After Dissing The Aloof Omega In A Talent Show - Chapter 3

Chi Ling’s voice was even louder than before, ringing out with powerful conviction.

Even Ming Tang felt her blood begin to boil. It was rare for her to empathize with Qi Zhen’s usual pre-exam anxiety and indignation.

“Isn’t Chi Ling being a bit too disrespectful to the mentor?”

“Exactly. Teacher Yu was being so generous, considering their past friendship and trying to shake her hand, but she just snapped at her…”

“I bet she’s just waiting for a chance like this to trend and make a comeback.”

The hushed whispers from the trainees in the front row reached Ming Tang’s ears. Her brow furrowed slightly.

When Chi Ling had left the group due to the scandal back then, the top-tier girl group had announced its disbandment immediately. To say it hadn’t affected the other members would be a lie. As the leader, Yu Wenqing’s career had taken a massive hit.

“Luckily, Teacher Yu wasn’t dragged down by her. She made it on her own and became a successful solo idol through sheer talent.”

“Right? That’s Yu Wenqing we’re talking about! How does she dare treat my goddess like that?”

Listening to this, Ming Tang felt as if two ropes were pulling her heart in opposite directions. Though she usually preferred “slacking off,” she truly admired Yu Wenqing as a senior at their company. After Aetheria disbanded, Huayin Entertainment’s reputation suffered, entering a long period of depression. It was Yu Wenqing who led the company out of that slump and created a new miracle.

However, even though she had been brainwashed by her environment to believe Chi Ling was a person of poor character, the moment she saw Chi Ling with her own eyes, she felt: Maybe the company’s version is wrong. Maybe the public perception is wrong.

Chi Ling didn’t seem that detestable.

Before Ming Tang could finish her thought, Qiao Xiangshu swung her hand and delivered a sharp slap to Ming Tang’s thigh.

“I actually think it’s just like Chi Ling! She’s completely fearless even in front of a mentor!”

The sudden pain made Ming Tang gasp, nearly jumping out of her seat.

“Let me tell you, there must be a hidden story behind why Senior Chi Ling left the group. She’s so cool, I’m going to die from loving her. ” Qiao Xiangshu even started using honorifics.

The trainees in the front row stiffened and turned around with expressions of pure disbelief.

Looking at the even more enthusiastic Qiao Xiangshu, Ming Tang felt a bit melancholy. What should I do if my friend falls for the target assigned to me by the Love System? This stupid system should have bound itself to the love-brained Qiao Xiangshu instead. Oh wait, Qiao Xiangshu would probably be even less likely to “attack” her.

“I know you’re excited, but don’t you have your own legs?” Ming Tang grumbled, rubbing her stinging thigh.

Qiao Xiangshu seemed to realize what she’d done and gave an embarrassed grin.

On stage, the host looked at the awkward situation and let out a couple of dry laughs. They truly hadn’t expected Chi Ling to disregard the occasion so completely, giving Yu Wenqing zero face.

“But Senior Yu is a mentor. If Senior Chi Ling is this arrogant, won’t Senior Yu give her a hard time?”

Ming Tang instinctively denied it: “Senior Yu isn’t that kind of person.”

Qiao Xiangshu thought for a moment. “True, Senior Yu is so generous and gentle.”

“Yeah,” Ming Tang agreed. “She’s successful and established, there’s no need for her to make things difficult for Chi Ling.”

“This is a nudge for us mentors to hurry up,” Yu Wenqing said with a gentle smile, pulling her hand back without a hint of resentment, seemingly unbothered by the little interlude. “In that case, let’s start the initial stage evaluations with the challenger.”

The four mentors took their seats.

Ming Tang looked down at the stage from her elevated position, her heart pounding in the sudden silence. She found herself looking forward to Chi Ling’s performance.

There were no excessive spotlights or fog machines. Chi Ling stood tall and straight, like a solitary pine tree in winter. She didn’t smile, her face remained cold as ever, her chin slightly tilted, her clear, icy gaze sweeping over the audience with a persistent sense of detachment.

Ming Tang had originally thought that because of Chi Ling’s “lop-eared rabbit” styling today, her performance might break her usual icy persona and go for a cute style. Instead, she stayed firmly in her comfort zone of the “Ice Queen” aesthetic.

Ming Tang suddenly snapped out of her thoughts with a stroke of genius. Great! I have something to criticize now! I’ll say her styling and stage style don’t match!

Her gaze was practically pinned to Chi Ling. The butterfly wings of the tube top rested right on her delicate collarbones, looking as if they were about to take flight. The hem of her skirt followed her movements, carving sharp, swift arcs through the air.

“Ming Tang, can you dial it back a bit?”

“Huh?”

“Your eyes are practically popping out of your head.”

Ming Tang: … This is pure slander!

Chi Ling’s voice sounded just like her name, clear and pleasant, like the ringing of a string. Even with intense choreography, her voice remained steady, unaffected by the physical exertion.

In an instant, Ming Tang understood why Chi Ling was still cherished like a precious pearl by so many despite her ruined reputation. The online comments about her were usually split, people either loved her to the bone or hated her to the core. Ming Tang used to find these reviews cringey and dramatic, but now, they seemed to be the simple truth.

Huayin was the party that hated her to the core. It just so happened that two “rebellious sprouts” like Ming Tang and Qiao Xiangshu had grown from within.

Chi Ling ended her initial stage with a graceful front flip. As her wrists turned and her fingertips extended, one could see a sense of divine mercy in her posture. With her toned arms looking light as butterfly wings, she rested them on her hips and bowed.

“Is this the ‘dimensional strike’ of a true top-tier idol?” Qiao Xiangshu clutched her heart, looking intoxicated.

“Can you dial it back a bit?” Ming Tang retorted. How dare you talk about me? The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she got. To get even, she slapped Qiao Xiangshu’s thigh back.

Qiao Xiangshu yelped in pain.

Perhaps the commotion was too loud, because even Chi Ling, who had just finished her thank you bow in the center of the stage, looked up.

Ming Tang, who had been deliberately avoiding eye contact, was suddenly caught in Chi Ling’s gaze. Chi Ling’s naturally pale face was now flushed with a faint pink from the exertion of the dance. Even from that distance, Ming Tang could see Chi Ling’s thin eyebrows knit together.

Ming Tang felt a chill of guilt. She coughed into her fist and shifted her gaze away. Did she and Qiao Xiangshu make too much noise and ruin Chi Ling’s mood? She decided that during the “interview” later, she would add a comment about Chi Ling’s stage expression being too sour.

“Alright, trainee Chi Ling, please take a short rest offstage,” the host signaled. “The mentors will now score the performance.”

“After trainee Qi Zhen’s performance, the mentors will combine the scores of both trainees to give the most accurate assessment and decide who will temporarily take the center position for this round.”

Ming Tang avoided Chi Ling’s eyes but chewed on the host’s words. “Temporarily take” meant that the winner of this battle might not be the final winner of the entire evaluation. The position they were fighting for now could be taken by someone else at any time.

It wasn’t until Qi Zhen’s background music started that Ming Tang looked up.

“What are you hiding from?” Qiao Xiangshu, who had been watching the drama, caught Ming Tang’s change in behavior and teased, “Why are you afraid to look at Senior Chi Ling?”

Her secret poked, Ming Tang’s eyes darted around, afraid to even look at Qiao Xiangshu. Who would dare look at someone they’re about to nitpick for no reason?

“Could it be that as an Alpha, you’ve fallen for Senior Chi Ling?” Qiao Xiangshu giggled, speaking without a filter.

Ming Tang wished she could sew Qiao Xiangshu’s mouth shut. “Don’t go making up fake scandals for me!” This is pure fear-mongering!

“Aha, you’re getting defensive!”

Ming Tang felt a massive headache coming on. The system was forcing her to find non-existent faults with Chi Ling, which already made her uneasy the moment she saw the woman. On top of that, her friend, who knew nothing, was stirring the pot just for the fun of it.

Ming Tang pressed her hand to her forehead and whispered without moving her lips: “The cameras are rolling. Can you watch your mouth? Aren’t you afraid the show will edit this into something controversial?”

“So what? Controversy brings heat.” Qiao Xiangshu blinked innocently. “With heat, more people will notice me. When they notice me, they’ll be won over by my charisma, and maybe I’ll stumble my way into a debut spot.”

Ming Tang: …

Ming Tang decided there was no point in trying to keep her lip movements secret with Qiao Xiangshu anymore; she’d just let the eagle-eyed viewers interpret whatever they wanted. She had learned that fans could “read lips” shortly after returning to the company from the hospital, when she met Qiao Xiangshu, who had also just reported for training. They loved to whisper during practice, and even if the teacher didn’t catch them, the company would post behind the scenes footage. Fans would then analyze their lip movements to figure out exactly what they were gossiping about in the corner.

“Don’t knock it,” Qiao Xiangshu pouted. “My path to debut is filled with powerful rivals. Using a ‘sideways’ strategy is the only way to get results.”

Ming Tang could only nod solemnly.

When she turned her gaze back to the stage, she saw Qi Zhen’s final ending pose. With just one look, Ming Tang was certain that Qi Zhen’s score would not beat Chi Ling’s. Qi Zhen had practiced this stage many times at the company, so much so that Ming Tang had practically memorized it. She had a clear sense of whether what she just saw was Qi Zhen’s best possible performance.

“Alright, now please welcome Chi Ling back to the stage.” The host stood in the center, with Qi Zhen on the left, still trying to catch her breath.

Ming Tang remained cautious, only letting out a sigh of relief when she saw that Chi Ling, now back on stage, wasn’t looking directly at her anymore. The faint flush on Chi Ling’s cheeks had faded. She had returned to that snow like, qingleng (clear and cold) image, like a delicate orchid growing by a frozen pond in a deep valley.

“The four mentors have given detailed scores based on the performances of both trainees.”

The host paused for dramatic effect.

“The trainee who has won the Center position this time is…”