In the following performances, Gu Jianing didn’t detect any malice from the performers.
Then, Fang Manping took the stage.
Having encountered her during that visit, Gu Jianing recognized her—the only person in the cultural troupe she knew by sight.
The moment Fang Manping appeared, the malice alarm sounded.
**[Alert! Detected individual with 51% malice value. Host, be careful!]**
Gu Jianing’s heart leapt before settling slightly, though her brows remained furrowed.
Fang Manping—Sheng Zexi’s stepsister—had triggered the malice detector, but not at 95%. Just 51%.
A 51% reading meant this person harbored ill will toward her and Sheng Zexi but wouldn’t escalate to life-threatening actions.
Regardless, Fang Manping was clearly no good. That bucket of water had been well-aimed.
But the real question remained: who was the one with 95% malice?
Beside her, Sheng Zexi had been quietly observing his wife’s expressions. From the moment they’d sat down, Ningning’s mood had shifted abruptly, and now she seemed tense throughout the entire performance.
His gaze drifted toward the performers on stage…
Was this related to them?
As time passed, one act followed another. Two hours slipped by, and the show neared its conclusion.
Finally, the last performance began—the grand finale.
When a delicate, beautiful girl appeared on stage for a solo dance, Gu Jianing pressed her lips together, her expression darkening as she stared intently.
The malice alarm had started blaring the instant this girl stepped into view.
Malice value: 95%!
It was her!
Gu Jianing turned to Sheng Zexi. “Do you know who she is?”
Sheng Zexi gave her an odd look before rubbing his nose. “She’s… Elder Li’s granddaughter.”
He couldn’t help but marvel at his wife’s perceptiveness.
She’d vowed to help him weed out troublesome admirers, and now she’d pinpointed this one with uncanny accuracy.
The pieces clicked instantly for Gu Jianing.
Elder Li’s granddaughter—this was the very Li Shuyao that Fang Manping had mentioned, the so-called “ideal daughter-in-law candidate” approved by Sheng Zexi’s father.
Li Shuya’s malice toward her had reached a staggering 95%.
Gu Jianing had assumed that even if Li Shuyao fancied Sheng Zexi and resented her, the malice would cap around 70%—prompting schemes to frame, slander, or sabotage her marriage.
But 95%? This revelation weighed heavily on her.
The malice itself was secondary. What truly mattered was what that number signified: Li Shuyao had blood on her hands—innocent blood.
Yet Li Shuyao was Elder Li’s granddaughter, from an influential family. As a cultural troupe member, she’d never even seen frontline combat.
How had she taken lives? Innocent ones, no less? Put bluntly: Li Shuyao was a killer.
A murderer of innocents was an entirely different beast from your average scheming rival.
Right then, Gu Jianing’s wariness and vigilance toward Li Shuyao skyrocketed to unprecedented levels.
On stage, Li Shuyao performed her solo dance with practiced grace. As the perennial finale act, she brimmed with confidence.
Mid-performance, her gaze swept across the audience. The admiring stares she received came as no surprise.
Li Shuyao’s gaze subtly drifted toward Sheng Zexi—his front-row seat made him easily visible under the stage lights.
Yet when her eyes found him, she realized he wasn’t watching her at all. Instead, his attention was fixed on the person beside him.
Beside him?
The thought of who sat next to Sheng Zexi nearly made Li Shuyao’s expression darken, but she restrained herself, remembering she was still performing.
Still, her eyes inevitably shifted toward Sheng Zexi’s companion—Gu Jianing.
The moment their gazes met, Li Shuyao froze.
Gu Jianing’s clear, penetrating eyes seemed to see right through her, leaving Li Shuyao with an unsettling sense of exposure. Instinctively, she averted her stare, unsettled.
Only afterward did frustration set in. *Since when do I fear her?*
At this closer distance, however, Li Shuyao had to admit—grudgingly—that the woman was even more beautiful than she’d realized.
Bathed in the auditorium’s glow, Gu Jianing seemed to radiate an almost ethereal allure.
*No wonder someone as unruly as Sheng Zexi fell for her.*
*A face that stunning… if only—*
**[Alert! Alert! Target’s malice toward host has reached 99%!]**
Gu Jianing’s eyes narrowed. So, Li Shuyao was now a confirmed enemy—one who might even wish her dead.
In that case…
Aside from dealing with Wen Zhuqing, Gu Jianing had never used the system against others.
But now…
She mentally accessed the system’s exchange mall, browsing until she found the perfect item:
[Clown’s Invisible Hand: Targets a specified individual. Once activated, an invisible hand will humiliate the target repeatedly until they leave the stage.]
Cost: Just 1 point.
*This’ll do.*
Gu Jianing exchanged for the item and designated Li Shuyao as the target.
To everyone else, the stage appeared normal. Only Gu Jianing could see the invisible hand slinking toward Li Shuyao.
Meanwhile, Li Shuyao—a naturally gifted dancer—continued her well-rehearsed routine flawlessly despite her distraction.
This performance was meant to cement her fame in the Northwest Military District.
Unable to resist, she stole another glance at Gu Jianing.
This time, she noticed something odd: the woman wore a faint smile. *What could she possibly be happy about?*
Before she could ponder further, an abrupt yank at her left foot destroyed her balance.
Her dance faltered mid-move. Only quick reflexes saved her from tumbling outright.
Gasps rippled through the audience.
“What happened? Did she twist her ankle?”
“Shuyao never makes mistakes! How could this happen?”
Humiliation burned through Li Shuyao. Of all moments—during her grand finale, before the entire district—she’d nearly face-planted onstage.
Frantically, she inspected her left foot. *Something grabbed me!*
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