“I smell a whiff of conspiracy.”
“Eh-hey, do you?”
“I do.”
“Xiaoyan-jie, are you paranoid?”
“No, but I think your reason for giving me a Necklace isn’t pure.”
“How could it not be?”
“It just isn’t.”
“Not talking to you anymore.”
Chongchong hurried off, holding her sun umbrella guiltily.
There really was some purpose behind her gifting the Necklace, and it was far from pure.
“Umbrella, my umbrella!”
Seeing Chongchong take away the sun umbrella, Chen Xiaoyan immediately shouted.
“No umbrella for you~” In the distance, only the mischievous voice of the young girl echoed back.
Chen Xiaoyan slapped her forehead, completely speechless.
Now she would have to walk back under the scorching sun.
“It’s a bit cool.” The Necklace on her collarbone, pressed against her skin, sent a cool, icy sensation, as if dispersing some of this damned heat.
No wonder it’s worth over a million. It really is something special.
To think Chongchong actually gave her such a valuable gift—in the game, she had to return the favor properly.
But how to do so?
Chen Xiaoyan pondered it over and over, finally deciding to find a set of top-tier Equipment for Chongchong.
Yes, a whole set.
There’s no clear rule about the number of Equipment pieces a player can wear in the Immortal World, but players could set their own restrictions.
As for a full set of supreme-quality Tianxiang Equipment, even collecting a single piece wasn’t easy, let alone a whole set.
Still, Chen Xiaoyan wasn’t in a rush; this wasn’t something she could accomplish right away. She’d take it slow.
“What a troublesome thing.”
Though her lips mouthed words of complaint, her hands didn’t slow at all.
She kept stroking the Pink Peach Blossom Gem on the Necklace.
From time to time, she even wore a lovesick smile.
At the party, the program had already begun.
Mu Qingxue was placed backstage by Qiu Xue, who refused to let her go out there no matter what.
Want to go out?
Fine, step over my—Qin Lingling’s—dead body.
Seeing Qiu Xue’s determined stance, Mu Qingxue didn’t argue, simply nodded her agreement.
“Lingling, can I just stand behind the screen?”
Qiu Xue shook her head.
Then she brought over a hundred-inch LCD TV, pressed the remote, and the screen instantly displayed the Stage.
“Miss, this way you can watch too.”
Mu Qingxue couldn’t help laughing and crying, giving up on her idea.
Once she relented, Qiu Xue immediately turned and instructed San Yue Bu Xia Xue and Qian Ren Xue.
She asked them to keep a close eye on the young lady.
“Big sis, don’t worry. When have we ever dropped the ball in all these years?”
“Alright, I’m leaving it to you.”
Qiu Xue returned to the Stage to assist the host with the show.
After all, the venue staff and host weren’t familiar, and to prevent accidents and coordinate smoothly, she decided to do things herself.
The first segment of the program was entertainment.
On the Big Screen above the Stage appeared a giant roulette wheel, which would soon randomly pair up two players for an exciting duet.
“Now, let’s spin the wheel!” At the host’s command, the backstage staff operated the system.
The giant wheel started spinning, the IDs at the center constantly changing.
“Stop!”
“Let’s congratulate our lucky pair, Yu Tian and Xian Yun, and invite them up to showcase their singing!”
Yu Tian?
Zhenwu’s Little Junior Sister couldn’t help covering her mouth and snickering, mourning for him in her heart.
Poor kid, completely tone-deaf, now he had to go up and sing—a sure disaster.
“Haha, it’s actually Big Bro Yu Tian. With that voice of his, people pay to hear others sing, but if he sings, it’s life-threatening!”
“Who is this Xian Yun bigshot?”
“Didn’t you see the new instance Luck Announcement?”
Yu Tian walked onto the Stage, his face dark.
The host handed over the microphone, but he didn’t take it, frowning in embarrassment.
“Can I forfeit?”
“No, Yu Tian,” the host declined politely.
“But I really can’t sing…”
“No problem, just sing. Leave the rest to the audience.”
‘Leave it to the audience’ my foot.
He knew better than anyone what a disaster his singing was.
“Yu Tian, Yu Tian, you have to believe in yourself, believe you can take control of the whole Stage,” the host smiled, forcing the microphone into his hand.
Then he brought the newly-arrived Xian Yun over.
“Miss, here you go.”
Xian Yun accepted the mic, a bit nervous.
Seeing her tension, the host tried to reassure her: “Don’t be nervous, just imagine the audience as a flock of squawking ducks.”
“Okay.” Xian Yun bit her lip and nodded.
Once both were ready, the host smiled warmly at the crowd.
“Alright, the contestants are ready. Let’s pick a song.”
Four songs instantly appeared on the Big Screen.
“Boatman’s Love”
“Happiness Lovers”
“Guest Cannot”
“Plain Face”
“Please choose a song, both of you.”
Yu Tian had already given up, randomly picking Plain Face.
Xian Yun quietly gazed at the Big Screen, thoughtful.
She chose Happiness Lovers.
“Oh no, you two picked different songs. This is a problem—you have to agree on one song.”
At that moment, Yu Tian raised his hand and said, “Then I’ll pick Happiness Lovers too.”
The host clapped, “Alright, Yu Tian changed his song. To help the contestants perform their best, let’s have them listen to the original version first.”
Two staff members brought Lyrics Sheets and Bluetooth Earphones to them.
They read the Lyrics Sheet while listening to the original through the earphones.
After one listen, the Bluetooth Earphones were taken back, leaving only the Lyrics Sheet.
“Are you both ready?”
Xian Yun nodded.
Only Yu Tian kept staring at the Lyrics Sheet, scratching his head in confusion.
“Yu Tian?”
“Huh?”
“Are you ready?”
“I think so,” Yu Tian replied uncertainly.
The host didn’t care, this was exactly what he wanted—the awkwardness.
“Then let’s cue the music!”
As the melody of Happiness Lovers began, Xian Yun gripped the mic nervously, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
Yu Tian followed the Lyrics Sheet.
His singing—no, it was more like reading—left everyone below the Stage in chaos.
Good grief, you’re supposed to sing, but you’re reciting the text like a class reading!
As expected of you, Yu Tian.
Then it came to the female part.
Xian Yun took a deep breath and lifted her microphone.
“Darling, thank you, for staying with me through the darkness of the night.”
“Brushing away the deep wounds and pain in my heart.”
“I’ll listen with my heart, slowly feeling yours.”
“My love is by your side, following you like a shadow.”
After singing, she immediately put down the mic and hurried off the Stage.
The audience and host were all stunned.
Though Xian Yun’s singing wasn’t perfect, or even that good, everyone could hear the deep emotion in her voice.
They instinctively wondered—did something happen to this girl?
Meanwhile, on Stage, Yu Tian was dumbfounded.
The girl had run off—what was he supposed to do?
“Host, this…”
The host gave an awkward smile, cleared his throat, and said, “There’s been a little accident. Our lady contestant seemed to be moved by the moment. Let’s give them a break.”
“Next group, please!”
Yu Tian was overjoyed, handing the mic back to the host and dashing off the Stage in excitement.
Brother is finally free.
“Hey, hey, did none of you notice the lyrics to Happiness Lovers changed?”