Chapter Five: Because I Truly Have
“Don’t say nonsense. I have a perfectly normal sexual orientation—I’m a man who likes women!” Wang Sulong waved his hands frantically.
Xu Xiu was momentarily taken aback.
What the heck? Aren’t you overthinking this a bit?
“I mean, I really like your songs. After all, you were one of the three giants of Penguin Music back in the day.”
“Oh my goodness, why didn’t you say so earlier? That first sentence nearly scared me to death—I thought you had designs on me, Dragon Eye!”
*Pfft—hahaha!*
“Goose, goose, goose…”
This conversation was turning a bit strange, with a strong and peculiar flavor!
“Seriously, your songs are amazing. You’re my idol!” Xu Xiu wore a sincere expression.
“Hey—idol, idol, that’s all in the past. Right now, I’m focusing on my looks; I’m going to pursue the pure handsome route from now on.”
“That’s fine, that won’t stop me from liking you. I’ve grown up listening to your songs… umm, umm…”
Before Xu Xiu could finish, a large hand suddenly covered his mouth.
It was Wang Sulong himself. He had intended to act youthful in front of the newcomers but ran into the sly Xu Xiu!
If he hadn’t reacted quickly and decisively covered Xu Xiu’s mouth, his nearing-forty secret might have been exposed!
“Hehe, don’t worry. You all go on and do your thing. Don’t mind us; Xu Xiu and I have something to discuss.”
Just as Wang Sulong was about to ‘silence’ Xu Xiu for good, Song Dan inside spoke up and organized, “Come on, everyone, let’s all go inside and find a place to sit.”
Hearing her voice, everyone immediately dropped their jokes and hurried into the main hall.
Since many people were still unfamiliar with each other, they naturally gravitated toward friends or those they felt comfortable with.
Only Xu Xiu and Wang Chuanjun seemed somewhat out of place.
Wang Chuanjun looked particularly lost. Instead of joining the crowd, he sat down on the floor outside the group.
Seeing this, Li Xueqin immediately waved and called out, “Brother, come sit closer. There’s a rug; you’re sitting outside the venue.”
“Oh, there’s an inside and outside here?” Wang Chuanjun scratched his head awkwardly.
He looked utterly dejected and shy, as if something had deeply unsettled him.
No one knew what he’d been through that had left him this way.
After Wang Chuanjun moved inside, Xu Xiu calmly walked over.
As soon as he appeared, all eyes turned to him—his fashion was simply too eye-catching.
Like a firefly in the night, it was impossible not to notice him.
Xu Xiu looked around and saw only the space beside Wang Chuanjun was free, so he crossed his legs and sat down next to him.
While everyone else chatted and laughed with their companions, these two sat there awkwardly, exchanging wide-eyed glances.
Li Xueqin noticed the situation and, pushing up her glasses, said, “Hey, Xu Xiu, I’ve got a question for you. Want to answer it?”
“Sure, I’m good with anything,” Xu Xiu shrugged indifferently.
“This question’s a bit tough. If you had one million yuan, would you be willing to donate five hundred thousand?”
Without hesitation, Xu Xiu blurted out, “Yes.”
“That’s quick! What if you only had fifty thousand? Would you still donate it all?”
“Yes!”
Such a straightforward answer piqued everyone’s curiosity.
They hadn’t expected this odd character to be so generous.
Li Xueqin pressed further, “What if you only had five thousand? Would you still be willing to donate?”
Everyone thought this was a pointless question—if Xu Xiu could donate five hundred thousand, donating five thousand should be a breeze.
“No.”
“???“
Everyone was stunned by Xu Xiu’s reply. Didn’t he just say yes? Why break the pattern?
Li Xueqin, puzzled, asked, “Why? You donated both one million and fifty thousand without hesitation. Why not five thousand?”
“Oh, that’s because I actually have five thousand!” Xu Xiu answered earnestly.
The room fell into complete silence.
[Notification: Host’s abstract behavior detected, exposure gained. Singing skill +0.0069… Acting +0.0069… Cooking +0.0069… Physique +0.0069…]
Just then, Meng Ziyi arrived fashionably late, her bright smile instantly breaking the awkward mood.
“Hehe, I’ve grown this year. I won’t sit in the center anymore. I’m going to find some carpool friends.”
When she approached Xu Xiu and Wang Chuanjun, she accidentally sat right down on the floor.
This startled both Xu Xiu and Wang Chuanjun, who quickly took a half-step back.
Seeing their reaction, Meng Ziyi’s patience nearly snapped.
“What do you two mean by that?”
“You guys! Seriously! Enough already!”
Not helping was one thing, but both of them stepping back simultaneously was too much.
The audience watching burst out laughing.
“Hahaha, no wonder she’s a clumsy beauty—so adorably silly!”
“This is hilarious! Those two were laughing at Sister Meng getting rained on, and only after laughing enough did they bother to shield her. I guess they have a bit of conscience, but not much.”
“Even though I’m a fan of Sister Meng, why do I want to laugh whenever she messes up?”
“+1, you’re heartless!”
Once everyone had gathered, Song Dan finally spoke, “Oh my, I feel so happy this season. You’re all so obedient.”
Not wanting her words to fall flat, Wang Sulong immediately chimed in, “Hey? Why weren’t you happy last season?”
What came next was delicate—if Song Dan misspoke, she might face a backlash from the previous season’s star fans.
“Don’t mention it. Last season, if you wanted everyone to sit down, no one would listen. You newcomers don’t know, but those folks were all so unruly.”
“Don’t say that—Dan Ma, I’ve always followed your lead,” Wang Sulong said earnestly.
But Song Dan teased, “You? You only seem obedient on the surface. You’re the most disobedient of all!”
“They aren’t familiar yet. Probably even then, no one would listen,” Lamu joked.
At that moment, Xu Xiu raised his hand.
“I have something to say. I can summarize why no one listened last season.”
“Hmm? Go ahead,” Song Dan nodded approvingly.
Xu Xiu straightened up and began,
“The situation in your first season is a classic case of Parkinson’s Law. When more people join, although everyone seems busy, in reality, it’s hard to…”
“Blah blah…”
“Blah blah blah…”
“…”
“…”
“Now we know that Teacher Song Dan couldn’t manage last season’s members, so the conclusion is Wang Sulong didn’t really follow her instructions.”
“Applause if you understand!”
Xu Xiu launched into a lengthy discourse. No one was sure if it was accurate, but it sounded plausible enough.
Everyone exchanged glances, wide-eyed and blinking.
Clearly, no one understood a word.
The atmosphere instantly grew awkward, as if everyone’s toes were curling under the floorboards.
Coincidentally, awkwardness was the hallmark of this show.