CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol

Chapter 240 - 233: The New Like King

"Listening to it almost made me cry," Tian Jiaxuan stepped onto the center of the stage.

"This performance was amazing, wasn’t it!"

"Yes!"

The audience shouted together, truly feeling the heart-pounding impact.

"I believe all of our founders in the audience must have felt the power and emotion in their singing, because I saw your reactions," Tian Jiaxuan said, visibly emotional.

She turned to Guo Xia’s group: "You all did really, really well. Give yourselves a round of applause."

"Thank you, teacher. Thank you, everyone!" The group bowed in unison, showing their gratitude.

"Founders, now it’s your moment! Please raise your voting device and cast your votes for this group," Tian Jiaxuan continued.

Everyone on stage was nervous, especially Guo Xia and Li Zimeng, since the two of them had the highest popularity in the group.

Wu Meixiang was just as nervous. Although her popularity was average, the stage performance earlier gave her some confidence.

Thirty seconds of countdown ended.

"Zhang Wei, what do you think of their performance today?" Tian Jiaxuan didn’t immediately reveal the results but instead asked Zhang Wei.

This was because it was the first vocal performance of the group, so the program gave the mentor extra screen time.

"I think today’s performance was completely on a very, very professional level, especially Liu Dexi—she surprised everyone," Zhang Wei intentionally highlighted this girl.

Indeed, Liu Dexi was quite different today compared to before; ever since she stopped hanging around with Zhu Riri, she started acting more normal.

She was already very beautiful—tall, with a delicate oval-shaped face, big eyes, and graceful charisma.

Her teammates congratulated her, and she herself smiled with joy.

"Thank you, Teacher Zhang Wei."

"What’s happened to you today? You seem to be shining," he added.

Perhaps it was due to her serious and hardworking attitude during practice that Zhang Wei wanted to grant her more opportunities.

Unfortunately, Liu Dexin didn’t have Lv Fangxin’s eloquence; though she wanted to say something, she could only stand there with a goofy smile.

At this moment, Tian Jiaxuan also said, "I must praise Guo Xia; she helped her teammates a lot. She has strong leadership qualities and takes good care of them daily."

Guo Xia couldn’t help but smile—this was indeed her personality, often wanting to take on more responsibility.

"Now, it’s time to reveal the group’s Like King," Tian Jiaxuan declared.

As she spoke, the group’s data appeared on the big screen.

"And the Like King is: Li Zimeng!"

"Ah!"

The entire venue erupted in ecstatic cheers, as Li Zimeng’s popularity truly soared.

"Congratulations Li Zimeng, for becoming the Like King," Tian Jiaxuan beamed at her.

"Thank you, thank you, everyone!" Despite such an exhilarating moment, Li Zimeng maintained her graceful composure.

"I am proud of my group’s performance today because we have the best captain."

Li Zimeng’s words made Guo Xia feel a deep sense of comfort and pride, while also leaving a positive impression on the audience.

Everyone thought Li Zimeng not only had outstanding talent but was humble, polite, and resilient. After all, she had ventured across seas from a foreign country, overcoming language barriers along the way.

"Huge thanks to my teammates, teachers, and all the fans," Li Zimeng smiled and waved to the crowd.

"So, will Li Zimeng be able to defeat Meng Meixuan?"

Tian Jiaxuan’s words made Meng Meixuan visibly nervous. She truly didn’t want to leave her seat; smiling, she gestured a heart above her head toward Li Zimeng.

Li Zimeng responded with a blown kiss, further igniting the crowd’s enthusiasm. Many girls let out wolf-like screams.

In the waiting room, contestants rooted for their favorites while standing aligned with their respective factions.

"Let us witness this answer together!"

With Tian Jiaxuan’s declaration, a dazzling beam of light shot across the center of the stage.

Boom!

Fireworks scenes lit up the big screen.

Li Zimeng could hardly believe her eyes—she had actually defeated Meng Meixuan.

Contestants in the waiting room were jumping with excitement.

They raised their arms in celebration, and the audience mirrored their joy.

This scene of happiness carried an undercurrent of sorrow.

When idols bask in the spotlight on stage, they are showered with flowers and adoration, but once replacements emerge, they are discarded like worn-out trinkets.

Meng Meixuan found herself overwhelmed with a bittersweet mix of emotions. Only upon leaving did she realize how reluctant she was to let go.

Meanwhile, Li Zimeng, thrilled, asked her jubilant teammates, "Was it me?"

Tian Jiaxuan confirmed, "Yes, Li Zimeng! You’ve now become the one with the highest likes. You may take your seat on the throne!"

At that moment, Li Zimeng finally processed the reality.

The revealed like count showed she surpassed Meng Meixuan by seven votes.

In the control room, Yang Xiaoyue looked disappointed. She couldn’t shake off the grudges she held against earlier mistakes—a mental weight pressed on her like a boulder.

Li Zimeng being crowned Like King was, in fact, an arrangement by the program team.

It was meant to elevate Li Zimeng through Meng Meixuan, as Li Zimeng was a crucial figure in Penguin’s strategy for expanding into overseas entertainment markets.

Although Huaxia’s programs lacked competitiveness in the peninsula and island nations, they were extremely popular in Southeast Asia.

Li Zimeng was Penguin’s golden key to unlocking these markets. Penguin had poured immense resources into choosing her to join the show.

However, this wasn’t welcome news to Yang Xiaoyue. The program’s biggest appeal was its authentic sense of participation for viewers.

She didn’t want anything "fake" appearing in the show, but how the program ultimately unfolded was not up to her—it followed Penguin’s plans.

The contestants, oblivious to all this, genuinely believed Li Zimeng’s performance had surpassed Meng Meixuan in quality.

As they applauded Li Zimeng, a shared question rose in their minds.

If even Meng Meixuan couldn’t beat Li Zimeng, then who possibly could?

"Li Zimeng, before ascending the throne, please pick the next group to perform."

"I’d like to choose the dance group," Li Zimeng said, showcasing her high emotional intelligence.

The singing group was the recognized strongest faction, so choosing them would be seen as an unchallenging victory.

"Which dance group, specifically, would you like to choose?"

At that moment, the name "Wu Zixuan" echoed across the venue.

The audience clearly loved the drama unfolding.

Wu Zixuan’s heartbeat quickened. She knew what being selected meant; if she succeeded in this round, she would no longer remain a "little princess."

"I want to pick the group that everyone here is most looking forward to," Li Zimeng said, fueled by the crowd’s enthusiasm.

In the waiting room, Wu Zixuan took a deep breath and stood up.

"It is... Wu Zixuan’s group." Li Zimeng named the highly anticipated team.

Wu Zixuan’s group hadn’t had a smooth rehearsal period, with Zhu Riri once again being the weak link.

During their first group stage, Lin Jiayi attempted to increase the dance difficulty for a grander performance, causing Zhu Riri to cry herself into a corner—a petty and manipulative act.

Wu Zixuan learned from Lin Jiayi’s mistake and decided not to increase the dance difficulty at all.

As expected, Zhu Riri was still the weakest performer.

Additionally, Wu Zixuan’s group encountered a surprising twist—a new dance teacher was assigned, who completely revised their choreography before rehearsal.

This left Wu Zixuan and her team baffled. The teacher’s replacement would have been reasonable, but why change choreography that had already been finalized?

Turns out it was all orchestrated by the program team to create obstacles for Wu Zixuan and, in turn, pave the way for Meng Meixuan.

Penguin and Yuehua were negotiating terms to ensure Meng Meixuan stayed onboard under a full contract.

Despite this, Wu Zixuan’s group proved impressive, with all members except Zhu Riri mastering the newly revised dance moves.

This group’s mentor happened to be Wang Junhe.