The Plan to Save the Villainess Supporting Actress [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 26.3

Whether it was the Fool team or the Because I Like You team, everyone’s hearts seemed to leap into their throats.

Once this decision was made, they would either become the most stunning stage in talent show history perhaps even the entire entertainment industry.

Or they’d be mocked for overestimating themselves, ridiculed for biting off more than they could chew.

Victory or defeat.

“Three, two, one—”

Yu Yulin silently raised a hand.

Jian Zhiyao closed her eyes and lifted her arm high.

Kong Anni stuffed the entire popsicle into her mouth and raised both hands.

The moment the countdown ended, all six members of the Fool team raised their hands in unison!

Zhu Ran, the one who had proposed the idea, stood frozen in place.

Yu Yulin exhaled in relief, then smiled at Zhu Ran. “What? Our center isn’t going to support her own idea?”

“Seriously, I almost thought you were messing with us just now!”

Zhu Ran blinked, hardly able to believe what had just happened.

For them, this was an excessively risky plan.

She had expected no one to agree or at most, one or two people.

But the hands raised in perfect unison silently transmitted a surge of strength to her.

The girls exchanged glances, and suddenly, they all burst into laughter.

No words were needed. Even though they weren’t all from the same team.

Yet in each other’s eyes, they saw the same expression.

A steadfast belief, an infinite longing for the stage.

Even if it was a guaranteed win, they still wanted to make it their own, to give it their all.

To prove to everyone that their potential was far greater than this.

No destruction, no creation.

No regrets left on any stage.

“Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable!” Tang Keyue exclaimed dramatically. “I feel like I just witnessed a miracle. I’m actually a little moved.”

“Me too,” Mu Siqiong admitted sheepishly. “The way you all raised your hands together just now, it was kind of awe-inspiring. So touching.”

Xia Lan nodded in agreement. “If our team had even half the unity you guys do, we wouldn’t have ended up in this mess.”

“There’s still a chance,” Zhuran suddenly spoke up, staring intently at them.

“Isn’t there still three days until the performance? Our group is starting over, how could yours not have a chance?”

For a moment, the members of the Because group fell silent.

Yu Yulin also chimed in, “None of us have debuted before, right? Think about it this is your first time standing on a real stage, facing fans who’ve traveled from all over just to cheer you on. Even if we don’t do our absolute best, we should at least give it our all.”

“Yeah, the tickets sold out ages ago,” Jian Zhiyao added, putting on a playful voice, “and it’s not like we can spread the news now. Are we really gonna ask the production team to issue a statement like, ‘Oh no, the Because I Like You team fell apart! No show today! If your bias is in this group, hurry and refund your tickets!’”

Her exaggerated antics made everyone burst into laughter.

“Or, forget about doing it for others just think about yourselves. Do you want to stand on that stage? Do you want to perform this song well? This is only the first performance there’s a long road ahead. Giving up now would be way too cowardly!”

The Because group exchanged glances, each silently steeling their resolve.

Mu Siqiong spoke slowly, “I’m the leader of the Because group, and I take responsibility for failing to mediate this properly. You’re all right, we shouldn’t just give up. At the very least, I really want to stand on that stage. What about you?”

“Of course I don’t want to be eliminated,” Xialan clenched her fists, jokingly threatening the two leaders, “I’m aiming for Group A, how could I fall here?”

Tang Keyue immediately agreed, “I don’t want to leave either. There are so many people here, I still want to hang out with everyone for a few more days.”

The three of them turned to Nanzhi, waiting for her to say something uplifting.

But instead, she tilted her head, staring unblinkingly at Zhuran with a somewhat… uh, creepy? smile on her face.

“Nanzhi! Snap out of it!” Tang Keyue was practically used to calling her back to reality by now.

Honestly, how could one person space out so much?

“I’m not leaving either.”

Nanzhi was still smiling at Zhuran, her eyes brimming with pure delight.

“I want to stay with Zhuran forever.”

Their loosely linked fingers shifted slightly as one mischievous pinky slipped free, tracing slow, teasing circles against Zhuran’s palm.

Tang Keyue made an exaggerated gagging face. “Ugh, so gross. Everyone knows you two are close especially you, always ‘Zhuran this, Zhuran that.’ Oh, by the way, people were talking about it yesterday, saying you leaked info to your group. I nearly died laughing.”

“Hey, you’re the one stirring up trouble first! We were just getting motivated, and now you’ve reminded me of Shao Xiling’s glare ugh, it’s killing me!” Xialan grumbled.

The noise around them seemed to fade, leaving only Zhuran’s increasingly reddened ears and the soft, furtive brush of Nanzhi’s head leaning closer.

“How could you say that in front of them.”

Before she could finish, the sensation against her palm interrupted her.

Zhuran frowned slightly, glancing up at Nanzhi in confusion.

Nanzhi subtly flicked her eyes toward the microphone before her expression cleared in understanding.

But her gaze was so intense that Zhuran couldn’t help whispering, “What are you looking at?”

“Of course, it’s because you’re so good-looking,” Nan Zhi replied without a second’s hesitation. “Just now, when you said we should start all over, you were incredibly cool.”

Zhu Ran seemed a little embarrassed and turned her head slightly to the side.

The loose strands of hair at her temples fluttered, the slightly curled ends brushing against the tips of her ears, which were tinged with a delicate flush. It made Nan Zhi’s heart itch with affection.

Every word she had just spoken was sincere.

When she had nudged Zhu Ran earlier, she hadn’t expected her to say something so earth-shattering.

But when Zhu Ran actually said those words, Nan Zhi felt genuinely happy.

So it turned out that Zhu Ran truly, deeply loved the stage.

Not because she was influenced by others, not because she had lost herself.

Instead, the Zhu Ran on stage was the one who had truly found herself again.

She had immense talent and passion for music and dance.

Nan Zhi thought gratefully, Thank goodness.

Thank goodness Zhu Ran really loved it.

“Don’t keep staring at me,” Zhu Ran chided, half-scolding, half-teasing, as she shot Nan Zhi a glance.

That expression on her coldly beautiful face made it even harder to resist.

Nan Zhi leaned in slightly and whispered, just loud enough for the two of them to hear, “After the commercial shoot the day after tomorrow, let’s sneak off and have some fun!”

Zhu Ran was slightly startled, widening her eyes at Nan Zhi and pointing at the microphone.

Nan Zhi grinned mischievously, deliberately lifting her collar and bringing the mic closer to her lips.

“Director, director, are you there? Can you hear me?”

Of course, no one answered.

So Nan Zhi pushed her luck further. “If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as a yes! The day after tomorrow, I want to go out and play with Zhu Ran!”

Zhu Ran pressed her lips together, her eyes curving into crescents. “What if someone hears?”

Nan Zhi lifted her chin smugly. “There are over a hundred mics here, how could they possibly catch everything? Don’t worry, they definitely won’t know.”

The next second, a faint hum came from the speakers in all the practice rooms as someone turned on the broadcast:

Ahem.

“F-Class student Nan Zhi, we heard everything you just said.”

Huh?!

Are you people from the production team really that free?!

In the broadcast room, the director cut off the external speakers and, after a long pause, finally let out a loud curse.

Xu Silan, long accustomed to such antics, sat calmly on the small sofa sipping coffee.

“Damn it!” The director sprang up from his chair, too excited to care about his image. “We’ve struck gold! Hahaha, we’ve struck massive gold! Teacher Xu, you’ve got such a sharp eye! And the casting director, ah, you guys are geniuses! How did you even find Zhu Ran?!”

How amazing is this?!

They say newborn calves aren’t afraid of tigers, but Zhu Ran wasn’t just unafraid she was ready to devour the tiger whole!

“Tell me, how did she even think of rewriting the entire song, huh?”

Director Jiang was practically ecstatic, pacing back and forth like he was about to break into a tap dance. “Bold, steady, brilliant. Not only did she lead her own team to make changes, but she also helped her opponents rediscover their passion. I guarantee, once this airs, our ratings are set!”

Wasn’t this the hottest kind of storyline right now? What was it called? The underdog heroine’s rise?

Besides, young audiences these days loved idols who embodied “beauty, strength, and tragedy.”

Zhu Ran fit all three criteria perfectly.

Her beauty was one-of-a-kind, even in today’s entertainment industry.

As for “strength” after watching her for over half a month, how could he not know exactly what she was capable of?

That dance battle in the practice room was edited into the behind-the-scenes footage, and the pay-per-view numbers for that single episode were absolutely off the charts.

As for the “tragedy” part, all I’ve heard is that his parents passed away early. Wonder if we can dig up anything else.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he got, until a voice abruptly cut him off.

“Zhuran hasn’t finished revising it yet, Director Jiang. Aren’t you getting excited a bit too early?”

“What’s the big deal?” Director Jiang waved his hand dismissively. “If she can’t revise it, we’ll just find someone to write it for her and send it over.”

It’s just a script easy to handle, no big deal.

But then, unexpectedly, Xu Silan’s gaze turned icy, and she tilted her chin up slightly, looking down at him with disdain.

“The apprentice I’ve taken a liking to Director, please don’t interfere. Are you really planning to arrange some cliché script for her?”

Director Jiang was taken aback. “What? Do you actually believe Zhuran can come up with a better version than the current one?”

The iced Americano was slammed onto the coffee table, the ice cubes clinking loudly.

“Absolutely.”

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