novelraw Chapter 254 - 247: Flying Rings
Chapter 254 - 247: Flying Rings
"Thank you, thank you to the founders, and also thank you to my teammates." Liu Lixian’s eyes were filled with tears.
Though her heart was heavy with despair, Qiang Yueting still gave her blessings to the former.
"And also to all the girls behind us watching the performance, they’re amazing too."
Liu Lixian’s words won her a slew of hearts.
"I will definitely continue to work hard, thank you."
At this moment, she was truly overwhelmed, feeling as if she had returned to her first performance within the group.
"Next, we will reveal whether Liu Lixian’s likes can surpass Li Zimeng."
Everyone had grown accustomed to this established procedure, but no one believed the former could surpass the latter.
As expected, when the number of likes was announced, Li Zimeng remained seated on her throne.
Looking at this scene, Meng Meixuan felt both sour and envious in her heart.
Indeed, Liu Lixian failed to ascend to the throne of the Like King.
Tian Jiaxuan spoke up, "Thank you all. Next, we only have one group left."
Liu Lixian smiled and added, "Earlier, there was the groom’s group, and the bride’s group. Now, what’s coming up is the wedding group."
Standing at the edge of the stage, every member of Wang Miaomiao’s group, dressed in black-and-white tulle dresses, was taking deep breaths.
The pressure of being the final act was truly immense.
"Alright, thank you Qiang Yueting’s group. Please step down to rest, and let the next group come on stage."
While touching up her makeup, Lv Xiaoxue couldn’t help but exclaim, "God! I’m really nervous, but even so, I have to keep smiling."
This girl truly had a sweet appearance, no less sweet than Jiang Mengqi.
Staff members were also reminding them that they were the grand finale performance.
Perhaps because Liu Lixian was crowned Like King, Fan Lei’s confidence was boosted too: "No problem!"
A few individuals stepped out from the dazzling lighting of the stage.
The style of this group was uniform—sweet and cute. Except for Yin Xiren, the other members looked very lively and youthful.
"Hello everyone, we are Cupid..." As they spoke, the five girls winked at the audience simultaneously, then mimicked shooting an arrow.
"The performance we’ve prepared for you is ’Forever,’" the girls continued.
The rehearsals for this group hadn’t gone smoothly at all—Wang Miaomiao’s C-position had been revoked by the production team.
Because of this, conflicts arose among the members from the very beginning, mainly due to Yin Xiren wanting the C-position.
However, her technique was the weakest, her popularity was the lowest, yet she loved to fight for it the most.
Finally, unable to tolerate the situation any longer, Wang Miaomiao suggested a vote. Unsurprisingly, Gao Yingxi was chosen for the C-position since her dance skills were widely recognized.
Gao Yingxi did not reject the role—she also wished to make it to the end.
Fan Lei, however, felt very dejected. She actually wanted the C-position herself but didn’t have the courage to compete for it.
After practice, Fan Lei returned to the dorm and cried in the bathroom, feeling too timid and lacking any on-screen presence.
When Gao Yingxi returned to the dorm, she also had complaints about how the dance choreography was overly simplified to accommodate Yin Xiren and Lv Xiaoxue.
"Actually, I wanted a more edgy and cool dance, but this time it’s another sweet-and-cute style, and the choreography is way too basic." She sulked as she sat down.
"Be content! At least you’re the C-position," Wu Meiying said while slurping instant noodles.
"Actually, you could make some changes," proposed Luo Fengwu with a teasing smile from across the room.
Gao Yingxi let out a sigh, "Lin Jiayi also suggested changes last time."
When the other two heard this, they exchanged glances but said nothing further.
The next day, however, Gao Yingxi still raised the idea of increasing the difficulty of the choreography.
"Ladies, we’re the dance group, not a toddler dance crew—half of the moves are just sitting down."
Wang Miaomiao and Fan Lei nodded in agreement, while Lv Xiaoxue’s expression changed but remained silent.
Yin Xiren, on the other hand, was vehemently opposed: "I think dance doesn’t have to be explosive and clashing."
Taking in Yin Xiren’s "fierce and unapologetic" demeanor, Gao Yingxi finally understood Lin Jiayi’s frustration from before.
But Yin Xiren wasn’t Zhu Riri—at the time, the former was the group leader, and Lin Jiayi had no choice but to endure her.
"If we’re not presenting impressive dance moves for the audience, then what’s the point? Besides, the reason I joined this group was to showcase that kind of dance," retorted Gao Yingxi.
Her questioning left Yin Xiren momentarily stunned, while Wang Miaomiao discreetly glanced at the latter, a flicker of disdain deep in her eyes.
In substance, Yin Xiren was no different from Zhu Riri—utterly selfish, with no consideration for the team.
She lacked any capability yet wanted to fight for the C-position, opposing anything beneficial for the group if it didn’t serve her personally.
"That’s just what *you* want, but you weren’t assigned to that sort of dance group. *Our* choreography is simply fundamental," Yin Xiren countered.
Even Lv Xiaoxue found her words unbearable—this was sheer irrationality combined with verbal hostility.
Nonetheless, the others chose not to speak up for her.
Wang Miaomiao felt defeated after being forcibly stripped of the C-position by the production team, rendering her indifferent about this stage performance.
Fan Lei genuinely wanted to deliver a great performance, but her timid personality held her back.
Lv Xiaoxue, on the other hand, had her company’s arrangements already in place, so there was no need for her to participate in disputes—besides, she wasn’t much of a dancer herself.
As a result, this group’s dynamics were effectively shattered.
During practice sessions afterward, Yin Xiren couldn’t keep up with the tempo, even though the choreography had been simplified to that of "kindergarten" level.
Meanwhile, during program interviews, Gao Yingxi had to feign confidence.
As the stage lights lit up, the screen transformed into a dazzling array of colors.
An ornate European-style long settee appeared on stage, with Wang Miaomiao clad in a black evening gown, sitting like a princess.
Her beauty was stunning, rivaling Lv Fangxin, Ye Yuwei, and others who shared her elegance and long, straight legs.
On the opposite side, a makeup vanity was set up, where Yin Xiren sat pretending to apply makeup, while Fan Lei stood beside her.
Structurally, this stage had a traditional C-position arrangement resembling a drama scene. Among those in black dresses, Yin Xiren and Wang Miaomiao stood out even more.
However, as anticipated, the performance was far from satisfactory, as Gao Yingxi had remarked earlier.
Their movements were limited to sitting and mimicking cute gestures.
As the beat of the music entered its third bar, Yin Xiren and Fan Lei pretended to be a couple, spinning together in a small circle.
Following that, Yin Xiren had a solo moment, tossing a bouquet of flowers towards the audience.
This segment was originally meant for "Bride" Fan Lei, but the former had seized it, causing a three-hour-long dispute between the two.
Predictably, the solo drew roaring cheers from female fans.
They shifted into a triangular formation as the music progressed.
Lv Xiaoxue stood at the front, but the choreography lacked synchronization, as both Lv Xiaoxue and Yin Xiren missed their beats.
Among the idols at this base camp, Yin Xiren was infamous for her singing-and-dancing inadequacy—she never managed to stay on beat in any choreography, though her lack of fame left her flaws unnoticed.
A fast-paced section followed, but they just performed basic gymnastic moves instead.
When the chorus escalated with a sudden pitch increase, Yin Xiren and Wang Miaomiao merely acted as background props.
Meanwhile, the other three performers executed straightforward moves before launching into mid-air spins with half rotations and finishing with deep splits upon landing.
This earned thunderous applause—it was a highly challenging move.
Gao Yingxi fought hard for this moment after securing Wang Junhe’s support.
Even though Yin Xiren fought fiercely against the move, arguing it would ruin the choreography’s consistency, Wang Junhe ignored her objections. Lv Xiaoxue and Fan Lei, too, contributed their efforts to secure this step.
As the performance neared its end, a surprise prop—a ring adorned with green vines and flowers—was lowered onto the stage.
Lv Xiaoxue, who had trained in acrobatics for six years, grasped the ring with both hands and soared into the air.
Instantly, the audience’s gaze fixated entirely on her airborne figure.
The move was absolutely electrifying.
Lv Xiaoxue’s enchanting form hung with just the strength of her arms, three meters above the ground, her legs performing gymnastics movements mid-air.
It was outright daring!
In the waiting room, other contestants were also stunned—they hadn’t seen such rehearsals during practice.
As the ring descended, Lv Xiaoxue gracefully flipped into a seated position within it, like a princess straight out of a fairy tale, perfectly timed with the song’s conclusion.
The grand finale dance, originally worth a mere 50 points, was elevated to a score of 90 by Lv Xiaoxue’s breathtaking ending move.
It concluded the twelve sets of performances with completeness.