Yu Xia awarded him high marks without hesitation, praising him earnestly.
"I heard you’ve been practicing hard. This kind of effort pays off, and today’s performance was excellent. Keep up this attitude, and you’ll definitely develop even further in the future."
It was a standard compliment, with no personal bias, but it was indeed the most heartfelt praise she gave among the groups.
Xie Qingci bowed: "Thank you, Sister Yu Xia."
As he stepped off stage, he flexed his slightly painful index finger, feeling a bit happier, and raised his hand to brush his lips against the small wound caused by the rhinestones.
It was a habitual action, not noticing the pain, ready to let it go.
Unexpectedly, the audience suddenly erupted again, their screams breaking through the recording hall’s ceiling, all calling his name.
He paused for a moment, then waved at them with his hand previously at his lips, his movements relaxed, and a faint smile playing on his lips.
This made the cheers grow even louder.
Yu Xia smiled, looking down at his score sheet, listening to the ever-increasing cheers, and sighed internally.
She felt like the kid she had raised was about to spread his wings and soar.
After the nine teams gradually finished performing, Song Xi’s team successfully defended their title and entered Class A, but the highest individual votes were for Xie Qingci.
Next was the second ranking announcement. By the end of the performance, the top thirty-five trainees with the highest online popularity advanced.
This meant that in just a week, fifteen more people were eliminated.
It was evident that the program team was speeding things up, but it was understandable. The recent situation was uncertain, and talent shows were on shaky ground. Ending early would give peace of mind. If they were suddenly told they couldn’t continue, that would be disastrous.
So after the elimination, the program didn’t give the remaining trainees time to mope around; it immediately moved to the third public performance song selection.
The third public stage was special, featuring female guests to assist in the performance, which excited everyone.
Shu Ran gathered everyone and announced the rules.
"This time, the third public song list has six female guests joining. The guest for each team isn’t assigned randomly; you need to compete in games to win them."
"Simply put, the female guests will leave items representing them. Your team will send a representative to choose in order, and whichever item is chosen will determine which female guest you ally with."
"As for the selection order, there’ll be a basketball game tomorrow. Your scores in the game will determine the order. Considering your limited time, the third public stage will be postponed to next Sunday afternoon."
The fact that Shu Ran and Yu Xia would be among the assisting female guests wasn’t directly revealed to them.
When the song selection began, the trainees lined up accordingly.
Yu Xia was having an on-and-off conversation with Yu Kuang, contemplating what item to place the next day to represent herself, for Xie Qingci to recognize.
She still wanted to be in a team with the trainees because collaboration on stage was something she probably wouldn’t experience again after this.
After much thought, she almost decided. Bringing her attention back to the trainees lining up, she suddenly noticed something surprising.
Xie Qingci and Song Xi were on the same team, and the card in front of them said "Rose Boy."
The demo released was an adaptation, a bit different from the original tune. Quite a few people liked it, and it was the first team to fill up.
She looked at those two, a bit doubtful if they’d truly work well together.
The third public performance was crucial, and if there were existing conflicts in the team, it wouldn’t be good.
"Yu Xia, which team do you want to join?" Shu Ran quietly asked her.
She retracted her attention and thought for a moment before saying, "I’m heading to a film set next week, so I want something simple."
Then she chuckled and shook her head, "But isn’t it up to them to choose? Whoever picks me is where I’ll go. Anyway, the focus is on them. My best effort should be not to hold them back, and I won’t be given too many tasks."
Shu Ran nodded: "True. I’ll just be a backdrop, singing a few lines, and that should do. In that case, the item we leave for them tomorrow shouldn’t be too conspicuous."
"Why?"
"If it’s too obvious, and nobody picks it for ages, wouldn’t that be embarrassing? They can choose to skip me, but not so blatantly after all, we’d all feel awkward."
Yu Xia listened: "Makes sense, then I’ll leave something inconspicuous too."
Initially, she was planning to leave a red rose, but now she decided to change it.
The next day, she left a glow bracelet, the kind you can buy in bulk for a few dollars, in bright red.
Xie Honghong should be able to tell?
The trainees’ basketball game took place on the base’s indoor basketball court, with a viewing area beside it, where Yu Xia, along with other fillers and staff, sat, waiting for the trainees to shine on the court.
The trainees, being at an age where they love sports, had quite a few who excelled at basketball. Having this opportunity on the program excited everyone.
Now, wearing basketball uniforms and holding the ball, each with a bright smile, were unstoppable forces of youthful hormones.
Yu Xia looked at Xie Qingci a couple more times - no wonder he could compare to the sports students. Wearing the same white basketball jersey, he was a hundred times more striking, casually dribbling while talking to Wei Yaoyao. That posture, that side profile, must have been a school-heartthrob level god in school too.
