“Pretty girls are the best at deceiving. Be careful. Have you watched TV dramas? Don’t even drink water someone else hands you—only drink what your mom gives you!”
Wang Shuang’s text was full of bravado, and Li Mengjiao couldn’t help but laugh, imagining the expression on his face as he typed it.
This semester, Young Master Shuang was noticeably more serious—no skipping classes, no tardiness or leaving early. With Li Mengjiao heading to Hunan for the competition, he didn’t tag along for the spectacle. From his demeanor, it seemed he was determined to redeem himself in the first monthly exam of the new term.
Before Li Mengjiao could reply, Wang Shuang’s second text came through:
“How would you know what kind of girls I like?!”
Li Mengjiao thought, *Oh, I know alright!*
Saying Professor Fang’s new assistant was Wang Shuang’s type was just a joke. The person Wang Shuang truly liked was… Li Mengjiao was about to reply when the plane began taxiing, and a flight attendant approached, reminding her to turn off her phone.
“Sorry, I’ll turn it off right away!”
A cute and polite girl—who could dislike her? The flight attendant smiled back.
Xu Mei, Qin Yi, and Fu Jing sat in a row, with Xu Mei in the middle, Qin Yi by the aisle, and Fu Jing by the window.
Xu Mei had taken leave to compete in Hunan. Qin Yi, who should’ve been preparing for the opening of the “Shrimp King” franchise, put that on hold to support his girlfriend.
The Super Girl national finals would wrap up within the month, and as her boyfriend, Qin Yi could spare the time and energy.
Fu Jing, whose friendship with Xu Mei had deepened rapidly over the summer, had been by her side from the auditions to winning the Chengdu division. Now, with Xu Mei heading to Hunan for the national finals, Fu Jing loyally took leave to accompany her.
Seeing Li Mengjiao chatting with the flight attendant, Fu Jing whispered, “They originally said only the division champions could go to Hunan, but then they changed the rules. Now even the runner-up gets to go. Your fans and hers are tearing each other apart online. Some say Li Mengjiao was unfairly relegated to runner-up. Do you think the organizers changed the rules because of this?”
After Li Mengjiao narrowly missed the Chengdu division championship, her fans, unwilling to accept defeat, not only clashed with Xu Mei’s fans online but also called the TV station to “petition.” A beautifully written, heartfelt “petition letter” appeared on the forum, was widely reposted, and even made it into a popular weekly magazine.
Fu Jing believed the rule change was largely due to the fuss kicked up by Li Mengjiao’s fans!
How was that fair?
Xu Mei had signed a contract to win the championship and earn her spot in the Hunan finals.
Li Mengjiao, refusing to sign, paid nothing and sacrificed nothing, yet still got to compete in the national finals. It was utterly unfair to Xu Mei!
Fu Jing didn’t need to stir the pot—Xu Mei felt the same way but didn’t voice it in front of Qin Yi, feeling a bit embarrassed. Fu Jing was always so perceptive, saying what Xu Mei was thinking without her needing to speak, which was part of why their friendship had grown so close.
But when Xu Mei stole a glance at Qin Yi, his brows were slightly furrowed, seemingly disagreeing with Fu Jing’s take. Xu Mei smiled, “Come on, Mengjiao’s popular, and her fans are standing up for her. We should be happy for her. I saw the online arguments—they’re just immature kids. Fans are fans, but we’re us. We can’t let the fans lead us by the nose, right? I think the organizers are deliberately letting the fan wars go on. Without them, the show wouldn’t be as hyped.”
Fu Jing muttered, “It’s still not fair.”
Qin Yi glanced at Fu Jing and said coolly, “If you’d advised Xu Mei before she signed, she wouldn’t be fretting about fairness now.”
Both Fu Jing and Xu Mei’s expressions shifted.
What did Qin Yi mean? Was he saying they’d made a mistake by signing the contract behind his back?
On closer thought, Qin Yi wasn’t entirely wrong. Without signing, Xu Mei would likely have been the runner-up, like Li Mengjiao, still able to go to Hunan… But in Hunan, facing champions and runners-up from other divisions, winning the crown would be a pipe dream.
Without signing, the organizers wouldn’t invest resources in promoting her!
Xu Mei bit her lip. “Qin Yi, the contract is done. I hope you won’t keep bringing it up to imply anything. I won’t change my decision. No matter how tough this path is, I’ll stick to it. I just want you to stay by my side, encourage me, support me, and watch me become a better version of myself.”
Ignoring Fu Jing’s presence, Xu Mei took Qin Yi’s hand, their fingers interlocking tightly.
In this situation, Qin Yi couldn’t say more, only gripping Xu Mei’s hand firmly in return.
As if holding on tighter could make their relationship last longer.
Fu Jing glanced at their intertwined hands and turned her head toward the plane’s window.
Pan Li and Professor Fang sat in another row. Since Professor Fang was Pan Li’s best shot at a fresh start, Pan Li was exceedingly attentive, rushing to help with everything, not even letting Professor Fang carry her own bag.
Professor Fang had asked Pan Li to learn about *Super Girl* so she could better assist in Hunan. Over the summer, Pan Li had been obsessed with sabotaging Deng Shangwei’s family, acting as Yu Wenhao’s pawn, and getting deceived by him. After being expelled and suffering a miscarriage, she was physically and emotionally drained, with no time to follow the talent show. Now, diving into it, she regretted it so much her guts turned green!
If she’d known about this chance for fame, she’d never have taken that nightclub side job.
All she had to do was wait, and she could’ve joined a talent show like this!
Look at the Chengdu division’s champion and runner-up—nothing special.
Xu Mei, though a student at a top university, wasn’t majoring in vocal music.
In terms of looks, Xu Mei wasn’t a stunning beauty. Pan Li thought Xu Mei wasn’t even as pretty as her.
With such qualities, Xu Mei was the Chengdu division champion, signed with an agency, and was set to debut as a star after the competition… If Pan Li had known about this opportunity, she’d never have gone to the nightclub or entangled with Yu Wenhao. Even Deng Shangwei at his peak wouldn’t have caught her eye.
Pan Li felt that if someone like Xu Mei could win, she’d have done no worse.
Xu Mei could land a rich second-generation boyfriend, while Pan Li was stuck with old men. What had she been doing with her life this past year?
Pan Li’s eyes reddened with jealousy, and she became even more attentive to Professor Fang.
Professor Fang, seeing her timid demeanor, sighed softly, “You don’t need to be so cautious. Since I’ve taken you on as an assistant, I’ll make arrangements for you. Stay by my side for a year or two, adjust your health and mindset, and I’ll set you up with a future.”
Professor Fang believed Pan Li should transfer schools and earn a diploma.
The further you go, the more a diploma matters—it’s the key to good jobs.
Sure, young women have other advantages, like youth and beauty, which can offer temporary shortcuts. But flowers don’t bloom forever. You can’t rely on shortcuts your whole life. Ultimately, you need to build something solid.
Professor Fang’s traditional mindset genuinely had Pan Li’s best interests at heart.
But for someone used to shortcuts, asking her to toil step by step was unbearable. Pan Li lacked the patience.
Facing Professor Fang’s care, Pan Li hid her true thoughts, feigning gratitude. “You’re like a second parent to me. I’ll always be grateful. It’s you, Professor, who pulled me from the abyss and gave me a chance to start over.”
As this group boarded the same flight to Hunan, each harbored their own thoughts. None of them realized that their fates, because of this talent show, were already intertwined. Even ten or twenty years later, their lives would still influence one another, impossible to untangle, with no clear starting point to trace.
