Chapter One: Yu Zhi's Battlefield of Carnage

“Yu Zhi! Care to explain to me—weren’t you supposed to be at home looking after a pregnant sow? Are these the sows in question?”

“If you’re going to lie, could you at least cover your tracks? If you really missed your family that much, couldn’t you have called me? Or at least Xiaoyu?”

Jiang Weicheng flung a thick stack of photographs onto the table before Yu Zhi.

Yu Zhi glanced down indifferently. The photos showed her in a flashy, laser-cut mini skirt, hair dyed in wild colors, dancing intimately with a male model; others captured her passionately kissing a man, or in suggestive, ambiguous poses. Each shot was enough to ruin her reputation completely.

She didn’t even bother to lift her eyelids, responding to Jiang Weicheng with nonchalance, “What’s the big deal? Is this more dramatic than last time, when they accused me of murder? Netizens are fickle; give it a few days and they’ll forget. Besides, my lips are for kissing handsome men—not you.”

Jiang Weicheng was speechless, repeatedly scrolling through Yu Zhi’s trending search topics.

#YuZhiThreesomeScandal trending
#YuZhiKissedThreeGuys exploded
#YuZhiUnrestrainedInLove trending
#YuZhiEmpressDowagerOfShowbiz

“Not only did these people take the money and do nothing, but is your brain made of mush too? That show you filmed with the young master from Xingbo is about to air. Of course they’d want to use you as a stepping stone, and you just handed them the ladder…”

After venting for a while, Yu Zhi exhaled in relief, shifted her weight, and kept up her careless tone, “So what if I get affectionate with my boyfriend?”

Jiang Weicheng: …

“You sure have plenty of boyfriends! The day before yesterday you were chatting away with the Xingbo young master in a hotel, yesterday you were kissing the festival organizer at a music event! If the CEO of Xingyue ends up in your bed, I won’t be surprised either.”

The more Jiang Weicheng thought about it, the angrier he got. He wished he could stuff Yu Zhi back into her mother’s womb and remake her—maybe then he’d get a well-behaved child.

Yu Zhi shrugged, tossing out a line of irreverent nonsense, “Old Jiang, there are no ex-boyfriends—just good friends I’ve kissed! Why are you so worked up over free publicity? It’s not like I make my living off this. Oh, and by the way, the CEO of Xingyue is a bit too old for me.”

Jiang Weicheng’s mouth twitched; he hastily picked up the now-cold tea from the table and drank it in one gulp.

Seeing that Yu Zhi wasn’t taking any of this seriously, Jiang Weicheng slammed the cup down with a crisp sound. She immediately stopped in her tracks, turning back with a hint of impatience.

“What now?”

“Yu Zhi, at this point, the only way is to restore some of your public image. But it’ll require a bit of sacrifice—you need to go on a variety show and show the public your real charm.”

Yu Zhi’s eyes widened, ready to refuse. She was an actress, not some variety show regular, and as far as she knew, the company didn’t have any good variety scripts on hand. But before she could protest, Jiang Weicheng cut her off, “If you don’t go, I’ll have Xiaoyu go to your place and throw out all those outrageous outfits.”

“Jiang Weicheng! I don’t care what people say about me online! Don’t push it!”

—

After Yu Zhi’s rebellious streak kicked in, Jiang Weicheng was out of options. This little firebrand still had to be coaxed.

He took a couple of deep breaths, trying to reason with her, appealing to both logic and emotion.

“Yu Zhi, I know you’ve heard about the new artist the company just signed. She’s on the same path as you, but her backing is even stronger. There’s bound to be friction over resources. For now, you’re still the irreplaceable pillar of ‘Flashlight’.”

“But did you ever consider that the company’s getting tired of cleaning up your messes? Can you guarantee that once your successor rises, they won’t just discard you like an old tool…”

Yesterday’s argument still felt fresh. Now, reluctantly, Yu Zhi found herself at the filming location for the variety show, squinting under a tree, hiding from the sun.

The production team was efficient—they made the guests find their own way to the site. What a hassle.

The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became. Her fingers wandered aimlessly across her phone screen, and soon, her fans noticed she’d posted a new message on Starblog.

Sister Yu: What’s the point in cursing me? gpzyhwdxgnrqsyqsjb=-=+-+!!!

[Accidental gibberish?]
[Sis, can you hand the account back to the company? The industry doesn’t need another trainwreck. You’re just asking for hate.]
[Give me a moment to decipher Yu Zhi’s madwoman code—three steps and I’ll have it cracked…]

After venting, Yu Zhi shoved her phone in her pocket without a care for the consequences—this was the price of Jiang Weicheng’s threats and her own passive resistance.

After a while, the other female guest, who’d also started from her location, finally strolled over.

She wore a huge sunhat and carried a small electric fan, spinning it continuously as she approached Yu Zhi.

“Oh my, Sister Yu~ If I’d known you were waiting, I’d have come sooner. You look like you’ve been sweating a lot—my fault entirely.”

Yu Zhi looked her up and down—full makeup, carefully styled hair and outfit. She’d clearly arrived late on purpose, and now she was taking veiled shots at her?

Yu Zhi let out a barely audible snort, then flashed a dazzling smile.

“Qingqing, I’m not a straw boat—you don’t need to shoot all your arrows at me.”

As her opponent’s expression darkened, Yu Zhi shifted her gaze away. Compete with her in snide remarks?

Jiang Weicheng had said it himself—when it comes to the rival team, there’s no need to hold back.

Gu Qing, a woman who lived on the operating table. Rumor had it there wasn’t a single part of her body untouched by a surgeon’s knife—a bona fide “technical beauty.”

—

Yu Zhi’s pointed barbs silenced Gu Qing for a few minutes.

“Sister Yu, how are we supposed to get over there?”

While the two of them were pondering this, Jiang Weicheng was at his wit’s end.

He never imagined that in the brief time he’d let his guard down, Yu Zhi would cook up yet another mess.

With no other choice, he contacted the production team and leaked her appearance to shift the spotlight.

Zero Distance: Today, our dear Zero is thrilled to announce this episode’s mystery guest! Are you excited? That’s right—it’s our very own @SisterYuTeacherYu! Can’t wait to see her interact with the other guests! Bonus: livestream link!

[Noted. The male guests are all handsome. Sister Yu knows how to enjoy herself.]
[Is this the antidote provided by Sister Yu?]
[Promiscuous women should leave the industry. Stay away from our boys!]
[Landing Yu Zhi is a coup for the show—polish her up and she’ll move up a tier!]
[A full-livestream variety show? I can’t wait to see the guests clash. This is gonna be wild. Mom, I love it!]

After much effort, the two women finally found a local to guide them into the village. Along the way, Gu Qing kept chattering.

“Sister Yu, I heard there’s a male guest you know very well this time—did you hear?”

Yu Zhi idly played with a handful of straw, not at all interested in her words, responding absentmindedly.

Gu Qing smiled with self-assurance—this was information she’d schemed so hard to obtain. No way Yu Zhi wouldn’t crack. If she dared hurl insults at her on air, she’d pay for it when the show began.

“One of the male guests is Teacher Shen Jiayu. You must be thrilled, right, Sister Yu?”

“Mmm, mmm… Wait, who?”