The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 895 - 894: Holding Onto Mi Lu’s Thighs

Chapter 895: Chapter 894: Holding Onto Mi Lu’s Thighs

When someone in an intensely overexcited state suffers a blow, insufficient blood supply to the brain can indeed cause fainting.

Lu Xinnuan’s sudden collapse, from another perspective, showed just how much she cared about this.

Xue Lu, startled and caught off guard first by the news about Lu Mian and then by the sudden fainting of Lu Xinnuan, scrambled to escort her to the rest area used by "The Voice of the Best" crew.

The stage.

After La Ge finished her performance and floated off the stage, Sun Wei looked utterly dejected, not even daring to breathe audibly.

Kunyang nodded approvingly and frequently introduced to those nearby, "This kid La Ge is quite good. When there’s an opportunity, don’t forget to think of our La Ge, okay?"

As for Lu Mian...

This time, Kunyang had finally recognized his place and no longer dared to shamelessly pursue her, boasting about helping Lu Mian further her craft.

All he could do now was raise his chin proudly and brag to the colleagues around him, "This kid Lu Mian is truly talented. I’ve even had a meal with her! We’re friends on social media, hahahaha..."

The peers who had mocked Kunyang earlier for misjudging people now lowered their heads humbly in silence.

When it comes to discernment, the old veterans always know best!

Kunyang cast a meaningful glance in Pu Jing’s direction.

Pu Jing dared not utter a word and silently turned his face away.

He didn’t dare look toward Kunyang, nor did he dare glance at Lu Mian.

No one brought up the matter of Lu Mian plagiarizing again; every single person hoping for a spectacle had obediently shut their mouths.

Nothing clarified the situation more effectively than Lu Mian being Master Mi Lu herself.

Lu Mian, meanwhile, sat steadily in that prestigious spot, not uttering another word.

——

Backstage resting room.

Xue Lu pinched and stimulated Lu Xinnuan’s philtrum for quite a while before the latter groggily regained consciousness.

The rest room also housed several other contestants from "The Voice of the Best," and upon hearing that Lu Xinnuan had woken up, they promptly surrounded her.

Xue Lu kept shouting, "Stop crowding around, give Xinnuan some breathing space!"

But unfortunately, no one cared about that.

What they cared about was something else—

"Xinnuan, Xinnuan, wake up quickly! You’ve hit the jackpot! Your sister is Master Mi Lu!"

"I knew it! How else could she be so talented, composing ’The Four Seasons’ and catapulting La Ge to fame? Turns out she’s the genius composer! I feel like this is the closest I’ve ever been to connecting to the upper echelons!"

The so-called "connecting to the upper echelons" referred to knowing Lu Xinnuan. And everyone on "The Voice of the Best" knew Lu Xinnuan as Lu Mian’s younger sister.

As the surrounding voices grew increasingly excited, Lu Xinnuan’s face turned even paler.

No matter how much she wracked her brain, she could never have imagined that Lu Mian was Master Mi Lu all along.

Upon learning of this, her mind had gone completely blank, overwhelmed, until she fainted...

Xue Lu firmly pushed away the crowd of excited hangers-on and knelt by the sofa, handing Lu Xinnuan a glass of warm water. "Xinnuan, are you okay? What happened? Why did you pass out so suddenly?"

"Yeah, Xinnuan, were you trying to lose weight and skipped your meals?"

Lu Xinnuan’s face took on an awkward and unpleasant hue. She sipped a bit of water and shook her head. "No, I just got a bit of heatstroke today. It’s stifling backstage, and I fainted..."

Hearing her explanation, the others nodded in understanding.

Yet from the direction of the makeup table came a voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Heatstroke, huh? I thought maybe the shocking revelation that your sister is the genius composer caused you to faint from the shock!"

The one speaking was Li Aiqi, who always had a distaste for Lu Xinnuan’s delicate and pretentious "white lotus" persona.

When there’s an opportunity to gain from it, she openly flaunts the relationship.

The moment there’s no benefit, she swiftly distances herself, even going as far as self-righteously condemning Lu Mian as a plagiarist.

What hypocrisy.

"You!" Lu Xinnuan’s hand trembled as she gripped the paper cup, her ashen face alternating red and green like a palette. "Aiqi, have I ever wronged you?!"

"Ah, I simply have a good memory and say things as they are!" Li Aiqi replied with a cold smile.

The crowd’s expressions subtly shifted upon hearing Li Aiqi’s words, triggering recollections.

Back then, Lu Xinnuan had been so high-profile, declaring she would never sing a plagiarist’s song. Looking back on those words now...

How ironic!

No one chided Li Aiqi for her remark; after all, with her solid family background, offending her wasn’t worth the trouble.

However...

Lu Xinnuan and Lu Mian were, after all, sisters. Surely there was still some benefit to be reaped, wasn’t there?

Even Xue Lu, deep inside, couldn’t help but harbor a glimmer of anticipation.

They were all newly debuted rookies with extremely limited access to resources and connections. Someone like Master Mi Lu, a top-tier figure in the industry, represented the ultimate network opportunity for them.

"Xinnuan, who would’ve thought you were hiding such a big card up your sleeve? You really need to support us moving forward!"

"Exactly! With all those amazing songs under Master Mi Lu’s belt, you could just let us have the ones you don’t want!"

"..."

While they were ostensibly praising Lu Xinnuan, she knew very well that their adulation was directed at Lu Mian.

She still struggled to accept this reality and, using discomfort as an excuse, left the resting room for the restroom.

When she came out, Pu Jing was already waiting in the hallway.

"Xinnuan." Pu Jing’s expression was grim, his tone heavy. "You’ve heard about your sister, right?"

"I’ve heard."

Lu Xinnuan clutched her shirt hem tightly, her downcast eyes harboring venomous malice.

"I’ll repeat—connections are the most crucial thing in this industry. Master Mi Lu is the industry’s sought-after genius composer, revered by countless singers and notable figures. Some opportunities are just within your grasp if you lower your head slightly. Do you understand what I’m saying?"

In truth, the turn of events had caught everyone off guard. Even Pu Jing, confident in the fallout he believed would affect La Ge, Lu Mian, and Kunyang, had been sure their reputations would suffer.

No matter how they denied or defended themselves, dirtied reputations were inevitable.

But Lu Mian had pulled out such a move, flawlessly clearing her name...

"..."

Lu Xinnuan abruptly raised her head, consumed by an overwhelming sense of humiliation. Even Teacher Pu Jing expected her to grovel before Lu Mian?

Why?!

How was she inferior to Lu Mian? Why should she have to stoop to curry favor with her?!

"But I... I just exposed her as a plagiarist today..."

Xue Lu had relayed the details of her conversation with Master Mi Lu to Lu Xinnuan word for word, which meant it was clear to Lu Mian that Lu Xinnuan had been orchestrating this incident from behind the scenes.

With Lu Mian’s vengeful personality, how could she possibly let her off?

"You’re still sisters, after all... What grudge could hold overnight?" Pu Jing dismissed it lightly with a chuckle and walked away.

Lu Xinnuan sank into contemplation.

Xue Lu somehow appeared from nowhere and shook Lu Xinnuan’s arm. "Xinnuan, don’t worry about what Li Aiqi said. She’s just leaning on her family background to bully people like us. Actually, even at home, she’s not treated well!"