Your Aloof Persona Has Crumbled - Chapter 5

Many people expressed surprise at Wen Shike’s audacity in choosing Class A. Although that emotion was fleeting, she still caught it.

When they offered her words of encouragement, Wen Shike couldn’t tell if they were being sincere or if they were simply waiting to watch a train wreck.

Quite a few people had chosen Class A. Wen Shike had done some preliminary research on the popular contestants and knew there were indeed some very powerful opponents. She could tell they were extremely confident, a confidence rooted firmly in their actual strength.

While the surrounding area was buzzing with lively conversation, the space around Wen Shike and Lu Jingwei remained quiet.

Wen Shike couldn’t help but glance at Lu Jingwei a few times. Since sitting down, this woman hadn’t changed her posture much, looking like a statue. No matter when the camera landed on Lu Jingwei, she was always in her best state.

Wen Shike was much more casual. She was already leaning back against her chair, though she looked lazy, she still exuded a “don’t come near me” queenly aura. In reality, she was just bored of waiting.

Once everyone had chosen their seats, the lights suddenly dimmed.

A moment later, when the stage lights brightened again, a figure had appeared. The surrounding trainees immediately began screaming and cheering.

Wen Shike straightened her back. The mentors’ performances were beginning.

The Mentors and the “Royal” Label

The program featured four mentors plus one “Dream Producer.” They had been officially announced before, but this was the first time Wen Shike saw them within the context of the show.

Mentors Meng Yaya and Xi Mingxuan were both under the Yin family’s banner. Wen Shike had seen them at company annual parties, though they weren’t particularly close. To be fair, Wen Shike now understood why people kept calling her a “Royal.”

Even looking at herself, she felt she looked a bit like one and the more she looked, the more it seemed true.

Wen Shike: “…”

She had originally planned to participate in a different show, but her father, worried she’d be bullied, joined her mother in shedding “tears” at home for three days. It was only after they guaranteed the show wouldn’t give her special treatment that Wen Shike agreed.

However, even if nothing was said, those people would definitely look out for her.

Wen Shike took a deep breath. The best way to deal with rumors and gossip was to have formidable strength. If she was number one, then having more screen time would be expected. This show, after all, distributed screen time according to ranking.

The Rules of the Stage

The lights fully brightened. The four mentors and the Dream Producer stood on stage, introduced themselves in turn, and returned to their seats.

“Welcome everyone to the stage of Dream 101. I hope you can all achieve your dreams here,” said the Producer, Xu Jianglan, offering a gentle smile. “Next, I will announce the rules for the initial stage. They are very simple.”

Everyone held their breath, their expressions turning serious.

“This year, we are still divided into five classes: A, B, C, D, and F. For the first evaluation, the number of people in each class is flexible. However…”

“After the first round, for every subsequent re-evaluation, Class A will only have eleven spots. As for those rules, we will discuss them later.”

“The order of performance will be decided by a random draw on the big screen,” Xu Jianglan gestured to the screen behind him.

The process was tight, wasting no time. Seeing that the first person wasn’t her, Wen Shike leaned back again. “Nervous?”

“It’s alright,” Lu Jingwei said, smoothing her hair.

Wen Shike glanced at Lu Jingwei’s face. She remembered the Lu Jingwei from that day when she had her head lowered; she felt different now.

“Are you nervous?” Lu Jingwei asked.

Wen Shike shook her head. “I’ve seen a lot of big storms.”

Lu Jingwei couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

Wen Shike: “…”

Twitching the corner of her mouth, Wen Shike opened a bottle of milk, took a sip, and silently watched the performances.

The mentors’ critiques were very serious, generally following a “slap then a sweet” approach, except for Ding Qing, who was overly sharp tongued. Wen Shike watched as one contestant was brought to tears by her comments.

The seated contestants were also getting restless, whispering to each other.

• “So scary, is it really this strict?”
• “I thought the performance was actually okay.”
• “What do I do? I cry so easily. What if I ruin my makeup?”

The Performance

Wen Shike sat with her legs crossed, resting her chin on her hand as she looked down. She was enjoying the spectacle when she looked up and saw her own name appear on the big screen.

The eyes of the crowd instantly fell on her. Wen Shike never expected she would be the second one up.

She stood up and slowly walked down the steps. She didn’t look like she was going to perform, she looked like she was heading to an awards ceremony.

“Hello mentors, hello Dream Producer. I am Wen Shike from Yinxing Entertainment.” Wen Shike bowed, the diamonds on her skirt sparkling brilliantly under the lights.

The mentors nodded with smiles, signaling her to begin.

Wen Shike chose the song “Càn” (Brilliant), a solo track by her company’s top star, Fu Chenyuan. It was highly difficult, involving singing, dancing, and rapping. As soon as the intro played, the crowd cheered.

“Can?” “My god, the guts on her.” “To be honest, I’m so jealous of Wen Shike. Her company owns the rights to so many good songs.”

Wen Shike had helped write the lyrics for “Càn.” Before coming, she and Fu Chenyuan had rearranged the piece to better suit her. The song was positive and energetic, depicting a vibrant life force and an attitude of trampling over obstacles.

The original rap was written by Fu Chenyuan as a message to her fans. Since Wen Shike didn’t have that specific audience yet, she rewrote the rap to look toward the future, fitting the song’s theme.

Given such great resources, Wen Shike felt that if she didn’t make it into Class A, she would be a complete failure.

Her power was well-distributed, controlled and focused. She didn’t look weak, nor did she look like she was trying too hard. When she slid across the stage and rose fluently, she earned screams from the entire audience.

Her rap enunciation was exceptionally clear, unlike some who mumbled. This didn’t hinder her speed. She hit the high notes in the climax steadily, with only a slight tremor at the very end, though it didn’t ruin the effect.

As the song ended, Wen Shike stood still, panting slightly. She noticed a stray diamond that had fallen from her skirt, picked it up, and held it in her hand.

“What did you pick up?”

Wen Shike was about to speak but coughed twice first. After steadying herself, she spoke slowly: “A diamond from my dress.”

“It couldn’t be a real diamond, could it…?” Xi Mingxuan joked, only to see Wen Shike nod.

The audience instinctively craned their necks to look at the stage, and even the nearby staff looked on with curiosity. Wen Shike pursed her lips.

“You are a philosophy major at A University. Why did you suddenly want to join an idol survival show?” Ding Qing asked. Her tone was calm, seemingly unaffected by the “diamond” interlude.

“It wasn’t sudden. I’ve always had this idea, so I started learning to dance at a young age. As for choosing philosophy in university… everything in the world is inseparable from philosophy,” Wen Shike said. Combined with her serious expression, no one doubted the statement.

In reality, it was because her grades were high enough to pick any major, and she wasn’t particularly interested in anything, so she literally rolled a die. Of course, she couldn’t say that.

“The third-highest scorer in the K-Province Science stream last year. Very impressive,” Ding Qing nodded. “However, I suspect your singing and dancing might not be as strong as your academics.”