After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 58

“Let’s close the door first,” Wen Mubai said.

Right now, it was only Wu Yao. If more people passed by later, a misunderstanding would be troublesome.

“Right, right, sorry,” Wu Yao quickly complied.

She made a point of waiting farther away to avoid hearing any more inappropriate sounds later.

But soon, the two got out of the car. Xu Chacha walked up to her. “Did you need me for something?”

“Yes, I wanted to thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me for that. I get paid for the job. Let’s work together again if we get the chance,” Xu Chacha patted her shoulder.

“Also… could I possibly have your autograph?” Wu Yao then took out the paper she was holding.

“What a coincidence,” Xu Chacha also took out a set. “I’d like yours too.”

“Huh?”

“My friend and I watched the show, and we’ve become your fans,” Xu Chacha said candidly. “Before I came, she strictly warned me to bring back your autograph. You wouldn’t refuse me, would you?”

“Of course not! It’s my honor.”

“So, shall we sign?”

The two exchanged smiles and traded autographs after signing.

Xu Chacha spontaneously hugged her. “Keep going! You have to win the championship.”

“Mhm!”

After the shoot, everyone took the car back. At 9 PM, the elimination segment began recording on time in the studio.

Xu Chacha, as an assistant guest, also had a chair added to the judging panel, right next to Wen Mubai.

She had changed out of the qipao into a light yellow long dress that showed off her graceful figure. She leaned back lazily in the chair.

The contestants had all changed into casual clothes and were standing neatly in two rows in front of the stage.

There was a large screen on the left, displaying the Super Newcomer logo. After Zhang Dingding finished her opening remarks and the official recording began, they called up the first contestant for evaluation, and the screen switched to that contestant’s photo.

The evaluation order was still according to the shooting sequence, so Wu Yao was first.

As she walked up, Zhang Dingding couldn’t help but smile like a proud aunt. “I heard from Teacher Yang Zhou that you performed very well this time.”

Wu Yao bowed slightly, not being overly modest. “Thank you, Teacher Yang Zhou. I’m just glad I didn’t disappoint you.”

“Come, let’s look at your best hard photo.”

The photo was chosen by Yang Zhou. She picked the one of Wu Yao standing behind Xu Chacha, embracing her. Both their movements looked reserved, yet the visual tension was extremely strong.

Xu Chacha’s chin was raised, revealing her long, slender neck. Dark, long nails pressed against that delicate skin, looking as if the slightest pressure would make the blood flow.

“This is a moving photograph,” was Yang Zhou’s first reaction when she saw it.

Zhang Dingding smiled immediately when she saw the photo. “Teacher Yang Zhou didn’t praise you in vain.”

“I praised more than just her. This photo would not be as stunning without either person. Especially Teacher Xu. She seemed to transform the moment the camera opened. She led Wu Yao to quickly enter the right state. That’s why a good partner is so important.” Yang Zhou looked at Wen Mubai. “Teacher Wen, do you have anything you’d like to say?”

Wen Mubai just smiled, first turning her head to look at Xu Chacha. “Teacher Xu is too captivating on camera. In a co-photo with her, it’s already an accomplishment to draw attention away from her. The fact that contestant Wu Yao can achieve a balance shows excellent skill.”

This was the first time Xu Chacha heard someone praise her so sincerely, especially face-to-face and in front of so many people.

She knew this was professional work with no room for personal feelings, but her ears still couldn’t help but burn. She raised her hand to brush her hair back as a cover.

But the person next to her then took advantage. The hand under the table reached out, grabbed hers, and lightly traced her palm with a fingertip.

A shock of electric numbness zapped straight to her brain, causing her whole body to involuntarily shiver.

Zhang Dingding looked over. “Is the air conditioning too low? Is Teacher Xu cold?”

Xu Chacha quickly waved her hands. “Not cold, not cold.”

She gritted her teeth, using her other hand to push away the other person’s disruptive movement, and shot a warning glare.

Wen Mubai returned a smile, which seemed to suggest the warning had no deterrent effect.

“Yes, Teacher Xu helped me a lot,” Wu Yao said in Xu Chacha’s direction. “Thank you.”

“Oh, is that so?” Zhang Dingding looked left and right, appearing ready to stir up some trouble. “I want to ask, Teacher Xu, having worked with so many contestants today, who do you favor or like the most?”

Xu Chacha had faced this kind of “death question” all her life.

When she was little, her parents would argue in front of her, “Who do you love more, Daddy or Mommy?” Outside, Xu Yanshu would compete, “Do you like Big Sister more or Auntie?” Even her uncles, aunts, and cousins would ask.

So, she had long been able to answer this question flawlessly.

“Everyone is great. They all have different styles, so it’s hard to compare.”

“Teacher Xu is being too official. You don’t treat us like family,” Hua Jing chimed in to join the fun.

Wen Mubai had recommended her after refusing the offer to be a permanent judge.

“Editor-in-Chief Hua, please don’t tease me,” Xu Chacha turned to her with a tearful expression.

“You used to sweetly call me Auntie Jing Jing when you were little. Now you’re so distant.”

“It seems even Teacher Hua couldn’t pry open Teacher Xu’s mouth,” Zhang Dingding played along.

“Senior ladies, please stop teasing her. This question is clearly a trap. She wouldn’t dare answer it. If you really want to know, ask her privately.”

“Teacher Wen is always protective of her own,” Hua Jing gave her a thumbs-up.

Zhang Dingding knew when to stop and moved on to evaluate the next contestant.

Perhaps Wu Yao’s excellent start had raised the mentors’ expectations too high, as the subsequent contestants received more criticism than praise.

Zhang Dingding even laughed. “I don’t know if inviting Teacher Xu was a good or bad thing. This episode is practically your personal hard photo show.”

Xu Chacha quickly waved her hands. “Senior, please don’t tease me. I have so much to learn from everyone.”

When it was Cai Yuan’s turn, the mentors held some hope because she was consistently a top-ranking contestant.

“Let’s see if we can get another photo scoring above eight points.”

The large screen showed the image. Yang Zhou, who had selected the photo, didn’t even turn to look, busy organizing the blueprints in front of her.

The mentors’ expressions were serious, and Cai Yuan, standing on the stage, felt her heart pounding like a drum.

“Cai Yuan, this is what I meant. Sooner or later, you will suffer the consequences of your over-eager personality.” Zhang Dingding’s expression was much more severe than before, and her voice sounded lower.

Xu Chacha observed Cai Yuan’s expression. She saw her face darken instantly, gritting her teeth with a hint of defiance, looking ready to talk back at any moment.

She subtly shook her head. With a personality that couldn’t hide its thoughts, it was no wonder the production team used her as a source of material, constantly zooming in on her small expressions and editing them in to increase conflict.

“That’s what I wanted to say too,” Yang Zhou spoke up. “Co-photos are about cooperation, yet you seemed to treat Teacher Xu as an enemy. You were flailing and aggressive, like a ridiculous octopus.”

“I agree with Teacher Yang Zhou,” Hua Jing nodded. “This is a co-photo; you need to consider the harmony of the picture. This doesn’t look like something a professional model with so many years of experience would do.”

“But I believe this is a competition, and I should showcase myself more,” Cai Yuan said, blushing.

Wen Mubai was not as polite. She gave a slight chuckle and spoke plainly. “But the amusing thing is, even so, the first person I saw was still Teacher Xu, who was blocked behind you. You lost your so-called ‘competition’ and also destroyed the integrity of the photo. Is that the performance you wanted?”

In the photo, Xu Chacha, obscured behind Cai Yuan, only revealed half her face and one shoulder, yet she harmonized with the background wall. In contrast, Cai Yuan in the foreground looked like a sudden intruder, rude, ostentatious, and lacking any sense of beauty.

Cai Yuan clenched her jaw. “I disagree.”

Zhang Dingding: “What do you disagree with?”

“Just because she’s sitting on the judging panel, you dare not mention her flaws. If we were all contestants, would you still only have words of praise for her? I don’t think I’m any worse than her. I’ve walked the four major fashion weeks and been on the cover of EV in Country Y and won the favor of masters…”

This line of argument was not new for Cai Yuan. She had used similar words to counter the judges’ criticism in the first episode. Zhang Dingding was surprised that she hadn’t learned her lesson and still dared to be disrespectful.

Wen Mubai turned to look at Xu Chacha’s expression, worried she might be upset. Unexpectedly, Xu Chacha looked over, gave her a reassuring smile, and then turned to the person on the stage.

“Cai Yuan, have you heard the saying, ‘A hero doesn’t boast of past glories’? Constantly emphasizing past achievements to highlight your excellence is honestly a sign of insecurity. We need to focus on the matter at hand.” Xu Chacha wore a smile, but the words she spoke were like sharp little knives. She pointed to the photo on the screen. “The mentors are judges, and they have the right to evaluate its shortcomings. You might feel I’m not qualified, but even as an audience member, I must voice my opinion here, and I’ll say it more bluntly and harshly than the mentors.”

She stared at Cai Yuan, her smile unwavering and her aura intensifying. “This photo is trash. If I had to count it as part of my professional work, I would remember it as a disgrace.”

Xu Chacha’s voice wasn’t loud, but everyone present heard it clearly. No one expected this seemingly gentle, slender, and mild-mannered girl to say such words.

The atmosphere was solidified. As the host, Zhang Dingding should have stepped in to mediate and lighten the mood, but she struggled to find the right words.

Should she say this daughter of the Xu family was too firm? She was giving no quarter in her speech.

“It’s okay to make mistakes or not perform well at work, but the attitude must be correct. You seem to have heard me clearly from your expression.” After saying those things, Xu Chacha was still smiling. “I apologize. Honest advice is often unpleasant to hear. My words might have been a bit harsh, but they are my sincere thoughts. Please don’t take offense.”

“I didn’t expect Teacher Xu to be so straightforward, hahahahaha,” Zhang Dingding gave up on managing her expression and could only look down at her documents to hide her reaction. “Let’s proceed directly to the scoring.”

This episode of Super Newcomer quickly aired on the platform, and Xu Chacha’s appearance was unexpected by many.

Most of the audience for this show had a shallow or deep understanding of the industry and could distinguish the caliber of the guests. So, initially, many people expressed doubts about Xu Chacha, saying the production team invited a frequently trending amateur model for hype, which lacked class.

But as the latter half, the hard photo shoot, began, those sarcastic remarks gradually diminished. Some even turned into praises.

[Ahhh! This is too alluring!]

[So beautiful, so beautiful! I request Teacher Xu’s qipao look to be permanent!]

[Is Baby Cha giving up her billions to work? My eyes are going to be blessed!]

The camera recorded the entire shoot process, then followed Yang Zhou. She went to talk to Xu Chacha.

“Teacher Xu, I wonder if your work schedule is tight soon?”

Xu Chacha had taken off her makeup, but she still looked delicate and beautiful on camera. “It’s alright. Do you need my help with anything? Just say the word.”

Yang Zhou clapped her hands and smiled. “The thing is, a friend and I started a magazine a few years ago. We’d like to schedule a shoot with you for the cover of the next issue. If you’re willing, the compensation and timing are negotiable.”