Chapter 184: Chapter 82: The Leading Lady of the 1960s Cultural Troupe (21)
When it came to people who could pull strings at the Golden Microphone, Xia Zhaoyun knew of only two.
One was a fellow contestant, a famous and highly skilled performer who had long considered the gold prize to be in the bag. Naturally, she wouldnât want a dark horse to suddenly appear.
The other was the son of the Golden Microphoneâs head organizer and the first womanâs current boyfriend. They were in the throes of a passionate romance, so it wasnât a stretch to think he might pull some strings for his sweetheart.
Even if Liu Mingkun had gotten Xu Weilin to promise he wouldnât interfere, there were plenty of others eager to curry favor. Besides, the judgesâ high praise for Xia Zhaoyun was genuineâall the couple had to do was ask around to find that out.
Then, they could just casually leak the information to a few contestants who were desperate to win and willing to play dirty. That way, they could reap the benefits without ever having to lift a finger.
But Xia Zhaoyun was a determined young woman. âThe more you try to block me and throw obstacles in my way, the more I want to win the championship just to spite every last one of them.â
"Brother Hao, can you help me borrow a piano?" A glint appeared in her eyes. She copied him and whispered in his ear, adding, "And a loudspeaker, if possible!"
Huo Tianhao gazed at the woman so close to him, his eyes dark and deep. âShe really trusts me, doesnât she?â
He nodded. "Letâs have lunch together. After we eat, Iâll contact them as soon as the staff gets back to work."
Xia Zhaoyun smiled, her lips pursed. "Since Iâm the one asking for a favor, itâs only right that I treat you to a meal."
Huo Tianhao raised an eyebrow. "You can owe me for this meal. To show youâre really sincere, youâll have to treat me to a separate one later."
She tilted her head, studying him seriously. After a moment of contemplation, she couldnât help but ask, her voice laced with doubt:
"Brother Hao, Iâve never believed that a truly platonic friendship can exist between a man and a woman. What starts with being like-minded eventually sours over time."
Her sixth sense told her he treated her differently.
Huo Tianhao chuckled and said with utmost sincerity, "Comrade Xia, youâre really overthinking things. Do all young women have such a high opinion of themselves these days? I just did what I was supposed to do."
"I shouldnât have dragged you into our circle. The fact that youâre being targeted now is partly my fault."
"Besides, like you said, I need a shieldâsomeone like you who wonât get entangled with me."
He had a rugged, handsome look, and when he was serious, he radiated a disarmingly righteous aura. Even if he claimed the sun rose in the west and set in the east, people would find themselves thinking he had a point.
Xia Zhaoyun nodded with an awkward smile. True, she was attractive enough to draw gazes from the opposite sex, but she wasnât moneyânot everyone was going to like her.
Pushing the issue further would just seem deliberate. "Alright, maybe weâre both the exceptions, then."
ăSoon, it was He Qingranâs turn on stage.ă
She gripped the microphone, took a deep breath, and walked onto the stage. Her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes gazed out at the audience, who were hazy figures in the dim light. She imagined she was the only moon in the sky, unleashing every ounce of her youthful energy and passion for the judges and audience to feel.
On top of that, Xia Zhaoyun had helped her revise her script a few days prior, meticulously correcting her pronunciation, technique, and emotional delivery word by word. As a result, she delivered an outstanding performance.
The moment she came off stage, she excitedly grabbed Liu Mingkunâs hand and bounced on the spot. "Brother Kun, I did it! Brother Kun, I really did it! Iâm sure Iâll make it to the finals, no problem!"
Liu Mingkun smiled and nodded, but the tips of his ears turned bright red. His heart began to race, all his focus drawn to the small, soft hand holding his.
The girlâs eyes were dazzlingly bright, like they held a scorching flame even in the dim light backstage.
"In that case, letâs go to the state-owned restaurant to celebrate. My treat. I canât have you calling me âbrotherâ for nothing, can I?" Liu Mingkun said with a laugh.
He Qingran quickly interjected, "If anyoneâs treating, it should be me..."
Liu Mingkun burst out laughing. "Silly girl, who do you take me for? Donât worry, Iâm not the one paying anyway."
They sat on folding stools backstage, watching the other performances and waiting for the scores as they chatted in low voices.
Just as He Qingran had predicted, her score was high. She placed third in the morning session, and her score was good enough to rank in the top fifteen for the entire two-and-a-half-day competition.
As soon as the performances ended, the pair shot up and headed for the exit. Xia Zhaoyun and Huo Tianhao did the same, each holding a child. They slipped into the stream of people heading out before the main crowd emerged.
Once outside, He Qingran greeted them with a smile. She threw her arms around Xia Zhaoyun again, overcome with excitement and joy. It took her a moment to calm down before she spoke.
"Brother Kun went ahead to the state-owned restaurant to grab a table and order. He told us to take our time."