novelraw Chapter 242: Revised - 235 True and False Strength
Chapter 242: Revised - 235 True and False Strength
This dance wasn’t particularly friendly to Wu Zixuan.
If she had Meng Meixuan’s privileges, becoming the main central position, having enough parts, and transforming the stage into a lead dance + supporting dance format, then perhaps she could have stood out in this round.
During Meng Meixuan’s performance, even though there was Yang Han, whose dance skills surpassed hers, there was just no opportunity to allocate parts to her. With such talent, she was inevitably overshadowed.
Similarly, in Wu Zixuan’s group, Zhang Xiaohan and Ju Lin’s skill levels surpassed hers. Jiang Mei’er was on par with her. Wu Zixuan couldn’t dominate the others with her screen presence, so her performance seemed somewhat mediocre.
"What did everyone think of their performance just now?" Tian Jiaxuan walked back onto the stage.
"Satisfied!"
Hearing this loud response from the audience, Wu Zixuan’s face lit up with a sweet smile.
Tian Jiaxuan invited each team member to introduce themselves again.
When it was Wu Zixuan’s turn, she began emotionally, "Actually, there’s something I want to say here. We have only one goal: to move forward bravely. I hope everyone will recognize the efforts of each one of us."
As Wu Zixuan said this, the cameraman panned to Wang Junhe.
"Finally, I hope you can give each of us a thumbs up." As Wu Zixuan said this line, the camera shifted to Zhu Riri.
At that moment, Zhu Riri desperately wished she could leave the stage immediately. If she had known the thumbs-up counts would be announced live, she would have quit the competition altogether.
She was genuinely terrified that her count could be zero votes. If that were the outcome, she’d have no face left to continue in this industry.
"Founders, please raise your liking devices and show your support for your favorite idols. Countdown starts now: 30 seconds!"
Apart from Zhu Riri, who stood there looking cold and indifferent, the other girls hugged each other’s waists and lined up, demonstrating unity and boosting morale.
Thirty seconds, gone in the blink of an eye.
"Who will be the like queen of this round?" Although Tian Jiaxuan asked this, her gaze was fixed squarely on Wu Zixuan.
The other team members also looked at their leader with both envy and frustration.
At this moment, the entire venue erupted with chants of Wu Zixuan’s name. Tian Jiaxuan smiled and said, "That’s right, it’s Wu Zixuan."
Even though it was expected, Wu Zixuan finally allowed herself a sigh of relief upon hearing the result. Bowing deeply to the audience, she expressed her gratitude.
"And now, the question arises: Can Zixuan claim the throne?" Tian Jiaxuan once again threw out a teaser.
Li Zimeng was extremely tense at that moment. She was well aware that her popularity paled in comparison.
On top of that, in Wu Zixuan’s group, the latter overwhelmingly dominated, so there was no split in votes—making it likely Li Zimeng would have to give up the throne she’d just occupied for five minutes.
Backstage, the other trainees were pessimistic about Li Zimeng’s chances. Wu Zixuan’s popularity was simply too overwhelming.
Though Meng Meixuan was openly cheering, "Come on, my little princess," deep down, her emotions were rather complicated.
Yuwei was watching the screen, feeling skeptical that Wu Zixuan could truly beat Li Zimeng.
Something about this performance felt off to her, though she couldn’t pinpoint what was different.
"Now, let’s reveal the results together!" Tian Jiaxuan announced loudly on stage.
After a flash of shooting star-like beams, the big screen on stage didn’t light up.
At that instant, the entire venue, inside and out, was in shock; Wu Zixuan’s popularity was so high moments ago—how could she possibly lose?
Even Meng Meixuan backstage was dumbfounded, her mouth hanging open.
The expressions on the other trainees varied, but all were filled with confusion and disbelief.
Guo Xia was the first to react, immediately cheering for Li Zimeng. Others from the same group clapped and joined in the encouragement.
Tian Jiaxuan onstage, utterly stunned, crouched down in disbelief.
Wu Zixuan herself couldn’t believe the result, but she had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.
She failed in her first showdown during the first public performance and failed again when attacking during the second round.
Wu Zixuan suddenly felt that the platform might be playing with her—lifting her to great heights only to let her fall hard at the critical moment.
"This result is truly unexpected," Tian Jiaxuan continued to dramatize.
Meanwhile, Luo Junxiang was similarly stunned.
Sitting in the audience, Li Ke watched the scene unfold, feeling perplexed.
To him, Wu Zixuan’s stage had been just ordinary. On the other hand, Li Zimeng’s singing was undeniably great. So why did no one believe Li Zimeng could win?
Just like earlier, even if the village belle lost, Li Ke hadn’t felt injustice or surprise—Lv Fangxin’s performance was average. It’s perfectly reasonable for the audience not to vote for her, isn’t it?
Of course, once he got home, he would still cast his vote for the village belle, purely because he liked her as a person.
At this point, the big screen displayed the like counts for everyone in the group: Wu Zixuan trailed Li Zimeng by 60 votes, Zhu Riri wasn’t at zero votes but had 91 votes.
Clearly, this was the production team’s manipulation. Otherwise, who would genuinely like Zhu Riri?
"Zixuan, how are you feeling now?" Tian Jiaxuan handed over the microphone to her.
"I think Zimeng is truly amazing; the throne is well-deserved." Wu Zixuan said humbly, forming a heart with her hands towards Li Zimeng, who responded with a smile.
"When she hit those high notes in this song, I was genuinely moved." Wu Zixuan’s words carried heartfelt sincerity.
"So, I feel like I need to work even harder to move forward." While Wu Zixuan was still inwardly dissatisfied, she had no choice but to accept this outcome.
"This is not an ending—it’s motivation for me to improve next time. Thank you, everyone." She bowed deeply to everyone present.
"And thank you, Zixuan. Now, please choose the next group of trainees to take the stage." Tian Jiaxuan’s strong voice resounded across the stage.
The camera panned to the waiting area backstage, where the remaining trainees exaggeratedly tried to avoid attention.
Evidently, they were saying, "Wu Zixuan, your performance was incredible. We’re terrified."
Seeing the scene, Wu Zixuan’s wounded heart finally felt a bit comforted.
"I choose Jiang Mengqi’s group," Wu Zixuan said with a smile.
When Jiang Mengqi heard that Wu Zixuan had chosen her, she dropped her previously fearful demeanor, stood upright with her team, and smiled in response to the challenge.
Following Yang Xiaoyue’s instructions, Tian Jiaxuan resumed her playful banter with Wu Zixuan on stage.
"Zixuan, why did you choose Mengqi’s group?"
"Because during their training, I secretly ran over to watch them. Their expressions were fantastic—their vibes were explosive!"
"Alright, let’s meet Jiang Mengqi’s group now, and also let Zixuan and her team step down for a break."
Standing behind the stage doors, Jiang Mengqi took a deep breath.
She had a gut feeling that this could either be her moment to soar or her final stage.
At 25 years old, Jiang Mengqi was already considered overage for an idol.
This might be her best—and only—chance to continue chasing her dream.
She couldn’t reconcile with the idea of going home just like that. What would she even do at home?
She didn’t have any skills apart from dancing.
During her pre-performance interview, she said, "My hope is to move forward with my teammates, and I also want the audience to realize that we still have so much to offer."
Sharing the same sentiment was Su Ruiqi. She too yearned to be seen, for she was the best performer in their group.
Now, her teammate Liu Feiyu was starting to gain some attention, but Su Ruiqi had yet to be truly remembered. She was ambitious and refused to settle for mediocrity.