I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 12

Chi Meng walked out from the passageway.

The lights shining toward her were dazzlingly bright. She realized that standing on stage, it was almost impossible to see the faces of the audience, especially the ones seated higher up; they blurred into obscurity. But the trainees in the seats below could clearly see the stage. Quite a few of the ones who had come in later whispered in surprise:

“That girl is so pretty.”

Standing at center stage, Chi Meng couldn’t help but smile. She raised the microphone:

“Hello everyone, I’m individual trainee Chi Meng. My training period is—”

“Nine days?” she said uncertainly.

Xie Tongyue exposed her without mercy: “But your résumé says three days.”

“You have to add the six days after I signed up,” Chi Meng explained matter-of-factly. “Paper résumés can’t be updated—so that’s not my fault.”

Several of the mentors chuckled. Teng Jia said softly:

“But you don’t look nervous at all. That’s rare.”

This kind of demeanor usually meant either someone was extremely confident in their abilities, or at least very clear about their own level. She glanced again at the numbers on Chi Meng’s résumé and felt it was probably the latter.

Another mentor added, “A newborn calf isn’t afraid of tigers.”

“We’re the tigers?”

“…”

Xie Tongyue studied her for a moment. “Are you in high school right now?”

“I just graduated,” Chi Meng replied. She felt that the atmosphere since she’d stepped on stage was different from what others faced—almost like casual chit-chat, not the prepared Q&A she had rehearsed for.

“Oh right, didn’t you just finish the college entrance exams a few days ago? How did you do?” someone asked curiously.

Chi Meng: “Not bad.”

“Were the questions hard? Ah, speaking of it—my exam year was twenty years ago already!”

Chi Meng: “Not bad, not bad.”

“And standing here, you’re really not nervous?”

“Not bad.”

Everyone: “…”

“Ahem. Could you people maybe wait until after the performance to gossip?” Xie Tongyue finally intervened righteously. “If you have questions, ask when she’s done performing. Come on, student, please begin your stage.”

From the seats, Su Mengyao couldn’t resist jumping up:

“Go go go! Jiejie, fighting!”

Song Jiaqi lowered her arm and shifted into a more relaxed posture.

On stage, hearing the cheering, Chi Meng’s smile deepened, her eyes curving. She waved toward them, and when she glanced back casually, her gaze met Xie Tongyue’s. She tilted her head slightly, smiling even wider. Xie Tongyue’s lips twitched upward before she could stop them. Lowering her mic, she whispered in Teng Jia’s ear:

“I feel like a mom watching her daughter.”

Teng Jia said coolly, “Mhm. If you’d had a child a bit earlier, she’d be about this age.”

Looking again at the résumé that was almost blank compared to the others, she murmured, “She’s very pretty. With a good personality, even if her skills aren’t strong, people will still like her.”

As the two mentors exchanged thoughts, suddenly a clear, ethereal voice filled the hall. It flowed like a gentle river, washing away all noise, drawing every gaze in the room to one direction. Teng Jia snapped her eyes to the stage.

Chi Meng had opened her eyes and began to sing.

“Run run run away,
Meet me in our hiding place…” ①

019 lifted up a glowing support stick.

In the trainee seats, Song Jiaqi froze for a second, surprise flashing in her eyes.

At the mentor’s table, Teng Jia’s résumé slipped from her hand. She raised her brows, straightened in her chair, and fixed her eyes intently on Chi Meng.

“An English song,” Xie Tongyue murmured, resting her chin on interlaced fingers. “Her pronunciation is excellent. No wonder she was so casual earlier when asked about exams—at least her English score must’ve been great.”

The other mentors couldn’t help but laugh.

In truth, Chi Meng was very nervous. She kept her eyes lifted toward the ceiling lights. When the music shifted into a quicker tempo, she swayed slightly, pretending she was dancing.

Her voice trembled just a little. The last time she’d been under so many eyes was at a company assembly—but that had been in a domain she was confident in. She’d never even performed a program at an annual company gala before!

“’Cause I’ll never be
What they want me to be,
I have to believe
That I’m good enough…” ①

As she settled into the performance, everything began to flow naturally. Her gaze drifted farther into the crowd—until it collided with a pair of dark eyes.

Song Jiaqi was leaning sideways in her seat, chin resting in her palm, watching her quietly. When their gazes met, Song Jiaqi nodded lightly, the corner of her lips curving.

What a beautiful smile.

Among all these people, she was the only one Chi Meng could consider “familiar.” That single gesture steadied her wavering heart. Smiling, she let her eyes sweep over the rest of the hall.

At some point, many of the trainees had stood up, swaying together hand in hand. Every gaze, every spotlight in the hall, seemed to converge on her alone.

Something bloomed in her chest—a tiny seedling sprouting roots.

Bathed in the spotlight, her smile firmed, her voice rang out across the hall.

“So I’m going back,
To the place it begin,
Under the tree,
At the top of the hill…” ①

…

“Run run run away,
Meet me in our hiding place…” ①

When the last notes faded, silence lingered.

Chi Meng opened her eyes, lowered the microphone, and bowed deeply with sincerity.

“Thank you.”

Applause thundered instantly.

At the mentor’s table, smiles appeared one by one—no longer just casual amusement, but real recognition.

“Wow—what a surprise!” Xie Tongyue was the first to grab the mic, speaking excitedly. “Your voice is beautiful, and your delivery of the entire song was complete. Did you discover this strength of yours and decide to position yourself as a vocal?”

Not really—among vocals, dance, and rap, singing was the only one she thought she could pull off.

Chi Meng said, “I haven’t learned dance or rap, but…”

“You studied singing?” Teng Jia asked with interest.

“I took music classes,” Chi Meng replied honestly. “Every year.”

“Pfft—”

The trainees burst out laughing.

“We all had professional training!”

“Yeah, every year—since first grade through senior high!”

Song Jiaqi said coolly, “That’s very proper.”

“Exactly! Very proper!” Su Mengyao chimed in, only to catch another frosty glance. Inside she fumed—what, was she not allowed to speak? What was with this person!

On stage, the mentors were clearly intrigued, especially the two focused on vocals.

Teng Jia flipped Chi Meng’s thin résumé again and asked, “Really never studied?”

If “music class” didn’t count…

Chi Meng: “Never.”

“You mustn’t lie.”

“I’ve always been honest, following the Student Conduct Code,” Chi Meng said immediately.

“What’s Article Six of the Student Conduct Code?” Teng Jia pressed.

Chi Meng answered without hesitation: “Be honest, trustworthy, and responsible!”

“Alright, I believe you!” Teng Jia suddenly stood up.

Everyone else: “…”

“Are you two giving her an exam? I can’t with this anymore!” Xie Tongyue complained, exasperated.

The other mentors shook their heads. “What are you two doing?”

“Alright, let’s get back on track!” Xie Tongyue raised a hand in a time-out gesture. “Cut.”

Xu Shengling, stepping in to replace Luan Xiu, spoke gently, her tone soft:

“Why did you choose this song?”

At that, Chi Meng felt awkward. The truth was, the program had rejected the playlist she’d originally submitted. With help from a music teacher, she’d learned this one instead—it was the only song from her second list they didn’t veto.

Maybe the staff whispered this to the mentors, because several of them exchanged startled looks. Xie Tongyue pressed a hand to her lips, struggling not to laugh, then finally coughed and asked, with effort to keep a straight face:

“‘Love to Win’?”

Everyone: “???”

That was our company’s anthem!

(Well, in her previous life, anyway.)

“Yes, I used to hear it a lot,” Chi Meng said. “I don’t usually listen to music much, so I have to thank my high school music teacher, Teacher Li, for helping me pick this song. I really like it.”

Thinking of her earlier “annual music class” joke, everyone smiled again.

Xie Tongyue asked, “So—you rarely listen to music, you haven’t learned dance or rap, then why did you join this show?”

Finally, the ultimate question!

Chi Meng answered promptly:

“Because I wanted to try a life completely different from before. I like fun things, I like challenges, and becoming a trainee is a huge challenge for someone like me whose life has been repetitive and ordinary. That’s why I came.”

It was her true thought, spoken with calm sincerity.

Teng Jia nodded. “Your tone is very good. I hope to see your efforts put into practice as the show continues.”

She lowered her mic and glanced toward Xie Tongyue.

Xie Tongyue mimicked Chi Meng’s earlier tilted-head smile. “What grade did you choose?”

Chi Meng lowered her hand to show the sticker on her outfit.

“Oh, then I’ve got one last question.” Xie Tongyue looked down at the letters they’d assigned and raised her brows. “Chi Meng, which is easier—exams or standing here singing on stage?”

This time, Chi Meng didn’t just say “not bad.” From the bottom of her heart, she said:

“Exams.”

At that moment, countless young trainees looked horrified—only for Xie Tongyue to burst into hearty laughter. She stood up and announced loudly:

“You have a beautiful smile. I hope we’ll see it often, along with your progress. Individual trainee Chi Meng—your initial grade is: B.”

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