I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 53

A golden sticker was being flipped between fingertips, casting a layer of golden light onto the soft finger pads. The cameraman sat opposite, filming the expressions of the five people.

Chi Meng was also looking at the others and repeated, “Is there anyone else who wants to compete for the C-position? We’ll compete fairly.”

Ning Yuzhe smiled and asked, “By singing?”

“We can!” Chi Meng nodded, then looked at the others, “Besides Yuzhe, is there anyone else who wants to compete? This opportunity won’t come again!”

She concluded, “Trainees who want to compete for the C-position, please raise your hand and speak up. We will use the song to be performed in this public stage as the competition content for the C-position showdown! Trainees who do not participate in the C-position competition will automatically become judges and vote to decide the C-position. Now, trainees participating in the competition, please raise your hand!”

After Chi Meng finished speaking, she raised her arm high. Ning Yuzhe, sitting next to her, also raised his hand. Du Yunfei, looking conflicted, thought for a moment and then raised her hand.

“I want to try… I’ll participate too!”

The two remaining trainees automatically sat together and applauded the courage of the three contestants.

Chi Meng distributed the lyrics to the two contestants on her left and right, saying, “The two of you can start first. I’ll listen to the song first.”

Everyone nodded in understanding. Du Yunfei nervously said, “Actually, I’ve only listened to this song, I haven’t learned it. I request ten minutes to learn it.”

Since that was the case, everyone simply pulled out their tablets to learn the song.

The vocal teams were all on the same floor. Next door was the Tiny team. Chen Zhu held the lyrics, a faint smile gracing her cool face, and gently said, “For this stage, I want to be the C-position.”

Lin Yuxin, sitting cross-legged opposite her, looked down at the lyrics and smiled, “Then I’ll give it a shot.”

In the Growing Up team, Dudu smiled confidently, “I want the C-position, oh.”

Luoguo looked up, “Me too.”

Lin Tingxia looked around, wondering where Su Mengyao had gone. After being patted on the shoulder by Yunguo, she turned her head and giggled while hugging the lyrics. Luoguo looked at Lin Tingxia, her eyes slightly shifting, and said, “Xiaxia, join us.”

The girl who was called out was startled, her eyes wide. Who, her?

Among the Shike Entertainment trainees, she was the one with the highest votes among the four people, besides An Kui, who was in another team. Luoguo figured An Kui probably avoided choosing the song Growing Up, which was most suitable for their style, to prevent competing with them. This was An Kui’s concession as a team leader. Feeling the friendship of her teammates, Luoguo also wanted to push her companion forward.

Lin Tingxia looked at Luoguo. Yunguo encouraged her softly from the side. Thinking of the votes she had received, Lin Tingxia clenched her fist and nodded, “Okay, I’ll join too!”

Dance Group

Liu Yuexin, Jiang Yingyue, Qi Yan, Jiang Jiameng… the higher-ranked trainees successively expressed their determination to win the C-position, and the lower-ranked trainees, in order to get more votes with a highlight performance in the second public stage and secure more screen time in the show, also raised their hands one after another.

In the Worth It room, An Ran propped herself up with her hands behind her back, swinging her straight legs, and smiled, “What are your thoughts on the C-position, everyone?”

The sitting trainees laughed, and Lin Xueyang immediately said, “Sister Ran, you definitely want to fight for it, right?”

An Ran tossed her long hair and winked at Lin Xueyang.

An Ran had been an A in the preliminary stage and for the theme song, and had finished fifth in the first round of voting. The other trainees were a bit hesitant about her wanting the C-position, showing fear of the strong competitor on their faces.

“No one wants the C-position?” An Ran swung her feet again.

“Me.”

A lazy voice suddenly cut through the clear voices. Everyone looked in surprise at the girl sitting not far away. She was sitting cross-legged, her thick, black, curly hair draped around her, her slender figure looking delicate, and her beautiful eyes gazing calmly.

Song Jiaqi raised an eyebrow and spoke gently in the suddenly quiet atmosphere, “I’m interested in the C-position.”

“Oh… ahem, good, okay!” An Ran cleared her throat and sat up straight. Seeing that after Song Jiaqi spoke, everyone was staring at her as if she were a magical creature, Song Jiaqi actually spoke to them actively!

Actively! Spoke! To them!

And she was even smiling!

“You two are going to PK?” Hua Xiaowei asked softly, her eyes lighting up, “Since we’re the dance group, let’s compete with dancing! How about we use our stage song for the competition?”

An Ran looked at Song Jiaqi. Song Jiaqi indicated she had no objection, elegantly stood up, hands behind her back, and stretched her shoulders. She raised her head, her long neckline disappearing into the purple collar. The other trainees looked up at her and subconsciously exclaimed, “Wow—”

“Wow what,” An Ran laughed, tied up her red hair, and pointed at them, “Watch your Jiejie (big sister).”

She was the oldest in the team, so calling herself Jiejie was fine. But Song Jiaqi turned to look at her and said leisurely, “That’s not allowed, I only have one Jiejie.”

After saying that, she pouted gloomily. The scene on camera was full of the girl’s cuteness. She emphasized, “Of course, only for this week.”

Everyone who had watched the full episode knew about her sisterly rivalry with Chi Meng and started to laugh. Lin Xueyang’s eyes sparkled with excitement, “So you lost to Little Meng again?”

Everyone: “Oh~”

Lost again~

It seemed like the whole world knew about the Chi Meng and Song Jiaqi sisterly rivalry.

Only Song Jiaqi, who was warming up, mumbled, “What do you mean ‘again’…”

The air was full of cheerful anticipation.

The two competing PK contestants stood in the center of the trainees. As the music started, Song Jiaqi and An Ran had to freestyle according to the song. The five non-voting members would vote for the person they thought was more suitable for the C-position.

Everyone knew An Ran’s strength and had seen Song Jiaqi’s stage, but Song Jiaqi’s usual “invisible person” life often made them forget her existence. So, when the black-haired girl smiled amidst the passionate music, the five people sitting in a row fixed their gaze on Song Jiaqi’s face.

Compared to An Ran, her dance didn’t have complicated moves or strong techniques, but as she stood in front, dancing rhythmically to the music, her once cool face curved into a smile, like a bright sunset. Her dark eyes were captivating and mysterious, and her upturned eye corners were seductive.

The sexy music and lyrics were completely under her control. With her powerful stage presence, no one could take their eyes off her face. Even the cameraman couldn’t resist getting up for a closer shot.

In the team, someone quietly sighed, “She’s so beautiful…”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Her expression is very infectious. I saw it on her first public stage. Sister Tongyue said a stage needs emotion and acting; this must be it,” Lin Xueyang whispered.

An Ran, dancing next to Song Jiaqi, raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Song Jiaqi. Song Jiaqi happened to be turning sideways. Their eyes met in the air. Song Jiaqi smiled slightly. During the original vocal of “Give it to me I’m worth it,” Song Jiaqi raised her hand, extending her thumb, index, and middle fingers, biting her lip, and beckoning to An Ran with a smile.

An Ran’s mind went blank for a moment, and she missed a beat in her movements. With the laughter of her teammates, her ears felt hot, hidden by her red hair. She inhaled sharply and stood straight, shaking her hands as if to shake off the momentary embarrassment. She suddenly understood why Song Jiaqi chose this song. With this woman’s looks and aura, when she decides to be sexy, she leaves no room for anyone else!

She originally thought she would meet Xue Weiran from the same company in this song, and Xue Weiran would be her biggest opponent, but she didn’t expect Xue Weiran to inexplicably go for rap. Worth It got Song Jiaqi, a very strong opponent.

“Let’s vote,” she said, touching her nose.

The five people gathered their heads together, whispering.

“Actually, An Ran’s dancing has more technique. She just did a few very difficult moves,” said Chu Ziyue.

Lin Xueyang: “Song Jiaqi is so pretty…”

Hua Xiaowei: “In terms of presence, An Ran’s presence is actually quite good too.”

Lin Xueyang: “How does she capture attention so well?”

Jian Zi exclaimed, “Ahhh, this is so hard!”

While they were whispering, An Ran spoke to Song Jiaqi.

“Have you studied dance?” An Ran asked.

Song Jiaqi softly replied, “Classical and waltz.”

An Ran was a bit surprised. “Sounds very elegant, but I couldn’t tell that from your dance just now.”

Song Jiaqi chuckled quietly and asked An Ran, “Was it okay?”

More than okay, An Ran thought to herself, these people were practically glued to Song Jiaqi with their eyes. She nodded, “Let’s put it this way: I’m the little enchantress, and you’re the great enchantress.”

Song Jiaqi smiled sweetly. Seeing her genuine smile, An Ran felt even more bewildered, wondering what magic Renxing Entertainment had cast on Song Jiaqi. If she had been this proactive from the start of the preliminary stage, the voting results for the debut lineup would have been completely different.

While they were talking, the five people finally made their decision. Lin Xueyang, acting as the host, said many pleasantries, but was mercilessly interrupted by An Ran, who told them to get straight to the point.

“I know what the result is,” she said with a smile.

Lin Xueyang scratched her head. “Alright, please raise your hand if you support Song Jiaqi!”

With that, she, Hua Xiaowei, and Jian Zi raised their hands. Chu Ziyue and Xia Jiaying felt that An Ran’s street dance skills were stronger. In the end, Song Jiaqi took the C-position with a three-to-two vote. An Ran, though not getting the C-position, took on the responsibility of the Team Leader.

The Aftermath

By the time they left the cafeteria after dinner, where the mission information was usually gathered, almost everyone knew who the C-position and leader were for each team. Xue Weiran, still eating, asked An Ran in shock, “You didn’t get the C-position?”

An Ran shook her head, patted Xue Weiran’s shoulder, and sighed, “You’ll understand if you go against her.”

That amazing? Xue Weiran was even more surprised. In the trainee files collected by Starfire Entertainment, Song Jiaqi was trained to be an actress. Although no one knew why she was participating in a girl group survival show, her trainee experience was zero, and she was so young. An Ran, on the other hand, had trained for three years. She shouldn’t have lost to Song Jiaqi!

Behind her, a cool voice fell, “Is there a problem with Song Jiaqi being C?”

Xue Weiran stiffened and quickly said in a low voice, “No problem, I’m just curious.”

Curious about how Song Jiaqi managed to beat An Ran.

An Ran and the others from Starfire looked up and smiled, greeting the newcomer, “Xiangxiang, hello! Finished eating?”

Chen Zhu nodded, looked at Lin Yuxin, and said, “Walk back together?”

“Sure,” Lin Yuxin packed her tray.

Xue Weiran poked at her rice with her chopsticks, her peripheral vision on the fingers of the girl next to her. The delicate fingers were clean and beautiful, with a subtle pink tinge. Just then, that hand pulled a tissue from the table, wiped away a water stain on the surface, and placed the dampened tissue next to the owner of the meal tray. Xue Weiran instinctively grabbed the tissue and crumpled it into a ball in her palm.

“Speaking of which, the C-position for Do It Wrong is Yuan Sike?” Chen Zhu saw Lin Yuxin stand up, looked at Yuan Sike, and smiled, “I look forward to your stage.”

Yuan Sike understood Chen Zhu’s meaning, looked at Xue Weiran, and giggled, “It’s all thanks to Ranran letting me have it. Thank you, thank you.”

Xue Weiran: “…”

Ever since she chose rap, her teammates had been talking to her in a very sarcastic tone. After all, she chose to forego good singing and dancing, which would maximize her charisma, for rap, which she had never attempted. Everyone looked at her as if the school’s top student had been led astray by bad kids who smoked, drank, and fought.

Xue Weiran snorted, clutching the paper ball in her hand, and said lazily, “How do you know I can’t do it?”

“We haven’t done it yet; who knows what the outcome will be?” she said, lifting her eyelids.

Chen Zhu turned around, her tone still gentle, “I look forward to your stage.”

After Chen Zhu and Lin Yuxin left, An Ran tilted her head, sensed the atmosphere, and squinted: “Something’s not right.”

Xue Weiran slumped, not bothering to pay attention to her.

Yuan Sike rested her face in her hand and said, “Ranran and Xiangxiang went to the same high school and learned dance at the same studio. They’ve known each other much longer than we have. Why didn’t you two join the same company?”

“Childhood sweethearts~” An Ran said with a playful smile.

Xue Weiran packed her tray and said coldly, “What’s the point of talking about useless things? I’m unhappy that you snatched the C-position today. I’ve decided to implement Meng-Zai’s Schedule. From now on, it’s 6 AM to 12 AM, taking turns bringing lunch and dinner. If we have time for gossip, we have time for training. Nothing is more important than training!”

Yuan Sike, a victim of the Meng-Zai Schedule, clutched her chest in pain. She had finally escaped the devil; why, why, why!

“I think we shouldn’t call her Meng-Zai the devil anymore, let’s call her the Demon Queen,” An Ran said sympathetically. “The Demon Queen whose name strikes fear in our hearts!”

In the corridor of Mingyi Building, Demon Queen Chi was happily placing a handful of chocolates into Song Jiaqi’s palm, saying cheerfully, “Congratulations, Qiqi, for taking the C-position! This is your reward.”

Song Jiaqi accepted the gift without reservation and leaned against the wall, showing a tired expression. Snatching the C-position was not a sudden decision. After the morning’s filming ended, she slept for a while in the car on the way back. After returning, she went to the practice room alone, listening to “Worth It” over and over, combining her memories from her previous life with choreography. Besides her years of acting experience, she had also been invited to perform at various galas. She anticipated the C-position competition would use the stage song, and what she demonstrated was the result of a full day of practice.

With the C-position successfully secured, she felt an inexplicable joy of harvest.

Song Jiaqi curled the corner of her mouth, unwrapped a piece of chocolate, and popped it into her mouth, immediately puffing out one cheek.

Chi Meng looked into Song Jiaqi’s eyes and sighed softly, “It’s a pity I couldn’t see your PK performance with my own eyes.”

“It’s alright,” Song Jiaqi chuckled, shedding her camera-ready, polite pretense. She playfully reached out and patted Chi Meng’s head.

“You’ll see it on stage.”

After patting her, she wiped her hand on Chi Meng’s clothes with great distaste. “It’s all sweat!”

“Qiqi is disgusted with me, woo woo woo.”

Chi Meng pretended to be heartbroken, opened her arms, and wrapped Song Jiaqi in a tight hug. Their warm bodies collided, their two beautiful faces drawing close, and Demon Queen Chi brazenly lifted her chin.

“Come on, Double-C hug!”

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