Chapter 797: Chapter 796: Humiliating my strength?

Due to Zhai Qingtong’s exaggerated movements, even the other earbud of Lu Mian got yanked out.

Lu Mian’s eyes darkened as she lazily stood up, staring coldly at the girl in front of her.

“Looking for trouble?” Lu Mian asked with a chilling laugh.

Zhai Qingtong was startled by her cold tone, thinking that although both were girls, Lu Mian was really fierce, while Lu Xinnuan seemed much gentler and cuter.

But since she had already snatched it away, she wasn’t concerned about Lu Mian’s reaction.

This was the production team’s area; what could Lu Mian do to her?

“How is this looking for trouble? Is there something you don’t want people to see? Can’t others listen in?” Zhai Qingtong, emboldened, ignored Lu Mian’s expression.

The other two boys in the lounge, Pei Wenda and Xiang Yu, glanced over and tacitly chose not to intervene. Xiang Yu even secretly gave Zhai Qingtong a thumbs up, clearly supporting her actions.

Regardless of whether they could find any evidence of Lu Mian cheating, such a commotion would definitely affect Lu Mian’s mood.

In a live, mentally taxing competition like this, whoever loses their composure first, loses the game.

Zhai Qingtong smugly put on the earbuds.

From the earbuds came a soft, healing female voice.

[We all have secrets; we all have scars; we protect each other with the little warmth we have.]

Zhai Qingtong paused.

“Why is it this?”

As a university student, she was naturally familiar with such a popular classic in the country. Even after hearing only one sentence, she could tell where this audio came from.

It was a classic line from Ya Qing’s “Her Secret,” voiced by Cang Xue.

“Tsk, you should have said it was this earlier.” Zhai Qingtong returned the earbuds to Lu Mian, not showing any intention to apologize, even feeling that Lu Mian kept things too hidden, still being secretive at this point.

She was really cunning.

Lu Mian, with devilish arrogance, wound the earbuds around her fingers a few times and tossed them into her pocket.

Before Zhai Qingtong turned to leave, Lu Mian stood in her way, suppressing her irritation and said gravely, “I’ll give you a chance to apologize.”

The spoiled girl casually placed a hand in her pocket, her tone wicked and arrogant.

Zhai Qingtong laughed, “I didn’t do anything to you, so why should I apologize? Are you really holding such a grudge?”

Lu Mian laughed along as well.

“Besides, whether I’ve wronged you or not, you know best in your heart. Why pretend to be so high and mighty here!” Zhai Qingtong proudly bypassed Lu Mian and returned to her seat.

Only then did Pei Wenda speak up with what seemed like a fair comment.

“The show starts in half an hour, let’s all quiet down a bit!”

Pei Wenda’s words were clearly meant to extricate Zhai Qingtong but also served as a reminder for Lu Mian.

She lowered her eyes, murmuring, “Half an hour, huh… that’s enough time.”

“Enough time for what?”

Zhai Qingtong asked another question, only to turn around and see Lu Mian fiddling with her phone.

Lu Mian kindly resolved Zhai Qingtong’s confusion this time, flipping through the contacts on her slender fingers, and spoke lightly, “Calling in a favor.”

“Ha, so you finally admit it! I was saying, with the competition questions so tough, how could you easily beat your opponents! If not for using the reputation of Lu Xinnuan to get yourself a backer, pulling some strings. Tsk, it would’ve been better if you had said this earlier!”

Zhai Qingtong, as if having discovered a new continent, immediately grew excited.

Pei Wenda and Xiang Yu looked at each other, feeling somewhat vindicated.

If there was to be cheating, let everyone cheat; no one had the right to mock anyone else.

The smile at the bottom of Lu Mian’s eyes was quite sarcastic, and as her gaze swept over them, she also dialed the phone call.

It was answered quickly.

“Grandpa Xiao.” Lu Mian greeted softly.

“Mianmian! Grandpa is already in the audience, I’ve called lots of people to cheer for you!”

Lu Mian knew about this and felt quite warmed in her heart to be so doted on by her grandfather’s generation.

“Thank you, Grandpa Xiao. The scene is quite chaotic, please take good care of yourself.”

“Mo Si is here, I am fine!” Xiao Jianli continued to ask, “Why are you calling me at this time?”

“I need your help with something.”

“What do you need? Grandpa loves to help you!” Xiao Jianli said with a chuckle, his expression exceptionally sincere.

At his side, Mo Si’s mouth twitched, members of the Xiao Family were indeed all cut from the same cloth. The old patriarch’s boundless doting expression for Miss Lu looked exactly like Grandpa Mo’s.

Lu Mian simply said a few sentences on the other end, Xiao Jianli nodded as he listened, and even huffed in annoyance from time to time.

In the end, the old man assured her, “Rest assured, leave this matter to me!”

After hanging up, Mo Si asked, “Old Patriarch, what’s wrong with Miss Lu?”

Meng Zhenqing, another old friend on Xiao Jianli’s other side, also craned his neck curiously.

“Old Xiao, your granddaughter-in-law isn’t asking you to get the answers from the show’s staff, is she? I vaguely heard that several contestants… may have used backdoor deals… Isn’t it a bit late for getting the answers now…”

“If Mianmian came to me for the answers, things would be much simpler!” Xiao Jianli said sternly, “Have you ever seen a contestant making things hard for themselves?”

Meng Zhenqing was puzzled.

Mo Si shook his head.

—-

On this end, after hanging up the phone, Lu Mian’s mood had also improved considerably.

Meanwhile, Zhai Qingtong, Pei Wenda, and Xiang Yu were stunned. They abruptly stood up and hurried over to Lu Mian’s side.

“Lu Mian, you’re asking the show’s staff to change the contest questions? And to make them up on the spot? Have you lost your mind!”

“Ah.” Lu Mian smiled slightly, her tone incredibly irritating as she began, “Didn’t you say I have connections, that I pull strings? Let me show you.”

The three of them were thoroughly choked by her reply.

What nonsense was this!

People pull strings to make things easier for themselves, to seek benefits.

Yet here she was, using connections to make the competition harder?

“No, what’s in it for you? Everyone has been memorizing answers for a week, by doing this, aren’t you just wasting everyone’s efforts?” Zhai Qingtong’s voice was particularly sharp.

The more upset she became, the more composed Lu Mian appeared to be.

Originally, the three of them had wanted to disrupt Lu Mian’s pre-competition state of mind. They hadn’t expected that instead of Lu Mian getting flustered, they would be the ones falling apart.

Lu Mian took a step and sat down leisurely on the sofa, crossing her legs with ease and comfort.

She had given them a chance to apologize.

“It’s not to my advantage.” She smirked mischievously, “But this way, it’s fair for me.”

“You… What do you mean by that?”

“What I mean is…” She leaned forward slightly, elbows propped on her knees, and her tone ice-cold.

“Why should I let three clowns ridicule my strength?”

“…” Zhai Qingtong’s eyes widened. Despite being a talented student, she couldn’t comprehend.

She looked to Pei Wenda and Xiang Yu for help.

The two men blushed and turned away in anger and annoyance.

Lu Mian was mocking them as cheating clowns!

What did this imply…

Without a smile reaching her eyes, Lu Mian added, “It’s my first time pulling strings, and I’m quite nervous about it.”

The three of them: !!!