Chapter 73: After Marrying the Top Star in Secret, She Cheated on Her (2)

Xiao Nian missed the kiss and stopped just an inch away from Yu Liuxue. She could clearly see the other girl’s long lashes, beautiful pupils, and even the fine downy hairs on her face. Xiao Nian had never looked at Gu Qingzhi this closely before. It was only at this moment that she realized her secretly wedded wife was strikingly beautiful. Her skin was porcelain white and delicate, as smooth as silk, without a single pore in sight. Her facial features were tight and refined, and her long, soft hair clung to her cheeks. Compared to her usual timid demeanor, she now carried an unexpected air of intimacy.

Gu Qingzhi had always been pretty—otherwise, Xiao Nian wouldn’t have taken a liking to her in the first place. The two of them shared a similar aesthetic, with classically beautiful Chinese features. However, Xiao Nian’s bone structure was more prominent and angular, giving her a sharper, more commanding look—elegant yet imposing. Gu Qingzhi, on the other hand, still had a hint of baby fat on her young face, making her look tender, lovely, and strikingly vulnerable.

Xiao Nian was momentarily dazed.

Yu Liuxue quickly pushed her away, frowning slightly with confusion. “Xiao Nian, are you crazy?”

Xiao Nian? She actually called her Xiao Nian? A trace of displeasure flickered in Xiao Nian’s eyes. Wasn’t Gu Qingzhi always timidly trailing behind her, calling her “Teacher Xiao” like a little tail? Today, Gu Qingzhi still seemed the same, and yet… something about her felt completely off.

Xiao Nian continued pressing Yu Liuxue into the corner, her tone calm and composed. “Still mad about the other day?”

The other day? Wasn’t that when Xiao Nian let her agent release a PR statement distancing herself from Gu Qingzhi, even inciting fans to cyberbully her? Yu Liuxue glanced at Xiao Nian’s agent. The woman was dressed in professional attire, silver-rimmed glasses perched on a tall nose, in her thirties, radiating confidence.

As soon as Yu Liuxue looked over, the agent’s cold gaze met hers. Her eyes were even icier than her aura—like a walking block of ice, chilling every room she entered. Yu Liuxue immediately looked away, her eyes reddening as she forced out two fake tears and bit her lip in silence.

She stubbornly turned her face to the side, deliberately letting the agent see her pitiful expression.

Xiao Nian hadn’t expected her to cry. Gu Qingzhi rarely showed this side of herself in front of her. Frowning, Xiao Nian looked unsure of what to do. She’d never comforted a girl before, especially not one who was crying because of her. Reflexively, she glanced at her agent.

Expressionless, the agent walked over, pulled Yu Liuxue away from Xiao Nian, and shoved her down onto the couch—roughly and without a shred of gentleness.

The agent turned to Xiao Nian’s makeup artist and said blandly, “Touch up her makeup.”

Yu Liuxue didn’t even get the chance to drop a golden tear before the agent scared them back into her eyes. Sitting on the couch, small and pitiful, with her legs pressed together, she looked up and whispered, “System, don’t you think… that agent looks like one of those ruthless nun-type characters from a drama?”

System: “…” Shut it! She’s a Harvard graduate and a top student!

After being forcibly touched up, Yu Liuxue was yanked off the couch like a chick, dragged back to the meeting spot, and released. The agent turned and strode off like a whirlwind.

Yu Liuxue: “…?”

“Wait!” she quickly called out. The agent turned, her frosty eyes as distant as ever—clearly someone not to be messed with. Though her face stayed blank, her pupils were full of irritation. She clearly found Gu Qingzhi’s clinginess and eagerness to ride Xiao Nian’s fame extremely annoying.

Yu Liuxue suddenly turned bashful. She walked up to the agent, cheeks flushed, and lifted her head. “Sister, what’s your name?”

The agent gave her an odd look, eyeing her up and down coldly, then let out a disdainful snort, tugged her lips in a half-smile, and turned away without saying a word, heels clicking as she stormed off.

Trying to act familiar was useless.

Yu Liuxue clutched her chest dramatically. “Oh~! This world is too cruel, too cold, too heartless, too unfriendly! Why does the agent treat me this way? Could it be… that because I married Xiao Nian, and she couldn’t have her, she now hates me out of love?”

System: “…” Stop! Enough of the drama!

Yu Liuxue returned miserably to the contestant area. Someone cautiously tried to talk to her. She smiled and then dragged her lazy egg-print suitcase into the dorm to change. Her roommates were already there, and when she walked in, they all froze—staring at her in shock and disbelief.

Thanks to her erhu performance, every contestant now knew who she was. Yu Liuxue unpacked her toiletries and casually muttered, “Oh no,” as if to herself. The other seven instantly perked up their ears—what happened?

“I forgot my umbrella.”

Everyone: “…” It’s not even raining today.

After a short time living together, Yu Liuxue realized her roommates were all pretty impressive. One was a minor internet celebrity who had once released a few viral songs but had since faded into obscurity. Another was originally top three in ranking but cracked under pressure performing in front of someone like Xiao Nian. The rest were hopefuls from small companies with severe skill imbalances—great at singing but bad at dancing, or vice versa—thus all graded D by Xiao Nian.

Compared to her complicated view of them, their opinion of Yu Liuxue was much simpler: a scandal-chasing, flirtatious drama queen.

Not only did she want to cling to Mentor Xiao Nian’s fame—she looked like she wanted Xiao Nian herself.

They had seen her being kicked out by Xiao Nian’s agent earlier. In no time, the gossip spread through the entire studio, and now everyone was waiting to see her crash and burn. Some roommates wanted to give her a heads-up out of kindness, but seeing her carefree attitude, they kept quiet.

Forget it. No need to offer kindness to someone who won’t appreciate it. Maybe she enjoys this kind of drama.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nian sat in the makeup room, trying to figure out why Yu Liuxue would join a show like this. To piss her off? To compete with her? Or maybe to use her fame, go viral, then divorce and vanish?

When her agent returned, she shut the door and whispered to Xiao Nian, “From now on, keep your distance from her. You absolutely cannot be caught by paparazzi again.”

After a pause, she added, “She’s likely been bought off by someone else. That’s why she’s acting strange. Be careful. Don’t fall into her trap.”

Xiao Nian paused. “By who? A rival of mine?”

What could Gu Qingzhi possibly gain from this? She already had what she wanted—she was married to Xiao Nian. Was that still not enough? Xiao Nian suddenly grew anxious. Could it be that she planned to reveal their secret marriage? That couldn’t happen.

When she got home in a few days, she had to get to the bottom of this.

Unlike other contestants and mentors, Yu Liuxue wasn’t there to debut or make money. The other contestants kept stealing glances at her. Just moments ago, the vocal coach had severely scolded her—so harshly, it seemed like they were about to storm off.

Yu Liuxue blinked innocently, knowing full well it was part of the show’s script. So she quickly played along and put on a crestfallen expression. Sure enough, the mentor delivered their scripted lines, “Gu Qingzhi, do you think just because you’ve debuted before, you don’t need to work hard? Let me tell you, debuting is only the beginning…”

Yu Liuxue nodded eagerly. But the moment she left the camera, she ran off to the convenience store with her wallet and happily munched on oden. While eating, she said to the system, “Didn’t expect the food here to be this good. I’m thinking of staying a few more days before heading home.”

System: “…?”

“Aren’t you planning to debut?” the system asked, confused.

Yu Liuxue looked shocked. “Why would I debut? I already have a group. If Zhou Zhou can drag a group to the top tier, why can’t I? Don’t tell me you think I’m worse than Zhou Zhou? Kid, you’ve really broken my heart.”

System: Okay, I’ll shut up now.

Still, no matter how good the food was, Yu Liuxue couldn’t take it anymore. The show’s scripted drama was getting too much. So when the day off came and it started drizzling, she called Yang Nianjiao and said, “President Yang, it’s raining. I didn’t bring an umbrella, and I don’t have a car.”

Yang Nianjiao felt that this D-list celebrity was getting a little too comfortable. Were they that close? Just because she agreed to let her join the talent show, now she thought she could treat her like a personal chauffeur?

Now even rain was her responsibility?

Yang Nianjiao rubbed her throbbing temples, gritting her teeth as she said, “Just you wait.”

Even though Gu Qingzhi was far from likable, she was still the company’s only current female group ambassador. She couldn’t afford to lose face, no matter what else was lost. Now that the domestic boy and girl group market was booming, Diyu Entertainment, being a major player, naturally wouldn’t miss the chance to cash in. That said, Yang Nianjiao was starting to regret betting everything on Yu Liuxue.

She pressed the intercom and called in her secretary, instructing her to pick Yu Liuxue up. “Once you get her, bring her straight to my office.”

The secretary nodded and left to drive out.

Trainees began to see the company’s official car pulling in. After reluctantly saying their goodbyes to roommates and friends, they were just about to get in, umbrellas in hand, when a stretch Rolls-Royce suddenly cruised onto the scene. The car made an outrageous entrance, parked horizontally like a crab right in the middle of the plaza, instantly becoming the center of attention.

All the trainees craned their necks to look inside, whispering among themselves: “Damn, which company is that? So arrogant!”

Amid the chatter, the secretary opened the car door, holding a transparent umbrella and striding over in high heels toward Yu Liuxue. Yu Liuxue stood at the entrance with her suitcase. The secretary stopped in front of her and took the suitcase from her hands, immediately drawing envious stares from the others.

Diyu Entertainment really was loaded—sending a Rolls-Royce just to pick up a D-list nobody?

With the other hand, the secretary held the umbrella over Yu Liuxue, then politely warned her, “Qingzhi, careful, there’s water on the ground.”

Yu Liuxue glanced down, then looked up with a bright smile. “Thank you, sis.”

The secretary gave her another look, then respectfully brought her to Yang Nianjiao’s office. When Yu Liuxue pushed the door open, she saw that there was someone else inside besides Yang Nianjiao. The other woman looked familiar—she racked her brain for a few seconds before her eyes lit up.

“Oh! You’re the kind person who helped me with the elevator the other day!”

Yang Nianjiao immediately turned to look at Yu Bing. So it was you who brought this little brat up here?!

Yu Bing sat on a charcoal gray sofa, leaning forward slightly, hands clasped. She wore a simple black outfit—shirt, pants, and boots. Beside her was a long, all-black umbrella that looked heavy and expensive. The tip of the umbrella had left a puddle of clear water on the spotless marble floor, which from Yu Liuxue’s angle reflected the crimson of Yu Bing’s lips.

She appeared to have just come in from outside. Her black hair was slightly tousled, with a fine mist like white frost clinging to the strands, but her clothes and shoes were spotless, shiny like new. Her nails were cleanly trimmed, and her light makeup accentuated her cool and distant aura.

From Gu Qingzhi’s memories, Yu Liuxue recalled some gossip about Yu Bing—supposedly she was extremely self-disciplined: no spicy food, no sweets, no greasy or salty dishes, no snacks. She didn’t drink, didn’t go clubbing, didn’t use her phone except for business calls. She never slept in, never arrived late.

Her wardrobe was entirely black. Her long hair was black, eyelashes and eyebrows black, and her pupils were a jewel-like black too, making her porcelain skin look like art.

She was rarely seen around the company. Most people went a whole year without ever running into her. Instead, she’d show up at the edges of celebrity photos or in gossip posts online.

Her job: bodyguard.

The lines of her exposed forearms were stunning—clearly someone who lifted weights often. Rumor had it she could take on SWAT officers one-on-one.

When Yu Bing heard Yu Liuxue’s voice, she lifted her eyelids and turned to look at her, silent. Her face was expressionless, emotions unreadable. She gave the slightest nod in response.

She was as cold as ice. Yu Liuxue changed her mind and turned toward Yang Nianjiao. “President Yang, I heard you wanted to see me?”

Just then, Yu Bing picked up her black umbrella. When she stood, she was tall and slim. Yu Liuxue had to look up at her. Yu Bing’s voice was calm and distant, carrying an aloof edge. “I’m leaving now.”

Yang Nianjiao, still annoyed over Yu Liuxue, glared at her friend in frustration. “Fine, go.”

Once Yu Bing left, Yu Liuxue immediately leaned over Yang Nianjiao’s desk and pointed excitedly. “President Yang, um… can I have her?”

“No,” Yang Nianjiao replied without a second thought.

“She earns more in an hour than you make in a month. How much have you made for me this month—just a few cents? You’re not even a D-lister, and you want the company’s top celebrity bodyguard?”

Yu Liuxue looked at her dejectedly. “Then tell me how much I need to earn to sleep with her—I mean, to hire her as my bodyguard?”

She slipped up, blurting her true thoughts. Yang Nianjiao immediately went on alert. “What are you up to? I’m warning you—don’t even think about corrupting her.”

Yang Nianjiao and Yu Bing grew up in the same compound and were close friends. But Yu Bing was notoriously eccentric: never attended parties, always either at the gym or sparring with younger siblings who just returned from military service. Even her apartment was no fun—spotless and model-like, decorated only in black, white, and gray, just like her personality.

Not even a cactus to block computer radiation.

But Yu Bing was loyal, came from a good family, and looked amazing. So she had plenty of admirers. Yu Liuxue was just one of many who lusted after her looks.

Yu Liuxue batted her eyes and smiled sweetly. “President Yang, you’re overthinking it. I just feel really safe around her, that’s all. So, how much do I need to earn to make her my bodyguard?”

“Not much. Just… one hundred million.”

Yu Liuxue: “???”

Do we have different definitions of ‘not much’?

Yang Nianjiao added, “By the way, I did the math. Since you signed your contract, you still owe the company over 100,000 yuan. That includes your training, food, housing, clothes…”

“Okay, got it.” Yu Liuxue almost fainted. She stood up with teary eyes. “Don’t worry, President Yang, I’ll pay it back as soon as I can.”

Yang Nianjiao eyed her leisurely. “Oh? Really? But I heard your performance on the show hasn’t been great.”

“It’s just the script. They’d be thrilled if I stripped and streaked in front of their doors.” Yu Liuxue tried to reassure her. “President Yang, trust me. If you don’t believe me, we can make a bet. Just a million yuan, how about it?”

Yang Nianjiao couldn’t take it anymore. She rolled her eyes and snapped, “Get out.”

“Okay!” Yu Liuxue quickly left the office. The secretary’s expression shifted slightly when she saw her, but Yu Liuxue didn’t notice. She dragged her lazy egg suitcase back to her single apartment.

That afternoon, the show’s teaser was released. With top star Xiao Nian and the Gu Qingzhi drama, the teaser racked up over a hundred million views in no time.

Xiao Nian’s fans flooded the comments:
“My goddess Nian is still stunning. She shines even in a crowd. Total visual queen this season.”
“Just a passerby, but besides Xiao Nian, a few other trainees are also pretty good-looking. With some styling, they could be top visuals too.”
“I didn’t believe the rumors that Diyu Entertainment was loaded, but seeing their paid commenters show up this fast? Wow. That last commenter is clearly trying to hype up Gu Qingzhi. No thanks—stay away from our Xiao Nian.”
“Li Tao, I actually think Gu Qingzhi looks great, along with a few other girls…”

Anyone defending other girls was instantly labeled as part of Gu Qingzhi’s water army, sparking heated fights with Xiao Nian’s fans. But arguing didn’t help. Xiao Nian’s fans claimed it just proved the others were desperate and trying to drag others down with them.

“Gu Qingzhi’s water army sure is high quality.”

That was the general consensus. Yet Yu Liuxue was completely innocent. Yang Nianjiao wouldn’t even bet a million on her—how could she afford to hire a water army? She still owed over 100,000! If Yang Nianjiao didn’t see a return on her investment, there was no way she’d spend another cent.

Thinking of this made Yu Liuxue even sadder.

Yang Nianjiao belatedly realized that Yu Liuxue did have some skill. Though she had benefited from Xiao Nian’s popularity, she had indeed become the most talked-about and discussed contestant. Yang Nianjiao put down her pen and began plotting how to extract every bit of value from Yu Liuxue.

As the biggest victim of the situation, Xiao Nian returned home only to find the room cold and dark. She turned on the lights one by one and called out, “Gu Qingzhi.”

The empty villa echoed faintly with her voice, but there was no other sound. Xiao Nian frowned. She’s not here? Didn’t come back? Then where is she—at her own place? Xiao Nian immediately called Yu Liuxue, who was applying a facial mask. Seeing the caller ID, she put the phone on speaker and said, “What?”

Xiao Nian suppressed her temper. “Where are you right now?”

“At the company.” Yu Liuxue tapped the essence around the edges of her mask and said gently, “Xiao Nian, I’m doing a face mask right now.”

“Come back right now,” Xiao Nian said, ignoring her explanation. “I need to talk to you.”

“If you have something to say, just say it over the phone. It’s so late, and I don’t have a car…” As she spoke, Xiao Nian heard soft sobbing through the phone. Xiao Nian frowned. Crying again? All she did was ask her to come back—was it really worth crying over?

Clutching the phone, she stood frozen for a moment, then stiffly said, “Fine. In a few days, when I have time, I’ll come pick you up.”

Yu Liuxue immediately brightened. “Okay!”

Replying, hanging up—clean and efficient.

Xiao Nian: “…?”

She actually just hung up like that? Why didn’t she fuss like she used to, reminding her to drink more warm water, cover up at night so she wouldn’t catch a cold, and get proper rest? Xiao Nian sat down and casually opened Weibo, only to see her name listed right alongside Gu Qingzhi’s. Her expression darkened. So she really had been used to generate buzz.

Gu Qingzhi was getting more and more outrageous—so blatant in clout-chasing now.

Who was behind this? That young exec from DY(Diyu) Entertainment, Yang Nianjiao? Xiao Nian knew her—they’d spoken briefly at a banquet. Though young, Yang Nianjiao’s tactics were no less ruthless than the former head of DY. She was profit-driven, saw only money and gain. Most people were fooled by her youthful appearance, but not Xiao Nian.

Because they were the same type of person.

The more she read through trending posts and comments, the angrier she became. She gave up, went upstairs to shower and change, and settled comfortably into a chair to read a new script. Her most trusted agent had secured another good one for her—a historical drama. The poignant and beautiful love story between the male and female leads was sure to move hearts. If she landed the female lead, Xiao Nian’s popularity would soar again.

Though her status meant she didn’t need to audition, Xiao Nian wanted to use her acting skills to win over the famous director and convince him to cast her willingly.

After the talent show’s trailer aired, the first episode wasn’t far behind. Since there was no TV in the studio apartment, Yu Liuxue ran to Yang Nianjiao’s office to borrow an iPad, claiming she was kindly helping evaluate her own market value. Yang Nianjiao looked at her expressionlessly. “How did you get up here again?”

Yu Liuxue blinked innocently. “I ran into Miss Yu Bing downstairs—she swiped her card for me.”

Yang Nianjiao: “…”

She definitely needed to talk to Yu Bing later—stop letting this shameless Gu Qingzhi up here.

With the iPad secured, Yu Liuxue opened a streaming app, put on headphones, and began watching intently on the sofa. Before the official broadcast, the show had already stirred up buzz by hyping Xiao Nian and Gu Qingzhi’s connection. Many didn’t want to see Gu Qingzhi, but Xiao Nian’s massive fanbase, along with the other mentors’ popularity and curious onlookers, gave the show a strong opening.

The ratings were 1.5 times higher than the previous season!

Xiao Nian’s fans: “This is definitely thanks to our Nian-jie!”

“She’s in a league of her own—thank you to the show for letting us admire her beauty and professional skills!”

Seeing these scrolling comments, Yu Liuxue quickly moved her fingers to block the terms “Xiao Nian” and “Nian-jie.” With those gone, the screen looked much more refreshing—no bickering, no garish spam, and even the girl on screen looked prettier.

Each episode ran two to three hours. Though Yu Liuxue had performed in the early segment, her part was edited into the second episode to keep viewers hooked. A shot of her in a plain robe and fortune-teller sunglasses was frozen at the end of the teaser.

Netizens: Grandpa at the subway watching videos.

Who’s this? Totally breaking the norm.

After studying the clip, they finally noticed the nametag reading “Gu Qingzhi” next to the erhu. Xiao Nian’s fans were instantly disappointed. “Oh, it’s the clout-chaser. No thanks.”

But just because Xiao Nian’s fans weren’t interested didn’t mean others weren’t. Gu Qingzhi’s name trended again from the teaser. Her mere three seconds were reposted widely: “Rumor has it that a C-list girl group member who once clout-chased Xiao Nian is now in season two of the survival show—and playing the erhu?”

So Yu Liuxue had unintentionally clout-chased Xiao Nian again.

She innocently rubbed her nose, frantically justifying it to herself. If only Xiao Nian had defended her when the paparazzi snapped them together and said she was just a cousin’s kid, things wouldn’t have spiraled like this. Now the bundled marketing seemed endless.

Yang Nianjiao was more than happy to see this unfold. After Yu Liuxue returned the iPad, Yang Nianjiao handed it back to her. “It’s yours.”

“Really?! Boss Yang, you’re so generous! Then, about Miss Yu Bing—”

“Don’t even think about it.”

“Oh.” Hugging the “begged-for” iPad, Yu Liuxue left the CEO’s office, pressed the elevator button, and headed back. As she stepped out, a stunning face flashed in front of her. Yu Liuxue widened her eyes slightly—was that the female lead?

In the original novel, the author had devoted extensive descriptions to the female lead, Zhou Zhou. Though the story was a twisted one with a toxic romance, the author went to great lengths to make the heroine’s beauty unparalleled, hoping it would redeem her.

Yu Liuxue was stunned at first glance.

Zhou Zhou noticed her too. She stopped, looked back with suspicion, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes fixed on Yu Liuxue. A moment later, she approached with a cold smile and gritted her teeth. “Gu Qingzhi?”

Meeting her gaze, Yu Liuxue couldn’t help complaining to the system, “Why does this female lead feel more like a typical jealous villainess?”

System: “Uh… I’m not entirely sure either.”

Zhou Zhou glanced sideways and scanned Yu Liuxue arrogantly, full of jealousy toward her current buzz and popularity. Just thinking about Gu Qingzhi soaring past her made her burn with resentment.

“You and I both know exactly how you got into bed with Boss Yang. Don’t think that means you’re safe now,” Zhou Zhou leaned in slightly and sneered. Her eyes narrowed in threat. “No matter how high you climb, I’ll drag you down. Don’t even dream of surpassing me.”

Yu Liuxue stepped back hurriedly and stammered, “Zhou Zhou, you’ve misunderstood. I never thought that way.”

She put on a pitiful expression, looking like she might cry. “I never expected things to turn out like this. But Zhou Zhou, believe me, if I become famous, I’ll try my best to help everyone shine too, I—”

Zhou Zhou cut her off impatiently. “Who wants your charity?”

Stomping off in heels, she left Yu Liuxue standing there dazed. Once Zhou Zhou was out of sight, Yu Liuxue instantly dropped the fake expression. Rubbing her chin, she muttered, “Sure, the female lead is pretty—but she’s kind of an idiot.”

Zhou Zhou had been thoroughly provoked by Yu Liuxue. She barged into her agent’s office without knocking and shouted, “Sis! You have to help me! Gu Qingzhi is blowing up—I can’t fall behind her!”

“It’s worse than death to me!”

The agent, clearly frustrated, quickly tried to calm her. “Don’t worry. I’m already thinking about the group’s direction. Just give me a few days, okay? I’ll discuss it with the others.”

Zhou Zhou was anxious, but she knew this wasn’t something that could be rushed. She reluctantly nodded. “Then please hurry.”

If she waited too long, Gu Qingzhi’s popularity would leave her in the dust. That girl was dirt-poor and still got into DY Entertainment, even debuted as a member of Mercury Girls. If she made a comeback via this talent show, it’d be outrageously unfair.

What right does she have? She has no family background to speak of—just a pretty face, that’s all.

When Yu Liuxue turned around and saw that Yu Bing was still in the office, her eyes lit up. She had just thought of going over to invite her for a coffee. But the moment that thought appeared, she remembered that Yu Bing neither drank coffee nor milk tea. More importantly, she herself didn’t have a penny to her name—not even enough for a cup of milk tea.

She only hesitated for a moment, but Yu Bing had already opened a black umbrella. With a flick of the tip, she cut through the light drizzle. Stepping over the puddles, her tall figure quickly disappeared into the rain.

Yu Liuxue missed a chance to cozy up to her and was filled with regret, stomping her feet in frustration.

She had barely rested for two days before Yang Nianjiao forcibly dragged her back to the filming set. That same day, the official website launched its voting portal, allowing fans to start voting for their favorite contestant. When Yu Liuxue returned to the dorm, she found that everyone else had friends, besties, and former teammates reposting their Weibo posts to help gather votes—while she had nothing. All alone.

A naive little girl in the dorm, unaware of the awkward timing, curiously asked, “Qingzhi-jie, did your teammates help you repost on Weibo to get votes?”

Yu Liuxue’s face showed a flash of disappointment, but she quickly forced out a strained smile. “They’ve been pretty busy lately.”

Another person immediately tugged on the younger girl’s sleeve and frantically shook her head, signaling for her to stop talking. They didn’t know what the relationship was really like between the members of Mercury Girls, but clearly, now wasn’t the time to ask. If they accidentally offended Gu Qingzhi and she held a grudge, it wouldn’t end well.

Soon, netizens also caught on to the situation. “Gu Qingzhi’s teammates didn’t vote for her? Didn’t even help her gather votes?”

A Xiao Nian fan chimed in: “Serves her right. If I were in a group with someone like Gu Qingzhi, I’d be disgusted to death. I wouldn’t just refuse to vote for her—I wouldn’t even want to see her in the group.”

“Their group has zero unity. Isn’t it said that the more obscure a group gets, the stronger their bond should be? This is new.”

As this kind of chatter increased, it didn’t take long before one of the members, who streamed online under the nickname “Nuomi,” quickly cast a vote for Yu Liuxue. She even recorded a video to help rally support and mentioned it repeatedly during her livestreams, asking her fans to vote for her teammate.

Fans commented, “This is so difficult. I’m a fan of both Nuomi and Xiao Nian. Who should I vote for?”

Other than Nuomi, the remaining three members never made a single appearance. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Yu Liuxue thought to herself: I’ve leeched off Xiao Nian’s popularity for so long—if I still can’t get first place in the voting, that’s just embarrassing.

Fortunately, things turned out better than she expected. At the start, fans had plenty of votes and many contestants to choose from. So whether intentionally or not, Gu Qingzhi’s votes outpaced the second place by over a million.

Xiao Nian’s fans exploded: “Are you all blind?! Are you straight men?! A woman with such bad character, zero talent, who just plays the erhu for attention—what about her makes her worth voting for?!”

“Is she even that pretty?!”

After a few days of filming, the second episode aired right on time. Yu Liuxue and her dormmates sat around a table eating instant noodles and snacks as they watched. When the scene of her playing the erhu came on, someone commented, “Actually, I think Qingzhi played pretty well, even if it was a little funny.”

Others quickly chimed in, “God knows how hard I tried not to laugh at that moment. Qingzhi, you’re like a mudslide.”

Many people had tuned in precisely to see Yu Liuxue play the erhu. When the unique sound of the instrument rang out, some of the older folks at home immediately looked up and walked over to the TV. Once there, they couldn’t bear to leave. Some nodded repeatedly and praised, “This girl’s got talent.”

Those who had been ready to trash Gu Qingzhi were suddenly bewildered: “???”

What’s going on? Are my ears playing tricks on me? I may not be an expert, but that erhu really did sound… pretty good.

The expected criticism never came. Everyone, as if by some silent agreement, said nothing. Gu Qingzhi’s fans anxiously searched “Gu Qingzhi” on Weibo and opened the real-time feed—only to find no negative comments.

Her fans were confused. Were people preparing some big takedown?

Finally, a snark blogger posted a string of question marks and said: “I might be sick or something, but I actually think Gu Qingzhi’s ‘Moon Reflected in Erquan Spring’ was kind of good. Any doctors here? Can someone check my ears?”

The comments exploded:

“What a coincidence—me too.”

“That slap in the face was so loud I’m too embarrassed to say anything now.”

“Isn’t the usual script that someone like Gu Qingzhi, who leeches off top idols, should be nothing but a pretty face? So why—why does this woman’s erhu sound so damn good? I’m speechless.”

Even Xiao Nian’s fans were in despair. They wanted to drag Gu Qingzhi, but there was nothing to drag. And since they were wearing Xiao Nian fan tags, if they messed up, public backlash might hit Xiao Nian instead. So now…

Xiao Nian’s fans were also in despair. They wanted to criticize Gu Qingzhi, but there was nothing to criticize. Since they were labeled as Xiao Nian’s fans, if they said the wrong thing and drew backlash, Xiao Nian herself could end up being the target. So, in a rare moment, Xiao Nian’s fans collectively fell silent.

Yang Nianjiao listened to “Moon Reflected on Second Spring” with a confused look. After it ended, she looked at Yu Bing, who was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper. “What do you think of her playing?”

Yu Bing replied blandly, “Average.”

Yang Nianjiao raised her eyebrows slightly, then changed the topic. “In a couple of days, they’ll be out interacting with fans on the street to gain votes. Go keep an eye on her.”

Yu Bing looked up and rejected her without hesitation. “I’m not going.”

“She’s our company’s hope for launching both a boy and girl group. I made a five hundred million bet with my dad on this.”

Yu Bing: “…”

This kind of event was just a ratings trick from the organizers, but it was very effective. Some fans, after seeing the contestants in person, immediately became die-hard supporters, which helped both ratings and the contestants’ development.

Yu Liuxue stood with her roommates, dressed in uniform. Nervously, she asked, “There won’t be any life-threatening danger today, right?”

Her roommates all turned to look at her, thought seriously for three seconds, then nodded in unison, “Not for us, maybe for you.”

“Then what do I do? I’m really scared.”

As Yu Bing stepped out of the car wearing sunglasses, she happened to spot Yu Liuxue in the crowd. Though not particularly tall, she was strangely eye-catching. People’s gazes naturally gravitated toward her. Her waist-length hair had been styled into loose waves, looking fluffy and soft like a doll’s. With delicate features and a sharp, pale, oval face, she had an especially pitiful charm.

Her neck was thin, her arms were thin, her waist was thin— even her ankles looked fragile. Dressed in a pink uniform, she looked like a middle school girl who knew nothing of the world. Yu Bing had seen plenty of actresses frighteningly thin in person, but Yu Liuxue’s slimness wasn’t from starving herself—she was just naturally slender. Though fragile, her looks and presence weren’t diminished in the least.

Yu Bing thought she could probably crush her with a single finger.

She stood silently in the crowd, her long, narrow eyes behind the sunglasses fixed on Yu Liuxue.

Xiao Nian was present today too. The production team had spent a lot of money to bring her in as a temporary host, hoping to boost ratings even further. Xiao Nian agreed, considering that Yu Liuxue would also be on site. If any of her fans or random bystanders did something extreme to Yu Liuxue, she could immediately call 120 to get her to a hospital.

Who would have thought, the one who caused trouble for Yu Liuxue wasn’t a Xiao Nian fan or a passerby—it was another contestant, jealous of her.

Yu Liuxue stood on a secondary step, slightly higher than most contestants. In the pushing and shoving, someone deliberately bumped into her. Her eyes widened—she didn’t even get a chance to curse before she fell off the two-meter-high temporary stage.

Xiao Nian happened to be nearby.

In that instant, she didn’t think at all—her mind went blank, but her body instinctively rushed over. She moved fast, threw the microphone aside without a second thought, her face showing a rare trace of panic. Her high heels clacked loudly on the ground. Just as her hands were about to catch Yu Liuxue, another pair of arms reached out from the opposite direction.

The newcomer beat Xiao Nian by a split second and caught Yu Liuxue, steadying herself with a slight crouch before cradling her securely.

Xiao Nian froze in mid-action. Regaining her senses, she turned to see the person— expressionless like a statue, wearing sunglasses. Dressed in all black, she looked strict and old-fashioned.

Xiao Nian’s expression darkened. “Yu Bing?”