Although the StarSong Gathering competition wasn’t over yet…

Online, it had already exploded. The reason? Simple—because right in the first round of the show, a song so unbelievably good had appeared.

The Wind Rises swept across the entire internet in just an hour.

Not only viewers of the StarSong Gathering were stunned—media outlets and marketing accounts jumped in as well.

On Weibo, eye-catching and exaggerated headlines popped up everywhere:

    “Shocking! The biggest dark horse of this season’s StarSong Gathering—is it really her?!”

    “Unstoppable! One song made everyone cry—relive a different kind of youthful memory!”

    “Unbelievable! A new song by Xingyao, but she’s the one singing it?! A deep dive into the mysterious composer Xingyao’s musical journey!”

...

Aside from media and promo accounts, countless people watching the show had already saved the livestream clip and forwarded it straight to friends and family:

    “New song by Xingyao! Insanely good! Listen to this now!”

As more people clicked on the video, Xia Xiyao began to fully step into the public spotlight.

Everyone was curious—who was this singer that Xingyao had found? Stunning visuals, incredible vocals—the perfect match.

Xingyao’s composition plus Xia Xiyao’s voice? A flawless combination.

But when they followed the trail and clicked into Xia Xiyao’s Weibo page, all they saw was an announcement about her return.

That’s when people realized—this singer wasn’t new.

The internet forgets everything, yet once you’re back in the spotlight, its memory suddenly becomes razor sharp.

People began digging into Xia Xiyao’s past, posting about her on Weibo. Two years ago, she was a trending rising star? Left the industry after a public relationship?

As soon as this resurfaced, some opportunistic media outlets pounced, stirring up the topic for clicks.

Soon, Xia Xiyao’s name was trending so hard that it even started overshadowing StarSong Gathering itself.

Online opinion split in two:

One side thought—if she quit the industry over a romance, she shouldn’t be coming back. They couldn’t support a singer who was already married.

The other side argued—if she sings well, who cares if she’s in love? Relationships are personal! Since when can’t singers fall in love? Real talent doesn’t need flashy drama!

The two groups fought heatedly.

Finally, someone from the pro-talent side dropped the ultimate line:

    “I’ll just ask one thing—is the song good or not?”

And just like that, the looks-over-talent crowd went silent.

Is it good? If it wasn’t, why would anyone even be arguing right now?

Still, they grumbled under their breath:

    “If Xingyao gave this song to someone else, it’d sound just as good!”

At that moment, Yin Hai Entertainment finally stepped in with a statement:

    “Congratulations to our Xia Xiyao for advancing to the next round! We hope everyone continues supporting her! We also announce that in the next stage, Xia Xiyao will once again perform with a song from Xingyao! In addition, her song from this episode will be included in a special album, to be released after StarSong Gathering, available on Huayin in lossless quality—stay tuned!”

As soon as that statement dropped, the internet erupted again.

Xingyao didn’t just write one song for Xia Xiyao—there’s more?! This was unbelievable!

Within seconds, Yin Hai Entertainment’s post and Xia Xiyao’s name shot to #1 on the trending chart.

The Wind Rises could only settle for #2.

StarSong Gathering itself? It was trembling pitifully at #3.

Meanwhile, Gu Xingyi and the others had no idea any of this was happening.

Right now, Yun-jie was driving. Tao Lele sat in the passenger seat, giving the family of three some time together.

In the back seat, Gu Xingyi and Xia Xiyao sat close together, with Xiao Nainai snuggled safely between them.

For once, Xia Xiyao took the initiative to softly chat with Gu Xingyi. They were so close that he could smell the familiar, refreshing scent from her.

It smelled… really nice.

Unconsciously, Gu Xingyi sniffed lightly.

The small action made Xia Xiyao blush slightly.

Gu Xingyi quietly savored the moment. Smelling her scent again, feeling her presence beside him—it gave him a strange sense of peace.

The car soon arrived at the artists’ apartment. Everyone got out.

It was already 9:30 PM, and Xiao Nainai had long been hungry. As soon as they entered the apartment, Gu Xingyi and Tao Lele immediately began fighting over kitchen rights.

Gu Xingyi glanced sideways at her.

“Nainai likes my cooking! Especially my steamed egg!”

“Xiyao-jie and Yun-jie like the nutritious dinners I make!”

Tao Lele puffed up angrily. This guy just arrived and he’s already trying to take over her kitchen!

“Oh? I don’t believe it! Ask Xia Xiyao whose cooking she likes more!”

Pouting, Tao Lele turned to look at Xia Xiyao in the living room, who was busy coaxing Xiao Nainai.

Xia Xiyao sighed—these two were like children. Arguing over this? Especially Gu Xingyi—she could tell at a glance he was just doing it to mess with Lele.

But honestly… she hadn’t had Gu Xingyi’s cooking in a long time.

She didn’t dare look at Tao Lele’s pitiful expression. She lowered her head, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

“Lele, take a break.”

!!!

No more love! Tao Lele wanted to cry! Xiyao-jie really did put romance over friendship!

With the kitchen claimed by Gu Xingyi, delicious dishes quickly made their way to the table.

Seeing Xia Xiyao eating so happily, Tao Lele resentfully picked up a bite for herself, wanting to see if Gu Xingyi’s cooking was really all that.

One bite—and her eyes turned into sparkling stars.

This was too good!

She used to feel bad for Xia Xiyao. Now… she was suddenly a little jealous.

After dinner, Xia Xiyao personally drove Gu Xingyi back to his hotel. Xiao Nainai stayed at the apartment to sleep with her that night.

Since Gu Xingyi transmigrated here, he hadn’t really been alone with Xia Xiyao. Now, with just the two of them in the car, the atmosphere grew quiet.

Gu Xingyi didn’t know what to say. He glanced at Xia Xiyao, who was driving, then turned to look out at the night scene through the window.

Xia Xiyao sensed his gaze and snuck a glance at him, then quickly looked away. Her heart was beating a little fast, and her earlobes flushed red. She forced herself to focus on the road, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary.

The silence continued all the way to the hotel. Not a word was exchanged. If a stranger saw them, they’d probably think these two didn’t even know each other.

After parking in the hotel garage, Gu Xingyi finally turned to look at Xia Xiyao.

“You should head back. Be careful on the road. Call me when you get home.”

Xia Xiyao lowered her head, didn’t reply, and instead undid her seatbelt and stepped out of the car first.

“…”

Gu Xingyi froze, staring blankly at her standing outside the car.

What did that mean? He swallowed nervously, trying to act calm as he followed her out.

“Want to come up for a bit?”

he asked, his voice trembling slightly—with a nervousness he couldn’t quite hide.