I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 56.1

A week quietly passed. At noon on July 15th, the trainees, who were fully prepared, boarded the large bus emblazoned with the Star Voyage logo, heading all the way to the East River City Central Stadium.

The audience for the Star Voyage performance was selected partly from the applicants and partly drawn from the comment sections and bullet chats on the East River Satellite TV app. Viewers with higher membership levels had a greater chance of winning. The electronic admission tickets were tied to their ID cards and were free of charge, with souvenirs provided upon arrival.

However, the production team did not assign seat numbers to the invited audience. The earlier the audience arrived, the closer they would be to the front. Therefore, on the day of the performance, the audience arrived early to queue. When the pink bus, decorated with large stars, drove along the road into the stadium parking lot, the fans queuing on the roadside excitedly waved to the bus.

After getting permission from the staff on the bus, the trainees pulled back the curtains and windows, covering their faces as they greeted the fans.

They hadn’t even put on their makeup yet, which made them a little embarrassed.

The girls, with only their eyes showing, shyly waved their hands.

The fans, used to seeing the trainees without makeup on the show, smiled and responded: “You’re beautiful!”

“Ran Ran baby, good luck on stage! Looking forward to your performance!”

Xue Weiran, wearing a mask, made a half-heart sign with one hand.

“Xiang Xiang! Love you, Xiang Xiang!”

Chen Zhu cupped her face with both hands like a flower, curving her lips to reveal a faint smile on her usually cool and detached face. Lin Yuxin and Jing Ming from her team poked their heads out above her, stacking up to greet the crowd.

The trainees sitting inside stood on their tiptoes, peering out through the gaps in the crowd. The swaying light sticks came into view, mixed with the fervent cheers. One trainee couldn’t help but say, “Xue Weiran and Chen Zhu are so popular.”

The person next to her nodded in agreement.

It was a sea of people in front of the stadium. The bus drove very slowly, and many names entered the ears of the people in the carriage. Chi Meng was in the last bus, sitting next to Song Jiaqi, who was late because she was tidying up her things.

“So many people,” Chi Meng whispered, opening the window like the others. Song Jiaqi casually glanced outside.

Fans who spotted them immediately screamed and waved enthusiastically at them.

“Meng-jie!”

“Senior, good luck!”

“Senior, you are the best! We will always support you!”

Familiar voices made Chi Meng look over, and she saw An Xue and a few other girls standing together. An-jie was actually there too.

“Hi!” Chi Meng smiled in surprise and waved to them. Other Chi Meng fans jumped up and down excitedly.

“Meng Meng, don’t feel wronged! We are always with you!”

“Meng Meng, you are the best! No one can suppress you!”

These shouts drew the attention of the surrounding fans and the trainees on the bus. Chi Meng tilted her head in confusion. Before she could ask anything, a bouquet of flowers suddenly appeared in the car window. Before the security guard could chase her away, An-jie quickly backed away, smiling and waving: “Xiao Meng, good luck!”

The dreamy mermaid-hued flowers bloomed—pale purple, tender pink, light blue, and thin yellow. The soft petals displayed strange colors, like cream on a cake in the noon sun, surrounding the pretty girl.

Chi Meng raised her eyes from the bouquet and smiled brightly.

“Thank you!” Chi Meng shouted, raising her hand to make a heart sign.

The fans below felt their hearts clench, staring at her face in amazement.

Someone else quietly stopped the others, saying, “She doesn’t know anything in the camp, don’t say anything messy to bother her!”

“Just shout ‘good luck’! Don’t say anything else!”

Seeing An-jie successfully give the flowers, some fans rushed over, carrying homemade cookies and handing them to Chi Meng, shouting, “Meng Meng, I love you! Good luck on stage!”

The bus was still moving forward, and this was very dangerous. Chi Meng was about to reach out to take the gift so the fan would quickly retreat, when a pair of hands reached from behind. The left hand pressed Chi Meng’s shoulder, pulling her inward, and the other hand closed the window. Before closing it, she whispered to the fans outside the window: “Sorry, we don’t accept gifts. Please don’t send any.”

With that, Song Jiaqi closed the window without hesitation and pulled the curtain shut. Her lightly smiling eyes flashed through the window and were blocked by the blue curtain before the people outside had time to speak.

The screams followed a moment later.

Chi Meng was a little stunned.

Ning Yuze, sitting in the front row, turned around and smiled: “The company warned us not to accept gifts from fans, especially food. Xiao Meng, you shouldn’t accept any food or drinks in public places in the future, and you should also keep an eye on your own things.”

Chi Meng blinked and nodded hesitantly. She looked at the flowers in her arms and said, “Did I do something wrong?”

“It’s okay, the fan took the initiative to shove it in,” said Du Yunfei.

Chi Meng explained, “The older sister who sent the flowers is someone I know…”

Before she finished speaking, Song Jiaqi gave her a faint look. Chi Meng immediately straightened her chest and head. “I won’t accept anything from anyone in the future!”

With that, she tossed the bouquet in her arms into Song Jiaqi’s lap. Song Jiaqi gave a light snort.

Everyone gathered around, giggling, to look at the flowers, as the bouquet was indeed very beautifully wrapped and contained a card wishing Chi Meng luck on her performance.

Security guards were maintaining order outside the stadium, keeping fans away from the bus. Soon, the bus drove into the parking lot, and the trainees successfully entered the backstage area. Song Jiaqi, holding the flowers, went to meet up with her teammates. Before leaving, she stopped and turned to look at Chi Meng.

“Good luck.”

Chi Meng stood at attention and saluted.

Same to you.

After Song Jiaqi entered the resting room, Chi Meng turned around, her brow furrowing slightly.

What was going on that she didn’t know about?

The thirteen teams took the stage one after another for rehearsal according to the sequence determined by the mini-game before the performance. Each team rehearsed twice. After the two rehearsals, they would eat, do their makeup, and wait for the official performance that night.

During the rehearsal break for “Worth It,” Song Jiaqi and her teammates stood in the waiting area. Besides the staff, there were also managers and department heads from various agencies below the stage. Companies that cared about their trainees sent people. Song Jiaqi saw Meng-jie with a white shirt and silver-rimmed glasses, speaking to the person next to her with a stern expression and crossed arms.

Lu-jie, who had more contact with the trainees, was watching from a small folding stool next to the stage. Song Jiaqi quietly walked over and whispered, “Lu-jie, has Chi Meng been blacklisted/suppressed?”

Lu-jie subconsciously flipped her phone over and looked at Song Jiaqi in shock. Seeing her expression, Song Jiaqi understood, nodded, and returned to her team.

Lu-jie: … I haven’t even said anything yet!

The first week of the second round of voting was from July 10th to July 16th. After the foundation laid by the first three episodes, the momentum of the hottest trainees had become apparent. Since the show aired, the frequently trending topics had brought extremely strong positive feedback. The viewership on both television and the app was very impressive, already showing signs of being this year’s hottest variety show.

For the trainees, this meant increased popularity and more discussion, but there were only nine debut spots. The higher a trainee’s ranking, the greater their popularity and the greater their value to their agency. To build momentum for their own trainees, agencies bought search terms and trending topics on major social media platforms and portals, and simultaneously sought to suppress trainees from rival companies.

The major agencies were engaged in an intense battle. For some unknown reason, they eventually targeted one person: Chi Meng, who was third in the first round of voting and didn’t belong to any company. If they could suppress Chi Meng, one spot would open up in the top nine, or even the top three!

Unfortunately, Chi Meng, a student who was serious about her studies, won a gold medal in a competition, and was recommended for admission to J University, was without any black marks. Spreading news about her working late shifts would not be a smear but praise. Therefore, the public relations department of a certain company continued its previous strategy: suppressing the search ranking.

Any search term related to Chi Meng was deleted.

Any trending topic related to Chi Meng was suppressed.

Any news related to Chi Meng was taken down.

It coincided with the college entrance exam season and the week for filling out university applications. Given Chi Meng’s popularity, her well wishes posted on Weibo should have trended. The official Star Voyage account even specifically reposted Chi Meng’s Weibo, wishing the five high school examinees in the camp and all Chinese examinees success in their applications. The TV station’s marketing department bought promotions, but nothing happened.

Cen Hongjie was amused and angered, pondering that the kind were easily bullied. The futures of those other companies’ trainees were still on the show, and now they were openly going against East River Satellite TV?

Her reputation for cherishing her standing and being benevolent was well-known. No matter how angry she was, she wouldn’t do anything to the innocent trainees in the camp. Furthermore, as the chief director of the show, she had many tasks. In the end, she let the TV station’s marketing department “communicate” with the various agencies.

The trainees in the camp were unaware of these events, but the fans were somewhat clued in. They realized what was happening after noticing that any search terms related to Chi Meng were being constantly and maliciously suppressed, leading to deep indignation.

They were furious that Chi Meng was being targeted simply because she was excellent and likable, which blocked the path of other companies’ trainees. The methods used were vicious and despicable.

Instead of turning fans away, the malicious targeting only solidified their affection for Chi Meng. If their heat was suppressed on Weibo, they moved to other platforms, sharing beautiful photos and stage cuts of Chi Meng, and actively promoting her and voting for her.

Chi Meng has no agency; her fans are her strongest support!

Moreover, what did it matter how much these people tried to suppress Chi Meng? The main episodes of Star Voyage were there for all to see, unbiased. Chi Meng’s skill, personality, and beauty were more than enough to continuously attract fans. What’s more, the performance stage would be a live broadcast!

The people working behind the scenes would have to be incredibly audacious to try and cut Chi Meng’s performance from the live stream!

With this sentiment, fans from all over gathered today at the East River City Stadium to support Chi Meng.

As seven o’clock approached, the summer sky had just begun to darken. The stadium was brightly lit, complementing the city lights. The huge suspended screen lit up the moment the hour and minute hands met at seven, and the Star Voyage theme song resonated throughout the stadium. The instant the music began, the shouts from the audience surged, nearly drowning out the theme song.

“Ahhh, Chi Meng, I love you!!”

“Xiang Xiang, good luck!”

“Song Jiaqi—”

Flashing light sticks stretched from the first row to the end of the sections. Amidst the fans’ enthusiasm, Xie Tongyue, dressed in a tuxedo-style gown, walked onto the stage, a smile across her face as she reached the center.

Many of her fans in the audience happily waved to Xie Tongyue.

“Welcome to the second live performance of Star Voyage, the large-scale female variety talent show where popularity comes first and skill is paramount. I am your host, Xie Tongyue,” Xie Tongyue said, addressing the camera. “This performance will be broadcast live entirely on the East River TV app, and you can participate by sending bullet messages.”

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