I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 31.1

The bus stopped at the Dongjiang TV station. Over a hundred young, beautiful trainees happily followed the directional signs into the building. When everyone reached the main hall for the theme song recording, they found two refrigerated cases and a small counter set up near the entrance. Pre-made drinks like milk tea and coffee were arranged on the counter.

A staff member smiled and said, “Sister Xie knows you’ve all worked hard this past week, so she’s treating you to milk tea and ice cream. Good luck with the recording and filming today!”

Since preparing to join the program, the trainees had been strictly maintaining their weight, and they’d been eating cafeteria food every day. Things like milk tea, sundaes, and ice cream had practically been deleted from their brains. Just smelling the aroma of milk tea in the air was enough to make their mouths water.

Everyone thanked Teacher Xie one after another, their faces beaming with joy.

Chi Meng pushed Song Jiaqi in from the back, and Su Mengyao excitedly waved for them to come and get a treat.

“Do you want milk tea or coffee? The milk tea is made to order, so you have to queue, but there’s coffee on the table,” Su Mengyao reported, standing on her tiptoes.

Chi Meng said warmly, “I don’t drink coffee. I’m allergic to it, and it keeps me up at night.”

The moment she finished speaking, she suddenly heard the cameraman next to her chuckle twice—the reaction of someone who’d heard a funny joke. Nearby trainees also turned their heads, giving Chi Meng a look that clearly said, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Chi Meng widened her eyes and demanded, “I’m not allowed to be allergic to coffee?!”

Song Jiaqi gave a small laugh, bent down, and pulled open the refrigerated case. She didn’t say anything, simply looking through the ice creams and making her selection.

The others also laughed, implying, ‘Whatever you say, but you absolutely must not stay awake. Not sleeping will be the death of us!’

Chi Meng: “…”

Song Jiaqi finally picked out a low-calorie cream bar. Even with the wrapper, it was smaller than her palm. She peeled open the bag and had just squeezed out the creamy white treat when a head popped over beside her.

“One bite,” Chi Meng whispered.

Song Jiaqi raised an eyebrow, nudged her with her arm, and said, “There are more in the fridge. Go get one.”

“Just one bite, don’t be stingy, Jiaqi. You have to be polite; I’m the Jiejie (older sister), so Jiejie eats first.” Chi Meng grabbed Song Jiaqi’s wrist. Her pale lips got close to the cool ice cream, but she didn’t open her mouth. She just smiled, looking at Song Jiaqi.

Song Jiaqi was expressionless and pushed the ice cream toward Chi Meng’s mouth. “If I let you eat my thing, we drop the whole ‘Jiejie’ business?”

Chi Meng took a small bite, elegantly smoothed back her hair, and stood up. Her dark eyes curved into a beautiful arc, and she said softly, “Wishful thinking.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t get a pass for even one day.”

“Tsk.” Song Jiaqi stared at the ice cream with the teeth marks, radiating a chill that seemed colder than the treat itself. Chi Meng stood behind her, still smiling.

Up front, Su Mengyao turned around, curious. “What is it?”

Song Jiaqi’s face changed. She gave Chi Meng a warning look and said, “Don’t—”

“Oh, Jiaqi lost a bet to me. Until the next bet, she has to call me Jiejie,” Chi Meng announced loudly.

The surrounding trainees instantly got excited and clustered around.

“What was the bet?” “How did Song Jiaqi lose?” “Mengmeng, aren’t you younger than Song Jiaqi?”

As the questions tumbled out, Song Jiaqi’s face grew darker and darker. Chi Meng, however, acted as if she couldn’t see Song Jiaqi’s expression. She hooked her slender arm around Song Jiaqi’s neck, deliberately leaning her head close to Song Jiaqi’s.

“Anyway, I’ve got Jiaqi covered now,” she said, raising a hand to affectionately rub Song Jiaqi’s head.

She was so close that the cream on her lips hadn’t faded. Song Jiaqi’s face darkened even more. She reached up, pushed Chi Meng away using the gap between their heads, and then took a large, very forceful bite of the ice cream.

Chi Meng watched her out of the corner of her eye, her smile deepening.

The trainees, fueled by Xie Tongyue’s generosity, were in high spirits. When Xie Tongyue appeared, they enthusiastically greeted her and offered their thanks.

The hundred-plus trainees lined up according to their current class placement. Xie Tongyue stood on the platform, microphone in hand, and addressed them: “Behind me is the stage where you will be rehearsing and recording. As I said before, only the trainees from the first four classes will participate in the recording of the theme song. The forty trainees in Class F will not have the opportunity to be in the theme song.”

“There are no exceptions, no room for maneuver.”

Xie Tongyue’s words caused the trainees in the last two rows to droop their heads, while those who had secured a spot on the recording stage showed expressions of happiness and relief.

“But the Class F trainees shouldn’t lose heart, because soon, a new, final opportunity awaits all of you!” Xie Tongyue asked, “What’s the date today?”

She pointed the mic toward the trainees below. They paused for a moment and then immediately replied, “The twenty-third!”

“That’s right, today is June 23rd. The day after tomorrow, June 25th, the first episode of Star Journey will officially air on Dongjiang Satellite TV and the Dongjiang TV app at 8 PM. Voting channels will be fully activated at midnight!” Xie Tongyue announced loudly.

On camera, the expressions of the hundred-plus trainees changed instantly. Their eyes lit up, the corners of their mouths involuntarily curved into smiles, and they excitedly shook hands with the person next to them.

They were about to appear on the big screen!

“The official broadcast of the program means that the moment for true fate-defining choices is about to arrive!” Xie Tongyue said. “Remember, all your stages will be seen by the audience—in the past, now, and in the future. As long as there is one more stage, it means you have one more chance to strive upward. Never give up.”

The trainees who were about to step onto the theme song stage were nervous yet excited. In the crowd, Chi Meng glanced backward. Class F was submerged in the layers of people, and she couldn’t see Song Jiaqi.

After encouraging everyone, Xie Tongyue smiled and said, “As for right now, there’s one more thing that needs to be decided by all of you.”

The lights in the hall suddenly shut off with a ‘shua’, and a golden spotlight immediately shone down on the center of the star-shaped stage. Xie Tongyue walked casually on the platform below, smiling. “Right now, there’s an opportunity that requires some trainees to give it their all—the competition for our theme song’s Center position!”

As soon as Xie Tongyue finished speaking, many trainees’ spirits lifted, and they instinctively looked toward Class A. In Class A, Xue Weiran raised an eyebrow and smiled, Chen Zhu’s expression was calm, Ning Yuze took a deep breath… and then there was the oblivious Qi Yan, who remained expressionless.

The host’s gaze followed everyone’s to the Class A trainees. With one hand behind her back, she leaned forward and smiled, “Does anyone in Class A have any thoughts?”

Xue Weiran immediately drew out her voice, saying lazily, “Yes~”

An Ran slapped Xue Weiran on the back.

Xie Tongyue couldn’t help but laugh. She stood up and said, “Alright, our trainee Xue Weiran has never hidden her ambition—very good. Our Center trainee will naturally be selected from the nine trainees in Class A!”

“So now, please raise your hands if you wish to participate in the Center PK.”

The moment she finished, two arms shot up ‘shuashua’ below.

Xue Weiran was definitely the first. The second… Xie Tongyue’s eyes landed on Chen Zhu. Chen Zhu’s expression was calm, and she gave the host a slight smile.

019 sighed dramatically to Chi Meng, “I really wish the Host was also standing in Class A, competing for the Center position with everyone!”

Chi Meng said gently, “Wake up.”

019 sadly dropped blue fireworks.

In Class A, after Xue Weiran and Chen Zhu were the first to raise their hands, the others paused. Song Yuze stood next to Qi Yan. She looked at Qi Yan with a bit of hesitation, and Qi Yan nodded.

Worth it. Go.

Song Yuze plucked up her courage and raised her arm.

In Class B, Lin Tingxia poked Luo Guo’s back, her voice cheerful. “Go, go, go! You might get chosen if you PK, but you definitely won’t if you don’t go. Go, go, go!”

Luo Guo inhaled, hesitating. Lin Tingxia and An Kui both grabbed her hand and lifted it up.

“Go! The chance for fame and success awaits you!” Lin Tingxia shouted.

The chance to be ground into dust awaits me, Luo Guo thought. She looked at Xue Weiran, then at Chen Zhu, her lips trembling.

After these four, there was also Zhou Siyang from Yisu Entertainment, making a total of five people who raised their hands.

An Ran and Su Shao from Xinghuo Entertainment leaned over to talk to Xue Weiran, seemingly encouraging her.

Because this was the selection for the theme song Center, the PK content was a re-performance of the theme song. The participating trainees could modify and re-perform the theme song. The remaining trainees would vote anonymously, and the one with the most votes would get the Center position.

Xie Tongyue gave the five Class A trainees ten minutes to prepare. During this time, the other trainees waited below the stage. The milk tea was ready, and the trainees not participating in the PK happily went to drink it. For a moment, it was hard to tell who envied whom—the ones on the stage or the ones off it.

Chi Meng turned around and saw someone sprawled in a chair in the corner. Long legs stretched out on the floor, she held a cup of milk tea and watched lazily. Chi Meng walked over. Song Jiaqi slowly shielded the milk tea in her arms and said slowly, “No.”

Stingy.

Chi Meng stood behind Song Jiaqi, casually taking a lock of Song Jiaqi’s hair and braiding it. She deliberately sighed, “Chen Zhu is really working hard.”

Song Jiaqi’s mouth twitched.

“Why won’t someone call me Jiejie!”

Chi Meng’s tone was solemn: “Alas!”

Song Jiaqi: “…”

She slowly lifted the milk tea cup.

Chi Meng pressed her hand down and said softly, “Jiejie doesn’t drink it; Meimei (younger sister) drinks it.”

Su Mengyao walked by with her milk tea and stopped when she heard this. “Mengmeng Jiejie, you can have mine!”

She happily offered the drink to Chi Meng. Before her arm was fully extended, Song Jiaqi stood up with a ‘shua’, placing one hand on Chi Meng’s shoulder and using the other to hold the milk tea cup toward Chi Meng’s mouth. Her voice was slightly strained with gritted teeth: “Good Jiejie, drink.”

Chi Meng’s lips curved up. She pushed her hand away, patted Song Jiaqi’s shoulder, and said gently, “Jiaqi is so nice, but Jiejie is all grown up and doesn’t like milk tea. Little Jiaqi can drink it.”

Having said that, she immediately ran from Song Jiaqi toward the stage, completely ignoring the expression on the person behind her.

Su Mengyao sipped her milk tea, her big eyes curving into crescents. “I’m a little kid too, hehe.”

She turned, made a toasting gesture to Song Jiaqi, and said, “Cheers, Jiaqi Meimei!”

“I’m not wrong to call you that, am I? After all, I’m two days older than you. Oh, and congratulations on joining Meimei Chi Meng’s camp,” Su Mengyao finished, swaying her head as she walked away.

Song Jiaqi: “………………”

Slowly, slowly, she sat down, not saying a word, her dark eyes fixed on Chi Meng’s retreating figure.

Ten minutes quickly passed. The five trainees played rock-paper-scissors to decide their performance order on stage.

Luo Guo went first. Her specialty was the sweet girl concept, and her performance made the already lively and energetic theme song even sweeter. The second to perform, Zhou Siyang, didn’t sing but performed a segment of the theme song using ballet, which greatly surprised everyone, who applauded enthusiastically.

The third to go was Xue Weiran. Her comfort zone was the mezzo-low range. She completely changed the song and dance style, adding many technical moves to the choreography—complex skills that Chi Meng could never “get.” Song Yuze performed very stably without any modifications. Then it was Chen Zhu’s turn.

She looked in Xue Weiran’s direction and asked, “Should I sing Qinghai-Tibet Plateau?”

Xue Weiran was utterly confused, bewildered by the laughter around her.

Hmm, what’s the meme?

Chi Meng, sitting below the stage, laughed and looked up at Chen Zhu. Chen Zhu didn’t dance; she stood calmly on the stage and then sang the original song four pitches higher, delivering a high-note version of Star Journey that gave everyone goosebumps.

Xue Weiran: “Hiss…”

She rested her chin in her hand, looking glumly at Chen Zhu.

It seemed that high notes could impress not only the judges but also the votes in their hands. Chen Zhu smoothly won the highest number of votes.

Chi Meng stood up and applauded Chen Zhu. She sounded genuinely surprised, “How can she sing the notes that high?”

A trainee nearby asked her in surprise, “Haven’t you tried?”

“No,” Chi Meng said, touching her throat.

“You were the first in Class F to master the theme song. There are a few high notes in there. If you can sing them smoothly, maybe high notes aren’t a problem for you,” the trainee said.

“Sing Qinghai-Tibet Plateau then,” Yuan Sike, who had been standing with her that morning, suddenly suggested.

Chi Meng rubbed her chin. “Good point.”

She’d try it in an empty grove tonight. She had, after all, heard Qinghai-Tibet Plateau before.

With the Center selected, the rehearsal officially began.

Everyone was very familiar with the theme song. Standing on the stage, Chi Meng realized she couldn’t see the audience in the dark below. She wondered if Song Jiaqi was down there watching her.

If she wasn’t, Chi Meng would whisper “Meimei” ten times into Song Jiaqi’s ear when she got off the stage.

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