Noticing that Qi Huaixuan and the other two were a bit tense, the host reassured them, "There’s no need to be nervous. A lot of the viewers in our livestream are actually your fans.

So they’ll just be asking some questions because they care about you. They won’t give you a hard time."

"Alright, next, I’ll be randomly selecting questions from the live comments. Please keep an eye on the top-left corner of the screen, where the question will be pinned."

After a 3, 2, 1 countdown, the question appeared.

"This question is for contestant Qi Huaixuan. The viewers want to know, are you currently single?"

"I am single."

"Okay, let’s move on to the next question."

"This viewer wants to know why contestant Tang Wanqing chose to join Mentor Jiang Qin’s team based on a single comment she made."

Tang Wanqing paused for a moment, then replied in a firm voice, "It’s because I’ve loved opera since I was a child, but I never knew how to sing it.

But Mentor Jiang Qin seems to be very knowledgeable about it. I started paying attention to her after hearing her song, ’Emperor’s Flower’.

So when she extended an olive branch to me, there was no way I would refuse. I didn’t even consider another option!"

[Wow~ So Wanwan was aiming for Qin Bao all along! No wonder she turned down the other mentors even when they made such great offers.]

[The other offers were good, but if she can win Qin Bao’s favor, getting signed by Tianwen Entertainment would be pretty awesome too.]

[Exactly! Jiang Qin is a major shareholder in Tianwen Entertainment. She can definitely pull the strings to get her an A-list contract.]

[Wanwan made the right choice with Mentor Jiang Qin. I heard Jiang Qin filmed a movie about opera!]

[Actually, Wanwan used to livestream her singing, but she didn’t get many viewers. It was mostly just us fellow opera fans who followed her.

I can’t believe she actually made it onto Jiang Qin’s team. You have to understand, she absolutely idolizes Jiang Qin.]

...

The host, seeing these comments, smiled warmly and moved on to the next question.

This time, however, the randomly selected question was tinged with malice.

"To contestant Xiong Yuanyuan: do you remember the male you bullied in high school?"

Xiong Yuanyuan’s mind went completely blank, as if a bomb had gone off in her head.

Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Her face was deathly pale, and her body trembled slightly. "N-no, that’s not what happened... I didn’t do it!!"

Jiang Qin frowned. "That’s enough questions for now. We need to get back to practice. We’re on a tight schedule."

The host, realizing the attempt at creating drama had backfired, immediately agreed with a smile and led the camera crew away.

While Qi Huaixuan and the others were comforting Xiong Yuanyuan, the viewers in the livestream chat exploded.

Some were die-hard fans of Xiong Yuanyuan, staunchly refusing to believe their favorite singer could be such a person.

The majority, however, were full of doubt.

[I already checked Xiong Yuanyuan’s high school website. The story is true.]

[No way! Yuanyuan seems so timid and meek. How could she possibly bully someone??]

[You can’t judge a book by its cover. A good voice doesn’t mean she’s a good person. Besides, she probably only sounds good because Jiang Qin’s songs are inherently amazing.]

[I’d rather listen to someone who’s tone-deaf than support a bully.]

[There may be many males in the Interstellar era, but every single one is a precious child to their family.

So the number of males isn’t an excuse for females to cause their deaths with impunity.]

[And my new idol’s image comes crashing down just as I became a fan. Good thing I wasn’t too invested yet, and good thing she isn’t that famous.]

[Boycott bullies! We shouldn’t be lenient, even if she is a female!!]

[And a bully became a nurse?? The thought is terrifying!]

A horde of people slandering Xiong Yuanyuan popped up on the Star Network.

Among them, former schoolmates and classmates came forward to confirm that the incident did indeed happen.

The male who was bullied had committed suicide.

Jiang Qin didn’t know the full story, so she had no intention of picking a side based on rumors from the Star Network.

She told Xiong Yuanyuan to continue practicing, and to go straight home to rest if she got tired. Then, she asked Yuan Ling to help investigate the matter.

If Xiong Yuanyuan really was a bully, Jiang Qin would show no mercy.

From her time with Xiong Yuanyuan, she didn’t seem like that kind of cruel person.

But if she had done such a thing in the past, Jiang Qin would find it unacceptable, even if Xiong Yuanyuan had since changed her ways.

After all, a life, once lost, could not be brought back.

A bully didn’t deserve a bright future.

However, she didn’t want her trainee to be falsely accused either. So, in addition to asking Yuan Ling to look into it, she also contacted Long Hao to investigate through official channels.

Of course, she also planned to ask Xiong Yuanyuan about it in private.

...

Soon, the public outcry on the Star Network grew more and more intense.

Netizens everywhere were clamoring for Xiong Yuanyuan to be kicked off the show, shouting that a bully didn’t deserve the program’s support!!

Even the family of the male who had died came forward, breaking down in tears on camera.

Seeing that the public was about to boycott the show, the production team had no choice but to contact Jiang Qin. "Miss Jiang Qin, what do you think... could we possibly replace the contestant?

You could bring back one of the eliminated contestants, and we could terminate our contract with Miss Xiong. Would that be acceptable?"

"Hold on. My people are still looking into it.

If Xiong Yuanyuan really did bully someone to the point of suicide, then we’ll terminate her contract.

But if she’s being falsely accused, I will clear her name."

The director thought that was fair enough. "In that case, please make your decision as quickly as possible, preferably before the next livestream.

After all, a scandal like this is really damaging to our show’s reputation."

"Understood."

After ending the call, Jiang Qin decided to go speak with Xiong Yuanyuan first.

In the practice room, Xiong Yuanyuan was still diligently practicing her dance routine in front of the mirror.

She didn’t stop, even though she was drenched in sweat and her face was pale.

’If she could avoid it, she really didn’t want to doubt such a hardworking girl.’

"Yuanyuan, stop for a moment and drink some water."

Hearing her voice, Xiong Yuanyuan stopped and said respectfully, "Mentor Jiang Qin."

Jiang Qin handed her a cup of water. "Qi Huaixuan and the others went to rest. Why didn’t you?"

"I... I can’t quiet my mind."

"I’m sure you’ve guessed what’s happening. The rumors on the Star Network... are you comfortable telling me what happened?"

Xiong Yuanyuan’s eyes immediately reddened. "Mentor, I didn’t... It wasn’t me!"

The story was rather melodramatic.

To put it simply, the male had a crush on Xiong Yuanyuan and got her Light Brain Number from someone else.

He confessed his feelings the moment she accepted his contact request. But for Xiong Yuanyuan back then, she wasn’t ready to commit to a partner so early in life.

She wanted to pursue her own dreams.

So, she turned him down.

As far as Xiong Yuanyuan was concerned, that was the end of it. She continued to study hard every day, using her free time to practice singing and teach herself how to dance.

Then, one day, the male suddenly committed suicide.