Chapter Ninety Ranking

Han Jia continued, "I never expected to meet you again on this show. After being in the same group with you this time, I feel ashamed. You have been improving and have reached a level that I can only look up to and cannot reach. I am happy for you. At the same time," he looked directly at the camera with unprecedented determination, "I will not give up easily again. I will make an attempt to move up to the top 9."

He suddenly became excited, and the audience erupted in cheers and shouts of "Wow!" But no one noticed that he was talking about himself, not with WONE.

Meng Fanxi was repeatedly mentioned, and even Zhu Lou joked, "Can Fanxi still sit still?"

Meng Fanxi chuckled.

Yun Mengtao continued, "I believe everyone is eagerly awaiting the announcement of the debut rankings. Now, let's have mentor Felix reveal the trainees ranked eighth through first."

The ninth and tenth places will remain a mystery until later.

The introduction of the debut rankings was even more elaborate. The production team brought out a carefully crafted display board with nine exquisite black and gold envelopes hanging on it, each with its ranking marked on the cover.

Zhu Lou took the envelope down, and the crisp sound of the new paper touching each other rang in everyone's ears as he opened it.

Zhu Lou: "Who is the trainee ranked eighth?" After seeing the name, he smiled knowingly and then introduced, "This trainee is tall and doesn't talk much. He often suddenly throws out some corny jokes, making the atmosphere a bit strange. He also has a teammate in the group he joined for the second performance..."

As Meng Fanxi listened, his eyes moved to the side. Why did it feel like they were talking about Gu Huailang?

Gu Huailang didn't react. A lame joke? He doesn't usually tell lame jokes; he always tells the truth.

Even Ren Yuchen and Xu You whispered their guesses: "Huai Lang?"

Gu Huailang: Do you have some misunderstanding about me?

Zhu Lou revealed the answer: "Congratulations to Zhang Ruizheng of the WONE group, please take your place!"

As usual, everyone stood up and applauded. The members of WONE gathered around Zhang Ruizheng to give him a hug. He looked very happy, with joy in his eyes and brows.

After Zhang Ruizheng went on stage, he greeted his teammates on stage. However, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he ignored several trainees who were about to greet him. Meng Fanxi frowned almost imperceptibly.

After Zhang Ruizheng finished his acceptance speech, the camera focused on Zhu Lou again.

Zhu Lou: "The seventh trainee has a warm smile and acts as a mediator in the team. It can be said that everyone in the team likes him, and he has also made many friends outside the team..."

The description was somewhat vague, and everyone looked around, trying to guess who it was.

"Although his team didn't win in the second round, his performance still earned him widespread recognition, ranking first in the team. He is—"

Congratulations to Jin Ziran of WONE!

Jin Ziran put on a formal smile, stood up, hugged the other two WONE teammates in the audience, and then went on stage. He did not look at the Eternal Six Stars in the same row at all.

After taking the stage, Jin Ziran first bowed to the mentors. After standing in seventh place, he said, "Thank you to the fans who have been voting for me, and to the special judges who were willing to vote for me. Thank you for casting your precious vote for me."

His expression looked somewhat sad at this moment, and Meng Fanxi guessed that he was about to 'show his true feelings'.

Sure enough, after taking a deep breath and making up her mind, Jin Ziran said, "I have done wrong things before, and I have no excuse. I want to apologize to everyone again, to my fellow trainees who fought alongside me, to my mentors and fans who have always supported and trusted me, and to the production team. I am sorry for all your hard work."

The trainees both on and off stage were all watching Jin Ziran, who was choking up and looked very regretful.

Everyone knows he was referring to the incident of secretly keeping a cell phone.

Only Meng Fanxi noticed his words, "Apologize again."

In his memory, Jin Ziran only seemed to hold a grudge after being punished; he had never seen her apologize so formally in front of everyone before.

Meng Fanxi gently rubbed his fingertips together, and after a moment he understood. He guessed that the production team must have called Jin Ziran out separately to record an apology or something similar. After all, if they didn't explain anything and just played the scene of Jin Ziran being chosen last in the second round of song selection, it would definitely cause some fans to be dissatisfied.

However, this way, the matter of Jin Ziran keeping the phone is completely over, which is in line with the show's tone of loving drama but not wanting to escalate the situation.

The six people of the Eternal Six Stars are all exceptionally serious.

Jin Ziran on stage was clearly in low spirits. His sobbing was perfectly timed, as if it had been practiced. Meng Fanxi sighed, "It's not easy to express yourself clearly on the verge of crying and win the sympathy of the public."

Jin Ziran continued, "I am able to reach seventh place thanks to the support and votes of every one of you fans. Please trust me and keep an eye on me. I will live up to your expectations. I also thank you for your understanding. Because of your existence, I have not been defeated by the pressure, and my life has become meaningful."

On the one hand, they say they have no excuses, but on the other hand, they imply that they are under pressure.

Encouraging applause rang out in the studio.

Meng Fanxi followed suit and clapped along with the crowd. His eyes were devoid of warmth. He guessed that if Jin Ziran's speech were broadcast, it would definitely make a lot of fans swoon. After all, that kind of pitiful, teary-eyed yet indomitable and upward-looking state was indeed quite captivating.

Zhu Lou fell silent here, and Yun Mengtao then said a few words of encouragement in this atmosphere.

The atmosphere in the studio was somewhat eerie, thanks to Jin Ziran's influence.

Zhu Lou continued to announce the rankings: "The trainee ranked sixth has a sharp gaze and is known for his taciturn nature. Wherever he is, his teammates are there. Some enthusiastic netizens of 'The Group' have compiled statistics showing that whenever he appears on screen, he is never alone; he is always surrounded by his teammates. Therefore, he is also known as a 'clingy person'."

Meng Fanxi initially thought the adjectives referred to Gu Huailang, but as he heard more, he became more doubtful. How could "clingy" possibly be associated with Gu Huailang?

He turned to look at Gu Huailang. After Jin Ziran went up, their row obviously relaxed a lot. Gu Huailang's expressions also became more varied. At this moment, he was frowning and had an expression that said, "This is not me."

Zhu Lou: "Congratulations! Eternal Six Stars, Gu Huailang!"

"Hahahahaha!" The other five members of the Eternal Six Stars burst into laughter at the same time and then hugged him.

Gu Huailang's advancement from ninth to sixth is something to celebrate, but the way he was introduced was rather embarrassing.

Gu Huailang was clearly unwilling to accept it. After stiffly hugging everyone, he walked onto the ranking stage and his first words were: "Who said I'm clingy?"

The studio was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, with the six eternal stars laughing the loudest. How could netizens even bother to compile such strange details?

After regaining his composure, Gu Huailang earnestly thanked his fans: "Thank you to every fan who voted for me and to the special judges. Thank you for your recognition."

He looked down at the audience and said, "Thank you to my teammates." He was about to get emotional when he saw his teammates' still teasing smiles and almost rolled his eyes, but he held back. "I want to debut with you all and walk together with you. I hope you will too."

The message was short, but direct and sincere.

Finally, he added, "I have no demands of you, just please keep your voices down next time you laugh at me."

The five people in the audience fell backward again.

Zhu Lou: "The trainee ranked fifth served as the captain in this second performance, managing all aspects of the team's affairs exceptionally well. It makes one wonder, how come there are so many trainees with captain potential among the Eternal Six Stars? He is calm and rational, almost never showing any particular emotion, but when facing his teammates, he always loses control of his expressions. He is—"

"Congratulations, Ren Yuchen, you've reached the Eternal Six-Star level!"

Ren Yuchen came in fifth place. As Meng Fanxi stood up to applaud him, she subconsciously wondered where she herself would rank.

He had originally estimated himself to be five or six.

Ren Yuchen walked onto the stage, and he didn't say much, "Thank you for your support, fans. I will continue to work hard. Please continue to support me and everyone in the Eternal Six Stars!"

Zhu Lou: "The fourth-ranked trainee has a cute baby face, but behaves in a cool and arrogant manner. He is unconstrained and chooses what he wants to choose. In the second public performance, he even chose to cross the field and challenge Rap. He is the little bully in the hearts of fans. He is——"

"Congratulations, Xu You, on reaching the Eternal Six-Star level!"

Several people with six eternal stars went on stage in succession, but this result was expected, and the applause did not stop.

Xu You: "There's not much to say. Showing everything with our strength is our eternal six-star principle. We want to debut together and see all the beautiful scenery together. We will continue to work hard, so please continue to support us. We will definitely bring you continuous surprises!"

Xu You still speaks so bluntly, but it's actually quite endearing.

Meng Fanxi's heart pounded. He didn't know where he could go. He wanted to reach the highest position, but he also hoped to reach it step by step.

Zhu Lou: "The trainee ranked third," he raised an eyebrow and smiled after seeing the list, "is constantly improving. Even when he faced doubts, he bravely confronted them. He uses his strength and progress to meet all challenges. He has excellent interpersonal relationships in 'Group Camp.' He can sacrifice everything for the stage and also be imbued with all sorts of colors by the stage. His energy is constantly bursting forth, and his voice is always sending his own signals to the outside world. He is—"

"Congratulations, Meng Fanxi, you've reached the Eternal Six-Star level!"

"Phew." Meng Fanxi let out a breath. Zhong Chu and Fan Na both jumped up and ran to the front row to hug him tightly. Zhong Chu whispered in his ear, "Go for it, Fanxi, that stage belongs to you."

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Author's note: Thank you all for your support. I'll definitely write more tomorrow!