novelraw Chapter 247 - 240: Performance Above
Chapter 247 - 240: Performance Above
Under the shimmering lights, Li Shihan and her teammates stepped onto the stage together.
Their opening was quite interesting, their steps imbued with jazz dance movements.
Their outfits were carefully designed, with casual clothing adorned with dangling lines resembling underwater plants.
What was remarkable was that all five girls were almost the same height and adopted an adorable style. Standing together on stage, they were incredibly eye-catching.
Moreover, all five girls had straight legs that could stand perfectly aligned.
The live audience included fans of Li Shihan and Yu Xiaohong, though not many. When the duo spotted banners with their names, they both became thrilled.
"Hi everyone, we are the Seagrass Gang!"
With Li Shihan’s introduction, the girls began swaying their bodies, mimicking seagrass in the currents.
Li Shihan then handed the microphone to Yu Xiaohong.
Prone to mishaps, her mind went blank. Smiling vacantly at the audience, she didn’t react until Ma Xingyu nudged her. She finally responded: "I’m seaweed!"
Her comment sparked laughter across the venue, even drawing chuckles from the mentor.
She and Gao Ziyi had two distinct humorous personas.
Yu Xiaohong resembled a naive, sweet anime schoolgirl.
Gao Ziyi, on the other hand, was more grounded and relatable.
"Alright, Shihan, why don’t you show everyone what being seagrass means," Tian Jiaxuan said with a smile.
The stage lights dimmed gradually, and when they brightened again, the stage transformed into a colorful world. Animations of cartoon sea creatures played across the large screen.
The most creative aspect was the stage props—there were inflatable seahorses, dolphins, float rings, and other items. The girls sat on them, their faces radiating joy.
"How fun! They look like they’re at the beach," Wang Miaomiao remarked with amusement from the waiting room.
The highlight was the show’s production crew projecting 3D animated seawater onto the stage floor.
From a top-down camera angle, the girls appeared to be performing amid a romantic ocean surface.
Li Ke noticed that Li Shihan, who should have held the center position, had been replaced by Zhang Xi.
Actually, Li Shihan had voluntarily relinquished the center spot.
As the initial center for the show’s theme song and a key performer in the first-round choreography, she stepped aside this time—which was rare.
Li Shihan had always been the most well-liked girl at the training base, and everyone empathized with her situation.
When deciding the center position, Zhang Xi and Wu Meiying even competed in a dance-off to determine who’d take the spot.
Ultimately, Li Shihan chose Zhang Xi for her explosiveness in dance.
The girls, lined shoulder to shoulder, began moving to the rhythm.
Her movements were playful and delicate, with her seemingly slender yet muscular waist driving dynamic body motions.
Their facial expressions were impeccable; despite the intense choreography, they maintained sweet smiles.
Except for Yu Xiaohong, the other four hit their marks perfectly. While the choreography seemed simple, it demanded exceptional body coordination.
The music had rapid tempo variations, and if movements weren’t executed promptly, major mistakes could occur. The five constantly shifted formations at a swift pace.
Just as the audience was immersed in the joy, the music suddenly switched to the theme song of the children’s series "Little Sloppy."
The abrupt change threw everyone off guard but felt surprisingly seamless.
The girls pretended to be "shocked" as well, with Yu Xiaohong pulling off an exaggerated expression.
The tempo shifted again, reverting back to the "seagrass dance."
The group formations evolved continuously—from triangles to diagonal rows to plum blossom designs.
Moreover, their dance moves kept pace with the rapid changes in frequency.
Half-squat twisted leg movements, criss-crossing hands forming delicate patterns, and energetic steps akin to breakdance were all incorporated.
This choreography was extremely demanding on their stamina.
During the chorus, Zhang Xi claimed her hard-earned featured part.
She swayed her hips and twisted her waist, her body vibrating like an electrified arcade machine.
The audience erupted into enthusiastic applause.
Soon, the music transitioned to the theme song of "King Kong Gourd Children."
The group switched from a plum blossom formation to twin rows, with their moves becoming even livelier.
They resembled "fireflies" darting under street lights on a summer night.
Although Li Shihan had yielded the center spot, the camera seemed fixated on her.
Clearly, the production team didn’t intend to give Zhang Xi much screen time.
It wasn’t hard to understand their decision. Among the five, Li Shihan danced the best and had the highest popularity. For viewership purposes, it made sense to feature her heavily.
The tempo of the music quickened, almost as if racing the girls—or playfully teasing them to see if they could keep up.
Yu Xiaohong started struggling, consistently lagging behind a beat.
Yet, the other four remained composed and confident.
Their performance as a group was no less impressive than Jiang Mengqi’s team.
While theirs lacked the flashy flair of the other group, this choreography placed immense demands on stamina, reflexes, and precision.
The girls seamlessly changed formations every time the music shifted.
They finished the dance with four of them sinking into deep squats, excluding Yu Xiaohong.
Their performance was magnificent—like seagrass braving ocean currents, shapeshifting, and flowing gracefully.
This stage was no less spectacular than Fu Xiaoyu’s performance. Each represented two extremes—the former evoking end-of-the-world desolate beauty, the latter vibrant and flourishing vitality.
Li Ke watched from the audience, feeling a sense of longing.
The music was utterly addictive; who would have thought a children’s song remix could be so much fun?
Not to mention their captivating opening dance steps.
However, onstage, the mentors seemed less impressed with this group, favoring Jiang Mengqi’s team more.
"A strong summer vibe—did everyone feel like cooling off with a bite of ice cream in the heat?" Tian Jiaxuan said as she stepped onto the stage.
Before the audience could respond, the girls backstage began shouting about hunger.
To ensure a better performance, they had only eaten some food in the morning.
At the mention of food, many girls instinctively touched their stomachs.
Tian Jiaxuan invited each girl to introduce herself.
"Hi everyone, I’m the leader of the Seagrass Gang. I know there are many beautiful girls on stage today, so we can only be your daughters," Li Shihan said with a cute smile.
Li Ke shivered at her words—"Daughters!"
"We’re your little sweethearts; you have to pamper us!" Li Shihan said coyly to the audience.
The crowd erupted with shrieks and screams, utterly charmed by her adorable demeanor.
"Hi everyone, I’m the fourth daughter of the Seagrass Gang, Zhang Xi. I also want to thank Teacher Wang Junhe," Zhang Xi said, reenacting their catchy opening move.
Wang Junhe immediately stood and interacted with them, causing laughter throughout the venue.
When it came to Yu Xiaohong’s turn, her nerves overwhelmed her, leaving her unable to speak coherently.
"I’m Yu Xiaohong... Ah! Everyone, keep it up!" she exclaimed, punching the air, eliciting another wave of laughter.
From the waiting room, Gao Ziyi looked at the screen with disdain, feeling that Yu Xiaohong was overly dramatic.
"Before our performance, our leader lacked confidence. I find it strange because our leader is the best," Yu Xiaohong said, glancing at Li Shihan, who was shyly covering her face.
"That’s right, Li Shihan is the most beautiful!" Ma Xingyu shouted.
Their heartfelt messages brought tears to Li Shihan’s eyes, deeply touching the audience as well.
These girls demonstrated their friendship and mutual support, evoking in everyone a yearning for something so pure and lovely.
The audience responded with thunderous applause for Li Shihan.