Transmigrated into the Villainous Scummy Alpha in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 27.2

After a long while, when her hair was almost dry, the hairdryer was turned down a notch, and only then did Lin Qi hear her voice. “Although I said I wouldn’t ask again, I really want to know, why you became the way you are now, whether you might turn bad again, whether you, also like me the way I like you.”

The topic she had avoided so many times was brought up again. But tomorrow was the first public performance, and like Jiang Ming, Lin Qi was afraid. Would anyone believe her if she said she was from another world?

Or more importantly, would Jiang Ming believe her?

Would she think Lin Qi was just making up another excuse to deceive her?

Instinctively dodging the question, Lin Qi couldn’t bear to see Jiang Ming looking so uneasy and timid. She turned off the hairdryer and saw the seated girl had already turned her head around. Forcing a smile, Lin Qi’s gaze settled on her forehead.

She actually wanted to kiss her, but she didn’t dare.

In the end, she just ruffled Jiang Ming’s now-fluffy hair and said with firm determination, “After tomorrow’s performance, I’ll tell you everything. Really, all my secrets, I’ll tell you everything, okay?”

Except that “everything” didn’t include the fact that she was shamelessly in love with this female lead.

Once again brushed off, Jiang Ming could only lower her head in disappointment. Someone as sensitive as her couldn’t fail to notice Lin Qi’s inner conflict. She could guess that these secrets must be significant, things Lin Qi absolutely didn’t want to reveal.

“Don’t lie to me. After tomorrow’s performance, I want answers.”

No matter how much she wished time would slow down, after a night’s sleep, the day of the performance arrived. The hundred or so trainees changed into their uniform skirts and boarded the bus to the stadium. The venue wasn’t very large, probably only accommodating about a thousand people and the preferences of these thousand would determine Jiang Ming’s fate.

The winning team would each receive an extra 10,000 votes, with the most popular member getting an additional 20,000.

With those 10,000 votes, Jiang Ming could at least secure 65th place. If any small miracle happened, she might even barely make the cut!

On the way there, Lin Qi secretly lifted the curtain and peeked at the eager audience outside. Beneath their smiling faces shone the light of devotion.

Which of them were her fans?

Sighing, while worrying about Jiang Ming, Lin Qi couldn’t help but marvel, how wonderful. She had been given a second chance to climb to the top, and this time, nothing would go wrong.

When the group arrived backstage, Lin Qi picked up her performance outfit and headed to the restroom to change. On the way, she ran straight into An Zi Zi, who was applying lipstick in front of the mirror. From the side, her nose was high and elegant, her bright red lips striking and bold. In high heels, she was even slightly taller than Lin Qi.

Moreover, the cool-white suit draped over her slender frame exuded an imposing aura, a stark contrast to Lin Qi’s pink uniform skirt. Standing before An Zi Zi, the pastel-clad Lin Qi seemed more like an omega.

Her throat itching slightly, Lin Qi forced an awkward smile. “Hello, Teacher An.”

An Zi Zi didn’t look at her, continuing to perfect her lipstick along the lines of her lips. Only when satisfied did she lazily glance at Lin Qi and say, as if offhandedly, “There’s a ‘Most Insightful Mentor’ title this time. I’ll vote for you. You must take first place.”

After saying that, she left, leaving behind only a lingering trace of cold fragrance.

Lin Qi was completely stunned.

So this was what her ex-girlfriend was like? Using deliberately cold and harsh words to encourage her to take first place.

It was somewhat amusing, but the immediate priority was to change clothes. As Lin Qi examined her deliberately melancholic and sorrowful expression in the mirror, she couldn’t help but think wouldn’t it be nice to become friends with An Zizi?

Hadn’t the book mentioned someone who had always liked An Zizi?

But Lin Qi hadn’t paid much attention to the supporting characters and couldn’t recall who that insignificant side character was. Damn it! If only she had read more carefully. She loved playing matchmaker for adult romances.

In her past life’s talent shows, she had no idea how many couples she had helped bring together. Those fans wailing about their “collapsed ships” would never know that their idols had been paired up by her.

Everyone, now dressed in their performance outfits, sat together. A large screen at the front displayed live footage of the stage. First, the mentors made their entrance, and the program host casually chatted with them before cueing the “Most Insightful Mentor” segment. Each mentor was asked to write down which team they believed would win first place, as well as who would be the most popular contestant.

Without thinking, Lin Qi glanced at An Zizi and saw her scribbling down her answers in a few quick strokes. No surprise there it had to be her. Their song title, The Listener, along with Lin Qi’s name, was the shortest among all the teams, so naturally, it would be the quickest to write.

Good grief, she thought An Zizi was just joking. Surely she wouldn’t actually do this?

Could it be that she still had lingering feelings for the original owner of this body??

Oh, beauty, why torture yourself like this?

Suddenly, her hand was grasped. Lin Qi snapped out of her thoughts and saw Jiang Ming frowning, her voice soft and pleading, “I’m a little nervous.”

“It’s okay. Just treat it like any other day. Perform the way we’ve practiced. Didn’t we rehearse yesterday? You sang beautifully.”

“I’m still scared. Can you look at me?”

Lin Qi didn’t understand why Jiang Ming wanted her to look at her. Did her gaze have some kind of calming effect?

Unable to figure it out, Lin Qi obediently kept her eyes on Jiang Ming, patting the back of her hand whenever she showed the slightest hint of unease or timidity, trying to soothe her.

But the clueless blockhead had no idea that Jiang Ming simply didn’t want her attention fixed on An Zizi on the big screen. She didn’t want Lin Qi’s eyes lingering on another’s delicate, beautiful face. With anyone else, Jiang Ming might have been confident, but An Zizi was different.

She had already had Lin Qi once. Rekindling old flames was just a matter of whether both parties were combustible enough.

Seeing Lin Qi stare at An Zizi for so long had made Jiang Ming anxious and resentful, forcing her to come up with this illogical excuse. A possessive kitten would never tolerate the person she liked having eyes for someone else.

So, just look at her. Don’t turn away.

Their whispered exchange ended quickly, and soon it was The Listener’s turn to perform. Still holding Jiang Ming’s hand, Lin Qi stepped onto the lift platform amidst thunderous cheers.

She hadn’t paid close attention to the cheers for the other groups, so she had no idea whether theirs was louder or softer.

“To think I still have the mind to dwell on such things,” Lin Qi mused, realizing she had perhaps relaxed a bit too much. She glanced at Jiang Ming, who was taking deep breaths, then placed her hands on Jiang Ming’s arms and bent down until their eyes were level. Her peach-blossom eyes shimmered slightly as she said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here with you.”

At that moment, Jiang Ming, who had genuinely begun to feel nervous, suddenly calmed down. Unable to resist, she took advantage of the fact that the lift hadn’t yet started and boldly hugged Lin Qi, just a fleeting touch, barely grazing those slender shoulders before pulling away. A secret joy bubbled up from the depths of her heart.

It felt like being lightly brushed by a kitten so faint, so fleeting yet it made her want to laugh uncontrollably.

How childish, like a schoolgirl in love.

Lin Qi quickly coughed twice to suppress her smile, forcing her professional demeanor back into place. This song was supposed to be sad, no laughing allowed!

After the self-introductions came the performance. As the prelude, filled with the sound of waves that had haunted her dreams, began to play, Lin Qi lowered her head and met Jiang Ming’s momentarily dazed gaze. It never occurred to her that the one who kept saying she was “nervous” would end up performing the best.

She was like those students in school who wailed, “I did so badly this time,” only to end up with the highest score.

But if it was Jiang Ming, Lin Qi could understand. The nervousness came from a lack of confidence, but the flawless performance was the result of her relentless practice and hard work, day and night.

As the song reached its climax, Lin Qi took several large strides to position herself behind Jiang Ming, expertly playing the role of her shadow, mirroring her movements with just the right delay.

The entire performance was as perfect as their rehearsals, until the very end. When the four pairs faced each other in their respective groups, Lin Qi pulled a small pink baby’s breath flower from her pocket and tucked it behind Jiang Ming’s ear.

The sudden clash of cool tones against the soft pink created an unexpected harmony. Paired with Jiang Ming’s slightly surprised expression, it made the ending seem as though the two had finally confessed their feelings. But for those who knew the meaning of pink baby’s breath, it was a heartbreaking story.

Over a week of practice culminated in just three minutes on stage. Amidst another wave of cheers, Lin Qi and her teammates stepped down. Tan Yi, curious, sidled up to her. “Hey, Captain, what made you decide to add that move? The effect was amazing!”

Lin Qi shook her head. “Just a spur-of-the-moment idea last night.”

“You really are a born idol,” Tan Yi remarked.

But Lin Qi had no mind for small talk. She hurried over to the large screen where the voting results were being tallied. As expected, their group took first place with 932 votes. Lin Qi alone had garnered 467, making her the most popular member of the team.

Yet there was no smile on her face because Jiang Ming was dead last, with a pitiful 43 votes.

Why?

Jiang Ming had performed far better than she had.

Was this tragic story truly unchangeable?

Did that mean the ending, where Jiang Ming ended up with Song En, was also set in stone?

Disheartened, Lin Qi could already picture the scene from the original novel, the two female leads holding hands, blissfully happy. Her eyes stung, turning slightly red. Was there really no way to alter the outcome?

The people around her seemed to notice her unusual mood and didn’t disturb her further, but Jiang Ming pulled Lin Qi into the restroom.

“Wh-what’s wrong? Aren’t you happy about getting first place?”

Her tear-filled eyes looked at Jiang Ming, who still knew nothing, and her voice choked up. “I saw your ranking only in the seventies. Even with the extra ten thousand votes from first place, you’d barely make it to the sixties. When the rankings are announced tonight, you… you’ll be eliminated.”

As she spoke, Lin Qi was overwhelmed by the tangled emotions in her heart and burst into messy sobs, like a dog who’d just had its bone snatched away.

“It’s okay. Maybe I just wasn’t attractive enough. Don’t be sad.”

The situation had suddenly reversed, Jiang Ming was now the one offering comfort. She seemed to have already known she would be leaving, so she didn’t show any sadness, only gently wiping away Lin Qi’s tears with a calm expression.

Just… a little disappointed, that’s all.

If she left the camp, would there still be a future between her and Lin Qi?

Even the mere thought of it made her heart ache. Jiang Ming shook her head, deciding to spare herself and Lin Qi from dwelling on it. Whatever happens, happens. If she really had to go, she couldn’t just cling on here.

The two fell silent, riding the program’s bus back to the filming location for the survival show. Along the way, the others seemed to understand why Lin Qi was crying, and a wave of sadness swept through the group. Some even began dreading the upcoming first elimination announcement.

This was the first time Lin Qi had cried so hard. The pack of tissues she had brought, plus the ones Jiang Ming and Tan Yi gave her, weren’t nearly enough to wipe away all her tears and sniffles. Why didn’t Wei Xuanyue lend her any?

Because she was crying too! How could she bear to see Jiang Ming leave? She had finally gotten the chance to get close to such a beauty, and now that beauty was about to disappear!

Lin Qi and Wei Xuanyue had completely abandoned any sense of shame, crying the entire bus ride until exhaustion finally knocked them out.

Once they returned to the camp, all hundred or so contestants gathered at the same spot where they had performed their initial stages. But while there had been over a hundred seats arranged in a mountain-like formation back then, now only sixty remained.

Staring at the vast emptiness where so many seats had once been, Lin Qi’s barely restrained tears surged again. She didn’t want to cry, but if Jiang Ming got eliminated like this, wouldn’t that mean even her presence couldn’t change the pivotal moments in the story? And wouldn’t that further prove.

That Jiang Ming and Song En were the official pairing, no doubt about it. No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t change a thing.

Standing with her class on the opposite side of the “mountain,” Lin Qi glanced at Jiang Ming in Class B. Abandoning all logic, she clasped her hands together and began praying desperately. Please, please, let Jiang Ming make it into the top sixty. This humble believer is willing to get stabbed by antis again, just beg all the gods, Guanyin, the Queen Mother of the West, anyone! Please let Jiang Ming stay!

But her prayers went unanswered. The show’s host cheerfully announced name after name, from 54th place down to 10th. With each one, Lin Qi’s heart sank further. Even when she was revealed as the first-place winner of the first elimination round, her face remained grim, her eyes red and swollen like they were inflamed.

“Lin Qi, please give your acceptance speech.”

Her voice was hoarse, but she didn’t care. She simply muttered, “Thank you to my fans for putting me in first place. But I’m really not in a good mood today, so I’ll keep it short.”

After a polite bow, Lin Qi climbed up to the highest seat. The moment she sat down, some inexplicably dramatic ceremonial music played, startling her, already a sobbing mess even more.

She strained to listen as the host announced the names from 55th to 60th. Each time, even if the description didn’t sound like Jiang Ming at all, Lin Qi tried to rationalize it maybe this is how the production team sees Jiang Ming? Maybe this is her?

But disappointment followed disappointment. By the time the 60th name was called, the entire ranking had been announced and Jiang Ming’s name was nowhere to be found.

Lin Qi lowered her head, the tears she had been holding back for so long bursting forth once more. What did it matter that she had come in first place? She still had to watch helplessly as Jiang Ming was eliminated.

Across the “mountain,” Jiang Ming gazed deeply at Lin Qi. Though she was smiling, tears continued to stream from the corners of her eyes.

Lin Qi, don’t forget me.