Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten-Chapter 127: The End of the Music Competition and a Stirred Heart

Fang Meng was shocked when she heard those words. Was this for real?

A hug… That seemed a bit too much, didn’t it?

Although the eldest miss always spoke gently and amiably with those around her, she had always been extremely disciplined when it came to matters between men and women.

The fact that she had gone out of her way to dress up and meet Lin Zhengran for this childhood engagement had already been surprising enough.

But a hug…

Even if Jiang Jingshi was lying about that, didn’t it still prove that her feelings toward Lin Zhengran weren’t just about messing with Jiang Qian anymore?

If she actually liked him…

Fang Meng let out a quiet sigh. Listening to the sisters argue again, she had a feeling life was about to get a lot more complicated.

These two were actually fighting over a guy—something Fang Meng never would’ve imagined before.

As the night grew deeper, no battle, no matter how intense, could last forever. Exhaustion would always set in eventually.

Tonight’s clash between the sisters had lasted longer than usual, but in the end, it still came to a close.

Like two feuding sisters giving each other the silent treatment, the two Rolls-Royces sped off in opposite directions.

Inside Jiang Jingshi’s car, the young lady in the silver-white gown, who had been at each other’s throats with her sister just moments ago, was now perfectly composed.

Far from being angry about what had happened, she actually found it amusing.

So Qianqian really is starting to care about Lin Zhengran.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have argued with her for so long.

Though, Jiang Jingshi had to admit that when she first met Lin Zhengran at the supermarket, she had been curious about him because of her sister. But by now, she understood that their connection was no longer about anyone else.

She was genuinely drawn to him.

Thinking back to earlier at the cat café, when she had been pushed by the cats and ended up in his arms, she didn’t feel embarrassed at all. If anything, just remembering it made her heart race a little.

Staring out at the night sky, she suddenly recalled something important and pulled out her phone to call someone she absolutely trusted.

The call connected quickly.

"Hello, President Jiang?"

Jiang Jingshi looked out the window.

"Investigate everything Jiang Cheng has been up to recently. I want a full report—who he’s met, where he’s been. Also, check if he has any connections with today's New Star Music competition."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

"Understood."

"And… prepare a fake version of tomorrow’s music rankings for me. Get some online users to create fake votes, but make it look as convincing as possible."

She reminded them, "Do it quickly. I need it done tonight."

The other person, though unsure of her intentions, was absolutely loyal. "Understood, President Jiang. I’ll gather people to work overtime and get it done tonight."

"Good. Once this is finished, I’ll have finance issue bonuses for you and your team."

After exchanging a few more words, she ended the call and dialed Qiang Jie next.

While Stidi was a big name, he wasn’t quite on the same level as Qiang Jie in the music industry. Stidi might have been bribed, but Qiang Jie had worked with Jiang Jingshi before.

If there was any behind-the-scenes manipulation in today’s competition, he would have noticed.

The call connected.

Jiang Jingshi smiled. "Qiang Jie, are you still awake?"

"Not yet. What’s up, President Jiang?"

"I want to talk to you about today’s competition. It’s important. I’ll send someone to pick you up."

As long as she could figure out what Jiang Cheng was planning, she could handle it with ease.

That night, Jiang Jingshi met Qiang Jie in an office. After a brief conversation, he handed her a list of names he had secretly noted down.

"These are the contestants I believe should have advanced. I heard Stidi repeatedly saying certain people had to pass, which already felt off to me. But I figured you wouldn’t usually bother with this kind of thing, since rigging a music competition is pretty pointless. Turns out, I was right to be suspicious."

Jiang Jingshi chuckled, taking the list.

"Thanks for keeping an eye out. This makes things a lot easier."

Later that night, she sent the competition footage of these contestants to Lin Zhengran, asking him to confirm if everything looked right.

For some reason, she trusted his judgment more than anyone else’s now.

She couldn’t explain why.

Only after Lin Zhengran confirmed there were no issues did she finally relax.

Lin Zhengran met up with Jiang Xueli, and the two headed to the competition venue together.

Compared to yesterday, the number of contestants had drastically decreased. At a glance, there were barely sixty people left.

And that was including the cameramen and staff.

Standing beside Lin Zhengran, even Jiang Xueli was surprised. "Why are there so few people today? Did the eliminated contestants just not bother showing up?"

The moment Lin Zhengran saw the situation, he knew exactly what Jiang Jingshi was up to.

Sure enough, the back doors of the music competition venue soon opened.

Just like yesterday, Jiang Jingshi stepped out alongside two judges, chatting and laughing as they walked.

But amidst her casual conversation, she glanced into the distance, spotted Lin Zhengran, and flashed him a smile.

Lin Zhengran smiled back.

A few minutes later, the competition officially began as the host made the announcement.

For today’s round, the judges didn’t have to do much. The fifty contestants would simply take turns performing while being recorded.

The videos would then be uploaded to the New Star Music ranking board, where online users could vote.

After the competition ended, Jiang Xueli and Lin Zhengran sat in the audience area, waiting.

Jiang Xueli scrolled through her phone, checking the New Star Music rankings. The voting period was set to last only a few hours, ending at 2 PM.

Despite the short window, thousands of votes had already poured in within a short amount of time.

Jiang Xueli was shocked. "The votes are coming in fast! But… why does my ranking feel so low? Zhengran, look!" She anxiously handed her phone to Lin Zhengran.

He glanced at it. Jiang Xueli had only received around 100–200 votes, while the contestants under New Star Music and Jiang Jingshi’s management already had 300–400.

Leaning in close to her ear, Lin Zhengran whispered, "Don’t worry about it. This ranking is fake, and so are the voters. I’m guessing the real rankings will be released tonight or tomorrow, and the contestant list will change too."

"Huh? Why?"

Lin Zhengran briefly explained what Jiang Jingshi had told him about the behind-the-scenes manipulation.

Jiang Xueli was stunned.

"Seriously? So that’s where you went yesterday—you met with Jiang Qian’s sister?!"

She suddenly felt like she had been caught up in something big. Looking at the fifty or so other contestants in the resting area, all anxiously staring at their vote counts, she swallowed nervously and leaned closer to Lin Zhengran, whispering, "So today’s rankings are just a trap Jiang Jingshi set up to catch a traitor?"

"That’s what it looks like. So don’t worry about the rankings. The real ones will probably be posted tonight or tomorrow."

"Whoa… so this is what business warfare is like? This is my first time seeing it up close—it’s intense!"

Lin Zhengran: "…..."

As expected, at exactly 2 PM, the rankings were finalized.

The top 35 contestants all belonged to Jiang Jingshi and New Star Music.

At the same moment, the internet was suddenly flooded with posts and videos exposing Jiang Jingshi for rigging the competition.

These posts quickly gained traction, accumulating high view counts and engagement.

It was clear that someone had pre-recorded the videos, purchased traffic, and had been waiting for the exact moment to release them.

However, instead of sparking outrage, the posts didn’t seem to have much of an effect.

In fact, the comments section was filled with confusion.

— User: If My Mom Had a Chicken, She’d Be My Dad: "What rankings? What scandal? I don’t see anything suspicious."

— User: My Dog Looks Like Me, I Look Like My Dog: "Yeah, if you’re gonna expose a rigged ranking, shouldn’t there actually be rankings to compare? I don’t see them anywhere."

— User: I Shot My Sunday Off, So Today’s Monday: "Wow, this video has so many views? But wasn’t the official ranking supposed to be released at 2 PM? Isn’t it not even out yet?"

— User: Holy Crap Original: "I just saw the official rankings! They just got posted! But they don’t match the ones in these ‘exposed’ posts at all. The names don’t even line up. Did someone Photoshop these? At least wait for the rankings to be released before faking a scandal."

The sudden reversal left netizens completely bewildered.

For them, it was just confusion.

But for Jiang Cheng, the person managing Jiang Jingshi’s music team from behind the scenes, it was a total disaster.

This was not how things were supposed to go.

According to his plan, the internet should have erupted in outrage.

But now, it was as if the people commenting were an entirely different group from the ones voting before 2 PM.

Before the deadline, the users had been actively voting and occasionally asking if the rankings were rigged. Jiang Jingshi had even responded in the comments, denying any wrongdoing.

But after 2 PM, it was as if none of them had ever seen the rankings before.

And what did they mean by "the official rankings were only released at 2 PM"? Hadn’t the rankings been finalized at 2 PM?

And what was this new ranking? Since when was that a thing? Why hadn’t he known about it?

His mind was filled with questions as he rushed to investigate.

But before he could, Jiang Jingshi arrived at the backstage area with a group of people, blocking his way with a bright smile.

"Manager Jiang, where are you off to?" she said lightly. "I was just looking over the records and noticed something strange. Since when did fifteen of New Star Music’s contestants join my team? When exactly did you pull them under my name without informing me, their boss?"

Jiang Cheng instantly broke out in a cold sweat. His eyes darted toward the group she had brought with her. "President Jiang, I—"

Jiang Jingshi pulled out a few photos and handed them to him.

"Taking my money while secretly colluding with another company to set me up. Impressive. Just a reminder—spreading false rumors and defamation is a criminal offense. I’ve already called the police. Get ready to spend the next three years behind bars, traitor."

Her strategy had been simple.

Since Jiang Cheng wanted to make it seem like the competition was rigged, he would naturally hire people to manipulate the votes when the rankings were released.

So Jiang Jingshi had simply gone along with it.

She fabricated a fake ranking, planted fake voters, and instructed her team to mislead Jiang Cheng into believing it was real.

Then, after 2 PM, she published the real rankings—the same ones that Qiang Jie had secretly recorded and Lin Zhengran had verified.

With that, the setup was flawless.

Of course, because of all this maneuvering, the competition had to make some adjustments.

The actual 50 finalists were called back on the afternoon of the 6th to re-record their performances, properly securing their places in the real New Star Music rankings.

The voting period was extended to two full weeks.

After that, public voting would determine the final winner.

That afternoon, after finishing her recording, Jiang Xueli stood beside Lin Zhengran, excitedly checking the real New Star rankings.

"Zhengran, look! I’m in the top twenty!"

Lin Zhengran, always confident in her abilities, reassured her, "It’s only just been posted. Let’s check again tonight."

"Mm!"

Suddenly, Lin Zhengran’s phone vibrated.

It was a message from Han Wenwen.

"Zhengran-ge? It’s already the evening of the 6th! Is the competition with Lily over? When are you coming to see me?"

He replied briefly: "Still busy. I’ll call you when I’m done."

Han Wenwen sent a sulky fox emoji:

"Fine… but you haven’t called me even once these past few days!"

Jiang Xueli, noticing him texting, asked curiously, "Who are you messaging?"

Lin Zhengran answered honestly, "My girlfriend."

Jiang Xueli instantly pouted, turning away. She assumed he was texting He Qing.

"Fine, I did agree that you could have two girlfriends, but… can’t you at least wait until we’re home? Doing this in front of me…"

Lin Zhengran put away his phone and looked at her, amused.

He reached out and patted her head. "You’ve worked hard these past few days. Once the rankings are out, I’ll take you to the zoo."

Jiang Xueli blushed, her voice turning soft. "The rankings aren’t out yet… I might not even win…"

"You’ll definitely win. But even if you don’t, I’d still take you."

Jiang Xueli wavered for a moment, then clenched her small fists confidently.

"What do you mean, even if? If I don’t win, I’d be too embarrassed to go! Just wait—I’ll definitely win first place!"

Not far away, Jiang Jingshi approached with a group of people.

Seeing Lin Zhengran and Jiang Xueli chatting happily, she felt a strange emotion stir within her.

"Zhengran," she called out.

Lin Zhengran turned. "Jiang-jie."

Jiang Jingshi smiled. "This competition was a bit messy, but the results turned out well. Seven of my contestants made it onto the New Star rankings. Let’s see who takes the championship in two weeks. Thanks for your help."

"No need to thank me. I just wanted to ensure a fair competition."

"Mm. See you when the results are announced."

She turned and left.

Back in her car, Jiang Jingshi glanced at Lin Zhengran through the rearview mirror, her slender fingers tightening slightly.

A faint blush colored her cheeks.

"I really don’t feel like saying goodbye to you at all."