I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 34.2

One day, she went to her friend An Xue’s house to do homework, and the senior, whom she had only seen from afar during school assemblies, was gently sitting at the desk explaining a problem to An Xue. The up-close interaction—Senior Chi’s perfect looks, gentle personality, and soft voice—immediately struck Lü Shifei’s heart, and her eyes sparkled with the same admiration as An Xue’s.

At the time, Senior Chi was tutoring An Xue. Lü Shifei shamelessly sat in on one session and was thoroughly impressed by Senior Chi. However, she backed off when she found out the price of one of Senior Chi’s lessons. But when Senior Chi gave An Xue her personally organized study notes, she didn’t forget to have An Xue pass a copy to her as well. They had only met a few times, yet Chi Meng still remembered her!

Lü Shifei wasn’t just impressed; she was completely conquered by Chi Meng. How can there be such a perfect girl in the world!

She instantly became a loyal admirer of Chi Meng, vowing to study hard, follow in her footsteps, and get into the same university as Chi Meng to continue being her junior. When Chi Meng took the college entrance exam, she and An Xue even used a little bit of “occult practice”—going to the local top scholar’s temple to pray for Chi Meng. Knowing that Chi Meng worked part-time at An Xue’s family’s KTV, Lü Shifei and her friends secretly went to see her, only to be discovered by Chi Meng, who then filled their pockets with candy.

Ah!

How can there be!

Such a wonderful girl!

She’s so beautiful! And so hardworking! And so gentle!!

Ah—

Lü Shifei passionately communicated with her fellow admirers, and everyone unanimously praised the “Dream Gate” fandom.

Unfortunately, she lost all contact with Chi Meng after the college entrance exam. After Chi Meng quit her job at An Xue’s KTV, she disappeared, and she wasn’t at her usual part-time food stall either, as if she had vanished into the sea of humanity.

An Xue, also an active member of the Dream Gate, had been worried for the past six months about not being tutored by Chi Meng. With the final exams approaching, she had worked very hard this semester and wanted to relax before the exam, so she asked her mother to grab a few tickets for the Riverside Music Festival. She and Lü Shifei and a few other friends went to have a blast that weekend.

And what did they see?!

Chi Meng was actually on stage, singing! Dancing! And winking at them!

Ah, ah! Senior Chi Meng! Winking! At them!!

Lü Shifei almost dropped her phone at that moment. The instant they spotted Chi Meng, they forgot everything else and just screamed her name frantically. The intensity of their cheering even startled the fan groups nearby who were there to support their own idols. After the performance, those girls with cute hair accessories even tried to promote their own idols to them, saying they needed that kind of passionate cheering.

An Xue’s voice was hoarse, but she smiled faintly: “Friend, have you heard of the Dream Gate?”

Meanwhile, Lü Shifei was furiously posting videos and photos in the group chat.

“Chi Meng!”

“It’s Chi Meng! Senior Chi Meng is participating in Star’s Journey! That survival show!”

“Senior Chi Meng is on a survival show!!”

This news was like throwing a landmine into hot oil, blowing up everyone in the group chat. That night, the school’s confession wall, forum, campus groups, class groups, dorm groups… messages started pinging wildly. The animated GIF of Chi Meng winking at the camera and then lightly smiling on stage spread like wildfire.

In Dongjiang No. 1 High School, there are two types of people.

Those who know Chi Meng, and those who don’t—the latter being quite rare.

Among those who know Chi Meng, there are four types: those who openly love her, those who secretly love her, those who admire her, and those who are indifferent. Faced with the explosive fact that the school’s top student is on a survival show, students who were previously indifferent leaned back, blinked, and their fingers subconsciously clicked the link to watch.

Interest can be cultivated, right!

Campus Group: “Did Sister Meng finally have a change of heart? Decided to make a living off her looks?”

“Get lost! Sister Meng can do more than just make a living off her looks!”

“Ah… Can Mengmeng actually dance?”

“Silence the one who disrespects Sister Meng! I won’t allow anyone to fantasize about Sister Meng in front of me! Sister Meng belongs to everyone!”

“I watched the video again. A reminder to watch it on mute, or your ears will bleed. Sister Meng probably can’t dance, but she looks pretty good in the video!”

“Yup! I can finally say it! My mom is the music teacher at No. 1 High School. Sister Meng used to come to my mom for singing lessons. I don’t know how well she sings, as they practiced in the school’s music room, but Mom did mention that it was a shame Sister Meng hadn’t studied dancing. I didn’t expect Sister Meng to join a survival show!”

“Ah, ah, ah! What!! Is this really true!! Does my Meng no longer belong to me?!”

[Mengmengmengmengmeng was kicked out of the group chat]

“Why would Sister Meng go on a survival show?”

“I thought I was already used to Sister Meng’s various sudden identities, but I never expected this move after her strange assortment of part-time jobs like grilling skewers at a BBQ stall, working as a KTV server, being a food delivery rider, and more!”

“Hahaha, Sister Meng: I’m just having fun~”

“Sister Meng: Got good grades, can afford to slack off~”

“Junior, do you have any more news? I really want to know how well Sister Meng sings! The video recorded at the music festival is too messy, I can’t hear Sister Meng sing at all!”

“I really don’t know, but the show starts tomorrow! We’ll find out then!”

“I watched the video ten times! Sister Meng is so beautiful! She’s even prettier after not seeing her for a few months! The girls on her left and right are also very good-looking. And the girl on her left is not only pretty but also dances very well.”

“What, you want to switch loyalties?”

“What, you want to switch loyalties?”

“Trembling! Absolutely not! My heart and my votes still belong to Sister Meng!”

“That’s right! I’m telling you, survival shows are intense battles where you fight for yourself, and everyone knows what the entertainment industry is like. Artists who seem friendly on the surface fight fiercely for resources in private! Senior Chi Meng doesn’t have an agency; she only has us! We must wholeheartedly support Sister Meng!”

“Support Sister Meng!”

Chi Meng “plopped” down on Song Jiaqi. “Jiaqi, practice with me for a little longer, please.”

Song Jiaqi nearly spat blood and yelled, “Get off me! You’re all sweaty!”

“Then teach me this move. I can’t get it right, sob.” Chi Meng hugged Song Jiaqi’s waist. Song Jiaqi struggled to crawl on the floor, finally collapsing powerlessly and extending a hand for help to Chen Zhu.

At the front of the classroom, Chen Zhu was discussing the lyrics with other team members. She glanced through the crowd at the two people sprawled on the floor, pretending not to see them and looking away.

Song Jiaqi: I know you saw us!

“Let’s end the practice here for today. See you tomorrow morning,” Chen Zhu paused and asked gently, “Is the time Little Meng—I mean, Sister Meng—suggested okay with everyone?”

The Ren Xing trainees nodded first, and the others had no objections. They agreed to meet at six o’clock.

After the others left, Chen Zhu walked over and sat down in front of the two exhausted people, asking, “Are you guys heading back?”

Before Song Jiaqi could open her mouth, Chen Zhu suddenly said, “If you’re not going back, then practice a bit longer. Which part is Sister Meng having trouble with?”

Chi Meng laughed and climbed off Song Jiaqi, tossing her hair behind her back. After returning from the music festival, she started practicing the new dance. With no prior dance foundation, she was the primary focus of instruction for the team.

“I was just joking with Jiaqi. You guys go back and rest. I’ll practice for a bit longer,” Chi Meng said. She was always energetic and didn’t want the others to stay up late with her.

Chen Zhu looked at Chi Meng.

Chi Meng hadn’t rested much all night. Her clothes were soaked with sweat, and her face was flushed from the intense exercise. A film of sweat covered her forehead.

“It’s fine, I’ll watch you so you don’t develop bad habits,” Chen Zhu said.

Chi Meng curled up the corners of her mouth and said, “I have unique techniques, don’t worry! Captain Xiangxiang, quickly take this Jiaqi away, she’s about to collapse.”

Beside them, Song Jiaqi lay splayed out on the floor. Hearing this, she snorted coldly. She would learn the dance and the song to avoid dragging others down, but she didn’t want to appear on camera. Every time she tried to hide from the camera to practice, someone would pop up beside her, and the camera in the corner would quietly turn toward her.

It’s impossible to guard against.

Chi Meng reached out, pinched Song Jiaqi’s leg, and said, “Go take a hot bath, hurry up.”

Song Jiaqi slowly sat up and looked at Chi Meng. She pursed her lips, wanting to say something. Outside the door, Hua Xiaowei returned, carrying food, with Yuan Sike following behind her.

She looked slightly surprised at the three people chatting on the floor, then smiled shyly and whispered, “I just remembered one move wasn’t quite right, so I came back to practice a bit more.”

“Aren’t you guys heading back?”

Chen Zhu said they were leaving soon.

“Yeah, the cafeteria still has food now. If we go any later, it’ll all be gone,” Hua Xiaowei said seriously.

The three people sitting on the floor froze. Even Chi Meng, who wasn’t worried about gaining weight, felt like eating after practicing for so long. She looked at Hua Xiaowei’s bag, which contained two ears of corn and two boiled eggs.

Slightly less than Su Mengyao, who can eat three eggs!

“Then we’ll head back first,” Chen Zhu stood up and pulled Song Jiaqi up with her, saying, “Since Xiaowei is here, you can help keep an eye on Chi Meng’s moves.”

Hua Xiaowei nodded. She told Yuan Sike, “Thank you for walking me back. You and the Captain can go back. Chi Meng and I will go back to the dorm together.”

Yuan Sike was stunned. That’s Chi Meng!

Hua Xiaowei clenched her fist, indicating she was up for the task!

“Fine,” Yuan Sike waved her hand, put her hands in her pockets, and sleepily followed behind Chen Zhu.

Song Jiaqi walked to the doorway and looked back at the two people sitting in the room. Hua Xiaowei was sharing food with Chi Meng. Thinking of this performance and the upcoming elimination, Song Jiaqi’s eyes darkened slightly. She licked her lips, leaned against the door, and said to Chi Meng, “Hey.”

Chi Meng took a boiled egg without looking up and said, “Call me ‘Jie-jie’ (older sister).”

Song Jiaqi clicked her tongue and, using her naturally languid voice, called out, “Good Jie-jie.”

The voice was pleasant, but Chi Meng could hear a hint of sarcasm in it.

“The first public performance is coming up soon. How about we make a new bet?” she said.

Chi Meng listened attentively.

“For the first public performance stage, let’s bet on who gets more votes, how about that?”

Chi Meng slowly peeled the egg, raised an eyebrow, and said softly, “You still haven’t given up, have you?”

Song Jiaqi stood in the doorway. The night outside the corridor framed a long background, and the corridor lights dimmed. She stood at the junction of light and shadow, her eyes fixed on Chi Meng, bathed in the light spilling from the room.

“Alright,” Chi Meng chuckled softly, “Since I’m the older sister now, the older sister accepts.”

Song Jiaqi curved her lips and turned to leave.

The corridor light snapped on, illuminating the path in front of and behind her.

Song Jiaqi: Hmph~

[Thank you all! Love you all! Kisses, kisses, kisses]

Chancun Qu – Farewell to Spring by Guan Yunshi

Ask where the spring lord goes, to the end of the world, A cuckoo cries in the sunset, flowing water and peach blossoms. Faint distant mountains, lush green grass, Dimly lingering twilight clouds. The willow catkins drift to that place with the wind, The gossamer threads drift to whose house. Weary of playing the pipa, a person leans by the swing, The moon shines through the window screen.

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