The Plan to Save the Villainess Supporting Actress [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 6

The break ended quickly, and soon it was time for Group C to take the stage for their first round.

Nan Zhi looked up and saw Zhu Ran still wearing Group C’s light-green training uniform, her long black curls tied into a ponytail, revealing the elegant curve of her fair neck.

Even from just a back view, Zhu Ran stood out distinctly from the other trainees.

There was always an air of cool aloofness and stubbornness about her, like the shimmering moonlight glinting off the blade of an unsheathed sword, impossible to ignore.

System: “Aren’t your praises for the second female lead a bit too high?”

Nan Zhi scoffed, her tone laced with obvious disdain. “You just don’t get it.”

Beautiful women deserve all the compliments!

Soon, the mentors at the front finished speaking, and the opening notes of the theme song echoed through the classroom speakers.

This year’s theme song had an overall cheerful tone, which put a cold beauty like Zhu Ran at a slight disadvantage in terms of matching the song’s vibe.

Fortunately, the dance portion was extremely challenging, balancing the playing field for trainees with different styles.

Dance mentor Xu Silan was known as the “Devil Dancer.” Her choreography appeared deceptively simple and light, but in reality, it was packed with intricate details from start to finish every movement full and powerful.

Even for a bright and upbeat theme song, singing and dancing simultaneously was still a formidable challenge for the trainees at this stage.

“It’s starting, it’s starting!”

“I’m so nervous. This group seems pretty strong.”

“I sneaked a peek at Class C earlier, Zhu Ran is insane. If she performs steadily, she might move up to the front ranks.”

Listening to the chatter around her, Nan Zhi couldn’t help but sigh.

System: “Don’t be so pessimistic! What if the second female lead doesn’t follow the original plot?”

Nan Zhi gazed sorrowfully at Zhu Ran’s back and sighed again. “I hope so.”

“The time has—”

“WOW!!!”

The moment Zhu Ran moved, Nan Zhi and the two girls beside her couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

After the intro, unlike in the original plot where she missed the beat, Zhu Ran hit every move perfectly in sync with the rhythm.

What was even more astonishing was that Zhu Ran was the only trainee so far who executed every single dance move with full precision.

While Groups A and B had their fair share of dancers known for their strong skills, most of them chose to conserve energy by skipping some of the finer details.

Those who prioritized dance, on the other hand, struggled to maintain stable vocals, often sounding breathy.

But Zhu Ran was different.

Her singing was powerful, her voice clear and distinctive, the moment she opened her mouth, she effortlessly overshadowed the other voices in Class C.

Yet what was truly impossible to overlook was her dancing.

Unlike the previous groups, who emphasized exaggerated movements to showcase strength, Zhu Ran’s dance was more like a controlled art form fluid, graceful, and effortless.

Her power was contained within each motion, wrapped inside her body clean, flexible, light, and seamless.

She seemed to know exactly how to display her beauty; every rhythmic movement sculpted her body into art, even the sway of her hair.

Nan Zhi’s lips curled into a proud smile as she told the system, “See? It’s not that my praise is too high,it’s that Zhu Ran is simply the undeniable center! If she doesn’t debut, I’m dropping this show!”

System: “…”

Suddenly remembering something, Nan Zhi asked warily, “Where’s the notification about the plot deviation? Why hasn’t it come yet?”

System: “What deviation?”

Nanzhi: “Zhu Ran! She hasn’t missed a beat, and so far, she hasn’t dropped any moves. Logically, the plot should have changed by now, right?”

Last time, in that short video, the system notification popped up before she even arrived on the scene.

Now, Zhu Ran is almost done with her performance, why hasn’t the prompt appeared yet?

Is your system malfunctioning from years of neglect?

System: “…The system does not make mistakes!!!”

Nanzhi was about to retort when the girl beside her suddenly gasped. Instinctively, Nanzhi turned to look at Zhu Ran.

Zhu Ran had stopped moving!

[Warning: Target has entered a new plotline. Host must urgently alter the supporting female character’s storyline.]

Nanzhi suddenly held her breath.

How could this be?

Whispers filled every corner of the venue. Even the four mentors and the production team wore expressions of confusion.

Mentor Xu Silan slammed her pen down, her face dark with anger. If the other contestants hadn’t still been performing, she might have stormed the stage to grab Zhu Ran by the collar.

What the hell is this?!

She’d had her eye on this contestant since the initial auditions.

Zhu Ran had talent and worked hard. With proper guidance, she wouldn’t just debut as the center of this show, she had limitless potential in her future career.

Xu Silan had finally found a promising candidate, someone whose very presence seemed destined for stardom.

And now, she was pulling this stunt, giving up and slacking off?!

Beside her, the show’s host, Gao Hongzhe, deftly avoided the cameras and leaned in to whisper with suppressed laughter, “Teacher Xu, I’ll thank you in advance for tonight’s crayfish.”

Before the theme song evaluation, the four mentors had gathered for a game of mahjong and casually placed bets on who would become the initial center for the theme song.

The other three had all bet on trainees from Class A. Only Xu Silan, while holding a winning hand, had placed her bet on Zhu Ran.

A Class C trainee.

Zhu Ran was indeed a skilled contestant.

But all of them were seasoned veterans in the entertainment industry. Who couldn’t see that something was off about Zhu Ran’s state?

There was a contradiction in her. The harder she practiced, the more she sabotaged her final performance and it was deliberate.

During the initial auditions, outsiders might have thought she was just nervous, but the four of them, observing the stage up close, knew the truth.

The unwillingness in Zhu Ran’s eyes when she made a mistake.

And the dead silence that followed.

No matter how talented or skilled a contestant was, if they couldn’t adjust their mental state, they wouldn’t last long in this industry.

Gao Hongzhe glanced at Xu Silan’s stormy expression and shook his head helplessly before marking an “F” on Zhu Ran’s evaluation sheet.

Xu Silan looked like she was about to roll her eyes out of her head.

Was she really worried about a plate of crayfish?!

The music reached its finale. The other contestants, panting, struck their ending poses with bright, charming smiles.

Only Zhu Ran stood alone, biting her lower lip hard, her head stubbornly refusing to bow.

Xu Silan adjusted her microphone and spoke coldly, “Zhu Ran, do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Zhu Ran silently shook her head.

Xu Silan scoffed, pulling her mic away with a sharp, grating screech.

Gao Hongzhe put on his trademark professional smile and smoothly mediated in a gentle tone, “Trainee Zhu Ran, we heard you practiced all night yesterday, didn’t you? Hard work is good, but you also need to take care of your condition.”

“Let’s take a short break. The scores for this group will be announced after the mentors’ discussion.”

Gao Hongzhe raised his hand, signaling the director to cut the footage at this point.

Watching the backs of the trainees as they returned to the group, Gao Hongzhe exhaled and leaned back in his chair. He turned to Xu Silan and asked, “What do you think, Teacher Xu?”

What else could she think?

Xu Silan picked up her pen and forcefully wrote an “F” on Zhu Ran’s evaluation sheet.

With all four judges in agreement, Zhu Ran was placed in Class F.

“Alright, let’s leave the ratings as they are for now,” Gao Hongzhe said, filling in the final scores for the group. Seizing the last few moments, he added, “I have a small suggestion. I think Zhu Ran’s psychological state deserves some attention. After this recording session, I’ll discuss it with the production team and arrange for her to see a psychologist. As for the theme song MV recording, maybe we should hold off on letting Zhu Ran participate?”

The vocal and rap coaches had no objections. Their favored trainees had secured spots in Class A, so they weren’t particularly concerned about Zhu Ran’s situation.

Xu Silan twirled her pen, lost in thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head.

“I agree about seeing a psychologist, but let’s hold off on the theme song MV for now.”

Gao Hongzhe hesitated. “What do you mean?”

“After this segment wraps up, I’ll talk to Zhu Ran first before making a decision.”

The vocal coach looked surprised. “Teacher Xu, is that really appropriate? A mentor meeting privately with a trainee could spark unnecessary rumors.”

Gao Hongzhe also chimed in, “Yeah, Teacher Xu, if there’s an issue, let the production team handle it.”

But Xu Silan remained firm.

“I have to talk to her.”

Only by confirming Zhu Ran’s passion for the stage with her own eyes could she decide whether or not to give up on this girl.

Xu Silan lowered her gaze to the glaring “F” on the sheet and tightened her grip around the spinning pen.

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