novelraw Chapter 215 - 208: Late Night Dormitory
Chapter 215 - 208: Late Night Dormitory
Although Gao Ziyi was exhausted, she couldn’t suppress the excitement in her heart.
This was the first time in her life that she was shooting a commercial, and not just any—this was for a major brand.
Yesterday, when she ranked 12th, she already had a surreal feeling of joy.
She had initially thought she’d be eliminated in the first round, but now her ambition was fully awakened.
Especially when the production team kept calling her their "Lucky Baby."
This made her feel like she might truly have a chance to debut.
"I, Gao Ziyi, am not worse than anyone. My singing, dancing, and idol image are definitely better than someone who only cries and plays the victim!"
"Why shouldn’t I debut? Why am I following this path? Isn’t it to become that towering, dazzling superstar?"
Her thoughts burst forth like weeds after a rainstorm, growing wildly in her mind.
Lu Bingbing was sitting cross-legged on the floor, practicing yoga.
At this moment, Ge Xiaohui, who had been chatting in another dormitory, walked in.
"Ye Yuwei is really standing so high this time!"
"What happened?" There was a hint of sourness in Zhu Riri’s tone as she listened to Ge Xiaohui’s remark.
"Ye Yuwei landed the centerpiece ad—in fact, it’s a solo shoot specifically requested by the mobile phone brand."
Ge Xiaohui felt deeply uncomfortable. How could someone as talented as her be completely overshadowed, while Ye Yuwei—rumored not to even have a high school diploma—was enjoying such favor?
And then there was Lv Fangxin, who didn’t even graduate middle school, yet somehow drew so much love despite being talentless in singing and dancing.
What had come over this world? "Talent and substance" had been reduced to nothing before "beauty and tricks."
"Yezi’s really impressive! She could win over investors directly with stunts like this." Liu Mengyao said enviously.
Zhu Riri’s face darkened deeply, consumed by hatred. She hated everyone here—contestants, the show staff, even the mentors.
Lu Bingbing, too, felt a pang of discomfort in her heart.
She hadn’t booked a single central ad, and her ranking wasn’t high either.
At that moment, Ge Xiaohui’s eyes darted toward Lu Bingbing: "Bingbing, it looks like Galaxy is focusing all their attention on Yezi this time, huh?"
"Yezi has always been amazing. She’s the light of Galaxy," Lu Bingbing replied cheerfully.
"You’re remarkable too! And you’re Galaxy’s captain," Ge Xiaohui said.
"When anyone achieves good results, it’s a pride for Galaxy. All the sisters in Galaxy bless each other with genuine care." Lu Bingbing’s smile betrayed no flaws.
She was keenly aware of Ge Xiaohui’s malicious intent, but these attempts were laughably amateurish to her.
"Xiaohui, you graduated from a prestigious school, your singing and dancing skills are brilliant—you should try advocating like Afang did with the production team for better exposure," Lu Bingbing suggested with a smile.
Chen Afang’s drama had spread widely among the trainees, and their disdain for her character was common knowledge.
Ge Xiaohui felt anger bubble up, her face icy. She knew the trainees were whispering behind her back, calling her a "fake intellectual."
Lu Bingbing stepped forward, still smiling radiantly: "Xiaohui, your foreign language skills are so good—your speech even carries an international flair. You’d be perfect for high-end brand commercials."
"You..." With her eyes wide open, the now irrational Ge Xiaohui reached out to shove Lu Bingbing.
Bang!
Ge Xiaohui felt her vision blur as her whole body crashed onto the bedsheet as if she had been hit by a battering ram.
In the dormitory, Liu Mengyao and Fan Lei were dumbfounded, never expecting Lu Bingbing to handle it like this. They had seen Lu Bingbing swiftly sidestep, then shoulder-check her opponent with precision.
What the heck?!
Unwilling to back down, Ge Xiaohui struggled to get up, only for Lu Bingbing to grab her by the neck and forcefully pin her to the bedspread.
Luckily, the bed’s privacy curtain blocked this area from the cameras.
"Ge Xiaohui, if you keep trying to mess with me, I’ll leave a mark for you in a hidden spot," Lu Bingbing said ominously, while making a sharp motion with her other hand.
Terrified, Ge Xiaohui instantly felt her soul leaving her body.
She felt that Lu Bingbing was somehow scarier than the bullies who had harassed her back in the USA.
Lu Bingbing’s gaze grew fierce and violent, revealing her true self—the resolute and commanding captain of Galaxy.
Soon enough, she released her grip, calmly returning to her cross-legged yoga routine at the center of the dorm, as though nothing had transpired.
Liu Mengyao and Fan Lei gazed at Lu Bingbing with newfound admiration.
No one had expected Lu Bingbing to be so forceful. She always seemed so gentle and considerate.
Ge Xiaohui resembled a defeated hen, sitting despondently and keeping her mouth shut.
Yet, there was a flicker of venomous spite in her darting gaze.
In the hallway, Zhu Riri, wearing an odd expression, tilted her head toward the dorm supervisor with a smile: "Miss Supervisor, I’m running out of medicine—I want to order some online."
Inside another dormitory, Lai Ruoxuan, Jiang Meixing, Lu Peiqin, and Zhang Xiaohan were sharing a hotpot together.
"Mr. Long was so scary today!" Zhang Xiaohan set down her chopsticks, still shaken by the day’s events.
"Everyone was terrified. No one expected him to lose his temper like that. Honestly, in that moment there was no right way to respond." Jiang Meixing admitted, feeling weighed down.
"I don’t think I’ll make it past the next round. Fangxin saved me this time; luck won’t favor me twice," Lu Peiqin said gloomily, hugging her knees tightly.
"Stay strong! Think about how much we overcame as a group back then—this is a rare opportunity ahead of us—we can’t lose hope now." Lai Ruoxuan encouraged warmly.
"Xiao Xuan, your ranking has been consistently high throughout—there’s a good chance you’ll make it past next week." Zhang Xiaohan’s eyes shone with admiration as she looked at her friend.
Lai Ruoxuan was pleased with her current position, though admittedly surprised by it. Still, she wasn’t confident about debuting.
Her main insecurity revolved around her height, and she didn’t think she had stood out enough during the first or second competitions.
"I’m worried too. There are so many tall girls here who are great at singing and dancing." Lai Ruoxuan murmured, sinking into her own anxieties.
Reserved as usual, Jiang Meixing sat with her head lowered, consumed by unwelcome thoughts. For the first time, she felt an unbearable weight in her chest.
In the bunks, Jiang Mengqi also lay awake, restless and shifting repeatedly.
"Mengqi, can’t sleep?" Luo Tiantian poked her head down from the upper bunk.
"I really can’t fall asleep. The rehearsal time for our second group performance is just way too short," Su Ruiqi sat up abruptly as well.
"This show is filming so fast—before I can even react, it’s already over." Du Jiayu also sat up.
Jiang Mengqi was deeply troubled at that moment. She felt she would almost certainly be eliminated after the second group performance. Ranking 16th this time already felt like a lucky break.
"No matter what, as long as we’re standing on that stage, we have an opportunity—we have to give it everything we’ve got." Jiang Mengqi said, both to herself and to her teammates.
"Mengqi, is your company pushing Gao Ziyi this time?" Du Jiayu asked suddenly.
The others quieted down, waiting to hear Jiang Mengqi’s thoughts.
"...I don’t really know the company’s decisions, but Ziyi’s quite popular right now." Jiang Mengqi replied vaguely.
"Ugh! I envy Gao Ziyi and Lv Fangxin so much—their narratives are great, and their popularity is sky-high. If only I were funny or could cry well!" Su Ruiqi sighed deeply.
"All we can do is honestly fight with our talent. Hopefully, the audience will notice us."
Luo Tiantian also couldn’t hide her disappointment. She was clearly skilled at dancing, yet had no rapport with viewers.
"Honestly, I think these narratives are fleeting." Jiang Mengqi’s warm voice resonated softly in the dark.
"The production team still values talented contestants for debuting."
"Meng Meixuan, Wu Zixuan, and Li Zimeng—they’ve never fallen out of debut rankings, and they get plenty of screen time."
Jiang Mengqi shared her observations of the program.
"But Xu Qianhua has so much talent, and her rank this round is only 54." Su Ruiqi argued.
"Have you considered that Xu Qianhua might have been sent here by her company just to gain exposure? After she returns, she could pursue a solo career as a singer," Jiang Mengqi suggested.
"Maybe that’s true for Chen Yinghan and Liu Feiyu too. I feel like they aren’t aiming to debut as a group." Du Jiayu added.
"But their rankings are still so high." Su Ruiqi’s words carried a hint of resentment.
In her view, if they didn’t intend to join the girl group, why take up the spots of those who dream of debuting? After all, this was her ultimate goal.