59: Acceptance Speech

When Xu Zhiyou heard the laughter of the people around her and Cheng Xiao's words, which were more like mockery than comfort, she covered her face even tighter.

"Hahaha~"

"I advise you to be kind!" Xu Zhiyou really wanted to kick her.

"It's okay, no one dislikes you, really!"

Cheng Xiao was so envious of them right now. Cosmic Girls had debuted for half a year and hadn't won first place yet. Thinking about BLACKPINK, they felt a bit like weaklings.

"Can't I dislike myself? I've always planned to go for a cool, chic, and sassy vibe, but now I'm straying further and further. What am I going to do in the future? Sigh!"

"Don't make me laugh, it's not appropriate while we're still on stage!"

"Nai Xiao!"

When Cheng Xiao heard that nickname, she couldn't hold back. She had just turned eighteen and was still a bit sensitive to such terms.

Xu Zhiyou heard no response, so she uncovered her face. Seeing Cheng Xiao's small face turn red, she found it amusing and forgot about her own embarrassment, just watching her.

The future intimidating mentor of survival shows, Cheng Xiao, was surprisingly adorable at this moment, so cute and cuddly.

She had to seize the moment to tease her; if she missed this chance, she might not get another.

"How about it? You like this title, don't you! Your figure is truly, where it should be big, it's big, and where it should be curvy, it's curvy…"

Cheng Xiao's face grew redder and redder. Bona, EXY, SeolA, and the other Cosmic Girls members pulled Wu Xuanyi and Meng Meiqi to translate for them.

They were very curious about what was said and why she was blushing. Meng Meiqi translated as usual, but Wu Xuanyi was more distinctive, adding her unique insights.

Bona and SeolA were stunned by what they heard. It was a pity that she didn't become a storyteller with that talent.

Cheng Xiao felt her teammates' gazes sweeping back and forth over her, so she immediately pulled away from Xu Zhiyou and hid.

Now it was Xu Zhiyou's turn to tease her, "Nai Xiao, what are you doing? Having a good figure is your advantage…"

While happily teasing Cheng Xiao, she was suddenly poked in the face by a microphone. She saw it was Kim Jennie and was quite bewildered.

"Make your acceptance speech! What are you looking at?" Kim Jennie poked her face again and whispered.

"You can't do it? During the debut showcase, you four were more talkative than me. Why give it to me?"

"We didn't prepare, we're afraid of saying the wrong thing!"

"No, I didn't prepare either! Whoever has the trophy speaks. Give it to your husband!"

She shouldn't show her face again today. If she ended up trending online again because of her silliness, she'd cry herself to death.

"Jisoo told me to give it to you, saying you're the leader."

Xu Zhiyou's gaze turned to Kim Ji-soo, who was surprisingly picking at her nails with her head down. She then looked at Lisa and Park Chaeyoung, who were busy shedding tears, so that was out of the question.

The four rascals perfectly embodied the saying, 'call the leader when there's trouble, call someone else when there's none.' It was truly amazing.

Xu Zhiyou took the microphone, "Uh! Well, thank you, President Nim, for letting us debut, thank you… thank you…"

She gave a long list of thanks, thanking even the ants and mosquitoes in the practice room.

"Pfft~" Park Chan-yeol was about to laugh but was covered by Byun Baek-hyun next to him, "This occasion isn't suitable. If you want to laugh, wait a bit."

The live broadcast's bullet comments were filled with crying-laughing emojis. The director suddenly captured Kim Jennie secretly rubbing her clothes, and the bullet comments went off-topic again.

"I said Zoe and Jennie are the real couple, but you insist on pairing her with Rose. These two are clearly a better match."

"Who said that? She's a better match with our Rose! We must defend the 'Grudge Couple' CP!"

"CP what CP? The main characters themselves said that shipping will break your teeth, but I somehow feel Zoe and Kim Ji-soo are a better match!"

"I thought I was the only one who thought so. Those two really match well. Zoe subconsciously threw the trophy to Kim Ji-soo. That scene is really so loving!"

"Can you stop making random CPs? The funny girl doesn't need a CP. Don't limit the imagination of the Fourth Dimensional Girl!"

"Exactly! Look at her first-place speech, thanking heaven, thanking earth, even the mosquitoes and ants in the practice room. The key is that I don't even find it strange!"

"Haha, me too, but Zoe has very good reasons! Mosquitoes keep her awake, and ants play with her. Is this a first-place speech? Why do I feel like I've tuned into the wrong channel, hahaha!"

...

Not only the people in the live broadcast room were amused by her speech, but even the idols on stage couldn't hold back. If you said her speech wasn't serious, it had everything it should.

But if you said it was serious, there were so many things that shouldn't be there, making it seem very odd. Park Chaeyoung and Lisa, who were busy crying, were also made to laugh by her.

"Kim Ji-soo, does she really play with ants normally?" Kang Seul-gi nudged Kim Ji-soo and asked.

"Uh! Occasionally, occasionally! Not often. Hehe!"

Kang Seul-gi's eyes lit up, "There really is! How does she play? Is it fun!"

"Uh???"

Kim Ji-soo looked at the wide-eyed Kang Seul-gi and wondered why this person seemed to be a better match for Xu Zhiyou!

"It's nothing, she just likes to put some sweets on the ground to attract ants to carry them away…"

When Kim Ji-soo finished speaking, those who were close looked at Xu Zhiyou with strange eyes. This hobby was indeed unique, but then again, she was a Fourth Dimensional Girl, so her ideas were always so wild.

Seeing Kang Seul-gi still wanting to ask, she was forcibly dragged away by Son Seung-wan, "We should go. It's their encore stage now!"

Kang Seul-gi understood the importance of the situation after hearing that, "OK! Kim Ji-soo, remember to contact me on KKT. Let me know when you're free, and we'll have a group gathering. Fighting!"

After Xu Zhiyou finished her speech, the accompaniment for "Whistle" began, and the other four sang and bowed.

Xu Zhiyou, however, positioned herself precisely so that she was always blocked from the camera by passing artists. This way, she didn't have to bow and wouldn't be gossiped about.

The encore stage was just a formality, with no specific requirements, allowing for free expression.

After getting off stage, except for Kim Ji-soo, the other three covered their eyes and cried loudly. This time, Xu Zhiyou didn't say anything, as she empathized with them.

She herself had only gone through one year of trainee life and almost broke down. The shortest period for them was four years, with competition everywhere, strict rules, and various suppressions.

They would also be backstabbed by those around them from time to time. Even an adult might not be able to endure it, let alone a group of children with an average age of less than fourteen.

"Show Ge, if you want to cry, just cry! No one will laugh at you, really. Why hold it in?" Xu Zhiyou admired Kim Ji-soo for this; she was incredibly patient.

"I'm the eldest sister, can I cry?"

"Uh! Well, I'm the leader, so how about I lead the way, and you follow suit?"

"Pfft~"

She was trying hard to hold back her tears, but as soon as she was teased, they immediately flowed out.

"See, isn't it better when they flow out? Why do you always hold it in? Be careful not to cause problems. You've already debuted, what are you still afraid of? The crying child gets the candy. You should learn from Chaeyoung in this regard!"

Kim Ji-soo felt that Xu Zhiyou, though usually unreliable, always managed to warm people's hearts inadvertently, and most importantly, she never made anyone feel awkward.

"Come, my shoulder is here for you to lean on."

Kim Ji-soo wasn't pretentious and embraced her.

The several managers watching this scene from the doorway revealed knowing auntie smiles. They also enjoyed shipping, and Becky took out her phone to capture this moment.