I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 41.2

“‘Silence’ has a high note section. Team Four’s main C is definitely Song Yuze. An Kui… I don’t think An Kui is suitable for ‘Silence,'” Yuan Yixin discussed with Yuan Sike. “On selection day, An Kui avoided choosing ‘A Flower Has Bloomed’ to dodge Luo Guo, but I didn’t expect her to choose ‘Silence.'”

As Team One reached the holding area, they suddenly heard a clear, melodious high note. The voice was unfamiliar but incredibly beautiful.

Chi Meng paused, surprised: “Mengyao?”

The C-position for Team Ten was actually Su Mengyao?

Surprise was visible on the faces of Team One’s members. The ‘Pretty Goat’? The ‘Pretty Goat’ with the difficult song choice was the C-position?!

Unable to hide their astonishment, they sneaked over to peek at the stage. Who else but Su Mengyao was standing in the center of the formation?

“Mengyao is that good!” Chi Meng said in surprise. Just then, she heard a fleeting, sarcastic snicker, as if she’d imagined it.

Chi Meng turned to look at Song Jiaqi. The girl with her long hair tied up leaned against the wall, the shadow of a nearby machine falling across her. Half of her face was hidden in the shadow, and from Chi Meng’s angle, she could only see the corner of her lips hooked up in a slight curve.

The others crowded near the stage were still exclaiming in amazement: “I can’t believe Su Mengyao is so strong!”

“She didn’t miss the note. She must have put in a lot of work.”

“I never would have guessed. How did An Kui discover that Su Mengyao could sing high notes? Is she also like Weiwei, almost a campus legend whose talent was discovered?”

“Although Weiwei’s pitch is high, it’s not sustained!”

Hua Xiaowei: “…”

Please be polite!

“But Su Mengyao’s stage presence is too strong, those little expressions, they’re captivating!”

“She is the camp’s well-known actress, after all. The ‘acting’ comes out whenever needed.”

As the group muttered, Chen Zhu, unable to stand it, dragged them back, only to find two people missing. They soon spotted the two wanderers leaning nearby, with Chi Meng smiling and talking to Song Jiaqi.

“Ready to blow up the stage?” Chi Meng asked softly.

Song Jiaqi’s expression was unreadable. Just then, Team Ten’s performance ended, and the cheers were intense. Many were shouting the names of Team Ten’s trainees, with Su Mengyao’s name standing out.

But the moment the called-upon Su Mengyao stepped off the stage, her legs gave way, and tears immediately poured down her face.

“Wuwu, I—I didn’t sing the wrong note, did I?” Su Mengyao cried loudly. “I’m so scared!!”

Team One, waiting to go on, and Team Ten, coming off, immediately comforted her. An Kui, walking behind Su Mengyao, had extremely bright eyes. She hugged Su Mengyao tightly and exclaimed, “No! You were super strong! You didn’t waste the special training I gave you!”

Su Mengyao felt her heart relax and cried even louder. Through her blurry tears, she spotted Chi Meng smiling at her from a distance and immediately jogged over, opening her arms for a hug. “Wah! Sister Meng Meng!”

Chi Meng chuckled: “You’re amazing, Mengyao. I didn’t realize you were so good at singing. Looks like I was too lenient during the theme song training.”

Su Mengyao’s theme song assessment score was only a D.

“No, I wasn’t,” Su Mengyao sobbed, afraid of wiping her tears on Chi Meng. She sniffled and straightened up, her eyes still sparkling with tears, then suddenly flashed a big smile at Chi Meng. “Hehe.”

Chi Meng was amused by her rapidly shifting emotions and reached out to pinch both sides of Su Mengyao’s face.

“Actually, I just absorbed some of the elder sister’s immortal aura,” Su Mengyao wiped her tears. “I kissed the elder sister many times.”

She said shyly.

Chi Meng: “…Shoo.”

Hearing this, Chi Meng instantly remembered the earlier incident, and her smile faltered. She glanced at Song Jiaqi and then waved her hand, seemingly in mock exasperation, shooing Su Mengyao away.

Su Mengyao giggled and ran off to find her teammates, bouncing happily and turning back to blow Chi Meng a kiss.

The surroundings suddenly quieted. Amidst the nearby hustle, Song Yuze’s singing drifted from the stage, long and melodious. Chi Meng looked up, as if following the song, but her peripheral vision rested on Song Jiaqi.

Song Jiaqi, who hadn’t said a word since they arrived at the holding area, had a placid, almost lonely expression. Chi Meng raised her hand, afraid of smudging Song Jiaqi’s makeup, and instead gently pinched a strand of Song Jiaqi’s dark hair that hung down, letting it slide onto her shoulder.

“What’s wrong? Are you nervous?” she asked softly.

“I’m thinking about something,” Song Jiaqi showed a tranquil smile. The song, less than four minutes long, had already ended. Amidst the audience’s applause, Team Ten returned to the stage.

Chi Meng felt that Song Jiaqi’s question was somehow important. She stared intently at Song Jiaqi until the girl in front of her straightened up and softly asked, “Can destiny be broken?”

Chi Meng was about to speak when she suddenly heard the excited screams of Team Ten from the stage. In that instant, Song Jiaqi’s expression turned cold, all emotion vanishing without a trace.

“Let’s go,” she said, walking past Chi Meng. “It’s time for us to go on stage.”

The stage lights cast a shallow layer of light, illuminating Song Jiaqi’s straight back. But Chi Meng inexplicably felt a sense of impending collapse, a kind of fatigue. She frowned and walked behind Song Jiaqi.

Chen Zhu turned her head, quickly counting heads. On stage, as Xie Tongyue announced, “Please welcome the two teams performing ‘In the West Wind’,” Chen Zhu quietly said, “Go!”

The stage was more important. Chi Meng instantly contained her emotions, put on a beautiful smile, but as she walked forward, she grasped Song Jiaqi’s wrist.

The girl in front didn’t look back, nor did she shake off her hand.

Cheers, applause—the stage welcomed them once more, and this time, the calls belonged to them.

“Chen Zhu, I love you!!”

“Chen Zhu!!”

“Chi Meng—”

“Senior Chi Meng!!”

019 waved a light stick: “Host is super strong!”

019 set off fireworks: “Host is the best!”

Amidst the many calls, Chi Meng raised Song Jiaqi’s hand, responding to all directions. Amongst the countless voices, she heard a cry of “Song Jiaqi.” Chi Meng subconsciously looked towards the source of the sound, smiling as she said, “So many people like us!”

Song Jiaqi’s eyelashes lifted slightly. Her eyes inadvertently met those of an excited fan in the audience. The girl, holding a light stick for another trainee, froze, staring blankly at Song Jiaqi’s face. Before she could react, Song Jiaqi’s gaze had already moved away.

“Mhm.”

“Now, let’s enjoy the song ‘In the West Wind,’ performed by the ‘Fragrant, Truly Fragrant’ Team,” Xie Tongyue said, leaving the stage to Team One and retreating with Team Five.

Chi Meng squeezed Song Jiaqi’s hand lightly, then let go as the lights dimmed, quickly joining the others to assume their formation. Now, the entire stage was pitch black. Only the glow of the fan support lights shone like stars and candles in the audience. She saw her name glowing in the darkness.

The sound of a xiao (flute) was cold and clear. The stage instantly lit up. Amidst the audience’s screams, the graceful sound of a qin (zither) immediately pulled everyone into the Chinese-style music.

The seven songs chosen by the production team covered ancient and modern themes from both China and abroad. Team One wore Chinese-style stage outfits that Chen Zhu had arranged with her manager to have custom-made. Unlike the distinctly ancient look of their initial stage, today’s costumes were more fashionable. White gauze printed with ink characters varied in length, sewn either around the outer edge of the skirt or on the upper body, or draped behind the legs, flying like snow with every movement.

The opening dance of the nine people on stage was varied, yet it maintained a unified rhythm overall. The qin music accelerated, the backing track began, and Chi Meng smiled as she moved to the center. Her fan swished open, and the moment she raised the mic, her clear voice instantly echoed throughout the stadium.

“Ask where is the edge of the world, flowing water, fallen petals, distant mountains hiding the residual sunset glow. The mountains outside the pavilion are like a painting, drunkenly lying in the dream tavern.”

The pure, unadulterated voice was like heavy rain, hitting the ears, sending shivers down one’s spine, and raising goosebumps instantly. In the camera shot, a girl in a red dress leaned back, raising a wine pot high. The clear liquid fell onto her rosy lips. Half-drunk and half-awake, she lazily lifted her eyes. Her cheeks, as if flushed by wine, were like the break of spring dawn, even the tip of her nose tinged with red.

Only those eyes were black as night, deep as mist, peering through the lens and into the eyes of many.

The live stream’s bullet screen paused, then instantly exploded.

Is that… Song Jiaqi?!

Chi Meng had a clean and sharp opening, and the main C, Chen Zhu, immediately followed. The nine people’s dance was synchronized, moving with the song. The choreography for “In the West Wind” also included fans, but after seeing the original choreo, Chen Zhu changed two people to use xiao (flutes) and one person to use a wine pot.

The wine pot was the red-clad Song Jiaqi, and the two holding xiao were the rappers, Yuan Sike and Song Yingjun.

“High Note Non-negotiable Yuan Sike’s” voice was light and clear. Under her high ponytail, her gaze was sharp. The short xiao spun between her fingers as she danced and sang: “Fame, glory, spring and autumn hegemony, a lord of ten thousand households in the world. I fish on the snowy waters of the misty waves, proudly looking down on the noble Wang and Xie families. I hate the surname Wang, enraged at the broken tiles piled up in the Liubei Pavilion. Who is sighing over the prosperity, the singing and dancing dreams unaware of the wind.”

“Ancient and modern, never ceasing.”

The main dancer, Hua Xiaowei, and Song Jiaqi were on the left and right, one in pink, one in red. The wine pot in Song Jiaqi’s hand had somehow been replaced by a fan. The two simultaneously turned sideways, their black hair flying, the white gauze fluttering. The moment they landed, their fans opened.

Yuan Yixin, Ling Yao, and Ye Qing quickly came forward to sing, the formation changing. Behind them, Chi Meng suddenly sang in a high voice: “At night in the west wind, I wish to take the sky ladder, ascending the building into the nine heavens.”

As she sang the first line, Chen Zhu’s high note erupted, closely following: “At night in the west wind, I wish to take the sky ladder, ascending the building into the nine heavens; Where is the will of heaven known? The wind whistles and comes, white waves crash the boat away, all entering the west wind!”

Chi Meng’s high note continuously intertwined with Chen Zhu’s voice. The two voices were indeed like climbing a sky ladder, vying with each other, distinct yet evenly matched. But this was not the end. After the lyrics, a pure, wordless high-note chant flowed like whales swimming in the sea, filling the entire stadium.

On the stage, Song Jiaqi looked up at the closed-eyed Chi Meng, her eyes showing shock.

During practice, only Chen Zhu was responsible for this high-note section.

Is this… Chi Meng’s high note?

Backstage, Su Mengyao’s mouth dropped open. She suddenly grabbed An Kui’s hand.

Coach! She wants to learn this!

An Kui immediately pulled away: Coach can’t do that!

At this moment, no one could hear the cheers below the stage. The tidal wave of bullet screens in the live room submerged everything, yet it couldn’t block the high notes riding on the wind, like twin whales swimming in the deep sea, stirring up colossal waves.

In Team Nine’s waiting room, Xue Weiran stroked her chin, raising an eyebrow with a smile: “Can’t mess with them.”

Unnoticed, the entire stadium fell into a silent awe, with only the siren-like voice reverberating in the air. Until the last echo of the music faded, the giant whales gently flicked their tails and sank into the sea. The nine members of Team One stood in the center of the stage, striking their ending pose.

Amidst the earth-shattering cheers, Chi Meng opened her eyes and lifted the corners of her mouth to bow to the audience. She had no stage experience and didn’t know how to play to the camera, still operating under the notion that when the performance ends, it ends.

So, when the camera sought a close-up shot, Chi Meng realized her teammates were still holding their poses. She looked conspicuously out of place. She widened her eyes, quickly puffing out her chest, raising her head, and pulling in her abdomen.

The closest audience members, breaking free from their shock, smiled kindly at her small movement. Chi Meng was uncharacteristically embarrassed, realizing she’d made a mistake right at the end. As she wondered whether to try and fix it, Song Jiaqi, standing beside her, also lowered her hand and looked over with her dark eyes.

The steel-framed structure overhead held countless lights, like miniature suns, casting a bright glow.

Song Jiaqi stood in the center of the light, a slight shadow falling from the upturned corner of her eye. Her gaze, touched by the light, was clear and distinct, revealing a hint of a smile. She looked down at Chi Meng, as if the cheers below had nothing to do with her.

The two looked at each other. Chi Meng’s heart stirred. She reached out and wiped a smudge of red, the same color as her lipstick, from the tip of Song Jiaqi’s nose.

She smiled sweetly: “Qi Qi, you did great.”

(The following is a personal note from the original author, not part of the narrative, and is included here only for completeness of the translation):

(The lyrics were compiled randomly from Yuanqu [Yuan Dynasty poetic drama]. Writing the stage performance is difficult, so I’ll leave it like this for now. I can’t go on (collapsing) (spitting out my soul). [By the way, I noticed the nutrient solution is increasing quickly lately! I also see familiar IDs, happy, happy! (lying on the ground spinning a circle with my feet.jpg)])

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