Chapter 22

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Chapter 22: Title

Although Gu Feng and Song Yutian couldn’t hear each other’s responses, the program group cleverly utilized the time difference between questions to make them answer one after another. They also split the screen to show both participants side by side.

To viewers, it appeared as if the two were sequentially answering the same question.

Live-stream audiences were cracking up.

[Hahahaha, this is just like me and my coworker—pretending not to care openly but secretly attacking each other.]

[OMG, how do their answers manage to be so different yet so identical??]

[Seemingly opposite answers but actually perfectly symmetrical.]

[One tactful, one blunt—yet both express disdain to the extreme.]

[I can’t help but become a fan of Sister Song—why is everything she says unintentionally hilarious?]

[Song Yutian might have chosen the wrong path before; variety shows should let her take commentary positions.]

Afterwards, Zhong Yueli & Shen Xi, followed by Liu Tian & An Xin, were interviewed separately but answered the same questions.

Zhong Yueli and Shen Xi spoke little on the show yet appeared harmonious. Coupled with their second-place finish in an intense competition and mutual affirmation during interviews, they gained significant audience favor.

Liu Tian and An Xin maintained their jokester style, first tacitly teasing each other before both expressing their enjoyment of the collaboration, winning viewers over with their lively dynamic.

Then came the group of Qin Yuanzhuo and Su Moying.

The program team first asked, "How do you feel about ranking fourth today?"

Su Moying said, "It’s a pity that I only got fourth place this time. To my fans who have always supported me, I promise I’ll work even harder in tomorrow’s competition!"

Qin Yuanzhuo said, "It’s a bit of a pity. I think my abilities could have earned me a better ranking."

The program group asked, "With ten minutes left until the end, you were in third place. But at the last moment, Gong Yu and Wei Yao completed another order, just surpassing you. How do you feel about this news?"

Both the interviewees and the live-stream audience were hearing this news for the first time.

[Aaaaah, it was just that last order! So close!]

[No wonder I originally saw us in third place but ended up fourth in the end!]

[Oh my God! It really was just a tiny difference!]

Both Su Moying and Qin Yuanzhuo were also surprised.

Su Moying pondered for a moment and said, "It’s truly a pity. I think if I had rested ten minutes less today or performed more vigorously during the singing and dancing, maybe we could have earned the points."

Qin Yuanzhuo said, "It must feel regrettable. There was originally a chance, but it wasn’t seized."

When it came to the third question, the director revealed another piece of information to them.

"If that fan had really bought ten tickets back then, you would have been in second place."

The production team asked Su Moying, "At the final moment, you didn’t accept the fan’s kindness. Do you have any regrets?"

Su Moying answered quickly, "No regrets."

The production team asked Qin Yuanzhuo, "If it were you, Yuanzhuo, would you have made the same choice as Moying?"

Qin Yuanzhuo thought for a moment and said, "I fully support Moying’s decision. But if it were me, I might choose a more flexible approach—first accept the fan’s kindness, then privately transfer the excess amount back to her later."

[I think this is better than direct refusal.]

[Wow, Qin Yuanzhuo is so smart.]

[As expected of gege (big brother), immediately thinking of a perfect solution that satisfies both sides.]

At this point, the production crew exchanged information through their walkie-talkies.

The staff member interviewing Su Moying suddenly added a follow-up question.

"Moying, we just asked Yuanzhuo what he would do. Yuanzhuo said he would first accept the fan’s money and then privately return it. What are your thoughts on this?"

Meanwhile, the staff on the other side signaled for Qin Yuanzhuo to wait momentarily as they asked Su Moying for her opinion on his earlier answer.

Qin Yuanzhuo smiled confidently. Without a doubt, Su Moying would agree with his ideas, just as she had countless times before, while also praising his brilliance.

Neither the program group nor Qin Yuanzhuo expected that this time, instead of agreeing as she always had, Su Moying shook her head firmly. "I started practicing dance at four years old and worked step by step to get where I am today. I hope the college-bound fan will also put in solid effort during this final year instead of seeking shortcuts."

"Though I feel this outcome is regrettable, I’d make the same choice if given another chance. I don’t want my fans to think shortcuts can replace hard work. As a role model, I must stand by this principle."

Unlike her usual sweet smile during public appearances, Su Moying’s expression this time was one of utmost seriousness.

The final interview involved Wei Yao and Gong Yu.

This pair had been at odds from the start, not to mention their dramatic encounter with Song Yutian and Gu Feng. The audience eagerly awaited their responses to the day’s events.

The director asked, "Are you satisfied with today’s third-place result?"

Wei Yao replied, "Quite satisfied. Our initial strategy wasn’t very effective—I had even prepared to earn zero points today. Surprised we ended up in third place."

Gong Yu replied, "Not entirely satisfied. There were some incidents during today’s competition, and we were influenced by members of other teams. Otherwise, we could have aimed for a better ranking."

The director asked, "If you had to name one thing to improve today, what would it be?"

Wei Yao answered, "We didn’t devise a better strategy. For example, I admire how Song Yutian’s team came up with the idea of placing advertisements. Comparatively, we didn’t do as well."

Gong Yu replied, "I’d say it’s the lack of unwavering trust in each other. If teammates can’t unconditionally believe in one another and are even swayed by other teams, how can we win?"

The director asked, "How would you rate your performance today? If scored out of 100, what would you give?"

Wei Yao answered, "Both of us tried our best to win, and the final result was decent. I’d give us 80 points—we’ll keep striving."

Gong Yu replied, "I’d give us a passing score: 60. The truth is, Yao Yao and I are both highly capable, but due to unexpected factors, we didn’t achieve a synergy where one plus one exceeds two."

The director asked, "What are your expectations for tomorrow’s competition?"

Wei Yao answered, "I hope we can perform to our full potential tomorrow and secure a good result."

Gong Yu replied, "I hope Yao Yao and I can become more in sync and strive for better rankings together without being affected by external influences."

It was currently prime time in the evening. Besides fans, a large number of casual viewers were watching the livestream, and the bullet comments were mostly from passersby.

Initially, some viewers were dissatisfied with Gong Yu’s remarks.

[Why do I feel like, although Gong Yu didn’t mention Song Yutian, every sentence he said was implying that Song has been influencing them?]

[Every sentence shifts the blame onto Song Yutian and Wei Yao. Seems like Sister Song didn’t scold them harshly enough before.]

[Gong Yu seems to keep blaming Wei Yao for being influenced by Song Yutian.]

However, a flood of comments defending Gong Yu soon emerged.

[My heart aches for Gong Yu. He really seems like he wants to win.]

[It’s understandable that Gong Yu is resentful. He came up with a great strategy, only for some people to maliciously misinterpret it.]

[Gong Yu must be really upset. Wei Yao is such a good teammate, but they were led astray by someone from another team.]

These bullet comments, framed from Gong Yu’s perspective, all shared one common trait: they undermined Song Yutian.

At first, they subtly hinted at their point while pretending to focus on Gong Yu, but soon, their intentions grew clearer and their remarks sharper.

[Gong Yu is being way too polite—if it were me, I’d outright say Song Yutian ruined the entire dynamic.]

[If even someone as talented as Gong Yu gets dragged down by Song Yutian, it’s truly a case of "bad money driving out the good."]

[Let me spell it out: Song Yutian is the weakest link in this show.]

Song Yutian’s fanbase was too small. Though some viewers had started warming up to her recently, casual supporters held little sway compared to diehard fans or deliberate haters.

If this continued, the livestream chat would devolve into a hatefest against Song Yutian, swaying even neutral viewers.

Unless—