Chapter 3 The Show

Chapter Summary: Don't you think she's being fake?

The day passed quickly.

10 PM.

Zhou Jingzhu said she wanted to get her beauty sleep and was the first to return to her dorm.

After practicing until 11 o'clock, Lü E and the others were so tired that they could barely lift their arms, and they were ready to leave.

Aren't you leaving yet?

Despite her displeasure with Mu Zhi, Lü E had no choice but to admit it.

Mu Zhi earned the center position through her own strength. She is the most skilled dancer among the six of them, and she still works so hard? That's amazing.

Mu Zhi raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and smiled, "Since I'm in this position, I have to shoulder this responsibility. I can't let everyone down, can I?"

Lü E scoffed, "Ha, then good luck."

At midnight, Mu Zhi stopped dancing, too exhausted to continue. She bent over, hands on her knees, stared at her reflection in the mirror for a moment, then roused herself...

The next morning, at 7 a.m.

Zhou Jingzhu and the others entered the dance studio, where Mu Zhi was already inside.

"You came at 5 o'clock again?"

Mu Zhi stopped moving, slightly out of breath.

"I'm not a robot, I just arrived 10 minutes earlier than you."

Zhou Jingzhu walked over with a smile: "Why aren't you wearing makeup again?"

"Oh, I look good even without makeup."

Others: "..." Yes, yes, I'm envious.

"Captain, there are a few moves I'm having trouble with. Could you give me some pointers?"

Zhou Jingzhu raised her eyebrows slightly. One reason why Mu Zhi didn't perform well in the theme song assessment was that she was too stubborn. She practiced alone and didn't know how to ask for help from others.

They're really focused on survival right now.

"Your hip swaying motion isn't obvious enough, like this..."

Zhou Jingzhu patted Mu Zhi's waist and stood aside to demonstrate the movement.

Mu Zhi nodded and repeated Zhou Jingzhu's actions.

"Is it correct?"

"You... have a strong learning ability."

You'll understand after watching it once.

Mu Zhi retorted, "It's because you taught me well."

She doesn't have a strong learning ability; she's good at imitating.

After mastering the few difficult moves that had been troubling her, Mu Zhi finally had time to pay attention to the others and noticed that her teammate, Duo Duo, was falling behind.

He took the initiative to stand next to the other person and said, "You did it wrong just now. You should jump like this."

I demonstrated it once, but the other person seemed a bit confused and didn't remember it.

They slowed down the movements and danced it again.

"Oh, thank you?" I didn't expect Mu Zhiren to be so friendly?

"And here, you're missing a movement, here on your shoulder..."

Lü E was almost speechless with shock. Zhao Duoduo was in Class C, while Mu Zhi was in Class F...

One of them dared to teach, and the other dared to learn.

They practiced until evening.

Mentor Yu Nannan was very responsible and came over to check on the trainees' progress, having Mu Zhi and the others dance "Beautiful Skin" together.

As soon as the music ended, Yu Nannan clapped her hands: "Very good, very well done."

Mu Zhi received special praise: "You've made rapid progress. You've remembered everything I said yesterday, and your movements are becoming more and more precise and standardized. Add a little more facial expression to your dance..."

Viewers watching the live stream were stunned:

"Haven't seen you for two days, has Mu Zhi been possessed by a soul?"

"The vase branch has been working really hard these past few days! It's made great progress."

"With her popularity declining, they're not asking her to shoot commercials anymore, so she has more time to practice."

"This is the last chance for the useless branch (referring to a specific individual)."

"I just came from next door. This episode was great! All four dance groups were very strong!"

......

Mu Zhi couldn't see the online discussions about her, but she was very clear about the importance of the second performance to her.

We can only win; we can't afford to lose.

I just don't know how strong the opponent is.

The day before the rehearsal.

Suddenly, the director of the group notified all trainees to assemble in Hall 1.

Upon entering, I found all four mentors were already there.

Besides Yu Nannan, who is in charge of the dance part and whom I've already met, the other three are Xie Chaoyun, a talented music composer and popular singer, and William, who is in charge of rap.

There's also Guan Qi'er, who excels in both singing and dancing and is the ace in a popular overseas girl group.

Once everyone had arrived, Guan Qier took the microphone and explained to the trainees the reason for the sudden gathering.

"The second performance is the day after tomorrow, so let's decide the order of appearance today."

"Next, the eight groups will take turns performing on stage, and our four mentors will score them. The vocal group and the rap group will compete against each other, and one group from each group will be selected as the winner; one group from the four dance groups will be selected."

"The winning dance group will receive a special perk: the group that takes first place..."

At this point, he deliberately kept everyone in suspense.

After a long pause, the suspense was finally revealed:

"They have the right to choose their opponent for the second performance!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Zhi thought the production team was very clever. This PK segment allowed the eight groups to understand the strength of the other groups in advance, which would further stimulate the competition among the trainees and increase the watchability of this episode.

This also caught the trainees completely off guard.

We practiced as a team for three days, but the last-minute call to gather caught everyone unprepared.

The mentors asked if any team would volunteer to be the first to step up.

No one responded.

"Then let's take attendance."

After the four mentors politely declined each other's offer, Xie Chaoyun sent out: "Zhang Mengyu's team".

It's the vocal group.

Mu Zhi looked at the girl with the name #Zhang Mengyu# on her clothes. She debuted as part of a group at the age of 18, but the group disbanded later. She became a familiar face on various variety shows and had 5 million followers on Weibo. She was a "recycled" idol with strong abilities.

She has a very stable stage presence when singing. You can tell from her expressions, positioning, and camera presence that she has a lot of stage experience.

After the performance, he bowed with the other five trainees at a perfect 90-degree angle.

After the vocal group finished their performance, the four mentors voted, and Zhang Mengyu's team won.

Next up was the rap group's PK.

William said in broken Chinese: "Please welcome Liu Caizu, show time!"

"Liu Jingcai!"

"Liu Jingcai x2!"

"Liu Jingcai x3!"

This contestant was very popular, which caught Mu Zhi's attention.

A girl who was about 1.75 meters tall with short, smoky gray hair stood up. Her facial features were distinct and deep, and she had a very heroic appearance. If she were wearing a white shirt and black pants and walking down the street, she would be called a handsome guy.

Liu Cai performed street dance in the first episode, and the mentors asked if she had any other talents to showcase.

Liu Cai revealed that she had practiced martial arts since childhood and was proficient in various weapons, including swords, spears, and staffs. When she was to perform staff techniques, the production team provided her with a mop handle on the spot. She wielded the handle with great skill and flair, which was quite impressive. She became famous overnight and earned the nickname "Liu the Wonderful" due to her versatility.

Despite being a skilled dancer, Liu Cai chose the rap group, leading everyone to believe she was hiding her true talent and eagerly anticipating her performance.

After Liu Cai's group finished their performance, the audience was silent for 20 seconds!

Mu Zhi pretended that her brow was a little itchy and lowered her head to cover her face, trying hard to suppress her laughter.

Liu Cai's rap was quite off-key.

William frowned, and after a long pause, he managed to say, "You need a lot of practice."

Liu Cai nodded obediently and earnestly: "Okay!"

Xie Chaoyun, the strictest mentor among the trainees and usually a man of few words, couldn't help but ask, "Liu Cai, why...why did you choose this rap song?"

Yu Nannan picked up the microphone and asked with a smile, "I'd like to know too."

Liu Cai scratched his head sheepishly, "This is my first time rapping, and I think it's really cool, so I wanted to give it a try."

Everyone: "......"

Truly incredibly capricious!

The outcome of the rap group was not in doubt; Liu Cai's group lost to the other group.

Finally, the highlight of the competition arrived: a fierce battleground between the four dance groups.

Yu Nannan took the lead by sending Xia Xin's research group to set an example.

"Shinken!"

"The Great Demon King is here!"

"Go Xinyan!"

Xia Xinyan's popularity among the contestants is even greater than Liu Cai's.

I finally met the female lead.

Xia Xinyan is destined to debut as the center!

Although Mu Zhi and Xia Xinyan shared the same dormitory, they hadn't met since Mu Zhi's arrival in the world.

These past few days, Mu Zhi practiced until around midnight before returning to her dorm, while Xia Xinyan didn't get back until around 1 a.m., after she had already gone to sleep. Mu Zhi got up at 6 a.m., and when she left, Xia Xinyan was still asleep, so the two missed each other.

In the first episode, Xia Xinyan gave a brief self-introduction, mentioning that she had been a trainee overseas and participated in "Chasing the Light Girl" as an individual trainee.

However, according to what Mu Zhi learned from the novel "The Boss Spends Money to Spoil Her Debut", Xia Xinyan actually trained overseas for a full four years and was very talented! She was like a very humble classmate from school who would say that she did averagely or even badly after each exam, but when the results came out, she got first place.

Xia Xinyan doesn't flaunt her abilities, in order to bring a "surprise" to the audience later.

In fact, Xia Xinyan did just that. She performed very well in the theme song assessment in the previous episode, demonstrating her professional singing and dancing skills and winning first place.

Its popularity soared to number 1!

"Don't you think she's being fake?"

After whispering to Mu Zhi, Zhou Jingzhu sat up straight.

That last sentence seems like an illusion.

The camera was rolling, but Mu Zhi didn't turn to look at Zhou Jingzhu or respond. She watched Xia Xinyan's dance with unwavering focus. The moment the music started, Xia Xinyan's aura instantly transformed, and she danced with remarkable ease and confidence...

Regarding Zhou Jingzhu's words.

Mu Zhi thought to herself: Celebrities in the entertainment industry.

How much of it is real under the lens?

People who dare to be themselves and act willfully and frankly may not care so much about whether they can make it to the end of the show. The more they want to stay until the end, the more they will walk on thin ice, maintaining their persona in order to win more people's love and support.

Xia Xinyan has a pure and innocent look. Her eyes are as clear as a deer's, giving people a harmless feeling. She has a delicate and innocent temperament, and speaks softly, much like Daiyu from the classic novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

On stage, however, he portrays himself as a powerful villain.

The stark contrast is the main reason why Xia Xinyan attracts so many fans.

After watching Xia Xinyan's dance, Mu Zhi sincerely joined the others in applauding.

She danced very well, and her performance was very infectious.

Xia Xinyan is truly captivating on stage!

Several of its high-difficulty special moves are quite impressive.

pity......

Mentor Yu Nannan commented: "Xinyan, your performance is as steady as ever, but you are a team, and the other members need to be as strong as you for your dance to be good!"

Two team members made mistakes of varying degrees, so no matter how brilliant Xia Xinyan's individual performance was, it was not a qualified performance.

Xia Xinyan's eyes glistened, and her face showed a look of self-reproach, but she bit her lip and nodded, "Thank you, Coach Yu." She turned around and hugged her two teammates who were feeling guilty, comforting them, "It's okay, I'll practice with you."

The other trainees shouted encouragement to Xia Xinyan's group, "Go for it!"

"The next group to perform is Zhou Jingzhu's group."

As Guan Qier made her announcement, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became lively.

All the trainees present turned their attention to Mu Zhi.

Mu Zhi calmly stood up, vaguely hearing whispers behind her, mixed with barely concealed excitement.

"This is going to be interesting."