Chapter 13: The Online Love Rival Becomes a Charmer (13)

Chapter 13 From Online Romance Side Character to Enchantress (13)

Walking back, the system suddenly spoke up, "Do all women switch faces faster than flipping a page?"

It had seen it clearly—at home, Tang Qing stood her ground like iron toward her own mother, splashing tea with decisive ease. Yet at the police station, she instantly reverted to that pitiful, helpless little thing, waiting for Sister Wang to back her up. And before that, when facing Shen Yue...

"This isn’t about switching faces. It's called reading the room." Having dealt with Jiang Xiaoe, Tang Qing's steps were noticeably lighter. "Choosing the right demeanor and outfit at the right moment—that's the talent of a beautiful woman."

"Tell people what they want to hear, ghosts what they fear—that’s the cleverness of a cunning woman."

"And me? I’m the whole package—gorgeous and genius." Tang Qing's tone was full of pride as she spoke. "Jiang Xiaoe was sent away today, but when she's short on money again, she’ll definitely think of me."

"I recorded every word of our conversation earlier, plus this cop’s paperwork..."

"Even if she tries to cause trouble for me later, these things will prove that I was the real victim." As if foreseeing a future scenario, Tang Qing's expression grew even more pleased.

The system suddenly understood. "So that's why you took a photo of the police report! You'd already planned it all!"

"You called the cops on purpose, made sure they came, just to solidify the fact that Jiang Xiaoe came to harass you today..." Hmph, still the same venomous schemer, playing chess while others play checkers. No wonder its master had never been able to outmaneuver Tang Qing before!

"Bingo! But no prize for you." Tang Qing had already reached her doorstep, turning the key lightly. "Now, it's time to prepare for winning the championship."

The new song Tang Qing had prepared for herself was called *Dreaming Big*, her own original, written and sung by herself. With only simple chords, it highlighted the unique qualities of her voice.

*"I'm already six, walking through the fields,*

*I slip and fall into the water—now what?*

*My clothes are dirty, my shoes are lost,*

*Dad’ll rage, Mom’ll lecture—*

*Now what?*

*Standing on the ridge, crying loudly—now what?*

*I'm twelve now, never left home,*

*Going to middle school, miles away—now what?*

*My father, always silent—now what?*

*..."*

In Tang Qing's rented apartment, her simple, pure voice rang out—crystal-clear and haunting. Just a soft hum, yet it made people want to listen closely, to hear the story spun softly, the ache and grit woven into the melody.

Compared to other competition entries, Tang Qing's song didn't rely on complex arrangements. It was just a story spun softly, flowing simply, her distinctive voice seeping into the hearts of every listener...

"How is it?"

The system had to admit, "It's good. Easy on the ears."

"By the way, back when you were such a big star, why did you still take the time to learn singing?" In its past life, following Gu Xiaoman, the system knew just how grueling the schedule of a proper female entertainer could be. For someone of Tang Qing's stature, it would only be busier. It was hard to imagine how she had squeezed out the time to refine her singing skills to this level...

"What else? Without a killer talent, how could I hold my ground?" Tang Qing had always been like this—once her goal was set, she gave it her all. Even if she lacked natural talent, she would practice a million times if necessary to blow everyone away.

In the days unseen by the spotlight, Tang Qing had constantly worked on improving herself. Every skill the company threw at her, she never refused. No matter how hard or exhausting, she persevered.

She knew very well—only when she had enough capital could she hold her own in their games, have the leverage to call the shots.

Ruthlessly ambitious, the position of Best Actress should have been hers all along. So when that good-for-nothing Gu Xiaoman effortlessly won the trophy she had dreamed of, Tang Qing seethed with resentment... Fortunately, the luck that once belonged to Gu Xiaoman had now fallen into her hands.

With the crowd buzzing in anticipation, the live broadcast of the finals of the Campus Original Singer Competition finally began.

On the computer screen, the chat exploded with comments as the camera panned over one contestant after another:

"Wow, this guy is really handsome! I wonder which song is his."

"Here we go! Is this the quality of today's college students? This small-town girl is shook—there are so many good-looking juniors!"

"At this point, the show still hasn’t revealed the creators of the first-round blind audition songs. I really want to know who sang 'Someone Like Me'..."

"Same here! I’ve had that song on repeat for ages. The female vocals are absolutely stunning—I’m in love."

...

Tang Qing appeared on camera wearing a mask, the upper half of her face completely covered, revealing only her eyes. The long lashes and lively gaze suggested that this girl was far from unattractive.

"Hahaha, what’s going on? Aren’t we all here to debut? Why is this girl wearing a mask?"

"Such a weird aesthetic choice..."

"NGL, her legs are killer though. *Simping hard* Pls step on me, queen..."

The chat was popping off, including many from netizens who had been following Tang Qing. They scanned the screen but couldn’t find her. "Did she flop in the prelims?"

"Called it! All that talk about taking first place? Total cap."

"Where’s the fraud at? Still not showing up... What was I even expecting?"

Seeing the chat blow up, the system couldn’t help but speak up: "Shouldn’t you take off the mask? Everyone’s looking for you."

"No. The big reveal’s gotta wait till the finale—that’s how you build suspense." Ignoring all the comments, Tang Qing sat confidently in her designated spot like she owned the place.

Round two had 88 contestants, each taking the stage in the order determined by their entry draw. Scores were tallied on a 100-point scale.

The judges accounted for 60% of the score, while the audience contributed 20%. The remaining 20% was derived from the popularity of each contestant’s first-round audition song.

The system had crunched the numbers—the panel of judges was well-balanced, including music professors, behind-the-scenes producers, and music platform representatives. Impressing all these picky judges? Yeah, good luck with that.