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nZhen Shanmei’s jaw dropped. She was so infuriated that she could not find the words to say.

n‘Are the earrings the problem now!?’

nShe clenched her fists tighter.

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nIn the room, everyone else did not say anything. Zhen Shanmei’s eyes were flushed red as she trembled in anger. Seeing her in this state, Ning Meng pursed her lips. This fellow was just like a paper tiger1. She looked fearsome on the outside, but she was a softie on the inside. Even when she argued with the original Ning Meng, she had never won against her ever since they were younger.

nNing Meng went over and raised her brow. “What’s going on?”

nZhen Shanmei lowered her head and could not say a word. Lin Qingbei approached her and whispered in her ears to explain.

n“Zhen Shanmei’s ears are hurt. It’s a small matter that she could not wear any earrings, more importantly, her earlobe has been torn. This means that she cannot put any in-ear monitor in this ear anymore.”

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nAs he was speaking, his breath caressed the side of Ning Meng’s neck and his eyes were absorbed in the situation which left a sultry feeling. Ning Meng, feeling slightly awkward, distanced herself a bit. She then asked out of curiosity.

n“What’s an in-ear monitor?”

nLin Qingbei noticed her isolating herself which sparked disappointment in his eyes. He quickly pulled himself together and faintly closed his eyes halfway.

n“In-ear monitors are used as a part of the sound monitoring system. While on stage, the sounds are projected toward the crowd and the singers stand behind this sound projection. So, the singers can only vaguely hear the music, they won’t be able to hear the accompaniment clearly.”

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nIn fact, there would be many fans during the show. The atmosphere could get quite rowdy and the singers would find it hard to hear themselves. This would cause the singers to go out of tune easily and find it hard to control their rhythm.

nHe took out the in-ear monitor that the program center had prepared for Ning Meng to look at. It was considered a wireless earpiece.

nZhen Shanmei had intended to go for the punk style and had pierced a few more holes into her earlobes. The torn part of her ear was still oozing with blood. Coincidentally, this was where the in-ear monitors were to be worn.

nA realization immediately dawned on Ning Meng.

nShe had thought about it. Why on earth would Su Tiantian pull off her earrings? Even if she could not wear any earrings, it would not affect the overall performance. Her main intention had been to aim for the in-ear monitors!

nLin Qingbei’s line of sight brushed over to Li Haojie. He casually spoke. “Singers nowadays all need to wear in-ear monitors. Unless he or she is a veteran artist who has a good grasp of the environment and has great confidence in singing, only then would they not need any in-ear monitors. As far as I’m aware, no one here has the capability to control the crowd without any in-ear monitors.”

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nThe whole room fell into a deafening silence. No one dared to speak up after realizing the actual gravity of the situation. Ning Meng furrowed her brows and looked toward Zhen Shanmei. “Let’s not argue first and solve this problem. What can we do now? Force the in-ear monitor in? Or is there another solution?”

nSu Tiantian continued to cry and apologize. “Miss Zhen, sorry…”

nShe sounded vulnerable and defenseless, but after Lin Qingbei had explained about the in-ear monitors, no one dared to speak up for her anymore. If they were not careful, they would be the perpetrators as well. No one even dared to accuse Zhen Shanmei of being aggressive.

nIt was going to be 7 pm soon, the show was about to start.

nZhen Shanmei was not a professional singer. Without any in-ear monitors, she would not be able to catch-up with the rhythm of the accompaniment. However, if she was to force the in-ear monitors in, she would be in unbearable pain which would then affect her presentation.

nAmidst the silence, Li Haojie broke out into a cold laugh. “Zhen Shanmei, I wonder if you did all this on purpose! You purposely allowed Tiantian to touch your earrings so that you could not perform well tonight or sing out of tune. You’re just looking for excuses! Didn’t you make a bet with me? You’re willing to stoop so low for the sake of winning?! You can do whatever you like toward me, but why would you pull Tiantian into this mess as well?”

n1 紙老虎 describes a person to look tough on the outside but is actually soft on the inside.

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