CHAPTER 27 (PART 2)

Oh, as expected… Every single judge wore an expression of shock and amazement.

There was no doubt—Jiang Su received an A without question.

The judges, out of courtesy, were hesitant to critique Han Jin too harshly. But the usually gentle Zhao Qiuying leaned toward his mic, his face devoid of warmth.

“If I remember correctly, you debuted last year, didn’t you?”

Zhao Qiuying was actually younger than Han Jin, but in terms of status and seniority in the industry, he was miles ahead.

Han Jin could only swallow his frustration and unease, bowing respectfully. “Yes, Teacher Zhao.”

A trace of coldness flickered in Zhao Qiuying’s eyes. “Then why is your performance still this terrible?”

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

The live chat exploded.

Han Jin’s fans were, of course, displeased. But they couldn’t refute it with anything convincing.

Zhao Qiuying’s fans, in order to prevent a backlash against him, quickly aligned themselves with his stance.

[W isn’t wrong. His performance was indeed awful.]

[If you come on this show, be prepared to be critiqued. Nothing to feel wronged about.]

[+1. He nearly ruined Jiang Su’s performance, and did she even complain?]

[I love how W is usually gentle, but in serious moments, he’s brutally strict. Other judges might hold back to save face, but W just says it outright!]

[Objectively speaking, Han Jin was garbage.]

Han Jin’s fans were absolutely livid, but they were getting dragged from all sides.

Even Yu Xinyan’s fans, who had once endured relentless harassment and slut-shaming for days on end, had just learned about last year’s incident. Naturally, they joined in on the attack.

The live chat became a chaotic battlefield.

Fans of other female idols couldn’t help but sneak over to Weibo and post: [Karma is a beautiful thing.]

Back in the broadcast room, Han Jin could only stammer, forcing out an excuse. “Apologies, I had no prior experience with this.”

“So you’re saying that the days Jiang Su spent rehearsing with you were a complete waste?” Zhao Qiuying replied, his tone utterly indifferent.

Han Jin: “…”

[If you’re bad, just admit you’re bad. No need to make excuses. Jiang Su was on top of the drum and still kept perfect rhythm, while you—holding two drumsticks—couldn’t even do that? What, are your biceps made of flour? And yet you still try to sell the ‘athlete idol’ image?]

[LMAO, sis is ruthless. I love it.]

Zhao Qiuying didn’t push further—he knew going too far would only give Han Jin’s fans more ammunition.

“You may leave.” His tone was cold.

Han Jin clenched his teeth, turned, and left the stage.

The live chat erupted with even more mockery.

[This guy is an idiot. If I were him, after almost ruining the performance, I’d at least help Jiang Su carry her erhu case. Instead, they tell him to leave, and he actually just… leaves.]

[Watch your words, don’t go too far.]

[Who’s going too far? Don’t think the internet has forgotten how your side insulted other female idols before~]

“Su Su!”

Yu Xinyan and Wu Qingqing excitedly ran over, both reaching out at the same time to take the erhu bag from Jiang Su’s hands.

Jiang Su let go and casually handed it to Yu Xinyan.

Han Jin abruptly turned his head, staring at this scene with a complicated expression. Something seemed to click in his mind before he quickly turned back and walked away in large strides.

“Qingqing is right, haha, I was overthinking it.” Yu Xinyan’s face was full of happiness.

“You were amazing today.” Yu Xinyan hovered around Jiang Su, even giving her a shoulder squeeze. The camera caught the moment, making the comment section burst into laughter.

[Why is Yu Xinyan acting like such a bootlicker?]

[Jiang Su is the team’s favorite, confirmed!]

[Su Yan CP is real!!! I’m obsessed!]

Jiang Su soon returned to her seat—her exclusive, highest C-position.

Even the male group members couldn’t help but click their tongues in admiration. “She’s seriously impressive. She’s been sitting there since the start…”

“Han Jin, don’t overthink it. Jiang Su is just too strong, nothing we can do… Even Lin Sifeng got crushed by her, didn’t he?”

Hearing this, Ban Xu frowned slightly.

Han Jin forced a smile and said, “Yeah, I wasn’t thinking much. Just… I do feel guilty. I almost ruined her performance. I should go apologize later…”

The others chimed in with agreement, even giving him suggestions on how to apologize—maybe bring a small gift or something. In their eyes, Miss Jiang was indeed impressive. Who knows, maybe he could even ask for her contact information…

Han Jin, however, didn’t listen to a word of it.

He turned to glance at Jiang Su. She sat high above, even with her delicate and fragile-looking features, she still carried an air of superiority, a gaze that looked down upon everyone…

Even if he wanted to talk to her, he couldn’t.

Han Jin could only suppress the storm of emotions within him and wait for the show to end.

That night’s performance quickly made it to the trending searches again and became a hot topic in gossip forums.

《Let’s Talk About Han Jin and Jiang Su’s Performance》

OP: Jiang Su was absolutely stunning. I honestly thought Han Jin was going to mess everything up, but she wasn’t fazed at all. That moment when she lifted her leg and struck down—she took my breath away!

[+1 Han Jin looked like an idiot]

[He totally deserved it. His fans are the worst, always running their mouths. What kind of idol, what kind of fans, ugh.]

[Honestly, do you think Jiang Su was getting revenge for Yu Xinyan?]

[? What’s the story here?]

[The drama from last year—Yu Xinyan got cyberbullied by Han Jin’s fans for days. After the recording, she even received a dead frog.]

[Holy… but I guess that’s just normal fan culture. Sigh.]

[So Jiang Su and Yu Xinyan are real! I’m voting for them!]

[Now that I think about it, Jiang Su is such a complex person. Sometimes she looks fragile and melancholic, other times she’s cold and ruthless, like she doesn’t care about anything… but she still helped Yu Xinyan get to where she is today. Even Yu Xinyan’s fans can’t deny how much Jiang Su has done for her, right? Yu Xinyan is about to land a magazine cover soon… How many female idols would genuinely help their teammates like this? In the face of fame and fortune, most friendships are just for show.]

[And that’s exactly why Jiang Su is so incredible. She’s strong on her own, yet she’s willing to lift others up without hesitation… She’s the kind of woman people admire and respect.]

[Maybe we should delete this post? Han Jin’s fans might lose it and start attacking Jiang Su. =-=]

…

While the online discussions were heating up, a popular Weibo influencer, after watching the live broadcast, immediately wrote a long post titled 《Why Only Women Can Save Women》. The post went viral, spreading far beyond fan circles.

The internet was buzzing with excitement, and at the same time, the show finally ended.

Jiang Su slowly walked offstage.

Zhao Qiuying, Yu Xinyan, and Wu Qingqing were heading over to find her, but when they reached the dressing room, they saw that inside—besides Jiang Su—stood Han Jin.

Han Jin had gotten there faster than anyone.

Jiang Su held a cotton pad, slowly removing her makeup, completely unbothered by Han Jin’s presence.

She wiped away her eye makeup and blinked uncomfortably.

Han Jin stared at her, realizing that even without makeup, this woman was still breathtaking…

Jiang Su found his gaze annoying and spoke up. “What do you want?”

“I came to apologize. Sorry… I almost messed up today. Are you mad?”

“I’m not mad.”

Han Jin was taken aback, then forced a chuckle. “You’re really magnanimous. Hopefully, in the future, we can still…” work together.

But before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Su interrupted him. “No, I’m very petty.”

She still hadn’t forgotten that Cheng Yue owed her several solid gold bars.

Han Jin was momentarily speechless. He was about to say something else when suddenly—like a bolt of lightning—it hit him.

His arm trembled slightly, but he forced a smile and jokingly asked, “Really? Then… you wouldn’t have done this on purpose today, would you?”

Jiang Su: “I did.”

Han Jin stared at her in shock.

Thinking back to the moment she chose him, to the next day’s training, to the stage performance… A cold sweat broke out on Han Jin’s back.

She had planned this from the start!

She deliberately wore him down, forcing him to grit his teeth and endure it for the sake of his pride as a man—all the way until the public performance.

His failure was something she had anticipated long ago.

That’s why the moment she lifted her leg, she kicked away his drumsticks. She had planned all along to make him look like a fool on stage!

He made her shine. He became a joke.

Outside the dressing room, Zhao Qiuying couldn’t help but want to applaud.

Jiang Su was truly brilliant. She toyed with Han Jin effortlessly, yet it didn’t affect her own performance in the slightest.

Inside the room, Han Jin gritted his teeth and said angrily, “…Because of Yu Xinyan? You’re avenging her, aren’t you? There’s really no need. The ones who insulted her were my fans, not me. It had nothing to do with me.”

Jiang Su turned her head slightly and opened her eyes.

Having just removed her makeup, her eyes shimmered with a watery glow, making her look stunning. She said, “Of course not.”

Han Jin let out a breath of relief.

Jiang Su continued, “It’s because you’re both stupid and malicious, and you’re full of petty schemes. I hate people like that the most.”

Han Jin: “…”

That was even harder for him to accept than the previous accusation.

No one had ever spoken to him so bluntly and mercilessly before.

Outside the door, Zhao Qiuying and Yu Xinyan nearly burst into laughter.

“Jiang. Su.” Han Jin forced out her name through clenched teeth.

Jiang Su responded with a soft “Mm?”

“Do you realize what will happen if the internet finds out you said these things to me? Your public image will be ruined.” Han Jin pressed his lips together tightly. “Why must you go against me like this?”

Zhao Qiuying’s expression darkened, and he was just about to push the door open.

If Han Jin had a recording device on him, Zhao Qiuying wouldn’t hesitate to have him pinned down and searched.

But at that moment, Jiang Su’s voice rang out from inside, even faster than his movements. She spoke carelessly, “Of course I know. If this spreads online, my fans will call you an idiot and a worthless piece of trash… I have a lot of fans, you know.”

Her tone even carried a hint of youthful innocence and pride.

Han Jin nearly choked from sheer anger.

Zhao Qiuying, on the other hand, felt his heart soften. He wanted to laugh, but he also had the urge to drag Han Jin out of there himself.

That’s right.

You have a lot of fans now.

At that moment, Wu Qingqing knocked on the door.

Han Jin tensed up, his heart pounding. “Who is it?!”