After Dissing The Aloof Omega In A Talent Show - Chapter 14

“Huh?”

Everyone’s skepticism erupted in unison.

Ming Tang’s surprisingly resonant voice rang out, sounding incredibly prominent among the trainees who were desperately wishing they could escape.

Seeing Ming Tang’s look of supreme sacrifice once again, Qi Deng whispered from behind her, “Ming Tang, you haven’t actually lost your mind, have you?”

Ming Tang turned her head, casting a sorrowful yet resolute glance at Qi Deng. “A little bit, maybe.”

“I knew it! You must be feeling unwell somewhere. You might as well get the exam over with so you can rest early.”

Qi Deng’s concern was genuinely sincere. Ming Tang’s gaze grew even more determined as she nodded repeatedly.

“Go for it, Ming Tang!”

Qiao Xiangshu, on the other hand, was all smiles. She didn’t harbor a shred of worry for Ming Tang; she was just completely fueled by the thrill of watching the drama unfold.

With Ming Tang, an F-Class trainee, leading the charge, the first group of trainees for the assessment was quickly assembled.

Standing to the left of Chi Ling, Ming Tang cast her eyes down and secretly breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at her right hand.

“Good luck, Ming Tang,” Chi Ling said, tilting her head slightly toward Ming Tang and speaking in a low voice.

The moment Ming Tang thought about what the system had strictly ordered her to do, she found herself lacking any real confidence when facing Chi Ling’s “good luck” once again. She could only reply in a low tone, “Yeah, good luck.”

“Will all trainees please begin the assessment after hearing the prompt tone ‘Beep’.”

As soon as the host’s voice rang out, the five trainees standing in a row immediately braced themselves. The entire practice room fell so quiet that only the faint sound of deep, sharp inhalations could be heard.

Ming Tang gently closed her eyes, steadying her breath.

Beep!

“It’s fate, It’s fate!” “My heart is thumping and echoing!”

Their voices rang out in perfect unison, clear and passionate, a wave of invisible sound that instantly shattered all the tension and unease lingering in the quiet practice room.

The five of them sharply threw out their hand gestures at the same time, slicing through the air with a brief, crisp whoosh.

As Ming Tang sang the lyrics of the theme song, her deeply ingrained muscle memory from endless practice took over. Her feet glided backward while she extended her right arm straight out, tracing a full, sweeping arc behind her.

As her center of gravity shifted through the side glide, her thrown-out right hand dropped precisely back to its lowest point.

Ming Tang continued to look confidently and directly into the camera. The exact moment she snapped her wrist and forcefully extended her five fingers, the water droplets left on her right hand from before the stage flew outward due to inertia.

The tiny water droplets shimmered for a split second under the stage lights, splashing onto the hem of Chi Ling’s pants and the surface of her shoes before vanishing.

The amount of water was so imperceptible that it didn’t affect Chi Ling in the slightest.

“The stage is lit, the dream is burning hot!” “This is the only direction I want to go!”

The power behind her movements suddenly intensified. Spinning, stepping back, pulling her leg up—every single beat was executed with flawless precision.

The reverse wave, which heavily tests hip and core power, was delivered silky smooth thanks to Ming Tang’s relentless practice over the past three days.

“Our future takes flight from here!” “It’s our fate!”

The instant she reached upward in a lifting motion, Ming Tang braced her entire body rigid.

With her hair damp and plastered to her forehead, Ming Tang panted heavily, her chest heaving violently.

Sweat trickled down her brow bone, hanging from the tips of her eyelashes. Ming Tang blinked instinctively, accidentally feeding that drop of sweat right into her eye, which immediately brought on a blurry, stinging heat.

As the ending pose finished, the five of them bowed deeply together.

Ming Tang raised her hand and curled her fingers, wanting to wipe away the sweat that had run into her eye, when she suddenly heard a loud buzzing resonance inside her mind.

[Host’s passive mission execution detected. Triggering primary punishment.]

Hearing this, Ming Tang’s heart instantly turned cold. Immediately following the prompt, a weak but distinctly palpable current of electricity shot from the top of her head down her neural pathways, striking straight through to her limbs.

“Sss..”

In an instant, Ming Tang’s entire body went completely limp. The residual numbness caused her form to sway uncontrollably, and losing her footing entirely, she began to pitch forward.

“Ming Tang!”

Chi Ling, who was just about to exit the stage beside her, suddenly bolted forward. She grabbed Ming Tang by the arm, but her slender frame was dragged into a stumble by Ming Tang’s momentum.

Qiao Xiangshu, Qi Deng, and Jian Jiahe also swarmed forward, reaching out their hands to support her. It took Ming Tang two steps forward before she finally stabilized her posture.

Seeing several people scrambling to hold her up, Ming Tang waved her hands repeatedly, “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

Completely ignoring Ming Tang’s “forced smile,” the group haphazardly grabbed her arms anyway, half-carrying and half-guiding her toward the steps on the side that were specifically reserved for resting.

Ming Tang couldn’t even tell whose hand accidentally tickled her sensitive spot, causing her to flinch away in a sudden shrink. Seeing this, everyone only gripped her arms even tighter.

“Hey, I really am fine.”

Outnumbered and overwhelmed, Ming Tang was pushed down to a seated position without being given any say in the matter.

“You almost collapsed right in front of me,” Chi Ling said, her brow furrowing tightly as she looked at her.

Ming Tang could even detect a hint of self-reproach and resentment in her tone.

“I really, truly don’t have anything wrong with me,” Ming Tang genuinely raised both hands in surrender. “Just now, it was just…”

Before Ming Tang could even come up with a proper excuse, she was intensely stared down and cross-examined by the huddle of people.

“Just what?”

“Your state was already off when you were back in the dressing room,” Qi Deng added fuel to the already blazing fire. “I said it before we went on stage, you must be feeling sick somewhere. But how did it get this severe?”

“I don’t…”

Qiao Xiangshu delivered her conclusion with absolute certainty. “No wonder you demanded to be in the first group for the assessment. Were you afraid you wouldn’t be able to hold out if it was any later?”

“I didn’t…”

“And you’re still denying it.”

Standing directly in front of her, Chi Ling seemed somewhat angry. Her thin lips were pressed into a tight line, and the eyes looking at her were covered in a thin, watery mist.

This was the very first time Ming Tang had seen Chi Ling looking as though she were about to cry outside of that specific situation.

Forget it, the more I try to paint over it, the darker it gets.

Ming Tang: …It’s all the fault of that damn system, leaving me suffering in silence with no way to explain!

“I think I just have a bit of low blood sugar,” Ming Tang finally managed to find a suitable excuse amidst the chaos, offering a futile explanation. “I’ve already recovered now, really.”

“Second group, Xu Xu.”

The host paid no attention to the commotion over there, callously continuing to read the program and calling up the next trainee scheduled for the assessment.

Seeing that everyone still wore expressions of disbelief, Ming Tang reached out and pushed away someone’s arm.

“It’s already the second group. You guys hurry back and get ready. I have Chi Ling here with me, so don’t worry.”

As Ming Tang spoke, she swiftly pulled her hand back, turned around, and boldly grabbed Chi Ling’s wrist. She flashed a toothy grin at Chi Ling, blinking her eyes furiously.

Seeing this, Chi Ling let out a low “Mm” and said, “Go ahead and prepare for your assessment. I’ll take care of Ming Tang here.”

Having received Chi Ling’s reassurance, the group walked back to the waiting crowd, turning their heads back to look with every step they took. The sight left Ming Tang genuinely caught between tears and laughter.

“You never mentioned having low blood sugar before.”

Chi Ling allowed Ming Tang to keep holding her wrist, sitting down right beside her.

Feeling her hand being gently pulled, Ming Tang only then realized that in order to put on a show just now, she had actively grabbed Chi Ling’s hand in front of all her friends and hadn’t let go since.

“Well, today is the assessment after all…” Ming Tang said awkwardly, attempting to pull her hand back as if nothing had happened. “I didn’t have an appetite this morning, so I came straight to the practice room. It’s probably because I was singing and dancing at the same time, so I just couldn’t hold up once the assessment ended…”

This part was actually the truth.

Ming Tang had woken up very early. Before the alarm clock could even start its shift, she was already staring at the ceiling of the dorm completely devoid of sleep.

Anxious emotions had permeated her mindset from the moment she opened her eyes, and the system’s sudden task deployment had dealt her a heavy blow.

Not only did she have to ensure that her own performance of the theme song went off without a hitch, but she also had to juggle completing the task. Ming Tang had practically split herself in two to manage.

Except, she hadn’t even managed to complete the system task anyway.

Unsure of how her theme song performance had actually turned out, Ming Tang couldn’t help but let out another heavy sigh.

“Even so, you can’t just skip meals…” Chi Ling caught Ming Tang’s hand in reverse, pressing her lips together. “Come with me.”