Chapter 114: King Shen’s Absence

Even those three simple words were enough to reveal how terrible Shen Yijue’s mood was.

Mo Qi forced herself to rally, then gave a dry little laugh and invented a thoroughly unconvincing excuse. “I suddenly remembered that I still have something to do back at the dormitory, so I’m going home first.”

“There aren’t many taxis around here. How are you getting back?”

“Ah? Well, a friend has already come to pick me up. I’m in his car.”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a full five seconds. Mo Qi’s heart rose into her throat, and even her breathing unconsciously slowed.

“Good night,” Shen Yijue said before hanging up.

Mo Qi held the phone in her hand and stood there in a daze for a moment before forcing a bitter smile and putting it away.

More than twenty minutes later, the taxi finally arrived.

Mo Qi got in and thanked the driver. “Thank you for coming to pick me up so late.”

“Haha, I’m working the night shift anyway. It’s no trouble.” The driver waved cheerfully. “My daughter was overjoyed when I brought home your autograph last time. She even kissed me twice.”

Mo Qi smiled but did not reply.

As he drove, the driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror. After hesitating, he asked, “Miss Mo Qi, did something unpleasant happen? You still have flour on your face and clothes.”

Mo Qi was startled. She curved her lips into a smile. “No.”

“You look a little unhappy. Haha, if something is bothering you, you can tell me. Don’t worry, I’ll just listen. I won’t go around telling anyone.”

Mo Qi shook her head with a smile. “Thank you, but I really am just a little tired after attending a party. Nothing unpleasant happened.”

“That’s good.”

The driver was still puzzled. Did celebrities really have flour fights at parties? But Mo Qi’s expression was calm, so he did not press her further.

“Miss Mo Qi, you have no idea how closely my daughter follows your news. I think she even joined your fan club. What’s it called again?”

The driver frowned, struggling to remember.

“The Mo Palace,” Mo Qi supplied.

“That’s right, the Mo Palace. She even says she’s become a captain. She’s so proud of herself.”

The driver was a typical doting father, bursting with pride over everything his daughter did.

Mo Qi smiled. She knew that her fans had privately established a group called the Mo Palace, and had even created a fan support group and online forum. She had simply been too busy to look at any of them.

The driver took Mo Qi back to the dormitory. Only after she insisted several times did he finally accept the fare and leave.

Mo Qi pushed the tangled thoughts from her mind, returned to her single room, washed up, and went to sleep.

The days that followed were filled with intensive rehearsals. Shen Yijue did not contact her even once.

The video Liu Yi had captured of He Shuai and Sun Feifei having sex outdoors was never released either. Most likely, Sister Shang had managed to resolve the matter.

Mo Qi felt disappointed, though she had expected as much. Both He Shuai and Sun Feifei had already established a certain foundation and network in the entertainment industry. They were not as easy to deal with as Wang Min.

After the tense rehearsals, the remaining eight contestants on *Let Dreams Take Flight* finally reached the last elimination round, in which eight would be reduced to five.

It was only on the eve of the competition that the contestants were informed by the production team that the Heavenly King Shen would not be attending.

He would be replaced by another veteran actor of considerable standing in the entertainment industry.

“Mo Qi? Mo Qi?” the makeup artist called twice from beside her.

“Hm? What is it?” Mo Qi finally came back to herself and turned her head with a smile.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been lost in thought for quite a while. Did something happen?” Mo Qi was usually warm and approachable, and had a good relationship with the production crew.

Seeing that she seemed distracted, the makeup artist asked out of concern.

“I was just reviewing the details of the show in my head. It’s nothing.” Mo Qi smiled. “Thank you for asking.”

“With your ability, reaching the final five shouldn’t be a problem. Don’t be too nervous, or you might affect your performance.” After offering her some encouragement, the makeup artist returned to business. “Take a look at your makeup and styling. Do they match the piece you prepared?”

“Hm?” Mo Qi turned her face from side to side, examining it in the large vanity mirror. “This is exactly right. Could you paint a forehead ornament for me as well? Something like a red lotus.”

“That’s easy.”

Using a rouge brush, the makeup artist painted a red lotus at the center of Mo Qi’s brow. “How does it look?”

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

The piece Mo Qi had prepared was a Han-dynasty dance called *Song of the Yue People*, so the production team had specially prepared a traditional Han-style costume for her.

The makeup artist was very pleased as well. She admired her work for a while before moving on to another task.

Mo Qi gazed at her reflection, took a deep breath, and forced down the disappointment in her heart. Then she put her smile back on and prepared to face the competition.

Perhaps Shen Yijue was simply too busy with work to attend *Let Dreams Take Flight*. And even if he truly was angry over what had happened that night and wanted to distance himself from her, that would be a good thing for her. Hadn’t she been planning how to escape? Wasn’t this exactly what she wanted?

The new judge was extremely harsh. He criticized nearly every contestant, even those who had received nothing but praise since the beginning of the competition. He accused them of being unfocused in their performances that day.

Fortunately, although he criticized Mo Qi as well, he still allowed her to pass.

Wu Jin seized on her mistake and finally vented the resentment that had been bottled up inside him for so long.

“Mo Qi, you’ve come a long way in this competition. You must keep working hard. Don’t become proud or complacent because of your previous results. All of us judges have very high hopes for you.” Wu Jin appeared fair and amiable, but the smugness in his eyes was impossible to conceal. “I can’t vote for you today.”

“Thank you, Teacher Wu Jin. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Mo Qi ultimately received three votes and waited for the next contestant to challenge her.

Perhaps because all the contestants had already signed with agencies and were spending more time attending commercial events, leaving less time for rehearsals, the contestant who challenged Mo Qi ultimately received only two votes, sending Mo Qi into the national top five.

Lin Zheng advanced as well, while Xie An unexpectedly performed poorly and was eliminated.

Mo Qi and Lin Zheng stood in the advancing contestants’ section, watching helplessly as Xie An was eliminated. Neither of them felt good about it.

During the recording, the two of them had merely gone over to embrace Xie An. They had not said much.

Only after the competition ended did Mo Qi and Lin Zheng seek him out again.

Xie An stood in the lobby with his guitar on his back, speaking with Sister Shang.

Lin Zheng hurried over and asked bluntly, “That wasn’t the piece you prepared during rehearsals. Why did you change it?”

Xie An instinctively glanced at Mo Qi, who was approaching behind Lin Zheng, then quickly looked away.

“I’m about to start recording a single. I didn’t have time to prepare for the competition.”

“Miss Shang.” Mo Qi greeted her first, then asked, “Recording a single?”

For Sister Shang, Royal Entertainment’s top agent, to appear at a time like this meant that Xie An had already signed with Royal Entertainment.

Before Xie An could say anything, Sister Shang answered for him. “The company places great importance on Xiao An. We’ve already invited a renowned Italian music producer to create a single specifically for him. His future is sure to be limitless.”

“Why are you in such a hurry to get ahead?” Lin Zheng’s expression darkened slightly.

Was Xie An in such a hurry to make a name for himself because of Mo Qi?