Chapter 20: The Scumbag Must Die

Yan Zhao used to be the pure, untouchable cold moon hanging in the sky—a flower on a high mountain that could only be admired from afar, creating a natural sense of distance.

The audience in the stands was noisy, each fan holding a light stick, and the place was well-equipped. After entering, Jin Sangzi had eaten more than two pieces of candy, just to ensure that tonight he would get the loudest cheers from the audience.

Yan Zhao, following the seat number on his ticket, found his place and quietly sat down, his long hair falling halfway down his back, lazily draping over his shoulders.

With lowered eyes, he appeared as a cold beauty, his pale skin and red lips in perfect harmony, exuding an air of delicate yet distant beauty that captivated everyone’s attention.

Suddenly, the previously noisy Area A quieted down. The fans who had been jumping and chattering were now frozen in place, as if someone had pressed pause. A few pairs of eyes, in perfect synchrony, stared at him.

He was so handsome.

Damn, he was so handsome.

He looked even more stunning than the photos online.

Where did this god come from? It was not just a photo, there was no trace of any cosmetic enhancement—he was so beautiful that just looking at him could kill you.

They held their breath, almost suffocating themselves.

For some reason, when they saw his cold face, they didn’t dare make a sound.

Yan Zhao frowned. The noise was unbearable.

There were too many people here.

He had never been in a place with so many people. He suppressed his discomfort and sat down, expressionless.

His stern face was terrifyingly calm, and the cold aura surrounding him made anyone who was about to take a photo of him hesitate. They had the desire but lacked the courage, and some didn’t even dare meet his eyes.

He was like an ice mountain, hard to approach.

Cultivators have sharp senses, and the whispers around him, despite being hushed, still reached his ears.

“He’s good-looking, but I’m kind of scared of him.”

“Me too. I can’t even look him in the eye. It’s too cold, like he’s staring at us like we’re corpses.”

They were both afraid and captivated by Yan Zhao’s otherworldly beauty.

The stage lights suddenly brightened, and the view became much clearer.

The host stood in the center of the stage, microphone in hand, smiling. “Thanks to all the viewers both online and on-site. The second episode of ‘Celebrity 1V1’ is about to begin. Let’s look forward to the exciting performances from this week’s guests.”

The competition for the second week was as intense, if not more so, than the first episode. The atmosphere in the venue was even thicker.

The first half hour was a somewhat boring random drawing session.

Inside Yan Zhao’s pocket, Kunpeng had been getting restless. His little head popped out for a moment, only to be pressed back in. Yan Zhao spoke softly, “Stop making trouble. I know you’re anxious.”

He, too, was starting to get impatient.

Kunpeng squeaked but quickly withdrew his head when reprimanded.

---

Lu Hui felt confident as she drew her card. She was sure she would get an amazing sequence and opponent, but as usual, she had the worst luck.

Every card she drew was terrible, making her the unluckiest player.

As expected, she drew the last group. Her opponent was the number-one seed chosen by the director team.

Lin Tong, seeing the name on the card, winced in pain. “Next time, let me draw for you. Please don’t touch the cards. I can’t take it.”

Every draw felt like a disaster, and he couldn’t handle it.

Lu Hui sighed. “Don’t laugh at me. We’re in the same boat.”

Lin Tong looked like he was about to cry. “This is an elimination round. There are no backup spots.”

If she lost, she wouldn’t be able to come back next week.

The show was gaining momentum and appeared to be on track for a huge surge in popularity. Being eliminated at this stage would be a huge loss, especially since her endorsement deals were almost finalized. Getting eliminated now could ruin her prospects.

“I know it’s an elimination round, don’t worry, Brother Lin, I’ll do my best.”

Lin Tong wasn’t comforted by her words. After all, this wasn’t something that could be solved just by trying; it was about skill and performance.

Lu Hui’s luck was terrible. After finally drawing a singing and dancing performance, she ended up facing off against the winner of a major talent competition.

Wasn’t this just handing her a role as cannon fodder?

Although this talent competition winner hadn’t been in the spotlight for the past year, she had at least been famous before, with a loyal fanbase and solid skills—definitely someone who debuted at the top. It was a far cry from Lu Hui, who was just getting into this.

Lin Tong asked, “Do you want to practice a bit more?”

“No need.”

The choreography was already deeply ingrained in her memory.

Lin Tong felt like she was starting to give up on her. “Xiao Huixiang, come on, pull yourself together!”

Lu Hui got goosebumps. “Don’t mimic my fans calling me, just be normal.”

“The battle hasn’t even started and you’re already giving up, that’s not right.”

“I’m not giving up, I’m full of fighting spirit.”

“Doesn’t look like it,” Lin Tong said, sensing a long silence after her comment. He began to reconsider whether he had pushed her too hard. Honestly, for an amateur to make it this far, she had done well. He said, “It’s okay, participating in this show is tiring. If you really get eliminated, we can just continue auditioning for dramas.”

Lu Hui sipped her coffee to stay awake. “Okay.”

After the draw results came out, the production team was also quite upset. Lu Hui was one of their preferred contestants. Putting skill aside, she was certainly hot right now. The worst thing for a show was having a contestant who faded into obscurity.

The director looked at the list, his expression heavy and complex. “Has it been announced?”

“Yes, it has.”

“There’s no way to change it?”

The assistant director shook his head. “No way to change it.”

The director looked at the busy staff, “What a pity, I originally wanted to keep her for a few more episodes.”

“The producer just said the same thing. Who would’ve thought Lu Hui’s luck is really bad? Out of the dozen or so people, she’s the one who got drawn to face the stage king, Lou Hui Lan.”

Last episode, they thought Lu Hui had just gotten lucky, but this time, it was clear she was going to be crushed.

—

Sheng Zhaoming was uneasy, time seemed to crawl, and he kept enduring. He had no idea what these performers on stage were doing or what Lu Hui was trying to achieve by participating in this show.

His eyes hurt, then his head started to ache. He had already made up his mind to persuade Lu Hui to go home after this, and if necessary, tie her up and take her to the hospital. He had already asked the doctor, and there were cured patients who had recovered from fatal illnesses. If others could have hope, so could she.

Sheng Zhaoming crossed his legs, staring at the stage with increasing impatience.

Coincidentally, the empty seat next to him was for Xie Ran.

Xie Ran looked pale and nodded at him after sitting down, a subtle greeting. The two men had met at other events before, but they weren’t familiar with each other, and they hadn’t spoken much.

Xie Ran’s hands were clasped together, and during the commercial break, he lazily asked, “Are you here to watch her too?”

Sheng Zhaoming made a half-hearted sound, then, in front of outsiders, stubbornly said, “Just here to watch.”

“I must be overthinking it. You don’t really like her, do you?”

The members of the restructured family treated Lu Hui as an outsider, never giving her a warm reception, and wouldn’t even acknowledge her publicly. How could he possibly be here to watch her show?

Sheng Zhaoming grunted, swallowing his words, keeping his lips pressed in a straight line, silent.

After a few minutes of quiet, Sheng Zhaoming couldn’t hold it in anymore. He sarcastically said, “What about you, Mr. Xie? Why go through all the trouble to come here?” He smiled mockingly, “Lu Hui at least doesn’t dislike me, but from what I saw last time, you two didn’t leave on good terms. I’ve never seen her look at someone with such disgust.”

Xie Ran’s fingers turned into fists, gripping tightly. “I owe her, and I will make it right.”

Sheng Zhaoming lazily adjusted his clothes and changed to a more proper sitting posture. He slowly spoke, “You don’t understand Lu Hui. She will never forgive anyone who has wronged her.”

“Do you think she’ll forgive you?”

Sheng Zhaoming paused for a second, his voice firm. “I don’t need her forgiveness. You like her, but I don’t.”

It wasn’t about love. It was pity, sympathy. Definitely not any other kind of feelings.

Xie Ran glanced at his face, his cold mood suddenly lifting. He smiled knowingly, “Oh.”

Xie Ran saw a reflection of his former self in Sheng Zhaoming—blindly confident, trampling on her sincerity, discarding her like nothing.

The two men didn’t speak again for the rest of the event.

Lu Hui and Lou Hui Lan were the last two contestants to perform. Before going on stage, Lou Hui Lan even shook her hand.

The so-called “stage king” Lou Hui Lan looked very young. She excitedly said, “Teacher Lu, I watched your performance last time, ah, I’m totally smitten!”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Lu Hui responded, saying “thank you” three times in a row.

Lou Hui Lan’s manager was frantically giving her eye signals. This is your opponent! Not your friend!

But Lou Hui Lan acted as though she didn’t see anything. “I’m really happy to be competing with you today. Even though I like you, I won’t go easy on you!”

Lu Hui smiled. “I don’t need you to.”

Lou Hui Lan’s performance was indeed impressive—top-notch stage design, singing, and dancing. Her hot song and powerful dance moves brought the atmosphere to its peak. After finishing, she wasn’t even winded.

Lin Tong nervously watched Lu Hui as she prepared to go on stage next. “Just treat it like a game.”

Lu Hui checked the microphone on her waist. “I’m going on stage now.”

The instant Lu Hui appeared on screen, the live stream’s popularity peaked. The number of viewers skyrocketed by hundreds of thousands. The director, seeing this astonishing increase in numbers, couldn’t believe it. “Is Lu Hui really that famous now?”

Marketing can buy popularity, and so can paid commenters.

But genuine popularity, that was something he saw with his own eyes.

“Damn, this data is going crazy! Haven’t seen such a huge increase in a long time.”

“Yeah, impressive, huh?”

The producer saw the constantly rising numbers and made an important decision, “We need to find a way to get Lu Hui to stay.”

She was definitely going to lose this round, but for the better development of the program, he decided to secretly help Lu Hui and keep her in the competition.

“Today’s elimination round.”

“Then let’s change the rules.”

“But we can’t explain it to the audience.”

The producer thought deeply, “Then let’s have a revival round during the intermission. I’ll make Lu Hui a royal for once.”

The more he thought about it, the more he regretted not pulling some strings to get her into a different group earlier. Now, he wouldn’t have to worry about how to keep her around.

Lu Hui chose a Korean pop song with bold, cool, and impressive lyrics.

She wore a daring outfit, showing her arms and legs, a deep V halter top and mini skirt. Her front was curvy, her waist slender, and her long legs were straight and beautiful. Her skin was snow-white and glowing, and the skirt outlined her scorching hot figure.

The lights focused solely on her.

The fans in the audience screamed passionately.

“Ahhh!”

“Don’t save me, just bury me.”

“Ahhh, damn it, I’ve seen the goddess, if you nail my coffin shut, I’ll still crawl out and shout that Lu Hui is the best!”

Lu Hui didn’t translate the lyrics; she sang them in the original Korean, with flawless pronunciation. When performing, her face was filled with youthful smiles. As a singer-dancer, her advantage was knowing how to find the camera, and her stage presence and camera sense were no less than a professional idol.

The most impressive part was the long and fast rap section in the middle of the song, which she delivered flawlessly. People would believe she was an ace from a K-pop group returning to China.

It was explosive.

It was stunningly beautiful.

What can this woman not do?

The performance was only five minutes, but the audience was on fire, and the fan girls went wild.

Some staff backstage were also shocked.

“Damn, didn’t Lu Hui train as a trainee in Korea?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“I’m confused. I don’t understand. I don’t believe it. Her stage presence is just too strong.”

“Best of the night.”

What made them even more excited was the data constantly rising in the live stream, the heat value had already broken records, and her Weibo was climbing into the top ten trending list with five spots occupied.

On every street, in every corner, everyone was talking about how she was on fire.

The director and producer were overjoyed; they loved seeing this result.

The PK result was expected. Lu Hui won with a slight advantage over Lou Hui Lan.

Lou Hui Lan wasn’t upset but actually quite happy. On stage, she hugged her and said, “Xiao Huixiang, you’re amazing! Where did you learn to sing and dance like that?”

Lu Hui responded quickly, “In prison.”

She learned singing, dancing, and Korean rap in prison. While the resources in prison were scarce, there were plenty of talented people. If you didn’t have skills, you couldn’t survive there.

Lou Hui Lan: “What?”

Lu Hui smiled awkwardly, “Ah, I meant I learned from teachers abroad.”

“Then your teachers must be amazing.”

“Hehe.” She chuckled nervously.

After the live broadcast ended, Yan Zhao, who had been sitting coldly for the entire night, suddenly stood up and found the nearest staff member. He asked, “Can I go meet Lu Hui?”

“No, you can’t.”

“The director said he wanted me to join the program, is that not allowed either?”

The staff member hesitated and after some thought said, “I’ll take you there.”

Yan Zhao took his staff pass decisively, “I’ll go by myself.”

He had already taken off his jacket and draped it over his arm. When Lu Hui was performing on stage, Yan Zhao’s face was cold as ice. He wanted to gouge out the eyes of the men in the audience.

In the artist’s rest room, everyone was taking photos and leaving messages.

The serious and stern mentors were now acting relaxed.

Lin Tong awkwardly entered to give Lu Hui the news, “Someone’s waiting for you outside.”

“Who?”

“Good brother Sheng Zhaoming.”

“Taking photos? I’m not free.”

A minute later, Lin Tong came back in, “Mr. Xie is also waiting outside for you.”

Two minutes later, Lin Tong came back in again, “A handsome man with long hair is also looking for you.”

Lu Hui was fed up with all these people. Before she even spoke, she heard Cen Yueze’s sarcastic voice, “Tsk, all the harem is here. You really are generous.”

Lu Hui: “…”

She said, “Do you want this kind of ‘fortune’?”

“?” Cen Yueze couldn’t keep up with her every time. “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t need it.”

He was even a bit disgusted by the thought of it.

Lin Tong urged Lu Hui, “Why not just go out for a bit?”

Three big men were blocking the door, and the atmosphere outside was extremely tense.

Lu Hui seriously considered it and made her decision, “Alright.”

Let’s leave those trash men to rot on the public screen.