The next day, when Wen Ying told Xie Qian about the situation, he had some opinions about her joining the Qin family’s Macau trip. But learning that Chen Ru had given the Qins 20,000 yuan for expenses, he swallowed his words.
Using the Qin family’s money wouldn’t be right—Wen Ying’s mother made the correct call.
After school, Xie Qian returned home, pulled a bank card from his bag, and tossed it into a drawer. For now, it was useless.
On September 22, Wen Ying, Xie Qian, and the others spent the morning traveling from Chengdu to Hunan.
Li Mengjiao was rehearsing for the evening’s finals and couldn’t pick them up, but they weren’t kids. They took a taxi straight to Mango TV.
It was only noon, yet the station’s entrance was already packed with fans camped out, hoping for a glimpse of their favorite contestants.
When Li’s mother came to meet Wen Ying’s group, Li Mengjiao’s fans erupted.
“How’s Jiaojiao preparing?”
“Auntie, tell Jiaojiao not to stress!”
“Yeah, just sing casually—don’t let her overwork.”
“She looks thinner. Is she resting enough?”
Li’s mother was swarmed by fervent concern, the fans’ care rivaling that of a doting parent.
Beyond warm words, gifts flooded in—flowers, snacks, throat lozenges, teddy bears, an assortment of tokens. Without Wen Ying and the others helping carry them, Li’s mother would’ve been overwhelmed.
Despite late September, Hunan’s autumn heat was fierce. Fans waiting outside the station at midday were drenched in sweat.
Seeing so many people adore and worry for her daughter, Li’s mother clutched the gifts, repeating her thanks.
“Dream Jiao’s really a big star now!” she exclaimed.
Qin Jiao, her face half-hidden by a giant teddy bear, whispered to Wen Ying as if conspiring.
Wen Ying, juggling three or four bouquets, nodded vigorously.
Xie Qian’s striking looks usually turned heads, but while Li Mengjiao’s fans gave him a glance, their focus quickly returned to Li’s mother. It wasn’t that she outshone him—at that moment, their hearts had room only for Li Mengjiao.
Wang Shuang helped haul the gifts inside but, before seeing Li Mengjiao, asked Li’s mother for a few passes.
“We’re stepping out for a bit!”
He didn’t say why, but Xie Qian, Tang Yifeng, and Geng Xiao followed him.
An hour later, the four returned.
Soon, the entourages of Xu Mei and the other finalist cast resentful glances toward Wen Ying’s group.
While Qin Jiao chatted with Wen Ying, Fu Jing marched over. “You guys are so unbrotherly! Sending water and food to the fans outside—couldn’t you give us a heads-up?”
Wang Shuang, on a whim, had paid out of pocket to provide water and lunch for the fans outside.
Li’s mother hadn’t thought of it. With Li Mengjiao’s father arriving only that afternoon, she was alone, running around for her daughter, too busy to even eat or drink herself, let alone plan such gestures.
Wang Shuang’s act moved Li Mengjiao’s fans to tears.
He claimed it was Li Mengjiao’s idea, ensuring her fans weren’t thirsty or hungry.
The four boys—Xie Qian’s charm required fans to mentally chant “We’re Jiaojiao’s fans” to resist, while Wang Shuang, Tang Yifeng, and Geng Xiao, though less striking next to Xie Qian, were impressive on their own—personally handed out the provisions. This wasn’t just food and drink; it was Li Mengjiao’s care, a treat for her fans.
Wang Shuang funded the gesture because Li Mengjiao was his childhood friend.
Xu Mei and the other finalist had no such bond with him, and as Li Mengjiao’s rivals, Wang Shuang wasn’t foolish enough to include their fans.
The unequal treatment stung. What was fine when no one had anything became unfair when Li Mengjiao’s fans were pampered. The other finalists’ supporters felt slighted.
By the time Fu Jing heard, Li Mengjiao’s fans had finished eating. Arranging something for Xu Mei’s fans now would seem like an afterthought, prompting Fu Jing’s complaint about Qin Jiao’s lack of camaraderie.
She felt that if they weren’t informing the other finalist, they should’ve at least tipped off Xu Mei. Treating her like an outsider was galling.
Qin Jiao was baffled. “What does this have to do with camaraderie?”
Wang Shuang acted on impulse without consulting her—how could she have warned Fu Jing?
Even Li’s mother hadn’t anticipated Wang Shuang’s gesture.
Explaining this to Fu Jing would be futile, and arguing was a waste of breath. Qin Jiao stayed silent.
Wen Ying, never short on words, wasn’t about to hold back. A lawyer who spared words couldn’t roast both plaintiff and defendant. She eyed Fu Jing up and down.
“Who are you, throwing around ‘camaraderie’ like that? Are we sworn siblings? No relation, yet you keep inserting yourself. Has the main player spoken? You’re always the loudest! Want to talk camaraderie? Fine—go outside now, convince every Xu Mei fan to vote for Li Mengjiao tonight instead.”
Fu Jing’s face turned green with anger. “You—you’re so rude—”
“Rude? I don’t care. Can you do what I said? If not, shut it. We don’t need strangers lecturing us,” Wen Ying shot back, her verbal barrage sending Fu Jing retreating.
Wen Ying didn’t care how Fu Jing might stir things up with Xu Mei.
In front of Qin Jiao, she delivered a blunt verdict on Xu Mei and Qin Yi’s relationship: “With Fu Jing around, Qin Yi and Xu Mei are doomed to split.”
Qin Jiao sighed, sounding wise beyond her years. “If they split, so be it. I just hope my brother isn’t too heartbroken. Dad says those who marry their first love, man or woman, are rare. Not everyone’s that lucky.”
Over at Xu Mei’s camp, it wasn’t Qin Yi but a wealthy, devoted fan—the one Fu Jing mentioned who sent flowers and gifts, angling for a dinner—who arranged lunch for her fans. No surprise, Fu Jing was likely behind it.
Qin Yi was too preoccupied to bother with such trifles. Xu Mei’s parents had finally arrived in Hunan the day before, not only to watch her compete but to closely observe Qin Yi. Every move he made drew their scrutiny, as if they were judging whether he was a suitable match for their daughter.
That morning, Xu Mei’s parents learned she’d signed with the company, and they were furious. With Xu Mei busy rehearsing, pacifying them fell to Qin Yi.
Fu Jing, conveniently, kept her distance, never admitting she’d urged Xu Mei to sign.
Xu Mei had kept it from her parents due to the distance, but Qin Yi, constantly by her side, claimed ignorance. Her parents didn’t buy it.
Exhausted, Qin Yi was at his wit’s end, and Xu Mei’s parents were equally displeased.
Wang Shuang pitied Qin Yi. In a private chat with Xie Qian and the others, they concluded that dating was a hassle—gaming was far more fun. Xie Qian, itching for a challenge, noted it had been nearly a month, yet he still couldn’t beat Wang Shuang at games—a rare experience for him.
