I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 58.2

However, the others who heard her words looked like they wanted to hit her. Just being able to get in was a huge accomplishment! Did she not realize that?

“Really?! I got it!” Su Mengyao happily ran to the front to bow to everyone. The captain and main C of the Growing Up team, whom she had momentarily blocked, took a deep breath.

Best Trainee Fifth Place: Qi Yan.

The girl who had no desire to enter this best ranking was stunned, her earlobes turning red. She seriously bowed and said thank you, even though the audience below couldn’t hear her.

Best Trainee Fourth Place.

The moment the photo of the girl with the faint smile was revealed, not just the audience below but even the host was stunned. Only the person involved, Shen Zhu, maintained a calm face with the same smile as she bowed.

Chi Meng looked across at Shen Zhu in surprise, tilting her head.

Xiangxiang is actually fourth?

Who are the top three then?!

With that thought, the mask of the third-place trainee was uncovered. Chi Meng, the third in question, licked her lips and stepped forward with a smile.

Alright, alright, one of them is me.

She immediately sent a heart shape to the audience below!

019 clapped wildly and set off fireworks, still celebrating with the air of its host becoming the number one in the world.

With the announcement of ninth to third place, everyone had a good idea of who the top two spots belonged to. Chi Meng clasped her hands to her chest, hopping slightly on her toes, feeling a little excited.

Xie Tongyue pressed her earpiece and smiled, saying, “I have some news. The vote difference between the top two trainees is only two votes. A very close race! So, who is the second-place trainee?”

Chi Meng raised her hand to her lips, genuinely hoping Song Jiaqi’s image would appear a little later!

A photo flew from the bottom of the large screen, landing in the center, slowly rotating against the backdrop of the show’s logo. Some people below were shouting Song Jiaqi’s name, others were shouting Xue Weiran’s name. Finally, the photo stopped, and the second place was unveiled.

The black-haired girl with the indifferent expression had her eyes slightly lowered, looking somewhat casual. Chi Meng sighed internally but kept a bright smile on her face, clapping enthusiastically.

The answer for the first place was self-evident. Xue Weiran stretched out her hands and pressed them onto Yuan Sike’s shoulders, leaning her head on her to take a visible, loud sigh of relief away from the camera.

“My goodness, you scared me!” she said with her head down.

When she looked up, her face was back to her usual confident and arrogant smile. Yuan Sike laughed internally, making way for her and asking the b-king to step up for her individual stage performance.

“Thank you, thank you everyone…” Xue Weiran took the microphone and thanked the live audience. The trainees retreated slightly, and Chi Meng took the opportunity to find Song Jiaqi.

The two exchanged a look. Song Jiaqi whispered, “My basics were a bit lacking.”

It was her own fault, she hadn’t performed well earlier.

Chi Meng gave her a look that said, “It’s good that you know.”

Before long, the song Xue Weiran had prepared started playing. It was a song that fully showcased her singing and dancing ability. While she performed, Chi Meng and Song Jiaqi quietly backed away.

They had one more matter to settle.

“The previous bet, you said you were betting on Song Jiaqi.” Song Jiaqi said her own name as if talking about a stranger.

Chi Meng smiled.

“Do you want to snatch her from me?” Chi Meng thought for a moment, raised her index finger and shook it. “No, I don’t want to give her to you.”

“Fine.” Song Jiaqi sighed dramatically, leaning her arm on Chi Meng’s shoulder. She said slowly, “Then you still let me choose?”

“I let you choose the rest,” Chi Meng said righteously.

“…Okay.” Song Jiaqi said gloomily, “Although I really want to choose Song Jiaqi, I am forced to choose Su Mengyao.”

Chi Meng continued to smile, “I wish you luck.”

“I wish you luck, too,” Song Jiaqi replied.

The girl in the silver gown and the girl in the black leather outfit shook hands.

The agreement was reached.

Xue Weiran finished her performance. Xie Tongyue concluded the hosting duties and led the trainees off stage. The audience members, reluctantly preparing to leave, had come with anticipation and were leaving fully satisfied. They were extremely happy!

Hope I can get a ticket to the live show next time!

The trainees returned to the dressing room to take off their stage outfits, then put on their small backpacks with their makeup still on to head to the parking lot for the bus. In the parking lot, besides the staff, managers from various companies were waiting. Seeing them arrive, they immediately stepped forward, and the original group quickly dispersed. Chi Meng noticed some managers looking at her like she was a bone of meat, and she quickly scurried onto the tour bus.

She hadn’t been sitting for long when Sister Lu suddenly poked her head in from outside the door and waved at Chi Meng.

“Chi Meng, a Ms. An, who says she’s your friend, is here to bring you something,” Sister Lu said. “She’s waiting for you at the railing in the northeast corner of the parking lot.”

Ms. An ran a chain of high-end KTVs in Shuangjiang Province and had considerable assets. When her kids wanted to watch the performance, she could get tickets for An Xue, her friends, and herself. She had connections, and Chi Meng didn’t know how Ms. An managed to relay the message to Sister Lu. Remembering Ms. An, An Xue, and Lu Shifei sitting below the stage, she felt a warmth in her heart.

“Okay, I’ll be right there!” Chi Meng said happily.

Outside the parking lot, there were fans who were reluctant to leave, hoping to see the trainees again when the bus departed. When Chi Meng arrived at the agreed-upon spot, she could see glow sticks flickering not far away.

An Xue was bouncing up and down, waving at her. “Senior! Over here, over here!”

“We brought you new clothes! And supplements and vitamins. Senior, don’t push yourself too hard! Take care of your health!” An Xue squeezed a backpack through the gap in the railing. “Teacher Li and her daughter originally wanted to come and cheer for you, but they couldn’t get tickets! They asked us to tell you to keep fighting! Take care of your body!”

Chi Meng had been An Xue’s tutor, and they had a good relationship, making her one of the few friends Chi Meng had in real life. She took the backpack, planning to explain it to Song Jiaqi later.

It’s definitely not just accepting random gifts!

“I’ll go visit the teachers if we have a break this week,” Chi Meng said. “It’s so late, you guys should head back quickly!”

Ms. An smiled and said, “It’s fine, I drove here. Call me if you need anything at all. I’m just waiting for you to become famous and advertise our KTV!”

Chi Meng laughed, “Hahaha!”

They were talking in the corner across the railing. An Xue also gave Chi Meng the photos she took and a bouquet of flowers. When other people noticed them, especially Chi Meng’s fans, they immediately rushed over to stuff more flowers through the railing, saying how good her performance was today, and that they would continue to campaign for votes for her, telling her not to be disappointed.

Chi Meng only then remembered this was still a thing. Indeed, the world without a mobile phone was peaceful and serene.

“No more, please! I have nowhere to keep them!” Chi Meng tried to stop everyone from giving her flowers, but how could she refuse the fans’ enthusiasm? Surrounded by flowers, Chi Meng was at a loss, and immediately said, “I have to go now!”

A capable-looking girl carrying professional equipment shouted with a smile, “Mengmeng, what color do you like?”

It seemed she was asking what fan-support color Chi Meng wanted her to prepare.

Chi Meng didn’t think that far ahead. Cradling bundles of flowers in her arms, she casually replied, “Me? I like them all!”

Her muffled voice came through the flowers. Everyone thought she looked adorable, and though they wanted her to leave quickly, they were also reluctant to see her go. They urged Chi Meng to quickly decide on a color she liked.

“Pink, I guess. Pink,” Chi Meng, about to be overwhelmed by her fans’ love, said hastily, “It’s the color of money!”

“Gold is fine too, all shiny, and silver is good, too—silver ingots~”

A few major fans slapped their foreheads. As an idol, don’t be so materialistic!

Even though you used to wield a big ladle.

Song Jiaqi saw Chi Meng’s distant silhouette and, thinking something had happened, walked over with the rest of Rensing’s trainees. She happened to overhear their conversation. Although they all picked Chi Meng, everyone was very generous with their love, and of course, they smiled when they saw a beautiful girl, happily greeting the fans.

Song Jiaqi helped move the bouquets out of Chi Meng’s arms and asked, “Aren’t you leaving yet?”

“We’re leaving right away! Everyone’s taking taxis home at this hour, it’ll be very congested!” Although they said that, they secretly wished the trainees could stay and chat a little longer.

Shen Zhu said gently, “It’s late. Everyone please go home early and be safe on the road. We need to go and gather now. See you later.”

Chi Meng held two bouquets, raised the hand resting on the flowers, waved, and said with a smile, “Goodbye!”

The fans were reluctant to part. The woman with the professional equipment shouted, “Mengmeng, so it’s pink then?”

Chi Meng turned around and nodded with a smile.

“I didn’t want to accept them, but they were too enthusiastic!” Chi Meng remembered Song Jiaqi’s previous words and explained to her, “The things in the backpack were brought by a friend—clothes and supplements. The rest are these flowers… oh, and a photo, my junior gave it to me.”

Unable to free her hands, she looked down at her jacket pocket.

Song Jiaqi lowered her eyes as well, acknowledged her with an “Mmm,” and said, “Be careful next time.”

“Okay, okay.” Chi Meng nodded, feeling a little emotional about the fans’ passion.

The other trainees who saw Chi Meng receive so many flowers in one trip were also emotional. Chi Meng really was popular! Song Jiaqi and the rest of the Rensing trainees placed the bouquets on the bus. After sitting down, Song Jiaqi looked at the flowers, had a flash of inspiration, and then used the excuse of finding Meng Limin to get off the bus.

Meng Limin, who was chatting with the assistant director, was just saying goodbye to someone when Song Jiaqi dragged her aside. Hearing Song Jiaqi’s request, Meng Limin was stunned. “You want me to go buy flowers in the middle of the night?”

“Other people have flowers, I don’t, I’m jealous.” Song Jiaqi said with a calm expression, her voice flat, clasping her hands together. “Please.”

Meng Limin: ???

Who are “other people”?

You’re jealous, so you’re buying flowers for yourself?

“Hurry up. Thank you.” Song Jiaqi pushed Meng Limin toward the exit. “Buy exactly what I ask for. Thank you, you’re a really good person.”

Meng Limin took a deep breath. Fine, fine, as long as Song Jiaqi is behaving and working hard, that’s better than anything! It’s just a bouquet of flowers!

And with Song Jiaqi’s performance tonight, forget a bouquet of flowers! Even if Song Jiaqi wanted a flower shop right now, Meng Limin would immediately submit an application for the company to approve the funds!

Having successfully completed the public performance and now having a week of holiday, the double joy made the trainees exceptionally happy on the way back. However, a staff member brought some bad news, saying that everyone was on break inside the camp this week and could not leave.

Everyone collectively sighed, “Aww!”

The staff member raised a hand. “But you can use your mobile phones tonight until 8 a.m. tomorrow to contact your families, but you must hand in your phones at eight tomorrow morning!”

Everyone immediately shouted, “Yay!”

Yuan Sike slapped Xue Weiran’s arm and rolled up her sleeves. “Let’s go to the Valley (game)!”

Xue Weiran leisurely swung her foot. “Mhm.”

Upon returning to the training camp, the production team, as usual, prepared a sumptuous dinner and even brought snacks and drinks contributed by sponsors. In short, everyone was given a big break. As for their weight, that was up to the trainees to manage!

During dinner, Chi Meng noticed Song Jiaqi’s absence, so she decided to return to the dorms to wash up first. On the bed next to her, Xue Weiran was lying down, holding her phone, right leg crossed over her left, playing games with others. Chi Meng pulled out her lyric book, planning to study the lyrics she had memorized before going to sleep.

She planned to check the internet tomorrow morning, as she was afraid of it affecting her sleep if she checked tonight.

A while later, there was a knock on the door. Chi Meng, sitting on the lower bunk, got up to open it. The moment she opened the door, a wave of pink filled the world and hit her face.

“Surprise,” the dazzling girl, whose makeup was still on, shoved the flowers into Chi Meng’s arms and said slowly.

The soft petals were layered, and the satiny pink petals had small, sharp tips, like an elaborate crinoline skirt, gorgeous and light.

Chi Meng didn’t study flowers or plants and only recognized the most common ones. She felt as if she was surrounded by a sea of flowers tonight. Looking at the huge bouquet that almost swallowed her, she paused for a second and then laughed, “Peonies?”

Song Jiaqi: “…”

The woman leaning against the door frame slightly pulled back the smile on her lips. “Silk Gauze, a rose.”

Goodness, have roses evolved to this extent?

Chi Meng was amazed. She lowered her head to brush the petals and then looked up, smiling lightly at Song Jiaqi.

Song Jiaqi straightened up, crossed her arms, and said in a flat tone, “By the way, it has another name.”

Chi Meng followed up on Song Jiaqi’s words and asked, “What is it?”

Song Jiaqi didn’t answer. Instead, she asked, “Where is the photo that your junior gave you today?”

“Oh, it’s here.” Chi Meng didn’t suspect anything, returned to the room with the flowers, took the photo from the desk, and showed it to Song Jiaqi. As Song Jiaqi leaned closer, Chi Meng immediately pulled the photo back, raised an eyebrow, and asked, “The name?”

She hadn’t told her the other name yet.

“Oh, let me think… Right, don’t forget to go online and campaign for votes—I remembered!” Song Jiaqi snapped her fingers, leaning closer to Chi Meng. Chi Meng prepared to listen attentively.

Unexpectedly, the person snatched the instant photo from her fingertips with lightning speed and, holding it with two fingers, triumphantly waved it in front of Chi Meng.

“…” Chi Meng was left grasping at air, her face full of confusion.

“Little Pink Bunny, the other name is Little Pink Bunny.”

Chi Meng felt that something was amiss, but the person in front of her didn’t look like she intended to explain. She yawned, not looking like she intended to return the photo either, and waved her hand. “Exchange.”

“I’m leaving. Time to go back and campaign.”

With that, Song Jiaqi turned and walked away without looking back.

Chi Meng watched her back and held back for a moment. “…Hey!”

Thinking of the fox plushie crouching by her pillow, she softly snorted. Sure enough, there’s a hidden meaning!

A cornered rabbit will bite, you know, friend. You’ll be crying then.

Thus, Lu Shifei, who had enjoyed the public performance, met her Senior Chi Meng, and even gave her a bouquet, had just gotten into bed when she checked her phone. On the main page of her Weibo feed, one of the two trainees she had on special follow posted an update in a rare, non-managerial tone.

Song Jiaqi V: War spoils (^－＾)V

A familiar instant photo was casually uploaded. The surrounding scene, blurred by the Polaroid effect, was even more indistinct, but the protagonist of the photo had a bright smile that made one happy to see it.

What kind of treasure is this??!!

Lu Shifei fiercely suppressed her screams, which were stuck in her throat. With slightly trembling hands, she liked, reposted, and commented a string of meaningless “ahhh’s.” She refreshed her feed, and her efforts were rewarded: her favorite Senior Chi Meng had just posted a Weibo update.

StarJourneyChiMeng: Thank you for your support, everyone! So many flowers, I love them! Please continue to look after me in the future! (^▽^)

In the nine-panel grid, there were clear photos of the trainees gathered in a circle holding the Mermaid Princess flowers, the sunflowers and lilies from Lu Shifei and An Xue, and other bouquets and cards from other fans.

In the center of the nine-panel grid, a red-brown fox plushie was posed as if holding a bouquet. The bouquet, which was fuller than the others in the photos and nearly spilled out of the frame, was a profusion of flourishing pink flowers.

The fox’s head rested on the petals, smiling sweetly.

Today’s update is delivered!

I’m going to sleep now!

I don’t know when tomorrow’s update will be, but today’s was early, wasn’t it! So, good morning! (^_^)／

① Song “Worth It”

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