With lightning-fast reflexes, Jiang Miaomiao called out to the system the instant she saw the new plot development. [System! Change 'second brother' to 'Brother Ze'.]
From what she knew, Jiang Zhi's system was highly advanced. She could arbitrarily control who could hear her inner thoughts; if she wished, even the audience watching the screen could perceive them.
The barrage comments, previously debating who was telling the truth, suddenly heard a distinct female voice. [I only rushed over because I heard Brother Ze's girlfriend was here on site.]
Gu Xize: ?
The Barrage: ??
[Who is 'Brother Ze'?]
[Gu Xize? He's the only contestant with 'Ze' in his name.]
[Wait, who was speaking just now? None of them had their mouths open!]
The complexions of those present shifted dramatically. Wei Ran, seeking to clarify for Gu Xize, hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, Brother Ze doesn't have a girlfriend!"
The moment the words left his mouth, he sensed something amiss and desperately tried to backtrack. "I mean, no, no, that has nothing to do with Young Master Gu!"
His explanation, meant to help, only achieved the opposite—protesting too much and inadvertently confirming that Gu Xize was indeed 'Brother Ze'.
[So, 'Brother Ze' is Gu Xize?]
[Look at the sheer panic in Wei Ran's eyes. The one bullying him must be Gu Xize, right?]
Fans of Jiang Ci, who had seen the trending search term, now swarmed into the live stream.
[Hah, which blind people were claiming Jiang Ci bullied Wei Ran just now?]
[Who else? It was Gu Xize's fans trying to smear him.]
[Also, isn't that woman Jiang Zhi, the one the Jiang family publicly disowned a week ago?]
[Oh, the switched-at-birth fake heiress?]
[The audacity of this fake heiress! Our Jiang Ci has his own real sister, thank you very much. Why is this fake so desperate to call him 'brother'? Is he yourbrother?]
[You're all missing the point! The point is that Gu Xize's girlfriend is supposedly here!]
[Didn't he say on the show he wasn't dating? Tsk, tsk. Another one pretending to be pure and innocent crashes and burns.]
As the discussion in the paparazzi's live stream grew hotter, the main broadcast stream for the debut night finale was soon flooded with barrage comments about Gu Xize's girlfriend and the bullying allegations.
The hashtags #GuXizeGirlfriend and #GuXizeBully began trending.
But Gu Xize had no mind for trending searches at the moment; he was deeply hurt.
Why would Sister Zhi say such a thing?
She knew—she had to know—he had loved her since childhood. How could he possibly have a girlfriend?
Someone must have been spreading lies to her!
"Sister Zhi, I—"
Jiang Zhi, her expression strained, cut him off. "Xize, don't overthink it. It's almost your turn to take the stage. Focus on your performance."
Something had been profoundly wrong just now. She had projected an inner thought. How could she possibly have said 'Brother Ze' instead of 'second brother'?
But... where exactly had the flaw been?
Jiang Zhi's gaze settled on Jiang Miaomiao.
Could the problem lie with her?
After a moment's thought, she decided to help clarify things for Gu Xize first.
Seeing her prepare to project another thought, the system immediately pulled up the original plot text.
[Original Text: Jiang Zhi's eyes reddened. She raised a hand to wipe her tears, thinking inwardly, "What's going on? How did everyone get the wrong idea? Such an outrageous rumor must be false. It was probably spread deliberately by Xize's rival."]
Jiang Miaomiao's eyes narrowed slightly.
[System, change 'raised a hand to wipe her tears' to 'raised a foot to wipe her tears'.]
The next second, everyone saw Jiang Zhi slowly lift her dewy eyes, her eyelashes instantly glistening with tears.
She sniffled and was about to raise her hand when her body suddenly stiffened. A fleeting sense of dislocation washed over her, as if she had momentarily lost control of her own limbs.
Immediately after, she watched, horrified, as her own leg raised high, bent with improbable flexibility, and her foot descended upon her face.
Everyone on-site stared, dumbfounded.
The live stream audience was equally stupefied.
Even more astonishing, as Jiang Zhi used her foot to 'wipe' her tears, a voice issued forth while her mouth remained firmly shut:
[What's going on? How did everyone get the wrong idea? Such an outrageous rumor must be false. It was probably spread deliberately by Xize's rival.]
The barrage froze for a split second.
[Is she... performing an acrobatic act?]
[Does this Jiang Zhi have some sort of mental condition?]
[It's hard to imagine a normal person using their foot to wipe away tears.]
[Jiang Zhi is seriously weird. How can we hear her voice when she isn't even speaking?]
[Who is this 'rival' of Gu Xize's she mentioned? Was the rumor about Gu Xize having a girlfriend deliberately spread by his rival?]
[Why are you all taking Jiang Zhi's word as gospel?]
[Seriously, what mentally sound person uses their foot to wipe tears?]
[Jiang Zhi probably has a psychiatric disorder, so nothing she says is credible. My Brother Xize definitely doesn't have a girlfriend.]
Amid the barrage squabble, Jiang Zhi regained control of her body.
Her eyes darted around in panic.
What had just happened?
Why had her body disobeyed her?
To have performed such a ridiculous, undignified act in front of so many people... she wished the ground would swallow her whole.
The peculiar, scrutinizing gazes from everyone around her were, for someone as image-conscious as she was, a humiliation far worse than a slap in the face.
The looks directed at Jiang Zhi were now universally those reserved for a bizarre oddity. All except for one person.
At this moment, Gu Xize was deeply moved.
Sister Zhi, in order to help dispel the rumor about his girlfriend, had been willing to sacrifice her own image, even performing that absurd act to make everyone believe she was mentally unwell.
Gu Xize's gaze towards Jiang Zhi grew even more tender, the affection in his eyes nearly overflowing.
Viewers in the live stream began to sense the strange dynamic between Gu Xize and Jiang Zhi.
[Does anyone else think the way Gu Xize looks at Jiang Zhi is really weird?]
[Gu Xize's gaze is practically sticky. It's hard not to notice.]
[Feels like there's a hint of unrequited love in Gu Xize's look?]
Alerted by the news, Gu Xize's fans arrived en masse, launching indiscriminate attacks in the live stream chat.
[Morons! Maybe it's youwho has unrequited love for your own mother! What are Jiang Ci's fans barking about? Don't you dare cling to his fame, you has-been!]
[My brother is popular, I know, but sometimes too popular. All you haters just come sniffing around.]
[We all know which fandom is behind the smear campaign against Brother Xize.]
This finally provoked Jiang Ci's fans beyond endurance.
[The hardest thing about Gu Xize is his fans' mouths. Too bad their idol doesn't back it up, always the eternal runner-up in every stage vote.]
[Jiang Ci wins first place every single time, stepping right over their idol's face. No wonder they're so bitter.]
This struck a nerve with Gu Xize's fans. Throughout the entire competition, Jiang Ci had consistently ranked first in every performance vote.
The barrage paused briefly.
[We've screenshotted all you slanderers for evidence. Just wait for your lawyer's letters!]
This attempt to silence dissent only annoyed the neutral observers.
[Ooh, a lawyer's letter warning.]
[Hilarious. Which fandom is this? They're a riot.]
[Their idol can't compete, but the fans are mighty brave, trying to shut everyone up.]
Seeing the barrage, Gu Xize felt nothing but disdain.
Jiang Ci only got first place because of that pretty-boy face of his.
He truly didn't understand modern aesthetics. That pretty-boy Jiang Ci had zero masculinity about him—a complete sissy!
"And now, let's welcome contestant Gu Xize to the stage for a brilliant performance!"
Before walking on stage, Gu Xize shoved something into Wei Ran's hand.
This time, he would handle things personally.