She felt that Gu Yueyue was unlikely to let her pass, because every time Gu Yueyue encountered her, she was like a mouse seeing a cat; she was terrified of her.
Gu Yueyue probably wouldn't let her get close, so choosing to prevent her from passing at this point would be a good way to kick her out of the game. It's a very self-serving thing to do; people will choose to avoid people and things that make them feel afraid.
Gu Yueyue had hesitated for a moment when facing Zhang Ya, but she later realized that those moments of hesitation disgusted her. Now, seeing Xu Yi's brilliant performance, she felt even more disgusted by her previous thoughts.
She had seen a video of Xu Yi practicing swordsmanship on set before. The movements were beautiful, but they lacked visual appeal and were more like real swordsmanship. But today, she saw the beauty of dance.
It's clear that Xu Yi is a very serious person in private. She is honing and improving her sword dance in order to pass this selection.
Xu Yi waited for a while but the final verdict was not delivered. She raised her head slightly and looked at Gu Yueyue, only to see heartache in Gu Yueyue's eyes.
Gu Yueyue thought of the sweat she had shed before the night of the group's formation. She believed that she understood better than most the hardships and bitterness one had to go through when pursuing dreams.
"Your performance was brilliant." Gu Yueyue spoke under the expectant gazes of everyone, and then, as everyone held their breath in anticipation, she pressed the pass button. She then added to Xu Yi, "Your performance is impeccable in my eyes."
—Ahhh! Sisters, I'm going crazy! I forgot to breathe!
—Holy crap, watching a selection competition has really gotten my heart racing.
This is the first time our Yueyue has given a perfect score! Before, no matter whose performance it was, she would always give a few objective and fair comments. But this time, she said nothing, yet she said everything!
—Am I the only one who noticed that Fan Weiwei's face turned green?
—No! I noticed that too. I also noticed that Xia Lan looked like she was about to cry.
—Didn't you guys notice Xu Yi smiled?! She'd been so cool and aloof since she came on stage, but she smiled when Yueyue praised her!
Xia Lan didn't expect her idol to give such high praise. Looking at the red X she had typed, she avoided the live stream camera and slapped her hand hard, saying, "It's all your fault for being so disappointing and going against your idol."
As a result, the sound of her slapping her own hand was recorded and broadcast throughout the venue via her microphone.
Soon, the audience realized what was happening and joined in the applause, which erupted in thunderous applause.
Xu Yi looked at Gu Yueyue, her starry eyes filled with surprise and confusion.
Chapter Fifteen
Xu Yi found Zhang Ya, who had already been selected, and the two had lunch at the Starry Sky Base before going home separately.
During the lunch break, the four mentors and the production team had lunch together, with Liu Dai hosting the meal.
He tried to ease the tension at the table with a lot of polite words, but no matter what he said, Fan Weiwei always had a sarcastic expression and didn't give anyone a friendly look.
In the end, Liu Dai lost his temper. After so many years in the industry, he had never fawned over anyone. Today, for the sake of the show, he spoke to Fan Weiwei in a nice tone, but Fan Weiwei didn't give him any face, leaving him in an awkward position.
After Liu Dai took his seat, he began chatting with Yuan Beidu next to him. Yuan Beidu looked at the delicious food in front of him, picked up his chopsticks and forced a smile, feeling bitter inside because he wanted to eat but couldn't.
Fan Weiwei sat next to Gu Yueyue, giving her a cold look. He was cursing Gu Yueyue in his heart. He had clearly only made things difficult for that contestant because of Gu Yueyue, but Gu Yueyue had turned against him at the last minute, making him lose face in front of the live broadcast.
He'll settle this score with me sooner or later!
After lunch, the four mentors each went back to their respective rest rooms for a short rest of an hour.
The selection process continued at 2 PM.
Xu Yi had already gone home by then. He Xiaojing, who rarely gets a day off, quickly invited her over to watch the live stream together when she saw her return.
He Xiaojing: "I watched your live stream this morning, it was amazing! It was so exciting, your hashtag even made it to the tail end of the trending topics."
"Why don't you start a Weibo account? Lots of people are leaving comments on your official website wanting to follow you."
Xu Yi had looked into Weibo before, but she wasn't comfortable using smartphones, so she decided against opening a Weibo account.
"No need."
He Xiaojing wanted to persuade her that with such a large following, even if she didn't become a celebrity, she could still become a successful online influencer by leveraging that popularity.
No matter how much He Xiaojing said, Xu Yi remained unmoved. It wasn't until He Xiaojing gave up trying to persuade her that Xu Yi, after some thought, asked her another question.
"I have a fiancée, but we haven't seen each other for a long time..."
"What?" He Xiaojing's eyes widened upon hearing her words, and she stood up from the sofa. She looked Xu Yi up and down seriously. "How old are you? You already have a fiancée?"
“It was arranged a long time ago,” Xu Yi explained to her, humbly asking for advice. “But we haven’t been in contact since, and… she probably doesn’t even know I exist, nor does she know about this marriage. What do you think I should do?”
He Xiaojing's expression changed several times, her eyes filled with disbelief. "Xu Yi! This is the 21st century! Is your fiancée someone you had arranged to marry before you were even born?"
"More or less?" Xu Yi herself wasn't sure what kind of fate she had with Miss Gu. The fate was arranged 20,000 years ago. When cultivators form a bond, it is directly established on the soul of the other person. So no matter how many times Miss Gu is reincarnated, or what she is reincarnated as, the fate between them can never be severed.
It wouldn't be wrong to say it was an arranged marriage from the moment Miss Gu was born. Indeed, it was destined from the moment she was born. If she hadn't awakened, then in the near future, Miss Gu would have met this original body and thus become one with a wisp of her soul. This is a matter ordained by Heaven, and no one can change it. As the saying goes, there is a destiny in the dark.
Now that she has awakened, she will also be able to awaken all of Miss Gu's consciousness in the future. Only after she successfully transcends her tribulation and ascends to become an immortal with a divine status can this marriage be severed.
He Xiaojing sat down next to her again, still finding it hard to believe what Xu Yi said. Even though same-sex marriage had been legalized a few years ago, she was still a little dizzy, never expecting that a lesbian would be next to her.
"Have you tried contacting her?" He Xiaojing could tell that Xu Yi was really troubled by this, so she took it to heart and stopped making a fuss.
Xu Yi told her about finding Miss Gu's apartment complex.
When He Xiaojing looked at her again, she had a complicated expression on her face.
"What you're doing is a bit... perverted." He Xiaojing rubbed her forehead. "You can't just rush into someone's house like that."
"That's what I thought too, so I didn't look for her, I just stood at the door for a while."
He Xiaojing: "You should try to get to know her, or contact the elders who arranged your engagement and ask them to act as matchmakers."
He Xiaojing didn't approve of the marriage. What era are we living in? Everyone believes in freedom of love. Who wants an arranged marriage?
As He Xiaojing thought this, her gaze fell on Xu Yi, who was frowning and deep in thought. Her heart skipped a beat, then started pounding wildly. 'A pretty girl is offered to me, I want this kind of good thing!'
“You’re right, but the people who helped us get engaged are no longer in this world.” Xu Yi let out a soft breath. Her parents and Miss Gu’s parents had ascended to heaven tens of thousands of years ago.
He Xiaojing pursed her lips slightly, and finally managed to say, "Please accept my condolences."
Xu Yi was stunned. What's there to grieve for? What do you mean by "grieve for someone"?
Fearing that she would be too immersed in sadness, He Xiaojing quickly said something else to distract her.
"Do you have any tokens of your commitment? Isn't that how it's always portrayed in TV dramas? When two families are engaged, they exchange tokens, right? You can take the token to her to try and convince her of what you're saying. Then you can test her feelings. If she's satisfied with you, you can pick a date to get your marriage certificate. If she doesn't plan to marry you, I think you shouldn't be too upset or make things difficult for her."
Xu Yi listened very carefully, especially the two sentences, "If you agree, then get the marriage certificate" and "If you don't agree, then you can't make things difficult for them." She remembered them very clearly and kept them in mind.
He Xiaojing wanted to say something more, but then she received a phone call. She hurriedly grabbed her parasol and phone and was about to leave.
"My friend drank too much. I went to pick her up, and she might not be back tonight."
After He Xiaojing left, Xu Yi thought about her and Miss Gu for a while.
As the sun set outside the window, Xu Yi looked at the afterglow of the sunset over half the sky above the shop, and on a whim, she went outside.
She was going to find Miss Gu. Even if she couldn't bring up the marriage proposal with Miss Gu right now, she still wanted to see what Miss Gu looked like in this life. Appearance wasn't the key point, since it was just a mortal life anyway. The main thing was—she missed her.
Gu Yueyue finished her work for the afternoon and said goodbye to the production team before heading home.
Ono planned to accompany her back. On the way, Gu Yueyue saw that Ono looked exhausted. They stopped at a pharmacy to buy some sleeping pills.
Feeling guilty, Gu Yueyue told Xiao Ye to go home and rest after he took her home.
Ono refused, saying, "Sister, what will you do if I leave?"
"It's okay. I'll just stay home for a few days. I'll be joining the crew next Monday." Gu Yueyue's mind conjured up the image of Xu Yi, her image of her wielding a sword freely on stage. Subconsciously, Gu Yueyue refuted the label she had placed on Xu Yi as a sasaeng fan.
A person who works so hard and pursues their dreams so desperately shouldn't be a brainless fan who has lost their mind.
Perhaps she misunderstood before.
"Didn't you say that this house used to be lived in by an elderly couple of professors? Maybe the students didn't know that their teachers had moved out, so they found this place, and it just so happens that they are my fans."
"..."
Ono was silent for a while, then said with a wry smile, "Sis, doesn't your face hurt when you contradict yourself?" Who was it that confidently said those two were sasaeng fans before? They were so scared they fainted on set. Now they're contradicting themselves so readily.
Gu Yueyue blushed.
"Sis, I know you're worried about me, but I'm really fine. Please let me stay here and keep you company. Otherwise, even if I go back, I won't be able to sleep alone."
Gu Yueyue refused, forcefully pushing her out the door, then smilingly reassuring her, "Don't worry, I'm fine. You go back and get some rest. You'll be joining the crew with me soon, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to spend time with me then."
Xiao Ye was pushed out the door. She knew that Gu Yueyue was stubborn and hard to persuade. She thought about it again and realized that Xu Yi didn't seem like a bad person.
"Okay, I'll head back now. Sis, if you need anything, call the police first, then call me."
"Okay, I understand. Go back and get some rest." Gu Yueyue personally escorted her into the elevator.
After Ono left, Gu Yueyue returned to her empty home alone, and once again felt that the house was particularly cold and desolate.
She also wanted to keep a pet, but she spends more than 300 days a year away from home, so keeping a pet at home is unrealistic unless the pet becomes intelligent and can take care of itself.
On the balcony, she watered the two small potted cacti.
She turned on the TV and randomly put on a noisy program until she got hungry, then went to the kitchen to wash an apple for herself.
After we finished eating the apple, the last rays of daylight faded on the horizon.
Xu Yi was standing outside the door at this moment. Unlike the last time she came, when she hesitated about whether to knock, this time she sensed in advance whether anyone was inside.
Gu Yueyue turned on the lights in the room. She was afraid of being alone, so she turned on all the lights to make the room bright. There was also a life-sized teddy bear on the sofa, which was a new one. Even though she was reluctant to part with the previous one, she didn't dare to keep it.
As usual, she practiced her acting skills in front of the teddy bear.
It was a classic scene performed by one of her favorite veteran actresses, depicting the awakening of female consciousness during the Republican era. In order to resist the dregs of the old society, the female protagonist delivered a powerful speech criticizing her clan.
"This is an era of freedom, where everyone is equal and can freely choose their partner. Your arranged marriages are outdated ideas, outdated and vulgar practices that should be discarded!"
"Happiness is something we create ourselves. Women must have their own thoughts, learn to be independent, and change their own destiny! I am not a puppet controlled by you, nor a tool used for political marriages to gain family benefits. I am a person! I am myself! My marriage should be my own decision!"
"You want me to marry him, but I disagree. It has nothing to do with whether he's a good or bad person, nor with his family background; it's simply because I don't like him, and our values don't align. I'm not blindly following the crowd, but rather..."
Separated by a single door, the person inside spoke passionately, while the person outside listened with a buzzing in their head.
Xu Yi bit her lower lip and withdrew her consciousness.
She stood at the doorway and exhaled a long breath.
Today, she met Miss Gu and learned that Miss Gu was the famous star she had met several times, and also her mentor with whom she would be spending day and night. She was very happy about this.
But her happiness only lasted a few seconds. If she hadn't heard Miss Gu's words, which seemed to be deliberately said to her, she might have been even happier.
Chapter Sixteen