I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

And this girl hugging JX's chest—she's so pretty, you'd think she's some kind of internet celebrity, right? Wrong!

Her true identity is Ru Yan, the prodigy young author of "Offside Cohabitation"!

The phone screen only had a limited amount of content, and this was already at the very bottom. Qin Yunshang was anxious, so she reached out and directly shoved the staff member's phone screen, startling the other person.

The director said, "Wait a minute, that girl is Ruyan? How come she's also having an affair with JX?"

The staff member quickly said, "Please look down; the blogger's speculation is below."

Qin Yunshang had already swiped the screen to read the next content.

"...As you all know, JX is Zhichi. Jiang Tianhou's relationship with him was already well-known and a legendary tale. Everyone should be aware of this."

So why did other people also come over and hug JX? What's their connection with JX? Are they just trying to piggyback on her fame?

If it were an ordinary girl, that might actually be possible. But these people aren't just big shots anymore, they're superstars. They don't need to piggyback on JX's popularity!

The key to solving the mystery lies with this Ruyan!

Those who have read the interview with Ruyan should know that she has only ever liked one person and been close to one person in her life, and that is her teacher.

Do you know who Ruyan's teacher is? Her teacher is that mysterious writer who holds four Nobel Prizes in Literature and caused a sensation throughout the country back then!

Tolstoy, Hemingway, Faulkner, García Borges, Haruki Kawabata...

Why would he choose so many obscure and difficult names to conceal his identity? Doesn't he crave fame and fortune? Are there really such strange people in the world?

Yes, there really is.

Don't you think his style of doing things is a bit like someone else's?

That's right, there's only one answer...

That's where it ends.

Just as Qin Yunshang was about to swipe the screen, a staff member came over and interrupted the enthusiastic director, saying:

"Director, you still need to arrange the remaining schedules for the contestants..."

The director, who was also enjoying the gossip, suddenly realized that he was still live and coughed twice with his fist raised.

"Indeed... well, everyone, let's continue from where we were?"

"Oh, right, well, that's the situation..."

"..."

Qin Yunshang was speechless.

She really wanted the director to stop rambling; nobody wanted to listen to his endless chatter. She just wanted to keep reading the posts and see what Chen Liang's secret really was.

But... she also knew that there was no need to read the last sentence of that post anymore.

The answer is already obvious.

She wanted to see things clearly, simply to give her chaotic mind an anchor point, to calm her wild thoughts, and to clearly tell herself: Yes, it's not that you're crazy, everyone thinks the same way, and that's the truth.

JX is that mysterious writer.

They were all Chen Liang's hidden identities.

As if rising from the water and regaining composure, the director's voice reached my ears again.

"...So my opinion is that, without going against your own wishes, you should try to choose different opponents so that everyone has a chance to appear on stage. Okay, you can announce in advance who you have chosen as your opponents so that we can arrange the program accordingly."

After a moment of hesitation, Jin Lan said, "I...I want to choose Chu Jiu."

The director nodded with an understanding expression, then turned to Lu Chujiu and asked, "Chujiu, what about you?"

Lu Chujiu seemed to have struggled for a long time before finally making up her mind, and looked up to say:

“I choose Yunshang’er, but director, I have a request.”

The director raised an eyebrow and said, "Tell me your requirements first."

"I want to explain to the audience why I chose her before I select her."

The director thought for a moment, a smile appearing on his lips, and said, "Sure, that's your right."

He didn't ask Qin Yunshang who she would choose again.

Since all three people had a chance to compete, Qin Yunshang no longer had the right to choose.

The director clapped his hands and said, "Alright, girls, get ready to go on stage for your final performance of this variety show!"

Just then, there was a knock on the studio door.

The staff in the room all felt a little strange; if a colleague wanted to come in, they could just push the door open.

Why are there guests in the studio right now?

The staff member standing nearby paused for a few seconds, then stepped forward and pushed open the door.

Outside the door, Chen Ya suddenly appeared at the entrance.

Chapter 493 What have I done to deserve this?

When Chen Ya appeared at the door, everyone was stunned. It was like when the homeroom teacher suddenly appeared at the door during a lively evening study session in high school.

After a long pause, the director nearly slipped off his chair, then scrambled over to invite Chen Ya in.

"Um... what brings you here? What can I do for you?"

Seeing the director's obsequious attitude, Chen Ya was a little puzzled, but didn't think much of it and said:

"What are the matchups for our group in the final round later?"

The director was startled; a multitude of ideas flashed through his mind. His eyes darted around 36 times before he said:

"Actually, our matchup arrangements haven't been finalized yet. What do you think we should do?"

After hearing what the director said, the contestants immediately cursed him in their hearts for being shameless.

Didn't we just decide on the matchup? How can you so smoothly go back on your word like that!

Qin Yunshang frowned, then thought for a moment and understood what the director meant.

JX suddenly brought up the matchup situation, which means he definitely has his own ideas about the final round.

His level of understanding is beyond what ordinary people can comprehend, so naturally no one can fathom his thoughts.

If he wants to change the matchups, who can refuse him out of respect? Rather than giving him an unsatisfactory matchup, it's better to say from the beginning that there are no matches and let him arrange them however he wants.

After listening, Chen Ya seemed a little surprised and asked, "How should we arrange this?"

"Yes, what do you think should be done?" the director asked respectfully, turning to the side.

“Aren’t we currently in first place in points?” Chen Ya said.

The director was taken aback, then said, "That's right. You and Yunshang'er are currently in first place in points."

He didn’t know what he meant by bringing this up, but he wondered if he wanted to say something to everyone so that their group could also secure first place in the final round.

Chen Ya said, "Doesn't the rule say that the player with the lowest score should choose their opponent first? How am I supposed to arrange the matchups? They should be the ones to choose first."

After saying that, Chen Ya glanced at Qin Yunshang.

She explained the rules to him a while ago, but he only listened to them briefly. After so many things happened since then, he still remembers them so clearly. He thinks he's really amazing.

But the director was completely stunned by what he said.

Although the final round is nominally governed by those rules, the matchups have to take into account the players' status, the final result, and the live stream data... From the very beginning, they never intended for the players to decide for themselves.

He tried to apply his own thinking to Chen Ya's ideas, and never thought that Chen Ya would honestly play the game according to the rules.

For a time, he felt that Chen Ya was too unfathomable and he could not fathom his intentions at all.

Qin Yunshang impatiently pushed the director aside and went to Chen Ya, saying:

"It's all been agreed upon. Jin Lan will face off against Chu Jiu, and Chu Jiu will PK with us. There will only be one match, it's very simple."

Chen Ya nodded and said, "It's alright, but now we're going to be the grand finale, right? Wouldn't it be more advantageous to sing a song that's sure to get the crowd going?"

Qin Yunshang pursed her lips and said, "Isn't that unnecessary? I want to sing a slow song."

Chen Ya said, "Singing slow songs during a PK is a disadvantage, isn't it? Why didn't you sing a slow song in the first round?"

Qin Yunshang rolled her eyes: "I sang a slow song in the first round."

Chen Ya shrugged and said, "Okay, whatever you want. If you're in good form for singing ballads, it doesn't matter if you sing a ballad in the last round."

The two were plotting loudly in public, leaving everyone else present stunned.

They... were actually seriously discussing tactics!

JX's identity has already been exposed nationwide, so who would dare not award first place to them? They're even seriously discussing tactics and researching which songs would be more effective!

Lu Chujiu listened from the side, her toes digging into the ground.

What has she done to deserve such a desperate attack from JX?

She understood how the rabbit felt in the idiom "a lion hunts a rabbit".

Just listening to them discuss tactics here made her tremble with fear.

She began to regret choosing Qin Yunshang and her group as her opponents.

While Qin Yunshang was discussing with Chen Ya, her dark eyes kept scrutinizing Chen Ya's face.

The more I look at it, the more interesting it becomes, and the happier I feel.

He seems to genuinely disregard his identity; even though the whole world knows he is JX, he hasn't changed at all from the previous "Chen Liang".

This unchanging nature made Qin Yunshang feel very at ease.

A staff member ran over and whispered, "Director, there's a situation outside."

"What's wrong?" the director asked, turning around.

"Come and take a look."

The staff led him to the viewing window, and the director was startled when he saw the scene, saying:

"What's going on?"

Curious, the crowd gathered around and saw a large, dark mass of people queuing up to enter from the entrance of the viewing platform.

These people were all dressed in suits and sunglasses, very neatly dressed, and you could tell at a glance they were not good people.

Chen Ya glanced over, frowned, then relaxed his grip and said:

"It's alright, don't worry. These are security personnel from the Triangle Group. They're here to maintain order."

The director turned around and glanced at Chen Ya with fear.

With JX's identity exposed and so many people present, there's a real risk of trouble. It's definitely advisable to arrange for security personnel to be on-site beforehand.

But thinking about it carefully, JX's ability to command so many people at will shows his influence over the Triangle Group... which is a bit terrifying.

Qin Yunshang raised her face and asked, "Hey, are you leaving after the competition?"

“Yes,” Chen Ya said.

"Could you please not leave?"

"Why aren't you leaving?" Chen Ya asked.

Qin Yunshang didn't speak. After thinking for a while, she said, "Hey, what should I call you, Chen Liang or JX?"

Chen Ya chuckled and said, "Just call me Chen Ya."

“I don’t know any Chen Ya. That’s not how he introduced himself to me.”

Chen Ya smiled slightly and said, "Just call me Chen Ya."

Qin Yunshang pouted, appearing resentful and aggrieved on the surface, but secretly she was overjoyed.

……

Chen Ya and the others came out from backstage one after another. When he returned to his seat, he found that his left and right sides were completely crowded with familiar faces.

On the left was Jiang Xinhai, on the right was Gu Yuqing, and Liu Lizi sat next to her with a displeased expression. Liu Ruyan and Su Xiaonuan were also there, while Xia You sat in the back row in a daze.

Among this group of people, Qin Yun Chu felt out of place.

She felt that sitting among this group of people, she was likely to be misunderstood as having a strange nature, and the more she thought about it, the more shy she became, her face remaining red.