Chapter 56

After the first segment of *Meet on Friday*, the main cast stood at the front of the stage, each with a different expression.

Wu Qing was very satisfied with her performance just now, which had far exceeded her expectations. As she stepped off the stage, she could hear several compliments.

Gu Ling, on the other hand, was much more frustrated.

She was the female lead, after all, but her acting wasn't as good as Kong Xiyan's—that was somewhat understandable—yet she was also being overshadowed by Wu Qing. It made her smile a bit forced.

Xiao Cheng and Ling Yu stood together, occasionally whispering to each other, seemingly indifferent to the evaluation.

In their view, it was just a game segment that didn't prove anything, so the two of them were the most relaxed.

The host rambled on for a bit before finally announcing the results.

The scoring was released first for the on-site audience, then the off-site audience, and finally the four judges.

The host looked at the thumbs-up counter in her hand and said, "Let's count down from ten. The big screen will show the audience's scores!"

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!"

"The most touching performance goes to—Wu Qing and Kong Xiyan, tied for first!"

Kong Xiyan turned to look. She and Wu Qing were side by side, both with 240 votes. Second place was Ling Yu with 210 votes, third was Gu Ling, and fourth was Xiao Cheng.

The male and female leads of the drama were actually the last two.

Gu Ling lowered her head, visibly displeased.

The host smiled and said, "A tie is fine; we still have the off-site audience."

Unexpectedly, the off-site audience scores were also identical.

It was almost unprecedented.

Even the host was momentarily baffled: "Ah, today is Christmas, so there are indeed many surprises. No problem—we still have the four judges."

As she said this, her heart began to race.

What if the remaining four judges each split two? Then she'd really be in a bind.

There was only one prize.

But there could be two winners.

This wasn't slapping her face—it was slapping the production team's face.

Since the show's debut, such a problem had never occurred. It was extremely difficult to handle. Her expression soured slightly as she consulted the four judges.

The first two judges each picked one of Kong Xiyan and Wu Qing, citing the strengths of both actresses with solid reasoning that convinced everyone. The third judge chose Kong Xiyan. When it came to the fourth, everyone's hearts were in their throats.

Kong Xiyan looked over. Sitting in the fourth seat was Guan Xiaoying.

Three years apart had changed her drastically. The woman who once dined, shopped, and laughed with her had now transformed into someone sitting in a position that could decide others' fates.

Guan Xiaoying slowly raised her head, her bright eyes holding a hint of a smile. Seeing everyone's gaze fixed on her, she knew there were many more people outside the venue.

And among those people, there were certainly those who knew of her past relationship with Kong Xiyan.

She smiled faintly at the camera and parted her red lips: "I choose—Kong Xiyan."

The stage immediately erupted with cold fireworks. The host's heart settled back into her chest.

Wu Qing gritted her teeth, her fingernails nearly digging into her palms. She kept her head lowered, hiding her ferocious expression.

Soon came the gift-presentation segment.

As the last judge and the wife of the Xinhui Group CEO, Guan Xiaoying stood on the stage and handed the box to Kong Xiyan personally, then gave her a hug.

Guan Xiaoying whispered in her ear, "Xiyan, welcome back."

Kong Xiyan's expression remained calm: "Thank you."

Guan Xiaoying lowered her gaze. "But time has changed. Now it's not like three years ago."

Kong Xiyan listened silently. Guan Xiaoying released her, and the two exchanged smiles like old friends who hadn't seen each other in years. Then the four judges left their seats.

The following game segments were much simpler.

Gu Ling and Wu Qing were both unhappy because of the opening, so they weren't enthusiastic about the activities. Kong Xiyan remained calm and cooperated with the performance.

After all, they were promoting the drama, so the host asked more questions about the plot and characters.

After the interview, it was time for the final game segment.

This game was saved for the finale because it was more thrilling.

Kong Xiyan had seen it before: two people were hoisted by wires above the stage, and the host asked questions. They had to answer first, and the slower one would be raised one meter higher with each question.

Usually, there were eight questions.

The one lifted higher would perform a wire act after the game—either singing, dancing, or something else.

Considering only five people came this time, they were split into two groups: the female group and the male group.

The female group had three people: naturally, Kong Xiyan, Wu Qing, and Gu Ling.

The three stood on the stage, waiting for the staff to come and secure their wires.

Gu Ling had a fear of heights. Her face, already pale, turned even whiter. When the staff came up and secured the wires for Kong Xiyan and Wu Qing, she weakly asked, "Can I switch positions?"

The host smiled. "Sure."

Kong Xiyan stood between the two. Gu Ling chose her spot. The man who had secured Kong Xiyan's wires earlier cast a cold glance from the crowd and walked away.

After switching positions with Kong Xiyan, Gu Ling felt a bit better. They were all strapped in, waiting for the host to ask the questions.

"In the drama, what is the ultimate identity of Lin Liang?"

"Begin!"

Wu Qing's light flashed instantly.

"—The monarch of Wei."

"Correct! Next question!"

The next question was answered by Kong Xiyan. Except for Gu Ling, the other two were still at one meter, but she had already reached two meters. Her face grew even paler.

Already flustered, lowering her head only made her more anxious. She couldn't even hear the questions clearly.

So over the eight questions, she didn't get a single one.

However, the host noticed her distress and explained to the audience that Gu Ling's wire performance would lower her height later.

Kong Xiyan and Wu Qing had already been lowered.

Gu Ling was still hanging at about three meters. The host asked, "Gu Ling, will you sing or perform another talent?"

"Sing—sing a song."

Gu Ling didn't dare move, just hung there as the lights dimmed around. Kong Xiyan and Wu Qing slowly retreated to the back. Music began to play, and a spotlight shone on Gu Ling. She parted her lips, and her voice was pleasant.

Kong Xiyan thought to herself that Gu Ling's vocal tone was quite good.

Both on and off stage were immersed in the music. Kong Xiyan looked up at Gu Ling and noticed her figure sway slightly. She frowned, then her eyes widened!

Gu Ling fell!

A "bang" echoed as she hit the stage!

The host's face turned white, and she hurried over. The audience below all stood up, shouting, "What happened?!"

"What's going on?"

"Gu Ling fell!"

"Oh no, is she okay?"

Several excited fans even tried to leave their seats and rush up to see. Kong Xiyan saw the host heading over and about to move Gu Ling's body, so she barked, "Don't move her!"

"She just fell; you can't move her."

Everyone was stunned by the sudden accident. Only when Kong Xiyan shouted did they snap out of it.

Kong Xiyan took the microphone from the host and called out, "Is there a doctor in the audience?!"

"Is there a doctor?!"

She asked three times before a young woman stood up and shouted, "Me!"

Kong Xiyan sighed in relief. "Please come up."

Gu Ling had just fallen, and the ambulance outside wouldn't arrive in time, so they had to find help on-site. Having a doctor was the best option.

The young woman rushed onto the stage, whispered a few words to Gu Ling, then probed her body with her hands and laid her flat.

Kong Xiyan looked serious throughout, cooperating with the girl's movements. Her brows were knit in concentration, her forehead beaded with sweat from the tension.

The others standing around stepped back some distance.

Still, some in the audience wanted to come up, but staff held them back. The entire scene was chaotic, with countless conversations flooding in. Kong Xiyan and the doctor who had just come up paid no attention, focusing solely on helping Gu Ling.

Soon, Gu Ling let out a faint moan.

Kong Xiyan's expression eased a bit. The host also approached and crouched beside the two. The people on stage whispered among themselves. The beautiful doctor spoke a few words to Gu Ling, who couldn't move, so she blinked to show she had heard.

Staff began coming up one after another.

The man who had secured Kong Xiyan's wires earlier also followed behind the group, wearing a black cap. He lowered his head, a hint of malice flashing in his eyes. He glanced sideways at other directions, then curled the corner of his mouth.

Seeing a stretcher being brought in, everyone relaxed. Just then, Kong Xiyan's sharp ears caught Fu Qiu's voice shouting, "Miss Kong, look out!"

Kong Xiyan looked up. A decorative prop that had been hanging above the stage was falling straight down!

It was aimed exactly at her current position!

Those around her quickly dodged aside. Even the doctor instinctively jumped away. But Kong Xiyan didn't move. She looked at Gu Ling, who was lying on the ground, unable to move.

Terror flashed in Gu Ling's eyes!

The scene before her seemed to enlarge in slow motion. The chandelier-like prop was falling fast—so fast she couldn't even cry out. Then Kong Xiyan shielded her.

A "bang" echoed as the prop was knocked away by force. Kong Xiyan saw Fu Qiu, who had been standing two meters away, fall to the ground, with the knocked-aside prop nearby.

The audience burst into commotion again!

This time, even the host was dumbfounded.

No matter how much experience she had, she had never dealt with a situation like this!

Gu Ling looked up to see Kong Xiyan's face up close, her eyes full of complexity. At the most critical moment, she hadn't run away but had thrown herself over Gu Ling.

This completely shattered Gu Ling's perception of Kong Xiyan.

Gu Ling was in a daze.

But Kong Xiyan didn't ask her anything. She got up and walked over to Fu Qiu. Seeing the blood flowing from the wound on Fu Qiu's head caused by the prop's impact, and the scratches on her body, Kong Xiyan's face turned pale as she shouted, "Someone, come quick!"

The people nearby seemed to snap out of their shock and rushed to her.

Xiao Cheng looked up at the ceiling, as if worried something else might fall. He refused to move an inch and eventually turned and left.

The scene was in chaos, and outside the venue, people were buzzing about what had happened.

Backstage, Chi Wanzhao was still in a meeting, sitting at the head of the table. She was calm and composed, her eyes bright like pearls as she looked at the man across from her and said in a flat tone, "President Qian, any other questions?"

Before President Qian could even speak, Zhou Sheng knocked and entered, his face serious. He leaned close to Chi Wanzhao and said, "CEO Chi, something's happened at the live broadcast."

Chi Wanzhao's expression changed. She stood up immediately and said, "Sorry, President Qian, I have urgent business. Zhou Sheng, see him out!"