She had mastered the art of tea long before she could count her years.

As Zhang Chuchu apologized, Luo Zizhen also wore a conflicted expression. She opened her mouth several times and finally said, “President Lu has already spoken, so it really was our fault. I’m sorry, President Lu, I didn’t rehearse well enough.”

“I’m at fault too. I’ve been staying up all night filming lately, hoping to spend more time on the follow-up live streams for our center girl group. I didn’t expect something like this to happen today.” Zhang Chuchu chimed in, remorse written all over her delicate features.

But anyone listening could hear the subtext of professionalism—working overnight to keep up with the schedule, having too little time, so mistakes were made.

Seeing Lu Yiqing remain silent, Zhang Chuchu turned to Su Yunjin, smiling. “Yunjin is the diligent one—she kept with the rhythm at every beat, just like in rehearsal.”

Hearing this, Su Yunjin almost wanted to laugh.

Because it was a live broadcast, they had rehearsed the routine more than ten times. The transitions were simple, unlike Wang Tao and Shao Xinghui, who still needed to remember lyrics. A model’s walk could be mastered with just a few runs, and there were even markers on stage. How could anyone forget their steps? To forget, to not rehearse enough, to jostle each other on stage—every word was meant to excuse Zhang Chuchu and Luo Zizhen.

She sneered inwardly, but on the surface, as Zhang Chuchu’s friendly gaze landed on her, Su Yunjin smiled and stepped forward.

“So today, we’ve set a poor example for everyone. I hope all the trainees here won’t follow in our footsteps. Mistakes like the one just now—on stage, we should be more forgiving of one another. We may slip up, but what matters is recognizing our mistakes. Of course, when you dance, don’t stand too close. It’s easy to get hit or to hit someone else. Look at me—my foot’s injured.”

As she spoke, Su Yunjin lifted her foot.

Because of her tea ceremony dress, her feet had been hidden under the hem all this time. Now that she raised it, everyone could see spots of blood seeping through her white socks, looking almost like little plum blossoms at first glance—beautiful, but only someone with empathy would realize that such beauty came from countless wounds.

A chorus of gasps swept through the room.

“That must hurt!”

“Ms. Su, your foot is injured?”

Seeing her injury, many staff members inhaled sharply. Even those in the audience and among the contestants who had previously taken issue with Su Yunjin couldn’t help but wince.

How painful must such a foot injury be? The human foot is delicate—an accidental bump can cause stabbing pain, and here was Su Yunjin, her instep bleeding openly. If she hadn’t said anything, everyone would have thought she’d merely stumbled. Some had even thought Wang Tao and Shao Xinghui were being overly attentive by supporting her. No one expected her injury to be this serious.

The audience was stunned. The contestants were stunned. The staff hurried to bring a chair for Su Yunjin, and the person in charge of the medical kit rushed over to tend to her wound.

“It’s all right, really. The show must go on. It’s just a small injury, and besides, these are all old wounds from yesterday. It’s nothing,” Su Yunjin quickly said, seeing the staff’s panic, while she covertly glanced at Zhang Chuchu, Luo Zizhen, and the ever-scheming Lu Yiqing.

Those three were obviously in cahoots. Especially Lu Yiqing—his presence let Zhang Chuchu play the helpless innocent to perfection, her few words cleverly highlighting her hard work, erasing any hint of fault, and making her seem understanding. Three birds with one stone.

In this situation, Su Yunjin had two choices: confront them like a fool or join in their performance. She chose the latter. In front of so many people, she still needed to maintain her composure—especially since this was a live broadcast. No matter how the people backstage handled it, she couldn’t afford to look like a shrew.

But if Zhang Chuchu and Luo Zizhen thought this was the extent of her capabilities, they were sorely mistaken. If they could play the victim for sympathy, so could she!

Injured, were they? Well, so was she! And hers were old wounds—the pain of a reopened old wound is ten times worse than a fresh one!

Most importantly, she was dedicated to her work. They might have been tired from late-night shoots, but she was injured for the sake of the show!

“My goodness—is that an old wound?”

“Seriously? Her old wound reopened?”

“That must be excruciating. Even so, Su Yunjin is still thinking of the show.”

“Suddenly, I don’t dislike her so much. She seems so professional.”

With beauty and professionalism combined, Su Yunjin’s hand was unbeatable. As expected, the whole room erupted. The audience, contestants, and staff were all moved by her dedication.

Unseen by Su Yunjin, Wang Tao and Shao Xinghui frowned, their eyes full of admiration for her. For Wang Tao, street dance was all about self-discipline. Sometimes, after dancing until exhaustion, he’d still push through the next day, never stopping until he reached his limit. Deep down, he was fiercely competitive, both with others and himself. Yet in showbiz, he’d seen too many pretty faces give up at the first sign of hardship, which always left him speechless. Someone like Su Yunjin was truly one in a million.

And when she’d mentioned earlier that she could sew and tailor her own clothes, she had exuded the aura of an ideal wife.

At this moment, Wang Tao admitted he was a little moved.

Shao Xinghui felt the same. But as Su Yunjin’s “stubborn” side emerged, it was obvious that Zhang Chuchu and Luo Zizhen’s faces darkened with displeasure. Especially Zhang Chuchu, who was so furious she bit her lip, yet couldn’t lose her composure and had to force a smile, stifled and miserable.

Amused, Su Yunjin deliberately addressed Zhang Chuchu, “Ms. Zhang, are you all right? Do you need to see a doctor?”

Earlier, Su Yunjin had landed her elbow strike with intent; it wouldn’t be easy for anyone to endure. She’d aimed for the ribs, a vulnerable spot, and with Zhang Chuchu’s physique, even breathing would hurt.

Now Su Yunjin purposely shifted everyone’s attention to Zhang Chuchu, her clear, bright eyes filled with concern and worry.

Of course, it was all an act—her goal was to focus the crowd’s attention on Zhang Chuchu. If a third-rate actress wanted to play innocent before her, she’d just give her a lesson or two. After all, she’d mastered the art of playing the perfect lady long ago!