I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 35.2

After the others finished eating, they stood up to stretch. Chi Meng, who had a normal appetite but ate quickly, also put down her chopsticks. After a quick tidy-up, she went to the side to practice singing with Shen Zhu. Finally, Hua Xiaowei, living up to expectations, happily cleaned up the ‘battlefield’ and skipped off to throw away the trash while humming a little tune.

With Chi Meng around, break time was singing practice time. Half an hour later, everyone stood up and started dancing practice. At 7:30 PM, they grabbed their backpacks and rushed to the dorms for a ‘combat shower.’ After quickly blow-drying their hair until it was semi-dry, they rushed to the Mingde Building Auditorium. Almost everyone else was already there. Chi Meng, who had only applied toner and lotion, walked in and noticed that the other trainees were all wearing makeup. The show’s directors, writers, and other staff were sitting in the back, and over a dozen cameramen were scattered around, filming.

It turned out tonight was a normal filming session.

Chi Meng was slightly surprised. She smiled and went to the back to sit down with her backpack. Soon after, Song Jiaqi arrived, wearing a baseball cap and striding towards the back, sitting next to Chi Meng. She looked at Chi Meng’s backpack with confusion.

“Clean clothes,” Chi Meng whispered. “Of course we’re going to keep training after watching the show. Didn’t I ask you?”

Song Jiaqi’s lips twitched. She hugged her arms and slumped into the chair.

The seats in the Mingde Building Small Auditorium were very soft and comfortable. The auditorium’s interior design resembled a cinema, and the large screen at the front was playing a commercial for Dongjiang TV.

Xie Tongyue walked in from the door, smiling, to host. She was going to watch the show with everyone. With her came a brand mascot wearing a toy suit—the costume representing the flavor of the snacks—from a certain brand. The mascot was pushing a small cart full of branded snacks.

The trainees, who were full and satisfied, saw the snacks and their eyes turned red. Potato chips!!

“Good evening, ‘Star Makers’ in front of your screens. Watch Star Journey, eat Kě’àimī (Cute-Me), and be the cutest you. This is the large-scale female survival variety show, Star Journey, sponsored by Kě’àimī,” Xie Tongyue hosted fluently. The projected screen behind her showed it was five minutes until eight. She smiled and said, “Tonight, I will be watching our first episode with all the trainees, while eating Kě’àimī! Everyone, don’t be shy! Come and choose your favorite flavors!”

The mascots representing various flavors happily jumped and bounced beside her, beckoning everyone to come and grab snacks.

The trainees stared, gulping. Is it… is it really okay?

Xie Tongyue smiled and nodded. The trainees’ eyes lit up, and they rushed forward, cheering. An Kui instantly pinned down Lin Tingxia, laughing maniacally. “Anyone can, but you can’t! Who told you to gnaw on a bun for dinner! You won’t get a single bite!”

An Kui: “Ha! Retribution!”

Lin Tingxia wailed dramatically: “No—”

In the last two rows, two mature souls sat quietly side by side, perfectly still. Chi Meng rested her hand on her cheek, looking slightly lazy, her gaze calmly fixed on the commercial on the large screen.

The moment the Kě’àimī commercial appeared, sound came from the speakers.

“Fragrant and crispy, hot and spicy, fresh lemon, sizzling BBQ… Eat Kě’àimī, be the cutest you~”

The commercial ended, the screen went dark, and the vast universe appeared, mysteriously silent.

Suddenly, a star came from nowhere, rapidly traversing the endless Milky Way, passing through colorful nebulae, and rushing towards a blue planet. It was bright and scorching, its light dazzling as it streaked across Chi Meng’s pupils, igniting the indifference in her eyes.

The auditorium had fallen completely silent at some point. One hundred and twenty-six trainees looked up, their eyes reflecting the sky full of stars.

The star, blazing with fire, pierced the atmosphere, shattering the thick clouds, and with a “bang,” landed in the Dongjiang TV building.

“Snap.”

A project proposal document, printed with the three words Star Journey, appeared on screen. A beautiful hand stroked the black typeface. The hand placed the proposal on the table, and Xie Tongyue’s voice came from the background. The camera suddenly tilted up, revealing Xie Tongyue’s face.

“It’s Sister Tongyue!” the trainees said excitedly.

Xie Tongyue, sitting in the middle of the front row, waved her hand and smiled. The trainees around her felt a strange sense of wonder. They were used to seeing mentors like Xie Tongyue and Teng Jia lately, but before joining the show, they had barely met any celebrities, let alone sitting with Xie Tongyue to watch the show now.

Many were taken back to the time of the initial stage performance, recalling their nervous and uneasy feelings.

In the neat conference room, Xie Tongyue smiled and chatted with the director of Star Journey. She said happily, “This project is very interesting. Witnessing the birth of tomorrow’s star in person must be a wonderful experience. Thank you, Sister Cen, for the invitation. I’ll take this task!”

The director stood up and shook hands with Xie Tongyue.

The camera shifted, and the screen split into two. On the left, two young girls sat primly behind a table.

In the seats, one trainee tightly covered her mouth, and the person next to her gave her a strong nudge.

Look, it’s us!

A staff member, whose hands were the only part visible, held the trainee’s resume and asked with a smile, “Do you want to debut?”

In an instant, the screen split from two to four, and the enormous screen was divided into several blocks. In different environments, trainees in various clothes nervously and shyly faced the camera.

The screen dimmed, and white text appeared.

“Do you want to debut?”

“Yes.”

“I want to debut.”

“Very much.”

“I want it so badly.”

Faces flashed quickly, either crying, laughing, excited, or full of longing.

They all said: “Yes.”

Chi Meng’s expression subtly changed. She looked at the trainees in the front rows. 126 people filled ten rows, while she, Song Jiaqi, and five other trainees were sparsely seated in the eleventh row.

In the dimly lit auditorium, she saw someone quietly raise a hand to wipe their face.

“Actually…” Chi Meng leaned towards Song Jiaqi, pursed her lips, and said, “I didn’t go through this segment.”

Song Jiaqi whispered, “Me neither.”

They looked at each other.

“My background is strong?” Song Jiaqi suggested after thinking for a moment.

Chi Meng froze. Then what about her?

The show continued on the big screen. Whenever a specific trainee or group of trainees appeared in an interview segment, the trainee herself, sitting quietly, would shyly and happily curl the corners of her mouth, while the surrounding trainees looked on with envy.

Xie Tongyue’s gentle voice emerged from the speakers: “Harboring the same dream, they gather here. Every simple little star has a dream of shining. They want to go to higher and farther places.”

“Dreams don’t die; the flame passes on. I am willing to accompany them on this short journey, watching them run forward. Welcome, trainees.”

“Welcome to: Star Journey”

Amidst elegant violin music, the big screen showed a clear blue sky, and the date appeared in the bottom left corner.

June 17, XX Year

In a long shot, a black nanny van drove along a wide road, entered the Dongjiang TV station, and stopped at the entrance.

The nanny van door opened, and Teng Jia, in a white shirt and jeans, jumped out. The screen paused, and Teng Jia’s relevant information immediately appeared. Afterward, the other mentors who were now very familiar to the trainees appeared one by one. This was a perspective the trainees had not seen; they watched the show with the curiosity of ordinary viewers.

The scene shifted indoors. The mentors, who had their makeup done, greeted each other and sat behind a long table, facing many screens.

The director, unseen by the camera, laughed and said, “Our trainees are about to make their entrance. Come on, bring the mentors their files!”

At Cen Hongjie’s command, staff members ran forward with thick stacks of paper resumes, placing one stack in front of each mentor.

“So many?” Teng Jia exclaimed. “Are they all physical copies?”

A Meng, who was older, said gently, “To accommodate us seniors.”

The mentors chuckled. As the mentors flipped through the resumes, the camera once again turned to the entrance of the Dongjiang TV station. In fast-forwarded footage, cars drove into the Dongjiang TV station parking lot. Different girls jumped out of different cars. Their common traits were youth and politeness. After signing in, they followed the staff cautiously toward the resting area.

After a while, the camera slowed down, and the sound of a bicycle bell rang out. A light-yellow bicycle appeared on the screen.

Chi Meng was stunned. Were they filming at this time?

The cameraman, who was recording footage in the security office, had the camera on their shoulder but didn’t lift the lens. The owner of the bicycle did not show her face the entire time. She simply locked her bike in the shed and walked quietly inside.

Shortly after she left, another black nanny van drove into the parking lot. The cameraman focused on this car. The seated trainees expressed surprise. For no other reason than—that nanny van looked very high-end!

Very expensive!

“Please sign here,” the staff member’s gentle voice reached everyone’s ears. Everyone seemed to be taken back to that moment, and they couldn’t help but smile, watching their now-familiar trainee companions being led to the resting rooms.

“This is your practice room, 2108.”

On the screen, the girl with the backpack thanked the staff member gently and walked in.

Just then, footsteps came from the corridor in the same direction. A clear and cold face, magnified by the camera, held a unique beauty. The girl, who looked very aloof when she wasn’t smiling, led the way, followed by four others, striding forward.

Although they had already seen Ren Xing’s stage performance, they didn’t expect the camera to show such an impressive aura from the moment they entered the resting room. The trainees watching the show secretly gasped and instinctively turned their heads to look for the Ren Xing trainees.

Chi Meng’s gaze fell on the last girl.

That person was wearing a familiar baseball cap, the black brim covering most of her face. From the camera’s angle, her beautiful lower face should have been visible, but she was also wearing a black mask, completely concealing it.

The five people passed the door of 2108. Inside 2108, the trainee whose face could not be clearly seen paused and reached out to close the door. Outside the door, the girl with the cap slightly raised her head. Her eyes, filled with shadows, were pitch black. Her gaze flowed, then retracted from the door of 2108.

They followed the staff member into the practice room next door. The five people bowed to the staff member in thanks.

As the five people on the screen stood up, in a certain row of the auditorium outside the screen, Chi Meng suddenly smiled.

She did not turn around or look at Song Jiaqi. Her hand, which was supporting her cheek, rested on the armrest. She opened her palm upwards and said with a light chuckle to the front, “A pleasure to meet you, 2109.”

Beside her, a certain 2109 trainee reached out and gently slapped Chi Meng’s open palm.

“A pleasure.”

(Popping out) It’s been a long, long time since I’ve seen Qianshui (Shallow Water)! (Slurp) (Eyes turn into hearts) (Heartbeat racing) Heart sign!! Thank you, thank you! There will be an extra chapter! The extra chapter will be added when the ‘Overlord Ticket’ reaches a hundred, just like before! But I’m super hungry right now and can’t type anymore! I’ll write it when I wake up tomorrow! I’ll write like crazy! Thank you to all the darlings who follow, feed, and water with lightning bolts and nutrient solutions! Love you all, see you tomorrow! Kiss kiss~

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