I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 26.1

Su Mengyao followed behind Chi Meng, whining and heading back to the dorms. What flowed from her eyes weren’t tears, but the sweat of exhaustion from the late night. When Chi Meng turned to look at her, Su Mengyao’s posture immediately became wobbly, her face carried a look of being on the verge of tears, and her eyes were full of unspoken emotion.

“Keep moving. Every minute earlier you get back is a minute more sleep,” Chi Meng said. She casually pulled Su Mengyao toward her, laughing, “Did you get sand in your eyes?”

Su Mengyao: “…”

This was what you call “casting pearls before swine!” She might as well have pretended it was too dark to see!

Su Mengyao took a deep breath and stomped forward angrily.

Chi Meng said to the others, “Wow! Mengyao is still full of energy after training for so long. Looks like she still held back today.”

Su Mengyao, walking in front, nearly tripped over her own feet, thinking that Chi Meng was definitely doing this on purpose! Sure enough, her acting was too clumsy, and she couldn’t fake the look of excessive exhaustion. Qi Yan and Jing Ming, walking back with Chi Meng, knew she was being intentional and burst out laughing.

It was only then that Chi Meng smiled and said, “I know my own physical and mental limits very well. Everyone, please pace yourselves and go at your own rhythm.”

Su Mengyao’s mournful voice floated back, “Really? Do you truly understand the meaning of ‘pacing yourself’?”

Chi Meng calmly replied, “But students whose gap with others is too large still need to catch up quickly.”

“Yes, Teacher,” Su Mengyao’s tone became even more gloomy.

The four returned to the dorm building. Mingde School had excellent facilities; every floor had independent bathrooms with hot water 24/7. As they walked upstairs, Chi Meng went straight to shower. Only then did Su Mengyao realize that Chi Meng’s bag contained a change of clothes, leaving her wide-eyed.

So, from the moment they were dismissed to head back to the dorm, to getting her things and going to the classroom for training, Chi Meng had planned it all out, meticulous and orderly. She even saved the time it would take to go back to the dorm to get clothes!

She was truly too detail-oriented.

Su Mengyao felt inadequate and developed a hint of respect for Chi Meng in her heart. She thought: for someone so hardworking, her academic performance shouldn’t be bad, or rather, it should be excellent. No wonder Chi Meng was so composed when the mentor asked about the college entrance exam during the initial stage.

While thinking about Chi Meng, she quietly entered the dorm to grab her things and go shower.

Splash—

Hot water cascaded down, steam billowing up.

Chi Meng stood with her eyes closed in the water column, feeling all her muscles relax under the impact of the hot water, the fatigue drifting away.

The comfortable environment made her want to linger, but Chi Meng silently counted numbers in her mind. Three minutes later, she opened her wet eyelashes and quickly finished her shower. Water sounds came from the compartment not far away; it must be Su Mengyao.

Chi Meng smiled, quickly dried off, and went out to change. She closed the bathroom door tightly before turning on the hairdryer.

Amidst the whooshing of the electric hot air, Chi Meng inwardly called out to 019.

019, available 24/7 like the hot water, quickly came online: “Passerby System 019 at your service, good evening, Host. It is currently 0:30 AM, time for the Host to go to bed.”

“Mhm, I’ll go after I dry my hair. I wanted to chat with you,” Chi Meng told 019. “I remembered the plot I’m supposed to follow. No wonder Mengyao can become an actress later; her expressions are very rich.”

And she’s a drama queen.

However, even though Su Mengyao complained about being tired during the break, she didn’t slack off and kept practicing with them.

“I also want to thank you for helping me remember the moves today. I didn’t want to keep bothering others, so I’m grateful for your hard work, and I’ll need your help in the future too,” Chi Meng said gently to 019.

As a system, a high-dimensional life form generated by code, 019 was inherently a natural benchmark for rules and accuracy. It could help Chi Meng correct her movements and even calculate the number of times she performed a certain move up to standard during her day’s training.

Hearing Chi Meng’s words, 019 was very happy. Although its mechanical voice couldn’t convey its excitement, it said, “Serving the Host is 019’s mission!”

As a 019 system that had no other function besides supervision and chatting, it was ecstatic to have its new function discovered by the host and to be able to help. It didn’t want to be like its 18 predecessors, the Passerby Systems, who spent their extra time at headquarters drinking tea and sighing over their different fates, only supervising the host’s adherence to the script.

It was thinking of serving the Host well, getting a perfect score, accumulating enough points to upgrade, and becoming a multi-functional system!

Chatting with 019 was one of Chi Meng’s ways to relax. When she heard 019 mention its aspirations, she paused, then laughed, “Xiao Jiu, have you noticed that even though you often say I’m ‘over-achieving,’ you’re also a little ‘over-achiever’ yourself? We both have a common goal, which is to make ourselves better.”

019 was stunned, then heard Chi Meng say, “Perhaps it’s precisely because of your characteristics that we met.”

“…That’s right!” 019 thought about it and agreed. It set off fireworks in Chi Meng’s mind to express its happiness. “You said birds of a feather flock together, and it’s the same for Hosts and systems! We are the best partners!”

“Exactly! You have to believe that there is no predetermined system-life! Even though you’re a Passerby System now, as long as you work hard, one day your achievements will surpass other systems, exceeding 018, 017, and eventually you’ll become Passerby System 001, debut as the department’s center, become a leader, and keep rising!” Chi Meng said passionately.

019 felt energized, its ambition stirred by Chi Meng’s words. It exclaimed, “That’s right! How can a sparrow know the aspirations of 019? As long as I work as hard as the Host, I will eventually become a System among Systems, surpassing my predecessors in ten years, and reaching the System peak in a hundred! One day, even the Main System will be under 019’s foot!”

Chi Meng: “Great!”

She enthusiastically applauded 019. Suddenly, 019’s voice vanished.

When she returned to the dorm and carefully lay down in bed, 019 sullenly came back online, mumbling, “Triggered a keyword, got a popup warning. Drawing grand schemes and giving motivational speeches are both warned against. The Main System is so petty, hmph.”

Chi Meng covered her face with the blanket, shaking with laughter. Wiping a tear from her eye, she comforted 019: “Not bad, you’ve learned to ‘draw grand schemes’ and ‘motivational speeches.’ That’s progress!”

019 set off another firework for her and quietly went offline.

With a smile on her lips, Chi Meng closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.

Song Jiaqi walked on a dark road, surrounded by black mist, with scarlet words floating in the fog.

“So many years of devotion have been for nothing!”

“How could I like someone like this? Being a prima donna is one thing, but relying on her status as the Rensing eldest daughter to bully junior artists on set, this kind of rotten person should be blacklisted immediately!”

“Su Mengyao won Best Actress at the Golden Moon Awards again. How many times has she overshadowed Song Jiaqi now? Sure enough, the judges have sharp eyes. Song Jiaqi has no acting skills; it’s all just promotion.”

“Su Mengyao is honing her acting skills, while Song Jiaqi is partying on a cruise ship. It serves her right that she’s overshadowed by Su Mengyao every time.”

“Song Jiaqi, has-been artist.”

“Trash”

“Useless”

“Seeking fame by false pretenses”

Song Jiaqi lowered her head. Those mocking words appeared on the path beneath her bare feet. She closed her eyes, and the venomous words filled her mind.

Just as she was about to scream, the road in front of her suddenly rose up as if it were breaking. A bright light appeared outside the darkness, outlining the darkness into the shape of a book, and another patch of darkness pressed toward her, like a collapsing sky.

Outside the world, Su Mengyao, standing in the light, looked over with a smile and said, “Hello everyone, I am the female lead of The Brilliant Starry Path, Su Mengyao. This world belongs—to—me—”

The book slammed down with a thud. Song Jiaqi suddenly opened her eyes, her chest heaving, her eyes staring blankly at the unfamiliar white ceiling.

In the darkness, the air conditioner quietly blew. The cold air brushed against her skin, and goosebumps crawled up her arms. Song Jiaqi gently gasped. When she came to her senses, she realized her face was covered in tears.

In her previous life, Sister Meng had asked her why, after entering the industry at eighteen and enduring so many ups and downs over ten years—being smeared, intentionally provoked, and cursed at—she had always managed to get through it, but was so dispirited this time.

Sister Meng had said: “It’s nothing, just power through it, and this time will be the same.”

Song Jiaqi had a vague feeling that it was different.

It was as if something had suddenly changed.

The whole world was turning against her. Suddenly, in an instant, she stood opposite everyone. The disappointed looks around her grew more numerous. They watched, they sighed, and they all lamented the same thing.

It’s her again.

It’s Su Mengyao again.

She was in a daze, as if she had suddenly missed a step in the air and was falling from the clouds. She saw the truth of the world; she was walking within a predetermined fate, every step a script written by destiny.

The already shaky world instantly collapsed.

Song Jiaqi gently blinked. Fragile droplets of water slid from the corners of her eyes. She stared blankly into the air. Suddenly, a head stretched down from above. Song Jiaqi’s eyes widened uncontrollably, meeting a pair of bright eyes.

The girl’s black hair cascaded from her slender shoulder, suspended above Song Jiaqi’s face. The faint scent of shampoo drifted to her nose. Song Jiaqi silently stared at Chi Meng, her expression somewhat lost.

“You…”

Why are you here?

Her voice was hoarse. Just as she uttered one word, a cool finger touched the area near her eye, wiping away the tear that had just spilled.

Chi Meng?

Chi Meng was leaning on the guardrail, bending down to look at Song Jiaqi.

Her hair was a bit messy from lying down right after drying it last night. She raised a hand to rub it, making it even messier, and laughed as she asked Song Jiaqi, “Did you have a nightmare?”

Song Jiaqi just realized she was sharing a dorm with Chi Meng. She tilted her head to wipe her face, mumbled “Mhm,” and sat up. Chi Meng sat up too.

Chi Meng was wearing only a sports bra on her upper body. Her fair skin, in the dim room, was like a white flower in a forest, faintly visible against the dark undergrowth, graceful and charming.

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