Chapter 54

The two-day trip to the metropolis came to an end. On October 23rd, Luoyang parted ways with Liu Qin and took a car back to Tiandu.

However, as soon as he returned to Tiandu, a series of eye-catching news stories erupted online, causing a minor uproar.

"Liu Qin tours the metropolis with a mysterious man, laughing and chatting all the way."

"Next Queen of Pop contestant Liu Qin's mysterious boyfriend exposed."

"Heartbreaking, Next Queen of Pop contestant is already taken!"

"Liu Qin's boyfriend's identity revealed, turns out to be a super-rich second-generation tycoon."

The entertainment sections of major websites reacted quickly, giving the news significant coverage.

Luoyang was taken aback, never expecting that his trip to the metropolis with Liu Qin would be discovered by reporters.

Moreover, these news stories were accompanied by photos. However, Luoyang was slightly relieved that the photos only captured two blurry figures. Liu Qin was wearing a mask, and his own face was also very blurry, making it impossible to identify them clearly.

Some news articles even confidently claimed that he was Liu Qin's boyfriend, a wealthy second-generation tycoon... It seemed that reporters had a strong ability to make things up.

"Looks like a publicity stunt to me..."

"The photo is too blurry, thumbs down. Wait for solid evidence before making any conclusions."

"There are too many fake news stories online. A blurry photo like this can't be considered evidence."

"Exactly... In my opinion, there's no man in this world who deserves Liu Qin!"

"It could be true. These celebrities might have had abortions, after all, the entertainment industry is chaotic."

"You're an idiot. I can't speak for other celebrities, but Liu Qin is definitely pure. She just debuted from Next Queen of Pop."

"Next Queen of Pop is definitely just hyping things up... They'll probably say in a few days that the man is actually Liu Qin's colleague or manager..."

Luoyang quickly scanned through the comments, his heart finally settling. Although Liu Qin was very popular, a piece of gossip like this wasn't enough to cause nationwide attention.

Most netizens made light comments, while Liu Qin's hardcore fans dismissed it as a publicity stunt and didn't take it seriously.

"Damn it, if I find out who this man is, I'll kill him!" Just as Luoyang was about to close the news, a murderous voice came from behind him. It was clearly Wang Yu, who had also seen the news.

Luoyang's body trembled, feeling a chill down his neck.

"Why are you so worked up? I think this news is mostly fake," Ren Changjiang said with a smile.

"You wouldn't be worked up if it was your favorite, Litian Yin, who was out with a despicable man in the metropolis," Wang Yu retorted irritably.

The guys in the dorm each had their favorite contestants. Wang Yu liked Liu Qin the most, Ren Changjiang liked Litian Yin, and Zhu Changhong had a broader taste... He liked any female contestant who was pretty and had a good figure.

So, they often argued heatedly about which contestant had the best chance of winning during competitions.

"Hey, wait, look at the picture. Doesn't the guy in the photo look familiar?" Suddenly, Zhu Changhong leaned in close to the computer, pointing at the blurry image of Luoyang.

"I don't think so..." Luoyang was startled and quickly tried to close the computer.

Although the photo wasn't very clear, someone familiar with Luoyang might recognize him.

Wang Yu immediately rushed over to stop Luoyang from closing the computer, squinting his eyes. "He does look familiar, but I can't quite place him..."

"The T-shirt looks a bit like Luoyang's..." Ren Changjiang muttered, looking at the man's shirt in the photo. The room suddenly fell silent.

Wang Yu and the others turned to stare at Luoyang, comparing the man in the photo more carefully...

"Damn!"

"Luoyang, is this you?"

The three of them started shouting like roosters with their feathers ruffled.

"No wonder you went to the metropolis... No wonder you said you were going to see Liu Qin... No wonder you said you knew Sun Qian..."

The more they thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. When they connected it with Luoyang's previous statements, everything fit together.

"Stop!" Luoyang stood up, angry. "How could it be me? This guy isn't even as handsome as me. He's not even worthy to tie my shoes!"

Previously, Luoyang would have admitted it without hesitation.

But now, he didn't dare to admit it. If Wang Yu really did try to kill him, it would cause a dorm bloodbath, which wouldn't be good for anyone. After all, these three roommates were all beasts.

"Really?"

"Everything is just a coincidence?"

"I feel like you're hiding something..."

The three looked at Luoyang suspiciously, but the photo was indeed not very clear, and they had no further evidence, so they gradually dismissed their doubts.

——

Liu Qin called Luoyang.

"Luoyang, have you seen the gossip online?" Liu Qin's voice came through the phone.

"I've seen it."

"Reporters are really good. They managed to take photos without us even noticing..."

"The photo is blurry, which means he was far away. As long as you deny it, it will pass."

"Right. A reporter interviewed me today, but I didn't accept it. I'll stay with the production team for the next few days to practice." Liu Qin didn't take the gossip too seriously.

The best approach was to ignore it. Once the reporters found nothing to dig up, they would naturally give up. After all, Liu Qin was just starting to become famous and wasn't yet at the level where a group of paparazzi would chase after her.

"What's the schedule for the next round?" Luoyang didn't know Liu Qin's upcoming competition schedule.

"The next round will be more intense. Out of the fifty contestants, only twenty will advance to the next round."

"What are the rules?" Luoyang asked.

He needed to understand the rules to help Liu Qin choose her songs.

Liu Qin's previous song choices had already proven to be ineffective, so she clearly intended to let Luoyang help her choose.

"The top fifty contestants will be divided into ten groups of five, based on their contestant numbers. In the first round, each group will compete, with each contestant entering the stage one by one to perform a song of their choice, and the judges will give their evaluations as usual."

"After all five contestants in a group have performed, the judges will select one contestant to advance or leave. In the second round, the remaining forty contestants will choose another song to perform. After the performances, the judges will decide who stays and who goes..."

"That's the rule for the top fifty to top twenty competition."

"Good job with the preparation." Luoyang praised her with a smile.

"Of course, even though I only looked at it once, my memory is definitely photographic..."

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Luoyang interrupted Liu Qin's self-praise irritably, then pondered and said, "I've chosen your songs."

"Really? What are they? It's not 'Tentative' or 'Little Apple,' is it?" Liu Qin's voice was filled with anticipation.

Luoyang was speechless.

Performing 'Tentative' or 'Little Apple' on the Next Queen of Pop stage?

Only someone with Liu Qin's unique brain and congenital intellectual disability could come up with such an idea.

"You need to sing two songs... The songs I chose for you are difficult to help you advance in the first round and might even come with some risks and criticism."

Liu Qin was curious. "What songs?"

Luoyang smiled mysteriously. "The first one is 'The Original Dream' and the second one is... 'Those Years.'"

(Thank you to D-version Cai Shen, Bixiayoushu, Years of Flowing Time, Cixi Bente, and Zhanlan the Fox for your support. Thank you to Shengsi Zhenjun for your review and... update request. I want to eat, but with 12,000 characters... well, I can't really eat today. I'm heading to Suzhou soon, and it will take about seven or eight hours on the road.)