novelraw Chapter 214 - 207: Suddenly Exploding in Anger
Chapter 214 - 207: Suddenly Exploding in Anger
In his fury, Zitao, driven by his impulsive hot-blooded temperament, slammed the cue card onto the ground and stormed off.
Yuwei watched the scene unfold and felt that the program team hadn’t instructed him to act that way.
Many of the other girls standing around also felt that Zitao’s behavior was excessive.
At that moment, with the program team not calling for a break, who could afford to stop?
This was about the years of sweat and youth they’d poured into their dreams.
Even if they went to assist Liu Danmeng, what good would it do? How could they truly help?
At that moment, aside from the whirring of the machines, the entire venue fell completely silent.
But soon enough, everyone began discussing the incident.
"Honestly, there wasn’t time to react. We had no choice but to keep competing."
"At that time, who would have dared to stop?"
"Sigh! Mr. Long was so furious."
"What could we have done in that situation!"
The girls broke into small groups, chatting endlessly about it.
Lv Fangxin, Chen Yinghan, Liu Feiyu, and Lu Peiqin were also discussing the matter.
"Really, no matter what we did in that moment, it wouldn’t have been the right thing," Chen Yinghan sighed.
Lv Fangxin gave her friend a puzzled look.
"If we all stopped to help, it would have been irresponsible—not just to ourselves but to our teammates as well."
The others nodded in agreement, believing this to be true.
"But if we didn’t help, we’d be condemned morally; we’re all part of the same big group, after all. So no matter what we chose, it’s wrong."
Liu Feiyu responded to Chen Yinghan, her face full of helplessness: "So what should we do then?"
"The only thing we can do is avoid becoming a disruption ourselves and let the medical team handle it."
What Chen Yinghan really meant was that incidents like this should be resolved by the program team—it’s their responsibility.
After all, they’re both the rule-makers and the referees.
Lv Fangxin lowered her head in contemplation, feeling like she had learned a valuable lesson from today’s incident.
Nearby, with persuasion from the program staff, Zitao reluctantly returned.
However, Yang Xiaoyue seemingly hadn’t given Zitao any instructions, obviously letting him handle things freely.
"What upset me the most is this: Yesterday, you cried together so deeply as sisters. That was your bond; that was the strong friendship forged from over 40 days of hard work here."
"Do you know how moved I was? My eyes were constantly moist. If it hadn’t been for filming the show, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from crying with you."
Zitao’s words made many of the trainees who’d initially been annoyed with him feel a sense of shame.
They thought back to yesterday’s emotional scene, juxtaposing it with today’s actions.
"And yet today, when someone falls so badly, you all just keep doing what you were doing!"
"You leave me baffled and confused. Is your bond fractured?"
Zitao let out a long sigh, his anger now completely cooled.
"You are a group—a collective. If one person makes a mistake, everyone gets punished."
"What is team spirit? It’s not letting one person mess up while others just watch. That isn’t a collective; that isn’t a true team."
As Zitao spoke, his thoughts were filled with memories of his old team.
Among the trainees, Meng and Wu seemed to understand his words the most clearly.
Lu Bingbing and Ye Yuwei, while understanding, couldn’t agree in their hearts.
In this talent competition, the relationships between the girls were inherently competitive.
You want to talk to me about team spirit, about unity, yet we’re not even truly part of the same team.
Grade divisions, constant reshuffling, battles to win top votes at performances.
If there had ever been a spirit of unity in the smaller groups, it no longer existed.
Take this recent team-selection process for example: That leader picked only her original allies, configuring the team purely to her own advantage.
And from the very beginning, the program’s grade divisions had already classified everyone as "superior or inferior."
Team unity can only exist when the members are truly equal.
When A-class trainees live in large dormitories, wear diamond badges that symbolize supreme glory, and sport uniquely striped shoes different from all other trainees...
How do you expect those crammed into four-person dorms to believe in team spirit?
What looks like unity on the surface is merely a shared dream under the same "arena," with the same debut goal—at least until external distractions emerge.
Zitao was still recalling stories from his past.
"Do you know how envious I am of you? You started off with such advantageous conditions, living in these nice dorms. Yet you..." Zitao trailed off, realizing some of them had even complained about the accommodations and the food.
Most of these girls came from well-off families, so they weren’t particularly satisfied with the program’s arrangements.
"I’ve never argued with a teammate over camera time even once."
"I’ve never been jealous of someone more popular than me, nor have I ever dissed any teammate in public."
As Zitao thought about what he’d observed in the base these past few days, along with all the rumors online, his feelings were a mix of helplessness and bitterness.
"Because of that most famous teammate, our group became known. I, along with all my teammates, gained recognition. You have to approach this with gratitude—this is what makes a team."
"Crying during filming, hugging each other—that’s not team spirit; that’s not friendship—that’s performance art."
"After entering this industry, so many people lose themselves, forgetting who they truly are."
"We must learn to be human—to be kind—otherwise, we risk scandal, expulsion from the circle, and losing everything."
Zitao’s words weighed heavily, causing more and more of them to feel guilt.
From childhood, we’re taught to have collective spirit, collective pride.
Traditional morality teaches us to help those in need.
But earlier, when Liu Danmeng fell...
Still, Ye Yuwei and Lu Bingbing remained indifferent.
Once again, the foundation of Zitao’s words assumes they are part of the same team, which they are not.
Yuwei felt that Zitao had over-immersed himself in this idealized notion, to the point of being almost delusional.
However, she couldn’t deny that if she had to pick a friend, she’d choose someone like him: passionate, slightly impulsive, and loyal.
"I hope next time I’ll see a different side of you. Thank you for your hard work," Zitao said as he turned and walked away.
The results of the dance group competition came in:
Meng Meixuan’s group: "Wave Motion," Li Shihan’s group: "Water Grass Dance," Zhao Juke’s group: "Don’t Be Too Good."
Wang Miaomiao’s group: "Proposal Dance," Wu Zixuan’s group: "Surprise," Jiang Mengqi’s group: "Puppet Girls."
The girls, worn out by the day’s events, went off to rest.
But this night was destined to be one where sleep wouldn’t come easily.
Each girl felt exhausted—not just physically, but emotionally.
"Ye Yuwei, please come over, there’s a mid-segment commercial that needs you to shoot it,"
A staff member knocked on the door and came in, smiling at Ye Yuwei, who was sipping tea.
"Just me?" Ye Yuwei set her teacup down and asked.
"Yes, the phone company specifically requested you for a solo shoot. Meanwhile, the coffee company requested Gao Ziyi, Gao Yingxi, and Zhang Zijing for theirs."
The girls in the dormitory noticed how courteous the staff was toward Ye Yuwei.
The fact that she was singled out for the phone company’s commercial only added to their envy.
They’d shot ads before but only as part of group images.
Ye Yuwei’s first commercial being her solo "spotlight" moment signified her immense popularity.
"Congratulations, Yuwei, looks like you’re really standing out now," Yang Ni said with a playful smile as she approached.
"The brand specifically chose you—Yuwei, you’re incredible!" Meng Meixuan joined in, her expression mixed, as she smiled and approached.
"Good luck, Yuwei!" Qiang Yueting added with a grin.