Chapter 39

The first three mentors quickly wrote down Su Xingyao’s group, and as the last one to announce his vote, Shen Huaixi naturally became the focus once again.

Shen Huaixi stared at the card in his hand, his fingers gripping the edges as if he was about to pick it up, but then hesitated and pressed it back down.

The pen was tightly clenched in his hand, and his fingertips dug into his palm.

Frustrated!!

Extremely frustrated!!

He had never felt this frustrated in his life.

Since he was adopted, his parents had always treated him as their precious treasure, even Su Xingyao, their biological son, couldn’t compare to him in the slightest.

At school, he was always the center of attention. With the two school heartthrobs, Qin Mingchuan and Fu Qingyan, no one ever dared say anything bad about him.

After graduating and entering the entertainment industry, his celebrity status paved the way for him, and he was always held in high regard, never facing anyone who dared give him a hard time…

In his life, aside from having a rough start, he had always been well-protected since he was adopted at three. Everything had gone smoothly for him, and it seemed like the world revolved around his will. He could do whatever he wanted to others, and the rules were set by him.

But recently, something had changed, and he couldn’t figure out where it had gone wrong. Suddenly, everything around him seemed different.

His mother’s gaze towards him was always filled with scrutiny, and even Fu Qingyan, who had always been endlessly tolerant and obedient to him, had recently criticized him quietly because of some strangers.

Even his most loyal fan, Qin Mingchuan, hadn’t contacted him in a long time since Su Xingyao’s contract termination…

But more than these, what enraged and confused him the most was the failure of the show.

He had never expected that his flawless reputation, which had been free from any criticism since his debut, would suddenly be shattered by a group of unknown, no-name amateurs.

From childhood to adulthood, he had heard countless praises and applause.

But in just one night, the insults and mockery he received from netizens surpassed all the compliments he had received in the past twenty-four years…

The psychological contrast was overwhelming.

Shen Huaixi, who had been mercilessly attacked online for a whole day and night, lowered his head in frustration, filled with confusion and unwillingness.

What went wrong? Why had things turned out like this?

Obviously, the things the netizens criticized him for, he had done before…

He had even done worse things to Su Xingyao in public.

But back then, no one had stepped forward to criticize him, nor had anyone called him out.

In fact, his fans and the public had always blamed Su Xingyao for everything, and even defended him again.

So he simply couldn’t understand why, now, when he hadn’t done anything particularly outrageous, just blocked these insignificant, mediocre contestants’ chances of advancing and randomly grouped together five contestants, that he was getting all this backlash from the netizens, trending on hot searches and receiving private messages of abuse…

In the dim light, Shen Huaixi, holding the pen, looked at the numbers he had written on the card. His eyes couldn’t hide the frustration he felt.

He had already been severely scolded, and now, this group of foolish viewers actually thought they could continue to pressure him with public opinion, forcing him to send those five contestants he disliked the most through to the next round…

Just thinking about this outcome, Shen Huaixi felt like crying.

It was so frustrating!!

Why did things turn out like this?

Off-camera, seeing Shen Huaixi hesitate like this, the viewers watching the live stream had already lost patience with him.

【Help… Does he always do this when announcing results? Who is he trying to show that heartbroken expression to?】

【If it were someone else, I could understand them delaying the announcement for suspense or effect, but with Shen Huaixi, it just feels so pretentious. What’s going on?】

【I can’t stand him. Does he think he’s the star of the show? Every time he announces something, he acts so dramatic, trying to add more to his role. Come on, you’re a mentor, but honestly, you’re just a tool in this show. Why does he always look so conflicted when announcing the finalists? His desire to act is way too strong.】

【Guys, why does White Lotus Shen look so hesitant? Is he about to pull something crazy again?】

【I suddenly have a bad feeling about this.】

【No way, no way, this group is so strong. There’s no way a stupid mentor wouldn’t let them advance.】

【Even though I feel like Shen Huaixi is definitely mad at this group right now, he’s not really going to be that foolish, is he?】

As the live chat erupted with insults toward Shen Huaixi, his fans couldn’t help but step in to defend him.

【He hasn’t announced anything yet, and a bunch of idiots are already attacking him.】

【Can’t he be allowed to hesitate for a moment? He can announce the results whenever he wants. If you hate it so much, why don’t you go be a mentor yourselves?】

【Some of these nasty commenters are just so dark… He knows he’ll let the five-person group advance. This is clearly the show team building suspense and making him delay the announcement. Why don’t you go blame the garbage production team who always makes him the scapegoat? It’s laughable.】

【Careful, fans, don’t speak too confidently. You might end up getting slapped in the face by Shen Huaixi.】

Shen Huaixi’s fans, who had just started defending him, were soon slapped in the face by their own idol.

When the host urged him again, Shen Huaixi finally turned over his card.

The moment the answer was announced, the entire venue suddenly fell eerily quiet.

Everyone widened their eyes and looked at the big screen, where Shen Huaixi’s answer was projected.

On the card, Shen Huaixi had written two rows of text.

The first row said: “Sheng Group”.

Some of the audience, not seeing clearly, cheered loudly for the five-person group when they saw this answer.

However, just a few seconds later, their cheers stopped abruptly.

Because they realized that below this row of text, Shen Huaixi had added three more numbers that didn’t belong to this group.

And those numbers correspond to the members of Shen Huaixi’s own group.

Realizing that Shen Huaixi had given two spots to two different groups on the same card left the audience completely baffled.

“Did I see that correctly…?”

“What is going on here?”

“He wrote two names… so who did he actually choose?”

The audience at the scene couldn’t understand what was going on, but the host on stage acted as their spokesperson.

“Mr. Shen… could you please explain what this means?” the host asked.

At his breaking point, Shen Huaixi had stopped caring about anything.

The moment he revealed the card, he didn’t want to deal with the foolish audience anymore.

When the host asked, he spoke with a clearly malicious tone, “It means that I think both of these groups are the best.”

After saying this, Shen Huaixi kept his eyes on the five-person group on stage and the reaction of the live audience.

He focused on the five-person group on stage.

He noticed that, aside from contestant 78 in a mascot costume who had no expression, the other four contestants all looked shocked and confused. This gave him a sense of satisfaction, as if he were getting back at them.

He thought viciously in his mind.

He had already been verbally attacked so severely, and now his group’s reputation had tanked.

Why should he let them advance so easily?

He felt unjustly wronged and severely criticized. Shen Huaixi, who had been spoiled all his life, couldn’t swallow this bitterness.

His anger had clouded his judgment, and his spoiled brat temper had surfaced. He no longer cared about putting on a show for these people.

He was tired of the five people on stage and found these gullible, easily swayed audience members ridiculous.

So, since these fools wanted to see these five names on his card, he wrote them down.

But writing their names didn’t mean he couldn’t write others too…

Shen Huaixi lowered his eyes, suppressing the malice that couldn’t be hidden in his gaze.

If he wasn’t feeling comfortable, no one else would be either.

In his world, there was only one rule.

Those who follow me will prosper.

Whoever made him unhappy shouldn’t expect to be happy in the future.

Under the host’s stunned gaze, Shen Huaixi didn’t wait for anyone to ask him anything. He immediately started explaining his reasoning.

“Mr. Sheng Yan’s group is indeed very impressive. Even when faced with such a stage accident, they managed to turn it around. I admire that.”

After giving a shallow compliment, the smile in Shen Huaixi’s eyes disappeared, and his expression turned serious.

“But at the same time, because of the accident, this stage performance wasn’t smooth or perfect.”

“Although I understand it was an unavoidable situation, when I listened to the a cappella section compared to the music before, it felt disjointed…”

“So, even though it’s a bit regrettable and difficult to decide, I still want to follow my heart and write down the group I consider the best.”

After finishing his explanation, Shen Huaixi couldn’t even be bothered to explain why he had written the names of the three people in his group. He immediately turned his attention to contestant 40.

“Besides, No. 40 just admitted that during the performance, they indeed made mistakes.”

“And those mistakes, to me, are a point deduction.”

Before Shen Huaixi could finish speaking, the live stream chat exploded again.

【Sheng Yan’s comment about mistakes creating classics—you didn’t hear a word of it, did you?】

【I knew he was going to attack this group over that mistake, but honestly, if No. 40 didn’t admit it, would you, a music idiot, even be able to hear their mistake?】

【Shen Huaixi is really out of his mind! That mistake was fixed so brilliantly, the song’s layers were even better. It clearly should have been a bonus!】

【Shen Huaixi, do you even know how many stage accidents or mistakes have created iconic moments both domestically and internationally? Aren’t those big names better than you?】

【I just want to ask, are you okay?】

【Who can understand the logic of this idiot’s statements? What kind of nonsense is he spouting?】

【That last a cappella part wasn’t seamless… Are you really just lying with your eyes wide open because you don’t want to let them advance?】

【Obviously, where there was no music, they used a cappella vocal accompaniment to fill in, and the whole song without a BGM was even better than with one. How could it be disconnected? Were you not listening, and now you’re just talking nonsense?】

【Does Shen Huaixi really have the same five senses (ears) as us? Curious…】

【Feels like he’s treating me as an idiot.】

【Haha, I’m dying of laughter, he’s just been getting roasted the past two days, and now he’s taking it out on this group on purpose. He writes the numbers for his own team, but can’t even be bothered to write the numbers for the five-person group—just writes ‘Sheng Group,’ and doesn’t hide his intentions at all.】

【What the hell, did this group dig up your ancestor’s grave? They’ve been targeted from the beginning to the end.】

Shen Huaixi’s reasoning clearly wasn’t convincing anyone, and even the three contestants he had selected for advancement looked incredibly awkward.

At times like this, they certainly didn’t want to be ^[1]“Thrown under the bus” is an idiom that means to be unfairly blamed or sacrificed for the benefit of others, often in a situation where someone is placed in a difficult or compromising … Continue readingthrown under the bus by their own mentor…

After Shen Huaixi’s confusing statements, the voices of doubt in the audience grew louder, and some angry viewers couldn’t hold back from cursing him out in person.

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, the host quickly made a gesture to calm everyone down.

But the contestants from his own group had overcome so many difficulties to deliver such a spectacular and passionate performance, yet they still weren’t getting recognized.

As a mentor who had always been patient with Shen Huaixi, Sheng Yan wasn’t willing to tolerate it anymore.

After Shen Huaixi finished speaking, he directly unmuted his microphone and turned to face him.

“Mr. Shen, I think you should understand that stage accidents are uncontrollable. However, turning those accidents into opportunities and regaining control of the stage, they’ve almost done the best they could within their abilities.”

“And regarding the mistake you mentioned, I hope the program team will play the practice version of this group after the show airs, so the audience can compare the final performance with the version from the practice room.”

Wen Yun, who usually played the peacemaker, also couldn’t stand Shen Huaixi’s actions anymore. Fearing the audience might misunderstand, he unmuted his microphone and indirectly told them just how amazing this group was.

“Actually, today’s stage can only be described as wonderful.”

“Of course, in my view, it’s a textbook example of how to handle a stage accident in the best possible way.”

“I don’t want to dwell on how serious this stage accident was.”

“Speaking purely from my perspective, if I had been in their position today, I honestly wouldn’t have been able to handle it nearly as well as they did…”

Wen Yun turned his gaze to Su Xingyao, admiration clearly visible in his eyes.

“When No. 78’s voice came in and matched with the music, my scalp literally tingled.”

Wen Yun smiled.

“I’m not exaggerating, it really gave me goosebumps.”

After saying that, he turned his attention back to Shen Huaixi and steered the conversation back to the point where he had mentioned the deduction.

“Indeed, mistakes cannot be ignored, but based on the result, it didn’t cause any subsequent issues with the performance. So, I believe this shouldn’t be a point that’s used to deduct any points.”

“As for the last a cappella part, I think it actually made this song, which was interrupted by a lack of accompaniment, complete again. In fact, it was this part that made up for the regret caused by the issue with the song’s accompaniment.”

After Wen Yun finished speaking, he looked at Shen Huaixi in confusion once more.

He simply couldn’t understand how Shen Huaixi came up with such absurd answers.

After hearing Wen Yun’s words, Shen Huaixi smiled indifferently.

This nonchalant attitude genuinely made Sheng Yan very angry.

Previously, he had restrained himself to maintain decorum, but now, fearing that the audience might be misled by Shen Huaixi, he pointed out the most crucial issue.

“If a stage performance that is done with so much effort can’t even get a full vote for advancement tonight, how much would that hurt the hearts of the contestants who’ve put in so much effort for this stage?”

“Once this door is opened, and if everyone agrees with it, doesn’t it imply that in future stage accidents, singers shouldn’t try to deal with or manage it?”

“After all, no matter how hard they try to save the stage in the end, it’s useless, so they might as well just give up from the start?”

Sheng Yan’s words were met with widespread agreement from the audience.

Meanwhile, Xu Beizhou, who was caught between the three of them, remained silent.

On one side were the irrelevant contestants, on the other, someone he liked.

Naturally, Xu Beizhou’s heart leaned towards Shen Huaixi.

Especially after seeing Shen Huaixi’s face pale from being confronted by the two mentors, Xu Beizhou spoke up on his behalf.

“Mr. Sheng, it’s not that serious.”

After saying this, he turned to remind Shen Huaixi, “Mr. Shen, the rule is that you can only write in one group. Maybe you should make a revision?”

Xu Beizhou’s intention was to offer Shen Huaixi an exit, suggesting he cross out his own group and resolve the conflict.

But to his surprise, after being confronted by two mentors, Shen Huaixi’s pride flared up, and he completely ignored Xu Beizhou’s suggestion.

Seeing that Shen Huaixi wasn’t listening to Xu Beizhou or showing any intention of making a revision, the audience was furious with his actions.

【Sheng Yan is right, how can a stage like this not deserve to win? Hahaha!】

【Shen Huaixi, should you go take a look in the mirror to see how ugly you look?】

【How does someone who knows nothing about music get to be a mentor? Wen Yun patiently explained so much to him.】

【So can Shen Huaixi just leave already? I really don’t want to see him for another second.】

【What is the point of having such a mentor? To make things difficult for the contestants? To make things difficult for the audience? So we can watch him stir up trouble every episode?】

【Shen Huaixi, just go away!】

The host on stage, seeing Shen Huaixi ignoring everything, kindly reminded him, “But Mr. Shen, according to the rules, we can’t count the result if you write it like this. Maybe you should…”

Before the host could finish speaking, several curses came from behind Shen Huaixi.

Hearing the audience curse him openly, Shen Huaixi, feeling like everything was already falling apart, decided to confront them head-on. He not only refused to change the results but also specifically warned the audience.

“But this is also my most honest opinion. Sorry, you can’t use your views to pressure me. No one can.”

He emphasized the last seven words.

The young master, who had been living high above the clouds for so long, was unwilling to lower his noble head.

Moreover, he genuinely believed that the five contestants from poor backgrounds were not worthy of him bowing down.

The host, seeing that Shen Huaixi was determined, was also at a loss.

“But our rules…”

The more the others tried to defend those five people, the less Shen Huaixi was willing to comply with them.

After being subtly criticized by Sheng Yan and Wen Yun, he felt even worse, and his expression became harder to control.

So, he shifted his anger to the easier target—the host.

“That’s not my problem.”

After Shen Huaixi said this, his indifferent attitude directly angered the audience.

The audience understood one thing.

When you’re trying to reason with an idiot and it’s not getting through, there’s no point in wasting more breath.

Shen Huaixi’s continued actions, which irritated the audience, contestants, and mentors, pushed the crowd’s patience to its limit.

Eventually, several audience members, unable to tolerate it any longer, shouted at him in anger as he spoke.

“Shen Huaixi, get lost.”

“Shen Huaixi, get lost.”

At that moment, the audience continued to curse and complain among themselves.

At first, only a small portion of people shouted at Shen Huaixi’s back.

Shen Huaixi felt a little uncomfortable hearing it, but he didn’t take it too seriously.

After all, he had been booed by the audience before, so this level of disrespect was something he could pretend not to hear.

As long as others were unhappy, he felt pleased.

But Shen Huaixi was underestimating the situation.

He didn’t expect that, in such a short time, the audience would unite so quickly and strongly in response.

Less than thirty seconds later, more than half of the audience had joined in.

Some even raised their middle fingers at Shen Huaixi.

This phenomenon continued to spread.

About another thirty seconds later, those who were slower to react finally understood.

With each synchronized “Shen Huaixi, get lost,” the crowd grew louder.

Except for a few of Shen Huaixi’s fans, the rest of the audience joined in the chant.

And those fans, hearing such a loud wave of anti-shouts, were left trembling in fear.

Under the stares of those around them, who looked at them with expressions like “What on earth are you supporting this for?”They quickly hid their support light boards, acting like they had tails between their legs, fearing that everyone’s anger at Shen Huaixi would spill over onto them and escalate into a real-life confrontation.

In competitions like this, where the audience has their own favorite contestants, it’s rare for them to unite to do something as a group.

Unless the other party is truly disgusting and unbearable.

But clearly, Shen Huaixi’s actions today have truly upset everyone.

So, there was no leader, but the audience naturally united.

They turned off their lightboards and, together with their shouts and the complete darkness of the venue, expressed their resistance and dissatisfaction with Shen Huaixi, the disgusting mentor.

Nearly five hundred people uniting for a single cause—this power was immense.

The way Shen Huaixi had been arrogant when targeting the five-person group now mirrored the fury and intensity of the audience’s anger.

Their collective voices far surpassed any previous support for mentors and contestants, resounding so loudly it seemed deafening.

Even viewers watching through the live stream could clearly feel the overwhelming momentum of the crowd.

As the audience on-site was so powerful, those in the live stream didn’t fall behind.

In Shen Huaixi’s personal live stream, the barrage of comments was filled with synchronized “Shen Huaixi, get lost” messages.

Meanwhile, enthusiastic netizens were also live-streaming his outrageous actions across various forums.

The situation with Shen Huaixi quickly went viral online.

The intense emotions of the audience could no longer be controlled.

For the host, seeing such an overwhelming scene for the first time, he stood frozen for a long time. Though he too found Shen Huaixi detestable, his professional ethics led him to attempt to intervene and calm the crowd several times.

But it was futile.

Meanwhile, Shen Huaixi, the target of everyone’s scorn, couldn’t hide his shock and fear.

Before, when he was criticized online, there was always the buffer of the screen and the distance of the internet, so he could ignore it.

But now, being insulted face-to-face by hundreds of people, with no way to stop or control it…

This kind of massive public humiliation was like an overwhelming flood, seeming to engulf him in an instant.

Such widespread rejection was rare in the entertainment industry, and even many seasoned stars couldn’t handle it.

Let alone Shen Huaixi, who had grown up surrounded by applause and admiration, never having faced any real hardship.

Hearing the constant shouts of “Get lost,” Shen Huaixi felt as if he were being slapped repeatedly in the face.

He had once orchestrated verbal bullying against Su Xingyao, watching as the latter was tormented by classmates for a long time.

At the time, he felt some satisfaction, thinking Su Xingyao deserved it.

But now, when the tables were turned, he realized just how terrifying people’s words could be.

After losing so much face, Shen Huaixi’s mind buzzed and went blank. His mental defenses finally crumbled under the constant barrage of insults.

He realized that the online insults were nothing compared to the real-life verbal abuse. The sheer force of face-to-face, real, and sharp verbal violence could destroy a person’s confidence in an instant.

Being universally rejected and despised by so many people in person was even worse than being slapped in the face.

Finally realizing that things were not as simple as he had imagined, Shen Huaixi, filled with dread, quickly opened his mouth.

Fully realizing that he could no longer anger the audience, his face turning alternately pale and flushed, he finally lowered his proud head and tried to explain himself.

After a long mental struggle, he spoke in a pitiful tone.

“I think… everyone has… misunderstood me deeply…”

As Shen Huaixi spoke, tears quickly filled his eyes, and he appeared fragile and pitiable, as though he were the one who had been most wronged.

After saying this, his mouth opened and closed as he tried to salvage the situation, but after several attempts, he finally said the reluctant compromise.

“If everyone… has objections to this result… I can… modify it…”

“I actually…”

Before Shen Huaixi could finish his explanation, the entire audience responded in unison with a loud and resounding “Get lost!!!!”

At this point, it was too late for any explanation. No one in the audience wanted to hear another word from him.

Shen Huaixi, who had always been able to make people pity him with his tears, saw them fall at that moment.

But they no longer had any effect.

For a brief second, his vision went black, and the loud “Get lost!” made Shen Huaixi’s hands and legs weaken.

It felt as though all his strength had been drained in an instant, and his throat was squeezed as if someone had gripped it with all their might…

Unable to bear it all, Shen Huaixi felt as though he could barely breathe.

At this moment, regretting ever participating in the live broadcast, only one thought was left in his mind.

He needed to leave.

He could not stand another second in this humiliating live show.

Soon, the audience watching Shen Huaixi’s individual camera saw him, stunned by the insults, shakily stand up, his face pale. He stumbled down the stage and even fell.

But he didn’t care. After quickly getting up, he hurriedly stumbled backstage, fleeing the recording scene.

Shen Huaixi was in such a hurry to leave that he even forgot to put down the microphone in his hand.

However, the audience didn’t let him off so easily.

Even after Shen Huaixi reached the backstage, far from the recording site, they could still clearly hear the audience shouting, “Shen Huaixi, get lost!”

For the first time in his life, Shen Huaixi, who had been publicly insulted, felt his blood rush to his head.

Unable to continue walking, he leaned against the wall and glared fiercely at his manager, who had arrived late.

“Is this your idea of good PR?” he spat out, his voice trembling with all the strength he could muster.

“Now look, everyone’s watching me make a fool of myself.”

After such a major incident, Shen Huaixi’s manager was too frightened to speak.

She felt deeply wronged.

After all, it was this little troublemaker who insisted on joining the show, and when things went wrong today, he deliberately went against everyone on live broadcast…

But she dared not say anything at this critical moment and could only quickly take the blame herself.

“It’s all my fault. I didn’t expect their team to be so well-prepared.”

Hearing her words, Shen Huaixi became even angrier.

He raised his right hand, pointing at her, wanting to vent all the grievances he felt onto her.

But then, he suddenly realized that he couldn’t even utter a single word.

In the next moment, he felt a tightness in his chest and, as his vision went black, he collapsed straight to the floor.

The audience in the live stream couldn’t see Shen Huaixi fainting backstage, but as they listened to the audience rhythmically “cheering” for him, they all smiled and sent a barrage of comments.

【Feels good.】