070 It’s Time to Get Things Done! (Please Add to Your Favorites)

The internet was abuzz, but on the actual stage, many wore dark expressions.

Those female trainees who had once pitied Su Yunjin's team during meals or in their spare moments now found themselves unable to feel any joy.

The rookies practically wore the words "envy, jealousy, hatred" on their faces.

In fleeting shots, some girls who had been reminded forced smiles for the camera, while others who hadn’t been prompted simply let their true emotions slip through, looking rather foolish.

Some even lowered their heads, unwilling to let the camera capture their current state.

Soon, the camera flashed past Luo Zhen, lingering only for a second, but her face was just as gloomy.

Even more sullen than Luo Zhen was Song Yazhi.

She was supposed to be the chosen one, yet now, not only did she fail to stand out, she had become someone else’s backdrop!

Thinking of all she had done for Luo Zhen these past days, Song Yazhi ground her teeth. When she looked at Luo Zhen again, her eyes were full of resentment.

...

"Our mentor is useless."

"Exactly, she never seems to have anything to say."

"I'm furious! Su Yunjin's group completely stole the spotlight this time!"

After the livestream ended, the remaining female trainees began complaining about their mentors.

Their own training had been just as tough, but compared to Su Yunjin’s team, they seemed utterly unimpressive, leaving them feeling defeated.

Recalling the early morning and evening classes Su Yunjin had arranged for her team, the girls couldn’t help but grumble about their own mentors’ lack of initiative.

"Why didn’t anyone organize early or late classes for us?"

"Yeah, I wanted to go for morning runs too—so annoying! I’ve gained two pounds in the past couple of days."

"Seriously, it’s so frustrating."

On the way back, the girls from Shao Xinghui’s group burned with anger.

Especially those from Luo Zhen’s team—many had been eliminated during the intensive training, and some of the ousted trainees, unable to swallow their bitterness, began posting online to criticize Luo Zhen.

The topic spread, some posts gaining more traction than others.

Fans offered both kind advice and biting mockery.

By that night, #LuoZhen, #SuYunjin, and #ThousandCharacterEssay had shot to the top of the trending charts.

Meanwhile, Su Yunjin’s fan club was officially established, her fanbase was growing rapidly, and her name began to appear everywhere. The earlier voices that had criticized her were nowhere to be found; only praise remained.

At the same time—

Inside the production office of the girl group competition, Song Yazhi, furious, was locked in an argument with Zhang Zhichang.

"I don’t care—I have to join Su Yunjin’s team!"

Facing Zhang Zhichang, Song Yazhi was imperious, not even pretending to negotiate; it was a command, plain and simple.

"That’s not within the rules," Zhang Zhichang replied, a bit cowed—after all, she was the daughter of their main sponsor.

If it had been before, Song Yazhi choosing Su Yunjin wouldn’t have mattered—there were so many contestants, the audience couldn’t tell them apart.

But now, everyone remembered Su Yunjin’s team. Changing the roster at this point would be tantamount to publicly admitting there were behind-the-scenes manipulations.

Besides, Song Yazhi had picked Luo Zhen herself when selections were made.

"I don’t care, I want to switch! Luo Zhen is useless, she’ll never make me a star! If you don’t swap me, I’ll have my dad pull his funding!"

Temper flaring, Song Yazhi played her trump card.

Zhang Zhichang clenched his teeth in anger, but before he could speak, a voice came from outside the door. "What’s all this noise about?"

With that brief question, a man entered—tall, one meter eighty, slender, strikingly handsome.

At the sight of him, Song Yazhi’s eyes sparkled, but the next moment, tears welled up and she put on a pitiful expression as she approached.

"Brother Lu, look—Su Yunjin’s team did so well today! I want to change my mentor!"

Lu Yiqing regarded Song Yazhi coldly. "Who do you want as your mentor?"

"Su Yunjin."

"Then switch. You’ll join Su Yunjin’s team tomorrow."

Lu Yiqing made the decision without hesitation.

Zhang Zhichang grew anxious. "But, Mr. Lu, we can’t do that—the show’s already aired, and Song Yazhi is in Luo Zhen’s team..."

"Then figure it out. Reassign the contestants. It’s just a mechanism," Lu Yiqing replied, unwavering.

Hearing this, Zhang Zhichang nearly choked.

A show’s structure and rules—can they really just be changed on a whim?

Desperate, Zhang Zhichang made a last-ditch effort. "But, Teacher Su might not agree..."

"And why wouldn’t she?"

Lu Yiqing turned with a gaze even colder than before.

For half a month, he had been waiting for a call or a message from Su Yunjin. He’d even sent Pei Xuan to keep an eye on her, hoping for any sign of movement.

But what had happened?

Half a month had passed, and this woman had done nothing at all.

She went about her life as usual—the only excitement was hearing some gossip.

Until recently, he had actually believed she would keep her promise and break off the engagement.

Since that’s how things stood, why should he care about her feelings? What was one more swap, one more trainee—was it really such a big deal?

Zhang Zhichang wanted to protest, but faced with Lu Yiqing’s authority, he could only fall silent.

Song Yazhi got what she wanted; when Lu Yiqing left, she happily skipped after him.

The Song and Lu families had some connections—though the Songs were nothing compared to the Lus, she and Lu Yiqing were not strangers.

Now, Lu Yiqing walked ahead while she played the innocent, giving no thought to the trouble they’d just caused the entire production team.

And that trouble soon became apparent.

Because of the fixed number of contestants, Zhang Zhichang had to redraw the entire program plan.

This meant that Su Yunjin’s meeting schedule increased considerably, and when her trainees heard that one of them would be swapped to Luo Zhen’s group, they grew anxious.

Luo Zhen herself was no better off. Her golden ticket had slipped away in an instant.

Infuriated, abandoning all pretense, she cornered Su Yunjin in the hotel corridor.

"Su Yunjin, what’s your problem? Couldn’t get close to the sponsor’s daughter yourself, so you had to steal someone else’s? You shameless wretch!

It’s just—"

"Smack!"

A sharp sound echoed—the slap was fierce and clean across Luo Zhen’s cheek.

"Remember, I didn’t ask for her. That’s first. Second, I’m not someone you can push around. Next time you dare insult me, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!"

Gritting her teeth, Su Yunjin delivered her warning.

Song Yazhi’s arrival left her speechless, and Zhang Zhichang’s repeated hints in meetings that it was Lu Yiqing’s idea only exasperated her more.

Still, it reminded her that she had been so busy lately that she’d drawn too much of Lu Yiqing’s attention.

"It seems it’s time to put my plan into action."