The control room had clearly recorded, in detail, the entire incident that had occurred earlier at the training center.
It was crystal clear that Xia Xiaotong had intended to ramp into An Ziqi.
With the truth laid out before her, Xia Xiaotong could no longer deny her part in the incident.
Looking stern, the trainer said, "Xia Xiaotong, you had intentionally ramped into An Ziqi. Your behavior is utterly despicable and must not be tolerated. On behalf of the judges, I disqualify you from the contest. In regard to the damaging impact of this devious incident and any related responsibilities, our legal team will be contacting you in the near future. Now, please leave the training center immediately."
Xia Xiaotong was so terrified that her legs shook. She came from an ordinary family of no great means. If there were legal liabilities, she would not be able to manage.
But then again, since her parents were both employees at Changxing Group, exposing Lin Kelan's role would cause them both to lose their jobs for sure.
With gritted teeth, Lin Kelan gave her a threatening look.
Xia Xiaotong shuddered, quickly clammed up, and walked out in silence.
As she watched the three of them leaving the control room, the trainer spoke, "Hold on, An Ziqi."
An Ziqi stopped and greeted the trainer respectfully.
Once Lin Kelan and Xia Xiaotong had walked far enough away, the trainer sighed.
"I am so sorry. I was unable to deal accordingly with Lin Kelan."
On the previous day, someone had already taken the time to inform her of Lin Kelan's status.
Lin Kelan had the full support of the Changxing Group.
Even if Lin Kelan were indeed proven to be the instigator of this incident and the matter escalated to the judges, she would not be punished. On top of that, the committee would incur the wrath of their sponsor, and, more likely than not, An Ziqi would encounter more trouble.
"Teacher, I understand," An Ziqi reassured her with a sincere smile. "Thank you."
She was of course aware of the hidden agenda.
All she had wanted was to teach Lin Kelan and her lackey a lesson and had not thought about what to do to them. Having Xia Xiaotong kicked out of the contest was already an unexpected bonus for her.
"Whatever it is, Lin Kelan's special status cannot be ignored. For the rest of the contest, I would suggest that you try to stay out of her way. I will try my best to separate the two of you," The trainer said in resignation.
"Yes, I will avoid her. Thank you, Teacher."
Thanking her once again, An Ziqi turned around and left.
Looking at the departing An Ziqi, the trainer shook her head. Earlier, at the training center, An Ziqi had already caught her attention. While the others were whining and resting whenever they could, only An Ziqi had persisted with her practice.
She was beautiful and had a good figure, but her most valuable assets were her good character and ability to persevere.
As a seasoned coach, she could predict that An Ziqi had a bright future. The sky was the limit for An Ziqi.
She just hoped that Lin Kelan would not persist in her devious schemes against her.
When An Ziqi returned to the training center, she ignored the curious looks and chatter around her and headed straight to a corner of the center where she found the woman who had spoken up for her.
Moving forward to face her, An Ziqi asked excitedly, "Are you Xia Tianxing?"
Surprised, Xia Tianxing asked, "Do you recognize me?"
"Of course, I do. I really like your songs, especially 'Summer'. I still have it as my ring tone," An Ziqi shared happily.
Xia Tianxing was a member of a girl group that was extremely popular a few years ago.
Later, for some undisclosed reason, the girl group disbanded. While the other members of the group had gradually shifted their focus over the years to movies and dramas with excellent results, Xia Tianxing had all but disappeared from the entertainment world.
An Ziqi had found her familiar at first sight but had not had a chance to verify her identity. She found it unbelievable that it was really her.
"All that is ancient history," Xia Tianxing responded in a mild tone, reaching up to tug a stray strand of hair behind her ear.