Chapter 39: Welcome, Iron Maidens!

At this moment, on stage, under Su Yunjin’s guidance, the KING girl group began their self-introductions.

“Ms. Su, how would you score each of them?” Luo Zizhen, who had barely spoken so far, finally opened her mouth. Though she addressed Su Yunjin, it was not a good question. KING was the first group, and Su Yunjin was a newcomer—giving the first scores was bound to attract criticism.

Nonetheless, Luo Zizhen’s initiative in speaking to Su Yunjin made many of her devoted fans feel a pang of sympathy. “Oh, our Zhenzhen is just too kind,” they lamented. “Exactly, she’s actually taking the initiative to be friendly with Su Yunjin.” “That’s right. If Su Yunjin can’t appreciate this, I’ll be really upset.” The way they spoke, it was as if Luo Zizhen had suffered some great injustice.

Their outcry, however, couldn’t escape the notice of other online viewers, who quickly grew impatient. “Am I seeing this right? You think Luo Zizhen is innocent?” “Ha, who was it who kicked Su Yunjin earlier? Now you’re calling her blameless?” “Friendly? Please. If she didn’t speak up, she’d have no presence at all this episode.” Sarcastic barbs flew back and forth.

Meanwhile, at the live event, Su Yunjin had no intention of publicly quarreling with Luo Zizhen over past trivialities. Since Luo Zizhen had approached her, Su Yunjin responded with equal candor. She picked up her notes and spoke earnestly, “Overall, I’d give them sixty points. It’s clear the KING group has a solid foundation. However, there are many shortcomings in their singing and dancing. For instance, during the performance, the leader Wang Min was half a beat behind at one point. During the formation changes, the group seemed flustered, their movements not quite matching the rhythm, indicating a lack of understanding of the song as a whole. As for dance, Mr. Wang Tao would be most knowledgeable. I’ll simply address the singing, where I feel they lost the most points. As Mr. Shao mentioned earlier, their vocal technique isn’t solid enough, but with more training, they could improve. I also think the song doesn’t suit their vocal ranges. Unless I’m mistaken, Wang Min’s range tops out at C4. Zhang Xinyan’s is even lower, and the others lower still. There’s a passage in the song where you clearly struggle to keep up, and the lower notes exceed your control. So, overall, it’s not very ideal.”

In meticulous detail, Su Yunjin shared every observation she’d made.

“Wow, Su Yunjin actually knows what she’s talking about?” “I thought she only knew folk songs.” “Me too, but she really does know her stuff. I knew something sounded off with Wang Min’s singing.” As Su Yunjin offered her critique, many viewers and online fans began to see her in a different light. Even those who had doubted her now hesitated to question her musical understanding.

“Then Ms. Su, if you had to sort them into classes, which would you choose for each?” Luo Zizhen, dissatisfied, pressed on when she saw Su Yunjin could actually give a cogent critique.

“That should be based on the average score, Ms. Luo. We agreed on this in our earlier meeting—I can’t decide on my own.” Su Yunjin smiled, deflecting the question with ease.

Beside her, Liang Feiyue added, “Ms. Luo, what about you? Which class would you put them in?” Her voice was gentle, but her dissatisfaction with Luo Zizhen was unmistakable. No one had begun scoring yet, but Luo Zizhen was already pushing Su Yunjin to make classifications—not only putting her in a difficult position, but disregarding everyone else. While Liang Feiyue wasn’t fond of Su Yunjin’s apparent connections, she had even less respect for someone like Luo Zizhen, who relied solely on beauty and had nothing else to offer.

“I’ve tallied the scores. I think Wang Min should be in Class C. What Yunjin said is true—the song didn’t suit them. They have stage experience, but it’s neither outstanding nor poor. As for Zhang Xinyan, I’d place her in Class D. She has potential, but needs more rigorous training; her coordination isn’t quite up to standard.” She continued with her assessment.

Once Liang Feiyue finished, Shao Xinghui, who was responsible for summarizing, took up the list and began announcing the results. Thus, the quarrel Luo Zizhen had started fizzled out, and everyone’s attention returned to Shao Xinghui.

In the end, the members of the KING girl group were split among Classes C, D, and F.

After their curtain call, it was time for the next group. Wang Tao picked up the list and was just about to speak when Luo Zizhen interjected.

“The first group was already so impressive. I think the second will be even better. Mr. Wang, may I choose the next group to perform?” Her request caught Wang Tao off guard, but given the public setting, he responded politely, “Of course, Ms. Luo. Please, go ahead.”

“Hmm... I’d like to choose a very well-known group. I’ve seen them in several auditions online. I believe their performance will bring us many surprises.” With the contestant list in hand, Luo Zizhen beamed. At first glance, she seemed genuinely excited for the next act, but after the earlier incident on stage, no one present felt any goodwill toward her.

“Surprises? More like she’s bent on targeting Su Yunjin.” “Exactly. This woman is unbearable. I’ll never support her again.” “Why did Zhang Chuchu leave, but she didn’t? Just looking at her makes me sick.” In the livestream chat, viewers had already seen through Luo Zizhen’s intentions, and the complaints and insults kept coming.

At the venue, many contestants unconsciously turned to look at the highest seats, where the Iron Maidens girl group sat.

From the beginning, the Iron Maidens had been the center of attention. Known for challenging the judges, the trio was already famous in the industry. Now, when Luo Zizhen mentioned a famous group, who else could she mean?

Whispers circulated among the contestants. The audience, too, was filled with anticipation. Only the online viewers continued to mock Luo Zizhen. Yet, despite the complaints, the camera panned to the Iron Maidens.

At that moment, Luo Zizhen looked innocently at Su Yunjin. “Ms. Su, do you know which group they are?” The question instantly raised hackles among the viewers.

“Disgusting!” “What, she wants Su Yunjin to say it herself?” “Damn, Luo Zizhen will go to any length to provoke Su Yunjin.” “She’s a classic white lotus—anyone who stoops to such tricks can’t have a good heart.”

Amid the barrage of criticism, Su Yunjin merely shook her head coolly. “No, I don’t.”

“Then let me tell you—they are... the Iron Maidens! A round of applause for the Iron Maidens!”