The organizers immediately rushed on stage, checking her microphone.
"Testing, testing... Huh? Seems fine. How did it suddenly cut out? Should we replace your mic?"
"No! That won't be necessary!" Lin Yixuan refused instantly. "If it's working now, I'll just... continue." She emphasized "continue," a desperate plea aimed backstage at Su Niansheng. But silence answered her.
What is she playing at?
"Um..." Lin Yixuan stammered, "The interruption affected my state. Could I request a ten-minute break—"
Before she could finish, the singing resumed through the speakers.
Lin Yixuan's face drained of color.
The entire hall erupted in chaos.
"What's happening? Was she lip-syncing?"
"Lip-syncing means playing a pre-recorded track and just moving your lips. But today, to ensure fairness, everyone is singing acapella! No recorded tracks allowed at all! Someone must have been singing for her!"
"Ghost-singing? That's a thing?"
"How could Jing University have a student like this? Using such underhanded tactics!"
"So vain! Faking it just to win!"
"WOW, this just got juicy!"
Duan Chengyu's sleepiness vanished completely. Not just vanished, he leaned into the drama, shouting, "So who was the ghost singer?"
"Yeah! Who was singing for her?"
His shout ignited the crowd. Chants demanding the ghost singer's identity filled the venue.
The organizers scrambled under the glare of cameras. University officials whispered, expressions stern with condemnation. Fellow students and fans stared at Lin Yixuan with utter disgust. The humiliation was absolute, a brutal fall from grace. She wanted nothing more than to flee.
Yet, just as she turned to run...
The stage curtain slowly began to rise.
The crisp click of slender high heels on the wooden stage floor preceded her. Then, the same captivating voice, now paired with its stunningly beautiful owner, appeared before everyone.
"If this is love, it was never fair..."
"Hiss—"
A collective gasp swept the auditorium.
She was breathtaking! Her voice was as captivating as her beauty!
She wore a sophisticated black swan gown with a sweetheart neckline, cinched at the waist to highlight its impossible slenderness. A string of luminous pearls adorned her neck, complementing skin like flawless snow. Her collarbones were elegantly defined, her features exquisitely sculpted: rose-petal lips, a perfectly arched nose, and eyes like luminous stars, sparkling with intelligence beneath long, dark lashes. Even the graceful curve of her high chignon was perfection.
She looked like a porcelain figurine stepped out of a music box, a vision too beautiful to look away from.
"Oh my god, she's stunning?!"
"Top celebrities couldn't hold a candle to her!"
"Is this the legendary 'voice of an angel, face of a goddess'?"
"That's Su Niansheng? The famous Campus Belle? Wow, she does Jing U proud!"
"Like a fairy descended..."
Duan Chengyu was utterly stunned.
He finally understood why a simple "Brother Jun" from her had been enough to make Shen Junxi stay.
Who could resist such beauty? A mere crook of her finger, and any man would come running. Skepticism vanished, replaced by complete understanding... and envy.
He glanced sideways. Sure enough, Shen Junxi's eyes were wide open, blazing with intense focus fixed solely on the girl on stage, seemingly entranced. Duan Chengyu couldn't resist teasing.
"Brother Jun, got the wrong girl? Thought you liked white dresses? Shouldn't you be looking at that... what's-her-name... Yixuan beside her?"
"Today," Shen Junxi replied, his voice low, "I like the one in black."
"Hahaha!" Duan Chengyu burst out laughing. Fair enough! Traitor to your own taste!
Zhong Zhe was also impressed, but his gaze on Shen Junxi revealed something deeper. It wasn't the usual admiration for a beautiful woman. His eyes, pools of dark intensity, devoured Su Niansheng like a dangerous, possessive whirlpool threatening to engulf her entirely. The sheer possessiveness radiating from him was almost palpable.
As if she were his most treasured secret.
Shen Junxi leaned forward slightly in his seat, drawn towards her, wanting to be closer. The deafening roar of the audience faded beneath the frantic, secret rhythm of his own heartbeat.
My Princess.
"Unbelievable! It wasn't Lin Yixuan singing at all! It was Su Niansheng!" Cheng Hao exclaimed beside Shi Yubai.
Shi Yubai's gaze had also snapped to the stage, locking onto the figure in black. It was her. That voice... it was hers.
"Yubai, you lucky dog! Having such an amazing, gorgeous, and generous girl chasing you! I'm dying of envy! When are you gonna give in?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
"How is it nonsense?" Cheng Hao pressed. "Everyone at Jing U knows Campus Belle Su Niansheng is crazy about you, the Finance Department's lofty prize! Only you could hold out this long. Anyone else would have caved ages ago! Wait..." He cupped a hand to his ear dramatically. "Listen! The song she chose today... isn't this a public declaration?"
On stage, the girl reached the line: "If this is love, I can't resist."
"She can't resist your charm, man!" Cheng Hao nudged him. "So romantic! Who could withstand that?"
"Yubai, be honest with me. Are you really not interested in her at all?"
As the song neared its end, Su Niansheng sang the final line, "It's not that I see clearly, it's that I prove I love you." Her eyes scanned the audience, searching for Shen Junxi. Her gaze brushed past Shi Yubai. Almost instantly, he averted his face.
His profile was cold, devoid of any warmth. "No. Not interested."
"Really?" Cheng Hao sounded doubtful. If he truly wasn't interested, why had he stared so intently since she appeared? And why... was he subconsciously tracing the edge of his file with his thumb? It was a little habit Cheng Hao had noticed over the years – something Shi Yubai did unconsciously when pleased. The last time he'd seen it was when Shi Yubai received the Jing University full scholarship.
The final note faded. Su Niansheng finally spotted Shen Junxi in the front row. She smiled, a radiant, dazzling expression directed solely at him, and gave a small wave.
Bathed in the stage lights, the young heir in the prime seat, his noble features touched by the glow, allowed a faint, tender smile to curve his own lips. He answered her silently in his heart.
I love you too.
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"Encore! Encore! ENCORE!"
"Su Niansheng for champion! SU NIANSHENG FOR CHAMPION!"
The hall erupted. Wave after wave of cheers crashed towards the stage. Faces shone with awe and admiration for the girl. Only Lin Yixuan stood frozen, her face ghostly pale, her eyes fixed on Su Niansheng with a hatred sharp as knives, as if she could carve a piece of flesh from her rival right then and there.
It was her all along! This outfit, this performance...
She had planned this betrayal for the finals all along! Planned to make her the laughingstock, scorned by everyone!
And I thought she was just a naive fool!
Who knew she was so conniving?
That scheming bitch!
She'll never get within one step of Yubai again!