Following Shi Yu was also Xie Bing, her manager.
The female alpha stood leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, her gaze intense and fixed solely on Shi Yu.
The others around seemed accustomed to such scenes, but Ji Yao was the exception she stared blankly at Xie Bing, her mind puzzled, wondering why the ghostly shadow above that person’s head had disappeared.
“Hey, newbie, what are you standing there spacing out for?”
A voice came from behind, and Ji Yao snapped back to reality, picking up the reflector and moving to stand near Shi Yu.
The murmurs were not at all discreet, and as Ji Yao listened, she confirmed that everyone here actually knew her.
“Acting all high and mighty before, trying to suck up to President Zhou, and now look at her, she’s fallen hard.”
“Don’t say that, Singer Shi is right here. Ji Yao’s dream girl that photoshopped marriage certificate looked so real.”
“Ugh, disgusting. She doesn’t just dream of marrying Shi Yu; she even dreams of being a producer. This time, she must have failed to please President Zhou, so they deliberately placed her in front of Shi Yu to make this toad recognize her place.”
Most of those speaking were alphas, and their words grew increasingly vulgar. Ji Yao deliberately tuned them out, turning her attention to Shi Yu and focusing on her work.
Gradually, the voices faded, and everyone began to immerse themselves in their tasks.
Many were captivated by Shi Yu’s appearance, and Ji Yao was one of them.
From time to time, her gaze would drift toward Shi Yu.
After all, this version of Shi Yu was rarely seen.
She was still very beautiful, just with a chillingly cold expression.
It was nothing like the sweet, smiling image Ji Yao remembered.
Clearly, Ji Yao wasn’t the only one who noticed this. Aside from the routine questions about why Shi Yu had joined this program, the backstage interviews subtly probed into the changes Shi Yu had undergone over the years.
At 20, Shi Yu had been a contestant on The Singer, rising to fame overnight and climbing steadily. Years later, returning to the show as a mentor questions about her journey and such were inevitable.
Whether these would make it into the final cut wasn’t particularly important.
The curiosity was only natural.
Moreover, times had changed; the internet was now highly developed. Just a few days ago, photos of Shi Yu at the hospital had trended on social media, and everyone was subtly trying to dig for more.
Over the years, the most famous and enigmatic rumor about Shi Yu had been her connection to Ji Yao.
Of course, in the eyes of the public and netizens, it was all Ji Yao desperately clinging to her fame.
The two had never officially appeared together in public. In previous programs, leaked photos surfaced, but they were limited to professional collaborations.
Privately, no one had ever captured them meeting.
Except for that one time Ji Yao posted a marriage certificate on Weibo, as if staking a claim.
But Shi Yu ignored it completely, not just toward her.
It was the same with Panpan. Shi Yu preferred not to discuss her private life publicly. The year before last, when photos of her out with Panpan were taken, she remained silent.
This left plenty of room for public speculation.
Some troublemakers claimed the child was Ji Yao’s, but the more they said it, the fewer people believed it.
The reason?
Ji Yao wasn’t worthy.
Although her background somewhat brushed against the entertainment industry, her tactics were too shameless photoshopping a marriage certificate wasn’t enough; she even hired marketing accounts and posted suggestive, borderline photos. She shared a bathroom selfie, claiming it was taken at Shi Yu’s home, and lounged on a sofa in a slip dress, insisting it was a gift from Shi Yu.
This matter angered not only Shi Yu’s fans but also the general public, who collectively began to condemn Ji Yao. So when this incident broke out, no one believed that Shi Yu’s taste could be so poor as to have any connection with Ji Yao.
The fans gradually grew more frenzied. Whether Ji Yao posted on Weibo or not, they would take any opportunity to curse at her, tagging her in posts or sending her private messages filled with insults.
Over the past few days, Ji Yao had already read plenty of harsh comments and seen the previous posts she had made.
Too lazy to delete so many posts, Ji Yao simply deactivated her Weibo account.
But the impact ran deep.
Everyone knew that Shi Yu had a delusional, obsessive fan one who worked in television.
Ji Yao actually found it quite impressive. With such an ugly label hanging over her head, she hadn’t been fired from the TV station and could even work as a producer.
Her social skills must be exceptional. However, it was only after she returned that everything completely fell apart.
“Teacher Shi, you’ve worked hard.”
“Everyone has worked hard.”
After the post-interview ended, Shi Yu gave a faint smile, stood up, exchanged a few pleasantries with everyone, and then left the interview room in her high heels.
Throughout the entire process, she had no interaction with Ji Yao not even a glance.
The whispers from others grew louder.
“Director Zhou’s move was brilliant. Ji Yao has been put in her place.”
“She was just a nobody who always looked down on others. Of all people to offend, she had to cross Director Zhou.”
Ji Yao knew exactly what kind of person Zhou Feng was.
Even before her transmigration, Zhou Feng had harassed her several times, both overtly and covertly, hinting that she wanted Ji Yao to be her mistress.
Zhou Feng had once been considered a prodigy, graduating from a prestigious university. The former director of Xijing TV Station was her father-in-law, a classic case of a “phoenix woman.” There had long been rumors in the industry about her being in an AA relationship.
But Ji Yao never expected that such a “lucky break” would land on her head.
After Zhou Feng hinted several times and Ji Yao remained unmoved, her probation period dragged on unusually long. Even after becoming a regular employee, her position offered little room for advancement. The best assignment she got was working on the post-interview for the show where she first met Shi Yu.
After going around in circles for years, she had been pushed back to square one.
Still, Ji Yao wasn’t discouraged. What job wasn’t worth doing? As long as it paid the bills.
So, throughout the entire recording process, she worked diligently. After finishing her post-interview duties, she was directed to assist backstage at the recording set.
By the end of the day, she had passed by Shi Yu three or four times without any interaction.
At first, Ji Yao would pay attention to her surroundings, but after one or two encounters, she realized that Xie Bing wouldn’t stay too close to her, so she focused on her work.
It wasn’t until the recording was almost over that Xie Bing finally approached her.
“Shi Yu, the recording engineer has a family emergency and might not make it today.”
Having debuted years ago, Shi Yu was quite dedicated to her craft. She released one album a year, held a nationwide tour every two years, and spent the rest of her time participating in music variety shows or major galas. She truly didn’t have much time to rest.
Because she loved music, she enjoyed every moment of it.
Naturally, her standards were high.
So Xie Bing’s words felt like a bucket of cold water being poured over her.
Shi Yu frowned, wanting to ask if they couldn’t just find a replacement.
But then she thought about it, this recording engineer had been one of the more pleasant collaborators she’d worked with in recent years. Finding a last-minute substitute.
Would only be less efficient and a waste of time.
Shi Yu, followed by Xie Bing and her assistant Xiao Di, walked right past Ji Yao just like the three chance encounters before coldly ignoring her.
Shi Yu wasn’t a particularly warm person in private, completely different from her stage persona.
Back in the day on stage, she often smiled, a genuine, infectious smile that radiated pure joy, yet her voice remained low and soulful.
That slight contrast made her incredibly endearing.
But five years had passed, and Shi Yu’s contrast was no longer just a small quirk.
Offstage, her cool and elegant aura was fully on display, causing Ji Yao’s starstruck heart, which had been racing just moments before, to settle back into calm.
She still preferred Shi Yu when she was more adorable.
Sighing inwardly, Ji Yao didn’t fully pull her gaze away even as Shi Yu walked into the distance.
It wasn’t until a somewhat familiar voice reached her that she snapped back to reality.
“What are you looking at, Ji Yao?”
It was Qiao Zixi, who for some reason had shown up here.
Ji Yao tilted her head slightly, looking at her in surprise.
Qiao Zixi raised her hand, pointing toward the people around the stage. “I’m Xu Yi’s agent.”
Following her gesture, Ji Yao thought for a moment before nodding. “Oh.”
She remembered this Xu Yi.
In recent years, idol survival shows had evolved differently from before. Boy and girl group competitions were popping up everywhere, and Xu Yi was one of them. However, boy group competitions tended to fare better than girl groups. Over the past three years, one or two top-tier male idols had emerged, even if their fame was fleeting still better than the lukewarm state of girl groups.
Male alphas and male omegas were more open, and shippers ate it up, getting more and more obsessed. In comparison, girl groups felt rather monotonous; even the “sugar” felt fake and not as sweet.
Over time, the gap between boy and girl groups widened.
Xu Yi was a rare exception among them. She didn’t engage in fan service or ship-baiting; her aloof and solitary personality had won her a sizable fanbase. Moreover, her voice bore some resemblance to Shi Yu’s both were sweet and charming, creating a sense of contrast. Unintentionally, she had also managed to ride on Shi Yu’s popularity.
She was one of the most popular members in her girl group.
Of course, she had her fair share of scandals. Rumors swirled that she had a long-term girlfriend, while others claimed she had been taken advantage of by a powerful figure during her time on the show.
There was no solid evidence, but some people refused to let it go, making it hard to distinguish truth from fiction.
During the mentors’ backstage interviews, Ji Yao had also learned about this program, so she understood why Xu Yi was participating in The Singer to clear her name.
It all came down to prestige.
Even though the show hadn’t aired for many years, The Singer had produced many powerhouse vocalists. The most famous was Shi Yu, along with Xiao Ran, a female alpha who had competed in the same year as Shi Yu and later transitioned to acting.
There were also two male alpha singers who had firmly established their status and influence in the industry.
Notably, The Singer had invested heavily this time, intending to invite all four of them back. In the end, only Shi Yu and the two male alphas returned as the three main mentors.
Xiao Ran was too busy and would most likely appear as a guest mentor.
The show’s level of investment also determined the quality of the contestants. Amateurs and professionals were treated equally, all participating in the initial auditions.
Only thirty-five made the cut.
After the first two episodes, five would be eliminated. Of the remaining thirty, half would be assigned to the three mentors’ teams in the first round, while the fate of the other half would depend on circumstances.
According to Qiao Zixi, Xu Yi had performed well and made it into Shi Yu’s team. This meant her final ranking wouldn’t be too low; in fact, with her own talent and popularity, she might even compete for a spot in the top three.
Indeed, it was much as she had thought. Qiao Zixi didn’t hold back, discussing Xu Yi’s upcoming plans and his views on the show with Ji Yao.
Although Ji Yao had been out of the entertainment industry for five years, she had once been deeply involved in fan circles and had half a foot in the entertainment world. Qiao Zixi’s words overlapped significantly with her own thoughts, and after just a few sentences, her mind drifted to Shi Yu, who was about to leave the recording studio.
She paused because her phone rang, she needed to take the call.
The moment she answered, the thin layer of ice on her face melted away.
A faint dimple appeared at the corner of her lips, and her voice was incredibly gentle: “Panpan?”
This was a side of Shi Yu that Ji Yao had never seen before, no matter the circumstances.
It also reminded her of the fact that “she” and Shi Yu had a daughter together.
For a moment, she was lost in thought. Because Qiao Zixi was still chattering in her ear, she didn’t catch what Shi Yu said next.
But she clearly saw Xie Bing standing beside Shi Yu, his face dark and gloomy, the pink-black shadow above his head more vivid than ever.
Moreover, the lingering traces of the handprints Ji Yao had left during her brief encounters with Shi Yu began to itch faintly, as if confirming something.
“Shi Yu is in danger of bloodshed. Should we go check on her?”
Qiao Zixi seemed to enjoy talking behind others’ backs, and his words left Ji Yao momentarily stunned.
Before she could ponder further, the itching on her wrist turned into a burning pain.