[Is Qin Yimo a contestant too?]
[Never heard Qin Yimo could sing.]
[Funny! What can’t our Momo do?]
[Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!!]
[The production team hid it deep enough…]
[Hahaha, I want to see Han Xiao’s expression. Is Han Xiao’s face dark?]
Almost the moment Qin Yimo appeared, the bullet comments were full of question marks, then the screen was flooded with discussions.
On stage, the host, changing from her previous calm and collected demeanor, enthusiastically shook Qin Yimo’s hand, “Momo, when the director told me you were joining the show, I couldn’t believe it.”
Qin Yimo humbly replied, “Oh no, I’m still a newcomer in singing; I need to learn a lot from everyone.”
Then, she showed a slightly aggrieved expression, “…I’d be thankful just to pass the preliminaries.”
At this moment, Qin Yimo and Han Xiao formed a stark contrast.
Admittedly, given Han Xiao’s current reputation, if she chose the same approach as Qin Yimo, she would only be criticized more severely; she only had the path of ‘graceful and dignified’ to take.
But with Qin Yimo doing this, Han Xiao’s ‘graceful and dignified’ would become a joke.
Netizens wouldn’t consider the logic behind Han Xiao’s behavior; most could only see the first layer.
Even someone of Qin Yimo’s stature was so humble; it was just an self-introduction, but Han Xiao made such a big deal out of it.
“So you debuted as an actress, what made you decide to participate in this show?”
“What’s the difference between an artist who doesn’t aim to be a triple threat in film, TV, and music, and a couch potato? Right, Xiao Xiao?”
The camera immediately turned to Han Xiao.
The bullet comments collectively spammed “cute,” but there were also dissenting voices.
[Xiao Xiao?]
[Didn’t they have a grudge?]
[Would you bother with someone inferior to you?]
[Exactly! Exactly! Our Momo is beautiful and kind-hearted. She even helped explain for Han Xiao before, but who with eyes can’t see? They’re from the same company; they just don’t want to burn bridges!]
[The generosity of a rich young lady.]
[Messing with our Momo is really messing with a soft target.]
[Rich family, beautiful, impressive acting skills, and now a good personality… What kind of goddess is this?]
[Is it a script? How long has it been since these two were on the same stage?]
[Funny, how popular is this variety show? What script do they need?]
Afterward, the host’s questions also addressed what the audience wanted to know.
“So, Momo, coming here this time, you must be aiming for the championship?”
“Yes, being able to collaborate with so many masters is very appealing just thinking about it…”
The host half-jokingly said, “Then why not just throw money at it? We all know your background.”
Qin Yimo’s delicate brows furrowed.
She helplessly replied, “Unfortunately, my family wouldn’t agree… If you don’t have the ability, anything achieved by throwing money is just a joke.”
She also managed to boost the Qin family’s public image.
[People compare, it’s infuriating!]
[They’re all girls of the same age, Han Xiao should learn from her level of thinking.]
[For all the things Han Xiao has done, Qin Yimo has enough reason to blacklist her ten times over…]
“Is there anything else you’d like to say?”
Qin Yimo fell into thought, then her eyes curved, and she sweetly smiled, “I hope to meet Xiao Xiao in the finals. After all, we’re old friends from the same season… I also hope everyone can support us, since we both look quite good. Wouldn’t it be pleasant to just stand on stage as pretty faces?”
After she finished speaking, laughter erupted in the venue.
Almost no one took her words seriously, seeing them only as Qin Yimo’s joke.
Only Xu Huo raised an eyebrow…
The struggle between women truly kills without shedding blood.
She only mentioned looking good, not singing ability.
For Qin Yimo, someone with popularity and achievements, it was self-deprecation.
If she didn’t campaign for votes, would she be eliminated in the preliminaries?
Highly unlikely.
But for Han Xiao, it was a subtle stab.
Everyone would think Qin Yimo was trying to create buzz for Han Xiao.
Could it succeed?
It would definitely fail!
The ones who listen to contestants’ advice the most are always fans, but the more they are fans, the less they will reconcile with Han Xiao…
As for passers-by, who cares who Qin Yimo or Han Xiao are?
But the other contestants on stage were different… they were all ordinary people.
In the preliminaries, Qin Yimo implicitly occupied a promotion spot, and everyone accepted it.
But now, with this stunt, who could guarantee that the next person to be eliminated wouldn’t be replaced by Han Xiao?
Even if they were genuinely inferior, they would still harbor resentment.
One sentence, seemingly helping Han Xiao get votes, was actually useless and pushed Han Xiao against all other contestants.
This was truly brilliant!
Even Jiang Ran secretly frowned, “Bro, if what Han Xiao said is true, then I have a prejudice against her now too. Isn’t this a backstab?”
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow, “Even you can see that?”
Jiang Ran pouted unhappily, “Remove the ‘even.’ You don’t understand, girls are all like this, scheming against each other.”
“Were you bullied too?”
Jiang Ran immediately glared, “How could that be? Is your sister’s brain one that gets bullied?”
The show continued.
***
After introducing all the contestants, it was time for the “fair and just” drawing of lots.
Qin Yimo appeared last, but was the first to draw.
She reached into the box, quickly pulled out a ball, glanced at it, and then faced the camera: “A.”
The following contestants, some expressionless, some exaggeratedly comical, muttered prayers, all hoping not to be grouped with Qin Yimo, who was the strongest on paper.
Han Xiao was also among the last to appear, but she drew the very last lot.
This wasn’t because she was the grand finale; on the contrary, once the most anticipated contestant introductions ended, the later the drawing, the fewer the camera shots.
When only one spot was left, did it even matter if she drew or not?
Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.
With her popularity, it shouldn’t have been like this.
The only explanation was that the production team had given the host orders.
Finally, she drew Group B.
The bullet comments once again flooded the screen…
[Pity.]
[Want to see Han Xiao utterly crushed by Momo.]
[Why isn’t she smiling? Doesn’t she want to?]
[Han Xiao was first when they debuted, Momo second. Now the tables have turned, huh?]
[This tells us, it’s still best to be kind to others.]
[Such a pretty face wasted…]
[Just get eliminated already, so annoying to watch!]
Only Xu Huo noticed some “minor” details.
He snatched the remote from Jiang Ran’s hand, rewound the progress bar to when Qin Yimo appeared—that was Han Xiao’s most recent shot—then replayed it, repeating several times.
“Bro?”
“Did you notice anything off?”
“Hmm?”
“…Han Xiao’s clothes changed, see?” Xu Huo said.
Although both were white, at first glance, there wasn’t much difference, but when compared, the styles were distinct.
“Oh, right! Why would she change clothes?”
A recorded show wouldn’t be a single continuous shot; breaks were normal.
But what was incomprehensible was that Han Xiao had no reason to change clothes at all.
Jiang Ran frowned, “Her hairstyle and makeup seem to have changed too?”
Xu Huo re-wound the progress bar to when Han Xiao first appeared, watched it at 0.5x speed, then studied each frame, carefully observing the people and environment around her.
When Han Xiao appeared, almost all the contestants’ expressions were of amazement.
Aesthetics don’t lie.
When Qin Yimo said those words, everyone applauded, but their smiles seemed a bit forced.
Human nature doesn’t tolerate being tested.
But by the time of the drawing, those people’s faces showed more or less relief and schadenfreude.
Finally, Xu Huo came to a bold conclusion.
“She cried. Her eyes are red…”
“Huh? Why would she cry? Just because Qin Yimo calculated against her?”
Xu Huo frowned, “Isn’t it online? Isn’t this a recording?”
“No.”
“Then that’s weird. She must have been wronged; her eyes are abnormally red…”
Just as he was speaking, Xu Huo’s phone rang.
Jiang Ran instinctively leaned in, “Who is it?”
Xu Huo glanced at the screen, his expression complex.
Han Xiao.
They became friends on the subway.
“Why is she calling you?”
“God knows.”
Xu Huo answered the call.
A hoarse voice came from the other end, “…Sister Qin, I have a bad fever. Bring me some medicine when you get back… I’m going to sleep now; I can’t keep my eyes open.”
“Hello? Hello!”
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