CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol

Chapter 250 - 243: A Sigh

"Thank you all for your likes, and thank you, Duan Yuxin, for choosing me to be in this group."

Back when teams were being formed, no one in the vocal group chose her because they were afraid her voice would overshadow theirs.

Duan Yuxin, however, smiled sincerely. At the time, she wasn’t thinking too much about it—she simply believed that since it was a competition and they were on stage, they should pick whoever would benefit the team the most.

"Before coming here, I couldn’t dance, and my Mandarin was terrible. But with everyone’s help, I’ve improved a lot." Xu Qianhua spoke with genuine gratitude in her heart.

Hu Binbin couldn’t help but pipe up, "Since you can play the piano and sing, why didn’t you choose to join our creative group instead?"

His slightly jealous tone immediately drew laughter from the room.

"Because I know this might be my last time performing on stage, and I wanted to choose the thing I’m best at to leave everyone with a beautiful memory."

When Xu Qianhua said these words, many of the contestants felt touched, a sour ache stirring in their hearts.

They had worked hard for their dreams and had undeniable talent, but reality was cruel—only a handful of them could succeed in the end.

"Xu Qianhua, you made the right choice. Today, you’ve become the queen of likes." Tian Jiaxuan said excitedly.

"Thank you, teacher!" Xu Qianhua’s eyes shone with sincerity as she bowed deeply.

"Also, congratulations to your group—three of you have surpassed 1,300 likes."

The people on stage were a bit unsure what Tian Jiaxuan meant.

"That number is truly remarkable because, across all the previous groups, over 97% of the audience has recognized your performance."

At this, the performers on stage laughed even more joyfully, and the audience below rewarded them with warm, teary applause.

"Now, can our Xu Qianhua surpass Li Zimeng to ascend the throne?"

The camera shifted to Li Zimeng, who still carried herself with elegant grace.

"She can!" Duan Yuxin suddenly shouted.

This made many of the girls smile unconsciously—Duan Yuxin was just so pure-hearted.

"Let’s look at the big screen."

The light beam flashed, but the big screen remained dark.

That small glimmer of hope in Xu Qianhua’s heart was extinguished, though she wasn’t deeply disappointed.

"Although you didn’t claim the throne, let’s move on to selecting the next group of performers." Tian Jiaxuan said with some regret.

At that moment, the remaining three groups in the waiting room stood up.

They were already eager to get going—the recording session had gone on far too long.

They had been waiting for over seven hours.

"Yesterday, I sneaked a look at Liu Danmeng dancing. She was incredible, so I’m choosing her." In reality, the leader of Liu Danmeng’s group was Zhao Juke.

Zhao Juke had also been built up as a "rich and beautiful" persona, celebrated as one of the four wealthy women of the base, along with a playful joke referring to them collectively as the "Village Flowers of Tongxi."

She, much like the other "wealthy woman," Liu Feiyu, carried herself with sophistication and maturity.

In her pre-performance interview, Zhao Juke said, "To me, the team is the most important, most precious thing. I don’t want anyone who joins my group to feel regret."

The group moved behind the stage, where the staff began preparing them for their entrance and making final arrangements.

On stage, Tian Jiaxuan warmed up the crowd: "This song is Mr. Hu Binbin’s latest work. It’s incredible that he chose to let us use it for this performance, and we’re really grateful."

Hu Binbin, smiling, waved warmly to the audience who were applauding him.

"Mr. Hu, when you created this song, what was your mindset?"

"I think, often times, we pretend to be strong.

Zhang Wei, standing nearby, nodded empathetically.

"When we go home, our family always asks how we are."

"We might say we’re fine—in our local dialect, we’d say, ’Don’t be too good about it.’

"So I wrote this song, with that shared sentiment."

Tian Jiaxuan nodded, moved: "This is a song to console families."

While the two were warming up the crowd, Zhao Juke was reflecting on their hard work over the past few days.

In the practice room, Zhao Juke’s team formed a circle.

"Here’s what I think. Many of us may be stepping onto this stage for the last time, so I’d rather split the C position part among everyone."

Her words shocked and deeply moved everyone.

The C position is the most dazzling, and splitting it among the group meant that Zhao Juke’s C position would lose its significance—it meant she was willingly sharing this opportunity with them.

"Captain, it’s really okay. As long as the overall stage performance is excellent, that’s what matters." Yang Han said softly, her tone tinged with melancholy.

Yang Han came from a background in musical theatre and had outstanding technical skills, but her looks were unremarkable, and her company lacked backing, so she was eliminated.

In truth, those who advanced to the second performance fell into three categories:

The first were those with high popularity who could bring ratings for the show, like Lv Fangxin.

The second were those with strong company support, like Zhao Juke.

The third were those with top-tier skills who were needed as supporting players.

The third category was akin to veteran actors in films—though they had no personal star power, they were indispensable, lest the production rely solely on "star power" and flop completely.

"That’s right, Captain. As long as we deliver a great stage performance, it’s enough." Luo Zhiyi chimed in.

"No, I still want everyone to have a chance to shine." Zhao Juke said firmly.

"Moreover, since Yang Han is an auditing student, I want the final C position to go to her."

This time, Yang Han nearly burst into tears. Unable to put her emotions into words, she could only look at Zhao Juke with profound gratitude.

Watching this unfold, Wang Tingting felt emotional as well. She and Zhao Juke came from the same group, where Zhao Juke had been their linchpin.

Time passed.

The group emerged from dazzling stage lights.

Tonight, the group wore pure black casual suits on top and matching shorts below, striking a chic and stylish look.

Each of them also wore black knee pads—gifts from Zhao Juke.

"Let’s give a round of applause to welcome Zhao Juke’s group!" Tian Jiaxuan’s voice carried strength, and the fans’ applause was heartfelt.

From the waiting room, Lv Fangxin and Chen Yinghan cheered excitedly for their friends.

"It’s such a pity—Yang Han would’ve done so much better if she’d joined the vocal group." Wu Meixiang sighed.

Chen Yinghan felt similarly, but life often unfolded in disappointments.

In truth, Zhao Juke had chosen the vocal academy, but during selection by the mentors, she was placed into the dance academy, and Yang Han had to follow her.

During the first round of performances, Yang Han’s group was also dance-focused, leaving her little opportunity to showcase her true talents.

"Hello everyone, we are... the Groom Team!" Zhao Juke led her group in their introduction.

"We’ll be performing ’Don’t Be Too Good.’" The group echoed together.

Tian Jiaxuan couldn’t help but grin, asking each member to introduce themselves.

When it was Liu Danmeng’s turn, she said earnestly, "I apologize, but I’m Liu Danmeng, and I won’t be falling down anymore."

The audience, unfamiliar with the context, thought she was simply trying to motivate herself, as the show’s episode focusing on division into groups was airing that night—or, to be precise, had already begun airing.

The others, who understood what Liu Danmeng meant, couldn’t help but chuckle.