Chapter 49
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Chapter 49: Title
[So is this Song Yutian’s first loss? Kinda looking forward to it!]
[Let Yao Yao take first place for once! That’d be nice!]
[I bet Sister Song will ace it—this woman always pulls off miracles.]
[Wishful thinking. If Song Yutian were that capable, she’d have marketed herself as a genius already.]
[Why focus only on Song Yutian? Don’t forget Qin Yuanzhuo is also top-tier!]
Amidst the speculation, the director announced the final results: "Song Yutian and Qin Yuanzhuo’s group answered ten questions correctly, earning thirty red flowers!"
A perfect score.
Shock rippled through every contestant’s expression.
Having participated themselves, they knew the near-impossible difficulty of completing all ten questions flawlessly within forty minutes. The program group had given no preparation time, forcing them to rely on long-unused middle school knowledge. Even with student assistants, the strict limitations and time constraints made a perfect score seem unattainable.
Yet someone had done it.
Liu Tian gazed at Song Yutian with near-reverence: "Sister Yutian! Can I become your disciple?"
[What challenge CAN’T Sister Song conquer?]
[Is she some hidden academic prodigy?!]
Praise mingled with skepticism:
[Didn’t someone dig up Song Yutian’s mediocre college entrance scores?]
[This feels scripted. No way it’s real.]
[Full marks? Show us their problem-solving process!]
The broadcast cut to a replay of their answering session.
The clip opened with Song Yutian scribbling rapidly on scratch paper, the camera zooming in to capture her notes. She then delegated one question to a student assistant—the female class representative, whose elegant handwriting flew across the page as she solved complex equations.
Qin Yuanzhuo appeared intermittently in close-ups, brows furrowed in concentration.
Though doubts lingered, the footage quieted many critics:
[They showed the actual process! What more proof do you need?]
[Sister Song’s brilliance isn’t knowing every answer—it’s knowing whom to delegate tough questions to!]
[That student assistant’s math skills are fire!]
[Yuanzhuo’s focused face though—SO HOT.]
When staff displayed each group’s third-round red flowers (now pooled per pair rather than individual), the director declared: "Our top three are clear! Shen Xi & Liu Tian: seventy-seven flowers. Wei Yao & Zhong Yueli: eighty-eight. Song Yutian & Qin Yuanzhuo: also eighty-eight!"
[A TIE?! First time in show history!]
[How do they break this?]
Wei Yao voiced the collective question: "Director, what happens in case of equal scores?"
Stroking his chin, he answered: "Though unprecedented, both groups share first place."
"So we each get 100 points?!" Wei Yao’s excitement burst forth as she lunged to embrace Song Yutian mid-aisle.
"I actually won first place!" she cheered, arms locked around her stunned teammate. After a beat, Song Yutian returned the hug warmly.
Most contestants seemed puzzled by Wei Yao’s outburst, but Song Yutian understood. This wasn’t just victory—it was vindication.
During breaks, contestants could read online comments. Though Wei Yao never admitted it, she’d clearly seen the criticism—why else would she have asked weeks ago, her voice small at bedtime: "Yutian…do people think I’m dragging our group down?"
Song Yutian had fiercely denied it then, but the doubt had lingered. Now Wei Yao stood triumphant—not just her first win, but Zhong Yueli’s best performance yet, silencing every netizen who’d claimed she hindered Gong Yu.
Patting Wei Yao’s back, Song Yutian whispered: "You proved them all wrong."
[Sure enough, our Yao Yao is amazing! Those who said Wei Yao was useless should come and apologize!]
[Gong Yu used to look down on Wei Yao, but now that Wei Yao has a new teammate, she’s taken first place.]
[Gong Yu has also proven himself, demonstrating his lack of capability. Poor beautiful An Xin had to suffer for it.]
[Anyone else shipping them as hard as I am? Sister Song and Yao Yao are the sweetest CP!]
The two girls embraced for several seconds until the Chief Director reminded them from the sidelines: "Your teammates are still waiting over there."
Wei Yao seemed to snap out of a daze, releasing Song Yutian before running to give Zhong Yueli a hug too.
This second embrace maintained careful propriety, their bodies keeping a respectful distance—completely different from the previous one.
After Wei Yao composed herself, the Chief Director announced: "Now please have the top three contestants come forward for awards."
As the rankings were announced collectively, all three groups approached together. Staff presented small trophies to each team member before everyone posed for a group photo.
In the photograph, Song Yutian and Wei Yao stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Song Yutian’s arm casually draped around Wei Yao’s shoulders—they could’ve been mistaken for teammates.
The Chief Director asked: "Any victory speeches? Sister Xi first."
Shen Xi nodded: "This meaningful competition reminded me how much I enjoy working with children—their innocence felt healing. Collaborating with Liu Tian was pleasant too. Third place satisfies me completely."
Liu Tian exclaimed: "Thanks to Sister Xi for helping me win my first ranking! I’ll keep striving to catch up to my role model, Sister Yutian!"
Wei Yao, Zhong Yueli, and Qin Yuanzhuo then gave standard speeches about enjoying the competition and being pleased with their results.
Finally came Song Yutian’s turn.
After brief consideration, she spoke: "Beyond thanking my team, I want to specially acknowledge Wang Xiaojia, who assisted us in the final quiz."
"Classmate Wang Xiaojia, if you are watching this broadcast—you performed exceptionally today. Not only did you answer correctly, but you also excelled under first-time filming pressures. Without your help, we couldn’t have achieved full marks or this championship."
"I recall you mentioning struggling during last semester’s finals after being told that girls’ grades decline with age. Believe me— today’s pressured perfection proves your future capabilities!"
With a radiant smile at the camera, she concluded: "Go ace that high school entrance exam, Xiaojia!"
Applause erupted as she finished.
[True! Without that class rep girl, Sister Song might’ve lost her crown.]
[She’s incredible! The final math question from their test would challenge most sophomores.]
[Remember how Gong Yu and Qin Yuanzhuo dismissed the girls earlier? Talk about poetic justice!]
[Girls rock!]
Kilometers away, a girl watching live nodded fiercely at her screen: "I’ll do my best, Sister Yutian!"
.
Post-ranking announcements brought the usual dinner routine, mercifully free of program group antics.
Evening interviews concluded the day’s filming. Returning to her room, Song Yutian found a message from her agent regarding the dance film audition Wei Yao had mentioned.
"I inquired—Director Cheng won’t make exceptions for auditions. But your show performance has boosted both your popularity and reputation. Keep this up, and future opportunities will come."
Song Yutian sighed internally.
The film’s professional dancer protagonist mirrored her past life experiences perfectly. She’d petitioned both the program group and her agent for audition leave, only to be refused on both fronts.
Today’s exertions left her weary. After showering and bidding Wei Yao goodnight, she fell asleep before 10:30.
.
The next morning at 7:30.
With filming starting at 9 AM, Song Yutian typically rose by 7 for an 8 AM jog. Freshly awake, she noticed multiple missed calls from her previously hands-off agent.
As she prepared to return the calls, an anomalous knock interrupted her. Security ensured her safety, and her roommate Wei Yao still slept soundly. Opening the door revealed the show’s female producer—an off-camera figure Song Yutian had only met briefly during pre-show preparations.
But Song Yutian knew that this producer was the driving force behind the country’s first fully live variety show and was definitely no ordinary person.
The producer stood outside the door and said, "Yutian, the program group has something very important and urgent to discuss with you. Can you come out?"
Song Yutian was taken aback.
She glanced back at Wei Yao, who was still sound asleep, and nodded, "Okay, can I have two minutes to change out of my pajamas?"
"Sure."
Song Yutian gently closed the door and quickly changed into clothes suitable for stepping outside, then walked out of the room.
The two of them walked out of the villa and reached another special building belonging to the program group a few dozen meters away.
Upon entering the room, she saw that three people were already seated inside. One was the Chief Director, one was the Associate Director, and the last one was someone Song Yutian had never seen before.
It was clear that most of the important members of the program group were present.
"Please sit," the producer said as he took a seat himself and pointed to the remaining empty chair.
Song Yutian was confused but still sat down.
"Yutian, what do you know about the trending topic?" the producer asked seriously. "This matter is very serious, and I hope you can tell us the truth."
