novelraw Chapter 39 Announces the Rankings
Chapter 39 Announces the Rankings
The two extraordinary figures that appeared were Xu Yueqing and Li Man.
Xu Yueqing had removed her mask and sunglasses, but her makeup had clearly been redone. Although her eyes were still a little red and swollen, she had regained her usual aloof and elegant appearance.
Li Man stayed by her side, like a steady shield.
Their arrival instantly quieted down the previously bustling backstage area.
All eyes turned to them.
Bei Weiwei subconsciously moved closer to Chen Bo.
Zhou Lingyan straightened her back, raised her chin slightly, and adopted a "watching the show" posture.
Zhao Lulu blinked, silently took half a step back, and gave the center of the stage to the main characters.
Xu Yueqing's gaze fell directly on Chen Bo. Those eyes that had once captivated him were now filled with complex emotions: guilt, regret, love, and a hint of pleading.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she only uttered two words: "Congratulations."
Chen Bo looked at her calmly, without the ambiguous flirting he had shown at her house, or the deep pain he had felt while singing on stage. It was as if he were looking at an old friend he knew but wasn't close to.
"Thank you," he replied politely.
Xu Yueqing felt another pang in her heart.
Seeing this, Li Man gently patted Xu Yueqing's arm, then looked at Chen Bo and said in a gentle tone, "Chen Bo, you sang very well. Yueqing... she has something she wants to talk to you about privately. Would it be convenient to chat after the recording is over?"
Without even thinking, Chen Bo replied, "It's not convenient; I have things to do tonight."
The refusal was swift and decisive.
Xu Yueqing's face turned pale.
Li Man seemed to have expected this. She looked at Zhou Lingyan, Bei Weiwei, and Zhao Lulu and smiled, "Lingyan, Weiwei, Lulu, you guys are probably going to celebrate with Chen Bo tonight, right? You don't mind if there are two more people, do you? We'll just stay at Lingyan's place, it's close by anyway. It's better for everyone to talk things out."
Zhou Lingyan wanted to refuse, but seeing Xu Yueqing's swaying appearance and thinking about how Li Man usually took care of them, she swallowed her words and snorted, "Whatever, my house is big, it won't make a difference if I have two more pairs of chopsticks."
Bei Weiwei bit her lip and remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.
Zhao Lulu raised her hand: "I agree! It's more fun with more people, it's a celebration!"
Chen Bo looked at this one, then at that one, and finally sighed, "Fine."
Xu Yueqing finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a faint light appeared in her eyes as she looked at Chen Bo.
Just then, the director's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Teachers, please assemble at the front of the stage to prepare for the announcement of this round's rankings and the results of the challenge!"
The suspense is about to be revealed.
Although everyone knows that Chen Bo's performance tonight, coupled with the support of Xu Xiannv and Zhou Nvwang, makes his successful challenge almost a certainty, the only question is where he will rank.
The group moved to the front desk.
There were no spectators left in the stands, and the rankings were not announced to them.
The host stood in the center of the stage with a big smile, holding the final result card in his hand.
"Thank you to all the teachers for their wonderful performances! And thank you to all the audience members for joining us!"
"Now, the most tense moment has arrived! We will first announce the rankings of the seven initial singers for this episode, and finally, announce the results of challenger Chen Bo—did he succeed in his challenge? If so, which singer will he replace?"
The lights changed, and the music became more intense.
The eight singers sat in two rows, with Chen Bo sitting on the far side.
In terms of seniority, he was the least experienced and the youngest among them.
……
Recording complete.
The singers said goodbye to each other and returned to their respective dressing rooms.
Chen Bo returned to his small dressing room backstage. As soon as he opened the door, he saw that it was already packed with people.
Zhou Lingyan, Bei Weiwei, Zhao Lulu, Xu Yueqing, and Li Man—five women with distinct styles but equally outstanding—all turned to look at him.
"Congratulations, Teacher Chen!" Zhao Lulu was the first to jump up. "That's awesome!"
Bei Weiwei handed over the honey water she had prepared beforehand, her smile incredibly bright: "Chen Bo, have some water to soothe your throat."
Zhou Lingyan crossed her arms and looked him up and down: "Not bad, you didn't embarrass me. But I need to take your clothes back to the dry cleaners; they got dirty from someone's tears and snot."
Bei Weiwei blushed: "I'll buy you a new one!"
"Who cares?" Zhou Lingyan pouted.
Xu Yueqing stood quietly to the side, watching Chen Bo surrounded by his girlfriends, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
There was a time when she was the only one who could stay by his side, care for him, and be proud of him so naturally.
Li Man, like a matriarch, smiled and smoothed things over: "Alright, alright, let's go back first. Chen Bo is tired too, let him rest. Ling Yan, what kind of car did you drive? How many people can it seat?"
"I came in a Red Princess." Zhou Lingyan's sports car can only seat two people.
In the end, it was decided that Zhou Lingyan would drive Chen Bo back first, Bei Weiwei and Zhao Lulu would ride in one car, and Li Man and Xu Yueqing would ride in the nanny van, each returning to Yunding Villa.
On the way back, Zhou Lingyan drove, and Chen Bo sat in the passenger seat.
The car was quiet, with only the low rumble of the engine.
"Feed," Zhou Lingyan suddenly said.
"Um?"
"When Bei Weiwei hugged you... how did you feel?" she asked casually, looking straight ahead.
Chen Bo turned to look at her, only to see her delicate profile and slightly pursed red lips.
"I'm touched," Chen Bo said honestly. "She has always been very supportive of me."
"Oh," Zhou Lingyan responded, then muttered after a few seconds, "Holding me so tightly..."
Chen Bo laughed: "Boss Zhou, you're not jealous, are you?"
"Jealous?" Zhou Lingyan's voice suddenly rose, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Why would I be jealous? Why should I be jealous? You're just a tool I picked up. If someone likes my tool, it means I have good taste. I'm overjoyed!"
"Yes, yes, Boss Zhou has the best eye." Chen Bo nodded, but his eyes were smiling.
Zhou Lingyan was a little annoyed by his gaze, so he stepped on the gas and the sports car sped away.
Back at Cloud Peak Villa, Zhou Lingyan's villa was brightly lit.
Li Man and Xu Yueqing arrived shortly after. Bei Weiwei carried the thermos she had brought from the TV station and insisted that Chen Bo finish her rock sugar pear soup.
Xu Yueqing's nanny van discreetly drove into her own villa. She went home first to change her clothes, remove her makeup, and wear simple home clothes with a bare face before walking to Zhou Lingyan's house across the street.
Zhou Lingyan had already instructed the aunt to prepare some late-night snacks and drinks, and the long dining table was full of them.
Six adults sat together, the atmosphere somewhat awkward.
"Come on, first of all, congratulations to Chen Bo for successfully challenging the opponent and becoming famous overnight!" Li Man raised her glass and broke the silence.
Everyone raised their glasses.
Chen Bo thanked him and took a sip.
It's champagne, and it tastes good.
"Chen Bo, what are your plans next?" Zhao Lulu asked, her words muffled as she munched on a chicken wing. "After the show ends, I'm sure a lot of companies will want to sign you, right?"