I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 16

Everyone: “……”

“Do you have enough to eat? Take mine, I haven’t touched it.” A girl pulled her boxed meal in front of Chi Meng.

The girl sitting beside her also pushed hers over. “Mine’s untouched too.”

“Me as well.”

Very quickly, Chi Meng’s desk was piled high with lunch boxes. One trainee, who had nibbled only a few vegetables, hesitated for a moment before whispering, “Um, I didn’t touch the drumstick… you should eat it.”

Such a thing actually exists in this world!

Chi Meng was deeply moved. She happily gnawed down two drumsticks, then pulled out a bright red plastic bag from her pocket and shook it open with practiced ease.

Everyone: “?”

Before packing, Chi Meng made sure: “You all really don’t want these?”

Stunned by her fluid motions, the trainees nodded blankly.

Then there was no problem. Chi Meng cheerfully packed the unwanted lunch boxes into the bag. She planned to stash it in the lounge for later—didn’t this mean she had food for tomorrow too?

Chi Meng beamed: “Let’s all say—thank you, kind people!”

Just then, Song Jiaqi passed behind her. The towering red plastic bag on the desk made her stop in her tracks. She pressed her lips together, her black eyes full of puzzlement.

“Feeding pigs?”

The trainees nearby immediately recognized Song Jiaqi. The stunning girl didn’t so much as glance at anyone else; her eyes seemed to hold only Chi Meng. The cool, distant aura she carried made the girls sitting around Chi Meng sneak peeks at her, but none dared speak.

Chi Meng turned halfway around and looked up at her.

“Have you eaten?”

Song Jiaqi gave the boxed meal in Chi Meng’s hand a brief glance, her eyes showing faint distaste. She gave a short “Mm.” Chi Meng noticed that look and followed her gaze.

The boxed meals weren’t exactly tasty, but they were edible. Remembering that Xue Weiran had said Song Jiaqi was a “little princess,” Chi Meng guessed she must come from a well-off family, spoiled since childhood—no wonder she wouldn’t want these oily, under-seasoned boxes.

She said to Song Jiaqi, “Wait a sec.” She snapped the lid back onto the half-finished box, stood up to tidy the table, then lifted her haul in one hand, trash in the other, and waved goodbye to the others.

“Let’s go,” she told Song Jiaqi, leading her out. Song Jiaqi arched a brow, stepped lazily after her, and watched as Chi Meng threw out the trash, then carried her spoils to chat with a staff member. A moment later, Chi Meng bowed with a bright-eyed smile, thanked them, and beckoned to her.

Let’s go.

The two circled back to the earlier lounge.

Leaning against the doorway, Song Jiaqi scanned the room. Compared to theirs, Chi Meng’s lounge was much smaller and just as bare. Seeing her plop the boxed meals straight onto the table, Song Jiaqi asked flatly, “You’re planning on eating spoiled food?”

The room had no air conditioning. The temperature wasn’t pleasant.

Rummaging through her bag, Chi Meng didn’t even look up. “Of course not. That’s why, once everyone finishes eating, I’ll grab a foam box.”

She’d noticed them earlier in the cafeteria—boxes used for meal and soup deliveries. With the hot weather, the chilled soup boxes even came with ice packs.

Song Jiaqi: “……”

Not bad eyes.

“Hurry, we don’t have much time. Here, this is for you.” Chi Meng carried something over, motioning for her to hold out her hand. Curious to see what she was doing, Song Jiaqi lifted her palm.

Chi Meng: “Two hands. So lazy.”

“?”

Arching a glance at her, Song Jiaqi straightened from the doorframe and opened both hands.

The next second, the rustling clatter of wrappers rained down into her palms, weighing them down heavily.

It was chocolate.

The gray-black foil, printed with elegant script, belonged to a famous brand—with a very “beautiful” price tag. Surprised, Song Jiaqi looked at Chi Meng. She had no real opinion of her, but if Chi Meng could casually hand out chocolates this pricey, why was she working part-time at a KTV? Why was she bagging up others’ leftovers?

Unaware of her thoughts, Chi Meng patted her shoulder, ushered her out, and shut the door. “Hurry, I need to grab that foam box.”

Song Jiaqi: “……”

That strange feeling again.

“Oh, right.” Chi Meng suddenly reached out and scooped a handful from the mountain of chocolates in Song Jiaqi’s hands. Instantly, her palms grew much lighter.

Chi Meng grinned. “Kids who don’t practice properly shouldn’t eat too much chocolate.”

Song Jiaqi gave a small laugh, cupping the remaining pile in one hand. She plucked out two more pieces and held them up toward “Teacher” Chi Meng.

“Got it. But I don’t want to change.”

Her languid voice rolled like a cello string, her lips brushing the air in a way that tugged on the heartstrings.

Taking the chocolates, Chi Meng looked at her curiously but asked no further questions.

She had seen plenty of beautiful girls today, but somehow none of them could compare with Song Jiaqi. It was an odd feeling. Their relationship wasn’t different from the others’, but Song Jiaqi’s aura seemed to resonate with her more. And her beauty and presence seemed separated from the other trainees by an invisible wall—like a miserly tycoon unwilling to part with even a drop of charm.

Or was this just her own biased filter?

Rolling the two chocolates in her hands, Chi Meng mulled it over as they walked side by side. Suddenly, Song Jiaqi reminded her, “The foam box.”

Right!

That was important!

Chi Meng shot her a grateful look, then bolted off.

Twenty minutes of break time, and she had so much to do!

Oh, and one more thing—

Mid-run, the girl suddenly spun around. With her index and middle finger pressed to her forehead, she playfully saluted Song Jiaqi:

“Almost forgot—red looks great on you, and your backflip was amazing. Teach me next time!”

Like a rabbit dashing through a rain-soaked forest, she vanished in a flash, racing into her busy, fulfilling “schedule.”

Through the hallway’s glass window, Dongjiang City was already wrapped in night. The weight of darkness pressed over the small city, its scattered lights like humanity’s final defiance.

But standing alone in the corridor, Song Jiaqi suddenly felt a lightness she’d never known. She smiled faintly, unwrapped a chocolate, and popped it into her mouth.

A moment later, her shoulders tensed, and she frowned in displeasure.

“Mm… bitter.”

……

By the time Chi Meng rushed back into the recording hall, sweating, the trainees on the pyramid seats had mostly returned. Those still awaiting their stage paced nervously or sat stiffly in their chairs, staring blankly while warming up their voices.

“Have you eaten?” Chi Meng greeted those around her kindly. On both sides sat trainees who had already performed, relaxed and cheerful. They chatted with her, and she pulled out her remaining chocolates to share.

Wanting to snag a piece, Lin Tingxia slid over from the seats across the steps. She’d been the first to greet Chi Meng, after all. Snagging a chocolate wasn’t too much to ask, right?

Their row buzzed with lively warmth.

Before long, staff reminded them that recording would resume shortly. The hall fell quiet, the lights shifting. As music swelled, the mentors walked out from the passage. The trainees quickly rose to greet them.

Xie Tongyue smiled: “Has everyone eaten?”

“You need to be full to have the energy to perform. We’ve been recording for a long time, but until you step on stage, you can’t relax. Stay focused, and give it your all!”

Everyone shouted together: “Yes!”

After the incident with Lehai Coast earlier, the trainees had rehearsed their entrances carefully backstage. Not long into the second half, Xie Tongyue beamed and called out:

“Qingmang Entertainment, Qingniao Menghe Media, get ready.”

A few drowsy trainees instantly jolted awake. One shook their dozing seatmate. “Qingniao Menghe’s up!”

“So soon already?”

The trainee seats buzzed with chatter. Curious, Chi Meng craned her neck. Just as she turned back, she saw the girl sitting at the very top of the pyramid’s first seat stand up and take a deep breath.

“Whoa, Liu Yuexin~”

“She dared sit in the top seat from the start. She must be amazing!”

Under everyone’s speculation, Liu Yuexin and her teammates stepped down. Now Chi Meng understood that Qingniao Menghe belonged to a major agency. She eagerly awaited the stage of such a big company’s trainees.

Qingmang Entertainment had only one trainee, Su Yijia, who had earned a C grade—not bad. Once she left, the four Qingniao Menghe trainees took the stage, led by Liu Yuexin. The expectant audience of trainees rose to applaud.

“Hello everyone, we are Qingniao Menghe, the Dream-Chasing Girls. I’m the captain, Liu Yuexin.”

The girls on either side introduced themselves in turn.

“I’m Rong Qian.”

“Wen Yao.”

Chi Meng suddenly spoke to 019: “I noticed that the trainees companies value most are always the centers. Their debut stage highlights are focused on those girls.”

019 replied: “Correct. 019 also noticed. Debut spots are limited. Opportunities go only to those with the most potential.”

On this stage, strength, looks, personality—only one chance exists to show yourself. One moment, one clip—if you’re seen, remembered, liked, it means you’ve stepped closer to debut.

Chi Meng thought about it and smiled: “Looking back at the first half, the things that left the strongest impression on me… besides Jiaqi’s backflip, there was Mengyao’s ‘Sheep Sheep Sheep,’ and oh—Qi Yan’s abs?”

019: “Wow, you’re thinking about her abs!”

Chi Meng rubbed her own flat belly enviously. “She has abs… Mengmeng wants them too.”

019: “……”

“Host, stop grossing out the system!” 019 declared boldly. But then it panicked, trying to recover: “019 loves the host’s stage the most! 019 cheers for the host!”

Learning fast, it launched fireworks and waved glow sticks inside her mind.

Chi Meng covered her ears with a hum. “Put away your cyber-hands, you’re making my head noisy!”

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