NOVEL NEXT Chapter 153: You Smell Like Her Perfume
Xu Qingyan stopped at the hotel entrance and looked up at the high autumn sun, muttering to himself.
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"Is the production team so stingy? Can't they arrange a better hotel?"
Pei Muchan had been severely carsick on the way there but looked much better after resting in the suite for a while.
She hadn't worn much makeup today, just eyeshadow that made her eyes shine. She had on a black mask, revealing only a pair of clear, beautiful eyes.
She wore a light blue thin jacket over a fitted white long-sleeve shirt. Her pale jeans hugged her perfectly, outlining a rounded behind.
Although it was just a casual outfit, showing no sign of a major star, her tall frame and long, even legs still turned heads.
"What's so strange about that? They didn't invite me for my fame," she glanced at Xu Qingyan beside her and seemed unfazed.
"It's probably just because of the romance show's gimmicks, or maybe that song 'Qing Tian.' Anyway, this is what it's like when you're not famous. That 'little diva' title is just for show—who would actually take it seriously?"
"Being unfamous now doesn't matter; after all, appearing once means 2.2 million. But this money seems tough to earn," Xu Qingyan said.
He had a feeling that the production team had never intended to let Pei Muchan advance.
Even if Pei Muchan hadn't invited him to fly to Jianye, Xu Qingyan would have found a way to come anyway.
After all, both Pei Muchan and Lin Wanzhou were participating in the same show, with a competition format. If there was a need to change songs urgently, being far away would be inconvenient.
She didn't have an assistant, and it would be good to have someone to look out for her if something happened. Moreover, if there were any issues with the songs of Lin Wanzhou or Pei Muchan, they could be changed on the spot.
He wasn't fast at transcribing music, but that didn't mean the two little divas were slow. But now it was simpler—just remote supervision, and he could mooch some food and drink as well.
Although the team didn't book them a five-star hotel, they did give them an allowance. They also provided a car, which was pretty hospitable of them.
After picking up the car, Xu Qingyan received a WeChat message from Lin Wanzhou.
She had secured second place with 706 votes and succeeded in advancing to the next round. Unfortunately, she couldn't leave today; otherwise, she could have flown back to Xinghai to prepare a new song.
"I want to go back to Xinghai, but although I won't be performing tomorrow, I still have to show up."
After reading the latest message, Xu Qingyan didn't reply to Lin Wanzhou immediately. He casually opened the navigation on his phone, pondering what to say in a moment.
Since he was here, he couldn't just keep it a secret.
During a red light, he told Lin Wanzhou that he had come to Jianye with Pei Muchan. The other side replied quickly, the message arriving as soon as the typing indicator lit up.
"She's here too? Tomorrow's challenger guest?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I don't have to go on stage tomorrow, but if she succeeds in the challenge, we'll be opponents in the next round."
"Opponents?" Xu Qingyan was puzzled. Seeing the green light about to change, he typed a reply, "Anyway, staying on for one round means one round, getting through a few more rounds means breaking even."
Green light, the car slowly started moving again.
Jianye was a hot place, with a dry heat on the road.
Pei Muchan sat in the passenger seat; the car had no air conditioning, only natural wind. She was slightly sweaty, her cheeks a touch pink, with hair strands lightly falling on both sides of her face.
Xu Qingyan drove with one hand very steadily, unlike the taxi driver from the airport in the morning who drove like he was in a race, jerking the car around, which made all the difference for car sickness.
"What's up?" Pei Muchan turned and asked, "Did Lin Wanzhou succeed in her challenge?"
"How did you know?"
"It's not hard to guess," she glanced at Xu Qingyan in the driver's seat, her eyes slightly downcast, "If they invited me, they would definitely invite her."
"The production team isn't stupid; they wouldn't pass up on such a hot topic."
"True, but looking at the current situation, the challenge doesn't seem too hard," he said nonchalantly, hand on the steering wheel.
"The challenge still has its difficulties. If I were to challenge today, it probably wouldn't be too hard, but it will be by tomorrow," Pei Muchan sighed.
"Not only do I have to face the five who successfully defended their positions this round, but I also have to compete with the former divas, Zhang Yuqi and Wang Yu, who succeeded in their challenges in the last round."
The rules of the show were indeed a bit twisted, fair for everyone but particularly brutal for the second challenger, making it comparatively harder.
"Tsk, no wonder they quoted you 2.2 million per episode, a neat sum," Xu Qingyan said, "They've got it all calculated, it's a one-shot deal."
"Making it from the top eight to the top six may seem easy but it depends on who you're up against," Pei Muchan mentioned, "I'm not too confident about tomorrow. If it really doesn't work out, I'll just stay for one round and leave."
"Well, that's really..." Xu Qingyan, hearing her say that, suddenly felt unsure, "'Late Marriage' isn't really suitable for a challenge round. Should we change to a different song last minute?"
"No need; I like this song."
"Hm? Don't you want to stay for another round?" he asked, keeping an eye on the road, "2.2 million a round, that's a high price."
"Yes, it is. And that's exactly why I definitely won't be able to stay," she said.
Xu Qingyan was speechless, thinking that the show's production team really played it tough. According to Pei Muchan, tomorrow would be a battle of gods, with everyone striving to give their all.
He had carefully reviewed the guest performers, combining the news from Lin Wanzhou. He anticipated that tomorrow's stage could feature any style, with rock to shake up the scene, soaring high notes, classic melodies...