She had it coming

Tong Chuhe's sudden collapse sent an uproar through the crowd.

Tan Zhuishi, who had come specifically to watch Tong Chuhe, looked grim. He shot to his feet and started to rush toward the stage.

But a moment later, Tong Chuhe flowed from her fallen position into a series of dance moves, then pushed off with both feet and sprang stylishly upright, as though her sudden fall had merely been part of the choreography.

She danced with abandon, her rhythmic movements dazzling the audience.

Only Jiang Nian knew that blood was streaming from her toes as she danced across the stage, step by step.

The seated spectators exclaimed in amazement:

"So that was part of the choreography! She gave me such a fright!"

"Exactly! It looked so real. I thought something had gone wrong!"

"Now that's a professional dancer. The emotion builds layer by layer, every movement leading into the next. Just watching from down here has my blood pumping."

Tong Chuhe continued moving to the music, her light, graceful figure seeming to merge with it, leaving an indelible impression.

Everyone marveled at the choreography. Only Tan Zhuishi wore a dark expression as he prepared to head backstage.

He didn't believe for a second that it had been choreographed. That flash of pain on Chu He's face had been real.

She was definitely hurt.

Tan Zhuishi hurried toward the exit, but stopped halfway. After a moment of hesitation, he turned and returned to his seat.

"I have to cast my votes for Chu He first. What if she loses because she's missing these two votes? I can't let that happen."

He could joke around about anything else, but not Chu He's votes.

Muttering to himself, he finished voting before getting ready to go backstage and find a first-aid kit.

Meanwhile, beside the stage, Jiang Nian stared coldly at the seemingly innocent Fu Zhenzhen.

If Fu Zhenzhen hadn't done this, she would uproot a willow tree with her bare hands.

Although 88 had transferred the glass away the instant it detected it, Tong Chuhe's foot had still been injured.

What if she hadn't had a system? What if 88 hadn't been able to remove the shards? Would Tong Chuhe have kept dancing?

If she did, she would ruin her foot-and dancing was how she made her living.

If she didn't, she would certainly be eliminated from the competition, still unable to escape becoming Fu Zhenzhen's stepping stone.

Given how seriously Tong Chuhe took dancing, she would surely find a way to finish. Either way, Fu Zhenzhen had nothing to lose.

What a neatly calculated scheme...

After several climaxes, the music onstage finally drew to a close. Tong Chuhe struck a bold finishing pose, bringing her performance to an end.

During the scoring round, the judges awarded one high score after another, all in the nineties. Her final average was 97.

Only after the last contestant finished performing would the audience votes be added to calculate each person's total score.

Tong Chuhe bowed politely to the judges before calmly walking offstage.

Only when she reached Jiang Nian did her body sag and her weakness show. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and blood had seeped through her shoe.

Jiang Nian caught her and asked anxiously, "That wasn't part of your choreography, was it? What happened to your foot? Why is there so much blood?"

Jiang Nian hadn't been able to tell while Tong Chuhe was onstage. Only now, up close, did she realize how much blood she had lost.

Jiang Nian addressed 88 through gritted teeth:

[That damned Fu Zhenzhen! How dare she put glass shards in Chu He's shoe!]

[Even though you removed them immediately, Chu He kept dancing for so long afterward. Her wound must have gotten worse.]

Only after hearing Jiang Nian's thoughts did Tong Chuhe understand what had happened.

No wonder she had been cut one second, only for the glass shards to disappear the next.

She cast Fu Zhenzhen a sidelong glance, then raised a hand to reassure Jiang Nian.

"It's okay. There was something in my shoe earlier, but it's gone now."

Fu Zhenzhen was already being called onto the stage as the next performer. She stared at Tong Chuhe's foot with an unreadable expression, recalled the sensation her performance had caused, then gave a cold snort and went straight onstage.

So what if Tong Chuhe had finished her performance? Her foot must have been covered in wounds. She was only forcing herself to hold on.

Jiang Nian frowned and took Tong Chuhe's arm, intending to bring her to the infirmary, but Tong Chuhe shook her head.

"Let's watch her performance first."

She was still curious about what kind of dance had defeated her and won the championship.

Unable to persuade her, Jiang Nian could only support Tong Chuhe as she calmly watched Fu Zhenzhen take the stage.

[88, strip every buff off Fu Zhenzhen. And return her glass shards while you're at it.]

88 answered in a low voice:

[As you wish.]

The moment Fu Zhenzhen stepped onstage, she hurriedly applied several buffs to herself: radiant glow, love at first sight, advanced dancer.

Every buff she could think of, she piled onto herself.

Yet her entrance caused no stir at all. Everyone was still absorbed in Tong Chuhe's previous performance, discussing it animatedly.

The next performer? Who cared?

Unaware that her buffs had been quietly removed, Fu Zhenzhen frowned.

Why wasn't the audience reacting? Had the buffs not kicked in yet?

Puzzled, she walked toward the center of the stage.

But a second later, her foot slipped on something, and she fell flat on her face with a thud in front of thousands of people.

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted in laughter.

"Hahahaha! Why did she come out and give us such a grand bow?"

"I can't! Why does she look so clueless? Is she really here to dance?"

Fu Zhenzhen's face turned red, then purple with anger.

She wanted everyone's attention, but not like this!

She scrambled to her feet at lightning speed, pretending nothing had happened, and glanced at the floor.

There was nothing there.

Yet she had clearly felt herself step on something that tripped her.

Pressing her lips together, she put those distracting thoughts aside for the moment and focused on finishing her dance.

Lively, cheerful music began to play. Fu Zhenzhen had prepared an energetic dance.

With her hair in a high ponytail and a bright yellow miniskirt, she wanted to radiate the lively warmth of the sun.

But without her various buffs, Fu Zhenzhen, who had never learned to dance, couldn't even perform the steps smoothly.

In the original novel, she had relied on a pile of buffs to make her dance all about atmosphere, creating a youthful, lively mood that matched the theme of this selection round.

Even if she made a minor mistake along the way, everyone would only find it utterly adorable.

This time, however, without her buffs, all anyone could see was her stumbling through her movements, performing an indescribably awkward dance with a face full of confidence.

The entire auditorium was eerily quiet. Apart from the exuberant accompaniment coming from the speakers, not a single person spoke.

Fu Zhenzhen thought her buffs had taken effect and everyone was immersed in her performance, so she immediately danced with even greater enthusiasm.

Then, during a spin, she suddenly felt an agonizing pain shoot through the sole of her foot.

"Ah!"

She screamed and collapsed onto the floor in pain.