Chengtian Grand Theatre is a magnificent building that can rival any top opera house in the Blue Star era.

Its dome-shaped crystal chandelier, strung together with 13,000 natural energy crystals from alien mines, is itself a small energy source, emitting a soft, ever-burning light.

Today, a rehearsal for the grand epic drama "The Descent of the Gods" is being held here to mark the opening ceremony of the celebration.

The play's content naturally celebrates the glorious deeds of leader Lin Feng in leading humanity out of darkness and establishing a great kingdom.

On stage, hundreds of carefully selected, top actors from the kingdom are performing.

Dressed in magnificent costumes, they performed history with the utmost emotion.

Offstage, the directors, lighting, sound, props and other department heads all held their breath, not daring to breathe loudly.

Because, in the very center of the audience, sat a woman.

Su Wanqing.

Today she changed into a sharply tailored black Versace business suit, which accentuated her already tall and perfect figure, making her look like a drawn sword.

She didn't speak, but just watched quietly as her slender, pale fingers gently and rhythmically tapped the red velvet armrest.

Each strike was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the hearts of everyone present.

Her current roles are: the highest-ranking official in the Kingdom's Ministry of Culture and Publicity, the chief planner of the celebrations, and the leader's first lady.

Every glance and every tiny movement of hers was enough to determine the fate of anyone present.

Back on Earth, although she was a superstar in the public eye, she ultimately had to cater to the whims of capital, deal with directors and producers, and put on a brave face at various social gatherings. She needed to rely on others and abide by the rules.

And here, she is the rule.

"stop."

Her clear, cool voice rang out, not loud, but with a magical power that brought the stirring background music and the actors' impassioned lines to an abrupt halt.

The entire theater fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

All eyes were on her, filled with awe and fear.

A middle-aged man wearing a vest and with thinning hair scrambled over from the director's seat, his face plastered with a fawning, obsequious smile.

"Minister Su... Minister Su, what are your instructions? Is there anything you're dissatisfied with? I'll have them fix it immediately! Fix it right away!"

The man's waist was bent almost at a ninety-degree angle, his humble appearance a stark contrast to his domineering demeanor when directing actors on stage.

Su Wanqing's gaze did not fall on him, but slowly swept over the actors on the stage who were at a loss because of the sudden stop.

Her gaze eventually fell on the actress playing "Yang Li".

"Her performance was too exaggerated and too stereotypical," Su Wanqing said calmly.

"Yes, yes! You're absolutely right!" The director nodded vigorously, then turned and roared at the stage, "Gao Tianjing! Did you hear that? Minister Su's instructions! What kind of acting is this! A pig! Hurry up and thank Minister Su for his guidance!"

The actress named Gao Tianjing trembled with fright and quickly bowed deeply to Su Wanqing, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Minister Su! Thank you, Minister Su!"

Su Wanqing ignored him and slowly shifted her gaze to the obsequious director in front of her.

She looked at him with a hint of amusement in her eyes, a playful, cat-and-mouse-like gaze.

She stared at him silently for a good ten seconds, making the man break out in a cold sweat and his legs begin to tremble slightly.

"Director Zhang..." Su Wanqing finally spoke, her voice soft, yet it struck the man like a thunderbolt, "Have we... met somewhere before?"

The director was taken aback, then forced an even brighter smile: "Minister Su, you really have a bad memory! I'm Zhang Tao! We met once back in the Blue Star era, at... an awards ceremony banquet, where I had the honor of toasting you. To see you again here and serve you is my greatest honor!"

"Oh? Is that so?" A cold smile curled at the corner of Su Wanqing's lips. "I don't remember."

Her voice suddenly turned cold: "I only remember that there was a director named Zhang Tao who, when I had just started out and was filming a movie, told me with great confidence that as long as I was willing to go to his hotel room at night to 'discuss the script,' I would be the female lead in the next movie."

boom!

Zhang Tao's mind went blank, as if he had been hit hard by a giant hammer.

The color drained from his face instantly, turning it deathly pale. That memory, which he had long since forgotten and considered insignificant, now transformed into the sharpest dagger, pressed against his throat.

"I...I..." He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word, his body trembling violently.

Su Wanqing slowly stood up, looking down at him with undisguised contempt and disgust in her eyes.

“I remember now,” she continued, her voice not loud, but clearly carrying throughout the deathly silent theater: “I refused, didn’t I? Then, Director Zhang berated me in front of the entire crew, saying I was ‘ungrateful’ and that he would use all his connections to blacklist me so that I would never get any roles again.”

She took a step forward, her high heels clicking crisply on the ground, each click feeling like a blow to Zhang Tao's heart.

"I can't believe how fast the world changes, Director Zhang." She sneered. "You've come here too. Look, now I'm sitting here, and you're kneeling before me."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd gasped involuntarily.

Everyone realized that something big was about to happen. The actresses on stage were especially terrified.

With a "thump"!

Zhang Tao could no longer hold on, his knees buckled, and he knelt directly on the ground.

"I was wrong! Minister Su! I was really wrong!"

He wept bitterly, kowtowing frantically, his forehead slamming against the ground with a loud thud. "I was blind! I'm not human! I'm a beast! Please, have mercy on me this time! I'm kowtowing to you! Thud! Thud! Thud!"

He kowtowed while slapping himself in the face, hitting each other repeatedly with a loud "slap slap," and his face quickly swelled up.

"Please, please, for my sake... I didn't succeed, did I? I was just out of my mind and said a few nonsense things. I didn't cause you any real harm!" He raised his tear-streaked face and pleaded desperately.

"Didn't succeed?" Su Wan-Wanqing repeated these three words, her sarcasm deepening. "That's because of my refusal, not because of your mercy. If I had shown even the slightest weakness back then, what do you think the outcome would have been?"

She leaned down, close to Zhang Tao's ear, and said coldly in a voice only he could hear, "Your biggest mistake wasn't trying to sexually harass me, but that after I refused, you still tried to threaten me with your pathetic power. You humiliated me. And what I hate most is being humiliated."

Zhang Tao completely broke down. He clung to Su Wanqing's leg, crying out, "I deserve to die! I deserve to die! Please give me a chance! I'm willing to be your slave to repay you! I'm still useful! I can act! I can serve the kingdom, I can serve the leader!"

Su Wanqing kicked him away in disgust.

She straightened up, resuming her haughty queenly demeanor, and surveyed the entire room with icy eyes.

"Go to hell."

Three simple words, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, yet they sound like the final judgment from the deepest hell.

Zhang Tao froze, staring at Su Wanqing in disbelief. The pleading in his eyes instantly turned into endless despair and madness.

"No! You can't kill me! I'm a citizen of the kingdom! You have no right to..."

Before he could finish speaking, two guards in black uniforms who had been standing at the theater entrance strode up.

They were expressionless and moved efficiently, one on each side, dragging the limp Zhang Tao out like a dead dog.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! Su Wanqing! You poisonous woman! You'll die a horrible death!" Zhang Tao began to curse wildly, his voice filled with hysterical fear: "The leader won't let you get away with this! Ah!"

The guards dragged him away and quickly disappeared outside the theater's heavy doors.

The entire theater was deathly silent; everyone held their breath. The women on stage were trembling and pale.

Some of them may have encountered similar predicaments during the Blue Star era, but they never imagined that the reversal of power would come so quickly and so bloodily.

A muffled gunshot rang out from outside the door.

Zhang Tao's cursing stopped abruptly.

The world is now peaceful.

The air in the theater seemed to freeze, and the shadow of death loomed over everyone.

Su Wanqing slowly turned around, looked at the trembling actresses on the stage, and suddenly a comforting, even gentle, smile bloomed on her face.

“Don’t be afraid,” she said softly. “People like Zhang Tao are a cancer of the old era. His thoughts and actions are incompatible with our great kingdom. Cleaning up this garbage is to create a cleaner and purer creative environment for everyone.”

Her gaze slowly swept across the faces of each actress, her voice becoming seductive: "You are all the kingdom's most precious treasure. As long as you remain loyal to the leader and work hard, you will get everything you want. Fame, status, a better life... even, becoming the next me."

Her words were half reassurance and half a warning.

The women's eyes held a complex mix of emotions. Amidst their fear, a strange, burning desire also arose.

Yes, the old rules have been broken. The new rules are simple yet cruel: attach yourself to the strong, and you can have everything.

Su Wanqing watched their reactions with satisfaction. She knew that from this day forward, she would possess absolute authority in the Ministry of Culture, and indeed in the entire kingdom's non-military sphere.

She turned around, sat back down in her seat, and sank deeply into the soft chair.

An unprecedented sense of pleasure, like the most intense electric current, coursed through her entire body.

This feeling is ten thousand times stronger than receiving applause on stage.

This is not feigned applause, but genuine, fear-driven awe. It is absolute power—the power of life and death, the power to make one's word law!

She closed her eyes, savoring the thrilling sensation.

All the past grievances, resentments, and forbearance in the face of capital vanished in the sound of that gunshot. In their place came an extreme fascination with and desire for power.

“Alright,” she opened her eyes again, her voice calm, “replace the actress playing 'Yang Li.' Rehearsals continue.”

The new director, trembling with fear, ran over and received the order with a humility a hundred times greater than Zhang Tao's.

Soon, rousing music filled the theater once again.

This time, however, everyone's performance was imbued with a heartfelt reverence for power. They were no longer acting, but engaging in the most devout pilgrimage.

Su Wanqing watched all this with a satisfied smile on her lips.