Rebirth from the Ashes - Chapter 488

Chapter 488: Shove It in Their Faces

The mentors’ votes weighed more than the live audience’s. The mentors’ votes accounted for eighty percent while the remaining belonged to the live audience.

Mr. Yun Xiao managed to drag Mr. Qi Xiu to be part of the team of mentors. The difference in result would be stark if the vote he cast was counted under the mentors’ category.

Chief Director Su Botao nodded at the host and even had the go-ahead reflected on the teleprompter in case he missed it.

Mr. Qi Xiu was a mystery guest whom the production team invited to the show. Hence, his vote should be considered under the mentors. As the chief director, Su Botao did not just look out for the trainees and mentors, but he had to also take into account the entertainment the program could provide.

This new arrangement would only bring a better spin to the show than the previous segment that was due to be edited out.

Yes. Mr. Qi Xiu’s vote had to be reflected as one of the mentors’ votes for the development of the show.

Su Botao was once again grateful to Cosmos Entertainment for giving them Mr. Yun Xiao. He was truly the god of variety shows, adding dramatic twists when it came to the crunch.

Moreover, he had another juicier identity – Mr. Xixi. During yesterday’s broadcast, fans had started to diss the irresponsible Mr. Yun Xiao, calling him a smart*ss loser. Their hearts went out to their favorite stars.

Su Botao covertly looked forward to seeing the viewers’ faces when it was revealed that Mr. Yun Xiao was Mr. Xixi.

Having gotten the cue, the host picked up where he left off. Facing the audience, he asked, “Mr. Qi Xiu, are you voting for Team B?”

Qi Xiu nodded. “Yes.”

The host could finally take a breather after all that suspense. He announced the result of the ballot. “Mr. Qi Xiu has cast his vote and the results are three votes for Team A and four for Team B. Now, the final decision is in the hands of the audience.”

The outcome was met with joy and gloom.

The gloomy bunch who got the short end of the stick were, of course, Team A members led by Su Ruowan.

These members were over the moon to draw into Su Ruowan’s team. Whoever the opponent, they were bound to win as long as they stuck to Su Ruowan.

Yet now, they were rendered speechless by the present outcome. With their fate sealed, no one was bothered to watch the voting by the audience.

The audience’s vote had next to no effect on the polls unless there was a landslide win of one party.

The vote count of five hundred audience members was quickly tallied and shown on the big screen on stage. Team A (260) vs Team B (240).

Team A was higher than Team B by 20 votes. The difference was not huge, but to both teams, it was like heaven and earth.

Without Qi Xiu’s vote, the winner would have been Team A.

With Qi Xiu’s vote as a mentor, Team B reigned victorious instead.

Su Ruowan was up in arms. It never occurred to her that a rookie like Ye Weiyang could defeat her.

She was bitter and in denial of the result, but what difference could it make?

Su Ruowan refused to admit she did not execute a flawless performance, yet she had to acknowledge that the leg injury hindered her from putting forth the best version of herself. Had it not for He Lu, she would have finished first.

Mr. Yun Xiao said she was brilliant during the selection of the lead role to perform the theme song. Su Ruowan was not up to her usual standard because of the injury. It was not the end. She could outdo herself in the next performance and gain recognition from Mr. Yun Xiao then.

Su Muyan was hopping mad. The god*mn production team was Cosmos Entertainment’s puppet!

Yun Xiao’s words changed the whole course of the show’s direction and sealed Wanwan’s fate.

At this very moment, he was reminded of his animosity toward the betting platform, the international class, and Shen Xi. If it were not for them, the Su family would not fall into a financial crisis or give up funding for the show.

As for Mr. Yun Xiao, Su Muyan had to confess that he had selfish motives to vote for Wanwan. However, Mr. Yun Xiao should not break and make new rules to drag Qi Xiu into this in the first place.

That was right. The production crew was the main culprit. Had they insisted on upholding the rules of the program, the final victor would be Team A led by Wanwan.

Su Muyan hypnotized himself not to hate Yun Xiao. He was Mr. Xixi, someone whom Su Muyan wanted to collaborate with to reach greater heights in the music scene. Yun Xiao was not to be blamed.

Thus, it could only be the production team and Qi Xiu’s fault.

Why did Qi Xiu answer the question? He could object, not take sides, or refuse to answer, but he chose to cast a vote in the end. Su Muyan was sure that Qi Xiu wanted Cosmos Entertainment’s trainees to win for selfish reasons.

Shen Xi had no idea what was going through Su Muyan and Su Ruowan’s minds. Nevertheless, she was in a good mood to drive the Su siblings up the wall.

In the subsequent group matches, the teams which had trainees from Cosmos Entertainment prevailed except for Ji Jingyan’s team.

Ji Jingyan was a great singer, but her dancing was a tad lacking and her overall team performance was subpar. Apart from Ji Jingyan who was in Group A, the other members were at the bottom of the barrel in Group D and two of them had basically given up on trying.

Once the group matches were over, the online voting poll was shown on the big screen for a preview of the upcoming ranking. It was no surprise that the ever-popular Su Ruowan topped the charts. Her vote count was double that of the second place.

Cosmos Entertainment’s girls, except Ye Weiyang who was given a lot of airtime despite her less-than-mediocre performance in the first episode, showed their stuff and made it to the top twenty. The person in the forefront was Song Wenye in eighth place.

This was the ranking after the release of the first episode. The ranking would see a drastic change once the second episode was aired.

The mystery mentor, Mr. Yun Xiao was the most talked-about with divided opinions.

The trainees were no more popular than one mentor. Mr. Yun Xiao went viral on Weibo for his eccentricity.

A handful fell in love with his aloof and taciturn character.

However, much of the public criticized Mr. Yun Xiao for assigning a ridiculous task of watching the music video a hundred times and recklessly ditching the trainees after that.

Since fans were already hating on Mr. Yun Xiao, they found everything about him an eyesore. Netizens chewed him out for trying to be cool with a mask and his lack of responsibility, wanting him out of the show and entertainment business. Some went overboard by telling him to go to hell.

It was quite the sensation online.

The trainees surfed the net in secret to check the online commotion. Since they had signed a nondisclosure agreement with the production team, they were not allowed to release any information about the show. It went without saying that it included Mr. Yun Xiao’s identity.

Nevertheless, looking at the insults and comments online, the trainees were looking forward to the big reveal that Mr. Yun Xiao was in fact Mr. Xixi. Nothing would please them more than to shove it in the netizens’ faces.

If Mr. Yun Xiao was a loser who could not dance and sing, then no one in the world was capable of dancing and singing.

Following the exposé of Mr. Yun Xiao’s identity, the trainees would fight to get his attention, asking for guidance and help in their performance. It was a stark contrast to before when barely anyone looked for him.

Shen Xi welcomed the questions from the trainees. As a mentor, she had to shoulder the obligations that came with the title and gave them the guidance they needed.

Of course, she kept the answer short without wasting any extra breath. Many trainees were dejected for their futile attempt to get close to Mr. Yun Xiao.

Su Ruowan made her way towards Mr. Yun Xiao with a notebook in hand. Putting aside her pride, she handed the notebook over to him with both hands. Like a modest and humble student, she gazed at Mr. Yun Xiao with expectant eyes. “Mr. Yun Xiao, this is a song I wrote. May I ask if you could share your thoughts?”

This was Mr. Xixi in the flesh. She met Mr. Xixi at last, albeit in such a manner. Su Ruowan was nervous and anxious but excited.