Chapter 21 Chapter 21

In a small shop near the school, the heating was on high, and a few rays of afternoon sunlight shone through the window. Lia sat at a small round table, a cup of grapefruit tea in front of her. She opened her bag and pulled out a box of exquisitely wrapped chocolates.

"This is for you, Happy New Year." "Wow—you brought this back from Los Angeles? It's so cute! I love you so much!" Xia Qing excitedly opened the gift.

While she kept saying: "How long did you stay in the US this time? Three weeks? I missed you so much!" "Yeah, about the same." "It's such a pity that you didn't make it to the concert! You don't know,

"The scene was truly amazing! It's a shame I didn't take many pictures, and after I got back it was like I had lost my memory. "Wow..." she said, pulling out her phone and showing Lia some pictures from the scene.

"You obviously took quite a few photos," Lia said, taking the phone. "You posted quite a few on MSN before. I've almost finished reading all your photos as if they were a complete record of the scene."

"No way! I should have secretly brought my brother's DSLR camera in to record the scene! The staff on site didn't even bother!" Xia Qing looked deeply regretful. "Oh, right!" She slapped her head suddenly, "Speaking of DSLR cameras,

I borrowed it seriously this time, just waiting to take a high-definition live video of your performance tonight! I've already planned everything in advance!" She said, pointing to the bag beside her as if to ask for credit.

The bag was bulging with the camera she had borrowed. Lia was amused by her: "Then I'll definitely be looking forward to it." "Leave it to me!" Xia Qing promised solemnly.

The performance will go ahead well before the end of the semester.

However, due to repeated delays in the maintenance of the school gymnasium equipment, the New Year's Gala was postponed to the weekend at the beginning of winter vacation. So in recent days, Lia had to frequently travel back and forth between school and dormitory to participate in the final rehearsal.

Her phone on the table vibrated, and she picked it up. A message popped up in the [YG's Slave Producer] group chat: K-Flow: Certified photo! [@NeonL]

K-Flow: I declare that the gift Lia gave me is the best!!! (love shot biu biu biu.jpg) The attached photo is a funny selfie of him wearing those printed socks and making a V sign with his feet.

Soon, another message popped up. JiYo: You're a good match, hyung (like.jpg) BigT: I like mine better. K-Flow: [@JiYo] Why does it sound like you're scolding me?

JiYo: (like.jpg) X2 Lia clicked on the picture and couldn't help but chuckle. Xia Qing leaned in curiously: "Who are you?" "The brothers from the recording studio. I brought them gifts too."

"Is our GD-sama also here?!" Xia Qing was immediately excited when she heard this. "Yes, he is. I bought a recorder. I think it can be used when he writes songs while he's busy with announcements."

"Ah, such damn talent... If it were me, all the MAMA awards should be given to our brother..." Xia Qing held her face in her hands, intoxicated, "I'm already looking forward to the next album."

Lia smiled and nodded: "I'm looking forward to it too." After Xia Qing finished sighing, he glanced at the time: "Isn't it time for us to leave? You have to go backstage to prepare in advance." "Yeah." Lia responded and put down the grapefruit tea in her hand.

...In the school gymnasium, a loudspeaker blared, guiding the audience to their seats. Backstage, the performers changed into their costumes, some gathered in front of the mirror to touch up their makeup, while others quietly rehearsed with water bottles in hand. The atmosphere was both noisy and tense.

The female students helping with makeup were moving back and forth among the crowd, giving the girls who were performing final touches. Lia stood on the side stage, gently flexing her wrists.

She changed into the uniform silver sequined suspenders and short skirt, her hair temporarily curled into small waves with a curling iron, and her eyeliner slightly raised, looking both retro and fashionable. Their performance was the second to last. "I'm not nervous, not nervous..."

The girl next to her whispered encouragement to herself. Lia gave her a reassuring smile: "We've been practicing for so long, there won't be any problems." "Yeah!" The girl nodded vigorously. Soon, the host's announcement sounded in her ears -

“…Now, let’s give a round of applause to Class 3 of Grade 1 for their dance performance – Wonder Girls’ “Tell Me.” The lights dimmed, Lia took a deep breath, and followed the others onto the stage.

The music started, and the retro electronic synth sound danced with the beat. The lights shone on the center of the stage, and the silver sequins on the clothes danced with tiny sparkles in the light. "... I was afraid that you would not like me.

You don't know how anxious I am when I'm alone But you actually like me Oh my god, please say it again Tell me tell me Tell tell tell tell me

Lia opened her eyes, her expression lively and playful, as she danced to the rhythm. Her movements were clean and beautiful, with a clear rhythm and no unnecessary movement.

The stage wasn't spacious, and the lighting wasn't professional, but she seemed to have her own spotlight, attracting extra attention in that small space. ... In the corner of the auditorium, Yu Chenghao sat quietly. The audience's excited screams were all around him.

“Lia is the best!!!” “‘Tell Me’ is the best!!!!” “Ahhh!!!! I’m dying...”

He hadn't originally planned to come, and even the idea of ​​the performance had only been mentioned by a classmate in the hallway. "Lia will be dancing on stage, and YG trainees will be performing JYP songs. I'm really looking forward to it..."

For some unknown reason, he still walked into the stadium on the day of the performance and sat in the corner of the audience. When she came out, his eyes subconsciously paused.

The lighting was dim, the stage setting was simple, and it was far inferior to any ceremony he had ever attended. But he spotted her in the crowd at a glance.

It's not like he hasn't seen beautiful girls before. The longer he's been in this industry, the more immune he becomes to the concept of "beauty." But there's a strange sense of contradiction about her.

Although performing a cute dance, she exudes an aura of effortless control over the rhythm. The playfulness of the song and her calm temperament create a strong contrast, ultimately creating a wonderful tension.

She stood in the light, yet she reminded people of deep water. ... The performance ended and there was chaos backstage.

Xia Qing was the first to rush over, her face flushed with excitement. She was holding the borrowed SLR camera, the lens cap still uncapped.

"This is completely crazy!!!" She shouted while pulling Lia in circles, "Did you just look at my camera!!!"

Lia hadn't caught her breath yet, her hair dangling in front of her eyes, and a slight sweat on her forehead. She smiled and reached out to help Xia Qing cover the lens. "How can it be so exaggerated? Be careful not to damage the camera."

"Yes, yes, yes! I recorded the whole thing and will upload it to the school forum later!" she said as she frantically pulled out a data cable. "Let me tell you, my angle is amazing! Your face and movements are super clear!"

Lia stuck out her tongue. "Then I'm looking forward to the masterpiece!" "No problem, leave it to me!" Xia Qing patted her chest vigorously and assured her. ... The video was quickly uploaded to the school forum.

Xia Qing gave it a pompous title: "Hidden Ace's Explosive Stage Makeover! Class 3, Grade 1, Tell Me Live Version!"

It is actually unfair to say that it was a performance by Class 3 of Grade 1. The camera in the video was almost entirely focused on Lia.

Although the shooting angle was occasionally shaky, her facial expression management and movement tension were recorded surprisingly clearly - there were even a few shots that accurately captured the moment of her interaction with the camera.

Her performance was as mature as a debut idol, yet with a hint of youthful aura. Within ten minutes, the post had racked up over a hundred comments. "Who's that girl with the long curly hair in the middle???" "The school beauty upstairs."

“I heard she’s a YG trainee…” “Her facial expressions are completely idol-level…” “Holy crap! She looked at me!!!” “Did the company take this photo for her? She looks so pretty!!”

“Hands are shaking like this, this couldn’t have been filmed by the company…” The video was quickly forwarded to an external forum – Bestiz’s anonymous post, where posts about YG’s new trainees popped up one after another.

Someone posted a screenshot of "Ten Thousand Yuan of Happiness" in the comments section, and Lia's name came up again. * Baoheng saw the forwarded post in the company group.

In the YG Entertainment conference room, the planning team convened a small impromptu meeting. "So, is there something wrong with Lia?" the planning team leader asked.

"Didn't she just come back a few days ago? Baoheng said she's still a little hesitant and might not participate in the whole process," one person answered, looking at Baoheng. "She wants to quit? Now?" Another person frowned.

"...She hasn't confirmed it yet, she just expressed her thoughts." Bao Heng, sitting in the corner, corrected him in a deep voice. There was a moment of silence, and then someone suddenly tapped on the keyboard: "However, the video of her dancing at school is quite popular on the forum right now." "Which forum?"

"It seems to have been posted from a campus account, but it has been forwarded to Bestiz - someone recognized her from a variety show with Zhilong before, so there is a lot of discussion about it now." As he said this, he forwarded the post link to the group.

Everyone in the conference room quickly browsed the comments. Some people read as they read: "'She can dance better than expected', 'Her face is also perfect', 'As expected of YG'..." "Although it's not a big hit, it's hot enough." He made a quick judgment.

The head of the planning team skipped through the video and thought for a moment: "There's no need to change the MV, and let her record the show. She is now at the point of popularity, so don't waste it." "Isn't she still hesitating?" Bao Heng glanced at him.

"Go talk to her. You can withdraw if you want, but you have to participate in the early stages." He quickly concluded, his tone calm and decisive. "You can withdraw midway, too. We can then hype up the withdrawal again."

"By the way," he paused again, "notify the director team in advance. If she withdraws, we must prepare a cut version of her material in advance." Bao Heng did not agree immediately. He just closed the notebook and frowned slightly.

She knew that this was the most "reasonable" solution from a data and program perspective. However, as the person in charge of the trainees, she also understood what this arrangement meant to a young trainee who hadn't yet debuted.

If she quit midway—even if the arrangements were respectable, public opinion would never be lenient. "Any more questions?" The team leader looked up, noticing her hesitation, and lowered his voice.

"...Isn't this...not so good for the trainee himself?" Bao Heng couldn't help but ask.

The team leader glanced at her and said, "The company has invested so much in her, and the contract hasn't ended yet. We can only ask her to cooperate." There was no blame in his words, as if he had just made a very reasonable decision.

"That's it, let's adjourn the meeting." He closed the minutes, clapped his hands, and stood up to leave. Bao Heng sat for a while, not moving, only sighing softly.

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