I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 45.1

In the end, they didn’t manage to have a barbecue at noon. Considering the preparation and the cleanup involved, the two of them just bought some random items downstairs and brought them up to eat with the decanted red wine. Of course, Chi Meng, who was legally under eighteen, could only drink juice.

After eating and resting for a while, Song Jiaqi took Chi Meng to Renxing to find Meng Limin. Hearing Chi Meng’s request to follow the trainees for basic training during the holiday, Meng Limin, who was already planning to extend an olive branch to her, immediately agreed. She even had HR send over an access card to make it convenient for Chi Meng to come to the company to practice whenever she had time.

But when Chi Meng arrived at the training room, she was surprised to see that the girls practicing with the teacher were all younger than her. They turned their heads curiously, staring at her and Song Jiaqi when they entered.

The assistant who brought Chi Meng and Song Jiaqi was Meng Limin’s aide. She called the teacher in charge of the training aside to talk. The teacher smiled and nodded, then led Chi Meng and Song Jiaqi into the training room.

“It’s none of my business,” Song Jiaqi leaned by the door, smiling, “My fundamentals are pretty good.”

Chi Meng retorted, “Are they really?”

Are the fundamentals for classical waltz the same as for street dance?

Song Jiaqi didn’t care. Song Jiaqi wasn’t going to learn. Song Jiaqi didn’t want to dance with a group of fifteen or sixteen-year-olds.

“Every winter and summer holiday, the company recruits a batch of young students for trial training. Those with good talent are signed and nurtured. Chen Zhu and Song Yingjun were both signed this way,” Meng Limin’s assistant said. Before closing the door, she smiled, “You two get busy. I’ll head back now, Sister Min has something else going on.”

Chi Meng smiled, took off her hat and coat, and walked gracefully to the row closest to the teacher, amidst the curious and surprised gazes of those around her.

“Am I blocking anyone like this?” She turned to check their standing positions, asking a little worriedly.

Everyone immediately shook their heads. Not blocking, not blocking. Renxing’s teachers were very strict and serious when teaching. They had only been there for a few days, and several students had already been scared away and didn’t come back. They were thrilled that someone was willing to stand in the front row!

Chi Meng tied up her hair and started the class with a serious expression, following the teacher’s instructions.

Song Jiaqi sat down against the wall at the back of the classroom, took out her phone, and lazily scrolled, occasionally looking up at Chi Meng.

Among the group of youthful children, the fully-grown Chi Meng was quite noticeable, diligently following the teacher’s explanations and movements. Song Jiaqi watched for a while, then lowered her gaze and clicked on an old movie.

At 8 PM, the second episode of $Star Voyage (Xing Qicheng) was released as scheduled. The app version, which premiered ten minutes early, opened to the current episode, and an overwhelming barrage of comments floated across the screen. Besides “I’m here first,” fans were mostly spamming the names of the trainees they were picking.

Chi Meng emerged after her shower, wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt. Her hair was casually tied up in a bun. She leaned back into the sofa and told Song Jiaqi, “I have abs now!”

Song Jiaqi was standing on the rug adjusting the volume of the screen projection, and without turning around, she said, “Congratulations.”

Barbecue skewers were laid out on the table in front of the sofa—a familiar smell. The iced beer, delivered all the way from Jiangtan, was glistening with condensation. Chi Meng looked at the full table and raised an eyebrow, “Do you have some misunderstanding about your appetite?”

Song Jiaqi realized she had ordered a bit too much only after the barbecue arrived. But since it was delivered, what could she do?

“I can do it,” Song Jiaqi mumbled, sitting on the rug between the sofa and the table, picking up a lamb skewer and taking a bite.

In Chi Meng’s eyes, it was like seeing a sparrow peck at a grain of rice. She rolled up her sleeves, slid down from the sofa, sat like Song Jiaqi, and slowly said, “We need a Weiwei or a Yaoyao.”

Song Jiaqi scoffed dismissively: Hmph.

Speak of the devil, and the devil appears.

On the 90-inch LCD TV, the screen after the commercial break focused on a starry sky. The night was quiet, and a scream sliced through the air, shattering the calm façade.

“It scared the hell out of me! Is this Star Voyage, or a haunted house adventure?”

“A sudden shriek, I almost fell off the bed.”

“Thanks, my phone kissed my face, bruised and swollen.”

The barrage of comments discussed the scream that pierced the night. The BGM in the show suddenly turned spooky, and the camera shifted to the dormitory building. On screen, faces filled with terror were visible in the darkness.

“Wuwu… so scary.”

“I don’t want to be here, I want to leave.”

“Wuu!” The trainees clutched their quilts, tearfully expressing their fear.

The low BGM created a terrifying atmosphere, and the trainees’ horrified expressions—their eyes wide under the night vision function—cast a chilling veil over the scene. The audience, who had been in a mood to joke, involuntarily quieted down, observing the frightened faces on the show.

Could it be that something really happened?

As soon as that thought appeared, the screen cut away to the magnificent building of Dongjiang Satellite TV Station. The time was marked in the lower left corner: June 18th.

“Good morning!”

“Hello, everyone!”

“Hello there, how are you all~”

The parking lot was bustling. Young trainees gathered in front of the bus, carrying backpacks and pushing suitcases, greeting each other. Joyful laughter instantly washed away the previous terror, leaving the opening scene as a suspenseful mystery for everyone.

In fast-forwarded footage, the trainees boarded the bus one after another. A young and cute trainee noticed the camera inside the bus, cheerfully raised her hand, and shouted “Let’s go!” The bus steadily hit the road.

The camera pulled back. In the aerial shot, six large buses with the $Star Voyage logo drove onto the wide road. The tall buildings on both sides had LED screens edited onto them, which, when clicked, led inside the buses.

The trainees, who were in the phase of getting to know each other, were still chatting and greeting. After an unknown amount of time, the atmosphere inside the bus gradually quieted down. The trainees, who had just filmed the initial stage the night before, one by one closed their eyes and fell asleep. The opaque curtains blocked the heat outside. In this quiet atmosphere, the familiar sound of the pipa started.

The viewers watching the show couldn’t help but curve their lips, and a person’s face immediately popped into their minds.

Sure enough, in the next second, a very beautiful girl appeared in the camera mounted on the window frame. The barrage of comments instantly surged with “Thank goodness,” “Thank goodness, thank goodness,” and “Thank goodness, thank goodness, thank goodness,” to the point where people almost forgot what those two characters meant.

“Soaking up the academic aura of the provincial top scorer! Bless me with a smooth admission!”

“This is the provincial top scorer of Shuangjiang Province this year? She’s so pretty.”

“The top student from Dongjiang No. 1 High School, getting an early admission to J University. Truly lives up to her name!”

“Heard a lot about Chi Meng’s achievements today. Sure enough, a top student is a top student; no matter where she goes, she always has a book in her hands.”

Amidst the various comments, the Suzhou Pingtan music continued. As if enjoying a leisurely time of afternoon tea and flower gazing, the camera zoomed in on the book in Chi Meng’s hand. The lyrics of a famous song by a certain renowned singer from the last century leaped into view.

Chi Meng, munching on a skewer, had shiny lips, rosy from the chili. She exclaimed, “They even filmed that?”

She had even intentionally adjusted the camera lens, yet she didn’t expect it to be filmed so clearly.

Song Jiaqi was still chewing her second skewer. After swallowing, she slowly said, “Do you have some misunderstanding about modern technology?”

Chi Meng fell silent.

The comments were also “Hahaha-ing,” feeling that the BGM for Chi Meng’s appearance in the first episode was too descriptive and suited her very well—the kind of lazy demeanor that suggests a successful return of a top academic genius.

From the dense, Chi Meng-related comments, it was clear that Chi Meng had a very high level of popularity right now.

“I feel like Mengmeng-zai is a very gentle girl, doing things neither too quickly nor too slowly, but doing everything well.”

Song Jiaqi, seeing this comment, lowered her gaze and glanced at the pile of metal skewers next to Chi Meng.

“Eat slower,” Song Jiaqi said, “You don’t have to practice extra at night during the holiday, you have plenty of time. Eating so fast is bad for your stomach.”

Chi Meng said helplessly, “It’s a habit.”

When she was the busiest, she only slept four hours a day for a month, spending the other twenty hours working. Eating was just shoving food into her mouth. She lost ten catties (five kilos) that month, but she earned her highest commission ever, with a bonus of 800,000 yuan.

However, you can’t take it with you when you die, and looking back, it’s all in the past.

Chi Meng chuckled, clinked her skewer with Song Jiaqi’s, and said playfully, “I’ll eat slower, and you eat more. We’ll both have a healthy future.”

Song Jiaqi curved her lips, took a bite of meat, and felt that the barbecue place, after changing its name, tasted even better than before.

On the TV, there were many comments discussing Chi Meng because of her appearance.

“I think Chi Meng is not only gentle in personality but also very emotionally stable. Look at the first episode—she didn’t even frown when she was repeatedly demoted. She has very strong mental fortitude!”

“During the initial stage, Chi Meng said she likes challenges and wants to experience different things. Participating in Star Voyage might just be a fun thing for her. Since she already has early admission to J University, she comes with a ‘just here to have fun’ mindset, which is different from the other trainees who are aiming for a debut. I understand this lack of tension when you have a fallback plan!”

“Meng Jie wielding a giant ladle.jpg”

“Hahaha! But why do I feel that Chi Meng is different from what you imagine? Would a sweet, gentle girl wield a giant ladle to sell skewers and want to be a ‘street loafer’ (slacker)?”

“You don’t understand. This is called the return of a powerhouse, who is now an idle, carefree hermit. Coming to this show is just relaxing after the college entrance exam. Even if Chi Meng just ‘slacks off’ on the show, I won’t say anything.”

“There’s no need to define Meng-zai as a slacker right now. Although Meng-zai only took music lessons and can’t dance, her voice is great! We’re not asking for her to be a main vocalist or main dancer, but just standing there and singing, she’s certainly not just a pretty face!”

“Chi Meng had a tough time before. Whether she slacks off or not, as long as she’s happy. If she doesn’t debut, she can just go back to school!”

Due to her early admission to J University and her stunning high note during the previous day’s stage performance, Chi Meng was the most popular trainee on $Star Voyage today, even surpassing Xue Weiran and Chen Zhu. The comments and bullet screen were all discussing Chi Meng. Many trainees who had returned home were also watching the show with the comments open. They saw many of Chi Meng’s fans mutually giving disclaimers, saying that even if Chi Meng, who couldn’t dance or sing because she hadn’t studied it, performed poorly after entering the camp, they would still like her. They even claimed that ‘slacking off’ was a kind of persona, and they would love a ‘slacking’ Chi Meng.

Everyone collectively thought: …

Slacking off, who?

The one surnamed Chi?

What are you saying, the one surnamed Chi is slacking off?

In the apartment, Chi Meng quickly told Song Jiaqi about a funny comment she saw. The two, whose senses of humor aligned, clinked their skewers and burst into laughter, not paying attention to the other evaluations. Meanwhile, after the trainees who arrived at the camp assembled, the host revealed the theme song. The audience’s attention was immediately drawn to the theme song, and they were excited just imagining their favorite trainees dancing this energetic song.

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