After Dissing The Aloof Omega In A Talent Show - Chapter 8

This was something Ming Tang had never experienced before…

The theme song for Moment of Destiny had a bright, infectious melody. However, after listening to it for the first time, Ming Tang began to feel melancholy. To her, the pitch seemed a bit too high.

“Alright, you’ve familiarized yourselves with the theme song twice now,” Xia Yindong said, rising from the speakers and walking among the trainees sitting in two rows on the floor. “Now, I need to understand your vocal conditions first, including your timbre and range.”

Xia Yindong scanned the room, her smiling eyes eventually settling on Ming Tang.

“Ming Tang.” Xia Yindong enunciated her name clearly. “I have a rather deep impression of you, so let’s start with you.”

Ming Tang stood up as instructed. She didn’t feel embarrassed by Xia Yindong’s comment about her being “memorable.” Most people present likely had a deep impression of her, after all, she was the only person in the room who had plummeted from a debut spot straight down to Class F.

Following Xia Yindong’s instructions, Ming Tang sang a few vocal runs. To her surprise, her breath was incredibly long, but as the pitch climbed higher and higher, her expression became strained. A second before Ming Tang’s voice was about to crack, Xia Yindong closed her open hand into a fist, signaling her to stop.

Ming Tang felt as if the high notes had nearly pierced through the top of her skull.

“Your intonation and range are decent,” Xia Yindong remarked briefly before calling on the next person.

But Ming Tang knew that the last high note had required every ounce of her strength. If she had to perform the theme song with full choreography, it would be impossible for her to maintain peak condition. And she only had three days to practice.

In three days, they would be filming the theme song’s music video (MV). Every trainee had to record their own performance video as a reference for the mentor team’s evaluation. The results would not only involve the upcoming re-grading and re-shuffling of classes but would also directly determine their positions in the theme song MV. Those would also be their positions for the first public performance.

Ming Tang pursed her lips, feeling that her journey as a trainee was long and difficult.

After Xia Yindong finished listening to everyone’s vocal state and led them through several warm-up exercises, the vocal teaching for the theme song began. Ming Tang’s attitude was far more serious than it had ever been at Huayin. Immersed in Xia Yindong’s teaching, she didn’t even feel fatigued.

Her timbre was entirely different from Chi Ling’s bright clarity, hers was a warmer, more solid tone that felt comfortable and lingering. Within Class F, she became a relatively prominent and distinct presence.

“Ming Tang’s state is good, very relaxed.” Xia Yindong looked at her with appreciation and gestured for her to come forward.

This was a treatment Ming Tang had never enjoyed before. Being pulled to the front by a mentor to demonstrate made her more nervous than facing a massive crowd during the initial stage. Even Ming Tang found it strange, could it be the atmosphere and the goal that were causing her vocal skills to improve so rapidly?

Ming Tang generously followed Xia Yindong’s piano accompaniment for a sight-singing exercise. Qi Deng was the first to clap, followed by a wave of applause from the others. This made Ming Tang feel bashful, yet she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from curling upward.

Returning to the group, Ming Tang still felt happy. The feeling of being recognized was truly different from being in a constantly disparaging environment.

“Teacher Xia! Our performance should be pretty good, right?” During a break, Jian Jiahe asked loudly with a smile.

Xia Yindong took a sip of water and nodded. “It’s quite good, actually. It exceeded my expectations.”

“Then Teacher Xia, don’t keep us in the dark. Quickly tell us what the new regulation is!” Someone immediately followed up, chasing the lead.

“In such a hurry?” Xia Yindong smiled, set her water bottle on a nearby table, and stood up to face the hopeful faces.

“I won’t forget what I promised you.” Xia Yindong drew out her words, building suspense. “A trainee from Class A proposed to the production team that Class A trainees should serve as teaching assistants for Class F. This is to ensure that when all the mentors are teaching other classes or are busy, Class F trainees won’t be left without help.”

“Huh?” The confusion was unanimous, the sound echoing through the room.

Hearing the news, Ming Tang also raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. Having the seven trainees from Class A serve as assistants, or even “mini-mentors” for Class F? How was that different from directly aiding their competitors?

“Teacher, who proposed this?”

Xia Yindong replied, “Chi Ling.”

The reactions in the room split instantly. Half of the “huhs” dropped in tone with disdain, while the other half rose in tone with joy and admiration. But soon, people realized how foolish it was to openly display dislike on camera, and they all schooled their expressions.

“What are you ‘huh’-ing about?” Xia Yindong said playfully. “This is purely beneficial for you. It means Class A trainees are essentially sacrificing their own practice time to help you correct your results.”

Ming Tang hesitated but asked, “Will all Class A trainees take turns coming here?” After all, in her mind, Qi Zhen didn’t seem like the type to do favors for her opponents.

Xia Yindong nodded. “Yes, they will all come. After Teacher Yu finishes your dance class today, Chi Ling will come over to act as your assistant.”

Hearing this, Ming Tang became worried for Chi Ling instead. When the other trainees learned that Chi Ling was the one who made the proposal, she hadn’t missed the unfriendly murmurs. Chi Ling had voluntarily taken on this identity and task, even if the proposal wasn’t wholeheartedly supported by everyone in Class A, people in Class F would likely find ways to nitpick or make things difficult for her.

If Chi Ling spent more time teaching others, wouldn’t her own progress be significantly delayed? While this proposal was indeed beneficial for Ming Tang herself and would make future system tasks easier, it seemed too disadvantageous for Chi Ling.

“Alright, time’s up.” Xia Yindong checked the time. “I have to go to the next class. Wait about five minutes and Teacher Yu will be here. Warm up on your own first.”

“Goodbye, Teacher!”

“Goodbye, Teacher Xia!”

Xia Yindong waved as she walked out, signaling for everyone not to see her out.

Thoughtfully, Ming Tang walked over to the barre and began pressing down to open up her shoulders. Qi Deng slipped over to her side to do the same, looking at her. “Hey, roommate, what do you think Chi Ling is trying to do?”

Jian Jiahe slipped to Ming Tang’s other side. Together with Qi Deng, they flanked her, whispering, “Yeah, how could she be so kind-hearted as to want to help us bottom feeders?”

Ming Tang felt her body go stiff.

Ming Tang: This is bad. I’m surrounded by people who dislike her.

“Regardless of her motive, her doing this is a good thing for us,” Ming Tang said noncommittally. “We should judge her by her actions, not her intentions.”

“So, you approve of what she’s doing?”

Ming Tang gave an “mm,” acting indifferent. “If you really think she has an ulterior motive, just mind your own business and ignore her.”

Suddenly, the space to her right cleared, and a second later, a heavy palm smacked her on the back. The blow forced Ming Tang down another notch in her stretch, making her gasp in pain.

“Aha! Roommate, it’s good to know you’re not one of her haters!”

“Alpha minds think alike! An Omega as beautiful as Chi Ling must be kind-hearted, gentle, and generous.”

Ming Tang: “…”

Fine, so it was a test.

Ming Tang also breathed a sigh of relief. From her roommates’ aggressive questioning, she had thought they were enemies Chi Ling had made at another company. However, Ming Tang agreed with Jian Jiahe. Chi Ling was indeed a kind and generous person. She was also more certain that whatever happened in the past must have had a reason, rather than being a simple case of “betrayal” or “attack.”

“So diligent, all warming up?” Yu Wenqing’s voice rang out from the doorway.

Ming Tang looked up. Everyone was following suit, pressing shoulders, lifting legs, doing a bit of everything.

“Teacher Yu!”

“Hello, Teacher.”

Everyone stood up straight to greet Yu Wenqing.

“Good, very good,” Yu Wenqing smiled. “No need to be nervous. I don’t eat people. Right, Ming Tang?”

Ming Tang was caught off guard by being called out again. She nodded. “Yes, Senior, Teacher Yu is very nice. No need to worry, everyone.”

The words “Senior Sister Yu” almost slipped out, but she quickly corrected herself, realizing the setting was inappropriate.

A smile spread from Yu Wenqing’s eyes as she joked, “With Ming Tang’s guarantee, you can all rest easy, right? No matter how fierce I get, I’ll only use her as the ‘sacrificial chicken’ to warn the ‘monkeys.’ You all just focus on learning.”

Ming Tang looked on in disbelief, pointing a finger at herself.

Sacrificial chicken? Me?

Seeing Ming Tang’s jaw nearly drop, everyone burst into laughter. For a moment, the atmosphere in the Class F classroom was light and pleasant, the only one feeling apprehensive was Ming Tang.

With a racing heart and a strange sense of panic, Ming Tang watched the theme song dance along with everyone else. But as it turned out, her sixth sense was correct.

“Ming Tang, come to the front.”

Yu Wenqing was a woman of her word; she really intended to use Ming Tang as a demonstration for the others.

“Teacher Yu, sometimes you really don’t have to be so true to your word.”

Ming Tang had a bitter look on her face, yet she still obediently walked forward. While Xia Yindong’s vocal demonstration had made her nervous, Yu Wenqing’s call made her genuinely afraid. The reason was simple: her dancing skills were truly abysmal.

“Precisely because you’re a ‘wooden block,’ I can teach everyone better,” Yu Wenqing said quite bluntly. “Make a little sacrifice.”