After being dumped by the diva, I was picked up by her arch-enemy.

In the heart of Shanghai, there's a Black Pearl restaurant where the average cost per person is 5,000 yuan.

In the VIP suite on the top floor, a huge crystal chandelier cast a soft, warm light.

The large round table was laden with a variety of exquisite dishes.

Australian lobster, top-grade Wagyu beef, deep-sea caviar, and several bottles of expensive red wine.

Gu Ruanxing sat in the main seat, holding a wine glass in her hand, her posture elegant.

Xu Zhiyou sat next to her, wearing a pink puff-sleeved dress, her hands supporting her chin.

Jiang Yichen sat opposite the two, looking at the table full of delicacies, and raised an eyebrow.

"What day is it today?"

"Did Star Entertainment give out year-end bonuses?"

Jiang Yichen picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of Wagyu beef, and put it in his mouth.

The meat is tender and melts in your mouth.

Gu Ruanxing put down her wine glass, crossed her hands on the table, and looked at Jiang Yichen with a complicated expression.

There was sympathy, pity, and a touch of disappointment.

"Eat up, eat more."

"This meal is on me, as a reward for your hard work these past few days."

Gu Ruanxing's tone was unusually gentle.

Xu Zhiyou nodded frantically beside her.

"Yeah, yeah, Jiang Yichen, eat more. You've lost weight lately."

Xu Zhiyou picked up the serving chopsticks and placed a large piece of lobster meat into Jiang Yichen's bone plate.

Jiang Yichen stopped what he was doing when he saw the two women behaving strangely.

Offering unsolicited favors is either a sign of malice or theft.

"What exactly are you two trying to do?"

"Just say what you mean, don't make it so creepy."

Gu Ruanxing sighed.

She leaned forward and lowered her voice.

"Jiang Yichen, we've all seen it trending online."

"Don't take Lin Qinghe and Chen Yu's matter too seriously."

Gu Ruanxing reached out and patted the table.

Out with the old, in with the new.

"You're about to become famous, what kind of woman won't you find after that?"

"It's not worth being heartbroken over a woman who has changed her mind."

Jiang Yichen was stunned.

He finally understood what was going on with this feast on the table.

So these two young ladies came here specifically to give him psychological counseling because they were afraid he would be upset after seeing Lin Qinghe's scandal?

Jiang Yichen put down his chopsticks, picked up the warm water beside him, and took a sip.

I'm not sad.

"Who she's rumored to be dating, who she's with, what does it have to do with me?"

Gu Ruanxing rolled her eyes, giving her an expression that said, "I saw right through you."

"Alright, alright, stop forcing yourself."

"You're just too proud to admit it, even if it means suffering for it."

"Three years of relationship, gone just like that, and now you see her with another man at a pub late at night. How can you feel good about that?"

Gu Ruanxing pursed her lips.

"Forced smiles are the most harmful to your health."

"If you really can't take it anymore, just cry."

"I'm granting you special permission today to have a good cry in this private room!"

"It's okay to cry, Yuzu will hand you tissues."

Xu Zhiyou immediately took out a pack of Xinxiangyin tissues from her bag and handed it to Jiang Yichen with both hands.

Those big, watery eyes were full of concern.

"Jiang Yichen, cry if you want to, we won't laugh at you."

Jiang Yichen looked at the tissue handed to him, then at Gu Ruanxing's expression, which was certain that he was forcing a smile.

He was completely speechless.

These two women have such vivid imaginations; it's a waste of their talents if they weren't screenwriters.

"I'm really not sad."

Jiang Yichen helplessly pushed the tissue back.

"If you guys keep overreacting like this, I'm not eating this meal."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Gu Ruanxing decided not to press him any further.

"Fine, then don't cry."

"You absolutely must finish this meal; you can't waste my money."

Gu Ruanxing picked up her chopsticks and began to focus on the lobster in front of her.

The dinner party was coming to an end.

Most of the food on the table was eaten.

Gu Ruanxing leaned back in her chair and rubbed her lower abdomen.

She suddenly turned her head and looked at Xu Zhiyou next to her.

"Hey, Yuzu, what have you been doing all this time, all secretive?"

"You won't go shopping even when I ask you to."

Xu Zhiyou was drinking juice when she heard this. Her ears turned slightly red, and her eyes darted around. She didn't dare to look at Jiang Yichen sitting opposite her.

"Huh? No, nothing! I've just been...working out lately!"

Xu Zhiyou, quick-witted, finally found an excuse.

"Yes! It's about working out!"

"I've been feeling really weak lately, so I'm exercising at home."

Gu Ruanxing raised an eyebrow: "Workout? You?"

Really?

Xu Zhiyou straightened her chest, trying to make herself look more convincing.

"I practice very hard, and I sweat a lot every day."

She nervously picked up the juice and took a big gulp to cover up her inner panic.

Although Gu Ruanxing was suspicious, she did not ask any further questions.

........

the next day.

Eight o'clock in the morning.

The moment netizens opened their eyes, they were drawn to a new trending topic.

The official Weibo account of "The Voice of Heaven" released a major announcement.

"After careful consideration and discussion by the production team."

"The second round of the 1V1 elimination tournament for 'The Voice of Heaven' will adopt a brand-new voting system."

"In this round of the competition, each of the three judges has 10,000 votes."

"The remaining votes will be cast in real time by the 500 audience members present and viewers in the live stream."

"In the end, the one with the highest total number of votes (judges' votes plus audience votes) wins and advances directly to the next round."

"A brand-new competition format, a more fair and transparent stage."

We look forward to seeing great performances from all the players!

The announcement immediately caused an uproar in the comments section.

"Holy crap! Is the production team going all out this time?"

"Each judge has 10,000 votes, which means the judges have a total of 30,000 votes."

"If all three judges vote for the same person, wouldn't that be a complete crushing defeat?"

"Did the person upstairs learn math from a PE teacher? There are hundreds of thousands, even millions, of viewers in the live stream!"

"That's right, if enough netizens vote, they can completely reverse the judges' decision!"

"This competition format is so exciting! This is what it truly means to give the audience the power of choice!"

Netizens showed great enthusiasm for this novel competition format.

However, some industry insiders have raised questions.

"This competition format seems fair, but in reality, there is a lot of room for manipulation."

"If a contestant has a large fan base, even if they sing like a pig being slaughtered, they can still advance by having their fans vote for them."

"This is very unfair to those talented players who don't have a fan base."

"Music competitions should primarily rely on the opinions of professional judges, with audience votes serving only as a reference."

These different opinions clashed fiercely in the comments section.

Neither of them could convince the other.

However, it is undeniable that this announcement successfully pushed the popularity of "The Voice of Heaven" to a new climax.

Everyone is starting to look forward to Saturday's knockout stage.

at the same time.

On the elevated highways of Shanghai.

A black Toyota Alphard minivan is driving smoothly through traffic.

Lin Qinghe sat in the back row of the airline seat.

Today she wore a fitted white blazer, a black camisole underneath, and high-waisted wide-leg pants.

Her long hair was casually tied back, revealing her slender, fair neck.

This announcement was made two weeks ago.

Photographed by the Asia-Pacific spokesperson for a leading international skincare brand.

The brand did not request to terminate or postpone the contract due to the scandals of the past few days.

After all, as long as it doesn't cross moral boundaries, such romantic rumors can actually generate huge exposure.

The van drove off the elevated road and turned onto a wide, tree-lined avenue.

It's less than a ten-minute drive to the filming studio.

Lin Qinghe leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes to rest.

My phone suddenly vibrated in my high-end handbag.

Lin Qinghe opened her eyes, unzipped her bag, and took out her phone.

The caller ID on the screen displayed two words.

Miss.

Bai Wanyi.