Chapter 52: Checking into the Hotel
Shen Xi sat in Keke’s car, heading toward the Su City TV station.
She had originally planned to take a taxi, but when Su Kexin heard she was going on a variety show, she got so excited that she insisted on driving her. Shen Xi couldn’t refuse, so she agreed.
On the way, she gave Zekai a call to ask about Susie’s situation.
"Sister, I’ve been following your advice and haven’t given Susie any money lately, but she seems a lot colder toward me now. She barely talks to me anymore."
Hearing this, Shen Xi sighed helplessly.
"Listen to me. If a woman truly likes you, she won’t distance herself just because you’re giving her less money."
She paused for a moment, then she continued,
"I’m going to be really busy soon, so I won’t have time to check in on you. Don’t take it the wrong way, but Susie is really not the right person for you."
There was silence on the other end of the line.
Shen Xi never expected that after driving three hours to Su City TV station, not only would she manage to avoid the male lead, Shi Jingyan, but she would also run into Lin Yueyue.
If she were still a man, she would have thought she was playing the role of the second male lead. The one who always has some kind of entanglement with the female lead.
Lin Yueyue looked thrilled to see Shen Xi, flashing a sweet, innocent smile.
But deep down, she blamed Shen Xi for her current situation, all because of her argument with Shi Jingyan earlier.
"Sister Xixi, I didn’t expect you to be a contestant too! What a coincidence!"
As she spoke, Lin Yueyue naturally linked arms with Shen Xi, acting as if they were longtime friends.
"Heh, yeah… what a coincidence."
More like a bad fate, Shen Xi thought, forcing an awkward smile.
It wasn’t like she wanted to take advantage of Lin Yueyue. Lin Yueyue was the one clinging to her.
Feeling the soft pressure against her arm, Shen Xi stayed calm. Hmm… probably an A-cup. Three sizes smaller than hers. Not big, but still kind of soft.
After Masked Singer King started filming, Lin Yueyue, who used to have an easy job serving tea and water, lost her male lead’s protection.
Her disapproving female boss assigned her to lead contestants to the hotel and help them settle in, basically just running errands.
When she saw Shen Xi arriving at the station, she immediately volunteered to escort her to the hotel.
From Shen Xi’s perspective, Lin Yueyue now looked like one of those fake-friendly people who act nice just to take advantage of you.
Without a word, Shen Xi pulled her arm away and took the hotel room key from Lin Yueyue’s hand.
"No need to trouble you. I’ll find my room myself."
With that, she grabbed her suitcase and headed straight for the hotel elevator.
Lin Yueyue stood behind her, eyes filled with resentment. Why did she have to do these lowly errands while Shen Xi, who clearly got in through connections, got to be a contestant?
The filming had already started, and Shen Xi was only arriving now. Lin Yueyue assumed she must be a last-minute guest star, probably using her connections as Mrs. Gu to get in through the backdoor.
Jealousy burned inside her. Shen Xi got to be a mysterious guest just like that, and soon, she’d be on TV.
What Lin Yueyue didn’t know was that Shen Xi had no such plans at all. It was only because her casual singing video unexpectedly went viral that she was invited to the show.
"We’re old classmates, no need to be so formal! I was hoping we could catch up."
Lin Yueyue quickly stepped forward, snatching Shen Xi’s suitcase with a big smile.
"By the way, Sister Xixi, why did you decide to become a singer? I’ve never heard you sing before."
Shen Xi ignored her and reached for her suitcase, but Lin Yueyue dodged and pulled it behind her, raising her voice as if wanting everyone to hear.
"The show has invited top-tier music superstars this year, including Weiwei and Yufei."
"Sister Xixi, you're only arriving now. Does that mean you're going straight to the semifinals? That must be tough. If you run into any trouble, just let me know! I’d be happy to help."
The hotel lobby was filled with contestants and staff from the TV station, and the moment they heard Lin Yueyue mention "straight to the semifinals," they instantly figured out who the beautiful newcomer was, another mystery guest!
The number of direct-entry spots was extremely limited, barely a handful.
These were all top contestants selected by major companies. Once the semifinals began, the show would shift to a brand-new live-streaming format, guaranteeing massive exposure.
But now… even a talentless pretty face could snag a spot?
Of course, things like this weren’t unheard of in the industry. If it wasn’t favoritism, then… maybe it was another kind of backdoor deal.
Everyone had signed strict confidentiality agreements, so they wouldn’t leak anything publicly, but that didn’t stop them from gossiping behind the scenes.
"How can someone who can't even sing be a mystery guest?"
"Maybe she can sing a little, but she's probably just an amateur relying on her looks to get by on variety shows."
"She must've slept with one of the producers to get that spot, right?"
"Pfft, sounds about right! Wouldn’t be surprising if she’s some big boss’s mistress."
"With superstar judges on the panel, their faces are gonna turn green when she performs, especially since it’s a live broadcast!"
"Nah, Director Chen already looked pissed during rehearsals. This is gonna be a mess, haha!"
Shen Xi’s face turned cold as she locked eyes with Lin Yueyue.
"We’re not close. No need to pretend we are. It's so disgusting. Give it back."
With that, she forcefully grabbed her suitcase and stepped into the elevator, swiping her key card to go upstairs.
Lin Yueyue’s face stiffened. She stood frozen for a moment, speechless.
"Yueyue, that woman is one of the mystery guests, right? Do you know her?"
A few coworkers who were familiar with Lin Yueyue gathered around, curious.
Lin Yueyue was good at playing the game, she had built up a reputation at the station by pretending to be sweet and innocent, using her green tea charm to get along with most of her colleagues, except for her female boss, who saw right through her.
Now, faced with her coworkers’ questions, she quickly hid her embarrassment and put on a pitiful expression.
"She’s always had a thing for my boyfriend. That’s why I ended up fighting with him and had to leave my old place to come work here."
In her mind, Lin Yueyue wasn’t lying. After all, Shen Xi had been leading Shi Jingyan on, right?
And it was because of her that they fought, wasn’t it?
Even now, Shi Jingyan hadn’t come back to her. It had to be Shen Xi’s fault.
Her coworkers exploded with outrage. What was initially just resentment over Shen Xi getting in through connections had now turned into something even uglier.
A young female colleague grabbed Lin Yueyue’s hand, fuming,
"Yueyue, this is so unfair! You have to work with that homewrecker every day?!"
A male coworker scowled in disgust,
"Women like that are just sluts. They act all proper on the surface, but who knows how many men they’ve climbed into bed with."
Despite his words, his mind wandered. If he were a producer, he’d definitely take advantage of someone as gorgeous as Shen Xi. Just once would be worth it.
"Yueyue is too kind, that's why she lets this slide. That woman has no morals, and yet Yueyue still treats her with respect! And what does she get in return? A cold attitude!"
"We should leak this online and let the internet tear her apart."
Lin Yueyue sighed dramatically and forced a weak smile.
"No, forget it. That wouldn’t be right. No matter what, we were classmates once. I don’t want to make a big scene."