After Marking a Paranoid CEO [Transmigration] - Chapter 15

Show Youth differed significantly from the talent show format Xia Youxi had previously participated in. Every competitive performance was broadcast live, and the initial stage had no rehearsals. The contestants didn’t even know what the stage looked like until they stepped onto it, making the entire experience a thrilling surprise.

Before their performances, Xia Youxi and the other contestants were gathered in a banquet hall. Cameras were positioned at each table, with contestants from the same company typically occupying an entire table. As a lone wolf, Xia Youxi had to share a table with others. Scanning the room, she noticed the eccentric tycoon sitting in the front row, surrounded by fawning contestants. Even Young Miss Han, whom Xia Youxi recognized, tried to approach him but was met with a cold glare.

Looks like he’s equally rude to everyone.

Xia Youxi shifted her gaze and spotted a wildly waving hand. Miss Husky stood beckoning, “Hey sis, there’s space over here!”

Is that Northeastern accent permanent?

Xia Youxi walked over to her. In live broadcast shows like this, cameras flocked to wherever the drama was. Miss Husky’s striking, cool-girl appearance contrasted sharply with her thick Northeastern accent, creating a comedic contrast that guaranteed screen time. This could be interesting.

“Yousey?”

Miss Husky leaned in to examine Xia Youxi’s contestant badge, grinning to reveal a small fang. Pointing to her own badge, she exclaimed, “What a coincidence! I’m Sibe!”

Xia Youxi glanced at the name and couldn’t help but chuckle. The English name perfectly suited Miss Husky, given that “Sibe” is the abbreviation for “Siberian Husky.”

“A great name,” Xia Youxi genuinely complimented.

Miss Husky laughed in agreement. “Right? I think so too. It’s much better than my real name.”

Xia Youxi was curious about her real name but didn’t get a chance to ask before a staff member called her away to prepare for her performance.

So early?

Am I going to be the first one on stage?

“Go get ’em, Yousey!” Miss Husky cheered, pumping her fist. Xia Youxi smiled and followed the staff member backstage. When she arrived at the waiting area, she saw over a dozen other contestants already there, realizing she had been overthinking things.

She was fourth in line. The first three performances were group showcases, and judging by the music she could hear from backstage, they were all high-energy tracks. Performing solo after such dynamic acts put her at a slight disadvantage, but as a seasoned veteran with ten years of experience, Xia Youxi wasn’t one to get stage fright.

She took the microphone and stepped onto the stage from the rear, finally seeing the full view for the first time. The stage was made of wooden flooring, reminiscent of the hall where she used to perform musicals. However, the audience seating had been modified. The most striking feature was the top-tier seats, lined with gold-trimmed red velvet, resembling a queen’s throne.

Xia Youxi quickly scanned the scene, estimating that there were about nine debut spots.

Ignoring the progressively simpler thrones below, she noticed rows of ordinary seats. A long table had been set up closest to the stage, behind which sat five people. The Alpha she had met earlier, Spicy Crayfish Flavor, was seated at the far right, suggesting she wasn’t a major star.

Xia Youxi glanced at the nameplate in front of Spicy Crayfish Flavor: Ying Feifei. The name sounded vaguely familiar.

“Yousey, as a solo trainee, are you nervous about your first stage performance?” Ying Feifei asked, resting her cheek in her hand with a smile.

Xia Youxi smiled back. “This stage is quite different from what I’m used to.” She bowed to the audience and introduced herself: “Hello, esteemed judges and national producers. I’m solo trainee Yousey.”

Chi Yi, the Celebrity Producer seated in the center judge’s position, asked, “So, Yousey, which position do you aspire to claim?”

Xia Youxi glanced at the Queen’s Throne at the highest position and pointed at it, revealing a small dimple. “Of course, I want to sit there.”

“Such ambition for a young girl!” Chi Yi raised an eyebrow, while a faint smile flickered across Ying Feifei’s face. Clutching the microphone, she said pointedly, “Your resume says you’ve only been training for a few months. If you want to be the center, you’ll have to really prove yourself.”

“Of course,” Xia Youxi replied, radiating politeness and warmth.

As the music began, the sweet-looking girl’s smile vanished. She lowered her chin slightly and fixed her gaze forward. Despite her petite frame, her eyes burned with an intensity that belied her age and appearance—a regal aura that seemed incongruous with her youthful features.

Raising the microphone, Xia Youxi began to sing. The moment her voice rang out, the judges were stunned once again. This adorable face didn’t produce a saccharine voice, but rather a uniquely ethereal, slightly mature tone, with impeccable pitch.

The high notes were even more astonishing. The soaring melody shifted into a playful interlude, like Chang’e of the moon palace waving her sleeve to transform into a lively rabbit in her arms. Xia Youxi leaped into action, perfectly capturing the energy of the upbeat girl group song. Her movements and expressions were flawlessly executed, and the final wink sent the live stream chat into a frenzy: “So cute! Is she really just a trainee of a few months?”

Celebrity Producer Chi Yi praised Xia Youxi highly. After deliberation, the judges decided to award her the first A of the night.

Xia Youxi thanked her mentor. As she finished, she noticed Ying Feifei gazing at her with a slightly tipsy look. “You’re quite bold, choosing a song I’ve performed before,” Ying Feifei said, “but I really enjoyed it.”

What?

Xia Youxi felt a chill under Ying Feifei’s gaze, sensing the woman was imagining some elaborate scenario. She offered a polite smile, stepped onto the wooden steps, and ascended the Throne. Turning to sit, she caught the camera’s sweep and winked, making a heart gesture.

Such a confident young lady! She must be an Omega.

This is too sweet!

She and Feifei look so good together!

Seated among the contestants, Xia Youxi noticed small screens on either wall. The left screen showed a live feed from the waiting banquet hall, while the right screen displayed the studio feed. She saw her own face on the screen, along with the scrolling comments: compliments, and even people shipping her with Ying Feifei?

Xia Youxi suddenly wondered how Mu Huayue would react to those comments.

The answer would have to wait. Her phone had been confiscated, leaving her to stare ahead. Soon, the banquet hall emptied as contestants returned, and the empty seats around her gradually filled.

To enhance the show’s appeal, the production team decided to have the newly promoted A-Rank contestants compete in pairs. Xia Youxi was fortunate enough to avoid being paired up so far. After a while, Miss Husky, named Sibe, took the stage. Her cool and stylish appearance immediately drew gasps from the contestants and the live audience. Without introducing herself, she launched straight into her performance.

It was a rap song, delivered flawlessly without any accent and with impeccable rhythm. The audience and judges alike praised her performance. Overwhelmed with excitement, she blurted out in her long-dormant Northeastern accent, “Aiya, laotie! No, I mean, Teacher, thank you so much! What rank do you think I deserve?”

……

……

A moment of stunned silence hung over the live stream and the venue. Then, a wave of laughter erupted. The live audience, contestants, and mentors all burst into laughter. Xia Youxi covered her mouth, amused—she hadn’t seen a female idol with this kind of persona in ages.

She thought Sibe might actually become popular.

Sure enough, the mentors awarded Sibe an “A.” Sibe covered her mouth, jumping up and down excitedly. Her towering 1.8-meter frame made the stage tremble with each leap. When the mentors instructed her to choose an opponent for the next round, she suddenly paused, scratching her head. “It’s not even the final round yet,” she protested. “Do you really need to be this strict?”

“Pfft!” Xia Youxi stifled a laugh. She’d thought the same thing back in her own competition days. But that was the show’s gimmick—playing with their nerves.

The mentors chuckled, and a mischievous idea struck them. They instructed Sibe to wait backstage and challenge the next A in a PK battle.

Before the next A took the stage, Xia Youxi witnessed a spectacle. Her former boss, Han Bei, made a grand entrance with her original company’s team. Whether influenced by Xia Youxi’s earlier remarks or not, the group’s performance was a chaotic mess, each member dancing out of sync. They became the night’s biggest joke, earning unanimous F grades. The embarrassment didn’t end there—they nearly came to blows backstage.

Xia Youxi figured the villainous supporting character’s arc was nearing its end. Before she could finish laughing, the stage lights dimmed and then flared back to life, accompanied by a melodious voice.

It was a folk song, simple and unadorned, like a storyteller sharing a tale. Yet it possessed a unique power that captivated the entire audience.

As the song concluded, thunderous applause erupted. The judges announced the A, citing the song’s originality as a pleasant surprise.

Xia Youxi was indeed surprised, not just by the song itself, but by the singer’s identity: Guan He, the girl who had defended her on the bus earlier. Xia Youxi was already envisioning signing Guan He to her future company to sing TV theme songs.

But then, Guan He suddenly shot her a cold glare. “I choose her for the PK battle,” she declared.

Xia Youxi froze, unsure what she had done to offend Guan He. But she calmly accepted the challenge. Just then, Sibe, who was waiting in the wings, burst onto the stage. “Wait! Weren’t we supposed to have the next A-vs-A battle? I want to battle Guan He!”

She wants to battle her, she wants to battle her, she wants to battle her.

Well, here’s the drama we needed.

The judges readily agreed, and Ying Feifei even gave Xia Youxi a pointed look, making her feel like she was being urged to concede.

How strange. Why should I?

Xia Youxi smiled at the judges’ table and confidently joined the three-way battle.

The competition rules were simple: the three contestants would pair off for battles, each showcasing their singing, dancing, and rapping skills. Only one could emerge victorious.

Typically, these battles were improvised, but Guan He’s performance revealed signs of meticulous preparation. She flawlessly executed each segment—singing, dancing, and rapping—without a hint of hesitation. What was even more astonishing was that Guan He, a complete novice in rap, managed to defeat Sibe, a professional rapper known for her freestyle skills, simply by delivering well-written lyrics with perfect rhythm.

Xia Youxi sensed something was amiss. During the dance segment, she tentatively suggested a collaborative performance. To her surprise, a spontaneous twist occurred: Sibe stumbled into Xia Youxi’s designated area. Seeing her lose balance, Xia Youxi instinctively reached out to steady her, transforming their solo routines into an impromptu duet. The unexpected collaboration immediately captivated the audience, ensuring that even if they lost, their performance would garner far more attention than Guan He’s.

To everyone’s surprise, the judges seized on this very moment as a flaw, using the banner of fairness to declare Guan He the winner.

The live stream chat erupted with accusations.

Rigged!

But the criticism was quickly drowned out by a flood of praise.

Haters, get lost! My girl is absolutely stunning!

Do you think you know better than the judges?

A mistake is a mistake. Don’t be a sore loser. It’s embarrassing.

The chat went wild with “unfair,” only for the word to be quickly buried under a torrent of other messages.

The familiar scene played out again. Xia Youxi retreated to her seat, watching the chat gradually calm down. A faint smile played on her lips, but beneath the table, her hands clenched into tight fists.

What’s so special about a girl with a mole between her brows? Guan He is the real problem.

Lost in frustration and disappointment, she failed to notice that the girl with the mole who had caused her trouble earlier never reappeared after the competition.

The next day, Mu Huayue was in her office at Ba Feng Group when she overheard someone lamenting Yousey’s loss. She paused, then asked Wen An, only to learn that Yousey was her own little pet.

“CEO Mu, Miss Xia’s performance yesterday was remarkable. Would you like to see it?” Wen An asked.

“I’m busy,” Mu Huayue replied.

Once the room was empty, she pulled out her phone, glanced at Green Chat, and removed the “Do Not Disturb” setting for the silly girl. When she opened the chat, her brow furrowed slightly.

Did I misunderstand her?