If it weren’t for the last-minute changes keeping everyone so busy that they barely had time to catch their breath, the people witnessing this firsthand would have immediately pulled out their phones to share the explosive gossip.

Now, they could only exchange wild glances, silently expressing their inner excitement.

This was huge! Absolutely earth-shattering!

The Top Flow Group… they played their hand brilliantly! This move was beyond audacious!

They could already imagine how tonight’s entertainment industry would be shaken to its core.

Look! Even the producer and director looked on edge.

The secretive script had already left them tense all day, prepared to handle any backlash, but seeing the current situation, their last shred of composure crumbled. 

Both the director and producer wiped cold sweat from their brows, lit a cigarette, and tried to savor this brief calm before the storm.

The stage lights dimmed, and the background music began.

“In ancient times, beautiful women would use their allure to manipulate others, disregarding morality and laws to gain benefits and wreak havoc. Hence, from ancient times, beauties have been blamed as the root of misfortune…” a deep male voice narrated.

However, before he could continue, a sharp, mocking female voice interrupted.

Everyone recognized it as Ji Fei’s voice.

“Blaming all misfortune on beautiful women—how could it not be said that beauties bring calamity?”

The live chat exploded with questions: ??????

Wasn’t this supposed to criticize those ‘intimate companions’ who rose to power?

What was this?

It seemed different from what everyone expected.

The live audience was also stunned, while the Qin family in the front row excitedly rubbed their hands together. Here it came. Knowing the inside scoop ahead of time was thrilling—they couldn’t wait to see everyone’s reaction.

When it came to the idea of beauties as harbingers of misfortune, the first name that came to mind was Su Daji.

As expected, the stage filled with smoke as Qin Zhao, playing King Zhou of Shang, and Ji Fei, portraying Su Daji, appeared.

The set was a massive mock bath, meant to depict the infamous “wine pool and meat forest.”

Qin Zhao and Ji Fei lounged in the pool, surrounded by soft music and an atmosphere of indulgent luxury.

Ji Fei, looking obedient, offered wine to Qin Zhao. She wasn’t the only beauty present.

Suddenly, a court official stormed in and fell to his knees, a look of desperate resolve on his face. “Your Majesty, I implore you to withdraw your decree! Building the Star-Picking Tower is a drain on the people’s resources and harms the nation’s fate. The public’s anger is boiling over. It cannot be built!”

Qin Zhao’s expression turned furious. “How dare you question me building the Star-Picking Tower for my beloved consort? It’s not your place to speak!” He pulled Ji Fei close and said, “Beauty, continue… I still want more wine.”

Ji Fei’s movements stiffened.

Viewers initially thought it was due to nervous acting, that Ji Fei was too tense for her early entrance and had botched her performance a bit, leaving them disappointed.

But the next moment, Qin Zhao grabbed her chin with a grin, forcing her to look up. “Does my beauty think I should listen to them? Don’t you wish to ascend the Star-Picking Tower with me to summon the gods and seek immortality?”

Ji Fei’s hand trembled in fear, and she didn’t dare look at Qin Zhao. She stuttered, “I-I do. Of course I do, my lord.”

Now, the audience realized that Ji Fei’s character was genuinely terrified of this cruel king. She was not the manipulative seductress who used King Zhou like a puppet as legend said.

“Demoness! You truly are bewitching the king!” The official pointed at Ji Fei with fury. “You occupy the king’s favor, making him neglect his duties for pleasure. I must kill you to wake him up!”

Ji Fei cowered behind Qin Zhao in terror.

The official was immediately stopped by guards.

Tears streamed down the official’s face. “Your Majesty, this woman is the root of all calamity! She will destroy you and the kingdom! You cannot forsake the legacy of Shang for her! Killing her will save everything!”

Ji Fei trembled, her face pale.

Qin Zhao smirked cruelly. “I’d rather kill you first.”

In an instant, swords fell, and the official was executed.

The lights changed abruptly, and the screen behind them lit up with ancient script rolling rapidly, as if countless voices were shouting accusations and curses.

“Su Daji is a demon, seducing the king and robbing him of reason. She’s cruel and exists only to destroy Shang!”

“All those cruel acts were done under Su Daji’s spell!”

“Without Su Daji, Shang would prosper.”

“Kill the demon Su Daji! Kill the witch Su Daji!”

The stage went dark, and time seemed to stop. A single spotlight shone on Ji Fei, still hiding behind Qin Zhao.

Ji Fei shook uncontrollably, then screamed, her voice raw and desperate, “What have I done to deserve this? Why must I bear this monstrous blame?”

She stood up and slapped Qin Zhao hard. “I was once a girl in her chamber, engaged to my beloved, forced into the palace against my will. He was obsessed with my beauty and clung to me—what choice did I have? I am but a concubine; can I command the king? And now, you say I control him, keep him from court?”

“You only see him neglecting court, ordering me to serve him. Can anyone prove that I could sway a king’s decisions?”

She turned to the official and struck him as well. “The Star-Picking Tower was the king’s idea. He wanted immortality, and he wished to bring me along. How is that my fault? He abandoned his duties, drowned in pleasure—that is on him. If serving him on command is a crime, then kill every servant in this palace! Why only me?”

Finally, Ji Fei turned to the screen, pointing at it with grief and fury. “You are nothing but cowards! Using tales of beauty to mask your incompetence! The king is foolish, the officials are useless, and you, men in power, ruined this kingdom. Not wanting to bear the blame, you dump your filth on a helpless woman! I refuse to accept it. I am beautiful, but I am not a source of calamity!”

As her shout echoed, the words on the screen shattered, and the stage fell into darkness.

The first act ended.

The audience sat stunned, struggling to process what they had just witnessed.

Netizens were also moved.

“I get it now. The Top Flow Group aimed to show another perspective of King Zhou and Su Daji, challenging the idea of beauty as the root of disaster.”

“It’s a rare take. I always thought it odd that in history, women who supposedly swayed kings were painted as heartless and cruel, doing sadistic things for fun. It never made sense.”

“Nowadays, we can see that the ‘beauty brings disaster’ idea was often just a way for men to pass the buck.”

“In the male-dominated ancient world, how could a woman have that much influence?”

“Fei-jie already said it. Stories of romance spread more easily. People didn’t care about the complicated politics of the time. If a country fell, it was easier to blame a woman than the king or officials.”

“Exactly. We eat up juicy gossip more eagerly. This kind of story spreads fast. Later, as long as you claim not to be a lustful ruler charmed by women, you’re good.”

“Cunning. When men play it cunning, women always end up paying the price.”

“King Zhou used Su Daji as his excuse for indulgence. The officials used her to excuse their failure to guide the king. Either way, it’s all Su Daji’s fault.”

Seeing the live chat shift to thoughtful discussion, the director and producer took deep breaths, hoping the momentum would continue.

But the next second, the chat exploded.

“Wait, who did I just see? Isn’t Ji Fei supposed to be on stage?”

“Qin Zhao is playing King You of Zhou, so Lady Bao should be Ji Fei, right?”

“Isn’t that actress supposed to have quit the industry?”

“Yeah, she was the one who seduced that wealthy investor, got him to bankroll dozens of films, only for them to flop and ruin him. His wife even leaked videos of her online, calling her a homewrecker and career-destroyer—a bloodsucking temptress!”

“She was dragged through the mud, trending on every platform, apologized in tears, and then left the industry.”

“Has the Top Flow Group lost it? Why bring her back as a supporting actress?”

“Wait, she seems to be the lead in this scene!”

Offstage, Yu Rouyin stared blankly at the actress who had returned to the spotlight. She remembered the woman, who had once tearfully tried to explain that she hadn’t done anything, that it had all been the investor’s obsession. But no one believed her.

After the leaked video, she had sunk into depression and attempted suicide, eventually quitting the industry and disappearing.

All that remained online were the rumors and insults.

But Yu Rouyin had seen her films. The scripts were terrible, but her acting… was superb.