After Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Cold Film Queen - Chapter 61

Yuanhe Entertainment’s headquarters was located in the center of North City, right next to the Xu family’s group, symbolizing the Xu family’s power in the entertainment industry and serving as their massive cash cow.

At this moment, the building, which should have been empty due to the official closing time for employees, was still brightly lit.

The General Manager paced back and forth restlessly, utterly distraught.

Who could have imagined that after a week of silence, when everyone thought Zhu Songning had finally surrendered, she would suddenly come back with a vengeance?

Moreover, the people standing behind her were actually members of the Shen family.

Working in the same field, the manager recognized several familiar accounts and had already determined they were Shen Qingmu’s doing.

“Didn’t Miss Xu say that Shen Qingyu absolutely wasn’t backing Zhu Songning? So what’s the meaning of Shen Qingmu coming out to stand up for her now?”

The General Manager slammed the water cup heavily onto the table.

The hot coffee sloshed inside, and several drops flew out due to inertia, splashing onto a subordinate’s hand, instantly reddening her skin.

The subordinate dared not speak, only meekly saying, “Miss Xu heard it from Lu Conghuan, the one she likes… Manager, we really need to contact Miss Xu Zhe as soon as possible…”

“Go ahead? Who’s stopping you?” Bringing it up only fueled his anger. “All the trainees’ and staff’s mobile devices have been confiscated, so you tell me how to contact her!”

“…”

In the tense atmosphere, a staff member rushed in, panting heavily:

“This is bad! Zhu Songning’s votes have surpassed hers now! The opposition already used the buzz we paid for, and Zhu Songning’s fans organized together, constantly posting the voting link under every one of her exposé threads. A lot of passersby are now involved, plus many people are starting to feel pity for her…”

The subordinate looked at Zhu Songning’s vote curve on the big screen, sensing something was wrong. She opened the live broadcast of Youth Trainee 2 on her phone.

Indeed.

She respectfully handed the phone to the General Manager.

“Manager, their group performance has started.”

The General Manager watched the live screen, first seeing a huge close-up of Zhu Songning, and then the camera cutting to the other members of her group.

Catching sight of one of the members, he suddenly remembered something.

“Prepare our Plan B press release: ‘Zhu Songning’s Major Stage Blunder.'”

Luo Chuanhe was still feeling uneasy even as she stepped onto the stage.

She didn’t know why, but ever since the large-scale online exposure of Zhu Songning’s scandals a week ago, combined with Shen Qingyu’s specific instruction to take good care of Zhu Songning, especially during the performance, her inner disquiet began to intensify.

“Zhu Songning…”

In the last second before the camera shot her, she still couldn’t feel at ease and called out her name.

Zhu Songning seemed to respond a little belatedly, giving a soft “Mm,” and then reassured her, “Don’t be nervous. The reality can’t get any worse anyway.”

In the original plot of the book, Luo Chuanhe did not debut.

Instead, she was designed as a foil to Xu Zhe, framed as the downfall of a highly talented individual to highlight the protagonist’s brilliance.

So, for Luo Chuanhe, everything could only head in a better direction.

And so could she.

Nothing could be worse than the present.

Nothing was worse than having all one’s actions constrained by the system.

Regardless of the outcome, they were moving towards a brighter direction.

The moment the music started, Zhu Songning finally felt the pain in her body lighten significantly. 001 was using its own energy to help her shoulder the Main System’s warning.

She raised the microphone in her hand, and an ethereal opening segment immediately set the entire venue ablaze.

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, exactly as planned during rehearsals.

This stage was primarily choreographed by Zhu Songning and Luo Chuanhe; one understood how to grab attention, and the other had the talent.

With the help of mentors Yang Yang, Ellen, and Jin Ming, their performance, if completed smoothly, was certain to achieve the desired result.

The key two-minute mark arrived.

001, just as it promised, supported Zhu Songning for a full two minutes. The moment Zhu Songning finished her part, a strong, powerful surge of pain immediately attacked her.

It was even several times stronger than before.

Cold sweat instantly beaded on her forehead, mixing with the perspiration from the intense dance.

Biting her lip, she changed positions to the back row according to the formation. Only then, away from the camera’s view, did she finally lose her composure, uncontrollably stumbling slightly.

[Ho… Host, are you okay?]

001 also sounded weak.

Zhu Songning fiercely pinched her left hand with her right, forcing herself to steady her body.

“I’ll be fine.”

001 had fulfilled its promise. The rest, Zhu Songning could endure herself.

During another formation change, Zhu Songning stopped talking to 001, simply telling it to rest and recover its energy, while she quickly adjusted her state and followed the movement.

Fortunately, this performance had been rehearsed and polished hundreds of times. Even with excruciating pain all over her body, Zhu Songning could still follow her muscle memory to complete the dance.

Moreover, this physical pain would, in turn, increase her spiritual joy.

She had no obligation to submit to fate and the predetermined path in her life.

The suffering and pain she was experiencing were precisely the whetstones for her spirit. Furthermore, it wasn’t just resistance against her own fate; if the Main System continued to control this world, then everyone and everything in it would serve the two protagonists, with even what they rightfully deserved being conceded to the protagonists’ aura and luck.

If everyone refused to fight back, this closed loop of destiny would never end.

Zhu Songning placed all her focus on the struggle against the Main System and the completion of the stage performance.

Soon, the performance was down to the final climax.

This was also the most difficult part; the dance was challenging, and any slight mistake could have serious consequences.

It was only after discussion with everyone that Zhu Songning and Luo Chuanhe decided to keep this spectacular, high-risk, high-reward dance segment.

To achieve the desired effect, this segment alone had been practiced countless times.

Zhu Songning quickly moved to the front row with the beat, and the change occurred in that instant.

Song Yu, one of the group members, failed to withdraw her foot when she should have, and her outstretched foot was precisely in Zhu Songning’s mandatory path.

Even the highly trained Zhu Songning could not have fully guaranteed an immediate dodge, let alone the current her, whose mind was beginning to feel hazy from the torment of her pain receptors.

Although it looked like an accident, that foot deftly avoided all surrounding camera equipment, like a glaring trap set before her, yet unavoidable.

She was successfully tripped.

In front of her was the hard floor, and she was the absolute center for this DC (dance break); the consequences would undoubtedly be disastrous.

The viewership of the Youth Trainee 2 live broadcast had already surpassed 100 million, and the number of concurrent viewers reached a new height during their group performance.

Backstage, the numbers on the director’s screen constantly soared, indicating that the success of this episode might break the myth of Youth Trainee 1, reaching an unprecedented level beyond the first season.

At this moment, Zhu Songning was undoubtedly the focus of all eyes: some anticipated her victory, while others eagerly awaited her fall.

Thousands of eyes were present at the venue, along with the vast viewing audience across electronic displays and the internet.

As her center of gravity was completely lost, Zhu Songning glanced at the mentor’s panel and saw a pair of determined black eyes looking at her.

A thought suddenly flashed through her bewildered mind.

How much weight had Shen Qingyu been carrying all these years while silently fighting the Main System in the dark?

Could the pain she was experiencing be the very source of what had been tormenting the person she loved?

The naturally fair skin, the lower-than-average body temperature…

Shen Qingyu had given her too many glimpses of her vulnerability, yet she was adept at concealing it, just like when she hid her red and swollen palms after being struck by a ruler at the Shen family home back then.

Under the combined force of physical torment and extreme mental state, Zhu Songning’s taut body seemed to return to her control.

She just needed a little momentum.

— “Luo Chuanhe!”

The sub-center standing beside her was Luo Chuanhe.

Having received Shen Qingyu’s instruction before going on stage, she had been keeping an eye on Zhu Songning’s movements. Therefore, she sensed something was wrong almost at the same instant Zhu Songning was tripped.

A pair of strong hands grabbed hers.

Strength flowed between them.

Zhu Songning’s backward-falling body instantly righted itself, but the crown accessory she wore on her head fell.

The magician’s hand reacted faster than her brain, swiftly catching the crown with lightning speed and hiding it.

The climax of the music arrived as scheduled.

Zhu Songning landed precisely on her mark, flying into her position.

In front of the camera, her facial muscles were not distorted by the severe pain, and the bold, unrestrained smile was still highly lifted on her young, vibrant face.

And she radiated this vitality infinitely to all who watched her.

She was like the sun, unstoppable and impossible to be covered by clouds for long.

“Sometimes I wonder how a person’s will can be strong enough to this extent—silent in repose, yet capable of erupting with immense power like a volcano.”

Perhaps Shen Qingmu was right; she and Shen Qingyu had always been the same kind of person.

The kind who were like maniacs.

Taking a large stride to the front of the camera, the crown reappeared in Zhu Songning’s hand with a marvelous, almost magical sleight of hand.

Under the gaze of tens of thousands, the hand holding the crown gradually rose, finally resting upon her head—

Star-studded.

Applause thundered below the stage. In a corner unnoticed by anyone, Song Yu’s face was pale.

This live clip immediately spread like wildfire online. All of Yuanhe Entertainment’s press releases turned into waste paper, fed into the wide, dark maw of the shredder, turning into a blizzard of white scraps.

It was also at this moment, backstage, that Zhu Songning’s vote count completely crushed Xu Zhe with an unstoppable momentum, leaving the other side no chance of a comeback.

“Zhu Songning! We did it!”

Luo Chuanhe’s voice was excited, and she heavily pounded Zhu Songning on the shoulder.

As she did, she realized the sensation was odd. She turned to see Zhu Songning’s face difficultly restraining its paleness, her body lightly swaying backward like a kite.

A trainee next to them saw this and cried out in surprise:

“Ahhhhhhh!”

“It’s over! Luo Luo Sis punched Zhu Zhu Sis to death!!”

Of course, Zhu Songning couldn’t have been punched to death.

She had only passed out due to excessive exhaustion.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw a pure white ceiling and smelled the distinctive disinfectant odor of a hospital.

“Hiss—” Struggling to sit up, she accidentally knocked the IV pole on her hand, causing a clatter.

Turning her head, she discovered a second person lying in the room, none other than Shen Qingyu.

Zhu Songning: “…?”

Had they reached a level of understanding where even going to the hospital required such synchronization?

That was a little spooky.

Her awakening quickly alerted the nurse. The door was pushed open, and a crowd of young trainees, led by Luo Chuanhe, swarmed in, gathering around her hospital bed.

“Wuwuwu, you’re finally awake.”

Luo Chuanhe was the first to rush to her side.

“You have no idea what I’ve been through! The whole internet is saying I punched you into the hospital. Everyone’s calling me Super Punch King now, wuwuwu!”

Super Punch King?

Zhu Songning couldn’t help but chuckle upon hearing the title.

“Alright, alright, I’m fine, aren’t I?”

She patted Luo Chuanhe’s back, trying to ease the girl’s sobbing shoulders pressed against her quilt.

“Zhu Zhu Sis! I debuted successfully too!”

The twin-tailed girl rushed to give her the good news.

“Thank you and Luo Luo Sis for your help, hehehe.”

“…………”

A group of girls of similar age, when gathered, would inevitably chatter nonstop. However, before they could make too much noise, the on-duty doctor arrived, having heard the commotion, to usher them out.

“What’s going on? All of you, out! The patient needs rest!”

Young girls, accustomed to fearing teachers and doctors since childhood, were chastised and immediately abandoned Zhu Songning, retreating like a surging tide without looking back.

The hospital room quickly fell silent again.

The doctor checked her condition, instructed the nurse beside him to remove her IV needle, and urged her to rest well.

As soon as the door closed, Zhu Songning, who had just been completely obedient to the doctor, impatiently flipped out of bed to look at Shen Qingyu lying in the adjacent bed.

Zhu Songning firmly believed that there was a certain truth to why a beautiful woman was called a beautiful woman.

Especially when Shen Qingyu lay quietly on the bed, she was so pretty and delicate, like a doll.

The very expensive kind of doll.

She couldn’t resist reaching out to gently touch Shen Qingyu’s long, dense brown eyelashes, but she saw her eyelids flutter.

Zhu Songning slightly raised an eyebrow.

“Jie Jie (Sister)?”

She softly called into Shen Qingyu’s ear.

“Has Jie Jie not woken up yet?”

“Do I need to kiss you to wake you up, like in a fairy tale?”

Outside the hospital room, sunlight poured in. The golden rays fell on the cold floor and the bed, adding a touch of warmth to the blue and white room.

Under the witness of the sunlight outside the window, Zhu Songning reverently kissed Shen Qingyu’s cold lips.

Obsidian-like eyes slowly opened amidst a slight tremor, looking deep into Zhu Songning’s eyes, which were profoundly gazing at her.

Support