Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

Pei Muchan maintained a calm facade, but the moment she turned around, her heart thumped as if about to leap out, with the incandescent light wandering all around.

The thought of the hug being so stiff and yet so forceful, as if trying to press deep into her chest, immediately flushed her face with a thin layer of rouge.

She hurriedly walked towards the restroom, needing a moment to cool down. Just as she was about to reach her destination, she suddenly heard a faint voice of confusion behind her.

"Retribution?"

Ahem!

Pei Muchan stumbled, almost twisting her ankle; she turned around with a flushed face.

"It was a repayment! A REPAYMENT!"

She rushed into the restroom, and moments later, a somewhat crazed voice was heard.

"Go to hell, Xu Qingyan!!"

Xu Qingyan couldn't help but gasp at her words. This woman was a bit ungrateful. What kind of repayment was that? Wasn't that just taking advantage of someone?

It was hard to tell, but Miss Pei must work out regularly; she almost broke my ribs. She's quite soft, though; I can't complain about that with Miss Pei.

I've done plenty of bad things in my life, and now I've gotten my repayment.

If this situation were in a Japanese manga, an apology would need to have... a bit more sincerity.

After dawdling for a long time, Pei Muchan finally came out of the restroom, sluggishly. She glanced at him expressionlessly and, without looking at him, headed straight back the way she came.

A voice of surprise followed from behind, asking solemnly.

"Didn't you wash your hands?"

Pei Muchan instantly broke down, her composed mentality shattering as she turned around and yelled.

"I did wash them! And dried them too!"

"Oh~ I see, I thought you were mad," Xu Qingyan said with a wretched tone, his words shifting slickly three times in a second, so much so that Pei Muchan felt numb.

"I... why would I be mad?" she said, her expression awkward, like a mole being pressed down.

A flush rose visibly on her cheeks, spreading down her neck, as if tinted with a layer of rouge, even her eyes misting over.

Xu Qingyan was taken aback for a while; he hadn't expected Pei Muchan to show such a girlish side. After graduating from college, it's rare to see someone blush like that.

"Ah, that... mad about the retribution, right?"

With that, he mimicked a hugging gesture and was immediately pushed hard by Pei Muchan.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"How can you be so annoying! I said it was repayment..."

As she spoke, she suddenly stopped, turned her lightly made-up face away, and complained dissatisfiedly.

"If you think it was retribution, then so be it! It's not like you usually do any good deeds anyway."

"Ah? I do a good deed every day, how can you say I haven't done anything good?" Xu Qingyan followed behind her, walking leisurely, "Pure slander."

"Pfft, what good have you done? I need to go, it's almost time for me to go on stage." She said this, but her steps weren't moving very fast.

"Does sponsoring a poor girl to get a loan for school count? The kind without interest. I'm famously kind-hearted," Xu Qingyan chuckled.

"That was your... your sister, right?" Pei Muchan suddenly stumbled over her words, not very noticeably.

"Sort of, but overall, I haven't seen her much." He didn't mind and continued, "Honestly, she should indeed call me 'brother'."

"Oh," Pei Muchan responded dully.

Xu Qingyan looked at the back of her pretty head and suddenly blurted out.

"Are you jealous that Li Yang could be my sister, huh?"

"I'm not! What nonsense!" Pei Muchan was nearly infuriated to death by him and just casually responded. If anyone else were nearby, she would have died from embarrassment, "I mean, that's good."

"Good as in what?"

"Good means good!"

"Good means that, I don't want there to be any misunderstandings," Pei Muchan explained, "Just now, it was out of gratitude, a repayment... it's a repayment."

"Can I repay you then?"

"No!" Pei Muchan was angrily embarrassed.

"Hey, if you say no, then it's no. Why the rush?" Xu Qingyan spoke as infuriatingly as ever, seeing the rest area wasn't far, "Miss Pei, you seem a bit petty."

"Heh."

What good means, whether it's possible or not, only she knows. But... repayment might not just be repayment; it's mixed with a little secret that can't be shared with others.

She felt that after spending so much time with Xu Qingyan, even she was becoming gradually adept at speaking without thinking.

Indeed, once you lie for the first time, there is bound to be a second.

Fortunately, the other party didn't take it too seriously and didn't keep asking, just kept being annoying. It was truly irritating, but perhaps it was just as well, better than feeling awkward.

The conversation from the evening was still imprinted in her mind, lingering persistently.

In the dimly lit room, Xu Qingyan, during her most flustered moment, approached her like a small animal, slowly coming closer, and earnestly said.

Regardless of whether or not he could win the championship, he would always follow her, until she became the star that everyone admires.

Who could resist such words? The memory caused her to momentarily lose control and... to give him his retribution.

He liked being annoying so much, he deserved to be retaliated against!

Humph, repaying kindness with enmity? Whatever, since he said he would always... she couldn't think about this any longer. Pei Muchan, walking ahead, blinked, and her expression returned to calm.

Before, she and Xu Qingyan were somewhat acquainted, always together, with him often running around outside.

But tonight felt different somehow, her heart thumping uncontrollably for a few beats. His words had helped her avoid becoming overly anxious.

Regardless, he was going to keep writing songs for her anyway!

She knew very well that although Xu Qingyan often seemed to feign decency, he would keep his word. Having received some kind of promise, her heart suddenly felt at ease.

As she approached the door, she suddenly remembered that she was here to participate in the competition. Her nervousness surged back in an instant, and her breathing grew heavier.

"After this one finishes, it's my turn!" she said.

Xu Qingyan stepped into the resting room right behind her, noticing her nervousness, he coughed.

"Do you know what to say to save face if you get hit by a car and have to stand up afterward?"

"What?"

"I'm asking you."

Hearing this, Pei Muchan appeared somewhat speechless, but after a moment of thought, she seriously responded.

"Deduct six points?"

This time it was Xu Qingyan who was taken aback. When did Pei Muchan start understanding abstract culture?

"A classic fail."

Pei Muchan: "......"

However, Xu Qingyan's banter had indeed eased her nerves. She checked her phone for a bit and a faint smile flashed across her eyes. Looking up, she said,

"That's great, the first three haven't even surpassed seven hundred votes!"

No sooner had she spoken than she realized there were cameras in the resting room. She coughed and quickly added,

"What a pity, the competition is quite intense this time."

Xu Qingyan looked down to avoid the camera, chuckling to himself. Pei Muchan's remark was indeed awkward; though her mouth spoke of regret, her smile was harder to hide than an AK.

On the screen, it was Hou Xueheng's turn to take the stage. With his performance of "Vast Universe," powerful and majestic, others were simply singing, but Teacher Hou really seemed bent on ascending the throne.

Just short of reciting, 'The Emperor, bestowed by Heaven, hereby decrees...'

A high note rang out, catching the audience off guard, their hands casting votes unconsciously. When the final tally came in, he had seven hundred and sixteen votes.

The veteran made his move with stability, effortlessly securing over seven hundred votes.

Zhang Yuqi, Wang Yu, and Jiang Jingsheng had finished their performances, with none surpassing seven hundred votes, but for them, that was a normal level—the mark of the strong.

At least until Lin Wanzhou and Pei Muchan challenged the status quo, the rarity of seven hundred votes belonged solely to Hou Xueheng.

On this stage, all the singers performed cover versions. The live audience had higher expectations for covers; sounding alike was not enough, the songs had to be rearranged.

Rearranging itself is subjective, and a singer's strength doesn't necessarily correlate with their arranging skills.

Ultimately, what was presented on stage depended on both arrangement and performance. Hou Xueheng was the only one who could manage this, consistently hitting seven hundred votes.

After Hou Xueheng's performance, Pei Muchan was already waiting backstage, ready to enter, with Xu Qingyan by her side. Familiar scenes, her second time around.

"Guess how many votes I'll get?" she asked intentionally.

"Seven hundred and forty," Xu Qingyan raised an eyebrow, "If it's less, I'll make up the difference."

"Last time was a bit rushed, I didn't sing 'Late Marriage' well," Pei Muchan pursed her lips, "It's the best song I've sung in recent years, I could have scored higher."

"Oh? You aiming for the throne too?" he asked.

"What throne?" Pei Muchan was taken aback.

"You were the one who said it, aiming for a higher score than Teacher Hou isn't that also seeking the throne?" Xu Qingyan said, then waved his hand dismissively, "My fault, I made the song too hard to sing."

Pei Muchan: "...."

"Are you bragging?"

He shook his head, "No, really, I couldn't control it. That song isn't quite suited for competition. The one you're singing today is much better for challenging Hou's 'throne.'

"Cut it out, always talking nonsense," she retorted with a pout.

At the front of the stage, Hou Xueheng was making his speech.

"Since I started coming on the show, I haven't made much progress," he lamented.

"To use a phrase from the younger generation, it's lonely at the top, being undefeated also brings solitude. But ever since the last episode, the moment those two challengers stepped on stage, they've both been scoring seven hundred votes."

"The pressure suddenly became significant. I prepared for quite a while for this contest and managed to break through my limits. I hope the three young ladies following me can also exceed their own expectations."

Hou Xueheng was considerably older, so it didn't seem too problematic for him to call the three contestants who hadn't performed yet 'young ladies,' with the oldest among them, Wen Shuanghua, being just over thirty.

The live audience didn't take Hou Xueheng's remark about hoping they could "exceed their own expectations" to heart, as both Pei Muchan and Lin Wanzhou had already reached seven hundred votes last time.

Exceeding their own expectations? They have already reached the heavens; there's scarcely any room left for upward breakthrough. After all, singing ballads once is a surprise attack, twice and the advantage is lost.

In the waiting corridor behind the stage, two people stood behind a door, whispering among themselves.

"How did it go with Lin Chuan at dinner last time?" Pei Muchan asked, "When you have time, try to connect with him more, it's beneficial."

"Yes, I've felt it, he's good to his friends," Xu Qingyan nodded, lowering his voice, "Let's talk about it after your competition today, it's been quite hectic recently."

"Keep in touch, he's fairly unique in the industry."

"You know him that well?" Xu Qingyan inquired curiously.

"I met Lin Chuan once by chance before; he was still an unknown singer back then," Pei Muchan explained, "The impression was quite strong; I guessed at the time that he would become popular."

Suddenly, the female host's voice rang out.

"Let's welcome the singer Pei Muchan, with her rendition of 'On a White Horse'!"

Hearing that, Pei Muchan lost interest in chatting with Xu Qingyan. She waved at him and said,

"I'm going on stage now!"

"Okay," Xu Qingyan watched her open the door and disappear completely into it, just about to head back to the resting room, when suddenly his phone vibrated.

He looked down to see a message from Lin Wanzhou.

"I saw the trending topics, how do you know Jiang Ling??!"