Showbiz Scandal: The Official Announcement of My Ex and Myself-Chapter 145: What Does Bringing Your Boyfriend Home Mean?
"Still thinking about a reward? Are you so confident you’ll debut in the C-position?"
She wasn’t trying to dampen the mood; after all, anything could happen until the last moment, especially with the recent boring rumor involving him and Shu Ran. It was probably someone trying to drag Changhui down with them, and there were lots of comments online saying "Changhui is done for, Xie Qingci is bound to flop."
This kind of thing definitely affects his public reputation.
Xie Qingci didn’t insist he would definitely be in the C-position; instead, he began to encourage her. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
[Xie Qingci: You’re making me so nervous, sis.]
[Xie Qingci: But just a little encouragement from you could make all the difference. I might really snag the C-position because of your words.]
Yu Xia was too lazy to expose him. In the past couple of days, he had been acting cutesy and sweet quite often, and she mostly ignored him.
But this time, she unexpectedly gave him the reaction he wanted.
"Hmm—" she elongated the sound, "Then let me encourage you a bit. If you can get the C-position, I will..."
[Xie Qingci: Will do what?]
Yu Xia lowered her voice and said, "Bring you home."
There was no response from the other side for a long time until he finally sent several messages in a row.
[Xie Qingci: No going back on this.]
[Xie Qingci: After tonight’s party, everyone can go home, and I’ll stay at a hotel outside temporarily. You have to come take me home.]
[Xie Qingci: Bringing your boyfriend home, you should know what those words imply?]
She didn’t put much thought into it when she spoke. Now, hearing his interpretation, her ears grew hot, and she instinctively wanted to retract her words.
"I..."
[Xie Qingci: No going back on your word, babe.]
Yu Xia opened her mouth and, in the end, could only stubbornly say with a flushed face, "Just to take you home for a good chat. My filming schedule is tight, and I barely have time to go home tomorrow night... Don’t read too much into it."
Xie Qingci seemed to sense her subtle change, and in a good mood, he agreed to whatever she said, being obedient.
[Xie Qingci: Alright, whatever you want to talk about, I’m all ears.]
[Xie Qingci: You’re so nice, sis.]
He was sweet-talking at the moment, and she teased him with a laugh: "You really do get sweet-mouthed when there’s candy involved. I hope you can keep this up when you’re singing tomorrow."
[Xie Qingci: I hope you enjoy tomorrow’s song.]
She paused, surprised: "What do you mean?"
[Xie Qingci: There will be three performances tomorrow—the theme song, group performance, and solo performance. I chose dance for the group and singing for the solo.]
[Xie Qingci: Singing it for you.]
"You... Is that song competitive?" she asked with pursed lips.
[Xie Qingci: Don’t worry, full live mic. Not many can beat me.]
[Xie Qingci: After debuting, I’ll probably be very busy. I’ve heard several shows and red carpet events have already been arranged, and the manager is looking at scripts for me—they say the first drama might be a historical one.]
That’s normal; honestly, this script of debuting to instant fame makes her a bit envious.
"In the year of the limited group, being busy is expected. You have to finish the work taken on by your company while also completing tasks with the team. The busier you are, the higher your commercial value in the team."
Xie Qingci’s intention in saying this wasn’t to make her analyze work.
[Xie Qingci: Then I won’t be able to be with you often.]
Yu Xia found it quite amusing: "Haven’t you thought about this before? Regardless of your schedule, I have to film too. Once the show ends, I’ll be staying with the crew for a while. After finishing this drama, I’ll probably head straight to the next one without a break. There won’t be many chances to meet up."
[Xie Qingci: What if I miss you?]
It’s enough to make one cringe. She cleared her throat: "Just call me. Meeting up isn’t exactly safe. You’re still an idol, and dating has a big impact... Oh, did you talk about this with Changhui?"
It suddenly occurred to her that if Xie Qingci was hiding their relationship and it got exposed later, wouldn’t Changhui be furious?
[Xie Qingci: I haven’t.]
[Xie Qingci: I did some research on Changhui beforehand. They don’t restrict artists’ relationships.]
[Xie Qingci: Besides, taking the actor path is itself laying the groundwork for this.]
"Laying the groundwork? So, you decided to take the actor path after discussing it with Changhui actively?"
[Xie Qingci: Yes. I’m here not to have a hidden relationship.]
Previously, nobody knew about their relationship besides themselves; it’s almost the same now, just for a short while longer.
But this won’t last too long. He’s passed the toughest stage, and he’ll tackle the subsequent challenges one by one.
One day, whether this year or next, they’ll hold hands and embrace, unafraid of the cameras.
Yu Xia sighed with a complex mix of emotions, her tone gentler: "Hope you won’t regret it."
[Xie Qingci: I never will with you.]
They chatted for a while longer. Seeing it was getting late, she urged him to go to sleep.
Tomorrow was the live finals, so he needed to be well-rested.
Xie Qingci agreed obediently but couldn’t fall asleep immediately after hanging up the phone.
In fact, the three of them in the dorm just couldn’t sleep. Wei Yaoyao lay on the bed, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, while Ning Yunchao tossed and turned.
Xie Qingci emerged from the bathroom only to see the two heads staring at him.
"Can’t sleep?"
Wei Yaoyao sighed wistfully: "I’m nervous, the finals are being broadcast tomorrow."
Ning Yunchao: "I’m nervous too."
Their dorm wasn’t having good luck; all three were being slandered, and the agency rushed to have them clarify on Weibo. Checking Weibo inevitably led to seeing some negative comments, adding salt to the wound.
They had come so far, only to face this trouble now. It was really frustrating, and they worried it might affect their popularity rankings.
Wei Yaoyao glanced at him but couldn’t make out his expression in the dark, though he was likely composed.
"You two have been doing well and ranking high, so you probably don’t need to worry," he said enviously.
Ning Yunchao had been a bit moody lately and shook his head: "Not really. Who knows what could happen until the very end? Previous talent shows have seen top-ranked contestants fail to make the cut."
He glanced at Xie Qingci though and added, "You shouldn’t worry too much."
"I’m worried, but it’s a bit different from your worries," Xie Qingci replied as he got under the covers, facing them as he whispered, "What do you think Changhui hopes for in terms of my ranking?"
No need to ask; first place, of course.
Wei Yaoyao immediately realized: "Right, you must have a lot of pressure too. This is Changhui after all, and missing the C-position probably wouldn’t sit well with them."
He acknowledged with a sound but neither confirmed nor denied, not revealing his true thoughts.
Ning Yunchao offered a few comforting words to Wei Yaoyao: "Your situation is a bit risky. Not sure if you’ll make it to the top nine after tomorrow’s tally, but try not to stress too much. Tomorrow’s performance will help boost your votes, so don’t let nerves ruin it."
Wei Yaoyao responded dejectedly and, after a while, said softly:
"If I can’t debut tomorrow... I wish you both luck in advance."
