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"Give me a moment," Shen Baili said.

She messaged Hong Congshuang from the classroom. As soon as she got a reply, she posted on Weibo. The post had no caption, only a picture.

It was a photo of the king she had played in the final episode of the variety show.

Dressed in plain black, the king had fought her way to the Thorn Throne with a sword in hand and crowned herself. Bodies lay strewn at her feet, their blood seeping into the thorns and blooming into crimson roses.

She wore no lavish clothes or exquisite accessories. Power and arms were her finest adornments.

She would crush any enemy, any falsehood.

The meaning behind Shen Baili's post was unmistakable.

She would not defend herself, nor did she need to.

But she would turn this fierce campaign against her to her advantage.

After Shen Baili posted, Hong Congshuang had the show's official account repost it.

Hong Congshuang also made the guest selection process public and stated firmly that Shen Baili had not taken anyone else's place.

Han Wushuang was the first to repost Shen Baili's post, throwing her full support behind her.

The other guests united behind Shen Baili, reposting it one by one and publicly voicing their support.

Crime Scene Investigation's clear stance gave fans of the show and its guests a much-needed boost, pulling the lopsided public opinion back toward the middle.

[If they'd ranked the auditions, Shen Baili would've come first out of all six guests. She earned her place.]

[My friend's an intern at Crime Scene Investigation. She said the original guest broke the contract right before filming, and Shen Baili came in to save the day.]

[Really? Who was the original guest? Didn't they have to pay a penalty for backing out at the last