The chaotic scene inexplicably sent adrenaline surging through everyone.
As the singing and dancing contestant on stage finished their performance, the entire audience erupted in screams, wildly waving their glow sticks.
This was the first internal showcase for the preliminary contestants—a training match based on stage performances.
It was designed to prevent stage fright during their debut, and from then on, this would be the standard.
"Long Aotian, Long Aotian, hold it higher! Lin Wanning is coming up next!" Li Qingxue exclaimed excitedly.
"Thanks, Long Aotian!" Hu Yuying was equally thrilled. The stage effects today were incredible, giving off the vibe of an up-close concert.
"Leave it to me, no problem!" Long Aotian raised Lin Wanning's support banner—the biggest one in the venue, meticulously designed by Hu Yuying.
As the song ended, the announcer called out the next contestant's number and name.
Even the usually introverted Hu Yuying couldn't help but cheer along with Li Qingxue's excitement.
Seeing the two girls so exhilarated, Long Aotian swung the banner even more vigorously, swaying it left and right.
"Hey man, chill out—I can't see!"
A voice came from behind Long Aotian.
"Sorry, got a little carried away," Long Aotian replied, turning around.
The two locked eyes, both momentarily stunned.
Because the man behind him was also holding a Lin Wanning support banner.
"You're a fan of Lin Wanning too?"
They spoke in unison.
Long Aotian chuckled. He hadn’t expected Lin Wanning to already have fans at this stage.
It was partly thanks to the production team.
The earlier audition rounds had been edited into promotional clips and released.
Though Lin Wanning’s appearance and songs were only shown for a few seconds, her striking beauty and unique voice had already won her a small following.
The entrance music changed, and Lin Wanning stepped out from backstage, dressed in a stunning outfit with subtle makeup.
Hearing the man behind him fervently shouting Lin Wanning’s name, Long Aotian cleared his throat and drowned him out with an even louder cheer.
Not to be outdone, the man raised his voice further.
Back and forth they went, each shout louder than the last.
Hu Yuying and Li Qingxue exchanged puzzled glances.
"Is this some weird male competition thing?"
"Probably," Hu Yuying replied uncertainly.
Just then, Long Aotian felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
Pulling it out, he saw it was a call from Xu Shuai.
Glancing around, the noise made it impossible to take the call.
"Yuying, Qingxue, I need to take this. I’ll be right back."
"Okay, we’ll wait here. But hurry—Lin Wanning’s about to start."
Long Aotian gave a quick thumbs-up and headed for the emergency exit.
He called back, "Hey, what’s up?"
The anxious tone on the other end made him pause. "Wait, slow down—what happened to Huang Fei?"
On the other end, Xu Shuai rubbed his head in frustration, took a deep breath, and tried to explain coherently.
As Xu Shuai spoke, Long Aotian’s frown deepened.
Shen Mengjie’s mother had brought a man in his forties to the school, demanding Shen Mengjie drop out and return home.
She claimed education was useless for her daughter and that she should marry early—specifically, this older man, who had already paid an 80,000-yuan betrothal gift.
The scene at the school had turned ugly.
Since it involved a parent, the school couldn’t directly intervene and instead tried reasoning with her.
But Shen Mengjie’s mother was relentless—wailing, making a scene, even rolling on the ground—so no one dared step in.
At one point, she cursed Shen Mengjie for being "wild" and even slapped her.
Just as the older man was about to drag Shen Mengjie out of the school, Huang Fei rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
No one knew who threw the first punch, but as an athlete, Huang Fei wasn’t one to back down in a fight.
Things escalated until the police arrived, taking Huang Fei away while an ambulance carted off the older man.
After hearing Xu Shuai’s account, Long Aotian exhaled sharply. "I’m still out right now. Head to the police station—I’ll grab a cab and meet you there."
"Got it, we’re on our way."
Hanging up, Long Aotian quickly explained the situation to the girls.
Hu Yuying looked surprised but noticed his urgency. "Be careful on the way. Once Lin Wanning’s done, I’ll explain it to her."
Even Li Qingxue, who usually teased Long Aotian, stayed serious this time. "Take care. We’ll wait for you at home."
With that, Long Aotian left and hailed a cab to the location Xu Shuai had given.
As soon as he arrived, he spotted Xu Shuai and Li Longlong waiting outside.
"How’s it looking?"
"It should be fine. Everyone at the scene can confirm that the other guy shoved Huang Fei first, and both of them got hurt. At worst, it’ll be classified as a mutual brawl."
Before long, a man around forty years old, his head wrapped in bandages, walked over accompanied by a police officer.
Seeing this, Long Aotian and the other two followed them inside.
At first, the older man refused to back down.
Even though it was ruled a mutual brawl, the fact remained that he was injured.
If they pressed the matter, Huang Fei could end up detained for at least a few days.
And anyone with eyes could see this old man was just being a troublemaker!
Long Aotian leaned in and whispered something into Xu Shuai and Li Longlong’s ears.
Then, he suddenly held his breath, his face gradually turning crimson.
Clenching his fists, Long Aotian glared at the older man, his dark eyes burning with hostility, his sharp brows exuding a cold, intimidating aura.
It looked as though, if they weren’t in a police station, he would’ve lunged at the man and torn him apart on the spot.
The older man took one glance and immediately averted his gaze, his bravado crumbling instantly.
Xu Shuai and Li Longlong quickly grabbed Long Aotian, practically dragging him out by force.
The moment they stepped outside, they released his arms.
"Will this really work?"
"If this were his hometown, probably not. But we’re in unfamiliar territory—he’ll think twice."
"Besides, both sides are at fault. He won’t want to provoke some hotheaded stranger in a place where he’s out of his depth!"
It wasn’t the most honorable tactic, but Long Aotian knew that with people like this—bullies who thrived on others’ weakness—playing nice only emboldened them.
Sometimes, showing a little aggression was all it took to scare them off.
Sure enough, not long after Huang Fei paid for the medical expenses, he was released...

u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.

. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"

reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?

ial death, also known as "shè sǐ" in Chinese, generally refers to... well, never mind, it's not important. My name is Ye Cheng, and I'm about to experience social death firsthand. ... 【Host, your mission is to confess your love to the young lady of the Dongfang family, the current student council president, in a way that will be unforgettable for everyone at the freshman ceremony!】 【Host, assist the girl with a sprained ankle in front of you to reach the infirmary, and fulfill the wicked thoughts in your heart!】 【Host, act on your desires and punish the arrogant young lady before you mercilessly!】 【Host, follow your instincts—abandon shameful surrender, begging, or groveling, and ruthlessly criticize the domineering, ill-mannered young lady in front of you!】 【Host...】 Ye Cheng: "Here, here, you take this host role—I quit!" Wait, why is the girl with a sprained ankle the daughter of a mafia boss? And what kind of punishment method is this for the arrogant young lady? Also, who the heck said anything about wicked thoughts in my heart? Come out here, let’s settle this one-on-one!!! ... The haughty student council president, the scheming mafia princess, the fragile yandere young lady, the airheaded maid-in-waiting, the mixed-blood loli/...