Her Majesty The Empress Has Made Her Debut In The Center Position [Ancient to Modern] - Chapter 13
After all 108 trainees had drawn their lots, the production team finally revealed the nine songs for the group performance. The massive screen hanging on the blank wall, emblazoned with the words “Group Battle,” slowly rose to reveal the song titles pasted on the wall, each a meter apart. The bold pink text stood out sharply.
“Ah! There’s a song by my favorite singer!”
“Hearing Winter’s Departure~ I wake up one day~ I must choose this song!”
“Why are there English songs? Oh god, I haven’t even passed my English level 4 exam—please don’t let me pick that one! Pray, pray, pray…”
Cheng Feiwan cleared her throat. “Well? Any songs you’re eyeing?”
The trainees chorused, “Yes—”
Cheng Feiwan smiled. “Now, please step forward, Captain of Class F, and choose your favorite song.”
A girl in the gray Class F uniform stepped forward. She had a round face with little canines showing when she smiled, and her short hair was tied in a ponytail that bounced as she jogged forward.
Cheng Feiwan asked, “Have you decided which song you want?”
She took the microphone from Cheng Feiwan and nodded emphatically. “Yes!”
Cheng Feiwan had planned to have her keep it a secret and walk straight to the chosen song, but instead, she pointed directly at the wall. “I choose ‘Keeping Quiet’!”
“Zhaozhao, which song should we pick?” Yu Cheng asked Ji Zhao, taking advantage of the moment while everyone else was discussing.
Ji Zhao scanned the song titles on the wall. Even though they’d been listening to songs together on their phones every day to avoid being clueless during the selection, the sheer number of songs in this era meant they’d completely missed the right answer.
She murmured, “Love Before BC and The Puppet Show both seem to have ancient elements.”
Yu Cheng pondered. “Should we choose one of those two?”
Ji Zhao hummed in agreement. “Which do you think is better?”
Yu Cheng paused. “Zhaozhao, you choose.”
Ji Zhao blinked in confusion. “What?”
Though she didn’t fully understand what a “Luck King” meant, she guessed it referred to Ji Zhao’s good fortune. Yu Cheng wholeheartedly agreed. The Emperor was chosen by heaven—how could he not be blessed with luck?
“Superstition,” Ji Zhao said casually, pointing. “Then let’s go with ‘The Puppet Show’.”
Yu Cheng was the sixth captain to choose, and it was purely by luck. The previous five hadn’t selected “The Puppet Show,” but when Yu Cheng stood before the song, Chen Xingzi gasped. “Seriously? With Yu Cheng’s vocal level, how dare she choose this song!”
“What’s wrong with this song?” Song Jiangjiang asked, leaning over curiously. “I’ve never heard it before. What’s the problem?”
Shen Yican crossed her arms. “It has opera vocals.”
She looked admiringly at Ji Zhao. “I actually appreciate this kind of challenging spirit—knowing there’s a tiger in the mountain, yet deliberately heading toward its den. Can I join your team?”
Ji Zhao extended her hand. “Welcome.”
She had observed Shen Yican in Class A. Shen Yican was the most outstanding trainee in Class A, skilled in both singing and dancing, with an impeccable image. Though her personality wasn’t ideal, her face could deceive people.
Chen Xingzi often criticized Shen Yican. Ji Zhao paused—what had she said again?
Standing nearby and watching coldly, Chen Xingzi spoke up, lightly scolding, “Using that innocent schoolgirl look to deceive people again!”
Seeing Song Jiangjiang still frozen in place, Ji Zhao, out of courtesy, extended an olive branch of friendship. “Would you like to join us?”
“Me?” Song Jiangjiang asked, surprised.
Ji Zhao nodded slightly.
Hearing that she had been chosen, Song Jiangjiang sat up straighter. She raised her right hand to her lips, cleared her throat, and asked with affected composure, “May I ask why you selected me?”
Without hesitation, Ji Zhao replied, “Your skills are solid.”
A delighted smile spread across Song Jiangjiang’s face.
“And,” Ji Zhao added, “you’re quite pretty.”
Song Jiangjiang’s face lit up with delight.
“Could you wash my clothes?” Ji Zhao asked.
“Bye!” Song Jiangjiang replied.
“I have a question,” Ying Tian, who had been watching the whole scene, timidly raised her hand. “Captain Yu Cheng is clearly the team captain, so why is Ji Zhaozhao the one choosing the members…?”
A hand silently reached out and covered her mouth. Zhou Yuting, the senior member of Class A, said gently, “Be good, sweetheart. Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t be asking.”
Ying Tian: “……”
That master’s #%@$#…%&@$!
After the eighteen captains finished selecting their songs, they lined up in a row, their expressions varying widely.
Some were happy, having chosen their desired song and confident in finding suitable teammates. Others were disheartened; even being a captain couldn’t help them get the song they wanted. Not only that, but their opponents seemed strong, making them reluctant to compete.
Only Yu Cheng—
Ji Zhao tied the hem of her short sleeves into a knot, thinking, Only Yu Cheng would choose a song she’d never even heard before, without knowing if it was easy or hard. She picked it, and that’s it.
At that moment, she was staring intently at Yu Cheng, waiting for Cheng Feiwan to announce the next phase.
Yu Cheng didn’t hesitate. “Ji Zhao… Zhao.”
Song Jiangjiang let out a chuckle. “Why are you stuttering? This isn’t a dating show! What are you so nervous about?”
Chen Xingzi discreetly popped a piece of candy into her mouth, looking utterly composed. “Congratulations to the new partners for successfully joining hands!”
Shen Yican patted Ji Zhao on the shoulder. “Partner, wait for me.”
Ying Tian: “……”
Her mind was flooded with inappropriate thoughts again!
Ji Zhao walked calmly toward Yu Cheng. Just as she was about to reach her, Cheng Feiwan suddenly called out to her, asking, “How does it feel to be chosen by Yu Cheng? What do you want to say to your opponent?”
Ji Zhao took the microphone and glanced at the Trainee who had also chosen The Puppet Show and automatically become their opponent.
After a moment’s thought, she said, “I feel quite good.”
Then she gave her opponent a faint dimpled smile. “I hope you feel good too.”
Opponent: “……”
How terrifying! Her smile is even more terrifying! How can I feel good?!
They included Ji Zhaozhao, Yu Cheng, and Song Jiangjiang from Class A, Shen Xin from Class B, Zheng Dongqing from Class D, and Qiao Yue from Class F.
After selecting their songs and forming teams, each group found a private space for a team meeting. Group A decided there was no need to move; they simply sat down on the spot to discuss. After all, it was almost lunchtime, and according to unofficial rumors, there would be chicken drumsticks as a special treat.
The rumor had been spread by Chen Xingzi, but Song Jiangjiang didn’t believe a word of it.
“She said the same thing last time, and what happened?” Song Jiangjiang crossed her legs and turned to Ji Zhao. “Her word is completely unreliable. She’s probably just trying to disrupt our morale.”
Ji Zhao pondered. “She’s not our opponent. Why would she try to disrupt our morale?”
Yu Cheng speculated, “Could it be that one of our opponents is her friend?”
Qiao Yue shook her head. “No way! I heard about the chicken drumsticks too…”
Zheng Dongqing interjected, “Listen…”
Shen Xin interrupted, “You Class A members!”
Zheng Dongqing and Shen Xin exclaimed together, “You’re being way too exclusive!”
Qiao Yue drawled, “I woke up late this morning. When I got to the cafeteria, I heard the staff chatting about how delicious the chicken legs were, saying they were adding them as a special treat for the trainees.”
“…That’s not what I asked,” Shen Xin said. She turned to Yu Cheng. “Captain, since there’s a special treat, let’s wrap up the meeting quickly!”
Zheng Dongqing chimed in, “I thought you didn’t care about chicken legs!”
PD interrupted, “Can you guys focus on something relevant?”
They’d spent nearly five minutes debating chicken legs! An outsider might think the production team was stingy!
Yu Cheng steered the conversation back on track. “Let’s start with introductions.”
She gestured toward Ji Zhao. “This is Ji Zhaozhao from Class A.”
The group fell silent.
Do they have a different understanding of “introduction”?
Is that even an introduction?!
Ji Zhao calmly brushed Yu Cheng’s hand away. “You can call me Zhaozhao. I specialize in singing. If you need help with anything, feel free to ask. I live in room 309.”
“Continue the introductions,” Ji Zhao prompted.
“I live in 309,” Yu Cheng said.
“I live in 311!” Song Jiangjiang chimed in.
Qiao Yue hesitated. “…I live in 113.”
“I live in 205,” Zheng Dongqing added.
Shen Xin: “I live in… Wait, why are we even sharing our room numbers? Who brings work back to their dorm anyway?” She groaned, her headache worsening. “My name is Shen Xin. I’m a rapper, but this song doesn’t have a rap part.”
Qiao Yue, curious, asked, “Then why did you choose this song?”
Shen Xin smiled. “Because my number is 108.”
The group fell silent for a moment.
“…Don’t mourn my bad luck,” Shen Xin added.
“I’m Zheng Dongqing.” The high ponytail accentuated her pallid complexion, marred by tiny red spots from the recent change in climate, making her look frail. “I don’t have any particular skills. My number is 107.”
Ji Zhao: “……”
Another one just here to fill the numbers.
Her gaze shifted to Qiao Yue.
Qiao Yue didn’t disappoint. “Hello everyone, I’m Qiao Yue, but you can call me Yueyue. I specialize in classical dance, which I’ve been studying since elementary school. If you need help with choreography, feel free to ask me.”
Shen Xin clapped her hands. “Great! Meeting adjourned!”
The other teams were already filing out, eager to grab their chicken legs before they ran out. Ji Zhao hummed in acknowledgment. “So, this afternoon…” She glanced at her watch. “Let’s meet in the Practice Room at 2 PM.”
She’d already learned from Song Jiangjiang that after the teams were formed, they’d need to select a Center Position, then assign parts before they could begin proper training.
After the meeting, instead of going to the cafeteria, Ji Zhao and Yu Cheng returned to Dorm 309.
Yu Cheng retrieved a tablet from the bathroom ceiling.
“Search for this song first,” Ji Zhao instructed, covering the camera with her shirt. “The other teammates have already heard it. If we don’t, we’ll fall behind.”
Yu Cheng, now familiar with the process, skillfully opened the music app and typed the song title using the on-screen keyboard.
They clicked play.
The moment the instrumental intro began, both girls were captivated. The familiar melody filled the quiet dorm room. Just as the lyrics were about to start, the music abruptly cut off.
Ji Zhao froze. “Why did it stop?”
Yu Cheng pressed the home button, equally bewildered. “The screen went dark.”
Yu Cheng pressed every button on the tablet. The screen lit up briefly when she pressed the topmost button, showing a white line and a rectangle, but otherwise, it remained black.
Ji Zhao tapped the tablet and suddenly exclaimed, “Maybe it needs to be charged?”
“How do we charge it?” Yu Cheng asked.
Ji Zhao looked around the dormitory and crouched down. “This outlet seems to be working. Bring the tablet over and let’s see if it charges.”
Yu Cheng squatted beside her, holding the tablet up to the charging port.
The two stared intently at the tablet and the outlet.
Silence.
Silence.
Still silence.
Finally, Ji Zhao asked, “Is it charging?”
“It’s still dark,” Yu Cheng replied.
Ji Zhao hissed softly. “What’s wrong with this thing?”
Yu Cheng said gravely, “Maybe there’s a secret phrase we need to recite to make it charge?”
Just as Ji Zhao was about to ask what phrase that might be, an uncertain voice came from behind them. “Um… what are you two squatting here for? Isn’t that the dorm’s banned tablet you’re holding?”
Ji Zhao paused and turned around.
Chen Xingzi, holding a drumstick in each hand and munching until her mouth was greasy, instinctively recoiled from the eerie scene in the dorm. “I’ll just head out—”
Ji Zhao smiled at her. “You’re already here. Stay.”
Chen Xingzi: “……”
Aaaaaah! I’m going to get bullied!
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