Chapter 2 Battle

Chapter Summary: The Battle for the Center Position within the Group

Zhou Jingzhu's official response: "Mu Zhi is too beautiful, she is a perfect fit for 'Beautiful Skin'!"

In reality, everyone who participates in the talent show aims to reach the final.

There are ulterior motives behind the selection of people.

The competition has narrowed down from 101 to 48, and the second performance is coming soon.

48 trainees, 8 in Class A, 8 songs.

The A-class trainees will serve as team leaders, select songs, and take turns choosing team members.

The groups are divided into 2 vocal groups, 2 rap groups, and 4 dance groups.

The dance group is filled with popular contestants, making the competition particularly fierce.

When Zhou Jingzhu was choosing her second teammate, she picked Mu Zhi from Class F, because she was attracted by Mu Zhi's popularity.

Of course, if Mu Zhi's performance is lackluster, her team is very likely to be affected.

Opportunities and risks coexist.

"Jingzhu, should we choose the center position first?"

As soon as Lü E made the suggestion, the other three trainees nodded in agreement, saying that either Zhou Jingzhu or Lü E should take the role.

Zhou Jingzhu touched the slightly warm laptop lid and said casually, "Let's choose when Mu Zhi comes back."

After a pause, she asked, "Don't you guys think Mu Zhi seems a little different today?"

She seemed to have become more radiant, and her demeanor was different.

Lu E and others suggested that Mu Zhi might have realized that if she continued to slack off, she would be fired, so she had no choice but to strive for improvement.

Mu Zhi went to the restaurant for a meal and enjoyed the privilege of having the whole place to herself.

Usually, by 7 a.m., everyone is already in the practice room.

This season is so exciting! Every trainee who comes to participate in the competition wants to debut as a group and stand out to be seen. The most effective and simplest way is to practice extra hard every minute to improve their personal skills.

It's not uncommon for people to practice until 1 or 2 a.m. and then go back to sleep.

Mu Zhi's schedule of getting up at 5 a.m. to practice dancing is so extreme that she doesn't have time to go back for makeup and styling after practice, and she misses the camera time with other trainees.

Mu Zhi, who had barely slept all night, yawned and realized this as well.

After finishing my meal, I quickly returned to the practice room.

Upon returning, Mu Zhi noticed that in addition to her five teammates, there were several staff members in the practice room, including the director and choreographer in charge of their group. She politely nodded to them.

Zhou Jingzhu and others are watching a dance video of "Beautiful Skin," discussing and breaking down the movements as they watch, preparing to start practicing.

Seeing Mu Zhi return, Zhou Jingzhu waved, "Zhi Zhi..."

Lü E spoke first: "Mu Zhi, you're back just in time. We were just discussing choosing the center position and arranging the formation."

"Between me and Jingzhu, who will you vote for?"

Lü E is an artist under Shengyu Media.

He Muzhi is in the same industry and is also an actress.

Since her debut, she has played the second female lead in four or five dramas, earning her the nickname "professional second female lead" among netizens. Some of these dramas were minor hits, but aside from being criticized for her "awkward acting," she hasn't made a splash. She's participating in a girl group audition to pursue a career in online popularity and gain fans.

He has over 2 million followers on Weibo and has a strong sense of superiority.

Mu Zhi looked up and glanced at Lü E.

Feigning ignorance, he asked, "Two choices? I also want to run. Shall we have a battle?"

Upon hearing that there was material for something to stir things up, the on-site staff quickly stepped forward to give Mu Zhi a close-up shot.

Lü E seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, "Battle?"

Someone who couldn't even dance to the theme song and only completed one-third of the routine.

What right do they have to propose a battle?

"Isn't that unfair?"

Her words were full of sarcasm, implying that the two of them were not on the same level as Mu Zhi.

Zhou Jingzhu frowned slightly as she watched Lü E. There were cameras filming, and Lü E's display of malice towards Mu Zhi seemed a bit over the top.

Everyone is mindful of the cameras, and the trainees try their best to maintain a superficial harmony and avoid conflicts to prevent negative publicity.

Lü E dared to do this because Mu Zhi's performance in the first public performance was poor. When the camera cut to the waiting room, Lü E was caught rolling her eyes.

Lü E's behavior angered Mu Zhi's fans and she was criticized. However, after Mu Zhi's performance in the #ThemeSongAssessment# suffered a second setback, public opinion reversed. Lü E's eye-rolling emoji became a hit, and she was seen as "genuine" and "straightforward" by netizens, thus reaping a wave of benefits.

To some extent, this approach won over netizens who disliked Mu Zhi.

Mu Zhi pondered, "Isn't that a bit unfair?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I came to the practice room at 5 a.m. and practiced for two hours longer than you guys."

The implication is that it's unfair to you.

The live stream had already been taken over by a new batch of viewers, who were sending comments:

"Holy crap, this useless branch is so arrogant?"

"Let's fight! Let's fight!"

"Battle? That vase-like branch is overestimating herself! Lü E, beat her up!"

Some netizens who have been staying since midnight are sending comments supporting Mu Zhi:

"Mu Zhi is on fire! She's already finished the dance! It's hard to say who will win!"

However, it went unnoticed.

The players in the practice room had their phones confiscated and were unaware of what was happening in the live stream.

But since Mu Zhi also wants to compete for the center position, she has even proposed a battle.

Team leader Zhou Jingzhu agreed, and after discussion, they decided that everyone should practice dancing first, and then have a battle after finishing the morning's rehearsal, with a vote within the group.

Dance practice begins.

The dance to the song "Beautiful Skin" is the second most difficult among the four dance groups, with an extremely strong sense of rhythm. If all six people can work together to dance it well, the result will be the most explosive performance on stage.

During dance practice, Zhou Jingzhu and her five teammates were all amazed by Mu Zhi's transformation.

At first, when they heard Mu Zhi claim that she had been practicing for two hours, they didn't pay any attention.

In the past, Mu Zhihua had spent a considerable amount of time practicing the theme song.

But he danced terribly, constantly forgetting the moves.

How much progress can a person make in a short period of time?

Now, except for a few difficult moves that weren't quite executed perfectly, she's mastered most of the moves! Compared to her previous performance of the theme song, it's a complete transformation!

Everyone was secretly shocked by Mu Zhi's transformation.

The atmosphere in the practice room became tense.

Lü E stopped arguing and focused on practicing, making the most of every second...

Four hours later, the battle for the center position within the group began.

The six people sat on the floor. Mu Zhi, Zhou Jingzhu, and Lü E played rock-paper-scissors, and Lü E went first.

Lü E was a little nervous. She missed three beats during the dance and made a mistake in one part of the movement. Her overall completion rate was 70%!

The second person to go on stage was Zhou Jingzhu.

In the first episode, Zhou Jingzhu revealed that she had been thinking about participating in a girl group audition for the past two years. Her family didn't allow it, but they didn't take away her hobbies. They hired a well-known dance teacher in the industry to teach her one-on-one, and she studied girl group dance for more than two years.

Zhou Jingzhu is a very strong dancer; she danced with almost no mistakes and had a powerful presence, exuding a queen-like aura.

Finally, it was Mu Zhi's turn to perform.

Lu E's gaze was fixed on Mu Zhi without wavering for a second, her palms sweating profusely; she had already lost to Zhou Jingzhu, and did not want to lose to Mu Zhi as well.

As the music started, Mu Zhi, who had her back to the camera, turned around...

After the dance, everyone present, including the staff, had an incredulous expression and burst into enthusiastic applause.

Lü E's face turned deathly pale.

If the surprise Mu Zhi brought them during practice was that they were able to perform the dance flawlessly without missing a single move, Mu Zhi's performance just now told them that the surprises were far more than that.

Dance is more than just memorizing all the moves; it's about the charisma that dancers exude while they dance.

Mu Zhi's dance moves were precise, and although she didn't perform the high-difficulty moves perfectly, her strengths outweighed her weaknesses. In particular, Mu Zhi's aura while dancing was in no way inferior to Zhou Jingzhu's. Her face radiated a confident and charming light, both gentle and resolute, making it impossible for anyone to take their eyes off her.

He hummed the song throughout, and had even memorized the lyrics.

Another advantage that sets Mu Zhi apart from Zhou Jingzhu and Lü E is her beautiful face and great figure, which is impossible to hide even in a T-shirt and sweatpants, making her dance very eye-catching.

Wow! That's awesome!

The half-open door was pushed open, and Yu Nannan, with her long ponytail tied high, wearing a light purple cropped top that revealed a section of her tanned waist and a hot figure, walked in.

"Hello, Professor Yu!"

Yu Nannan, one of the four mentors, won the championship in a dance variety show last year. She quickly gained popularity with her outstanding dance skills and charming personality. This time, she serves as a dance mentor in the program "Chasing the Light Girl".

Mu Zhi was a beat behind and called out "Instructor Yu" along with the others.

As soon as she finished speaking, a sweet fragrance wafted over, and Yu Nannan embraced her tightly.

Yu Nannan excitedly hugged Mu Zhi, then let go, saying with a mix of excitement and relief, "Mu Zhi, it's amazing that you were able to adjust your mindset! The competition isn't just about skill, it's also about mentality!"

"Yes, thank you, Professor Yu."

The fact that the useless branches suddenly stood upright is bound to arouse suspicion.

Yu Nannan's words just now attributed Mu Zhi's previous poor performance to excessive pressure, which led to her underperformance.

It was somewhat of an accident that he helped Mu Zhi "smooth things over".

Yu Nannan had a good impression of Mu Zhi. The girl's features were so beautiful, but unfortunately she was too inexperienced. She was only 21 years old and it was obvious that she didn't have much stage experience and was prone to losing her composure. As a mentor, Yu Nannan was very anxious watching her.

So the first practice room we went to was Zhou Jingzhu's group.

Unexpectedly, Mu Zhi gave her a big surprise. It was as if she had grown up overnight, shedding the immaturity and naivety between her brows, and becoming more refined. Her face and eyes shone with confidence.

"Were you guys just having a battle?"

Mu Zhi and the others nodded.

Yu Nannan actually watched the whole thing from outside the door.

"Very good. This is a stage for cooperation, but also a stage for competition. I hope you will treat every stage as if it were your last and give it your best!"

Without interfering with the contestants' voting, he gave brief comments on the problems with the dances performed by Lü E, Zhou Jingzhu, and Mu Zhi, and personally demonstrated the correct techniques.

"It's only the first day, you still have 4 days."

Keep up the good work!

After Yu Nannan left.

The results of the battle between Mu Zhi and the other two have now moved on to the voting stage.

Of the other three trainees, two voted for Mu Zhi and one voted for Zhou Jingzhu.

Despite being eliminated, Lü E cast her vote for Zhou Jingzhu out of resentment.

Two votes to two, and two parties involved.

Zhou Jingzhu happily declared, "I'll vote for Mu Zhi!"

Mu Zhi's face will be the biggest weapon in this dance; she looks so good standing in the center position.

As long as Mu Zhi stays calm, their team has a high chance of winning.

Mu Zhi's reputation may also be turned around as a result.

However, Zhou Jingzhu was confident in herself. Even if Mu Zhi took a debut spot, it wouldn't affect her debut in the group.

If they fail, then it's easy to imagine that Mu Zhi's debut spot will be gone.

She was eager to see what kind of ending Mu Zhi would write.

"I'm casting my vote for myself."

"Thank you, I will definitely live up to everyone's expectations."

Mu Zhi took the center position without hesitation!

After voting ended, it was lunchtime, and everyone went to the cafeteria for lunch.

Lu E deliberately slowed her pace, avoiding the cameras at the corner of the corridor, making no attempt to hide her malice towards Mu Zhi, and whispered:

"Don't get cocky, the teams for the dance group's PK are still undecided."

"You'd better pray you don't run into Xia Xinyan's team."

Mu Zhi felt that Lü E was probably given the script of a villainous supporting character.

Why is she so malicious towards me? But she's not the female lead, could it be that she's jealous of my beauty?

She retorted, "Don't forget, we're on the same team. Are you scared?"

Lu E choked. Xia Xinyan was the most popular, so it was normal for her to be wary! But what was she so arrogant about someone who couldn't even dance the theme song? She was waiting to see how this pretty face would embarrass herself on stage!