Chapter 20
The turbulence outside didn’t faze Meng Yuansheng in the slightest.
After the first live performance, Raging Sea went viral, and Meng Yuansheng’s popularity remained firmly in first place. Cheng Xin, with his solid skills and unique style, held second.
According to the new team rules, the two had to be in different groups. But that didn’t put any distance between them. After practice with their respective teams each day, they’d meet up to discuss their progress.
Initially, it was just the two of them. Soon, Yuan Ye from Planet Century joined as well.
Meng Yuansheng had a keen sense for stage aesthetics and a warm personality. Whenever anyone asked him questions, he’d offer guidance without reservation, regardless of whether they were on his team. As a result, many of the lower-ranked contestants often came to him for advice.
On this day, as Meng walked to the cafeteria, discussing things with others, an annoyed voice sounded from the front.
“Hmph! Fake…”
Meng Yuansheng looked up and frowned when he saw who it was.
It was truly a small world—right in front of him stood Yu Pingjia and a few others from Jinyou Entertainment.
During the initial popularity rankings, Yu Pingjia had assumed he’d secure a top spot thanks to Jiang Mo’s support. But when Meng and Cheng took first and second place, he was pushed down to third.
From then on, the two sides had been at odds.
Later, as Jiang Mo’s scandals dragged him down, Yu Pingjia’s popularity plummeted out of the debut line, and he blamed Meng Yuansheng entirely.
Now they ran into each other—talk about fate.
Meng didn’t even have a chance to respond before the other trainees spoke up on his behalf.
Seeing that Yu Pingjia was outnumbered, a boy beside him spoke softly, “Meng Yuansheng, isn’t it a bit much for so many people to gang up on Pingjia?”
This was Ji Yiwei.
He was from Guangyi Entertainment, and after Yu Pingjia fell in the ranks, Ji had quietly taken his place in third. Despite taking his spot, Ji and Yu got along well.
Ji’s words seemed supportive, but they only added fuel to the fire.
And then, he turned to Cheng Xin. “Cheng Xin, you’re an amazing dancer. Second place doesn’t do you justice. I’d love to work with you sometime.”
To his surprise, Cheng Xin didn’t hesitate to shake his head. “No thanks, troublemaker.”
Ji Yiwei’s face instantly darkened.
“Pfft!”
Someone couldn’t hold back a laugh, and soon everyone was chuckling.
Ji Yiwei shot them a dark look and stalked off, his two teammates from Guangyi Entertainment hurriedly following him.
Meng and the others didn’t take the incident to heart. With tight schedules and an upcoming live broadcast, they had little time to dwell on it, and the incident was quickly forgotten.
But Ji Yiwei couldn’t let it go.
He found Yu Pingjia later, probing to see if there was any dirt on Meng Yuansheng.
Yu’s eyes gleamed. “I remember hearing some rumors about Jiang Mo and Meng Yuansheng. Like, why Meng would help Jiang and let him steal his lyrics…”
Ji Yiwei frowned. “Didn’t they say they used to be a couple, but since Jiang couldn’t provide proof, the rumors were cleared up?”
Thinking of this, he felt regretful. If Meng’s side had reacted just a bit slower, the rumor could’ve seriously hurt him.
Yu Pingjia shook his head. “No, it’s not that.”
Ji’s interest piqued. “Tell me more.”
Yu Pingjia leaned in. “I heard Jiang Mo once saved Meng Yuansheng’s life when they were younger. Meng helped him as a way to repay that debt.”
A debt of gratitude?
Ji Yiwei sneered but then his expression shifted as an idea formed.
*
Since the first live performance, Bai Ran had wholeheartedly become a Meng Yuansheng fan.
She attended every live show and even made videos for him using footage from each broadcast.
She’d gotten into the habit of opening the livestream app early to get ready. Today, just as she was about to join Meng Yuansheng’s livestream, she noticed that one of the other streams had already started.
Curious, she clicked in.
It was two trainees from Guangyi Entertainment chatting.
They seemed oblivious to the camera, talking as if they were alone.
“I can’t believe Meng Yuansheng’s actually like this…”
“Sure, Jiang Mo’s at fault, but Meng treating his lifesaver this way is pretty harsh.”
What nonsense?
Bai Ran frowned deeply.
One of them continued, “Yeah, if it hadn’t been for Jiang saving Meng’s life, Meng wouldn’t even be here today. He offered to help Jiang as a thank-you, and now he’s flipped the story to make himself look like the victim.”
“Exactly. Meng was smart—he planned this all out perfectly, left no trace, and now he’s using Jiang as a stepping stone, building his image as the poor, innocent victim.”
The two didn’t talk for long before a staff member came by to check the equipment, at which point they hurriedly left.
Bai Ran was livid.
This was pure slander! There was no way Shengsheng was like that!
Who knew where these two had heard such baseless gossip? Now they were spreading rumors behind his back.
She wanted to DM him to warn him, but the broadcast was about to start, so she could only enter Meng and Cheng Xin’s stream, still feeling uneasy.
Meng wore a simple T-shirt and pants. Though he dressed similarly to how he had during the first broadcast, his confident and composed aura now made him shine like a polished gem.
[Shengsheng is so handsome!!! Hubby, kiss~]
[Brother Xin is super dashing today, too! Honestly, he could stay silent the whole time—let Shengsheng do the talking.]
[Hahaha! I’ll chip in a dollar so Sheng can curse Xin silent!]
[Great idea, I’ll put in ten bucks!]
[Brother Xin, don’t look! Those are hate comments!]
*
The livestream had barely started, but the chat was already lively.
Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin greeted the fans with smiles, then started preparing for their performance.
While Bai Ran enjoyed the show, her worry remained.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before an unwelcome message popped up in the chat:
[Meng Yuansheng, is it true that Jiang Mo saved your life?]
[Jiang saved your life, and this is how you repay him?]
[I thought it was a rumor, but apparently, Jiang said in an interview two years ago that he saved someone as a kid. It must’ve been Meng Yuansheng.]
[Wow, what a scheme. Getting close under the pretense of gratitude, capitalizing on the connection if the person’s nice, or using them as a stepping stone if they’re not—Meng, you’re no angel either.]
The previously light-hearted atmosphere quickly soured. Fans, thrown off balance, hesitated, some starting to believe the accusations.
Bai Ran and a few rational fans tried to counter the narrative, but there were too many hired trolls; their voices were drowned in a sea of biting questions.
Just as Bai Ran was starting to feel desperate, she received a notification on Weibo.
[Your followed account “Gossip System #10086” has posted a new update.]
Her spirits lifted instantly.
By now, everyone knew that Gossip System #10086 was a super-fan of Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin. Every time someone tried to smear them, this account stepped up, dismantling lies with ruthless precision.
If they’d posted now, they must’ve seen the hateful comments and come to set the record straight!
Sure enough, the chaotic chat suddenly seemed to find an anchor.
[Report! Gossip God #10086 just posted!]
[I knew Shengsheng wasn’t like that. There has to be more to the story.]
[I fell for rumors before, and #10086 clapped back so hard I was left speechless. I’m sitting back this time, waiting to see which clueless folks get schooled, haha.]
With newfound calm, Bai Ran clicked on the post.
The title itself had the classic #10086 flair.
Gossip System #10086: [No way, no way! Who actually believes Jiang Mo would risk his life to save anyone?]
