Chapter 15 Mystery

Chapter Summary: How many ships will be destroyed this time?

The trainees in the lounge were all staring intently at the screen in front of them, eagerly awaiting Mu Zhi's solo performance.

Tonight's match was amazing, absolutely spectacular!

Especially Mu Zhi, her singing didn't crack like before, and her stage performance just now was absolutely stable.

Dressed in ancient costume, she looked as if she had stepped out of a painting; her appearance was superb, and her opera singing was absolutely stunning.

Everyone was shocked by Mu Zhi's tremendous changes.

I wonder what surprises his solo performance will bring?

Xia Xinyan pursed her lips, trying her best to hide her emotions, but her hands, clasped tightly together on her knees, betrayed her inner tension and unease. It seemed that maintaining her number one popularity tonight would not be so easy.

Mu Zhi has arrived.

With her hair removed and her white robes replaced by a light red gauze dress, Mu Zhi's entire demeanor changed dramatically. She no longer possessed any of the fragility and helplessness she had in "The Beauty." Red suited her perfectly; she was stunning and elegant, but unlike the seductive allure of "Beautiful Skin," her brows now held a commanding presence and a dignified bearing.

Standing in the spotlight at the center of the stage, with her body slightly turned to the side, her hands raised, her wide sleeves like eagle wings about to unfold, her left leg slightly raised, her body standing steadily, frozen in place.

Two seconds later, the drumming music started.

With each of the three drumbeats, Mu Zhi's outstretched hands and left leg rose precisely in time with the drumbeat, her movements vigorous and powerful, exuding a sharp and swift aura.

The drumbeats stopped, and the music of the zither began.

Mu Zhi's dance became more graceful, her imposing manner lessened. As she turned her head, the lines of her neck were incredibly beautiful, and the small red bead hanging from the hairpin in her hair swayed gently. When the camera zoomed in on her face, her beautiful features were clean and free of any makeup, and her lovely eyes shone with a resolute light, conveying her conviction.

A beautiful woman in red, spirited and unyielding, her pride defying the elements.

This dance showcases the gentleness of women, and its essence is "women are like water, gentle but not weak." Mu Zhi, however, danced with a different spirit and was even better!

In Mu Zhi's two-minute solo dance, the audience saw the image of Mulan in her movements. Though a woman, she was no less courageous than any man, capable of fighting on the battlefield to protect her country...

After the dance, the four mentors stood up and applauded.

A thunderous cheer erupted from the audience, who shouted "Mu Zhi's" name.

The live stream chat, which had been lagging while Mu Zhi was dancing, returned to "normal" mode, and a flood of comments came in.

"Absolutely stunning! The dance is breathtaking! Absolutely amazing!"

"This is the real level of girl group competition! A diverse stage!"

"Mu Zhi looks so beautiful in her ancient costume, and she dances so well!"

"I initially thought Xia Xinyan was a shoo-in for the center position, but now I'm rooting for Mu Zhi! Let's go!"

......

After the performance, Mu Zhi bowed to the audience and quickly retreated to the edge of the stage, as Liu Cai was about to go on stage.

Liu Cai, who had already changed her look, bumped into Mu Zhi and raised her fist, saying, "Great job!"

Besides Xia Xinyan, she now has another rival.

Mu Zhi also clenched her fist and bumped fists with Liu Cai's, "Go for it!"

Liu Cai nodded, adjusted her baseball cap, and walked past Mu Zhi toward the stage.

After changing out of her ancient costume, Liu Cai wore a black T-shirt and jeans, with a decorative necklace around her neck, a simple hip-hop style, and brought a dynamic finger dance to "dua tay day nao".

Like Xia Xinyan, this is also Liu Cai's specialty: dynamic dance style.

With exceptional control and precise timing, Liu Cai's dance was more powerful than Xia Xinyan's, less sexy but more wildly cool, which also drew cheers from the audience.

The collaboration stage of the third performance and the solo stages brought by the three popular trainees were undoubtedly a feast for the ears and eyes for the national producers tonight!

This season's show has rekindled the audience's interest in girl group auditions, largely due to the rapid growth and transformation of each trainee, and their all-out efforts to deliver increasingly spectacular performances, especially the top-ranked trainees with high popularity...

The third performance also came to an exciting final segment: voting for tonight's most popular performer.

The host invited Xia Xinyan and Mu Zhi to the stage as well. Together with Liu Cai, the three of them stood on the stage waiting for the comments and votes from the four mentors.

Mentor Yu Nannan cast the first vote, "Tonight's stage performance was a huge surprise for one person. It would take at least half a month or a month to achieve the same stage effect, but she did it in just one week! She constantly challenges and surpasses herself, growing from a tender twig into an unbreakable tree branch."

"I vote for Mu Zhi, you look absolutely stunning tonight!"

Mu Zhi bowed in gratitude: "Thank you, Professor Yu."

Guan Qi'er leaned forward, holding the microphone on the judges' stage with one hand, her gaze falling on Xia Xinyan. "I'm casting my vote for Xinyan. From the first episode and the first performance, Xinyan's performance has been consistently excellent. She has shown outstanding strength in both singing and dancing. It's not easy for her to get to where she is today as an individual trainee."

"I think Xinyan is like a student who always gets 100 points on tests. People may sometimes get used to her excellence, but she still needs encouragement and deserves recognition. Go Xinyan! In my heart, you are definitely the Ace of the 'Chasing the Light' girl group!"

Very high praise!

Mu Zhi understood the hidden meaning in Guan Qi'er's words. The gist of it was that Xia Xinyan always got 100 points in the exam, while Mu Zhi used to get 60 or 70 points. This time, she got 90 points and was praised and lauded. This implied that Yu Nannan's vote was unfair.

It wasn't really directed at me.

Perhaps it's because Guan Qier and Xia Xinyan both trained overseas and felt a sense of camaraderie. Everyone has different standards and preferences, and for them, being a mentor on this show is both a job and an opportunity for exposure and gaining fans.

Guan Qier's choice of words, disregarding Yu Nannan's feelings, may have been an attempt to demonstrate her professionalism as a mentor. If the two were to argue, it would undoubtedly become a topic of discussion.

Currently, "Chasing the Light Girl" is halfway through filming. Xie Chaoyun's "chicken soup master", William's Chinese pronunciation, and Yu Nannan's dance are all impressive, but Guan Qier's presence is a bit weak.

Yu Nannan, though a beat late, also understood the meaning behind Guan Qier's words. She wanted to speak, but considering that this was a competition stage for trainees and should not become a place for the mentors to argue, she swallowed her words.

"Please welcome the next mentor."

William, the third mentor to vote, looked at Mu Zhi, then at Xia Xinyan, hesitated for a moment, and finally voted for Liu Cai. "I really liked the red tassel spear you were wielding. It was so cool to rap while wielding the spear. And your finger dance just now was also very cool! Liu Cai, keep it up!"

Liu Cai: "Thank you, Professor William!"

And the last mentor is Xie Chaoyun.

Currently, Mu Zhi, Xia Xinyan, and Liu Cai each have 1 vote, resulting in a tie.

The vote in the hands of mentor Xie Chaoyun became the crucial vote.

Xie Chaoyun wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses tonight, which concealed the emotions in his eyes. During the live broadcast of the performance, he always looked at the stage with a focused expression, without any change in his expression, making it impossible to tell whose performance he preferred.

After a moment's thought, Xie Chaoyun seemed to have found the answer, looking up at the three trainees on the stage: "Xia Xinyan..."

Upon hearing her own name, Xia Xinyan's eyes lit up, but the next second she heard Xie Chaoyun mention Liu Cai again, "Your performances in the third show were all wonderful."

"But tonight, whether it was the group performance or her solo stage, Mu Zhi's singing and dancing were top-notch. I personally think it was perfect. From the first second the music started to the last, she delivered a wonderful and visually stunning performance that captivated my attention."

"Tonight on the stage of 'Chasing the Light Girl,' I feel that the national producers have seen more possibilities for girl group trainees. I cast my vote for Mu Zhi. She has made great progress and has the strength to debut as the center."

Very high praise.

The host announced the votes: "Congratulations to Mu Zhi for receiving 2 votes!"

Each mentor's vote counts as 50 votes, Mu Zhi's individual votes total 100, and Xia Xinyan and Liu Cai each have 50 votes.

Next, the 3,000 "national producers" present will participate in the first round of voting. Before the voting, the host will ask the routine questions:

Are you confident you can become the most popular person tonight?

Xia Xinyan and Liu Cai's answer was naturally "confident".

When it's Mu Zhi's turn, if you ask her if she's confident she can win an award since her work has been shortlisted, she absolutely has to.

However, she was unaware of the preferences of the national producers.

However, compared to last time, the mentors' votes tonight gave her more confidence, and she answered firmly with a "Yes!"

The trainees in the waiting room whispered among themselves, wondering who would be number one. The answers varied.

The live stream chat was also a chaotic battle between fans of the three groups.

The results of the vote by the 3,000 on-site producers were quickly announced:

Xia Xinyan received 1165 votes.

Mu Zhi received 899 votes.

Liu Cai received 860 votes.

Xia Xinyan is in first place, currently in the lead.

Xia Xinyan gave the audience a perfect 90-degree bow in thanks, and breathed a slight sigh of relief. Once she was in first place, no one wanted to step down! She hoped to hold onto the number one position and not disappoint her fans and... the people behind her.

The second round of online voting will now begin, also with 3,000 votes.

Once the online voting channel opens, it will immediately close once 3,000 members of the Owl platform have cast their votes. Every vote cast and the vote count accumulated every second will be displayed in real time on the large screen on the stage.

Mu Zhi glanced back and thought to herself, "This is pretty high-tech."

As soon as I turned my head back, I heard a chorus of exclamations. The host excitedly announced, "The online voting results are in! Mu Zhi has received 1388 votes..."

"Congratulations to Mu Zhi! You received a total of 2387 votes! You've become the most popular performer in the third show!"

As soon as the results were announced, Liu Cai immediately hugged Mu Zhi beside her, "Congratulations!"

Xia Xinyan felt a stinging sensation in her palm and quickly loosened her clenched fist, forcing a smile as she gave Mu Zhi a light hug.

The winner of the popularity contest has been decided.

Because Mu Zhi's group had the highest number of votes among the five groups, at 2698. Even with the 10 votes contributed by winning the popularity award, they were already firmly in first place, regardless of whether the awards were given or not.

Mu Zhi became the most popular person tonight and will receive an additional 10,000 likes.

It's expected to reach number one in the next ranking of likes!

Winning first place was a pleasant surprise for Mu Zhi, and she was quite happy.

At the same time, it is clear from the votes at the venue and online that the effect of watching the performance live was better, so she had more votes. Because it was a traditional Chinese dance, her makeup and performance added a lot of points to her, and she also benefited from the novelty.

Only then could he temporarily outmaneuver the female lead, Xia Xinyan.

But it's hard to say whether I can beat Xia Xinyan when the likes ranking comes out in a couple of days.

The third performance is nearing its end, and this is the very last segment.

The "charity support" segment.

Will that mysterious wealthy fan who everyone is supporting Xia Xinyan reappear?

According to the plot of the novel, Mu Zhi knew that the mysterious big shot would appear, but she didn't know how many "spaceships" he would smash this time to create momentum for Xia Xinyan.

In the northern part of the city, next to a high-end consumer business district, there is a quiet office park with an eight-story building standing tall.

On the top floor, inside the general manager's office.

Assistant Luke looked at the data on his iPad, adjusted his glasses, and asked, "President He, how many ships should we destroy this time?"