Her maternal grandparents also completely forgot about Su Qianqian.
Jiang Cuo knew that her maternal grandfather disapproved of her relationship with Su Qianqian, so she always spoke of it casually and did not inquire further after returning to China.
Little did they know that her maternal grandparents had long forgotten about Su Qianqian.
And the person who helped and cared for her maternal grandparents after she went abroad was the one to blame.
After Jiang Cuo returned to China, she discovered that Jiu You's people were with her maternal grandparents, but she had silently removed them all. Jiang Cuo investigated carefully but found that Jiu You had not made any other moves.
It seems that Hao Duoyu kept what happened back then very well hidden, and did not let Jiu You find out.
Was the reason for doing this so inexplicably because of guilt?
Jiang Cuo wanted to make the events of that year public, but she didn't have enough evidence, and she couldn't let her mother be smeared.
Moreover, Su Qianqian once said that she had no feelings for illegitimate children and that she had to hide her identity.
She must reach a certain level, gain absolute control over the narrative, and bring down Hao Duoyu, making him bear the consequences of his actions.
...
Because the first episode was extremely popular, the production team kicked out all the extras when filming the second episode started, leaving no audience members on set to avoid leaking the hot topic in advance and causing the show's viewership to be diverted.
Jiang Cuo was exquisitely refined from head to toe, and sat firmly in a high position.
She wore a light blue suit, but unusually, it was adorned with diamond embellishments. Her delicate low ponytail was impeccable, and her eye makeup was light yet scheming. Her phoenix eyes were slightly narrowed, filled with aloofness. Her long legs were crossed, which accentuated her excellent waist-to-hip ratio.
However, this seemingly perfect person, who was so unapproachable, underwent a complete change in demeanor when Su Qianqian appeared.
Su Qianqian entered the recording studio with a gentle smile on her face and waved towards the mentors' seats.
Although Jiang Cuo's upper body remained motionless, his long, slender hands suddenly clenched the hem of his clothes.
His gaze seemed uncontrollably fixed on Su Qianqian, his eyes seemingly greeting someone.
Jiang Cuo used all her strength to control her arm as she tried to raise it in response.
Unwilling to accept it, she thought that Su Qianqian had been avoiding her for more than a month and refused to meet her. The only time she met her was when she was having dinner with someone else. She couldn't take the initiative, otherwise Su Qianqian would look down on her.
However, Song Yaxing, who was standing next to her, stood up and responded to Su Qianqian in a friendly manner. The two seemed to have a tacit understanding, and their aura was different from the surrounding atmosphere. Jiang Cuo felt even more annoyed when she saw this.
"Qianqian, you've come."
Jiang Cuo heard Song Yaxing call Su Qianqian, Qianqian.
Her whole body seemed to tremble uncontrollably, her phoenix eyes widened, and she turned her head to look at Song Yaxing in disbelief.
What did she just call Su Qianqian?
Wasn't Su Qianqian invited by her to become a special guest?
Su Qianqian walked over to Song Yaxing and gave her a polite, light hug, seemingly ignoring Jiang Cuo standing beside her. She then said to Song Yaxing, "I promised you when we had dinner together back then, how could I forget?"
The staff nearby seemed to have heard some big gossip, and they all perked up their ears.
Jiang Cuo pursed her lips, her whole body radiating displeasure, and her aura began to rise again.
The original seating arrangement by the production team was that Jiang Cuo would sit in the middle, with Su Qianqian's seat reserved to the side, Song Yaxing's seat to the left, and Hua Kongque and Jiu Cuo's seats to the right.
However, just as Su Qianqian was about to sit down, Jiang Cuo suddenly got up and sat in Su Qianqian's seat, leaving Jiang Cuo's seat empty. If Su Qianqian had sat in Jiang Cuo's seat, she would have been in the center position.
Jiang Cuo is their own CEO, and when the production team saw this, none of them dared to say a word.
Jiang Cuo spoke calmly, "I think sitting here might offer a better view of the trainees' dance performance. President Su, you don't mind that I'm sitting in your seat, do you?"
Su Qianqian's smile remained unchanged. "Since President Jiang is willing to give me the center position, how could I possibly refuse such a good thing?"
Jiang Cuo raised his chin, his arrogant expression causing Wang Sisi, who was not far away, to smack her head.
Mr. Jiang, you're so naive. If you don't have a wife, then who doesn't?
In this way, Jiang Cuo sat between Song Yaxing and Su Qianqian.
Seeing that the two people stopped talking, Jiang Cuo felt that the air around him was a little sweeter.
As Jiang Cuo tidied the papers on the table, he asked casually, "Isn't President Su's secretary a bit incompetent, managing to turn down some invitations without authorization?"
Su Qianqian retorted, "Whether my secretary is competent or not is none of President Jiang's concern. It's better than some people leaving without leaving a single word."
Jiang Cuo's relationship with Jiang Cuo has evolved from initial indifference to a point of contention. Before, the two were silent and had little to say to each other, but now, every time they open their mouths, they argue.
Jiang Cuo pursed his lips, and his aura immediately plummeted, even his meticulously styled hair looked somewhat disheveled.
Seeing Jiang Cuo like this, Su Qianqian felt inexplicably happy, and the irritability of the past month was instantly cleared away.
Actually, she could think about it differently. Jiang Cuo's behavior is simply because he can't let go of what happened two years ago. If she were to stubbornly follow Jiang Cuo's lead, wouldn't that show that she hasn't let go either? It's better to keep things this way so that she can feel better.
When Wang Sisi saw the president looking dejected, she knew that her boss had suffered another setback.
The director team's opening was normal, with trainees from each company showcasing the results of their recent dance practice.
However, when it came time to score, another unexpected event occurred. Su Qianqian and Jiang Cuo always disagreed and argued about the score of one person.
Jiang Cuo: "I think her singing and dancing are just average, and she's at the level of dragging the team down."
Su Qianqian shook her head and raised the score sign again. "Although I was just a special guest on the second episode, I watched the first episode carefully. This girl was a complete novice trainee in the first episode, with only one week of experience in singing and dancing. But in just one month, she has reached this level. You can see the effort she put in. I think even if I am not satisfied with the current result, her efforts can be recognized. And the score I gave her is not particularly high."
"President Su, you wouldn't have given this girl such a high score just because she's pretty, would you?" Jiang Cuo said coldly, his tone full of hostility.
Su Qianqian, on the contrary, didn't think it was a big deal and replied seriously, "In a girl group, isn't appearance very important? Isn't appearance a kind of talent? An innate quality? Should being good-looking be rejected?"
When Jiang Cuo heard Su Qianqian say this, she glanced at the girl standing in front of her. She still had a cold and aloof temperament and seemed to resemble her somewhat.
Does Su Qianqian really have to find a substitute who looks like her? Can't she be one?
Jiang Cuo's stomach was churning, and he felt sore all over.
Jiang Cuo gritted her teeth, her face still bearing that cold expression, but Hua Kongque beside her could already feel the familiar oppressive aura emanating from Jiang Cuo. She silently moved further away from Jiang Cuo, maintaining a spectator's attitude.
"Since President Su has said so, I won't refute it. I'll just remain neutral." Jiang Cuo stood up straight, her voice clear and pleasant, and her slender fingers put down her scoreboard.
Wang Sisi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her boss had finally given in, and quickly told the production team to start the next part of the recording.
Su Lian, dressed in a white dress, appeared on stage as an individual trainee.
She refused to work with others in a team because she wanted Su Qianqian to only see her.
The moment Su Qianqian saw Su Lian, her brows furrowed.
Su Lian's dance moves were very skillful, and her breathing was very steady. She had indeed practiced for two years and looked very proficient.
As soon as Su Lian came on stage, the staff stared at Su Qianqian's expression with gossip, and the camera was also focused on Su Qianqian's face, capturing any slight change in her expression.
And everyone's gossip and doubts reached their peak: Is there any relationship between Su Qianqian and Su Lian?
Su Qianqian skipped over Su Lian's comments without giving any feedback.
They share the same surname; this is the simplest and most straightforward approach.
Su Lian glanced at Su Qianqian with resentment, and then at Jiang Cuo sitting next to Su Qianqian, who looked rather smug. After her performance, Su Lian bowed to the mentors, and when she turned around, a smile appeared on her lips out of the camera's view.
A moment later, Jiang Cuo cried.
She had prepared a good show for Jiang Cuo.
Jiang Cuo is always so aloof and lucky, with all the good things falling on her head. It's a pity she doesn't cherish it, so she shouldn't blame others for taking it away.
Fortunately, the recording went smoothly. After the trainees finished their performance, the mentors started scoring them, dividing them into five levels: red, orange, yellow, green, and cyan.
Finally, it was time for mentor interaction.
The second round of interaction took place off-site.
Because each episode's recording time is relatively long, the trainees' training life is also recorded during the recording.
Therefore, the mentors would typically spend two or three days at the recording venue for each episode.
The second season's mentors enjoyed a trip to an amusement park to strengthen their bonds.
However, when the director reviewed the amusement park script, he noticed a suspicious detail: one of the attractions involved walking on a high bridge.
At a very high altitude, a horizontal bridge made of many wooden planks was set up. The director suddenly frowned, having a bad feeling, because she seemed to remember that the singer Song Yaxing, one of the mentors, was afraid of heights.
Her script must have been altered.
The director hurriedly went to find the camera crew, but it was too late; the team project involving mentor interaction had already reached the high bridge stage.
No one in the mentor team knew that Song Yaxing was afraid of heights, and it was Song Yaxing's agent who informed the production team of her fear of heights in advance.
No one expected a mishap to occur at this critical juncture.
Seeing the high wooden plank bridge, Song Yaxing's legs began to tremble, but she gritted her teeth and said nothing, because her status in the entertainment industry wasn't very high. If she refused, it would be used against her by marketing accounts or her rivals in their press releases, who would definitely accuse her of being arrogant.
However, the unsuspecting assistant director was still kindly explaining to the mentors, "Don't worry, everyone. Although the bridge is very high, the production team has taken protective measures and prepared shoe covers for everyone to prevent you from slipping. This challenge is a test of the mentors' courage and patience."
However, all the production crew members surrounded the wooden plank bridge because it was somewhat dangerous, so everyone was on high alert.
No one saw anyone sneakily taking the shoe covers provided by the production team and applying some lubricant to them.
These specific lubricants are very slippery when first applied, but after they dry, they become completely invisible, but they increase friction with the ground, making it easy to trip over.
And it's not easy to detect.
Su Qianqian didn't think it was a problem; she wasn't afraid of heights.
Jiang Cuo walked ahead of Su Qianqian. She was a bit taller than Su Qianqian, thinking that if Su Qianqian slipped, she could catch her immediately.
Song Yaxing's agent watched her with concern from behind.
Song Yaxing wasn't as popular as the other mentors, and the director wasn't there, so she couldn't get to the front or speak.
Song Yaxing put on her shoe covers and took all necessary precautions before walking ahead, intending to be the first to leave so she could finish quickly and have some peace of mind. She glanced at her manager, shook her head, and gestured for her manager not to worry.
Song Yaxing, Jiang Cuo, followed by Su Qianqian, then Hua Kongque and Jiu Cuo.
Unexpectedly, after taking only two steps, an accident occurred. When Song Yaxing walked over the first plank, she felt her foot was stuck and she walked awkwardly. When she reached the second plank, she lost her balance and fell down.
Jiang Cuo stepped onto the first plank, lost his balance but managed to regain it. He tried to help Song Yaxing, but unexpectedly, he also swayed, deliberately avoiding Song Yaxing and falling next to her.
Su Qianqian immediately realized something was wrong. She glanced at the shoe covers on her feet but didn't find anything unusual.
He took a step forward.
However, at this moment, Song Yaxing, who was afraid of heights, turned pale and subconsciously reached out her hand, as if trying to grasp a lifeline.
However, Jiang Cuo's originally delicate, pale face was now somewhat flustered. He reached out his hand to Su Qianqian, his eyes filled with expectation, yet also with a hint of vulnerability that was hard to detect.
Jiang Cuo felt that although Su Qianqian blamed her for leaving two years ago, she would definitely not abandon her. Under these circumstances, Su Qianqian would definitely choose her.