Chapter 30

“…”

The air hung still for a moment, and Zuo Qingya’s laughter abruptly ceased.

Si Fuqing paused, equally taken aback.

She leaned slightly forward, bringing her gaze level with the man inside the car. “You’ve changed cars?”

Though this vehicle belonged to a world-renowned brand and appeared quite striking, it paled in comparison to the one crafted by the Mo family.

“Mmmm,” Yu Xiheng replied, his tone unhurried as he propped his head up to look at her. “I have the money.”

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Si Fuqing: “…”

Damn it!

That unscrupulous, cunning boss did this on purpose!

She glared at him for a few seconds before finally opening the car door and sliding inside.

Onlookers saw the car speed off once again, this time leaving not even a trace of exhaust fumes in its wake.

Zuo Xianyu’s fingers tightened, her nails unwittingly digging into her palm.

Yu Yao watched in silence as the sports car vanished at the end of the street.

“Did I see that right?” stuttered a young man. “That’s the new MS limited edition car, only ten in the world.”

Such exclusive cars were never sold on the open market; they were reserved in advance.

He had seen it on the official website.

At the time, he lamented to Yu Yao that they could only admire it from afar.

Who would have thought that someone would arrive in that very car to pick up Si Fuqing?

Who?

The young man’s face flushed with awkward embarrassment. “Miss Xianyu, whose car is that?”

Yu Yao also glanced over.

Facing Yu Yao, Zuo Xianyu’s expression softened considerably. She nodded, “A car came for her a few days ago as well. Must be someone from the entertainment circle.”

Everyone present was astute enough to read between the lines.

Si Fuqing had no power, no influence, and certainly no money to afford such a car.

Multiple sugar daddies—it was quite a mess.

Hearing Zuo Xianyu say this, the inexplicable knot in Yu Yao’s heart untangled.

He withdrew his gaze, his expression indifferent. “Let’s go.”

What did Si Fuqing’s self-debasement have to do with him?

**

Inside the car.

“The car today actually looks the part.” Si Fuqing clapped her hands. “Sansan, you’ve done well.”

Feng San’s hand, gripping the steering wheel, trembled. He accepted the compliment with a guilty conscience. “Miss Si, you’re too kind.”

The road was narrow, and he had initially planned to make a U-turn up ahead. Then he heard his Brother Nine utter two words—

Speed.

So, in his haste, he had simply shifted into reverse.

Upon hearing Si Fuqing’s comment, Yu Xiheng looked up. His eyes lingered on her hair before he leaned over and brushed it gently with his fingertips.

His touch was cool, yet his palm was warm.

That fleeting contact seemed to resonate with her very soul, like a gentle strum on a heartstring.

Amidst the enveloping scent of moonlit osmanthus, Si Fuqing saw a fallen leaf in Yu Xiheng’s hand.

She had no idea when it had landed on her head.

“Boss is the best,” Si Fuqing gave him another thumbs-up. “You’re amazing. But do you have OCD?”

Yu Xiheng’s eyebrows twitched.

“Miss Si, Brother Nine and I watched your show,” Feng San interjected promptly, his tone flat. “You’re really impressive. Will we see your students in the next episode?”

“No,” Si Fuqing’s expression turned stoic in an instant. “I hope no one picks me. I want to be a lazy fish, basking my belly in the sun all day.”

Feng San: “…”

He really shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up.

The car continued on its path, eventually reaching a major road.

Several minutes later, Si Fuqing suddenly spoke. “Wait, pull over—”

Feng San instinctively looked at Yu Xiheng through the rearview mirror.

Yu Xiheng commanded, “Stop.”

Feng San immediately pulled over.

Before he could ask what Si Fuqing intended to do, he saw her hop out of the car cheerfully, dart across the street to buy a skewer of candied hawthorn, and then return to the vehicle.

For the first time, a hint of helplessness graced Yu Xiheng’s face. He sighed softly, “Try not to get it on your clothes.”

“Don’t worry.” Si Fuqing took a bite of the hawthorn. “If it gets dirty, I’ll wash it. It’ll be spotless, I promise.”

“Mhmm,” Yu Xiheng murmured, closing his eyes and leaning back against the seat to rest.

His profile basked in the soft, golden sunlight, resembling white jade tinged with amber.

Si Fuqing watched him as she ate, utterly fascinated.

Feng San felt a bit lost.

Miss Si wasn’t afraid of his Brother Nine, and his Brother Nine seemed to be unusually indulgent toward her.

Yu Xiheng was not a man of many words, always sparing in his speech.

Over the years, the most frequent sentence Feng San had heard from him was—

Is this how you perform your duties as a bodyguard?

Hearing those words always gave Feng San the same sinking feeling he had when his mother used to call him by his full name.

Unable to understand, Feng San chose to focus on driving.

**

Elsewhere.

“Youth With You” Training Base.

The second episode had concluded, and the trainees’ rankings had undergone corresponding changes.

Lu Yan and Xie Yu remained firmly in the first and second positions. Lu Yan had even surpassed Xie Yu by over ten million votes.

However, statistics in the backend revealed that Xie Yu actually had more votes.

His fans were completely unaware that Xie Yu’s votes were being suppressed.

Meanwhile, Mu Ye had fallen out of the top twenty altogether.

Unless Tianle Media stepped in to support him later, Mu Ye had essentially lost his chance at debuting.

Even he hadn’t expected to stumble so drastically.

At that moment, the trainees were filling out registration forms for class assignments in their dorms.

“Brother Xie, who are you planning to pick?” Xu Xiyun seemed troubled. “I’m not good at either vocals or dance. No matter who I pick, I’ll get eliminated, right?”

“Your singing does need improvement,” Xie Yu took the form, “but your dancing has gotten a lot better recently.”

Xu Xiyun scratched his head, “I guess I just had a sudden breakthrough.”

It puzzled him.

Si Fuqing hadn’t given him much guidance. How had he suddenly mastered it all?

As Xu Xiyun pondered, Xie Yu had already picked up a pen and written down a name.

“Brother Xie, who did you choose?” Xu Xiyun leaned over. “Teacher Lin?”

Xie Yu was known as the “King of Stage.”

A solo dance video of his had garnered over twenty million views.

Choosing the dance group would benefit him the most.

Xie Yu folded the form, nonchalantly saying, “You’ll find out.”

“Forget it, I’m choosing Si Fuqing,” Xu Xiyun decisively began to write. “Brother Xie, laugh all you want, but I think she’s amazing. She’s definitely hiding her true skills!”

He had no plans to debut anyway, but he didn’t want to leave with regrets.

Xie Yu raised an eyebrow.

After completing the forms, Xu Xiyun and Xie Yu handed them over to the staff.

Soon, the forms were delivered to the mentors’ room.

Lin Qingyan received a stack of forms belonging to her.

A conservative estimate would suggest she had at least forty.

With 101 trainees in total and each teacher selecting a maximum of twenty-five.

It meant many trainees would be eliminated.

“Teacher Lin, Xie Yu is an all-rounder but seems to excel more in dance,” said the vocal mentor. “He must’ve picked you, right? You’ve got quite a thick stack of forms there.”

Lin Qingyan smiled, “Of course, Xie Yu’s stage presence is explosive.”

Who else would he choose if not her? Si Fuqing, who had no skills in singing or dancing?

She would pick the leftovers, only then would it be Si Fuqing’s turn.

With that thought, Lin Qingyan picked up a pen and began flipping through the registration forms.