“I heard that Li Shuyao, the star performer, will be taking the stage again tonight,” Zhang Shuwan said.
Li Shuyao was going to perform? Wasn’t she afraid…
Thinking of the human trafficker, Gu Jianing’s eyes darkened.
It was just a pity that the “Flashes of Future” skill, which could be used three times, had already been exhausted. Otherwise, she could have used it now and might have glimpsed something from Li Shuyao.
The system shop had other similar items, but their effects were permanent—and far more expensive, costing 1,200 points.
She didn’t have enough points.
As everyone took their seats, the host soon stepped onto the stage, and the performance was about to begin.
Gu Jianing hadn’t expected the first person on stage to be Li Shuyao.
She wasn’t the closing act this time?
But…
The moment Li Shuyao appeared, the Malice Value Alarm rang at 99%.
Naturally, the malice was directed at her.
Gu Jianing looked up just as Li Shuyao’s gaze swept over her.
A faint smile curled at the corner of Gu Jianing’s lips.
Li Shuyao knew Sheng Zexi was away on a mission, but she hadn’t expected Gu Jianing to still show up—and in such a prominent seat, no less. The moment she looked up, their eyes met.
Seeing Gu Jianing and that ambiguous smile on her face, Li Shuyao felt an ominous premonition.
She couldn’t help but recall New Year’s Eve, when she had taken the stage as the closing act, only to end up making a fool of herself.
Ever since then, she had hardly dared to leave her dorm, burying herself in dance practice, determined to deliver a flawless performance for the Lantern Festival.
This time, she had chosen the opening dance.
She had been confident—until she saw Gu Jianing. For some reason, a sense of foreboding crept into her heart.
Would something go wrong again, just like on New Year’s Eve?
Backstage, members of the performance troupe watched Li Shuyao from behind the curtains, their expressions grim.
“Who does Li Shuyao think she is? She demands to be the closing act one day and the opening act the next. Does she own this troupe?”
“Humph, what can we do? She’s backed by the Li family. Even our troupe leader has to cater to her whims. Whatever she says goes.”
“After that disaster on New Year’s Eve, how does she even have the nerve? Doesn’t she worry about ruining the opening dance like last time?”
No sooner had the young girl spoken than a loud *thud* echoed from the stage. They all turned to look.
There, right before their eyes, the subject of their discussion—Li Shuyao—had indeed fallen.
“No way! Did I just jinx her? She actually fell!”
Yes, onstage, Li Shuyao, who had been gracefully dancing moments ago, was now sprawled on the floor.
Her face flushed with humiliation as she lay there.
She had fallen. She had really fallen.
Just like on New Year’s Eve, Li Shuyao felt an overwhelming certainty—she had been targeted again by that unseen force, the one determined to turn her into a laughingstock!
She had known it. The moment she saw Gu Jianing, the bad feeling had surfaced.
Though she had no proof, her instincts screamed that whenever she crossed paths with Gu Jianing, misfortune followed.
In truth, Li Shuyao’s instincts were correct. Her fall was indeed because of Gu Jianing.
While Gu Jianing had no concrete evidence linking Li Shuyao to the human trafficker incident, she was 99% certain Li Shuyao was behind it.
In that case, she definitely had to pay her back.
Since Li Shuyao loved dancing on stage to captivate the audience with her grace, Gu Jianing decided to slap the “Stage Clown” halo on her again—the same one that had humiliated her last time.
It was a shame this halo couldn’t be used permanently. Otherwise, she could have made sure Li Shuyao never dared to step on stage again.
But Gu Jianing felt this wasn’t enough.
After all, Li Shuyao would soon return to the capital. Once she was far away, it would be hard to reach her.
So, Gu Jianing spent another 10 points to assign her a six-month “Unlucky Aura.”
For someone wicked, the best punishment was to make sure nothing ever went her way.
On stage, Li Shuyao, sensing she was being targeted again, refused to let herself become a laughingstock like last time.
She didn’t want to test fate. Struggling to her feet, she tried to leave the stage.
She thought escaping would spare her the humiliation.
But just as she was halfway up, her left foot tangled with her right, and she pitched forward again.
This time, with the “Unlucky Aura” in full effect, the audience heard a crisp *crack*—the unmistakable sound of a bone breaking.
A sharp scream tore from Li Shuyao’s throat.
That’s right. She had fractured her leg.
“Oh heavens, Shuyao—!”
Backstage, the troupe leader and several others rushed to surround Li Shuyao, hastily carrying her away. After hurriedly apologizing to the audience, they scrambled to send another performer on stage.
The troupe leader couldn’t help but wonder—what was wrong with Li Shuyao? First the New Year’s Eve disaster, now this. And she always insisted on either the opening or closing act! The last incident had already brought shame to the troupe, and now this…
Before, when Li Shuyao performed flawlessly, the troupe leader could defend her out of respect for the Li family. But after this? If she kept favoring Li Shuyao, the rest of the troupe would revolt—maybe even report her.
She couldn’t afford to offend the Li family, but she also couldn’t afford to lose her position as troupe leader.
Li Shuyao’s incident passed like a brief interlude. Soon, other performers took the stage, and the atmosphere in the auditorium grew lively and cheerful again.
Zhang Shuwan leaned over and whispered to Gu Jianing, “Wow, that star performer is seriously unlucky! She fell last time, and now again. What terrible luck!”
Gu Jianing nodded calmly. “Truly unlucky.”
With the two halos she’d placed on Li Shuyao, misfortune was inevitable—and it wouldn’t stop here. For the next six months, Li Shuyao would be dogged by bad luck.
Moreover, she hadn’t forgotten the note that came with this unlucky aura — *The kinder the person, the weaker the effect. The more malicious, the greater the misfortune.*
The fact that Li Shuyao had fractured her leg the moment the aura took effect proved she was no saint.
And considering Li Shuyao might have innocent blood on her hands… Gu Jianing mused that her suffering might not end here.
Sure enough, as Li Shuyao was carried away on a stretcher, one of the soldiers transporting her tripped. Instinctively, he let go of the stretcher.
Li Shuyao, caught off guard, fell forward. She instinctively threw out her hands to break her fall—only for another sickening *crack* to ring out.
Another scream.
That’s right. After fracturing her leg, Li Shuyao had now broken her arm, too.
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