Huang Yanyan blinked, "Uh..."
Where should she even begin?
Xia Weiliang gave him a kind smile: "In short, you just need to remember what I said."
"Heh heh..." Huang Yanyan chuckled awkwardly, "Okay, I'll remember."
Seeing her so down-to-earth and sincere, everyone's good impression of her soared. Ah Ning was even more smitten with her!
"Sister Weiliang, you're so beautiful! Do you know? We have a beauty ranking within our girl group, and Sister Weiliang would definitely be number one!"
She gave a thumbs-up, her eyes filled with both affirmation and admiration.
"Really? Kids nowadays have such good taste?"
"Absolutely!"
Despite his limited budget, Huang Yanyan was meticulous in his production. He had only one principle: authenticity! He wanted the audience to see the stars at their most genuine.
Initially, everyone was a bit reserved, especially idols like Situ, whose daily image management was a mandatory lesson. Moreover, this was his first reality show.
But with Xia Weiliang's arrival, the atmosphere quickly livened up.
While waiting at the airport, she coincidentally learned it was Wai Shao's birthday. She immediately launched into a "Haidilao-style" birthday song: "Say goodbye to all troubles / Say hello to all joys / Happy birthday dear, dear / May every day be wonderful..."
Everyone was stunned.
"Holy cow!!"
What an incredible fortune to hear Niangniang sing!
She hadn't expected it to be so... er, so soul-stirringly captivating.
Xia Weiliang had no psychological burden when it came to singing; it was only a matter of whether she wanted to, not if she could.
Wai Shao sat in the middle, holding a small cake the staff had bought at the last minute, with a sparkler stuck in it. With Niangniang's heartfelt singing in his ears, he almost burst into tears.
This birthday, recalled for decades to come, would still feel as fresh as if it had just happened. Especially Niangniang Xia's singing, which would bring tears to his eyes in the dead of night.
"See the flowers of happiness bloom for you / Hear the beautiful music cheer you on~"
As Xia Weiliang finished her song, the applause, after a solid four or five seconds of silence, finally erupted.
"Great! Well sung!"
"Niangniang sang so beautifully! But maybe next time you could refrain from singing..."
The young man who suggested she refrain from singing was none other than Huang Yanyan's nephew, Da Zhuang.
Huang Yanyan slapped his nephew on the head, "Don't talk nonsense! Niangniang's singing... it sounds so good..."
Xia Weiliang smiled brightly. Seeing everyone have to affirm her singing once again, she felt a rush of nostalgia, as if all her familiar work and friends had reappeared. The feeling was wonderful.
"I'm sorry, I'm late."
A sweet, delicate voice rang out.
Xia Weiliang turned her head and saw a young girl dressed in designer clothes, her face impeccably made up. Her every move was like that of a professionally trained young lady, including her smile, which was perfectly angled to show her more beautiful profile to the camera.
After greeting her, Huang Yanyan introduced her to everyone: "This is Xu Mengmeng."
Xia Weiliang suddenly realized. This was the guest who had the shortest run on "Courage," quitting after just one day.
Xu Mengmeng appeared to be very polite to everyone, but when she met Xia Weiliang's gaze, she became noticeably cooler.
It seemed that when beautiful women met, they instinctively saw each other as rivals, silently competing in terms of beauty and fashion sense.
To Xu Mengmeng, Xia Weiliang was a formidable adversary, primarily because this woman was too beautiful. She had initially thought it was the filter on television, but seeing her in person, she was even more stunning!
Xu Mengmeng was also a somewhat famous internet celebrity, known for her "first love face" marketing. Her appearance was paramount, and she had joined this show for exposure. Who would have thought she would encounter Xia Weiliang!
Xia Weiliang had no interest in someone who was about to become a thing of the past. She merely gave a slight nod, acknowledging the greeting.
Xu Mengmeng was displeased and said sarcastically from the side, "Heh, as expected of a big star. The demeanor is certainly different. People like us small internet celebrities are naturally looked down upon."
Everyone could tell who this was aimed at. Xia Weiliang narrowed her eyes, suddenly regretting something.
Damn it, she should have brought Xiao Lan out.
No need to say anything to her; just a good scare would do!
It would be time and effort-saving, though it might cost Xiao Lan a bit.
As they were meeting for the first time, even if they understood the implication, they could only play along and deliberately change the subject.
Filming had begun at the airport. Xu Mengmeng understood a fundamental principle: to become famous, one needed to generate buzz. Even infamy was a form of fame, better than fading into obscurity.
Just like Xia Weiliang, who had been ridiculed by so many, almost forced out of the entertainment industry, and now had made a comeback as a trending figure.
If Xia Weiliang could do it, so could she!
Having made up her mind, she began to deliberately provoke Xia Weiliang at every turn. Her greatest hope was to infuriate her into losing her temper in front of the cameras!
Xia Weiliang was internally baffled. While this girl had been annoying before, she hadn't been this bothersome!
What was going on?
Was she seeking punishment, unable to feel comfortable unless she was dealt with?
The others also noticed. Whenever she could, Xu Mengmeng would steer the conversation toward Xia Weiliang, praising her openly while subtly denigrating her. She even brought up the past incident of abandonment.
"Alas, if you ask me, even though it was a misunderstanding, she's already been through enough. Being cursed at by netizens, someone with a weaker mentality might not have survived! So, it's only right to help her out, consider it filial piety towards elders... Heh, since she hasn't found her biological parents, who is there to be filial to? It's also a good way to earn a good reputation, so why not?"
After she finished speaking, the atmosphere fell into an unrecoverable awkwardness.
Initially, Xia Weiliang truly paid her no mind, letting her prance around. Giving her attention was the mistake!
But her words became increasingly excessive. If she remained silent, they might even blame her for the melting of the glaciers!
Xia Weiliang turned her head and looked directly at her. Xu Mengmeng immediately feigned innocence: "Miss Xia, you're not perhaps angry, are you? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I was just speaking casually, I didn't mean anything else. If I unintentionally offended you, Miss Xia, please don't hold it against me!"
"Ptooey!"
Ah Ning spat to the side. Women understood women best; a "green tea bitch" could be spotted at a glance.
Mickoy also glanced at her askance, letting out a barely audible snort.
"Miss Xia?"
Seeing Xia Weiliang remain silent, Xu Mengmeng appeared to be particularly fearful: "You're not really angry with me, are you? But... I've already apologized to you?"
It was as if if Xia Weiliang didn't forgive her, she would start crying the next second!
Xia Weiliang tilted her head to look at her and suddenly said with extreme sincerity: "Miss Xu, you might not understand, but I have a lot of anti-fans, and most of them are my own fans. When they have nothing to do, they love to bash me!"
Xu Mengmeng was taken aback and immediately smiled: "Heh, Miss Xia, what do you mean by that?"