Seeing the two big bosses about to fight as if no one else was in the director’s room, the assistant director’s face was a mix of confusion and panic.
Seeing that the second round was about to start, he tentatively spoke up to remind them, "Um... Director, the second round is starting..."
"...Hmm, ahem, just now... um, watching the competition."
Chu Tian saw his deflated look and felt quite a bit better. His thoughts inadvertently drifted to Xu Qingqiu.
In dressing room number 3, Xu Qingqiu watched the guests performing the second round on stage. Seeing them shining so brightly on stage made her feel even worse.
She had had a chance to stand there too, but now she could only watch as a spectator, which really felt quite unbearable.
It was like that ti in school when awards were given out. Everyone else got one except her. She felt as if she was abandoned by the entire world, an exceptionally oppressive feeling.
Fortunately, she wasn’t a child anymore. She quickly adjusted, seriously watching the competition, comparing herself to the others and learning from their strengths and weaknesses.
The second round went smoothly for the four contestants, with no issues arising.
Chu Tian watched two performances and then stopped watching.
"Wei, I have to go. Call if you need anything."
"Eh, okay."
With his eyes still on the monitor, Wei Liangxiao subconsciously responded, without even lifting his head.
Chu Tian didn’t mind him. Knowing that Xu Qingqiu was eliminated today, he knew her mood must be awful.
He felt he should do sothing.
「...」
At eight in the evening, Chu Tian finally reached the entrance of Fuhua Hotel after rushing over. Just as he caught his breath, his phone chid.
[Chu Tian, I’m sorry, I was eliminated...]
The ssage was from Xu Qingqiu. He didn’t expect that the first thing she would do after leaving the show was to send him a ssage, and an apology at that.
Having witnessed everything, Chu Tian’s heart ached for the girl even more at this mont. Even though she was the one struck hardest, she still felt the need to apologize.
At this mont, he felt fortunate for the sudden idea he’d had.
Chu Tian gave a slight smile and replied on his phone,
[Co down, main entrance of the hotel.]
At that mont, on the 22nd floor of the hotel, Xu Qingqiu had freshly changed. Yiyi was adjusting her collar as Xu Qingqiu sat lifelessly in a chair, staring out the window at the flickering neon lights, lost in thought.
Hearing her phone ring, she quickly grabbed it and looked. When she saw the ssage, she was stunned for a mont, then quickly got up, grabbed her hat and mask, and raced downstairs.
"Eh? Eh! Sister Qiu, where are you going?"
"I’m just going downstairs for a bit."
Watching her rush out like the wind, Yiyi was stunned, her hand still held mid-air, forgetting to put it down.
At the hotel entrance, Xu Qingqiu ran out, looking around anxiously, but saw nothing.
As she was about to send a ssage, disappointnt on her face, soone suddenly spoke from behind her, making her jump.
"Who are you looking for?"
"AH?!"
Xu Qingqiu turned around and saw Chu Tian standing beside her, smiling. Annoyed, she playfully punched his arm.
"You scared to death! How did you get here?"
Without answering her, Chu Tian brought out a bouquet of flowers from behind him and held it out to her, saying,
"For you. You bought so much before, I didn’t know what to give you, so I bought a bouquet of flowers. I don’t know if you like them."
He was sowhat embarrassed and nervous; little did he know his question was unnecessary.
Upon seeing the bouquet, Xu Qingqiu’s eyes widened, surprise and delight nearly spilling over, impossible to hide.
"I love them! I love them so much! Thank you, Chu Tian!"
Having faced elimination and failure today, she had been in low spirits, but at this mont, she felt an imnse sense of happiness and satisfaction.
It was like a solitary knight heading to an indefinitely postponed rendezvous. Almost in despair, she never expected that the person she had been eagerly waiting for would finally respond.
That imnse surprise had already shattered all the displeasure into fragnts, leaving no trace behind.
The mont she received the flowers, all unhappiness, all thoughts of elimination, all feelings of loss were gone.
At this mont, only one thought filled her mind: Chu Tian sent flowers!
anwhile, Chu Tian, seeing her happy expression, felt sowhat relieved, but mostly puzzled.
He just couldn’t figure out why girls liked flowers so much.
In the afternoon, he had been thinking about how to surprise Xu Qingqiu, ideally helping her shake off her mood of defeat.
He had searched online for a long ti without finding anything. After looking at many answers, most suggested that the best way was to give a gift, and that girls liked flowers the most.
He didn’t understand flowers, so he asked around. When soone said this type of flower was suitable, he bought a bouquet, specifically choosing a large one.
He wasn’t short on money, and it wasn’t very expensive. However, people on the street gave him strange looks as he carried it.
Initially, he wasn’t sure at all, thinking whether Xu Qingqiu would think he was being stingy for giving sothing with no practical use.
However, it seed like he really chose the right gift, as Xu Qingqiu genuinely liked it.
"If you like it, that’s good. Are you feeling much better now?"
"Yes! I’m so happy, thank you."
"No need for thanks. Co on, I’ll treat you to a big al!"
"Sure, let’s go!"
The two found the old car that Xu Qingqiu had given to Chu Tian on the roadside. As soon as they got in, they headed straight for the planned destination.
anwhile, Yiyi, who had been sitting in the hotel waiting all day without seeing Xu Qingqiu return, finally couldn’t sit still anymore.
She picked up the phone and directly called Xu Qingqiu.
"Hello, Sister Qiu, when are you coming back?"
At this mont, Xu Qingqiu, sitting in the car, had no intention of going back. She decisively replied,
"Well, sothing ca up. You go back first. Rember to take everything with you, and drive the car back too."
"Ah? Sister Qiu, where are you going? I need to follow you. What if sothing happens? Sister Hua specifically instructed ..."
"Yiyi, I’m with Chu Tian..."
"Chu Tian?!! Okay..."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Qingqiu, feeling sowhat guilty, glanced at Chu Tian and found that he looked quite handso while driving seriously.
Completely unaware of the imnse emotional pain Yiyi was experiencing back at the hotel.
What the heck? She seed so morose just now. And all that, ’Yiyi, I got eliminated, I’m so sad~’ only for her to go on a date right after! Won’s words, a pack of lies! Hmph! She’s definitely out enjoying so delicious food and didn’t even take ...
Indeed, they were enjoying a delicious al. As the saying goes, "turn grief into appetite." Chu Tian didn’t know what else to do, so he figured good food and drinks were the answer.
This was his first ti trying to comfort a girl, and for soone who was eternally clueless about these matters, managing this much was already quite remarkable.
Since there was a revival round the next day, Chu Tian took Xu Qingqiu ho after dinner.
Early the next morning, Xu Qingqiu was completely revitalized, showing no signs of yesterday’s soul-crushing elimination.
When she arrived at the venue once again, there wasn’t a trace of nervousness in Xu Qingqiu’s heart. She was filled with fighting spirit, eager to be the first on stage.
The revival round had eight participants. Besides the four people from the two pairs eliminated in the semi-finals, there were also four chosen from previously unmasked and eliminated contestants who had garnered the highest votes.
Among them was the contestant from Xu Qingqiu’s original group, the rock veteran Zhao Zhengxian, also known as "What’s Wrong with Being Dark."
Since they still had to participate in the revival round, those eliminated in the semi-finals had not unmasked. This inherently put them at a disadvantage compared to those who had already revealed their faces.
After all, those who had been unveiled had, more or less, gained so popularity, which made the coback for the still-masked contestants even more challenging.
It was unclear whether it was the boost from Chu Tian’s surprise the day before or Xu Qingqiu’s exceptional performance.
The mont she stepped onto the stage, her aura was fully unleashed. She perford a remixed old song to perfection, her energy high throughout the entire performance.
Her transitions between high and low notes were effortless. The song was emotionally rich and heart-stirring.
Even though she was at a slight disadvantage, she still managed to secure second place with a high score of 4.3, successfully advancing from the revival round.
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