I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 29.1

“Chi Meng, you’re incredible!”

“Your performance just now was so much better than your usual practice. How did you do it? Teach me!”

“Chi Meng.”

“Chi Meng.”

“Chi Meng…”

Class F gathered around Chi Meng like a press conference. Chi Meng felt like the whole world was calling her name. She pressed her hands down slightly and humbly said, “It’s all thanks to the great coaching! Thank you, teachers! And thank you to everyone for your help!”

The other Class F trainees with the same teacher as Chi Meng: “Oh—”

What kind of eighteen-year-old high school student is so good at speaking formalities!

“Are you sure there’s no trick?” someone pressed.

Chi Meng smiled and said, “The trick is to practice more.”

Among the Class F trainees, only those who shared a dorm with Chi Meng understood the amount of effort hidden beneath her lighthearted “practice more.” The rest of Class F was still in shock, having watched Chi Meng go from knowing nothing to completing an entire song and dance routine.

Su Mengyao, sitting next to Chi Meng, knew from the reaction that Chi Meng had performed well. She grabbed Jing Ming and asked, “Was my performance okay? Was I off-key?”

Jing Ming pursed her lips and honestly said, “I was only watching Chi Meng just now, I didn’t notice you…”

Su Mengyao sadly wiped her tears, “I knew my sister didn’t have me in her heart, boohoo!”

Jing Ming frantically shook her head.

Chi Meng smiled as she watched them bicker and then looked for Song Jiaqi. Before the other trainees swarmed over, this person had deliberately sat far away. If others saw this, the rumors about her and Song Jiaqi not getting along would be confirmed!

She crooked her finger at Song Jiaqi.

Song Jiaqi slowly shuffled back.

During the day, Song Jiaqi practiced with Class F, and after dismissal, she trained separately with Shen Zhu and the Renxing trainees. Chi Meng was focused on her own work and only checked on Song Jiaqi’s progress during breaks; otherwise, she was too busy to pay attention. Now, in this relaxing post-evaluation period, she smiled and asked, “How was your test?”

Song Jiaqi whispered, “Just so-so.”

“Really?” Chi Meng smiled and said, “Don’t forget our PK, okay?”

Song Jiaqi glanced at her and said softly, “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Class Evaluations Begin

After all ten groups from Class F finished their performances, everyone took a five-minute break. The staff arranged for the Class D trainees to line up and take the stage. As the main targets to be challenged by Class F, the Class D trainees were under a lot of pressure. With Chi Meng’s excellent performance preceding them, everyone in Class D had mixed feelings. The trainees about to go on stage walked with heavy steps into the assessment area.

The high-altitude camera filmed from above. Grey, pink, purple, blue, and yellow—the five colors were clearly divided, awaiting a reshuffle.

Su Mengyao, having finished her test, leaned half her body forward to talk to trainees she knew. After a while, she came back and reported to Chi Meng, “Everyone is guessing which class you’ll go to.”

Chi Meng leaned lazily on Song Jiaqi’s shoulder, her eyes closed, and chuckled, “Mengyao, after the test, we don’t check the answers.”

Su Mengyao saw that she looked very sleepy, scratched her head, and moved over, giving her some space. Chi Meng then lay down, resting her head on Song Jiaqi’s lap, preparing to nap.

She had watched the stages of Qi Yan, Shen Zhu, and Xue Weiran, so she had a sense of the gap between herself and Class A, and she had no opinion on the others’ stages. She took off her jacket and covered herself with it, pulling the collar up over her eyes.

Song Jiaqi looked down at her and said helplessly, “Who was it this morning who said she was fully rested and not tired at all?”

Chi Meng slowly said, “The me this morning was the ego. The me now is the id, and the id is tired and needs to be satisfied.”

Su Mengyao, whose ears were perked up: “??”

Song Jiaqi looked at her, covered completely by the jacket, and couldn’t help but pull the collar down a bit, saying, “So are you normally the superego?”

“Perhaps. Or maybe your scent is just too nice, and smelling it so much makes me sleepy,” Chi Meng said, pulling the collar back up.

Song Jiaqi raised an eyebrow and said, “My fault?”

Chi Meng chuckled, batted Song Jiaqi’s hand away, and softly commanded, “The pillow isn’t allowed to have hands. The ceiling is too bright, I can’t sleep well.”

Song Jiaqi subconsciously looked up. The bright lights were even more dazzling than the sun outside. When she looked down, the corner of her mouth lifted, and she pulled the jacket further up over Chi Meng’s head, covering her forehead too.

Please sleep, my perfect master.

Su Mengyao, bored and picking at her fingers, saw Song Jiaqi’s expression and was somewhat surprised, slowing her finger-picking.

This person can actually smile?

Song Jiaqi, highly sensitive to being watched, instantly looked up and met Su Mengyao’s gaze. The two stared blankly at each other, then simultaneously looked away after a moment.

Looks like I misunderstood, Su Mengyao thought. These two have a pretty good relationship. Pinching someone’s face while they’re asleep must be their private fun. Maybe Chi Meng already knows.

Speaking of which, is ‘fun’ the right word to use? Or ‘amusement’?

Su Mengyao propped up her face, completely unaware that Chi Meng had been the one to start this. In her eyes, Song Jiaqi was just a strange, cold-smiling master.

Chi Meng was always a sound sleeper. When Song Jiaqi shook her awake, it took her three seconds to slowly sit up. The standing positions were now back to Class A in the front and Class F in the back. The partitions and cameras in the hall had been removed. The host and mentors stood behind a draped table, which held stacks of evaluation cards.

“Is it the next segment?” Chi Meng mumbled, rubbing her face to wake up. She stood for a moment, then saw Song Jiaqi still sitting, and gave her a questioning look.

Song Jiaqi said testily, “My leg is asleep.”

You try being a pillow for an hour.

Chi Meng crouched down apologetically and massaged Song Jiaqi’s leg, saying as she did, “Qiqi, you’re so good. How can there be such a great pillow in the world—warm and fragrant. It would be even better if it were a little softer.”

As she spoke, she pinched Song Jiaqi’s thigh muscle and lamented, “Eat more. You’re too thin.”

Song Jiaqi’s leg was already numb, and the pinch nearly made her soul fly out of her head. She gasped, grabbing Chi Meng’s hand, and gritted her teeth: “Thank you for your review.”

Chi Meng curled her lips, staring at Song Jiaqi’s face, marveling at how someone could look so beautiful even when angry. She couldn’t help but reach her restless hand towards Song Jiaqi’s face again.

Song Jiaqi was ready this time and immediately grabbed her wrist, “Stop touching me.”

Chi Meng tilted her head. Since returning to high school, she had noticed that female high school students who were close often hugged, cuddled, and kissed. Compared to genuine high schoolers, wasn’t she being reserved?

So, Chi Meng smiled. She had undone her ponytail to sleep, and her black long hair fell softly down her back, moving with her as she leaned into Song Jiaqi’s neck.

“Alright, Qiqi. Smell.”

Song Jiaqi: “!!!”

She was pinned down on the steps by Chi Meng, her legs still numb, and she yelled, “Chi Meng! When you’re well-rested, you’re even more annoying than Su Mengyao!!”

Su Mengyao nearby: “??”

“How is that my fault!” Su Mengyao put her hands on her hips and angrily huffed.

The surrounding Class F trainees lightly chuckled, watching the two on the floor messing around. On the stage, Xie Tongyue raised the mic and said, “Recording will start in five minutes. Please adjust your formation and maintain quiet.”

Chi Meng slowly got up and pulled Song Jiaqi up as well.

Their clothes were messy, as if they’d been rolling in the grass. Song Jiaqi glared at Chi Meng, then couldn’t help but sigh, and after sighing, she smiled helplessly and straightened her clothes. She whispered, “You’re so annoying.”

Chi Meng reached up to smooth her hair and drawled, “Careful, I might start crying now.”

Song Jiaqi’s smile vanished, and she warned, “Learn something good, don’t copy Su Mengyao.”

Su Mengyao, right next to them, couldn’t stand it anymore and poked her head out: “Don’t go too far, I’ll bite!”

Chi Meng affectionately stroked Su Mengyao’s head and said gently, “Exactly. Our Mengyao is so cute.”

Jing Ming in the front secretly turned her head and whispered, “My grandma always praises our dog like that.”

Chi Meng was stunned.

“Hee hee!”

The surrounding trainees covered their mouths and roared with laughter. Su Mengyao felt very wronged and rushed into Chi Meng’s arms, wailing.

“I didn’t mean that, forget it,” Chi Meng didn’t want to explain.

Su Mengyao was even more aggrieved, shaking Chi Meng’s arm, “Don’t you dare forget it! Explain!”

Song Jiaqi suddenly said, “What’s there to explain?”

Su Mengyao: “Waaah, big sister is bullying me!”

Chi Meng: “……”

At this moment, 019 leisurely came online, giving the following assessment of this scene of “sisterly affection.”

“The three of them combined are roughly ten years old.”

The New Rankings

The recording began.

Xie Tongyue stood in the brightly lit hall and smiled at the trainees, “The theme song evaluation is over. The other mentors and I have watched all of your performances. Some trainees’ performances were surprising, some were not as satisfactory, and some trainees greatly disappointed us.”

As she made each comment, the trainees below displayed different expressions. Some even turned to look at Chi Meng. Chi Meng always maintained a gentle smile, and as the close-up camera approached, the smile at the corner of her mouth deepened, and she tilted her head toward Song Jiaqi.

Song Jiaqi’s face quietly entered the frame.

Xie Tongyue: “No matter how much effort everyone put in over these past five days, today’s assessment is your answer sheet for those five days. Now, your ratings are on this table, waiting for you to personally uncover them.”

The trainees’ eyes focused on the table, their gazes burning.

“Next, the mentors will personally announce everyone’s class reassignment after the evaluation!” Xie Tongyue said, “Starting with Class A.”

The faces of the nine pink-clad girls in Class A changed instantly.

“They’re announcing A first?”

“Starting with such a bang?”

The trainees said in surprise.

Chi Meng was intrigued. Xie Tongyue looked at the nine Class A girls and said, “Whoever’s name is called, please step forward to receive your evaluation card, view it, and proceed to the corresponding class.”

“First, Xue Weiran.” Xie Tongyue called out.

Xue Weiran, who had stood in the center for every group recording since the initial stage, stepped forward with a composed expression. Xie Tongyue smiled and said, “It seems Trainee Xue Weiran knows exactly where she will go?”

Xue Weiran smiled, took the evaluation card from Xie Tongyue, bowed, and opened it. The trainees below held their breath, watching her expression intently. Xue Weiran looked at the card, bowed again to all the mentors, and walked back. Under everyone’s gaze, she returned to Class A and smiled at the camera.

The trainees couldn’t help but applaud. Someone whispered, “That’s right.”

Xie Tongyue continued, “Next, An Ran.”

Following the center Xue Weiran, another Xinghuo trainee stepped onto the stage. The girl with red hair looked more nervous than Xue Weiran. After receiving the evaluation card and looking at it, she licked her lip, bowed, and walked toward Xue Weiran.

Xue Weiran raised her hand for a high-five.

An Ran’s smile bloomed, and she high-fived Xue Weiran, shouting loudly, “Yes!”

Many envious eyes fell on the two of them.

Xie Tongyue smiled and called, “Shen Zhu.”

As Shen Zhu stepped forward, the trainees behind her whispered, “This one is definitely A!”

“Shen Zhu is so amazing, I feel like she could debut right now.”

On stage, Shen Zhu received the evaluation card from the smiling Xie Tongyue and softly said, “Thank you, Teacher.”

She opened the card, her expression unchanged, and made eye contact with Xue Weiran on her way back. Xue Weiran raised an eyebrow. Shen Zhu still showed no extra emotion, returning to Class A, as expected.

Song Yingjun from Renxing Entertainment happily patted Shen Zhu’s shoulder.

“Lin Yuxin.” Xie Tongyue said.

Lin Yuxin, the third trainee from Xinghuo Entertainment and their last Class A trainee from the initial stage, walked onto the stage. She took the evaluation card from Xie Tongyue, opened it, let out a soft sigh, and then smiled and bowed to the mentors.

Xie Tongyue said warmly, “Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you, Teacher,” Lin Yuxin replied.

She turned and walked back. Xue Weiran and Song Yingjun watched her, both reaching out their palms. Lin Yuxin smiled, high-fived them, but didn’t stop, stepping back one space. “Friends, I’ll be leaving for a bit.”

Xue Weiran looked at her retreating back in surprise. Lin Yuxin stood next to Class B and looked straight ahead.

“Hiss, Lin Yuxin was demoted.”

“Ah…”

Without giving anyone much time to react, Xie Tongyue continued to read the next name, “Ling Yao.”

Ling Yao from Renxing Entertainment walked briskly forward, opened her card under Shen Zhu’s gaze, and her lips trembled when she saw the letter. Her eyes reddened, and she ran down, hugging Shen Zhu and whispering, “I’m sorry, Captain.”

Shen Zhu gently sighed and patted her shoulder.

She turned and watched Ling Yao walk to Class D. Such a big drop was surprising to the other trainees, but many also looked unsurprised. Compared to the stages of the other Class A trainees, Ling Yao’s performance was too rushed, and her strength was significantly different from the rest of Class A.

Xue Weiran rested her arm on An Ran’s shoulder and whispered, “Dare I say, for the Renxing initial stage, Shen Zhu carrying four others wasn’t wrong?”

An Ran pinched Xue Weiran’s back, telling her to mind her words.

Xue Weiran grimaced and muttered, “Fine, I won’t tell you. I’ll go tell Shen Zhu later.”

You want to go die!

An Ran almost rolled her eyes at Xue Weiran in front of the camera.

On stage, Xie Tongyue glanced at the lively Class A and smiled, “Liu Yuexin.”

This trainee, who lost the center position after her PK with Xue Weiran, had a pale face and was visibly nervous. She bent over to take the card. Xie Tongyue couldn’t help but say, “It’s still just the beginning, don’t worry.”

Liu Yuexin nodded hard, looking like she was about to cry. Her entire body was tense during the theme song assessment, like a tightly wound string, making the other trainees watching feel nervous for her. Because of her poor performance, she was demoted to Class B.

Xie Tongyue: “Ning Yuze.”

Qi Yan and Tong Siyu, who were in Class C and from the same company as Ning Yuze, quickly looked at her. As the first A-level trainee from the initial stage, this consistently stable trainee immediately sighed in relief after opening her evaluation card and smiled gently.

Ning Yuze: A.

Now, among the original nine Class A trainees, only Song Yingjun from Renxing Entertainment and Yuan Yixin from Yuehai Coast remained. In Class A, Shen Zhu slightly lowered her head, her fingers lifting and falling.

“Song Yingjun.”

The girl standing next to Shen Zhu took a breath and said to Shen Zhu, “Captain, I’m going.”

Shen Zhu subconsciously curved her lips and said, “Mhm.”

She watched Song Yingjun walk to the table and open the card. Shen Zhu gently swallowed, but when Song Yingjun walked towards Class B with her head down, she tried her best to suppress the disappointment in her heart.

Xie Tongyue read the name of the last person remaining in the original Class A.

Yuan Yixin, the only trainee from Yuehai Coast to make it into Class A, opened her evaluation card, thanked the mentors, and joined Lin Yuxin, Liu Yuexin, and Song Yingjun on the platform next to Class B.

Including Ling Yao, only four of the original nine Class A trainees remained, leaving a total of five empty spots.

The eyes of many trainees in the back classes suddenly lit up. This last spot could very well come from their class!

Vocal mentor Teng Jia was responsible for announcing the class changes for Class B trainees. Holding the cards, the trainees whose names were called stepped forward, leaving the stage disappointed or happy.

“An Kui”

B

“Chen Yunyue”

D

“Lin Tingxia”

B

“Hua Xiaowei”

B

Teng Jia: “Jiang Yingyue”

A tall girl walked onto the stage, opened the card, and let out a surprised cry, quickly bowing her thanks. The surrounding trainees immediately understood, watching enviously as she stood in the spot next to Class A.

She was the first trainee to be promoted from Class B to A, but not the last.

“Luo Guo”

Her twin sister, Yun Guo, who was in Class D, jumped up excitedly as the capable older twin successfully rose to Class A, as if she were the one entering Class A.

“Su Shao”

A.

An Ran and Xue Weiran from Xinghuo Entertainment hugged the happily running Su Shao, patting her head and shoulder. Xinghuo Entertainment once again had three Class A trainees.

“Ye Qing”

C

Ye Qing from Renxing Entertainment stood on the steps next to Class C. Shen Zhu turned around, silent.

“Wen Yao”

F

As a trainee from Qingniao Dreamhe, one of the major companies, the demotion from Class B to F made Wen Yao burst into tears. She didn’t dare look at anyone, especially her teammates from the same company. Everyone only had one chance at the evaluation. She had been so flustered after making a mistake at the start that her mind went blank, and she had already cried once after the assessment.

“Zhou Siyang”

A

Five of the original Class A trainees were demoted, and Class B directly filled four of those spots. Now, there was only one remaining slot in the nine debut positions of Class A. The eyes of the trainees in Classes C and D sparkled. This last spot could very well be filled by someone from their class!

The class reassignments for the eighteen Class B trainees were finished. It was supposed to be Class C next, but Mentor Luan Xiu suddenly walked out and said, “Next, I will announce the class assignments for the Class F trainees.”

“Huh?”

“Class F?”

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