Someone was provoked and shouted loudly, "Say it, just say it. We're telling the truth and we're not afraid of you repeating it outside. You just snatched the gig from JY girl group, taking advantage of Sister Zimu's kindness to climb over JY girl group!"
Li Zimu quickly stood up to mediate, positioning herself between them, and gently said, "Alright, both of you say less, the show has already been filmed. What's the use of talking about this now? Stop talking."
He Jinxia crossed her arms, looked at Li Zimu playing the good person indifferently, tugged at the corner of her mouth, and said nothing.
When the room returned to calm, He Jinxia looked at Li Zimu, "Do you also think I snatched your gig?"
Li Zimu's expression paused, her gaze toward her complicated, and finally, biting her lip, she said, "Jinxia, I believe you wouldn't do that."
Too fake.
He Jinxia's eyes darkened. Li Zimu, this minion, in her past life, wouldn't even be worthy to carry her shoes, let alone play games with her, yet the original host was done in by such a minion...
She could not help but shake her head, calmly saying, "I did not snatch JY's gig."
"He Jinxia, you are blatantly lying! Everyone knows 'Letter to Future Self' initially invited JY girl group, so how did it suddenly change to you? If you didn't snatch it, then how did you get this opportunity?"
He Jinxia looked at the woman yelling at her and countered, "If it was settled on JY from the beginning, then how could I snatch it?"
The woman's words choked, "You, you... How would I know how you snatched it! Who knows if you didn't rely on connections—"
Feeling something was off, another group member quickly pulled the speaking woman back, and Li Zimu also promptly spoke out sternly, "Alright, this matter is over, let's not talk about it anymore!"
The atmosphere once again returned to complete silence.
He Jinxia glanced at them, suddenly curled her lips into a smile, and her originally plain features became stunningly beautiful with that smile, especially those bright, sparkling eyes, shining like the starry sky.
Everyone was astounded by her smile, somewhat disbelieving.
Looking again, He Jinxia had already dropped the smile, her face returning to calm, her features looking ordinary.
She looked at them, slowly and deliberately saying, "Move on? No, I don't want to move on."
Li Zimu was about to say something, but He Jinxia spoke first, her words showing a sharp edge.
"First, if 'Letter to Future Self' had already agreed on a contract with you before inviting me, then that would be a breach of contract, and JY could sue the program for a penalty."
"If not, then my competition with JY was fair. Whatever gig the company schedules for me, I go audition. If the audition succeeds, I'm on the show—simple as that. Anyone who thinks I got in through the back door can file a complaint with the company."
She slightly tilted her head, her gaze sharply looking at the few angry girls, "Besides, use your brains, do you think I can snatch JY's opportunity with my current situation?"
With her being overweight, could she really snatch an opportunity from JY girl group's lineup of fairy-like long-legged beauties?
The faces of those people slightly changed, their thoughts unknowable.
Some people are genuinely naive, believing whatever they are told, while others pretend to be naive, just going along with the situation.
"Jinxia, are you blaming me?" Suddenly, Li Zimu's voice came through a bit choked, her eyes brimming with tears.
He Jinxia's heart was still, she shook her head, "No, I am very grateful for the care JY girl group has shown me over the last four years. When you see Sister Zhang later, please convey my thanks to her as well."
Her words paused imperceptibly, her eyes slightly narrowed, meaningfully saying, "Thank her for her care over these years."
"Click," the door gently closed behind her. He Jinxia's words lingered in the room for a long time.
"Also, the next time you speak ill of others, there's no need to intentionally leave the door open; the entire hallway echoes with that sound, and it's quite unsettling to hear."
A few women looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
***
"Next time you speak ill of others, there's no need to intentionally leave the door open. The entire hallway echoes with a 'snap'!"
Li Zimu, furious, threw the recording pen in her hand.
"Bang!" The recording pen rolled on the ground a few times but continued to firmly play He Jinxia's voice: "...it's quite unsettling to hear."
Li Zimu clenched her fists and bit her teeth hard, squeezing out from between them, "He, Jin, Xia!"
"Click," the bedroom door was opened at this moment, and Zhang Yingru turned on the light, only to see Li Zimu's gloomy face. Her expression became serious.
She first closed the door, then walked over to the recording pen to turn off the loop playback and brought the pen to Li Zimu.
"Enough, if you can't find any spoken traps, then stop looking. This matter with He Jinxia ends here. You must not seek her out anymore. She has been kicked out of JY. The group's resources will get better, and JY will soon rise to the top tier."
A trace of reluctance crossed Li Zimu's face as she looked at Sister Zhang, "Sister Zhang, are we just letting the matter of our stolen notice go?"
Zhang Yingru said lightly, "That notice was the company's arrangement. Her performance on stage that time caught the eye of the company's upper management."
Li Zimu, grinding her teeth, said, "But the company didn't have to give He Jinxia such an important notice. A month ago, JY already received an invitation from 'Letter to Future Self'. We had publicized it, and the fans knew we were going on the show."
"As a result, it was He Jinxia who appeared on the program, not us. JY will be looked down upon, scorned as worse than a dead fatty!"
Zhang Yingru's brows furrowed, and she scolded, "Enough, I don't want to see He Jinxia turn things around any more than you do, but this is the decision from above. If you don't want someone else to take JY's notice, then work hard to make JY a top-tier girl group. Then, no one will be able to look down on you!"
Feeling her words might have been too harsh, Zhang Yingru softened her tone and continued:
"As I said before, He Jinxia is already out of the group. You don't need to worry about her anymore. I've hooked JY up with a couple of concerts featuring stars once at the top. Even though they're past their prime, their appeal and influence should still not be underestimated. You guys..."
"Sister Zhang." Li Zimu suddenly interrupted her, grabbed her arm, and asked nervously with wide eyes,
"Do you think He Jinxia already knows about the things we did to her?"
Zhang Yingru's face changed drastically, and she shook off her hand, scolding sharply, "Li Zimu, what are you talking about!"
Li Zimu was stunned.
Zhang Yingru's piercing gaze shot towards her like a knife, "What did you say, what have we done?"
Li Zimu shivered, unable to utter a word.
In her ears, Zhang Yingru's chilly voice came through, "Li Zimu, remember this. It was He Jinxia's own choice to leave the group. We..."
She enunciated each word sharply: "Did, not, do, anything!"