A Pair of Evil Women's Love - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: [VIP]

#LuJingPerforms (Hot)

#LuJing (Hot)

#LuJingSavesTheDay

#LuJingStationA

The trending topics exploded. Since Lu Jing returned to the country, he had not sung in public for three years, aside from concerts, and he rarely participated in commercial performances.

His five-minute a cappella performance at Station A’s live show occupied eight trending topics.

There was no doubt that with Lu Jing’s support, Fu Yilan’s group’s live audience votes directly surpassed the previous groups, taking first place!

Host: “Congratulations! Fu Yilan’s Group 3 received 860 votes, surpassing Group 5 and becoming the safe group!”

Bai Lele looked at the voting results on the big screen in disbelief. Group 3’s live votes were far beyond the other two groups.

The group votes were cast by the one thousand audience members on site. The group with the highest score would automatically enter the safe zone. In the end, all members of the winning group would be sent to the finals.

This meant that if the remaining two groups’ votes couldn’t surpass Group 3, their teammates would be eliminated. All seven members of Group 3 would be able to enter the fifth public performance.

The fifth public performance was the debut competition.

Fu Yilan was covered in sweat. She was still responsible for the major movements in this performance. After the full show, she was already out of breath. The big screen showed Fu Yilan’s delicate, sweaty face.

The camera always favored her. The close-up shot lasted for a full thirty seconds, and it was no exaggeration to describe it as an unparalleled beauty.

Lu Jing walked over and took the microphone a staff member handed him. “How do you feel?”

He was speaking to Fu Yilan.

The host’s eyes narrowed. He put down the microphone he was about to use and looked at Fu Yilan and Lu Jing with interest.

Chen Na and Bai Lele looked at each other and then moved their eyes away, as if they had a mutual understanding. The special treatment Lu Jing gave Group 3 was probably hard to explain.

Fu Haitang frowned and pressed her walkie-talkie. “Tell the host to take over. The process should proceed as usual. The screen should avoid showing Teacher Lu and Fu Yilan in the same frame as much as possible.”

Director Ren didn’t receive the instruction. His voice came through the walkie-talkie. “Director Qiao is here with me.”

Fu Haitang closed her eyes. She should have realized it earlier. For Lu Jing to do this, he must have reported it to the higher-ups. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to pull off such a perfect performance without the cooperation of the on-site staff.

It was Joey who had come to take charge of the site.

Fu Haitang pressed her walkie-talkie. “Director Qiao, are you overstepping your boundaries?”

There was some static from the other end. Joey took the walkie-talkie and said with a laugh, “It’s all for the show’s effect. Thank you for your hard work, Director Fu. I’ll definitely reward you later.”

“There won’t be a next time,” Fu Haitang said with a frown. “I need absolute control of the site. I’ll meet the station’s requirements, but please don’t interfere.”

Joey: “Of course. It won’t happen again.”

Fu Haitang cut off the communication. On stage, the camera switched to the mentors. Lu Jing was naturally teased.

The mentors would give their professional guidance scores. Each of the four mentors held one vote, which was equivalent to 100 votes from the audience. Each person only had one chance to cast it.

Qin Hai had already cast his vote. There were still three remaining votes held by Fu Rongdie, Yi Bingchi, and Lu Jing.

The host laughed. “Please, will the mentors cast their mentor votes?”

Fu Rongdie: “Who will Teacher Lu vote for?”

Comments:

(Ugh…)

(Family, did you see the trending topics? It feels like Lu Jing’s look at Fu Yilan isn’t pure.)

(Lu Jing’s fans are crazy. Although the rational fans have been telling others to calm down, I think it’s not working. Many people are already suspecting that Lu Jing likes Fu Yilan.)

(Don’t talk nonsense. Teacher Lu just appreciates talent. You’re all crazy. You see an Omega and an Alpha and you start talking nonsense.)

(Yilan is all about her career. Teacher Lu should just go for that Young Miss Fu and leave our Yilan alone.)

(Don’t you have any shame? It’s your side that should stay away.)

Lu Jing took the microphone. “I won’t vote.”

The others raised their eyebrows. In the end, Qin Hai cast his mentor vote. Fu Yilan’s Group 3 received over 900 votes. After all the groups’ performances, it would be the online voting.

At that time, the contestant with the highest individual popularity would be selected. The most popular one would become the vote champion and get the center position for the next performance.

Fu Yilan led the members of Group 3 off the stage. As she walked down the steps, she glanced at the staff’s standing area below the stage—Fu Haitang wasn’t there.

Backstage, Fu Yilan and her teammates went their separate ways. She had just finished exercising and needed to get an inhibitor shot. “I’m going to the changing room.”

Bai Lele pursed her lips and said to Fu Yilan, “Then we’ll go back first. We’ll wait for you to come back and celebrate.”

Bai Lele’s主动initiated conversation was a sign of a thaw in their relationship. Fu Yilan smiled. “Okay.”

…

The trainees had their own dedicated restrooms. There were two separate restrooms and changing rooms for Omegas. When Fu Yilan walked over, she saw a road barrier in the left-hand corridor.

“?”

Had the temporary changing room, which had only been in use for less than a day, broken down?

She should have gone back the way she came to the closer changing room, but an inexplicable thought of a certain person, that cunning Omega, and the memorable keyword “changing room” crossed her mind.

Fu Yilan went past the barrier and turned the corner. She suddenly heard a familiar voice.

It was Gu Jingjing?

Fu Haitang was comforting her. “Young Miss, don’t worry. It’s not the final moment yet. Everything can still be reversed.”

“You…” Gu Jingjing’s voice was low and hoarse. “You deleted Group 3’s audio files, but they still performed successfully, didn’t they?”

Fu Yilan was stunned.

Gu Jingjing: “And Brother Lu even personally performed the backing track for them on site. The effect was much better than the BGM he recorded for me. Am I finished?”

Fu Haitang comforted her softly. “Young Miss, don’t be like that. This is what should have happened. It might not have been Teacher Lu’s idea.”

“Wuwuwu.”

Fu Yilan gritted her teeth and took a step, peeking her eyes out from behind the corner.

Two meters away, Fu Haitang was hugging Gu Jingjing and patting her back in comfort.

Fu Haitang was distracted while comforting her. While her right hand was patting Gu Jingjing’s back, she raised her left hand to check the time. As she glanced at her watch, she saw a long shadow a few steps away.

She looked up and met a pair of dangerous, peach-blossom eyes.

Fu Haitang: “…”

“Y-young Miss.” Fu Haitang pushed Gu Jingjing away suddenly.

Gu Jingjing stumbled two steps and immediately swore. “Why did you push me? Do you want to die?”

Fu Haitang stammered, her peripheral vision constantly glancing at Fu Yilan. “It’s almost time, you need to go back and touch up your makeup for the performance.”

Gu Jingjing sniffled. “Oh, then I’ll go.”

“Oh, right,” Fu Haitang moved out of the way. “You should go this way, so you don’t run into any trainees on their way to the restroom and get speculated about.”

Gu Jingjing changed direction. “You’re always so thoughtful.”

Fu Haitang chuckled. “Have a good walk, Young Miss.”

…

In the empty corridor, Fu Yilan was walking toward her step by step.

“Um, Gu Jingjing and I are completely innocent,” Fu Haitang said to Fu Yilan with a bitter smile. “You definitely shouldn’t misunderstand.”

Fu Yilan shoved the road barrier into Fu Haitang’s arms. Fu Haitang was pushed back two steps. She looked up with a smile. Fu Yilan chuckled. “And this method of secretly meeting people, aren’t you afraid of being exposed?”

She was sarcastically saying that Fu Haitang often picked a restroom under repair or an empty changing room to meet her. Now she was using the same method on Gu Jingjing.

Fu Haitang: “The time and place didn’t allow it. This is the only place with few people and quiet.”

That wasn’t what Fu Yilan wanted to hear. “You don’t need to explain.”

Fu Haitang cleared her throat and then said, “Congratulations. If nothing goes wrong, you and your teammates shouldn’t be eliminated.”

“Yes, and I have to thank Teacher Lu for that,” Fu Yilan said with a smile.

The smile on Fu Haitang’s face disappeared. She cursed in her heart, thinking that Fu Yilan was bringing up a sore subject, but she couldn’t argue. After all, it was indeed Lu Jing’s credit that kept Fu Yilan’s champion position.

“I know a really good restaurant. How about I help you book a table, and you can thank Teacher Lu in person?” Fu Haitang said.

Fu Yilan: “Okay, thank you.”

Fu Haitang: “…”

Fu Yilan: “…”

The two looked at each other in silence. A feeling of annoyance rose in both of their chests at the same time. One was annoyed about the other and Lu Jing, and the other was annoyed about the other and Gu Jingjing.

They both knew they were saying things to annoy each other, but they couldn’t control their emotions. After staring for a long time, they both looked away, restraining their anger.

As long as this day didn’t end, they probably wouldn’t be able to talk to each other properly.

Fu Yilan: “Did you delete the audio files Lu Jing gave to Group 3?”

“No. Lu Jing’s original intention was to perform on site for you… for you guys. He didn’t record the backing track for Group 3,” Fu Haitang said.

Fu Yilan didn’t expect that to be the case. In that case, she owed Lu Jing a huge favor.

Fu Yilan: “Lu Jing and I don’t have any relationship besides being mentor and student.” But right now, it was most important to make things clear to Fu Haitang.

Fu Haitang was a little surprised. She didn’t expect Fu Yilan to directly distance herself from Lu Jing. Her heart started to beat uncontrollably faster. “But he’s an Alpha, after all… and he’s helped you several times. Do you really…”

Didn’t you feel anything? Lu Jing is your official match. Fu Haitang didn’t say these words out loud.

Fu Yilan: “Well, Gu Jingjing is also a good-looking Omega. Don’t you like Omegas?”

Why was she bringing herself into it? Fu Haitang almost bit her tongue. “Who said I like Omegas?”

“Then do you like Alphas?” Fu Yilan glanced over with her beautiful eyes.

This wasn’t right. Fu Haitang felt like crying. Whatever she said seemed wrong. After a while, she mumbled, “Don’t you know who I like?”

Fu Yilan gave her a dismissive glance. Then she looked away, a smile already in her eyes. “I need to get an inhibitor shot.”

Fu Haitang: “I need to go back to the site. The live broadcast ends in half an hour.”

The two of them reported their plans to each other. They both felt a little touched. This was the first time they had told each other what they were going to do.

Uncontrollably, their eyes met, and then they both looked at each other’s lips.

The moment Fu Haitang’s phone rang, the romantic atmosphere was suddenly broken. Fu Haitang looked at the time. “Oh no, I have to go. I have to host the show. See you later!”

The sound of her heels tapping on the ground faded away. Fu Yilan chased after her for two steps. “You have tomorrow off. I want to…”

Fu Haitang’s voice came from far away. “You have a few ad shoots tomorrow! Let’s celebrate tonight!”

Fu Yilan smiled and responded softly, “Okay.”

…

At 10:15 p.m., the live broadcast ran over by more than ten minutes. Fu Yilan once again won the championship without a doubt. The show’s outdoor live broadcast concluded perfectly.

Out of the 29 trainees, 15 were eliminated in the fourth public performance, leaving 14 to compete for 7 debut spots in the next round.

At the end of the live broadcast, the host read out a list of sponsors for five minutes. After most of the audience had left, they announced the rules for the debut competition.

“The finals will be a two-person battle. Pairs will be in one group, and they will be each other’s competitors. They must work together to complete the performance, but also compete against each other for a debut spot!”

Most of the audience had already left, but the remaining ones’ eyes widened.

The host continued, “For the fairness of the finals, the impact of live audience votes on the total score will be reduced. One vote will be reduced to 0.5 votes, and the influence of the mentors’ professional scores will be increased. One vote will be equivalent to 200 votes.”

A line of question marks scrolled across the comments.

The host looked directly at the camera. “At the same time, we will add a fifth mentor seat—the Popularity Evaluator. They will have 1.5 votes and will participate in the debut competition’s evaluation.”

“For mentor certification, please look at the big screen.” The host gestured to the big screen behind him. On the screen, Fu Haitang was sitting in a corner of a cafe in a casual suit, staring into space.

The comments went wild:

(A fifth mentor? 1.5 votes is 150 points?)

(Each audience member only gets 0.5 votes? What is this? The production team changed the rules so messily. Why don’t they just say who they want to promote?)

(What is the purpose of this Popularity Evaluator?)

(All the mentors’ votes add up to 950 votes. Even if there are still a thousand audience members in the finals, their votes only add up to 500 points. Ugh… The capitalists are rigging the game, family. The mentors can now push people to debut!)

(Rigged, rigged!)

(No, wait. Isn’t this Fu Haitang supporting Fu Yilan? Based on this, Fu Yilan will definitely debut. The people yelling about rigging should use their brains.)

(Hasn’t Fu Haitang already publicly said she supports Fu Yilan? Now that they think the show is rigged, what were they doing before?)

(Boycott, boycott!!)

(Boycott!!)

(Give the audience their full votes back!)

However, the netizens’ cries could not be heard in time. The audience on site was also being evacuated under the command of security. The host read the closing remarks to the camera and cut the live broadcast at the most controversial point.

The live broadcast ended.

#StationA’sRules trended again.

Fu Haitang was revealed to be the show’s chief planner and was on the trending topics again, even surpassing other young celebrities at the same time.

…

The BMW X drove smoothly into the city center’s commercial district. The surroundings were bustling and prosperous. Fu Haitang drove the car onto the overpass. The tall buildings around them were brightly lit, and there was an endless stream of tourists, with lively street scenes and the noise of people everywhere.

Ji Xiaotong stuck her head out from the back seat. “Where are we going to celebrate?”

Fu Yilan retracted her gaze and glanced at Fu Haitang next to her.

Fu Haitang snapped her fingers and said, “The company’s administration bought tickets for a team-building trip tomorrow. I took three. We can go at a different time from them. Here.”

Fu Haitang opened the center console, took out three tickets, and waved them.

—A hot springs trip.

Ji Xiaotong: “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I didn’t even pack a swimsuit!”

Fu Haitang looked at Fu Yilan. “What about you? Do you want to go to the hot springs?”

Fu Yilan: “I’m already on your pirate ship. Can I refuse?”