Chapter 134 - 127: The End of the Music Competition and a Stirred Heart

Chapter 134: Chapter 127: The End of the Music Competition and a Stirred Heart

Fang Meng was shocked to hear this. ’Could this really be true?’

’Hugging... isn’t that going a bit too far? The young miss is always gentle and easygoing with those around her, but she’s always been very proper when it comes to men.’

Fang Meng had already found it strange and surprising enough that the young miss had dressed up and arranged a private date with Lin Zhengran all because of the arranged marriage.

’And now hugging...’

’Even if the young miss was probably lying about the hug, doesn’t this prove she might be genuinely interested in Lin Zhengran for reasons beyond just Qianqian?’

’If she really starts to fall for him...’

Fang Meng sighed silently. Listening to the two sisters argue again, she had a feeling that life was about to get very surreal.

She never would have imagined that these two would end up arguing like this over a boy.

The night grew deeper. No war, no matter how fierce, can last forever. Eventually, exhaustion sets in.

The sisters’ standoff had just lasted a little longer than usual tonight, but it eventually came to an end.

Like the two sulking sisters themselves, the two Rolls-Royces drove off in opposite directions after the argument.

In Jiang Jingshi’s car, the young lady in the silver-white dress, who had just been at daggers drawn with her sister, now had a completely normal expression. As soon as she was away from her sister, it was as if she wasn’t angry at all. In fact, she seemed to find the whole thing amusing.

She mused that Qianqian was truly starting to fall for Lin Zhengran.

’Otherwise, she wouldn’t have argued with me for so long.’

’But then again... while it’s true I was only curious about him at first because of my sister, ever since we met at the supermarket... things have changed. I know now that my connection with Lin Zhengran isn’t about anyone else anymore.’

’My own heart is genuinely drawn to him.’

Recalling the moment in the cat café when the cats had pushed her over and she had fallen into his arms, Jiang Jingshi felt no embarrassment. Instead, her heart began to race with a shy flutter.

As she gazed at the night sky outside the window, her bashfulness gave way to a more pressing thought. She took out her phone and called a subordinate she trusted completely.

The call connected almost immediately. "Hello, President Jiang?"

Jiang Jingshi gazed out the window.

"Look into what Jiang Cheng has been up to lately. I want a full report on all his movements, everyone he’s met with. And while you’re at it, see if he has any connection to New Star Music’s event today."

"Understood."

"And one more thing... I need you to create a fake version of tomorrow’s music chart. Get some online crowds to generate fake votes, but make sure it looks as authentic as possible."

She added a reminder, "I need it fast. Get it done by tonight."

The subordinate had no idea what Jiang Jingshi was planning but was completely loyal. "Of course, President Jiang. Rest assured, I’ll have my team work overtime and get it done tonight."

"Thank you for your hard work. Once this is done, I’ll have the finance department send a bonus to you and your team."

After a few more brief words, she hung up and immediately dialed Lun Jie.

Sty might be a big star, but his standing in the music industry was a notch below Lun Jie’s. And even if Sty could be bribed, Jiang Jingshi had a history of collaboration with Lun Jie.

So if there was something shady going on today, he would have definitely noticed.

The call went through.

Jiang Jingshi smiled. "Lun Jie, are you asleep?"

"Not yet. What’s up, President Jiang?"

"Yes. I’d like to discuss today’s competition with you. It’s rather important. I’m sending someone to pick you up."

Once she knew what Jiang Cheng was planning, Jiang Jingshi only needed a few simple tricks to solve the problem.

That night, Jiang Jingshi met with Lun Jie in an office. After a brief chat, Lun Jie handed her a list of singers he had secretly jotted down during the day and said:

"These are the people I felt truly deserved to advance today. I heard Sty just kept passing everyone, and it felt like the results were fixed. I thought to myself, ’President Jiang wouldn’t stoop to this,’ since rigging something like this in the music industry is pretty meaningless. I never expected this was the real situation."

Jiang Jingshi laughed and took the list of the real qualifiers from his hand.

"Thank you for being so observant. This list makes things much simpler. You’ve saved me a lot of trouble."

Later that night, she sent the performance videos of the people on the list to Lin Zhengran for his confirmation.

For some reason she couldn’t explain, she found herself trusting him more than anyone else right now.

She only felt at ease after Lin Zhengran confirmed that the list looked good.

The next morning, Lin Zhengran met up with Jiang Xueli and they went to the competition venue together.

There were far fewer contestants at the venue today than there had been yesterday. A quick glance revealed only about sixty people in total.

And that was including the camera operators and other staff members.

Standing beside Lin Zhengran, even Jiang Xueli was surprised. "Why are there so few people today? I guess the eliminated contestants don’t have to show up?"

The moment Lin Zhengran saw the scene, he had a good idea of what Jiang Jingshi was up to.

And sure enough, the back door to the competition area soon opened, and Jiang Jingshi emerged with the two other judges, just as she had the day before.

As they were chatting and laughing, Jiang Jingshi’s gaze fell on Lin Zhengran in the distance, and she gave him a small smile.

Lin Zhengran smiled back.

About ten minutes later, the host announced the start of the day’s competition. The other two judges didn’t have much to do today; the fifty contestants simply had to go on stage one by one to have their performances recorded.