Chapter 68: Using Connections

In the past few days, whenever she had free time, she would head to the internet cafe.

Partly to escape the weird, ice-and-fire atmosphere in the apartment, and partly because she held a tiny bit of hope.

She wanted to see that super-skilled mute guy again.

But for days, the seat in the corner was always empty.

Hua Mu’ai felt a pang of disappointment.

No way? She had used up all her luck just by getting that mute to carry her to Gold?

After losing this round, she glanced unwillingly toward the corner again.

Eh?

That familiar figure was actually there!

Hua Mu’ai’s eyes lit up. The frustration from the lost game vanished completely. Without thinking, she bounced out of her seat and trotted over.

“Hey, you came!”

She patted the other person’s shoulder familiarly.

The girl hunched over in front of the screen stiffened, then slowly raised her head.

Still the same black-rimmed glasses and bangs covering most of her face.

“Want to play together? Carry me!” Hua Mu’ai demanded boldly.

The girl glanced at her, said nothing, and just silently nodded.

Hua Mu’ai logged into a computer next to her, and they teamed up again.

It felt like being back in the good old days when a pro carried her.

But today, the mute seemed a little different.

If before she was a cold-blooded killer, today she was a raging war machine.

Her moves were sharper, more aggressive. She killed from start to finish.

And she didn’t say a single word.

They played in silence, game after game, until eleven-thirty at night.

Hua Mu’ai watched her win points climb, but her heart grew heavier.

This mute usually went offline right at ten. What was up with her today?

Plus, her whole aura screamed “I’m not happy.”

Hua Mu’ai concluded: this girl was in a bad mood today.

After another game ended, Hua Mu’ai couldn’t hold back anymore. She took off her headset and leaned in.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you today? I can tell something’s off.”

The girl’s fingers on the mouse paused. She didn’t turn around.

“Nothing.” Her voice was muffled.

“Nothing?” Hua Mu’ai pouted. “You might as well have ‘I’m upset’ written on your face.”

The girl fell silent.

Just as Hua Mu’ai thought she wouldn’t speak, a tearful voice came through.

“I… I was eliminated.”

“Eliminated from what?” Hua Mu’ai didn’t catch on at first.

“The ‘Sing with Tian Lanxing’ event.”

The girl’s voice grew softer, and her shoulders started trembling.

“Yesterday at the on-site selection, I failed.”

Hua Mu’ai was stunned.

She looked at the girl’s profile and felt a tightness in her chest.

“That’s really too bad.”

“But… but it wasn’t because of my singing…”

The girl sniffled, her grievance no longer containable.

“They said… my appearance didn’t meet the standards…”

What the hell?!

Hua Mu’ai was completely baffled.

“A singing competition judges looks instead of singing? What kind of bullshit logic is that!”

Her shout was loud enough to draw stares from a few people gaming nearby.

The girl was startled and shrunk back, tears brimming in her eyes, about to fall.

Hua Mu’ai suppressed her anger, leaned forward, and studied the girl’s face carefully.

“You… what are you doing?” The girl was unnerved by her gaze, her cheeks flushing as she instinctively tried to pull away.

Hua Mu’ai ignored her. Instead, she reached out and snatched off her black-rimmed glasses.

“Don’t move!”

The girl was startled by the sudden move.

Hua Mu’ai leaned in even closer, as if appraising a rare treasure.

Actually, last time she had accidentally glimpsed this girl without her glasses when wiping them, and she was a bit stunned. She just wanted to confirm now.

Behind the lenses were beautiful eyes, a little deer-like in their panic. Long lashes fluttered nervously. Without the glasses and bangs, the features on that small face were surprisingly delicate.

“Tsk.”

Hua Mu’ai clicked her tongue and shoved the glasses back into the girl’s hand.

“Didn’t I say it? You’re not ugly at all.”

She crossed her arms and gave her evaluation with an “I knew it” expression.

“You’re just being suppressed by those glasses and hairstyle, get it?”

The girl stared at her blankly, not quite processing.

“You… you really think so?” she asked uncertainly, her voice trembling.

“I never lie,” Hua Mu’ai said seriously. “If you swap those tacky glasses and push up that fringe, you’ll be a hundred times prettier than now!”

The girl’s face turned bright red.

She looked down and twisted her clothes, muttering, “But it’s too late. I’ve already been eliminated.”

Hua Mu’ai felt a pang of sympathy at the girl’s disappointment.

She patted her shoulder.

“Who says it’s too late?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to get you through!”

But the girl’s beautiful eyes were full of disbelief.

Seeing that she didn’t believe her, Hua Mu’ai flushed a little and insisted stubbornly.

“I told you, I never lie. I mean what I say.”

…

When they left the internet cafe together, Hua Mu’ai was still chattering.

“Just relax and wait for my good news.”

“By the way, I don’t even know your name. I’m Hua Mu’ai. You?”

“I… I’m Chu Yuyao.”

“What’s your Queqiao ID? Give it to me so we can stay in touch.”

After adding each other as friends, Hua Mu’ai waved and watched Chu Yuyao disappear into the night. Then she turned and walked in the other direction.

She didn’t go back to the apartment.

Instead, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

The call connected quickly, and a slimy voice came through.

“Is this Tian Lanxing? What instructions do you have so late?”

It was Wang Kaiming, the CEO of Starflare Entertainment.

“Less nonsense.” Hua Mu’ai got straight to the point, her tone rude. “The ‘Sing with Tian Lanxing’ event, are you in charge of it personally?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Let me ask you, in your crappy event, is there a contestant named Chu Yuyao who was eliminated because she’s not good-looking?”

Wang Kaiming was clearly taken aback.

“Chu Yuyao? I’m not sure. I’ll have to ask. But you know, Lady Tian Lanxing, this is a talent show after all. Image is an important factor…”

“I don’t care what factor!” Hua Mu’ai cut him off. “I’m telling you, this person has to advance!”

Wang Kaiming hesitated, his tone turning reluctant.

“Lady Tian Lanxing, this… this goes against the rules. The preliminaries are over. The list is already announced. Adding someone now is not easy…”

“Not easy?” Hua Mu’ai laughed coldly. “Let me be clearer. She’s my person. You have to give her another chance.”

“She must advance to the next round. If you can’t manage that, then I don’t think our cooperation needs to continue.”

Hua Mu’ai’s forceful tone made Wang Kaiming break out in a cold sweat.

He knew he couldn’t afford to offend this young lady.

“No, no, no. Lady Tian Lanxing, please calm down.” Wang Kaiming’s attitude did a complete one-eighty. “Easy, very easy! Adding one person is no big deal. I’ll arrange it right away!”

“I guarantee that by tomorrow morning, Miss Chu Yuyao’s name will appear on the promotion list!”

“That’s more like it.”

Hua Mu’ai gave a satisfied hum and hung up.

Using power to bully people felt pretty good, huh.

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