"Switch to Dressing Room 3."

For some reason, seeing Xu Qingqiu's dejected back as she left the stage pained Chu Tian's heart.

He instructed the assistant director beside him to switch the feed to that room.

Dressing Room 3 was Xu Qingqiu's room.

After coming down from the stage, Xu Qingqiu became somewhat silent. Inside the large orange cat mask, her expression was a mix of grievance and regret.

She carefully reflected on her performance that day, admitting its flaws. Indeed, it wasn't perfect. But nobody could achieve perfection; she had done her best within her capabilities.

Unfortunately, fate was cruel. According to the rules, the two singers in a collaboration were voted on as one, not individually. If a pair was eliminated, both members were out. She was truly an innocent victim in this.

What saddened her most was that she and Chu Tian had worked so hard for so many days, practicing several songs, only for it to end like this. How embarrassing would it be to go back now?

She remembered how confidently she'd told Chu Tian when she arrived that she would definitely make it to the finals. To have it blow up in her face so soon... she didn't even know how to explain.

Chu Tian watched Xu Qingqiu on the monitor; she had been sitting motionless since she entered the room.

The adorable orange cat mask conveyed no liveliness, but rather a sense of loneliness.

Xu Qingqiu's fidgeting fingers on her lap betrayed her inner unease and helplessness.

Seeing this, Chu Tian felt an urge to rush over and comfort her.

But he couldn't. Firstly, he was the boss. The show's rules were set by him, and he had to lead by example. Secondly, Xu Qingqiu probably didn't want him to go to her now. This was the path she had chosen, a process she had to go through. If he appeared by her side now, Xu Qingqiu would definitely be happy, but it would be detrimental to her growth. Life is a journey; some things one must face alone to become stronger. She was Xu Qingqiu, the Queen, the ever-strong President Xu in her fans' hearts. She was no one's appendage, and Chu Tian didn't want her to become dependent on him.

The young assistant director beside him watched Chu Tian stare unblinkingly at the monitor, her own eyes darting around curiously.

"President Chu, is this person your friend?"

Startled by her, Chu Tian scowled.

"Mind your own business. Just focus and don't get distracted by idle thoughts!"

He scolded her and paid no mind as the assistant director secretly stuck her tongue out at him.

Chu Tian made his way alone to the director's room.

"Eh? Why have you come over? How's it going?" Wei Liangxiao asked. "Today's show has been full of surprises! The first group I had high hopes for didn't perform well. And this third group, which I also favored, was barely satisfactory. Really unexpected, isn't it?"

Listening to Wei Liangxiao's remarks, Chu Tian felt something was off.

"Which groups did you favor?"

"Which groups? There are only four, and the two I favored both performed poorly."

Seeing Wei Liangxiao's oblivious reaction, Chu Tian's uneasy feeling grew stronger.

"You favored two groups, and both didn't perform well. Have you ever thought that maybe the problem is you? Are you jinxed?"

"..."

The bottle of mineral water Wei Liangxiao was lifting to his lips suddenly felt impossible to drink. He was about to retort but seemed to realize something. With a complicated smile, he said,

"Can't be, right?"

"Huh? You hesitated? Are you really jinxed?"

Chu Tian hadn't expected this outcome. He had just casually made a few complaints to vent his frustration on Wei Liangxiao, thinking the latter would argue back. But why was Wei Liangxiao hesitating? Could he really be jinxed?

"It's not quite like that. I'm actually usually fine, just not great with bets, you know..."

Still not grasping the problem, Wei Liangxiao started rambling about his 'glorious' track record.

It started with betting as a child to win a lollipop, only to lose his toy car. Then, during school, he'd bet on academic grades and suddenly drop from the top three to beyond the top ten, only to rise back after the bet was settled.

Later, sensing something was wrong with him, he tried betting on others, and the results were even worse. That year, during his first World Cup in college, whichever team he supported lost, without exception.

Since then, Wei Liangxiao had been known as the Jinx.

Chu Tian listened quietly as Wei Liangxiao proudly recounted his 'glorious' track record, suppressing the urge to punch him.

He had thought it was a fluke, but it turned out to be some kind of jinx. This was utterly ridiculous! So that was the root of the problem?

"Your bonus for this month is gone."

"Haha... huh? What do you mean?"

The previously triumphant Wei Liangxiao nearly choked on this sudden statement, staring bewilderedly at Chu Tian, wondering if he had misheard.

"No other meaning. Your bonus for this month is gone."

"No way! Are you serious?"

"Very serious!"

"Are you insane? I've been busy with this show all month, not a single day off! How can my bonus be gone?"

It was common knowledge that Wei Liangxiao had no share in the profits of this program. Beyond the initially negotiated price, he was also entitled to a portion of the show's advertising bonus. He received rewards for title sponsorships, product placements, and voice-overs, with the bonus being a proportionate amount based on set targets.

How could it just be gone like that?

Of course, completely withholding it was impossible; Chu Tian wasn't a fool. But he could certainly mess with him a little.

"I'm the boss. I make the rules. When I say no bonus, there's no bonus."

"I'll kill you!!! You heartless crook, give me back my bonus!"

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