Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

Chapter 877 - 851: A Turnaround

Qio Yu Xuan doesn’t have many apprentices, but those he does have are all top professionals in the industry. He has a high opinion of the newly graduated level-three psychological counselor, Da Yi.

However, Qian doesn’t appreciate this. She raised her apprentice through hard work; does she need this old rascal’s praise!

"Since you don’t want me involved, I won’t get involved. Anyway, these domestic competitions aren’t that meaningful. Here, I’ll arrange an international competition for you in three months."

"Not interested."

She’s busy at home having a baby; how can she have the mind to deal with these chaotic affairs?

Mr. Qio heard what Qian said and decided to stay out of it, planning to use this opportunity to teach Qian not to meddle in things so much.

Qian was also prepared that her competition journey would end here. It was annoying to think that Qio Yu Xuan might laugh at her for being too soft-hearted, but unexpectedly, things took a turn.

As Qian and Qio Yu Xuan expected, a heated debate arose at the exclusive scoring seat of the judges.

Da Yi’s performance was commendable, no doubt about it.

But some judges felt that since Qian herself didn’t participate and had her assistant take her place, it was against the spirit of the competition.

Mr. Liu was also a judge in the competition, but she was on a different panel and couldn’t intervene in Qian’s group matters.

Hearing the commotion on this side, Mr. Liu felt anxious but couldn’t speak up.

What is Qian up to, why would she miss such an important event?

Even though Da Yi and Qian have a master-apprentice relationship in practice, there isn’t an official status. Qian is still a student herself. If Qian were much older and had someone officially designated to replace her, it might be excusable.

But Qian is still a young girl; who would believe Da Yi is her apprentice?

Some judges also pointed out that there are flaws in the competition’s setup.

Since the role of assistant was established, it implies that the assistant can stay on the stage to help the competitor prepare, and there’s no rule explicitly stating assistants can’t answer questions alone — it’s inherently a dual role.

Yet, these judges were in the minority. More judges believed that not being present in person was equivalent to forfeiting qualification, even though Da Yi’s skills were top-notch, scores shouldn’t be given to Qian, and she should be eliminated.

Just when the judges were about to leave a blank waiver on Qian’s score board, someone ran over with some document and murmured something at the judges’ table.

Finally, it was time to announce the advancing list.

Da Yi looked at the score board nervously, feeling disappointed when the host announced the list and scores.

Qian’s score wasn’t mentioned—was her debate problematic?

Feeling sorry to Qian... Da Yi looked towards Qian, filled with guilt.

Qian gave her a thumbs up and made a heart shape, indicating she performed splendidly today. Da Yi standing on stage felt emotional.

Qian stood up, preparing to go backstage with Mrs. Yu to meet Da Yi.

Being eliminated didn’t matter. Da Yi’s performance truly satisfied Qian, achieving the goal of training her apprentice.

Mrs. Yu was prepared for this outcome but still felt a bit unwilling, muttering softly.

"If we hadn’t bothered with that matter, we’d be in first place now."

Da Yi was raised by Qian; she performed so well on her own. If Qian herself had competed, she could have won immediately.

Qian hooked her arm around Mrs. Yu’s, jokingly said.

"Mom, your thinking is getting out of hand! If Dad finds out, do you think he’ll give you a lecture?"

Mrs. Yu’s sad mood was lightened a bit by her ruse.

"I’m not against you helping people. It’s right for our family to assist when seeing these things. I didn’t say you’re wrong to do so, just feels a bit regretful."

They chatted while walking out, but suddenly the host on stage spoke again.

"Today, there’s a competitor who didn’t come to the venue, and that’s Chen Xiaoqian."

Eh...?

Qian stopped in her tracks, what’s going on being named?

"Her assistant performed excellently in this debate, but this troubled the judges, as her absence brought controversy over whether the assistant’s debate should count as a score."

Qian didn’t react, what’s this about?

She looked at Mr. Qio, did you play tricks?

Mr. Qio appeared more innocent than Qian, shrugged, this time it genuinely wasn’t him. He actually wanted to seize this chance to teach Qian a lesson.

If not him, then who could it be?

Qian pulled Mrs. Yu back down, since being named, she should listen to the situation.

"Initially, the judges decided the assistant’s score couldn’t count for the competitor. But just now, we received a special thank-you letter, which changed the judges’ minds!"

A thank-you letter with a seal appeared on the big screen.

The host emotionally said.

"The letter says that Chen Xiaoqian missed the competition because she was helping handle a hostage incident involving a mentally disturbed patient. To assist the patient, she gave up the chance to compete, preferring to be absent rather than forsake her mission as a psychologist!"

The screen shifted to a photo of Qian holding a loudspeaker confronting the perpetrator.

Mrs. Yu was excited, this gets her face out there!

So many friends and family are watching the live broadcast; nothing beats this for being showcased vividly!

Mrs. Yu wanted to congratulate Qian, but turning her head, she saw Qian covering her eyes in frustration.

"What’s wrong?"

"The red T-shirt not only makes one look bulky, but I also wore flats today!"

Image-conscious Qian wasn’t excited about being showcased, instead feeling distressed, ready to thrash Yu Xiaoqiang when she gets back!

Why mess with a red tick mark! Such attire demands sneakers, and this exposed her short stature!

"I think you look beautiful, heroic." Mr. Qio complimented with a smile.

"Heroic nothing! Didn’t you see how small I look?"

At such a moment, fussing about her height, apart from Qian, nobody else would.

Both the audience and judges were astounded by the amazing twist.

It was simply an ordinary competition; most of the spectators were friends and family of the competitors, given psychology’s elusive nature. Most don’t understand it, just cheering on someone they know.

Who could have expected such a sudden turn, stirring such heat?

The host previously did emotional talk show programs, being brought over to host a psychology competition was a struggle with complex, mouthful questions. But on speaking about positive news, she was instantly invigorated. Not familiar with psychology jargon, but emotional delivery was her strong suit!