Chapter 018: An Ambush!

"It's our turn now, Chuchu."
Offstage, Luo Zizhen glared at Su Yunjin.
Though Su Yunjin’s singing was decent, Luo Zizhen dismissed it as nothing special.
It was just stagecraft—she could do it too, whether lip-syncing or singing live. With an audio engineer, who couldn’t be a singer these days?
Only the ignorant would think Su Yunjin’s singing was remarkable.
"Don’t be angry. Isn’t this our stage now?"
Zhang Chuchu was just as furious seeing Su Yunjin steal the spotlight.
As an actress, nothing mattered more to her than being center stage. Now, with all eyes on Su Yunjin, their upcoming catwalk felt like nothing more than a display of two pretty faces.
If it were anyone else, being a flower vase wouldn’t matter.
But Su Yunjin... why should they yield to her?
Just because she’d stood up to them time and again?
She was nothing but a newcomer who got in through the back door, disrespectful to her seniors, and yet they were expected to treat her kindly?
Resentment burned in her heart, a cold gleam in her eyes. But as the drumbeat began, Zhang Chuchu donned a professional smile and led Luo Zizhen onto the stage.
The music played on. Luo Zizhen and Zhang Chuchu glided onto the stage like twin white swans.
"Wow—"
The contestants gasped.
The audience gasped.
And in the livestream chat, viewers couldn’t help but compare Zhang Chuchu and Luo Zizhen.
"They’re beautiful."
"Luo Zizhen is truly stunning—a real goddess."
"But honestly, I think Su Yunjin is even prettier."
"It’s all about presence. Su Yunjin has this ethereal grace, like an untouched fairy. Luo Zizhen and Zhang Chuchu seem a notch below."
On camera, neither Luo Zizhen nor Zhang Chuchu lacked looks or figure.
Especially Luo Zizhen, her sequined deep V-neck dress perfectly accentuating her curves—she was the very image of allure.
Yet even so, "Queen of Beauty" Luo Zizhen seemed almost worldly beside Su Yunjin, lacking that certain refinement.
As for Zhang Chuchu, she might have been the visual standout in her dramas, but beside Su Yunjin, she lacked that pure, unspoiled quality.

"I’m done for, I’m already smitten with Su Yunjin now."
"Ordinary Su Yunjin? She can outshine the queen herself."
"Look closely—Su Yunjin’s outfit today is just so elegant."
Comparison can be cruel.
Previously, no one paid much attention to Su Yunjin’s looks, but now... her beauty was simply breathtaking!
She wore a simple teal tea ceremony robe, her hair casually swept into a bun, like a lotus rising from clear water—so beautiful it left one breathless.
Backstage, watching the audience’s praise for Su Yunjin soar, Zhang Zhichang couldn’t hide his satisfaction.
Glancing to the side, he saw Lu Yiqing’s face dark as midnight, jaw clenched tight, his thoughts unreadable.
‘What a shame I’m only a producer. Otherwise... I’d really want to ask what’s going through his mind right now.’
Suppressing his glee, Zhang Zhichang forced himself not to act rashly.
But as he celebrated inwardly, disaster struck on stage: under the spotlight, Luo Zizhen and Zhang Chuchu deviated from their rehearsed routine.
Hand in hand, they stepped farther forward than their mark, positioning themselves back to back and completely blocking the camera’s view of Su Yunjin.
At this, Zhang Zhichang’s face immediately fell.
But it didn’t end there. The two of them then returned to their mark, right beside Su Yunjin, and each took one of her arms.
On camera, it looked like three close friends arm-in-arm.
But from his vantage point at the side stage, Zhang Zhichang saw clearly: through the low-angle camera, he caught Luo Zizhen subtly extending her foot toward Su Yunjin.
Su Yunjin wore cloth shoes today—thin and delicate, perfect with her tea ceremony robe, but offering no protection at all.
Meanwhile, Luo Zizhen’s shoes were thick-soled stilettos with pointed toes.
A single step from those heels, and even if Su Yunjin avoided a fracture, her foot would be swollen for days—at worst, it could cause permanent damage.
Witnessing this, Zhang Zhichang was furious.
Luo Zizhen and Zhang Chuchu were clearly out to harm Su Yunjin!
Without hesitation, he grabbed his walkie-talkie and shouted, "Luo Zizhen, what do you think you’re doing? I’m telling you, the cameras caught everything. If anything happens to Su Yunjin, I’ll call the police!"
This was no longer about favoritism—it was a potential stage accident.
The greatest fear in any live show is an accident.
Setting aside Su Yunjin’s status as the Seven Sects’ heiress—even if she were just an ordinary contestant, any injury on stage would spell trouble for the production team.

What’s more, of all the limbs, the foot is most prone to injury.
Since humans walk upright, the feet are built for movement, not complex maneuvers—unless specially trained, they’re incredibly vulnerable.
With so many blood vessels, bones, and tendons, foot injuries can easily become lifelong disabilities.
Luo Zizhen’s move was clearly intended to make Su Yunjin suffer, but in her panic, who knew what further harm she might cause?
But just as Zhang Zhichang hoped his shouting might deter her, Luo Zizhen yanked out her earpiece and, feigning a misstep, swung her heel toward Su Yunjin’s shin.
This time, Su Yunjin was in real danger.
Zhang Zhichang was frantic, but with the show live, he couldn’t charge onstage to intervene.
To make matters worse, Zhang Chuchu was subtly restraining Su Yunjin as well.
So much for sisterly camaraderie—this was a calculated plot!
"Producer, what should we do? Should we switch to camera four?"
The chief cameraman’s anxious question barely left his mouth before Zhang Zhichang snapped, "Switch? Are you out of your mind? If we change now, the whole industry will laugh at us!
Switch to camera one and keep it on their upper bodies!"
The show had only been live for less than half an hour—if word of this plot got out, the entire "Center Stage Girl Group" project would be finished.
Tomorrow would bring a flood of negative press, and the second and third rounds would collapse.
In show business, avoiding negative news is rule number one.
Scolding the cameraman away, Zhang Zhichang’s anger boiled over, his eyes blazing—he wanted nothing more than to storm the stage and slap Luo Zizhen and Zhang Chuchu.
But for the sake of the show, he couldn’t.
For the sake of the show, he couldn’t let the cameras linger on their feet, either.
All he could do was watch helplessly as Su Yunjin was hurt, while he himself was left to face the consequences.
‘Those two women—I will never forgive them!’
Clenching his fists and grinding his teeth, Zhang Zhichang swore to himself. Yet, at the same time, he prayed, hoping Su Yunjin would be all right—at the very least,
let her not be too badly hurt!