I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 37.1

“My Meng-jie!!!”

The girl in the show, wearing a smile, walked past the gazing trainees to the F-class 99 seat and sat down. The camera lingered on her face for a moment, then turned towards the aisle as the next group of trainees took the stage and greeted everyone.

More and more trainees walked into the hall, picking seats and settling down.

When trainees from companies like Le Hai An Xing Huo and other major companies appeared, the trainees in the hall reacted strongly, and the show’s live comments (danmu) were equally enthusiastic, especially when the mentors introduced the companies’ famous artists—that’s when the comments section hit a small climax.

When the show began and the group led by the cool, aloof-looking girl with an incredibly strong aura appeared shortly after, not only fans who came for Xie Tongyue , but many casual viewers couldn’t help but exclaim: “It’s Ren Xing !”

The incredibly rich and famous entertainment company! The posters of their famous artists spanned three pages. It was rumored that the entertainment company was just one of the Ren Xing chairman’s family’s businesses, possessing an enormous amount of resources.

Everyone had high expectations for the performance stage of the trainees selected by Ren Xing.

The camera slowly swept over the five Ren Xing trainees, one by one, intentionally zooming in to showcase their faces. When the lens fell on the last one, the audience, who had already been visually stunned several times today, froze again.

In the auditorium, Chi Meng, sitting in the back, heard a displeased “Tsk.” She rested her chin on her hand, looking at the woman on the video who was as dangerously aloof as a poppy flower, and curved her lips.

“Qiqi, so beautiful,” she whispered softly.

Song Jiaqi’s sharp gaze slowly moved away from the large screen and settled on the girl next to her. Chi Meng crossed her legs and leaned into the chair, giving her a fleeting glance before turning back to the person on the big screen, as if the two people inside and outside the frame were different.

“…” Song Jiaqi stared at Chi Meng’s profile. Seeing that she really didn’t intend to turn her head, her lips pressed slightly, adopting the same cold expression as the person on the screen.

In the program, the five Ren Xing trainees walked towards the pyramid of seats. Whispers of conversation came from all directions, captured by the cameras and microphones, praising the beauty of the Ren Xing trainees. There were also trainees who felt threatened and sincerely expressed their worry about competing with them during their one-on-one interviews.

They shyly sat on the stage. One or two bolder ones cautiously greeted the Ren Xing trainees, but most people just watched from afar.

Someone’s gesturing in the crowd made them stand out.

The No. 99 trainee pointed at the empty seat next to her. The cold girl, who was almost too intimidating to look at, nodded slightly. The audience watching the show widened their eyes. In the auditorium, trainees who hadn’t noticed this were also surprised.

Did Chi Meng and Song Jiaqi know each other before?

As if to answer everyone’s unspoken question, the screen continued. The aloof girl sat down next to Chi Meng. The camera deliberately pulled back, including Chen Zhu next to them in the shot.

The three beautiful girls appeared in the frame simultaneously, looking forward.

A small gasp could be heard in the auditorium.

These three faces were truly… endlessly captivating!

Chen Zhu, however, was a little surprised and whispered, “I’m in it too.”

Song Yingjun next to her looked over with an expression that said, “Wake up.”

“Hi, we meet again.”

A gentle, pleasant voice came from the speakers. The surrounding chatter faded into the background. In the shot, Chi Meng, with her ponytail, spoke first. Across from her, the trainee who had looked cold and kept her head bowed for most of her appearance now had a slight curve to her lips. Her smile didn’t feel warm; instead, it had a more dangerous, mysterious quality, like a thorn-covered vine secretly forming a trap in the dead of night, just waiting for the prey to enter.

Chi Meng was that prey who willingly stepped into the trap. Her smile was like spring sunshine, consistently gentle. When speaking to someone, she would look them in the eye with a focused, deep affection. At this moment, she used that gaze on Song Jiaqi and said gently: “Individual trainee, Chi Meng. The ‘Chi’ from ‘Chi Shang Qing Lian Yu’ a lotus pond temple), the ‘Meng’ from ‘Meng Li Gu Yuan Qiu’ a dream of an autumn hometown).”

“Ren Xing, Song Jiaqi,” Song Jiaqi’s voice was very low, almost overpowered by the background noise, but the show’s post-production had a stubborn insistence on making sure the audience heard every word.

“The ‘Jiaqi’ from ‘Rou Qing Si Shui, Jia Qi Ru Meng  tenderness like water, a good time like a dream).”

The two pairs of eyes—with different temperaments and varying depths of smile—met. In the silence, someone in a row of seats in the auditorium made a strange sound.

Wei Xin , who was also in Team 12, looked at Lin Xueyang  in surprise and asked with concern, “Xueyang, is your throat bothering you?”

“I’m fine!” Lin Xueyang sucked in a breath, forcefully suppressing a scream, a mysterious smile plastered on her face.

The trainee next to them was more concerned: “Are you really okay? From the sound you just made, I thought you ate a raw chicken this afternoon.”

Lin Xueyang: “…”

Wei Xin: “Huh?”

“…You guys wouldn’t understand! Don’t talk to me!” Lin Xueyang’s expression went from shyness to anger. Don’t interrupt her while she’s having her ship!

Sitting together were the more playful trainees. Lin Tingxia  turned her head with a crunching sound and asked An Kui  “Isn’t the ‘Chi’ from ‘Xiao He Cai Lu Jian Jian Jiao’ a young lotus bud just emerging)?”

An Kui ruffled her head indiscriminately. “Yes, yes.”

“Alright, alright, it’s all the same.”

Lin Tingxia’s big eyes were wide and round. Is it the same?

“Ahhh, who understands this! This is completely different!”

“Since ancient times, idol selection shows breed jiqing (close female affection/shipping)! The show just started, and they’re force-feeding me fan service already? I haven’t even decided if I want to eat yet!”

“I’ll eat! I’ll eat it! I’ll eat whatever food I get! Shove it in!”

“What are they saying? I don’t understand. Food?”

“There are too many pretty girls in ‘Star Journey’! All four major entertainment companies sent trainees! Just by looks, I have so many trainees I want to ‘adopt’! Xing Huo’s Xue Weirang , An Ran , Yuan Sike Qingniao Menghe’s Liu Yuexin , Rong Qian  Le Hai An’s Du Bi , Yuan Yixin . The four cute kids who just appeared are also good, and Ren Xing! I’m totally into Ren Xing’s Chen Zhu and that super cold baby! I absolutely love the cool, aloof type of girl!”

“Chi Meng! Chi Meng! Chi Meng!”

“The production team seems to really like Chi Meng! Even the major company trainees didn’t have that intentionally manufactured sense of mystery when they appeared. The moment she walked out of the aisle, it was love at first sight, wasn’t it?! She amazed me more than the major company trainees who came after!”

“Does she have a very strong backing?”

“Chi Meng is an individual trainee. Could she be the daughter of some big boss? Suspicious.jpg”

“The daughter of the Dongjiang TV station director? Hahahaha!”

“I can’t love them all! I simply can’t choose! Who is going to be my favorite girl in the end!”

“Don’t rush yet. The trainees have just appeared. We still need to watch the stage performances later. If they only look good but can’t sing or dance, I won’t pick them.”

“Right, it’s an idol show. I like the ones with strong skills.”

“Hehe, I just look at faces. Pretty sister, a peck! Silly sister, two pecks!”

“A beautiful failure? Hahaha”

“Silly sister will obediently lie in my arms and get kisses~”

As the show progressed, real-time comments and reviews grew in number. Not long after all the trainees had taken the stage, the mentors entered. As established artists, their performance was like completely taking over the stage, leaving the audience very satisfied. The trainees, who had seen it live and were now watching it again on screen, were doubly satisfied.

To create a movie-watching atmosphere, the lights in the auditorium were off. Chi Meng, sitting in the back, rested her chin on her hand. A few rays of light pierced the crowd, gently falling on her brows and eyes. Compared to the warmly smiling trainee on the screen, the quietly sitting Chi Meng looked calm and indifferent, as if she had been infected by the person next to her. When a staff member walked by, they looked at her with some surprise.

The training must be too tiring, the staff member thought. Chi Meng’s reputation as a hard worker had spread throughout the training camp. Her dedication was completely genuine. The director saw it, and for a trainee who was beautiful, had a special vocal quality, and worked so hard it was heartbreaking, there wouldn’t be a problem with normal editing later. However, the director still chose to subtly give her a boost.

To let her fly more steadily.

“Xiao Meng, these are for you,” the staff member whispered, handing a few bags of chips to Chi Meng and Song Jiaqi separately.

Chi Meng snapped out of her thoughts, instinctively curved her lips, and said in a low voice, “Thank you, Sister Lu.”

But why were they being given snacks?

“When the camera comes over in a bit, take a few bites, okay?” Sister Lu said, patting Chi Meng’s shoulder. This was a task the sponsor daddy just messaged me about!

Chi Meng and Song Jiaqi: “…”

“Okay.”

“Let me get you two more bottles of milk,” Sister Lu said, unable to stop her care after seeing Chi Meng’s earlier expression.

Chi Meng quickly stopped her, smiling and saying, “I’ll go myself, thank you, Sister Lu, please go on with your work.”

Smiling, she piled the bags of chips into Song Jiaqi’s arms, then quietly got up to fetch drinks from the snack rack not far away. Just then, a cameraman approached, the lens shifting towards Song Jiaqi, ready for a close-up. Song Jiaqi glanced at it, casually grabbed a bag of ‘Cute Mimi’ chips, and pressed it against her face.

Shoot away.

Shoot however you want.

Cameraman: “…”

Director!

The director, however, was blissfully unaware and beyond reach.

When Chi Meng returned with two bottles of milk with the labels torn off, Song Jiaqi had stacked the chips into a small mountain around herself. The cameraman beside her was shooting and laughing, looking like he wasn’t going to leave anytime soon.

“What are you doing?” Chi Meng burst out laughing, taking the bag of chips from the top of Song Jiaqi’s head and tearing it open.

Song Jiaqi slowly lowered her hands, turning her head towards Chi Meng with a stern face, only giving the camera a small portion of her profile. The bag of chips she had pressed to her face fell into her lap. Chi Meng caught it, handed the opened chips to Song Jiaqi, and then opened the bag she’d salvaged from Song Jiaqi’s lap to eat.

The cameraman filmed with a grin, finally leaving satisfied only after capturing the shot of the two of them eating simultaneously.

Song Jiaqi squinted at the cameraman’s retreating back and gave a soft hmph. Chi Meng’s eyes curved into crescent moons. She pulled out a chip and offered it to Song Jiaqi’s mouth. “I didn’t expect this—”

She glanced at the bag. “—Fresh Cucumber-flavored chip to be quite tasty. It tastes very much like cucumber.”

“What about yours?”

Song Jiaqi bit the chip Chi Meng offered and turned her bag towards Chi Meng. Chi Meng reached in to grab a chip, and when she looked up, the cameraman, who knows when, had returned and was aiming his camera at them again.

Chi Meng gave a brilliant smile at the camera, saying, “A-woo” as she put the chip in her mouth.

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