Just try laying a hand on her, if you dare!

“Star…” Hai Lan’s eyes were red, clearly terrified. Hai Dachuan’s slap hit nothing but air, his eyes wide as he pointed furiously at Ji Fanxing and shouted, “Who are you?!”

He took a step forward, about to push Ji Fanxing aside. After years of not disciplining her, his daughter had become completely unruly—claiming to be chasing her dream of singing, but secretly selling herself! Uncultured brat, today Hai Dachuan was determined to teach her a lesson.

But as he prepared to shove Ji Fanxing, someone grabbed his hand in a firm grip.

Ning Ze’s voice was low and dangerous, his phoenix eyes narrowed. “Try laying a hand on her.”

Years of physical training for action scenes had given Ning Ze an iron grip, and Hai Dachuan winced in pain. Instinctively, Hai Dachuan formed a fist with his free hand and swung it at Ning Ze, only for Ning Ze to catch it easily. With one hand gripping Hai Dachuan’s left arm and the other enclosing his fist, Ning Ze effortlessly restrained him.

Ye Yu, who had been watching the commotion with interest, slipped away quietly. Last time, out of fear of being eliminated, she’d stolen Ji Fanxing’s medicine, but nothing happened. The night before last, she’d rallied several contestants to smear Ji Fanxing during her live broadcast, only for Ji Fanxing to stun everyone with an original song, earning her the title of creative genius. Ye Yu had bullied many over the years, but never encountered someone so unyielding. After two reversals, Ye Yu felt a growing wariness toward Ji Fanxing—her instincts told her it was best to stay out of this.

It took a while before Hai Dachuan managed to break free from Ning Ze’s hold. Ning Ze was glad he’d been keeping an eye on Fanxing—otherwise, she might have suffered at the hands of this middle-aged man.

He turned to stand protectively in front of Ji Fanxing, facing Hai Dachuan without any courtesy. “What do you want?”

Hai Dachuan rubbed his aching arm and spat on the ground, glaring at Ning Ze, ready to lash out again—until he suddenly met Ji Fanxing’s icy gaze from behind Ning Ze. Her eyes seemed to warn him: move one more time, and the consequences would be dire.

A strange sense of fear welled up inside him, and Hai Dachuan froze, not daring to move.

Tension hung thickly in the air.

Suddenly, a startled cry shattered the deadlock. “You’re Ji Fanxing!”

Hai Sisi, who’d been sobbing moments before, instantly stopped crying and shouted in excitement when she saw the person standing in front of Hai Lan. Ji Fanxing’s music was unlike any in the Dragon Kingdom—diverse in style and innovative in melody, wildly popular among young people, especially students. Most of her fans were teenagers.

At Hai Sisi’s school, Ji Fanxing was a superstar. That’s why, when she heard the show’s crew was calling her father, she’d insisted he agree—not just to be on TV, but to boast to her classmates about meeting Ji Fanxing in person. If she could get a picture with her, even better.

She could already imagine how envious her classmates would be. The thought made her even more excited. “This is amazing! I’m seeing you in person! Ji Fanxing, I’m your fan—can I have a few autographed photos?”

Hai Sisi was beside herself with excitement, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere. She asked for autographs as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Ji Fanxing turned to the little girl and asked, “And you are?”

“I’m Hai Lan’s younger sister, Hai Sisi!” Thrilled that Ji Fanxing was talking to her, Hai Sisi’s excitement soared. She shot a disdainful glance at Hai Lan. Hmph! Yesterday she’d asked Hai Lan to help her find Ji Fanxing, but Hai Lan refused—now she didn’t need her help at all to meet her idol.

The contempt in Hai Sisi’s tone did not escape Ji Fanxing’s notice. Remembering what Hai Dachuan had said earlier, Ji Fanxing’s expression grew colder.

She forced a smile. “Of course I can give you autographs, but let me take care of something first, all right?”

Without waiting for a reply, she let go of Hai Lan, walked over to Ning Ze, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, fixing Hai Dachuan with a cold stare.

“Mister, whoever you are, it’s hardly appropriate to get violent in public, don’t you think?”

It was only now that Hai Dachuan saw clearly that the girl whose glare had paralyzed him with fear was just a young woman. He decided he must have been confused by anger, seeing things that weren’t there. After all, what was wrong with a father disciplining his daughter in public? As long as he was right, others would even applaud!

“This brat has been misbehaving in public and slandering her sister! Of course she needs a lesson!”

“I haven’t misbehaved! And I didn’t slander my sister!” Bolstered by Ji Fanxing’s support, Hai Lan finally found the courage to defend herself.

“Oh? You dare talk back!” Hai Dachuan’s hand itched; he rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward to grab Hai Lan by the collar.

Hai Lan reflexively hid behind Ji Fanxing, clutching her sleeve with trembling hands. Clearly, this was not the first time this had happened.

Ji Fanxing had reached her limit. She kicked Hai Dachuan in the shin, knocking him to his knees.

“Use your words! Keep your hands to yourself!”

Having made her point, Ji Fanxing continued calmly, “Father!” Hai Sisi cried out in horror, rushing to her father’s side in panic. Her idol had just struck her dad!

“Ow! You hit me!” The sharp pain made Hai Dachuan cry out, abandoning all pretense.

Ji Fanxing folded her arms, looking down at the man on the ground with a cocky, almost villainous air. “I hit you? Do you have proof?”

By now, the commotion had attracted attention. People were glancing over, and even the cameramen seemed eager to capture the scene.

The location was somewhat secluded, and the fallen Hai Dachuan was shielded by layers of tables, making it hard for onlookers to see exactly what had happened.

“I saw it! You hit my dad!” Hai Sisi, intimidated by Ji Fanxing’s stance, burst into genuine tears. Her father’s cries were so anguished—he must be badly hurt…

She tried to show everyone the evidence by rolling up her father’s pant leg. But when she did, she was dumbfounded—there was nothing there but hair.

Ji Fanxing’s kick had been precise, striking the shinbone between knee and ankle—a spot where the skin is thin and a bone bruise is excruciating, but leaves no mark.

“Where’s your evidence?” Ji Fanxing pressed, adding, “All I did was take a hit from you. You’re a grown man—don’t try to frame me.”

“Frame you, my ass! I’ll sue you for this!” Hai Dachuan struggled to his feet, clutching his leg, the pain making him grit his teeth. He jabbed a finger at the cameras all around. “See? Cameras everywhere! They’ll catch everything you did!”

“Really? But why didn’t I see it?” Ji Fanxing feigned sudden realization, looking a bit frightened. “Where’s the person in charge? I want to see the footage!”

These celebrities must be rich—she could easily squeeze a hundred thousand out of her. Actually, why not two hundred thousand? No, five hundred thousand, that’s a nice round number! Ha, I’m going to strike it rich!

Ji Fanxing was unimpressed by Hai Dachuan’s greed. Tired of the drama, she took the opportunity, while he was lost in his daydreams of wealth, to move some chairs for Hai Lan and Ning Ze to sit. The two, unsure what was going on, looked confused. Ji Fanxing reassured them and told them to watch.

“That’s right, the footage is crystal clear. Why not check if Hai Lan really did slander her sister? After all, theft is a crime—no child should be falsely accused.”

Though her words seemed aimed at Hai Dachuan, Ji Fanxing’s gaze lingered on Hai Sisi.

“Yes! Let’s watch it all!” At the thought of five hundred thousand, Hai Dachuan’s voice grew jovial.

“No, Dad, don’t! Don’t look!” Suddenly, as if waking from a dream, Hai Sisi shrieked. Her voice was piercing, finally drawing the full attention of the crowd.

[I heard a scream—hey, camera guy, go check it out.]

[Yeah, go see what’s happening over there.]