The Plan to Save the Villainess Supporting Actress [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 18

After Nan Zhi and Zhu Ran selected their songs, the remaining members of Class F quickly made their choices. Aside from Tang Keyue, another girl also chose Because I Like You, successfully forming a 12-member team.

Once all 12 groups had finalized their selections, Gao Hongzhe introduced the filming schedule for the upcoming week, including mentor coaching sessions and other arrangements.

By the time the song selection recording wrapped up, it was already 1:30 in the morning.

The production crew and mentors like Gao Hongzhe gradually left, leaving only the girls in the practice building.

“Do you all want to go back and rest first, or should we push through and assign the parts now?”

In the Because I Like You group’s practice room, the leader, Mu Siqiong, waved the sheet music in her hand as she asked for everyone’s opinion.

Among the 12 groups, theirs was the only one with a full 12-member lineup, meaning they had the most remaining spots during the final round of song selection.

Seeing that most members were willing to follow her lead, Mu Siqiong let out a small sigh of relief.

“Then let me start by giving everyone a little encouragement!” Mu Siqiong smiled, trying to lift the mood. “Our song isn’t particularly difficult, but we have the largest number of members out of all the groups. That also means, compared to the others, it’ll be much harder for us to synchronize our dance moves. Still, I want to say, I believe every one of us can pull off an amazing performance. After all, many hands make light work~”

As Mu Siqiong said, having too many members in a group wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

A larger group inherently increased the difficulty of coordinating the dance, and each member’s individual parts would also be relatively reduced.

If this were the second or third performance, where everyone was more familiar with each other, teamwork would come more naturally.

But at this point, only a week had passed since the first stage recording. Most of the girls in the group weren’t yet close, so the atmosphere was inevitably a little awkward.

Mu Siqiong’s words seemed to flip a switch several lively girls immediately chimed in:

“Yeah, yeah! And with more of us, we’ll have more fans and popularity too totally worth it!”

“Let’s all work hard together this coming week!”

Shen Jiaying tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled gently. “I believe in everyone too. Let’s do our best.”

As she spoke, her gaze lingered on Nan Zhi and the others, but just as she was about to say something, her eyes flickered toward the camera. Her lips moved slightly, but in the end, she stayed silent.

Nan Zhi raised an eyebrow.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but she felt like Shen Jiaying’s demeanor had changed since their first meeting.

Back then, Shen Jiaying hadn’t been this restless, constantly sizing her up with ambiguous looks.

Could that 0.2% blackening value really cause such an obvious shift?

The system quietly popped up with a question: [So why did you really join Shen Jiaying’s group?]

[Wouldn’t coasting to victory be easier?]

[Yeah, right.]

In her mind, a bold red subtitles slowly floated past—clearly the system’s little joke.

Nan Zhi grinned, unfazed.

She had chosen Shen Jiaying’s group precisely to coast to victory that was how the original plot went, after all!

[But what about the female lead? If Shen Jiaying’s group wins, the host’s mission will fail.]

[Zhu Ran won’t lose.]

Nan Zhi’s tone was resolute, even causing three big question marks to pop up on the system’s little round head.

[If the female lead loses, the original female lead will be out of the game.]

The system quietly reminded her.

[What does it matter to me whether Shen Jiaying wins or loses?]

As long as Zhu Ran wins, isn’t that enough?

[But in that case, multiple members of your team might get eliminated!]

According to the competition rules, after the first performance, only 60 trainees would remain.

Nan Zhi’s team already had more members to begin with. If they lost to Zhu Ran’s team, more people would be eliminated.

Those from Class F would likely be the most at risk.

Nan Zhi sighed softly.

Of course, she understood this logic, but—

The other teams were either storming through rap routines or intense dance performances. She really couldn’t handle that. QAQ

“Nan Zhi? Nan Zhi?”

Tang Keyue waved her hand in front of Nan Zhi’s eyes. “Hey! Snap out of it!”

“Huh?” Nan Zhi jolted in surprise, only then realizing everyone was staring at her. “Sorry, I zoned out for a second. My bad.”

She clasped her hands together in an adorable plea for mercy, making several girls burst into laughter.

The photos of the “Traffic Light” trio had become legendary in the training camp. Now, whenever anyone saw Nan Zhi, they couldn’t help but recall her explosive curly hair. No matter what she did, it came with an automatic buff, amplifying the comedic effect to the max.

“We were asking if you had any interest in the center position,” Tang Keyue said with mock seriousness. “Slacking off means docking your pay.”

Mu Siqiong laughed. “Yeah, punish her by making her send us red packets later.”

Nan Zhi obediently raised her hands in surrender. “Spare me, fairy sisters.”

“Alright, alright, we’ll stop teasing you. Serious talk, do you want to compete for the center position?”

Nan Zhi pretended to ponder, her gaze inadvertently sweeping past Shen Jiaying. Sure enough, though the other girl was smiling, her eyes were sharp with vigilance.

In the original storyline, Shen Jiaying had been the center for Because I Like You.

During the first performance, she had performed exceptionally well, gaining a massive wave of fans and securing a high-ranking choice privilege for the second performance.

Nan Zhi “agonized” for a moment before finally shaking her head and stepping back.

Only then did Shen Jiaying subtly relax the tension in her shoulders.

“So, it’s just Jiaying, Tangtang, and me competing for center, right? My suggestion is that the three of us perform the chorus section, and then the rest of the team can vote. How does that sound?” Mu Siqiong proposed.

Tang Keyue immediately raised her hand. “I forfeit!”

Mu Siqiong looked surprised. “Why?”

“I’m afraid everyone might feel too awkward to speak up, so I’ll take the lead and lighten the mood! Everyone knows my skills aren’t center material anyway. You two go ahead.” Tang Keyue stuck out her tongue. “Besides, I didn’t even memorize that part of the choreography.”

Only Mu Siqiong, Shen Jiaying, and a few others had entered the practice room early. While the other trainees hadn’t chosen this song yet, they had watched the dance routine a few times on the iPad.

Those who entered later had only seen the dance demo once on the big screen. By now, most of them had forgotten most of it.

No one objected. Tang Keyue took the initiative to play the music on the iPad, while Mu Siqiong and Shen Jiaying stood side by side, waiting to jump into the chorus.

Nan Zhi couldn’t help but perk up.

Mu Siqiong was a dance specialist from Class A. Her stage presence was undeniable every move was captivating and eye-catching.

Although Shen Jiaying didn’t perform the dance as completely as Mu Siqiong, she maintained her energetic smile throughout, naturally improvising when she forgot the moves.

Her looks and height also perfectly matched the lively, cute style of the song. Even though Nan Zhi didn’t have much fondness for her, she had to admit that Shen Jiaying knew how to leverage her strengths.

The nearly half-minute performance ended quickly, with teammates clapping and cheering. Though it was late at night, the atmosphere was electric.

“So, should we vote now? Anonymously?” Mu Siqiong asked with a light pant, smiling.

“Let’s just point directly?” One teammate gestured toward Shen Jiaying. “Like this, it’s simpler.”

“Alright, then. I’ll count down from three, and we’ll point to our preferred candidate.”

“3, 2, 1.”

As expected, it was likely a 5:5 tie.

Mu Siqiong counted carefully. “Huh, seems like a draw?”

“Anyone want to change their vote?”

Everyone shook their heads.

Mu Siqiong teased Shen Jiaying, “How about rock-paper-scissors?”

Shen Jiaying chuckled softly, her tone gentle. “Rock-paper-scissors seems a bit too casual for deciding the center position. Shouldn’t we be more careful? I suggest we each explain our choice and then revote, what do you think?”

Mu Siqiong hesitated. “You mean, like a debate?”

Shen Jiaying nodded. “Think of it as a way to campaign.”

She had no ulterior motives, it was just that a newly formed team should avoid early conflicts.

Campaigning was a fair method, but if everyone started arguing without convincing each other, it could easily escalate into a fight.

As the leader, Mu Siqiong’s responsibility was to keep the team united.

Nan Zhi glanced around and shook her head slightly.

Clearly, Shen Jiaying was entirely focused on securing the center position, while Mu Siqiong’s expression showed deeper consideration. In the end, Mu Siqiong might compromise for the sake of harmony.

The original plot had glossed over the center-selection drama, simply stating that the teammates voted. Who knew the reality would be this intense?

Before Mu Siqiong could object, Shen Jiaying took the lead:

“Let me advocate for myself first. I know my dancing isn’t as strong as our leader’s, but in my opinion, this song emphasizes a lively atmosphere. Compared to that, I think personal image matching the song’s style is crucial that’s the only area where I might have an edge over our leader.”

As soon as she finished, some teammates nodded in agreement.

But Tang Keyue countered, “That makes sense, but you could still take the opening part you don’t have to be center. The center should go to someone who stands out more, right? Just now, the leader’s performance was clearly stronger.”

“I think Tang’s got a point. Matching the style doesn’t mean you have to be center. Especially with so many of us, if the center isn’t eye-catching enough, the stage impact might fall flat, and the performance could suffer.”

Tang Keyue nodded vigorously, snapping her fingers. “Exactly! Style is subjective not all audiences like sweetness, so it doesn’t have to be the center’s focus.”

Shen Jiaying’s expression stiffened, her smile forced. “I’m not insisting on being center Tang are you misunderstanding me?”

Tang Keyue quickly denied, “No, no, I might have spoken carelessly, sorry about that. I was just addressing the matter objectively. Weren’t we supposed to discuss the supporting reasons?”

As the atmosphere grew tense, Mu Siqiong stepped forward, as if steeling herself with resolve. “Everyone, listen to me. I think Jia,”

“Captain! Sorry to interrupt, but I have an idea.”

All eyes instantly turned toward a certain corner.

Nan Zhi smiled brightly at Shen Jiaying.

The other girl’s expression darkened abruptly, and that sweet, flawless smile of hers seemed to crack almost imperceptibly.

Nan Zhi took a deep breath and smiled even more radiantly.

“Focusing only on the dance seems a bit off, doesn’t it? If I recall correctly, the actual performance is fully live vocals. Shouldn’t we go back and practice the singing parts before making a final decision tomorrow?”

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