Rebirth from the Ashes

Teary-eyed, Su Ruowan watched as Mr. Xixi got into the elevator before advancing to a nearby stairwell to kick the wall. With hatred brewing in her eyes and face contorting like an evil spirit she wickedly cursed. “Shen Xi!”

That b*tch would not leave her alone!

Was it not her who had left the Su family? Was it not her who refused to come back? Why was Shen Xi still relentless in her pursuit to make her life a living hell?

This time, Su Ruowan was not going to let it slide!

It was a peaceful ambiance back in the mentors’ break room.

Fang Yao excitedly ran in and looked at Gu Yang. “Mr. Gu Yang, is it true? I heard that Mr. Xixi agreed to collaborate with you. Congrats on making your dream come true!”

Although Mr. Xixi had been with them for quite some time, his attitude towards them remained the same. It was perhaps due to Mr. Xixi’s detached nature that no one was able to hold up a conversation with him. How could any intentions of collaboration be brought up without any interactions going on?

“Keep it down.” Xia Mi gave her a tug. She knew she should not have told her. Now the whole world would find out.

“What’s wrong? This is good news! It’s basically a done deal since Mr. Xixi gave his word. If it were me, I’d be posting on Weibo and paying to make the post viral so that the whole world would know I’m teaming up with Mr. Xixi.” Envious, Fang Yao drew near. “What did you say to Mr. Xixi? How did you make him agree to it?”

Gu Yang had never been happier. It never occurred to him that his casual probing would lead to Mr. Xixi saying yes. “I brought it up in a conversation.”

Had he known that Mr. Xixi was forthright, Gu Yang would have asked about it from the very beginning, instead of overthinking about this and that. Mr. Xixi was not as complicated as he thought.

He Sumo and Su Muyan bumped into each other at the door and picked up something about a collaboration with Mr. Xixi. They did not know the full story.

He Sumo inquired with a smile, “What’s with the happy faces? Some good news?”

“Yes, this is good news indeed. Don’t go turning into a green-eyed monster if I were to tell you.” Fang Yao was not the kind to beat around the bush nor did she put much thought into it. She would joke around as friends would. “Our Mr. Gu Yang is collaborating with Mr. Xixi!”

“Really?” Surprised, He Sumo exclaimed with a smile, “Congratulations, Mr. Gu Yang.”

It was no secret that Gu Yang had been pining on collaborating with Mr. Xixi. Moreover, this was also every singer’s wish. No one was going to say no to working together with Mr. Xixi.

Although Su Muyan kept up with his appearance, the bitter jealousy overtook every inch of his body. He congratulated Gu Yang as the occasion saw fitting.

Apart from Su Muyan, everyone else in the break room was genuinely happy for Gu Yang. They were looking forward to his work together with Mr. Xixi.

Su Muyan sat in one corner. He did not get along with the other mentors, and even though they appeared close, Su Muyan did not make any personal connection with any of them. No one thought it was out of the ordinary when Su Muyan kept to himself.

Gu Yang modestly mentioned that Mr. Xixi was keen to take up his request for a collaboration at the mention.

The situation was as simple as it sounded. Gu Yang was speaking the truth, but whether the other mentors believed him was another story.

The few mentors were unconvinced that it was that straightforward to get a collaboration with Mr. Xixi. Nevertheless, they were too embarrassed to delve into the subject with Gu Yang. There were many big names better known than them in the music scene. All of them had sought Mr. Xixi and even publicly begged for a chance in partnership, but did Mr. Xixi ever give them the time of his day?

Mr. Xixi paid no mind and rejected them all. During that time, there was a saying making rounds in the music industry that it was contrary to all reasons to get a partnership with Mr. Xixi.

Su Muyan was listening in on the conversation while bitter jealousy and rage were eating him up inside. He smiled at Gu Yang and asked, “Mr. Gu Yang, where is Mr. Xixi?”

“Mr. Xixi doesn’t have anything on his schedule today. I guess he’s back at his dorm,” Gu Yang replied.

Today was his lucky day to be given the chance to work with Mr. Xixi. Mr. Xixi gave him his manager’s contact, but Gu Yang lamented that he was not able to get Mr. Xixi’s contact number.

Su Muyan got up. “You guys carry on. I’m going to take a look around the studios.”

The fact that Mr. Xixi was collaborating with Gu Yang was a slap in Su Muyan’s face. The smug look on Gu Yang’s face tempted Su Muyan to rip him apart.

Did he think he was all that? What was going on with Mr. Xixi? Why did Mr. Xixi agree to partner an idol with a following like Gu Yang? Was he not afraid to tarnish his own name?

If Mr. Xixi were seeking a collaboration, it should be with Su Muyan. Who, except him, in the whole panel of mentors was worthy to work with him?

It went without saying that Su Muyan did not go to the studios. Instead, he jumped right into looking for Mr. Xixi. He knocked on the door, but there was no response. He thought this was the same case as the last time, Mr. Xixi was simply avoiding them. Thus, he waited outside the door for Mr. Xixi to come out so he could talk about a collaboration.

A while later, a cleaning lady who was here to tidy up the place told him that Mr. Xixi had packed up and left.

Su Muyan was under the impression that Mr. Xixi was probably gone for a couple of days due to a schedule conflict just as before. He patiently waited and sought a public relations team to strategize a collaboration plan with Mr. Xixi, so he would be ready to go into discussion the moment Mr. Xixi returned.

One day, two days, one week, and soon a month went by, but Mr. Xixi was nowhere in sight. Su Muyan tried to get an answer from the production, yet no one could give a definite answer. The only thing he could do was to wait anxiously for Mr. Xixi’s return.

National Idol was aired continuously, making waves one episode after another. With citizens around the country getting into the hype, the trainees were receiving love more than ever.

The most popular and the favorite was none other than Su Ruowan, followed closely behind by Ye Weiyang. Both were neck-to-neck in votes.

Ye Weiyang’s mind-blowing stage presence drew a lot of fans. Her diligence, hard work, inquisitiveness, and humility made her the worthy trainee who turned the tide in her favor.

Beneath Ye Weiyang was Song Wenye. Out of the top ten trainees, Cosmos Entertainment made a clean sweep with six of their girls occupying six spots.

Mr. Xixi who had been missing for five episodes was about to make an appearance on the ninth episode as the trainees made their way to the grand finale. This sparked a lot of interest among fans, pushing the show’s viewership to its highest peak.

At half-past eight at night, a silvery-white Maybach pulled up in front of the training grounds.

Li Yuan put on a black backpack on the girl’s back and said, “There you go.”

Shen Xi pulled the hood over her head tightly before turning to smile at him. “I’ll be off then.”

Li Yuan nodded as she put on a mask and sunglasses to cover herself up completely. She then waved him off and got down the car. His narrow eyes bore a hint of longingness.

The next moment, he took notice of an executive van parked nearby, and out walked a man in full armor. Li Yuan’s eyes turned sharp while his pupils shrunk. Fu Qingye!

Fu Qingye saw nothing, nor did he notice a man staring at him from inside a car. He carried his suitcase, without an assistant and manager by his side, he entered the building alone.

Meanwhile, Shen Xi walked into the elevator and before the doors closed, someone pressed the open button. She quickly shrunk to a corner and hung her head low, afraid to be discovered.

She wore sunglasses and a mask because she did not have any makeup on. Shen Xi picked a time when the trainees were in practice to ensure the building was empty.

Fu Qingye did not want to be seen either, hence the disguise and absence of an assistant. He entered the elevator but did not dare to look at the person inside, for fear of being recognized and made his arrival known. What if the girl were to find out and flee the scene?

To his surprise, Fu Qingye had just stood there when the person behind, for some reason, bumped into him without warning.