Chapter 112 The Finals (Part 5)...

"A quiet dream, where no one comes."

"I am the shadow in my dream."

As soon as the background sound came out, everyone recognized that it was Meng Fanxi's clear and moving voice. The entire song was recorded in the recording camp of "Taking the Group as Camp" and used the simplest piano as the melody.

From the moment the first word was uttered, Meng Fanxi's previously drooping body began to move, like a soulless shadow, aimless and without purpose.

Only then did people see his face clearly. His entire right cheek, down to his temple, was painted with many petals and leaves of different colors, vibrant and beautiful. The pupil of his right eye was light green, gorgeous yet devoid of emotion.

The stark contrast between her exquisite makeup and her rough clothing completely drew people's attention.

His neck, shoulders, and hands swung freely, his body stretching and contracting with ease, yet his core strength was extremely high throughout the process, making all his movements appear effortless.

If the opening sounds were tinged with ignorance, then as the song's emotions gradually intensify, not only the background vocals but also the dance moves become imbued with feeling. First, it's fun and novel, and then it's about enjoying the beauty of the music.

"Your sudden appearance has painted my dream."

All his movements were effortless, and his drab clothes seemed to come alive, swaying with his actions. Every step he took was full of spirit, like a child who had just found happiness.

Meng Fanxi's fans can easily recall her graceful and lively dance with Fan Na, but her current dance is even more lively and graceful.

The audience was so moved by his performance that they screamed repeatedly.

The rhythm suddenly quickened, and the piano music came like a sudden storm. Meng Fanxi's expression went from stunned to disappointed and then to distorted. His feet quickly and rapidly stepped to the rhythm, his steps precise and powerful, using a series of large movements to show the changes in his emotions.

"Now I finally understand that pain and longing are all silent confessions of one's own solitude..."

As the song reached its climax, Meng Fanxi's movements flowed freely with the music, like mercury spilling across the ground.

The stage was anything but empty despite it being a lyrical solo performance; the entire stage was under control, pushing the audience's emotions to their peak.

"The dream is over, it's gone. That's it, no one's waiting."

Meng Fanxi's voice was clearer than before, and his movements, after being expansive and powerful, were effortless and natural, as if he were walking into the depths of the world, turning his back to the audience.

He stopped, seemingly hesitant, but did not turn back.

Just a silhouette, yet it carries a multitude of complex emotions, leaving a blank space on this stage.

A continuous wave of screams and cheers surged onto the stage, and even after the next person's VCR had begun playing, the sound waves continued. The production team had to deploy a large number of people to maintain order and calm the audience down.

The mentors couldn't show too much bias. Fu Hanfei was emotional after watching the performance, but he could only applaud loudly.

This is not a simple stage performance. Although time is limited, it is a highly complete performance with progressively layered emotions. The songs, dances, and makeup are integrated into one, and each part is full of vitality.

The dance skills on this stage may not be the most advanced, but they fully demonstrate the artist's original intention and love for dance, accurately conveying all the emotions in the song to the audience.

In this performance, all the audience members were briefly detached from the competition and entered the world created by Meng Fanxi, enjoying the stage from beginning to end just like Meng Fanxi.

He couldn't help but feel a little fortunate at this moment, fortunate that he had drawn them in the third round of the competition, and that they should still be in contact after the competition ended.

In the parents' row, Meng's parents had red eyes, filled with both pride and heartache. The parents of the six children were standing close together, all six of them their own.

Gu Huailang's mother patted Lin Wei's hand, "You danced so well."

Wei, sitting in the company representative's seat, was completely drawn into Meng Fanxi's dance throughout the entire performance, and his heart was filled with bittersweet emotions.

He couldn't help but think back to the beginning. Even though he was the first to decide that Meng Fanxi was in the group, he valued Meng Fanxi's teamwork skills more than anything else.

He underestimated Meng Fanxi. He watched every episode and every clip of "The Team" whenever he had time. Meng Fanxi's personal abilities were constantly improving and he was growing. The people around him also became better because of him.

He was ashamed of his initial thoughts.

He was proud of Meng Fanxi.

Wei Ye couldn't contain his emotions after Meng Fanxi's performance and wanted to stand up and applaud, but he calmed down when Xu Cangyan glanced at him. Sitting here was different from sitting in the audience. He represented the company and had to be mindful of his image, but his palms were already red from clapping.

The live stream's viewership continued to rise when Meng Fanxi appeared, and real-time discussions rapidly filled the screen. After the performance, the dance was immediately recorded and uploaded to various platforms.

This is a live broadcast stage! Not a single mistake! And he enjoyed the stage!

[Who understands? He's become an all-around ACE. Even if he were to sing this song in the vocal group, he wouldn't be inferior at all.]

All I can do after watching this is scream "Ahhhhhh!"

I cried while watching this.

Where are those chattering people from just now? Speechless now, huh? Meng Fanxi can handle even the biggest expectations!

I don't know much about dance, but from what I've seen, they dance better and more relaxed than some of the more accomplished dancers in this group.

[It's like watching a movie; this dance tells a story.]

...

Meng Fanxi breathed a sigh of relief, her heart pounding like a drum, but she remained calm and quickly walked backstage to change into her outfit for the next group show.

As soon as I stepped through the dimly lit back corridor, a familiar figure rushed towards me and hugged me, followed by a second, then a third…

Lin Ruo and the others had been waiting there for a while. As soon as he arrived, they gave him a bear hug, and the six of them hugged each other tightly.

Each of them performed at their best and successfully overcame the first hurdle.

There was no sound, but having teammates by my side was the most reassuring thing.

The camera silently recorded this scene, to be included in the behind-the-scenes footage after the finals.

Everyone let go of each other and planned to walk back to the waiting room, while Meng Fanxi went to change his clothes.

Around the corner, Zhong Chu was waiting there.

As soon as Meng Fanxi saw Zhong Chu, he walked over, and Zhong Chu also came over to greet him. The two gave each other a big high-five and a hug.

Meng Fanxi was a little worried: "You took too much risk on stage just now. What if the production team gets angry?"

Zhong Chu scratched his head and said with a smile, "My adrenaline was pumping on stage, and I just did it on a whim. Luckily, it worked well."

That action wasn't something he did on a whim; he simply wanted to help Meng Fanxi in his own way.

...

This program is broadcast live on both television and an app, requiring strict time control and a very efficient process.

After the individual performances ended, without further ado, the group performances began.

The six eternal stars were the last to perform, but in the end only six teams remained. With time running out, Meng Fanxi quickly changed her clothes and redid her makeup before running backstage to review the moves for the upcoming performance with everyone, getting into character.

The first to perform was the WONE group. Without Jin Ziran's interference, the six members of the group seemed to have a much more harmonious relationship. Bai He probably had a message to them, mainly focusing on Han Jia, with Zhang Ruizheng and Zhong Lifu assisting.

This performance saw them return to their comfort zone, delivering a slightly cool and suave performance reminiscent of the boy-next-door type, which set a good precedent and generated buzz for the segment.

The only drawback is that since it's the first performance and it's all live, the breathing sounds are quite loud.

On Weibo, many people are complaining in real time that the breathing sounds are too detrimental to the listening experience, while some fans argue that it's impossible for such intense singing and dancing to be without panting and microphone popping sounds.

After the group performance, the 35 trainees and mentors will collaborate on a song called "Team Spirit". Voting will officially stop after this song ends, so the team that performed first in the group show still has an advantage. After Meng Fanxi and his team finish their performance, there won't be much time left for voting.

Of course, the fans were constantly on the move, giving it their all no matter when their favorite player took the stage, and daring not to relax for a moment.

The subsequent group "Wugu Jiangzhen," which consisted of Wanxiang Seven Sons, Zero Degree, Paradox, Lu Ning, Zhong Chu, Wugu Fengdeng, and Jiangzhen Boys, also faced the same problems as when Vocal performed solo.

The audience paid close attention to the quality of each person's live singing and dancing, which even attracted a large number of onlookers who watched and commented on the performance.

This is the part that casual viewers love to watch the most. With the mentality of "since everyone is singing live, don't blame them for giving their opinions," they watch each stage seriously and comment on each person's level in real time.

Some rational people have spoken out in defense of the boys, saying that they are still just trainees and have not yet debuted. It is already commendable that they were able to sing and dance a song with their microphones fully open. It should be noted that most groups in China only dare to perform with their microphones half-open in public.

Unlike in the past when it was convenient to wear headsets for singing and dancing, this time all teams used hand microphones for better live streaming results. Fans felt that the hand microphones hindered the complete expression of the movements, so it's understandable that some trainees couldn't adapt.

The two factions, those who were willing to criticize and those who were willing to defend the show, argued fiercely, and the show's popularity soared. It not only dominated the top three trending topics but also swept through the top 20 trending topics, with almost every team's performance immediately making it to the trending list.

Several last-minute sponsorships were added during the live broadcast of the finals, and the production team visibly made a fortune.

Fans, however, had to juggle voting with fighting back against the negative publicity.

As the order drew closer, the fans of Eternal Six Stars grew increasingly nervous watching the growing number of onlookers nitpicking. Organized fan groups were already prepared for a storm of criticism.

Even if the speed of cleaning up the plaza is just a drop in the ocean compared to the massive number of casual viewers during the finals, they will not be afraid of any unforeseen circumstances.

At this moment, longtime fans of Will Company stepped in again to reassure people: "We believe in Will's ability to train trainees. Their individual performances were so solid, so don't worry."

The newbie worriedly said, "But this is singing and dancing after all. With the microphones on full mics, the sound from this live streaming equipment is too dry. Even the slightest tremor will be pointed out by the audience. I'm nervous for the six of them..."

Even longtime fans were a little unsure, but they still comforted him, saying, "Trust them. As far as I know, Will always sings and dances at full speed during training and monthly exams. The only variable now is the equipment."

Unlike the fans who were extremely nervous, Meng Fanxi felt very relaxed, much less nervous than before her solo performance. This might be because she had teammates around her, or perhaps because the song itself was positive and uplifting.

The six of them didn't gather in front of the broadcast screen to watch; instead, they sat scattered around, and it was clear that they were all very relaxed.

They're about to take the stage; this is the last stage in "Team Up" that belongs only to the six of them.

Lin Ruohe called everyone together, and as usual, they put their arms around each other's shoulders and formed a circle, their heads touching.

Lin Ruohe said, "The countdown to our group journey is on. This is our final stage, 'The Only One.' Let's all say a few words of encouragement."

Zhang Yang: "We will definitely debut. We believe in ourselves."

Hsu Yu: "The last song, have fun, enjoy it!"

Ren Yuchen: "This is the end of the show, but it's not our end."

Gu Huailang: "I must debut with you all, and I must make it into the top six."

Meng Fanxi: "Enjoy the stage, and let the last stage have a perfect ending."

Lin Ruohe: "We can definitely do it, 3, 2, 1..."

Everyone: "Let's give it our all!"

[They're here! Weir's team is coming!]

[Ahhhhhh, six stars forever! Ahhhhhh!]

Charge!

I want to see if their live singing and dancing skills are as good as they claim.

...

The lights turned dark blue, and six teenagers appeared on the stage on a rising platform. Before the music even started, the screams from the entire stadium were enough to shake the Olympic Sports Center to its core.

Many fans who couldn't get tickets and were listening outside to the leaked audio immediately recognized that it was Eternal Six Stars making an appearance.

The show's ratings have already broken records and are still climbing.

The song title 'The Only One' appeared on the screen with a refreshing seaside sunshine effect, bringing a cool summer feeling.

"Da da da da da..." The rhythmic chorus of six people, seemingly blending into one, opened the prelude to the entire song.

Everyone knew they chose a cheerful song for the song selection episode, but only a snippet of the song was played, and no one expected it to be so harmonious from the very beginning.

With their bright smiles, wearing bright shirts and bright suit jackets paired with youthful jeans, the six people danced in unison, full of energy. Their appearance and dance completely impressed everyone.

Then, everyone lined up like a little train, as if playing a game. Meng Fanxi, who was leading the group, spoke first to set the tone. His voice was more energetic than the voices in the background of the individual performances, like a clear spring, which made the audience smile involuntarily.

As the locomotive, he sang on stage while turning left and right with one hand across his chest, and his teammates behind him swayed left and right in coordination with the formation, like a long dragon with its tail whipping around, and everyone enjoyed it.

His voice was very steady, and the lyrics were clearly conveyed to everyone's ears. The fans didn't even have time to breathe a sigh of relief, but instead praised him wildly. He was singing and running at the same time without making a sound of breathing!

Immediately afterward, Gu Huailang burst out from the train line, and everyone took the opportunity to smoothly change formation. In order to express a joyful feeling, their dance was very large in scale and the movements were continuous, using every part of their body. It could be said that there was no moment of rest.

Xu You and Ren Yuchen then sang solos, their movements were flexible and varied, and there were many scenes of them interacting with each other, with their arm swings being completely synchronized.

Despite their numerous movements, their composed performance made them appear tireless, providing the audience with a great auditory and visual experience.

In the chorus, their movements become even more vigorous, fully demonstrating a youthful spirit of actively moving towards the rising sun, with a bright future ahead!

The audience members, both in the audience and in front of the screen, all danced to the rhythm of the song. The melody was also catchy, so soon a chorus of voices could be heard.

The program's close-up shots of the audience all showed them smiling.

Lin Ruohe and Zhang Yang's back-and-forth banter, with the four teammates half-squatting and circling around them like four little dwarfs, their expressions humorous and adorable, made everyone burst into laughter.

In the final part, the six people burst forth with boundless energy and began to dart around. They each ran to different areas, interacting with the audience, the mentors, and waving to the children of the Xijingu Dance Troupe across the crowd.

As the music gradually came to an end, they reunited on stage. When each of them sang a line, the other five would surround them, either squatting down or striking funny poses from the side, creating a natural and joyful interaction.

This was the most joyful moment since the finals. Finally, the six of them stood in a row, arms around each other's shoulders, standing close together, looking at each other, and picked up their microphones to sing: "You are... the only one."

The ending was lingering and moving, and many people's eyes welled up with tears as they watched this beautiful scene.

Yun Mengtao looked at the boys on stage with satisfaction. Throughout the song, all of them sang live, and their complex singing and dancing movements were almost without pause. However, each member's voice was extremely stable, giving the song a more vibrant life than the version sung during the song selection.

It would be such a shame if this combination lost even one person.

Wei was so moved he almost cried. The camera even cut to a shot of them. If the camera hadn't moved so fast, he was afraid he would have shed tears on camera.

What a perfect combination, what a vibrant group of teenagers!

Ignoring Xu Cangyan's thoughts, Wei muttered to himself, "This is my original intention: to create a real and unique group, unlike those formulaic combinations."

Xu Cangyan remained silent, his eyes filled with satisfaction as he looked at Xu You, who was laughing heartily on the stage.

When the previous groups all went live, they each had their own problems. The last group to perform was bound to face the most pressure and scrutiny. Once they withstood all of that, the flowers and applause would multiply.

[This is too safe, I'm starting to suspect they're using microphones.]

Of course it was on; you could hear the clapping during the performance very clearly.

It's so beautiful; they're the only ones truly enjoying the stage.

This is the kind of group I imagine.

[Waaaaah, debut already!]

This combination is amazing; they can pull off any style.

...

Pang Bo said solemnly, "The last group performance has ended. Please hurry up and vote. I will now briefly explain the voting rules to you..."

Qi Anni: "Okay, everyone, please pay attention. Next, we'll have a commercial break. Let's look forward to the mentors' collaborative performance stage and the announcement of the final debut rankings!"

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A note from the author: