Chapter 20

Cat… cat head?

How could the big shot be wearing a cat head costume???

When Su Xingyao, dressed in a cute cat costume, appeared on stage, everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

Surprise, disbelief, confusion—was it just their eyes playing tricks on them?

No one could have imagined that such a talented singer, someone with such a heavenly voice, would be the same person wearing a cute costume and using a voice modulator.

In everyone’s minds, someone with such a divine voice should be a plain, ethereal figure, like a celestial being who doesn’t belong to the mortal world…

But in reality, the person rising on the platform in front of everyone was simply a cute cat head costume.

As soon as they saw this, the few contestants who had been so sure that contestant 78 was not wearing a costume began to doubt everything.

They even rubbed their eyes, trying to open them as wide as possible, hoping to see if the production team had made a mistake.

But on the platform, the person rising slowly had a number tag pinned to their waist, clearly marked as number 78.

78… Cat costume.

Realizing that the big shot they had admired and fervently praised to all the other contestants was actually the same person they had previously belittled, spreading rumors and gossiping about behind their back, several contestants felt as though their faces had been slapped repeatedly.

The beautiful voice still lingered in their ears, but every time they remembered the stunningly beautiful sound, the negative comments they had made about the person would also replay in their minds.

“The big shot wouldn’t wear something so flashy.”

“The cat costume looks like someone who can’t sing well…”

Every word they had spoken a few minutes ago felt like an invisible slap, hitting them one after another.

The few contestants were now completely dumbfounded and didn’t know what expression to make.

Their throats felt choked, unable to utter a single word, and they could only stare at the cute costume on stage, shining under the lights.

Aside from these contestants, contestant number 79, waiting backstage, also felt a buzzing in his head.

From the moment Su Xingyao sang the first note, he was thrown into a state of shock.

At first, he held out a sliver of hope, thinking that perhaps the person’s first note was just a fluke, especially since the latter half of the song was much harder to sing.

But the reality was that the person in the cat costume maintained a steady performance throughout, even handling the difficult final part of the song with ease—something many others wouldn’t dare attempt.

It was complete domination…

In terms of both emotion and technique, the person’s performance was something he could never compare to…

Realizing this, contestant 79’s face turned pale, and he could hardly hold his microphone steady.

Embarrassed and regretful, he realized how foolish he had been.

Had he gone mad, trying to drag down a powerhouse singer just to put down a viral online star?

And not only did he criticize, but he also had to follow up.

What was worse now was that he was about to perform right after such a powerful contestant…

He knew better than anyone how big the gap was between him and this person.

Clearly, once he stepped on stage, he would be immediately overshadowed by the other contestant…

79’s inner thoughts were unknown to anyone.

The people in the audience only saw the elevator finally come to a stop.

At this moment, Su Xingyao, still wearing the cat costume, stood at the very center of the stage.

Under the lights, his fluffy costume appeared even more adorable, and the round eyes of the headpiece made him look irresistibly cute, striking straight into the hearts of everyone who saw him.

The mentors at the judging table couldn’t help but look at him again and again, clearly astonished by this unconventional outfit.

After a few moments of silence, one of them finally spoke up.

“Well… honestly, this is really a bit unexpected.”

The first to speak was Wen Yun, who had been the last to press the button.

As a former champion, he raised his hand and scratched his head.

“In my mind, this voice always belonged to a quiet, somewhat artistic young man.”

At this point, he gave a dry laugh. “But I didn’t expect the real person to be… so…”

“Hmm… so…”

The shock and contrast were so great that Wen Yun had trouble finding the right words to express his feelings.

In fact, he wanted to say that this person’s appearance was a bit unusual, but in the end, he hesitated.

He wasn’t new to being a judge on a music competition.

He had seen many contestants with strong personalities before, but those people’s singing styles had always matched their personal image.

Either cold and reserved, or cool and handsome.

But he had never seen anyone with such a stark contrast between their voice and their appearance as today’s contestant.

After thinking for a long time, Wen Yun still couldn’t find the right words, and seeing him hesitate, Sheng Yan kindly helped him out.

“I didn’t expect the real person to be so cute.”

As Sheng Yan said this, he smiled for the first time today, the corners of his eyes lifting.

“Cute, but also an amazing singer.”

Always seen as aloof and cool in the eyes of his fans, Sheng Yan clearly had a soft spot for Su Xingyao, speaking more than usual.

“I don’t know what others think, but after hearing your performance, my first thought was, why did the production team make us take a 20-minute break?”

Wen Yun, who had expected Sheng Yan to shower Su Xingyao with praise, looked at him in confusion. “Oh? Why?”

Sheng Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, replying in his usual cocky tone.

“Isn’t it great that I got to hear such beautiful singing twenty minutes earlier?”

As soon as Sheng Yan said this, the entire audience erupted in loud applause.

【Mentor Sheng is absolutely right!!】

【Mentor Sheng’s compliment is seriously impressive.】

All the contestants in the audience wholeheartedly agreed with his statement.

After all, this compliment was much more elevated than just simple praise.

Receiving such high praise, Su Xingyao bowed to Sheng Yan and then said, “Thank you, Mentor.”

However, as soon as he spoke, the cheers from the audience suddenly stopped, and even the mentors looked at him in surprise.

Not many people in the audience knew that he was using a voice changer.

So, when that mechanical, cold, beautiful voice came through the microphone and spread throughout the studio, everyone was once again stunned into silence by this unexpected move.

After all, just wearing a costume was already special enough, but no one expected that this big shot had even altered their voice using a voice changer!!

It was Xu Beizhou who spoke up first.

“Your voice is completely different from when you’re singing. Did you use a voice changer when you spoke?”

“Yes.”

The cold, beautiful voice echoed again, and the audience started whistling in admiration for Su Xingyao.

“Wow, so mysterious.”

“Cat brother, ^[1]“66666” is used to express admiration, amazement, or approval, similar to saying “awesome” or “great job” in English. The number 6 (liù) in Chinese sounds like … Continue reading666666.”

Talent is the best form of cosmetic enhancement.

Clearly, the contestants in the audience had been completely conquered by Su Xingyao’s singing voice.

Now, when they looked at him, it was like they were fans with a filter on.

What used to seem like a calculated move for attention now automatically became a sign of character, as if the big shot was just that cool in everything they did.

And the loudest cheers came from those who had previously criticized him the most.

People are always like this—hypocritical and fickle.

In one second, they can trample you into the dirt, in the next, they can lift you to the heavens.

The same goes in reverse.

The cheers from the audience didn’t make Su Xingyao feel arrogant.

He knew very well that if he wasn’t wearing the headpiece, once people recognized him, the treatment he received would be completely different.

But he didn’t bother with such meaningless things and generously waved his paw at the audience.

Xu Beizhou, who had been secretly observing Su Xingyao, saw him acting so graciously and continued to ask curiously.

“To be honest, your outfit was really unexpected, and the fact that you don’t use your original voice when you speak has made me even more curious about you…”

Xu Beizhou paused for a moment.

He originally wanted to say that he was very curious about the real identity under the headpiece.

After all, such a talented singer would naturally pique anyone’s curiosity about who they really are.

Although he knew that the person probably wouldn’t reveal it, he still wanted to hear a little about 78’s background, even if it was just a few words.

However, he didn’t finish these thoughts because Shen Huaixi directly interrupted him.

Shen Huaixi, who had remained silent up until then, suddenly spoke into the microphone and, following Xu Beizhou’s words, addressed Su Xingyao.

“Yes, like Mentor Xu, I’m also very curious…”

Shen Huaixi smiled, intentionally pausing and then picking up the conversation naturally.

He did this because he noticed that after 78’s performance, the other three mentors were unusually excited.

Previously, these three had been quiet, but now they were all taking turns to express their thoughts.

With the atmosphere so lively, if he didn’t say something, he would appear too indifferent.

Shen Huaixi understood that once the show aired, this top-tier singer would undoubtedly attract significant attention from the audience.

Just the act of guessing his identity could generate enough popularity for him.

So, at this moment, how could he not seize the opportunity to make his presence felt?

However, even though Shen Huaixi spoke, he wasn’t planning to shower this contestant with praise like the others.

He wasn’t there to be anyone’s supporting act—neither for the mentors nor the contestants.

Having been the center of attention since he was young, he wouldn’t allow anyone to steal his spotlight.

So, he hid his dark thoughts, lifted his head, smiled at Su Xingyao, and innocently asked him.

“I’m curious, since your singing is so beautiful, why do you need to use a voice changer when speaking?”

As he said this, he purposely winked at Su Xingyao, his eyes full of expectation and curiosity.

Having dealt with Shen Huaixi for several years, Su Xingyao was already well aware of his usual tactics.

He seemed gentle and harmless, but almost every word was a trap.

He didn’t follow along with Shen Huaixi’s line of questioning but simply raised the microphone and calmly replied.

“There’s no particular reason.”

Upon hearing this, the smile on Shen Huaixi’s face froze for a moment.

Having rarely been rejected, he felt a surge of competitiveness.

The more 78 refused to speak, the more he wanted to get something out of him.

So he spoke again, his tone now tinged with a hint of pity.

“I see… Well… Could you turn off the voice changer and let us hear your real voice?”

“This is the first time I’ve encountered such a situation. I really want to hear your voice.”

Su Xingyao lowered his gaze, not even bothering to look at him perform. He still firmly refused.

“Sorry.”

Treated so coldly, Shen Huaixi was nearly enraged.

His hand, resting under the mentor table, clenched tightly, but mindful of the cameras, he quickly controlled his expression.

“I see…”

He tilted his head slightly, giving a faint smile, and added sarcastically, “You really have a lot of character.”

Sitting next to Shen Huaixi, Sheng Yan glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

Then, seemingly casually, he spoke up to defend Su Xingyao.

“Actually, I think the voice changer works quite well. Your singing voice gives a gentle yet powerful sense of determination, but when you speak, it’s cold and distant. This contrast makes you seem mysterious and very intriguing.”

He gave Su Xingyao a thumbs-up. “You really have a unique personality, I really like it.”

Sheng Yan’s words gently put out the fire that Shen Huaixi had unknowingly stoked.

His words were so well-spoken that after Shen Huaixi was momentarily silenced, he tried to throw in more sarcasm but couldn’t find the chance.

Now that all four mentors had shared their opinions, and with Fu Qingyan’s reminder, it was time for the most intense and thrilling part—the moment when the mentors would give out their pass cards.

For other contestants, this part might still carry suspense and tension.

But for Su Xingyao, who had just performed flawlessly without a single flaw…

Almost everyone assumed that he would be the first to receive all four pass cards and advance.

Below the stage, the contestants were also excited.

“After waiting so long, we can finally see the first one to advance.”

“If no one gets through, I’ll eat the keyboard upside down!”

“What’s going on, it’s not even for me, but I’m so happy!”

“Do you think any mentor would hold back on giving the pass cards this time?”

The contestants were all eagerly watching, some even rubbing their hands and staring intently ahead.

Fu Qingyan timely walked up next to Su Xingyao and spoke again.

“Alright, four mentors, will the 78th contestant make it through?”

He looked toward the mentor’s seats and slightly raised his voice.

“Then please show us your pass cards.”

As soon as Fu Qingyan’s words fell, the exciting sound effects filled the room.

With the beat of the drums, Wen Yun immediately raised two cards and began waving them playfully at the camera.

The reason Wen Yun had two cards was that the production team had added this effect for the show.

They deliberately prepared two cards for each mentor.

One card had the words “Pass” written on it, while the other was left blank.

Whenever a contestant was selected by a mentor, they would see the mentor raise a card for them after stepping onto the stage.

However, whether the card had “Pass” written on it or was blank would only be revealed once the mentor flipped the card over.

Wen Yun teased the camera for a while, and when the time was almost up, he cheerfully raised his left hand.

After doing so, he nervously double-checked to make sure he hadn’t raised the wrong card.

When he saw that “Pass” was written on it, he sighed with relief and then held the card high in the air.

“Pass!!”

After Wen Yun loudly announced the word, Fu Qingyan immediately declared the result.

“Congratulations to contestant 78 for receiving Wen Yun’s pass card!”

The contestant seats erupted in a burst of cheers.

With the first pass card handed out, the cameras quickly focused.

One camera filmed the card in Wen Yun’s hand while another zoomed in on Su Xingyao, trying to capture his excited reaction after receiving the pass card.

However, to the disappointment of the production team,

Su Xingyao, as before, merely bowed politely and said thank you.

He wasn’t as excited as everyone had expected.

He remained calm and composed, not showing any change in demeanor, exuding an air of being unbothered by praise or criticism.

In contrast, Wen Yun, on the mentor’s seat, was still excited by the result, as if he were the one advancing.

After giving out the card, Wen Yun specifically waved at Su Xingyao, then loudly reminded him, “Remember to choose me later!”

Hearing this, Sheng Yan immediately stood up, smiling, and grabbed Wen Yun’s hand to stop him from waving at Su Xingyao.

“We’re not at that stage yet, Mentor Wen, you can’t be stealing contestants so early!”

With Sheng Yan’s comment, the situation was clear.

By stopping Wen Yun from recruiting, it meant that he himself wanted this contestant.

As expected, after preventing Wen Yun from recruiting, he casually flipped his own card.

It also clearly said “Pass.”

Before the cards were even fully distributed, the mentors were already competing for the contestants, and an eager Xu Beizhou quickly joined the competition.

“Now that you’ve all made your intentions clear, if I don’t step in now, I’ll have no advantage!”

After saying that, he hurriedly flipped open his pass card.

In no time at all, another pass was revealed to everyone.

At this point, Su Xingyao had already received pass cards from three powerful mentors.

And he, as long as he gets the final pass card from Shen Huaixi, will become the first contestant to successfully advance today.

After Xu Beizhou presented his pass card, the accompaniment beat played by the production team immediately sped up.

The atmosphere reached its peak in that instant.

Just as everyone was waiting to see how Shen Huaixi would give out his card, Fu Qingyan interrupted the rhythm and walked directly to Su Xingyao’s side.

“Contestant 78, you’ve already received three pass cards. Could you share how you’re feeling at this moment?”

This was a routine often used by the production team—at the most anticipated moment, the host would step in to tease and build suspense.

Although the contestants were eager to hear the results, once they remembered that the “Cat Head Boss” would soon share his current feelings, they settled down and patiently waited for him to speak.

They were also curious about what he was thinking at the moment.

However, Su Xingyao did not answer the question directly.

He bowed to the mentor’s seat again, then calmly said, “Thank you for the recognition, mentors.”

He didn’t share his emotions or express excitement, it was just a sincere thank you.

But when the contestants saw this scene, the fanboys among them admired Su Xingyao even more.

At times like this, they liked to imagine themselves in his position.

Many of them thought that if it were them, they would either say they were nervous or express their excitement.

But no matter which answer it was, neither would have conveyed the same confidence and calmness that the “Cat Head Boss” showed, which was truly captivating.

Fu Qingyan glanced at the people around him, a subtle appreciation flickering in his eyes.

He then continued, preparing to reveal the final answer according to the process.

“Now, only the last mentor remains…”

As Fu Qingyan’s gaze followed the camera to Shen Huaixi, he saw the latter raise his right hand high, wearing a cute expression.

Having known Shen Huaixi for so many years, Fu Qingyan immediately saw that he had something to say.

Always indulgent toward him, Fu Qingyan immediately cued him.

“Huaixi, do you want to say something?”

Shen Huaixi nodded, slightly adjusting his voice before speaking.

“I still want to ask Contestant 78 one question before giving out the card.”

He then emphasized, “This is very important to me!!”

He smiled slightly at the camera, then looked at Su Xingyao with a serious, teasing expression.

“Why are you wearing a mascot costume?”

“I think everyone here is probably curious about your outfit… so I feel it’s necessary to ask for everyone.”

Shen Huaixi was very concerned about the audience.

He knew that when the show aired, everyone would be very curious about why Contestant 78 was dressed like this.

So he brought up the question now.

Of course, Shen Huaixi’s question had another layer of meaning.

He estimated that Contestant 78’s appearance was probably not impressive.

After all, contestants who were both good-looking and talented would never hide their faces behind a mascot costume.

And now, he wanted this person to admit that they weren’t good-looking, in order to lower people’s expectations of them.

From the first moment Shen Huaixi saw this person, he felt an unsettling vibe coming from them.

This feeling drove him to make sure the other person couldn’t get too comfortable.

So, he didn’t want them to shine and had been trying to set them up for failure.

What Shen Huaixi was thinking while asking these questions was obvious to Su Xingyao.

He understood that Shen Huaixi was trying to guide the conversation in a direction that implied he wasn’t taking off the mascot costume because he wasn’t good-looking.

Although Su Xingyao didn’t care about people’s expectations of his looks, he wasn’t going to fall into Shen Huaixi’s trap.

So, he slightly lowered his gaze, not looking at Shen Huaixi’s face, and simply stated his reason, “Because the mascot head is cute.”

Not getting the answer he wanted, Shen Huaixi pressed on.

“It is cute, but would you consider taking it off after advancing?”

Su Xingyao’s answer was firm.

“No.”

“So… you plan to keep wearing it like this?”

Shen Huaixi continued to ask urgently, but Su Xingyao remained calm throughout.

After hearing the question, he tilted his head slightly, appearing to think for a moment.

A few seconds later, he spoke again.

“If I make it through, maybe I’ll consider switching to a dog mascot head next time…”

Then he extended his hand to his ear, mimicking the motion of wagging dog ears.

The contestants in the audience couldn’t help but laugh at how cute Su Xingyao looked.

Originally, everyone defined him as having an aloof and cool personality, almost like a “cold” figure.

But now, this aloof figure was making such a cute gesture…

And even talking about changing to a dog mascot head next time.

Upon hearing this, many of the contestants couldn’t help but feel a little curious…

A “dog-head” boss… maybe that’s something they wanted to see!

Su Xingyao’s response successfully shifted everyone’s attention.

On the mentor’s side, Shen Huaixi saw that his question was being skillfully deflected, and he began to get a little anxious.

He couldn’t hold it in and ended up voicing his thoughts.

“Why do you have to wear the mascot head? Are you not confident about your appearance?”

This time, Su Xingyao didn’t answer his question but instead gave a soft smile.

His smile wasn’t flamboyant, yet it was far from self-deprecating.

The smarter ones immediately realized that the reason for wearing the mascot head couldn’t possibly be this.

Shen Huaixi also understood and felt embarrassed, as if he had been silently mocked right there.

After asking the question, he actually regretted it because it didn’t fit with his image of a gentle, pure, and emotionally intelligent person.

Realizing he had said something he shouldn’t, he quickly awkwardly laughed and tried to salvage his reputation.

“Ah… I was just joking…”

But it was already too late.

The contestants below couldn’t help but start cheering for Su Xingyao.

“I really love this personality of Cat Head.”

“Is this the confidence and arrogance of a big boss?”

“Awesome!!”

“Respect!! Respect!!”

In this exchange, the contestants naturally sided with Su Xingyao.

On one hand, they genuinely felt that the Cat Head boss had so much personality, even with the mentors, his attitude was neither servile nor arrogant.

On the other hand, they also felt that Cat Head’s smile was quite satisfying.

Although he didn’t mock the other person’s rudeness, it had a better effect than mocking.

Many of the contestants had a bit of resentment toward Shen Huaixi.

Especially among those who were cheering for Su Xingyao, many had been denied a clearance card by him.

Sharp-eyed people had already noticed.

The reason for the low advancement rate today wasn’t because the contestants were weak, but because many had been blocked by Shen Huaixi.

Take contestant 77 from earlier, for example.

The other three mentors had given him a card and acknowledged his overall strength.

But Shen Huaixi, for some reason, found an excuse to not give him a card, pretending to want to see more of his potential.

The contestants, not being part of the entertainment industry, didn’t immediately see through Shen Huaixi’s move to create an image of a serious mentor in front of the camera.

But they weren’t fools.

His actions had clearly made them uncomfortable.

So when the confrontation between Cat Head and him happened earlier, they naturally sided with Cat Head.

Hearing the laughter from the audience was too obvious, and Shen Huaixi once again felt mocked, his face growing even more awkward.

This uncomfortable feeling, yet being unable to retaliate, made him deeply uneasy.

He had grown up without anyone ever treating him so disrespectfully to his face.

The more he thought about it, the more he disliked contestant 78.

He clenched the card in his hand tightly, wishing he could immediately give the other person a white card and make him leave.

However, after seeing that Shen Huaixi hadn’t given out the card after asking the question, a few eliminated contestants from the audience began booing him.

“Why hasn’t he handed out the card yet? Could he be not giving it this time?”

“Mentor Shen, you didn’t give No. 77 a card, but No. 78 is standing up to you, and you still want to block him?”

Shen Huaixi heard the boos clearly.

He also knew that if he didn’t give out the card now, he would definitely be criticized later.

So, he took a deep breath, forced out a smile, and looked at Su Xingyao.

“Congratulations! I’ll give you the clearance~”

Immediately, smoke shot up around the stage, and the large words “Successfully Advanced” appeared on the LED backdrop.

As soon as the first contestant to advance today was announced, the audience erupted in applause.

“Congratulations.”

Fu Qingyan handed Su Xingyao the specially made clearance card, raising his arms to give him a hug.

However, as he made this gesture, he noticed that Su Xingyao had silently stepped back a bit, only extending his hand to shake Fu Qingyan through the gloves.

Fu Qingyan looked at him in surprise, but Su Xingyao didn’t seem to notice, simply saying “Thank you” to the stage and then leaving immediately.

After Su Xingyao walked off the stage and into the advancement area, many of the waiting contestants couldn’t help but wave at him in a friendly manner.

Contestant 77, from across the crowd, even raised both hands high, giving him two big thumbs up.

Just as Su Xingyao sat down, it was time for contestant 79 to take the stage.

However, after hearing Su Xingyao’s performance, listening to contestant 79 felt as dull as drinking plain water.

Eliminated in seconds, contestant 79 was immediately rejected by the uninterested Sheng Yan.

After all 79 contestants performed, the first round of auditions was nearing its end.

After more than an hour of recording, the preliminary round finally concluded.

The assistant director came on stage, clapped the board, and announced the official end of today’s recording.

As the first contestant to receive a clearance card, Su Xingyao was immediately surrounded by his fans for photos and autographs after the recording.

Since his debut, Su Xingyao had never been so enthusiastically liked by anyone, and he felt a little overwhelmed at first.

Though he wasn’t used to it, he didn’t take others’ admiration lightly and continued to smile and take photos with everyone.

However, as he was taking a photo with a young girl who had been eliminated, Fu Qingyan walked over to his side.

“Mr. Cat Head~”

From a few meters away, Fu Qingyan greeted Su Xingyao half-jokingly.

He followed the other contestants’ way of addressing Su Xingyao, his face filled with a gentle smile.

When Fu Qingyan spoke, everyone realized that he had specifically come to find the “Cat Head” boss.

Although they were reluctant, the young fans smartly stepped aside, giving Fu Qingyan space to communicate with Mr. “Cat Head”.

After most of the crowd had dispersed, Fu Qingyan handed Su Xingyao a bottle of lemon water.

“Nice to see you again.”

There was a sense of joy in Fu Qingyan’s voice at this chance encounter.

When Su Xingyao appeared on stage, Fu Qingyan immediately recognized him as the young man in the mascot costume he had encountered on his way to the recording.

At the time, the young man had said nothing, and Fu Qingyan had assumed he was mute.

But he didn’t expect…

Not only was the man not mute, but his singing was also astonishingly beautiful.

Fu Qingyan had loved the arts since childhood, and he naturally developed an affinity for those who were talented in singing and acting.

Because of their earlier strange encounter, this young man in the mascot costume seemed even more interesting and mysterious to Fu Qingyan.

Looking at the person in front of him, Fu Qingyan noticed that Su Xingyao hadn’t taken the water he offered and gently reminded him.

“Don’t you remember? We met before the recording, I’m the one with the bodyguard…”

Before Fu Qingyan could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Shen Huaixi, who called out to him.

“Qingyan.”

Shen Huaixi looked over at Fu Qingyan and Su Xingyao, his gaze curious.

“I’ve been looking for you for a while…”

After saying this, he gave Fu Qingyan a subtle glance.

Seeing that Shen Huaixi seemed to want to speak privately, Fu Qingyan smiled apologetically at Su Xingyao.

“Be careful on your way home, we’ll see each other again next time.”

Su Xingyao didn’t respond to Fu Qingyan’s words, he just nodded and turned to walk toward the gate.

After Su Xingyao had gone a little further, Shen Huaixi, standing next to Fu Qingyan, spoke.

“Mingchuan’s here, waiting for us at gate D.”

Fu Qingyan nodded in acknowledgment.

Noticing Fu Qingyan seemed distracted, Shen Huaixi asked irritably, “What do you think of the contestants today?”

“They’re pretty good.”

Shen Huaixi responded with an “Oh” and then, with a hint of curiosity, added, “I saw you watching that Cat Head mascot on stage the whole time.”

Fu Qingyan didn’t sense any hostility from Shen Huaixi toward Su Xingyao and simply nodded.

“His outfit is quite interesting.”

Shen Huaixi tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Is it…?”

Then he looked up at Fu Qingyan. “Did the production team tell you who he is?”

Fu Qingyan shook his head. “No.”

Shen Huaixi seemed a bit disappointed.

Before coming to ask Fu Qingyan, he had quietly inquired about this from the show’s director.

The director had told him that the Cat Head character was a discovery made by chance, and the reason for wearing the headgear was that the person was shy and socially anxious, unwilling to appear in front of so many people.

This explanation made some sense, but Shen Huaixi still felt something was off.

Noticing Shen Huaixi was deep in thought, Fu Qingyan asked, “Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”

Shen Huaixi pouted and acted a bit pitiful in front of Fu Qingyan.

“I just feel… he doesn’t seem to like me.”

Fu Qingyan stopped walking.

“What?”

His tone was full of confusion.

Seeing this, Shen Huaixi continued with his self-pitying act.

“I just feel… he’s kind of cold toward me.”

Then, he tried to comfort himself as he continued.

“But it’s normal. I’m not really one of the strong mentors, and someone with his singing skills probably doesn’t think much of me.”

Fu Qingyan frowned upon hearing this.

He couldn’t help but remember how awkward Su Xingyao had seemed when they first met, unable to say a word.

“Don’t overthink it. He doesn’t talk much to begin with. He’s probably like that with everyone.”

Fu Qingyan said this to comfort Shen Huaixi based on his own experience.

But when these words reached Shen Huaixi’s ears, they made him feel that Fu Qingyan was subtly defending this contestant.

In the night, Shen Huaixi furrowed his brows tightly.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different…