However, when Li Shuyao’s gaze fell on her left foot, she saw nothing there.
Since it was a solo performance, there was no one else on stage besides her, and the stage was smooth and level, with nothing that could trip her up.
But—but she had clearly felt a hand grab her left foot, which was why she had fallen.
It couldn’t have been her imagination. Could it have been… a ghost?
At that moment, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.
The spectators were quite forgiving. Though Li Shuyao had fallen, the applause was meant to encourage her.
And so, buoyed by the clapping, Li Shuyao had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue her performance.
But the repeated mishaps that followed made Li Shuyao feel as though she had truly encountered a ghost!
Originally, spurred on by the applause, Li Shuyao had begun dancing again. Yet she kept stumbling—falling to the left, then to the right—as if someone were yanking her down.
In fact, that was exactly how Li Shuyao felt. It was as though an invisible hand kept tugging at her—sometimes her left foot, sometimes her right, or even her arm—all with the sole purpose of preventing her from dancing and making a fool of herself.
The last time, Li Shuyao felt both her feet seized by a pair of hands. No matter how careful she was, she ultimately lurched forward, face-first, directly toward the audience.
With a loud *thud*, she hit the stage.
Her face burned with pain—and humiliation.
Even someone as strong-willed as her couldn’t take it anymore.
This time, the encouraging applause didn’t return.
The crowd was baffled. How could someone keep falling over and over again?
Wasn’t this the star of the cultural troupe’s grand finale solo? How had it turned into this?
The audience wasn’t the only one with questions. The troupe leader and other members were equally shocked and confused.
When Li Shuyao got up again, she could no longer hold back. Covering her face, she fled backstage.
“Yaoyao…” Fang Manping hurried after her.
Meanwhile, those who had long disliked Li Shuyao couldn’t hide their glee.
“Did you see that? Li Shuyao insisted on having a solo as the grand finale. I thought she was going to amaze everyone, but instead, she turned into the closing clown.”
“This must be the most humiliating moment of Li Shuyao’s life—embarrassing herself in front of the entire Northwest Military District. If it were me, I’d be too ashamed to stay. I’d probably pack up and leave overnight.”
“Don’t you think this is a bit strange? It didn’t seem like her fault. She’s performed and practiced this dance countless times as our star performer and never made a mistake before. So why now, over and over again…”
Someone lowered their voice and whispered, “Honestly, it looked like something was grabbing her arms and legs, deliberately making her look bad.”
“Hey, don’t say that. That’s superstitious nonsense. We can’t talk about supernatural stuff like that.”
“Fine, I won’t say it. But I’m still happy about it.”
…
A New Year’s Eve performance that began with the most dazzling entrance ended in a humiliating finale. And as for Li Shuyao, the star of the show—she became infamous throughout the entire Northwest Military District.
No matter how desperately Li Shuyao insisted that *something* had tripped her, that *something* had grabbed her, neither the cultural troupe leader nor anyone else believed her.
After all, thousands of pairs of eyes had witnessed exactly what happened.
Even if they had wanted to believe her, what about the rest of the Northwest Military District?
In any case, Li Shuyao had thoroughly embarrassed herself in front of everyone.
On the way back, Gu Jianing could hear people around her discussing Li Shuyao’s repeated falls.
Sheng Zexi glanced at his wife, whose lips were curled up in a faint smile, and a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes. He caught her small hand, rubbing his thumb gently over her knuckles.
“Ningning, are you happy because Li Shuyao fell?”
Gu Jianing turned her head, giving him a dangerous look. “What, can’t I be happy that my rival made a fool of herself? Or… do *you* feel bad for her?”
The moment those words left her mouth, Sheng Zexi stiffened, immediately clarifying his stance. “No! What does she have to do with me? I don’t even know her, and we have no connection whatsoever. Of course, if my wife is happy, then *I’m* happy.”
He even forced out a smile, terrified that Gu Jianing might misunderstand.
Gu Jianing let out a light *hmph*. At least he knew better.
Still, she gave him a sidelong glance. “Do you think I’m a bad person for being happy about someone else’s misfortune?”
Sheng Zexi shook his head without hesitation. “Of course not. No matter what, my wife will always be the best in my eyes. And whatever emotions you feel, I know there’s a reason for them. I trust you.”
Gu Jianing: *Fine, you pass.*
In truth, Sheng Zexi meant every word. Though his wife could be willful, spoiled, and a little dramatic, she wasn’t the kind of person who took pleasure in others’ suffering or kicked people when they were down.
Even though Ningning had only met Li Shuyao for the first time today, he had a feeling Li Shuyao had already offended her somehow.
And Ningning *did* hold grudges. She wasn’t the type to naively forgive those who wished her harm—if given the chance, she’d retaliate without hesitation.
Sheng Zexi didn’t see anything wrong with that.
Compared to being weak and easily bullied, he believed people *should* have an edge to them—otherwise, they’d just get trampled on. He never saw anything wrong with holding a grudge.
*If others don’t provoke me, I won’t provoke them.*
*But if someone dares to come at me, I’ll strip them down to the bone before letting them go.*
In that sense, Sheng Zexi and Gu Jianing were truly “like-minded.”
Truthfully, if Li Shuyao had simply had a crush on Sheng Zexi without doing anything else, Gu Jianing wouldn’t have targeted her over something so trivial.
But Li Shuyao’s malice toward her had exceeded **95%**, later even reaching **99%**—how could Gu Jianing *not* be furious? When someone was practically radiating hostility, why should she hold back?
So yes, she *was* quite pleased to see Li Shuyao humiliated on stage.
Once they got home, Gu Jianing began browsing the Exchange Mall for life-saving items she could redeem.
After all, there was someone in the Northwest Military District who had **blood on their hands**—someone whose malice toward her was at **99%**, watching her like a predator. They could strike at any moment, so she had to be prepared.
Otherwise, she might not even realize she’d been harmed until it was too late.
As for Sheng Zexi… she couldn’t tell him about this yet.
After all, she couldn’t exactly explain the **Fertility System** or the **Malice Detector** to him. For now, she’d have to rely on herself for protection.
“Ningning, here.”
After returning home, while Gu Jianing was still flipping through the Exchange Mall in the living room, Sheng Zexi pulled her into the courtyard and placed a sparkler in her hand.
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