CHAPTER 163: CHAPTER 158 CHAOS CIRCLE

Long Zitao looked at the coach of the other team. "So, what’s Junwei’s team’s choice?"

This time, Luo Junxiang was surprisingly cooperative. He didn’t randomly pick someone impulsively. But right now, it looked like he had a monkey scratching at his heart as he shifted restlessly in his chair, unable to sit still.

Those dark circles under his eyes seemed even heavier as his gaze kept darting across the screen.

Zhang Wei appeared to be earnestly watching the selection screen, but in truth, he was completely aware of every movement Luo Junxiang was making.

The trainees in the waiting room were all extremely nervous. No team wanted to go up against Fu Xiaoyu’s team.

Because this team was the only one among the 16 teams that had learned the entire choreography in just two days, without altering a single move from the original routine.

All the other teams had at least a few weak links, forcing them to modify the choreography beyond recognition.

Lai Ruoxuan, dressed with big bunny ears on her head, clasped her hands together and directly prayed not to be matched with them.

"Our choice is Meng Meixuan’s team!" Zhang Wei announced the final selection.

Hu Binbin and Tian Jiaxuan immediately exchanged shocked glances. They hadn’t expected the other side to throw their ace card right out of the gate.

They had assumed the other team would save this group for the final battle to secure the win.

The crowd went wild when they heard the name, erupting into deafening cheers. Many female fans adored Meng Meixuan.

Little Du, meanwhile, wore a look of absolute disdain. He personally couldn’t stand Meng Meixuan.

Even though during both on-screen and off-screen moments, Little Du had seen his own "beloved" getting quite cozy with her, he was clear-headed enough to recognize that this woman was the biggest threat to Yezi.

Both had ACE-level talent and were equally popular. If they made it to the final stage, the battle would undoubtedly be for the group’s center position.

In the waiting room, Hu Binbin’s team of trainees were stunned. Fan Lei’s jaw literally dropped in shock. She didn’t believe Fu Xiaoyu’s team could possibly beat Meng Meixuan.

Meng Meixuan’s group was also quite strong, mastering the singing and choreography at lightning speed, with individual skills that were by no means inferior.

Among them was Jiang Meixing, the center of the Bright Moon Girl Group, and Zhou Xuefang of Shanghai’s Flying Feather Team. Though Zhou Xuefang wasn’t a hot favorite, her singing and dancing were professional-level.

There was also Meng Meixuan’s teammate Jiang Mei’er and Zhang Xi; both had decent dance skills. Vocally, while Jiang Mei’er wasn’t the type to go off-key with easier songs, Zhang Xi had a more plain, straightforward voice.

From the Magic Numbers Girl Group, there was Chen Yifan; her dance skills were acceptable, and she never sang out of tune.

In other words, this lineup seemed almost tailor-made for Meng Meixuan. They had strong dance skills that saved them the choreographic headache other groups had to face, while her own singing ability stood out the most.

It was practically guaranteed that she’d be the strongest candidate for the center position.

"I personally love the song they’re performing, and my colleague here also loves it," Zhang Wei said before handing the conversation over to a deliberately composed Luo Junxiang.

Luo Junxiang immediately raised his hand to acknowledge the crowd, as this song was originally his.

The original version was upbeat and fast-paced, and later saw countless covers or rearrangements by male singers and boy bands—but none by girl groups.

This time, to showcase the song, Luo Junxiang had actually paid out of pocket to have it adapted to suit the vocal ranges of a group of female singers.

The audience erupted into cheers as Luo Junxiang stood up, adopting a somewhat serious tone. "Meng Meixuan’s team has worked incredibly hard this time. She herself is extremely talented and has done a fantastic job of reimagining this song. I believe she will take it to another peak."

Tian Jiaxuan couldn’t listen any longer. It was obvious Luo Junxiang had arranged for someone to adapt the song, yet here he was trying to craft a "musical genius" narrative for Meng Meixuan.

Not that she needed to worry about it—Yang Xiaoyue had already decided to cut that part down during editing. She knew Meng Meixuan’s actual skill level and figured that forcing such an image was doomed to backfire.

"So you’re saying she’ll surpass the original, is that right?" Tian Jiaxuan pressed to corner him.

If Meng Meixuan failed this time, then Luo Junxiang’s words would lose all credibility moving forward.

At such a critical juncture where he couldn’t afford to retreat, Luo Junxiang naturally refused to back down. "Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying."

Zhang Wei and Hu Binbin exchanged helpless glances over the tension between the two.

These two had never gotten along since the beginning of the show and were always sniping at each other behind the scenes.

Zhang Wei couldn’t figure out why Tian Jiaxuan hated Luo Junxiang so much.

—

Fresh off the plane, Lan Yening dragged his exhausted body to one of his company’s villas.

This was the residence of another boy band signed under the company.

In two days, Lan Yening would join them on a variety show.

So he came here to live with them and train together to prepare for their performance on the show.

Afterward, he would focus entirely on his musical drama and then move on to the film he was doing with Galaxy’s top actress, Little Juzi.

It was already past 10 PM, and Lan Yening, who had been working non-stop these past few days, felt completely drained, both physically and mentally.

He realized how difficult it was to be a qualified idol, let alone an actor. If he didn’t hustle to keep up with his packed schedule, fame would never be within reach.

"No matter how tired, I have to push through. Otherwise, I’ll spend the rest of my life being a nobody."

Lan Yening entered the passcode into the electronic lock, glanced back to check for paparazzi or obsessed fans tailing him, and, seeing the coast was clear, entered the courtyard.

When he opened the door, a strong smell of alcohol almost knocked him back outside.

"Phew!"

Lan Yening turned around and took a deep breath, as if trying to dispel the stench. He frowned deeply—what the hell were these people up to?

The spacious and luxurious living room was a complete mess. Plates of leftover food were piled on the mahogany dining table, and the carpet was littered with various bottles of alcohol.

If it weren’t for the lavish Persian rug, you’d think you’d walked into a landfill.

Clothes, both men’s and women’s, were scattered everywhere.

As he walked further into the house, his frown deepened, almost tripping over something on the floor.

Looking down, he realized it was a pair of lacy underwear.

Feeling a wave of disgust, he kicked the offending item aside, only for a hospital test report to slip into view. The report stated, "All tests normal."

Lan Yening knew exactly what this meant—it was an unspoken rule in the industry: "Get tested before things get wild."

Judging by the piles of clothing on the ground, it wasn’t hard to guess what had happened here.

"Damn it! Instead of practicing, they’re wasting time on this crap." Lan Yening felt a wave of helpless frustration. It seemed tomorrow’s practice session was completely out of the question.

This boy band was somewhat popular, and rumors had it that they used to train hard before they made it big.

Ha! Ha ha ha!

Before he could even reach the stairs to the second floor, he heard a cacophony of moaning and sounds that could only be described as lewd pouring out from the various bedrooms.

Lan Yening guessed that after attending the "Hip-Hop Without Borders" recording earlier, the members of this group had brought some rap girls back with them. No wonder the sounds were so... compelling.

He could only watch with detached indifference at this kind of scene.

For many boy band and girl group members, life before fame was like that of a submissive stray dog—humble and pitiful. But once they gained even a sliver of popularity, they turned into uncontrollable animals, seemingly on a mission to exhaust their finite lives in pursuit of infinite lust.

Disgusted by the scene, Lan Yening wanted to leave and find a hotel to get a proper night’s rest.

But then he thought about how, if he left, they’d likely accuse him the next day of pretending to be high and mighty, leveraging the boss’s favor to get special treatment.

Weighing his options, he frowned and endured the auditory assault as he made his way toward his assigned room.

Lost in his drowsy thoughts, he realized he’d already arrived at his bedroom door. Without thinking, he opened it.

A blast of intense rap and wild music hit him square in the face.