The gaze returned to the stage. The male guest performing alongside Su Ding slapped her hard, "Get lost! I don't want to see you again!"
Su Ding looked at him, tears welling up in disbelief, "Why?"
The male guest said coldly, "Go ask your parents, I'm not good enough for you."
"No! You said before..." Su Ding, holding back tears, stubbornly grabbed the male lead's clothes, "Don't go."
"Slap!"
The male guest suddenly raised his hand and slapped Su Ding again, stunning her.
Her face swelled high, her head buzzed, and her lips felt so numb she couldn't open her mouth to speak.
As it was a stage performance and the script was hastily changed, there was an element of improvisation. However, slapping the female actress twice on stage, and with such force, was going too far.
The audience was still watching. Su Ding needed to make a comeback and couldn't be easily defeated by Shao Lin. What Sun Meng had done today must have been at Shao Lin's instigation.
She clenched her fists, tears streaming down her cheeks, her voice filled with resolve, "Do you really want to break up?"
The male guest snorted and turned to leave.
He hadn't expected his arm to be suddenly grabbed and yanked, turning him around. Immediately after, a sharp, forceful slap landed on his face.
"Slap!"
The crisp sound of the slap echoed through the venue, stunning the audience.
Sun Meng's gentle expression completely broke. Her body jolted as if electrocuted, and her wide eyes were filled with disbelief.
She dared to hit back?!
The male supporting actor clutched his face in pain, a strong metallic taste filling his mouth, as if it had torn...
He was instructed by Sun Meng to deliberately teach Su Ding a lesson, but he never expected this woman to fight back.
He stared in shock, completely forgetting he was still acting, and pointed at Su Ding, "You! You..."
Su Ding remained immersed in her character, approaching him with a cold smile, step by step.
Her eyes still suppressed sadness, tears continuously rolling down her face, yet her expression was utterly cold. She was like a woman who had suffered heartbreak but was forcing herself to stand tall.
She endured the torment of love, preserving her last shred of dignity.
The male actor completely lost his composure, a flicker of fear in his eyes, and he blurted out involuntarily, "What do you want to do..."
Su Ding slowly walked up to him, her hand lifting tenderly and sadly to caress his face. She curved her lips into a smile, a smile that shattered the audience's hearts.
Everyone's attention was focused on Su Ding, holding their breath, watching her next move.
An invisible force seemed to draw them in, urging them to keep watching, not to stop...
The director forgot to call "cut," watching with tense anticipation.
Su Ding leaned close to the male actor's ear and sighed softly, "I love you, but you don't deserve it."
"Cut!"
Enthusiastic applause erupted throughout the venue. Even the host joined in, marveling at the performance that had rendered everyone tense and silent.
From the back row, Jin Ye's gaze remained fixed on Su Ding's face, which bore five finger marks, his eyes deep.
Sun Meng was Shao Lin's best friend. With her acting skills and experience, she wouldn't normally be in a judge's seat. However, Shao Lin had used his connections to secure Sun Meng considerable resources.
Sun Meng's current fame was built entirely on hype and money. What gave her the audacity to pontificate and criticize newcomers from that position?
"Reduce Sun Meng's filming contracts by half and have her stay home for six months to learn how to treat her juniors kindly."
"Huh?"
Luo Zhu was stunned. Seeing Jin Ye's grim expression, he nodded in agreement.
Luo Zhu inwardly sighed, lamenting Sun Meng's misfortune for provoking the woman Jin Ye favored. She was asking for trouble.
This time, even Shao Lin might not be able to salvage the situation for her. Truly, she courted disaster.
After Su Ding's performance, her rating remained one vote in favor and two against, temporarily placing her in the waiting area. The audience erupted in a noisy discussion, clearly finding it unfair.
Some even shouted "rigged" from below, but the host quickly moved on to the next segment, stabilizing the situation as the next actor took the stage.
The audience wasn't foolish. They lowered their heads, whispering amongst themselves about what other dramas this actor named Su Ding had appeared in...
Clearly, Su Ding had won this battle decisively.