The live stream screen was instantly flooded with a dense white waterfall of comments, so heavy that the video began to lag.
[Hahahahahahahahahahaha!]
[Holy shit! You can play it like this?!]
[I'm the mole, and the word is 'bratty little girl'! Theirs is 'Sparkle'! I declare this the most legendary line of the entire season. No contest!]
[God! Sparkle, I officially crown you the God of Variety Shows!]
[This isn't even about finding the mole anymore. This is performance art! She described the 'bratty little girl' so perfectly that she basically described herself as Sparkle! I'm speechless!]
[Logic loop complete! Since Sparkle is the bratty little girl, describing one is the same as describing the other. So guessing the civilian word as 'Sparkle' makes perfect sense. This is actual genius!]
[Killing the body and the heart! They were just playing a game, but she played them instead! Tingyun, Robin, Silver Wolf: we came to have fun, and you came to destroy us!]
[I declare, from this day forward, I am Sparkle's dog. Whoever insults Sparkle gets bitten! This is too funny, my stomach actually hurts from laughing!]
[Only Sparkle can surpass Sparkle! That self-detonation just launched the show's entertainment value into orbit!]
On stage, Tingyun's usual polite smile finally cracked.
She covered her mouth with her folding fan, shoulders shaking with laughter, her eyes clearly saying "I give up."
Robin looked equally stunned. As expected of Director Sparkle — decisive to the end.
Silver Wolf, after a brief moment of silence, immediately decided today's episode needed to be saved and tagged: [Sparkle Black History — Top Tier Material — Perfect for Long-term Blackmail].
Well played.
This round was a complete win.
"I... I declare..." Host Owlbert announced, "Undercover Sparkle has successfully self-detonated! The civilian keyword has been correctly identified!"
"According to the rules, the Boss Team gains points! The Firefly Team, Feixiao Team, and Acheron Team each lose one life!"
The moment he finished speaking, the points leaderboard on the giant screen went into overdrive.
Thanks to Sparkle's two consecutive, game-breaking reversals, Su Chen's Boss Team shot straight to first place.
[Director Sparkle is insane!]
[Damn, undercover self-detonation is this powerful? One person basically took out three lives!]
[Boss Team in first!]
Under everyone's gaze, Sparkle strutted back to the Boss Team's seating area with her signature "I don't care about anyone" walk, bouncing with every step.
She stopped right in front of Su Chen, hands on her hips.
"Well? Trash fish boss! I'm pretty amazing, right? I single-handedly carried our team to first place! And here I thought someone was dead set against teaming up with me at the beginning."
Su Chen looked at her smug little face and gave her a thumbs-up.
"As expected of Director Sparkle. Impressive. I hereby name you the Master of Performance Art. You really committed to the bit, didn't you? That was excellent acting."
"Lalala~" Sparkle stuck her tongue out at him and made a face.
"Well? Well? Well? Have you finally been completely conquered by the great Sparkle-sama's charm?"
[Truly shallow!]
[I can't take it. Sparkle is just too real.]
[No wonder she's so popular.]
Su Chen's smile didn't waver.
He simply leaned in close to her ear and spoke in a light, almost casual tone.
"You're the director. You should already know that after the Amphoreus arc, the next season's script is set in Elation's home ground."
"As for you..."
He let the words hang deliberately.
Sparkle's triumphant expression froze instantly.
Her whole body went stiff. Her eyes went blank as the implication sank in.
Elation?
The next season is Elation's home ground?
That would make it her home ground, wouldn't it?
Logically, a character as popular as her should receive a flashy SP limited version with major screen time — a proper, spectacular surprise for the audience.
So what exactly did he mean by "as for you"?
A cold shiver shot straight up her spine.
That feeling again.
That feeling of being completely read and handled.
Su Chen... you—!
In the next second, all her arrogance and smugness vanished.
"Su... Su Chen, boss..." Her voice suddenly turned soft, enough to make Mydei beside her wear the classic subway old man expression.
"Actually... I think my performance just now still has some room for improvement..."
"I don't care what you think. I care what I think."
Su Chen straightened up, cutting her off coldly. He casually adjusted his sleeve.
Without sparing her another glance, he turned and patted Mydei and Little Herta on the shoulder.
"Let's go. Time to review the next match. Backstage lounge."
With that, he walked off toward the contestant passage without looking back, the two following behind him.
Sparkle was left standing there alone, completely disheveled in the wind.
A second later, she snapped out of it. Dignity forgotten, she immediately chased after him.
"Boss!"
"Boss, wait for me!"
"I can still be salvaged! I swear!"
"Boss—!"
At the same time, in the control room, Director Mr. Reca was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Perfect! Give me a tight close-up on her chasing him! That shot alone is going to break the ratings record tonight!"
His direction once again sent the comments into chaos.
[Hahaha, why does watching Sparkle get humbled feel so satisfying?]
[So this is bratty little girl Sparkle in action?]
[Wait, did you guys catch that? He said the next season is Elation's home ground.]
[Does that mean the next season is the Elation path?]
[Is Cold Legs Uncle going to appear again?]
[Probably!]
[If it's Elation's season, doesn't that mean the Masked Fools are all showing up? Will Sparkle and Sampo get new looks, like Long Dan?]
[I feel like they will. It wouldn't feel complete without them.]
[Shit, I thought we were just watching a funny stream. I didn't expect this much lore drop.]
[MiHoYo really can't help themselves, huh? "Want to know? Wait and see."]
— —
Meanwhile, in the backstage lounge, Su Chen's team received the briefing for the next match.
Su Chen glanced at his phone and raised an eyebrow.
"An intelligence competition next?"
His gaze then shifted to Sparkle, who had just burst through the door, panting and clinging to the doorframe.
"The schedule jumped from physical to mental to intelligence. Don't tell me you designed this round?"
"I swear on the lamp four times!" Sparkle immediately raised four fingers, face full of sincerity. "I had nothing to do with it! But I do know who did."
"Who?" Su Chen asked, one eyebrow lifting. "Tell me, and I'll consider giving you more screen time next season."
"Che! Do I look like the kind of person who sells out information?"
Her mouth said one thing, but her body had already scooted closer.
"I just felt like telling you, that's all!"
"The person in charge of the entire competition is General Jing Yuan's classmate and Master Diviner Fu Xuan's senior sister. Her name is Yaoguang."
At the mention of that name, Su Chen paused for a brief moment.
"Yaoguang, huh..."
"Mm... She actually has quite a bit of potential to join MiHoYo."