Ch130 - Ghostly Support Group

As Tang Yanqing’s good friend, Ji Xiunian naturally hoped he would realise his wishes.

However, Lu Xu didn’t hesitate and simply shook his head, saying that they weren’t suitable.

His tone was too certain, which gave Ji Xiunian a different feeling.

In his memory, although Lu Xu and Yu Manman were colleagues, they hadn’t interacted much. However, Lu Xu’s current attitude made him feel that Lu Xu seemed to understand Yu Manman quite well. Subconsciously, he asked, “Are you close to your shijie?”

After asking, Ji Xiunian realized that his tone sounded a bit strange. He quickly added, “Why did you suddenly say that?”

Lu Xu glanced at the Yu Manman on the other side and took the opportunity of someone passing by to vaguely say, “It’s not impossible, they’re just really not suitable.”

As for why they weren’t suitable, Lu Xu didn’t elaborate, and Ji Xiunian didn’t press further. The topic was set aside for now.

After the third performance recording, Tang Yanqing immediately began planning for the recording of the ninth episode.

Before announcing the list of 22 qualified contestants, the production team wanted to arrange an outdoor interactive segment for the sake of the duration and warmth of the show.

Back in Lu Xu’s dorm, when Han Tianyu heard the news, he rushed back to share it with his roommates. “It’s said that the recording location is set to be Qingkong Island!”

“Qingkong Island?” Xu Haoming asked immediately, “The sacred confession place, that Qingkong Island?”

Han Tianyu nodded, “Right, right, that Qingkong Island. It’s said that the success rate of confessions there is ninety percent, and relationships formed there tend to last. Many couples go there for that reason.” He paused and then looked at Lu Xu. “Xu ge, do you think there’s really a Cupid there?”

“Who knows?” Lu Xu smiled without giving a definitive answer. He merely added, “By now, everyone probably knows that it’s a sacred place for confession and dates.”

Xu Haoming raised his hand in response, “Yeah, even I, a single dog, know about it.”

Lu Xu nodded and then continued, “Since everyone knows it’s a place for confessions, then if someone doesn’t like another person, they probably wouldn’t go there together, right?”

“Exactly!” Han Tianyu was momentarily surprised by the question, but then he nodded repeatedly as he thought it through. Because they had all heard of this legend, those who went were those who liked each other. Confessing was like peeling back a paper-thin window, deceptively easy but scary at the same time. If the confession were to succeed, would that not be like a dream come true?

Xu Haoming chimed in, “Xu ge is indeed wise!”

It wasn’t long after Han Tianyu’s announcement that the program team made an official announcement.

The next morning, 36 trainees, guest singers, and judges set off for Qingkong Island.

They had been training intensively in the dorms for over two months. It was easy to imagine how excited the trainees were about this trip.

Throughout the journey, everyone was busy looking at the scenery outside the window. They used to not think much of the scenery along the route, but now they found every flower and blade of grass lovely.

The bus was lively, with everyone chatting incessantly; it felt like their conversations would never end.

Seated next to Lu Xu, Xu Lele chattered by his ear the entire time.

Seeing that everyone had arrived at their destination and was getting off the bus, Xu Lele finally leaned over to Lu Xu and said quietly, “Xu ge, I heard that the Matchmaking Temple and the Fate Bridge on Qingkong Island are quite mystical. If you get the chance, you could try them with Nian ge.”

Only now did Lu Xu remember. In Xu Lele and Yao Yulong’s eyes, he and Ji Xiunian were like a couple. It was not a good time to explain, so Lu Xu just smiled and nodded, “Sure.” He even added a “Thank you” for the enthusiastic Xu Lele.

Xu Lele smiled without saying anything, only giving him a ‘you know what I mean’ look, and then got off the bus.

Seeing this, Lu Xu couldn’t help but find it amusing. As they got off the bus, Lu Xu noticed that most of the trainees had already grouped up, and were waiting for the program team to arrange their journey to Qingkong Island.

Tang Yanqing, as the director, briefly introduced the day’s schedule: “Later, we’ll take a few group photos, then you can walk around and do your own thing within the allotted free time. We’ll have a beach BBQ at noon and fireworks at night.”

Qingkong Island was quite large, and the schedule seemed reasonable.

After the group photo, Lu Xu thought about taking a walk around.

But before he could take a step, a group of people caught up with him —

“Xu ge, wait for us.”

Xu Haoming was dragging Xu Lele along, followed by Song Zhe and Yao Yulong.

Originally, the program team had planned for free time, thinking the trainees could relax in groups of three to five. However, when they saw Xu Haoming and the others chasing after Xu ge, unexpectedly the rest of the trainees instinctively followed along.

Coincidentally, with Lu Xu, they had exactly 36 people, not one more or one less.

In the end, even Tang Yanqing laughed and simply waved his hand, saying, “Alright, let’s go together.”

What was originally a planned free time turned into a group outing.

To accommodate the recording of “Birth of an Idol,” Qingkong Island was cleared early on.

There were many onlookers around the venue, after hearing that a program team had come to film, they hoped to catch a glimpse of a celebrity with their phones. They thought meeting one or two would be a win, but they had hardly expected to see a whole group.

Even though the trainees’ faces were unfamiliar, the judges and guest singers were well-known. Many people took out their phones, wanting to take pictures for their social media, and there were fan support groups coming in to cheer for their idols. For male group members like Shen Chengyu, wherever he went, fans would hold up banners to support him.

Even if they couldn’t get close, just seeing their favorite idols from afar excited the fans. Shen Chengyu waved at the banners, eliciting screams from the fans.

“Aaahhhh, A-Yu saw us!!!”

“A-Yu, I love you, ahhhh!”

Seeing their idols happy and receiving attention from their idols made the fans feel even more blissful. Some fans even cried on the spot.

Xu Lele watched the fans of the judges and guest singers who had come to show their support, and couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. Leaning next to Lu Xu, he whispered, “Lu Xu, when do you think we will have fans supporting us like that? I really want to experience the feeling of being cheered on by wild fans.”

There were banners for the trainees at the entrance, but they were all arranged by the program team.

Xu Lele initially felt a bit disappointed that he didn’t have much support, but then he realized that Lu Xu didn’t either. So, he comforted himself, thinking that it was due to space limitations.

“Fan support?” Lu Xu heard Xu Lele’s words and looked at the ghosts under the beach umbrellas by the shore, then couldn’t help but smile.

“President, Lord Lu Xu noticed us!”

“Yes, yes, Lord Lu Xu saw us!”

Xiao Bai, addressed by the ghosts as the president, floated under the sun umbrellas, busy directing the support group members. Upon hearing that Lu Xu was going to film a program, Xiao Bai thought about how idols from other places had fan support, and couldn’t accept that their own master didn’t.

With this thought in mind, Xiao Bai rallied everyone in the fan group to organise a fan support event.

A group of ghosts who were usually busy replicating scenes of death were quite excited this time. They all took a day off and came to support Lu Xu. Altogether, there were a dozen or maby even twenty ghosts. They had all boarded the shuttle arranged by the program team. It was quite a lively scene.

Fans from other places had a healthy complexion and looked radiant. In contrast, Lu Xu’s fans were pale and floating. The contrast in their appearances was quite distinct, but fortunately, not many people saw them.

Ji Xiunian looked up and saw this group of unique fans, causing him to pause.

Xiao Bai had encountered the two of them not long ago during a mission, and the entire ghost community had heard about Ji Xiunian becoming a newly appointed Death God.

Seeing him from afar, Xiao Bai and the others instantly showed respect. They were almost standing in formation and saluting.

Others couldn’t see them, but Yu Manman could.

Thinking of this, Lu Xu gestured to Xiao Bai and the others to keep a low profile.

So, the group of ghosts crowded under the beach umbrellas, holding up banners quietly to show their support.

Turning her head, Yu Manman saw a group of ghosts floating there, holding up signs with Lu Xu’s name written in yellow paper. Although she knew Lu Xu could see ghosts, she didn’t expect them to pull off something like this.

Because she wasn’t sure whether or not these ghosts had any malicious intent, Yu Manman decided to go over and give Lu Xu a heads-up. She also wanted to see if he knew what was going on.

With this thought in mind, Yu Manman quickly squeezed her way to Lu Xu’s side and said, “Shidi, do you see them?”

Yu Manman didn’t say anything else, she just pointed at the ghosts under the beach umbrellas for Lu Xu to see. Unexpectedly, Ji Xiunian overheard her words.

He watched Yu Manman and fell deep into thought. Could it be that when Lu Xu said it wasn’t appropriate, it was purely because Yu Manman could see ghosts?!