CHAPTER 17

Cheng Corporation had its own private hospital and biomedical research lab, with billions invested each year for maintenance.

Cheng Yue was rushed to the Cheng family hospital, where specialists quickly arrived upon hearing the news. They drew his blood and ran tests.

Even the half-melted chocolate ball in his mouth was taken away for analysis.

A doctor asked anxiously, “Do you feel any discomfort?”

Cheng Yue lifted his eyelids. “No.”

Just really pissed off.

He hadn’t been able to rip that little dinosaur apart.

“The outer layer is definitely chocolate, and there are some medicinal ingredients inside. So far, it doesn’t seem harmful to the human body… but the combination is strange. I’ve never seen such a messy mix of ingredients before.”

Cheng Yue’s face was dark. “Got it.”

Since the chocolate ball had been pinched by plush claws and shoved directly into his mouth, there wasn’t a chance of extracting any useful traces from it.

This was clearly a premeditated—well—stuffing of a chocolate ball.

Even with Cheng Yue’s twisted logic, he couldn’t figure out what the other person’s goal was.

But none of that mattered. The most ridiculous part was that a single little dinosaur had managed to take down the bodyguards he paid a fortune for.

They had all been completely outmaneuvered by it.

Just then, a bodyguard entered, looking utterly defeated, as if he had suffered a soul-crushing blow.

“Sir, we checked. That location… the surveillance cameras don’t cover it.”

A doctor nearby asked, “What about the mascot costume?”

The bodyguard shook his head. “It’s a mass-produced design, available nationwide. Shopping malls, amusement parks—you can see them everywhere. If we had the serial number or manufacturer’s details of the exact suit worn that day, we could track it… but it was only in sight for a few seconds before disappearing.”

“Then… there’s nothing we can do.” The doctor finished awkwardly, internally baffled by the sheer absurdity of the situation. Someone had actually managed to stomp on Cheng Yue’s head and get away with it!

Cheng Yue’s face remained grim, silent.

The room fell into a suffocating silence. No one dared to speak, afraid of making him even angrier.

“Check the surveillance footage along the escape route.” After a long pause, Cheng Yue finally spoke. “I refuse to believe it avoided every single camera.”

“But the permissions…”

“Call Zhao Bo’ang.” Cheng Yue sneered. “He’d love a chance to prove himself useful.”

“…Understood.”

Cheng Yue then shifted his gaze to the bodyguard. “You couldn’t win?”

The bodyguard broke out in a cold sweat, trembling, unable to utter a single excuse.

Cheng Yue strode out of the room.

The doctor called after him in concern, “For safety, you should really have your stomach pumped—”

Half an hour later, Cheng Yue emerged, straightening his collar.

Aside from a few wrinkles near the neckline, he still looked impeccably dressed. Except his face was paler, and the darkness in his expression had deepened.

His voice was squeezed from his throat: “…There is a clue, after all.”

“What did you say?” The secretary beside him was startled.

Cheng Yue didn’t answer.

At that moment, he had caught a scent.

A faint, milky fragrance, like the aroma of freshly baked bread—subtly stirring the appetite.

After returning upstairs, Jiang Su made a small mark in her planner.

In her past world, there were truth serums, potent aphrodisiacs, deadly poisons that killed in seven steps, knockout drugs that worked with just one whiff… and even substances that could completely alter a person’s appearance.

But in this world, it seemed like none of those existed.

She suddenly felt a little lost. Would the medicine she made still be effective on Cheng Yue?

She would find out next time they met…

Would Cheng Yue truly be left in a state where he could neither live nor die, completely under her control?

Having completed her big task, Jiang Su quickly put it out of her mind, not wasting any more energy on it.

Just then, Ding Xuan returned from filming her MV.

Some people eagerly surrounded her, hoping to learn from her experience. But others, who were more clear-headed and unwilling to lower themselves, didn’t bother.

After all, asking Ding Xuan for advice wouldn’t bring them any benefits.

They would be better off building a relationship with Jiang Su instead…

In the blink of an eye, the first round of voting ended.

The mentors arrived early at the building, holding thick booklets in their hands.

“We will now announce the current voting results.” Xuan Wen shook the booklet in his hand.

Everyone instinctively turned to look at Jiang Su.

The mentors acted as if they hadn’t noticed the commotion and continued announcing the results:

“Feng Zhenzhen, 1,862 votes…”

Clearly, they were announcing from the lowest to the highest.

Almost none of the DEF class received a significant number of votes, with only a handful barely making the cut.

Starting from the B class, however, the difference in vote count was staggering.

“Ding Xuan, 23,023 votes.”

…

“Wu Qingqing, 27,090 votes.”

Wu Qingqing was visibly shocked.

The others were also momentarily stunned.

Ding Xuan, in particular, nearly lost control of her expression.

At this point, even the mentors couldn’t help but glance at Wu Qingqing. She had talent, but her performances had always been unremarkable—until the public performance, where she finally caught the audience’s attention.

Yelena smiled and said, “Keep up the good work.”

This statement was undoubtedly a form of recognition—an acknowledgment of her current performance.

Hearing this, the other contestants were so envious they were on the verge of tears.

This season’s mentors were notoriously difficult to approach or impress. Even though they had already shared a meal together, they couldn’t be considered close at all, making any form of praise extremely rare.

Wu Qingqing took a light breath, but unlike Yu Xinyan, she didn’t get overly emotional or burst into tears. Instead, she quietly glanced at Jiang Su.

As for Ding Xuan—who the hell cared about her feelings at this moment?

This was a competition. There was no room for concessions!

The announcement continued:

“Li Mo’er, 34,081 votes.”

“Lin Sifeng, 40,100 votes.”

A hushed gasp spread through the room.

In such a short time, accumulating over 40,000 votes through real money from fans was incredible!

Lin Sifeng and Li Mo’er’s fan bases were truly formidable.

But there was still one more person…

“Jiang Su, …” Xuan Wen paused momentarily, raising an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise flashing in his eyes. “70,311 votes.”

Holy—!

For a moment, the entire room fell silent.

The impact was like a tidal wave crashing over their heads.

She had surpassed Lin Sifeng by 30,000 votes!

How did Jiang Su pull this off?!

Ding Xuan was also in complete shock, blurting out, “Wasn’t the system bugged?!”

As soon as she said this, Xuan Wen, Zhao Qiuying, and Yelena all turned to look at her.

Only Jiang N was still processing the situation.

Xuan Wen’s gaze carried a hint of amusement, Zhao Qiuying’s expression turned noticeably cold, and as for Yelena… Ding Xuan didn’t dare to keep looking. She felt her scalp heat up and instinctively averted her eyes.

“It was a bug, but it’s been fixed now,” Xuan Wen said with a half-smile.

“Ah… I see…” Ding Xuan responded stiffly.

Li Mo’er was the first to break the awkward silence, smiling as she said, “Congratulations, Jiang Su! You’re amazing! Are you going to treat us to dinner tonight?”

“Yeah, yeah! If it’s not king crab, it doesn’t count!” someone chimed in with a laugh.

There was a genuine sense of celebration in their congratulations.

People were complex creatures.

When someone around you is slightly better than you, it’s natural to feel self-doubt, jealousy, or unwillingness to accept it. But when they are so overwhelmingly ahead that you can’t even see their shadow, all those emotions vanish, leaving only sincere admiration and shock.

Zhao Qiuying’s lips curved slightly at the corners upon hearing this.

Yelena also chuckled, “I’m not asking for much—just treat the mentors to some candy.”

Jiang Su, who had remained expressionless this entire time, finally frowned slightly, seriously considering the matter. She asked, “King crab… How much does it cost?”

She remembered it being expensive.

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

“Uh… about a thousand per crab?”

Li Mo’er’s eyes flickered. “I was just joking!”

Wu Qingqing immediately chimed in, “Just let us bask in your good luck!”

Li Mo’er exchanged a glance with her before looking away. She then walked over to Jiang Su, leaned in, and took a deep breath near her.

“Haaa… soaking in the good fortune!”

At that, everyone burst into laughter.

“Haha! Me too, I wanna soak in it too!”

Jiang Su clenched her fingers slightly, standing there with her usual indifferent expression.

But inwardly, she felt a bit… lost.

This atmosphere was strange.

It was as if they were all close to her, as if they were familiar with her…

Everyone was smiling at her.

Zhao Qiuying caught a fleeting look of confusion in Jiang Su’s eyes.

And he suddenly remembered something—

Jiang Su had once mumbled to herself, “Why are so many people being nice to me?”

Was she still thinking about this question now?

It’s because you’re good enough.

Zhao Qiuying thought to himself.

At the same time, a faint feeling of pity flashed through his heart.

Was even this small amount of kindness enough to make her wonder if people were being good to her?

If I treated you even better… would you be willing to talk to me a little more?

For a split second, that thought flashed across Zhao Qiuying’s mind.

“Alright,” he said, bringing everyone’s attention back. “Now, let’s announce the rewards for the top three contestants.

First place will receive an opportunity to shoot a commercial, a chance to choose any mentor as a guest performer at their concert, and a guest appearance on the platform’s self-produced reality show. Additionally, their name will be featured on the platform’s app splash screen…”

Zhao Qiuying spread open the booklet in his hands.

Everything in it screamed one thing—exposure!

“Here are three advertising proposals…” Zhao Qiuying handed them over. “You can take a look together.”

Everyone was burning with curiosity and couldn’t resist crowding around.

The three proposals were for advertisements from Tian Tian Fruit Cereal, Chun Yue Face Masks, and Wudang Fei Automobiles.

Someone couldn’t help but exclaim, “Tian Tian is a brand with nationwide recognition! The production team is incredible to have secured this advertisement deal!”

“Chun Yue is also a domestic brand, right? A few years ago, it wasn’t very popular, but this year, their ads have been everywhere. Their products are affordable and high-quality, so they’ve gained a lot of fans. Shooting an ad for them wouldn’t be bad either… It would definitely help attract more female viewers!”

Tears of envy filled the room.

“Is ‘Wu Dang Fei’ a brand name?” Yu Xinyan asked curiously.

“It seems to be an old brand. Back in the early days of the country’s founding, their cars were top-tier! Almost as famous as Dongfeng! But for some reason, they declined over time… Still, even a starving camel is bigger than a horse. It’s not a brand that some D-list celebrity could dream of associating with!” someone nearby explained.

“I think maybe the name is too strange… If they changed it to something catchier and easier to remember, the public might recall it better and be more willing to consider the brand.”

At that moment, Jiang Su spoke up casually, “Wu Dang Fei Army.”

“What?”

“Wu Dang Fei Army was a military unit established by Zhuge Liang in the late Han Dynasty. They wore iron armor, scaled mountains, and fought bravely. During Jiang Wei’s seventh northern expedition, the Wu Dang Fei Army perished alongside an enemy force twice their size,” Jiang Su explained.

Although she had never attended a traditional school, she never missed a single lesson in her organization.

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

After a while, someone murmured in a daze, “That name… sounds kind of tragic.”

Jiang Su flipped through the marketing proposal in front of her.

Yu Xinyan couldn’t help but comment, “Tian Tian has strong national recognition, so their commercial might air on television. Chun Yue is also a popular brand this year—shooting their commercial is definitely worthwhile…”

Jiang Su replied flatly, “I choose Wu Dang Fei.”

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Lin Sifeng had initially been worried about being left with this choice.

Shooting a car commercial was tricky—after all, in the public eye, “female car models” were often synonymous with “sexy” or even “escort-like” imagery.

Now that Jiang Su had chosen it, Lin Sifeng felt a strange sense of guilt, as if she had unfairly judged Jiang Su with petty assumptions.

Li Mo’er quickly asked, “Why? I suggest you choose Chun Yue—it’ll be easier to attract votes.”

Jiang Su pointed at the proposal and said two words, “More money.”

Everyone: ???

They looked down again.

Tian Tian’s commercial fee: 200,000.

Chun Yue’s commercial fee: 250,000.

Wu Dang Fei’s commercial fee: 650,000.

That’s… that’s more than double!

But didn’t that also mean this brand was already on its last legs? If they were willing to pay such a high price for a commercial featuring an unknown trainee, wasn’t that a desperate move to attract attention?