Backstage, Pei Mingxuan stood protectively by Yu Rouyin’s side, watching her with a mix of satisfaction and affection. She was determined not to let anyone disturb Yu Rouyin’s rest; after all, she finally found a promising talent worth nurturing wholeheartedly and wanted to keep her well-protected.

More importantly, the situation online had turned out even better than Pei Mingxuan had anticipated, all thanks to Yu Rouyin’s groundbreaking performance.

The Qin family soon arrived and, seeing Ji Fei and Qin Xian sitting together, couldn’t help but smile approvingly.

Qin Zhao leaned wearily against the wall, speaking to Qin Xian. He was perceptive enough to sense that Qin Xian must have been contacted by someone regarding the ongoing situation.

“Don’t worry,” Qin Xian reassured him.

Meanwhile, Ji Fei and the Qin women were whispering excitedly about the endless stream of gossip that had taken over the internet.

At that moment, the unwelcome uncle-nephew duo showed up.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward them, unable to hide their excitement, ready to watch the drama unfold.

*Look at their faces, paler than someone who’s been dead for three days. Even the veteran Zong Chun couldn’t have imagined that Yu Rouyin’s acting would be this powerful. True talent really is the ultimate weapon.*

The Qin family: Indeed, they looked deathly pale.

But before they could approach Yu Rouyin, the director and producer appeared.

“Teacher Zong, just the person we were looking for…” the director said.

Zong Chun, recalling the impending trouble, braced himself and stepped forward. “I believe we can still perform on stage…”

He had lost his leverage, and with Yu Rouyin’s sudden triumph, things between them had fallen apart. He worried she might say something to frame him for not performing, which would be troublesome. Despite his anger and the urge to flay that wretched woman alive, he had to make an effort now.

But the producer cut him off with a smile. “Teacher Zong, there’s no need for you to go on stage anymore.”

Zong Chun’s expression froze. “How can that be? This is a competition.”

“But looking at Teacher Yu’s condition, she’s clearly too exhausted to continue,” the director said with a cold smile. “Besides, she doesn’t need to continue.”

Zong Chun’s face fell, and he was about to argue when the producer interrupted again, “We’ve already adjusted the program to meet the viewers’ expectations. And let’s not forget, Teacher Zong, it was you who initially couldn’t go on stage. We can’t rearrange things at your whim.”

The surrounding onlookers nearly burst out laughing.

*Exactly! They don’t owe you anything. You can’t just demand to go on stage whenever you want. Besides, the director and producer aren’t fools. They can clearly see you were using their show as a tool to control women.*

The Qin family struggled to suppress their laughter at Ji Fei’s inner thoughts.

The pressure from the surrounding gazes was too much for Zong Chun. Being humiliated in such a public setting made him furious. “What is the meaning of this? Are you saying I won’t be needed for any future premieres?”

Zong Chun attempted to use the threat of withdrawal to force the director and producer to relent.

However, both the director and producer stared at him with indifferent expressions, as if to say: walking away from a show mid-premiere was their fate, and they had already accepted it.

*Ha! Using that as leverage? Just wait—he’ll soon find out he really won’t be needed on stage. Netizens are already calling for a boycott of him appearing alongside Yu Rouyin. It won’t be long before this hits the trending topics. The netizens’ response leaves no one spared.*

The Qin family, who had been keenly watching the standoff, suddenly grew curious. How could this be?

After all, despite Zong Chun’s private wrongdoings, he still maintained a false public facade. Netizens shouldn’t have known about his connection with Yu Rouyin.

Their curiosity peaked, but Ji Fei’s internal monologue was too caught up in gloating to provide an explanation.

Everyone had to find out for themselves, quickly pulling out their phones to search.

What they discovered nearly made them burst out laughing.

It turned out that after the significant losses faced by the Wives’ League, they turned their attention to Zong Chun and Mrs. Zong, who remained unscathed. They felt used as tools.

When they were accused of having the nerve to continue blacklisting Yu Rouyin, someone couldn’t resist dragging Mrs. Zong down with them.

They revealed that this entire scheme was initiated by Mrs. Zong because her husband, Zong Chun, intended to divorce her for Yu Rouyin!

This revelation caused an uproar. But the current netizens weren’t the same as before—they were practically detectives now.

There had been so many revelations tonight that the audience was becoming seasoned at piecing together the truth within minutes.

“Are you kidding me? Don’t tell me you’re going to claim our Yu Rouyin seduced your old man, causing your divorce. That’s laughable! With her looks and talent, why would she even look at your husband? Is it for his age or the fact that he’s a parasite?”

“It’s more likely that Teacher Zong coveted our beautiful Yu, which is why he wants a divorce. But what does that have to do with our Yu?”

“Can’t control your own husband, so you take it out on an innocent woman? Women like you, who don’t know right from wrong, should be disqualified from womanhood!”

“Folks, I just remembered that video that popped up and went viral. Looks like we know who the mastermind was now.”

“Actually, you’re right. Someone even uploaded what seems to be the original script for Yu Rouyin’s performance. If you compare it with that video, it’s unbelievable.”

The script was about loyalty, love, and sacrifice amidst chaos—a story of dying for a soulmate that transcended romantic love. It aimed to redeem the term “bosom friend,” which had often been interpreted with negative connotations in modern times.

Yu Rouyin’s goal was to use her beauty and acting skills to create a contrast, proving that even someone with her so-called “home-wrecker” looks could find a true confidant who understood her without ulterior motives.

If she could achieve that, it would be the strongest testament to her acting prowess.

However, the video Mrs. Zong released depicted a mistress using her charm to manipulate a man, suppressing and provoking the legitimate wife. The man, entranced by his mistress, completely ignored his suffering wife until she exposed the mistress’s true colors.

The plot points closely mirrored the script, making it easy for people to draw comparisons.

Now, it was nothing but a joke, proving Mrs. Zong’s involvement in orchestrating the boycott.

“The entertainment industry’s judge strikes again, passing judgment on all sins. You schemers tried to harm others and faced your just desserts.”

Watching the internet’s backlash, Mrs. Zong couldn’t hold up any longer. She never thought she’d experience cyberbullying herself. Not only was she affected, but her entire family background was exposed, and various relatives were already calling to reprimand her.

Her face turned ashen. Panicking, she reached for her phone to call her husband.

Meanwhile, netizens began speculating about why Zong Chun wasn’t performing, and someone quickly analyzed the situation.

“Is he planning to propose to Yu Rouyin after the divorce, but she rejected him, so he decided to teach her a lesson and threaten her? Otherwise, tonight’s events don’t make sense!”

“Hey everyone, we’re standing outside the premiere hall with other fans, and we haven’t seen an ambulance or Zong Chun. Claiming he’s too sick to go on stage? Yeah, right!”

“Ugh, disgusting. Stay away, old man.”

Mrs. Zong stared at the comments, stunned.

At that moment, Zong Chun, still clueless, continued trying to argue with the director and producer.

Qin Zhao, seeing the online buzz, added fuel to the fire, “Teacher Zong, you might want to check the online discussions. The director is doing you a favor by not letting you perform—it’s to protect your reputation.”

*Pfft… It’s spreading fast, as expected. But what Qin Zhao said… performing or not, his reputation’s already in ruins!*

Zong Chun paused, a flicker of unease crossing his face as he took out his phone. One glance, and his pupils contracted sharply.

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars and likes of the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!