August 7th, Modu Stadium—Star Song Gathering officially began.

But this time, director Ren Chao of the Star Song Gathering was quite troubled. One of Xingyao’s songs had been dominating the trending charts, completely overshadowing the Star Song Gathering in terms of traffic.

Still, this annual event couldn’t be delayed because of one person. He could only bite the bullet and proceed.

What a pity he couldn’t reach Xingyao. If he could get him to serve as a mentor at the event, the traffic would’ve exploded.

Ren Chao had sent numerous private messages to Xingyao’s account, but it was like tossing a stone into the sea—no response at all.

Luckily, Xingyao hadn’t released any new work recently. The influence of the last one had waned considerably. Aside from his video, the Star Song Gathering now had the highest traffic online.

Meanwhile, Gu Xingyi had no idea about any of this. He was currently standing in a long line with Xiao Nainai, making his way into the stadium.

That’s right! After lunch, he’d secretly come to Modu without telling Xia Xiyao!

Since he wanted to cheer her on, he had to do it in person!

Xiao Nainai was excited in Gu Xingyi’s arms—today she’d ridden on a big airplane! And Papa said they’d get to see Mama soon!

She missed Mama so much!

The atmosphere at the venue was electric. Gu Xingyi looked around—almost everyone was holding light sticks, and some waved placards supporting their favorite singers. The cheers never stopped.

Gu Xingyi looked completely out of place. Like a thief, he clutched Nainai and sneaked through the crowd, searching for his seat. Luckily, it was fairly close to the stage!

The official start time for the Star Song Gathering was 8:00 PM, making it convenient for people getting off work to watch the live stream and vote.

At that moment, the livestream had already begun. The competition hadn’t started yet, so the screen was showing various sponsor ads and contestant profiles.

The comment feed was full of viewers’ opinions.

Gu Xingyi glanced at it—seemed like no one was supporting Xia Xiyao. The top four contenders for the title were Cheng Di, Liu Qian, Shao Feibai, and Miao Anyun.

Gu Xingyi only recognized Liu Qian—the woman who dared to lay a hand on Nainai. He hadn’t heard of the other three and didn’t pay much attention to them.

The competition was about to start, but backstage was far from calm.

“Xia Xiyao! What are you doing here?!”

Liu Qian’s face turned dark. She couldn’t believe her eyes—Xia Xiyao was actually backstage!

“If you can be here, why can’t our Xiyao-jie be here?!”

Tao Lele rolled her eyes and fired back with no hesitation, her disdainful expression making Liu Qian even angrier.

Liu Qian’s gaze flickered—she never expected Xia Xiyao to show up, and with Tao Lele and Yun-jie beside her.

The feeling took her back to the past, when Xia Xiyao always overshadowed her.

It felt like the old Xia Xiyao had returned!

Especially with Xia Xiyao’s outfit today—it made Liu Qian look even worse by comparison.

Standing next to her felt like being a clown. She couldn't match her in any way!

The phrase “defeated before the battle” perfectly described Liu Qian’s current mood.

Today, Xia Xiyao wore a sky-blue dress, its hem adorned with small clovers in soft green. Her hair was tied up into a cute bun, and with just a touch of makeup, her delicate features radiated youthful charm.

She only glanced up at Liu Qian once, and it instantly made Liu Qian feel suffocated.

Yuan-jie quickly pulled Liu Qian aside, noticing the attention from other contestants around them, and whispered into her ear.

“Xiao Qian, this is backstage. Don’t make a scene. It’s just Xia Xiyao. She has nothing now. Don’t lower yourself.”

Liu Qian felt a little better after hearing that.

Right! Xia Xiyao wasn’t the popular star she used to be. What did she have to compete with now? Besides, she herself had a song from music godfather Wu Fan! There was no reason to be afraid!

Thinking this way, Liu Qian regained her calm and cast Xia Xiyao a scornful glance.

So what if she can sing? So what if she’s pretty? What good song can a married woman possibly produce?

The production team had no idea what was going on backstage. Onstage, the host walked up with a microphone and gave a brief introduction before inviting the four mentor judges to take their seats.

Thunderous applause filled the venue as four spotlights beamed down from the ceiling. The veteran music mentors entered one after another, waving to the audience before taking their seats.

With all four mentors seated, the competition officially began.

The Star Song Gathering’s rules were intense—photos of the 16 contestants rolled on the big screen. Viewers would shout to stop the scroll and decide each match-up.

Number 1 vs. Number 2, and so on—eight matches total. This also prevented cheating, as no one knew when the audience would call stop.

This was the audience’s favorite part—deciding the duels themselves made the results all the more thrilling.

Soon, all eight pairings were selected.

Seeing the match list on the screen, Gu Xingyi smiled.

At that moment, the host’s voice echoed throughout the venue.

“Let’s welcome the first two contestants to the stage—Xia Xiyao from Yin Hai Entertainment, and Liu Qian from Tianmei Entertainment!”

Two spotlights appeared once more, and from the back of the stage, Xia Xiyao and Liu Qian slowly walked in under the lights.

You could tell Xia Xiyao was a little nervous—anyone who hadn’t performed on stage in years would feel uneasy.

Liu Qian, on the other hand, looked grim. She never expected her first match would be this dramatic—up against Xia Xiyao.

The audience gasped. Many didn’t recognize Xia Xiyao. How could such a beauty have gone unnoticed? They began asking around.

Gu Xingyi noticed Xia Xiyao’s nerves—her eyelashes fluttered slightly, a sure sign.

So he lifted Xiao Nainai high and waved her in the air.

In that moment, Xiao Nainai became a living cheering sign.

Her round little face lit up, eyes curved into crescent moons, as she cheered loudly, “Mama, go go go!”

Xia Xiyao, standing onstage, suddenly spotted the familiar figure. She covered her mouth in shock and looked down.

Those two lively figures swept away all her nervousness in an instant.

The next second, an unprecedented brightness lit up her eyes. Then her eyes curved into matching crescents, mirroring Nainai’s.

The tenderness in that moment melted the hearts of everyone present.

“Papa! Papa! Mama saw us!”

Xiao Nainai locked eyes with Xia Xiyao, waving her little arms even faster.

Gu Xingyi also looked at Xia Xiyao, his face filled with a gentle smile.

“Yeah! Mama saw Nainai!”

“First match, Xia Xiyao versus Liu Qian! Xia Xiyao will sing first! Let’s give the stage to her!”

The host’s voice rang out again as she left the stage with Liu Qian.

The lights dimmed, leaving a single spotlight on Xia Xiyao.

As the background music played, Gu Xingyi held Xiao Nainai close and gently closed his eyes to listen.

For some reason, that pure smile from Xia Xiyao moments ago was etched into his mind—it wouldn’t go away.

A line of lyrics popped into Gu Xingyi’s head—

Now I’ve walked through this world, lingering through it all, brushing past faces shaped by time—

And suddenly, I burst into your smile!