After I died, they cried in the live studio

Chapter 19: A Glimpse of the Chess Game
The morning sun shines through the thin curtains and falls into the high-end villa where Sang Shuwan lives. The room is filled with a faint scent of lavender, and the exquisite European-style furniture exudes a warm luster in the morning light. Sang Shuwan wakes up from the soft big bed and reaches out to take the phone on the bedside table. The metal frame of the phone reflects a cold and hard light.

After unlocking the screen, a series of messages came into view. One of them was from an information collector: "Lin Juanying was previously embroiled in a scandal and should have been banned from the industry, but now she has hooked up with a famous director and got the only opportunity to perform on stage in a certain building in recent months." Sang Shuwan raised her phoenix eyes slightly, opened her red lips slightly, and a sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth, "She can find a way out for herself, but this is just right." She whispered softly, with a hint of playfulness in her voice.

Sang Shuwan stood up and walked into the spacious and luxurious cloakroom. The hangers were full of various brand-name clothing, from Chanel's classic suits to Versace's gorgeous dresses. She moved her slender fingers among the clothes and finally chose a low-key and luxurious Gucci suit, paired with a dazzling diamond necklace and an exquisite Hermès handbag. Standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror, she carefully arranged her makeup, hiding the flame of revenge in her eyes. After everything was ready, she walked out of the villa with a confident and elegant step, heading towards a certain building, like a cheetah about to hunt, with a clear goal and determination to win.

On the busiest commercial street in the city, people come and go, and there is a coffee shop with exquisite and elegant decoration, "Chant Café", quietly located here. The exterior wall of the coffee shop is dark brown retro bricks and stones, inlaid with huge transparent glass windows, through which you can see the dark brown solid wood tables and chairs placed in the store, matched with light green velvet cushions, which look both retro and fresh. The store is filled with a rich and mellow coffee aroma, which is the unique flavor emitted by the top coffee beans from all over the world after roasting and grinding. Soft lights fall from the retro chandeliers on the ceiling, casting warm light and shadows on the walls. There is a black piano in the corner, and the piano player's fingers dance gently on the keys, playing melodious classical music, adding an elegant atmosphere to the entire coffee shop.

Sang Shuwan walked into the coffee shop. She was wearing a well-tailored black dress. The delicate lace on the dress was faintly visible, just right to outline her slender waist. Her legs were long and straight, wrapped in black stockings, which made her skin look even whiter. She was wearing a pair of black high heels inlaid with rhinestones, and every step she took made a crisp and pleasant sound on the marble floor. Her hair was tied into an elegant bun, and a few strands of hair fell on both sides of her cheeks, like black silk gently brushing against her face. Her eyes were deep blue, like a quiet lake, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly, revealing a hint of mystery and charm in her eyes. Under the high nose bridge was a pair of delicate and beautiful red lips, and the slightly upturned corners of her mouth were accompanied by a confident smile.

She was standing at the counter, concentrating on the menu and preparing to order a cup of the signature cappuccino. At this moment, a familiar voice came into her ears, full of fatigue and complaints. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw Lin Juanying's assistant standing in a corner not far away, holding several shopping bags in her hands, looking very embarrassed.

The assistant was a petite girl with messy hair tied into a ponytail. A few strands of hair hung down from her forehead and stuck to her face due to sweat. There were obvious dark circles around her eyes, and her eyes were full of fatigue and helplessness. She was wearing a wrinkled white shirt with two buttons undone at the collar, revealing her slender neck. The hem of the shirt was casually tucked into a pair of blue jeans, which were still stained with some dust and stains. There was a hint of anxiety and irritability on her face. While talking on the phone, she kicked the shopping bags on the ground together with her feet.

"I really can't stand it anymore. Lin Juanying is simply a devil. In order for her to be able to go on stage this time, I didn't stop from morning to night and ran to more than a dozen stores to buy what she wanted. Now just for a cup of coffee, I have to queue here. I'm almost exhausted." The assistant complained to the friend on the other end of the phone with a tearful voice.

When Sang Shuwan heard this, her heart moved, and a revenge plan flashed through her mind. She calmly reached into her black handbag, fumbled with her fingers, and found the laxative that had been prepared long ago. She pretended to be calm and approached the table where the assistant placed the coffee, keeping an eye on the surrounding movements. At the moment when the assistant turned around to take the tissue handed over by the barista, Sang Shuwan quickly poured the laxative into the coffee, and the white powder quietly blended into the dark coffee liquid without attracting anyone's attention.

At this time, the assistant was about to pick up the coffee and leave. Sang Shuwan deliberately slipped and leaned forward, and the handbag in her hand was thrown out, just knocking over the coffee cup in the assistant's hand. The brown coffee splashed on the ground, forming a stain, and the cup also fell to the side with a "clang".

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I was so careless." Sang Shuwan immediately said with a face full of surprise and guilt, her voice soft and full of apology. Her eyes were wide open, revealing an innocent look, and one hand covered her mouth, as if she was very upset about her behavior.

The assistant frowned, looked at her watch, and said anxiously: "What's wrong with you? I'm in a hurry! This coffee is for Lin Juanying, and she's going to use it soon." There was a hint of dissatisfaction and blame in her tone, and her eyes revealed an anxious look. As she spoke, she bent down to pick up the broken pieces of the cup on the ground.

Sang Shuwan said quickly, "I'm really sorry. Let me put it this way. I haven't finished this cup of coffee yet. I just bought the same cup as yours, both are cappuccinos. Take it and consider it as compensation to you." As she spoke, she handed over the coffee in her hand with a sincere smile on her face, but there was a little cunning hidden in her eyes. The assistant looked up at the coffee in Sang Shuwan's hand, and then looked at Sang Shuwan's elegant dress and exquisite makeup, and hesitated for a moment. But thinking that time was running out and Lin Juanying was waiting, she took the coffee and said, "Okay, it's my bad luck. You better be careful when you walk next time." After that, she hurriedly left the coffee shop.

Sang Shuwan looked at the assistant's back as she left, her lips slightly raised, outlining a barely perceptible sneer. She slowly walked out of the coffee shop, the sunlight outside shone on her, but it could not warm her heart full of hatred. She hailed a taxi and drove towards the "Xingguang Performing Arts Building" where Lin Juanying was.

The "Starlight Performing Arts Building" is a magnificent building. The exterior walls of the building are all made of silver reflective glass curtain walls, which sparkle dazzlingly under the sunlight, like a huge diamond inlaid in the center of the city. The entrance of the building is a spacious square with smooth marble on the ground and various modern art sculptures with unique shapes on the square. Walking into the building, the spacious and bright lobby is luxuriously decorated, and a huge crystal chandelier hangs on the ceiling, emitting dazzling light. The marble columns are carved with exquisite patterns, and there is a long queue at the elevator door. People are dressed fashionably and appropriately, either rushing on the road or talking in a low voice.

Sang Shuwan took the elevator to Lin Juanying's floor. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she heard a noisy sound. She saw a group of people gathered at the door of the dressing room, and Lin Juanying was yelling something inside.

Sang Shuwan quietly approached the dressing room and looked inside through the crack in the door. Lin Juanying was sitting in front of the dressing table. She was wearing a golden evening dress inlaid with pearls, with a skirt that dragged on the ground and embroidered patterns on the folds. Her hair was curled into big waves and draped over her shoulders, and she wore a crown on her head. However, her face was filled with anger and dissatisfaction. Although her makeup was exquisite, it could not hide her irritability at the moment.

"What are you all for? You can't even do such a small thing! Your makeup looks like a ghost, and your clothes are so ugly?" Lin Juanying yelled at herself in the mirror, her voice sharp and piercing, like the roar of an angry lioness. Her eyes were wide open, full of anger, and she slapped the dressing table with both hands, causing the cosmetics on the table to scatter everywhere.

The assistant stood aside and said tremblingly, "Sister Ying, I have tried my best. This dress was specified by you before, and the makeup artist did it according to your requirements." Her body trembled slightly, and she lowered her head, not daring to look directly into Lin Juanying's eyes, and her hands were nervously twisted together.

"I don't care! I have an important performance today. If I mess it up, none of you will have a good life!"

Sang Shuwan quietly walked into the dressing room, a sneer forming on her lips. Beside her, a skilled makeup artist was carrying a top-notch makeup case. The delicate patterns and metal accessories on the case sparkled under the light, silently announcing luxury and professionalism.

In the dressing room, Lin Juanying was like an irritated trapped beast. After looking in the mirror several times, she was still not satisfied with her current makeup. She couldn't help but roar at the cowering assistant: "You idiot! What kind of rubbish cosmetics are you using? This powder looks like a mask on your face, and this eye shadow looks like someone punched you! My previous assistants would never be like this. Are you deliberately making fun of me?" The assistant looked aggrieved and stammered: "Sister Ying, this is the best we can find. Your current situation..."

(End of this chapter)