CHAPTER 168: CHAPTER 163: THE MERMAID APPEARS

Under star-like blue lights, a pink bear that stood two meters tall and wore a crown appeared before the audience.

The crowd erupted in cheers, and countless young women felt their hearts flutter.

This extravagant opening exuded an air of luxury—the bear was an authentic "Disney Teddy Bear," priced in the tens of thousands.

Next, Liu Feiyu, Yang Han, Sun Miaomiao, Chen Yingyan, Zhao Juke, and Wang Yumeng emerged one after another from behind the bear, like princesses stepping out of a fairytale.

They were all dressed in white princess dresses today, with Yang Han and Wang Yumeng even being from the same dormitory.

Among the six, Yang Han had the best vocals. Her voice was crystal clear, and with professional training under her belt, she was at the level of a trainee poised to debut as a singer.

Liu Feiyu was the youngest member among the 16 trainee groups, only 17 years old.

As the music began, they took small steps toward the front of the stage and struck poses like playful dolls, a fitting match for their song, "Spoiled."

Yang Han, unsurprisingly, was the first to sing. Her three bars immediately delighted the male audience members, leaving them sweetly mesmerized.

Her voice was as sweet and refreshing as sugarcane drenched in mountain spring water.

Next, the six divided into two groups, twisting their slender waists and striking adorable poses.

Liu Feiyu began her first verse as well. Her tone was average, but her youth and slightly childlike voice suited the song perfectly.

Her outfit today was both elegant and beautiful: a silver princess crown atop her head, a floral-embroidered bodice over a sheer princess dress, and dense short hair cascading down—it was breathtaking.

Their performance was lighthearted, full of the vibrant and exuberant energy that girls their age should have.

On the backdrop, pink hearts and green ponies appeared, making the stage even more enchanting.

Despite this, their choreography was overly simplistic, with transitions between formations feeling random—from triangle to single-line formation—with minimal complexity in execution.

If you lack meticulously designed choreography, then you need vocals that truly captivate the audience—like during the "Dark High Heels" group’s performance.

Here, only Yang Han sang decently, but she alone couldn’t lift the entire team.

Then came Wang Yumeng’s vocal part, which strayed off-key. During her initial stage performance, she had danced a segment of Latin style, though her average skill and inconsistent timing left much room for improvement.

Sun Miaomiao, Chen Yingyan, and Zhao Juke’s vocal segments were also just lukewarm.

It was clear they were aware of their lackluster singing and dancing skills, shifting the performance closer to a stage play instead.

The girls exaggerated their facial expressions and engaged in playful gestures for interaction, relying on Yang Han and Liu Feiyu as their lead singers to elevate the musical quality of the stage.

In the latter part of their performance, they leaned into group singing, with the most intricate formation change being from an inverted triangle to staggered rows of two opposite-facing pairs in three lines.

The entire performance lacked distinctiveness—decent, but nothing groundbreaking.

Overall, Zhu Riri’s group was stronger than Liu Feiyu’s group.

This was particularly evident in the complexity of their choreography and formation transitions.

At this moment, Tian Jiaxuan attempted to rally support for Zhu Riri’s group, saying, "Riri is just like this—when she gets emotional, she can’t contain her tears and laughter."

The audience saw Zhu Riri openly weeping, unable to contain herself.

The girls beside her were frightened, afraid she might suddenly act out.

But they could only stand there, immensely awkward.

Luo Junxiang forced an uncomfortable smile and nodded, while Zhang Wei kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with Tian Jiaxuan.

"And now, we’d like to invite the captains of both teams to introduce their groups," Long Zitao announced.

Liu Feiyu smiled warmly and graciously, effortlessly charming the audience: "I’m the youngest captain among all the groups, but I’m passionate about creation and full of ideas."

Wow! Wow!

Liu Feiyu is so gorgeous!

Liu Feiyu is so beautiful!

The audience couldn’t help but shout their admiration loudly. Hearing the enthusiastic cheers, Liu Feiyu felt her heart race—she had never experienced such applause and affection before.

Her teammates felt incredibly lucky to be paired with her—at least they weren’t with the opposite team.

"Please show your support for all the members of our team!" Liu Feiyu sweetly implored the crowd.

Her teammates couldn’t have been happier, thinking Liu Feiyu was genuinely a great person.

Zhu Riri, still sobbing and sniffling, cast a glance in their direction, her eyes filled with despair and confusion, but her heart consumed by hatred.

She hated Lin Jiayi, hated Liu Yufei, hated everyone in her group.

It should be her shining in the spotlight, receiving the audience’s cheers and praises. What right did these people have to steal her moment?

"Hello, everyone! I’m Number 11, Zhu Riri, the lone crab in our Crab Research Team!" Zhu Riri shouted, her tear-streaked face distorted with rage.

The mentors found Zhu Riri pitiful yet laughable; Luo Junxiang, in particular, looked visibly repelled by her but couldn’t help chuckling at her last remark.

The entertainment industry truly felt bizarre sometimes—full of all kinds of "monsters and freaks."

Tian Jiaxuan was left wide-eyed in disbelief, staring at Zhu Riri in shock.

In the waiting room, all the trainees, including Yang Xiaoyue and Sun Miao, concluded Zhu Riri was no longer suitable for competition.

The audience below burst into laughter; Li Ke almost couldn’t stay on his feet, laughing.

"Xiao Du, is Zhu Riri mentally unwell? What’s swimming around in her head?" Mu Yunchu asked amid his laughter.

"Whatever you imagine is probably what’s inside," Xiao Du replied with a rare smile.

He felt no sympathy for this girl—only disdain, thinking such people were better off dead; even breathing was a waste of air.

"I’m extremely grateful to the six of you because this was my first time on stage, the first time I got to be C-position in my life," Zhu Riri continued, growing increasingly excited, waving her arms and even closing her eyes.

Her overly modified face—with her nose resembling a grilled sausage hanging there—became an unsettling focal point.

"I’m truly grateful, truly thankful. I hope everyone can give me a like. Thank you!" Zhu Riri cried and bowed repeatedly, heaving sobs.

In the waiting room, Wu Zixuan unexpectedly started crying as she watched the scene unfold, baffling Yang Suhan beside her—how could she feel empathetic over this?

Her teammates on stage had to play along, echoing Zhu Riri’s thanks.

Long Zitao finally endured Zhu Riri’s frenzy and said, "Alright, please pick up your voting devices—a one-minute countdown begins now."

Bang!

Fireworks burst behind Liu Feiyu’s group, prompting Yang Han, who had been quietly tearful, to widen her eyes in shock and then scream in elation.

The six of them leapt simultaneously, shouting excitedly in celebration.

On the opposite stage, Zhu Riri’s group appeared crestfallen; Lin Jiayi looked as though her entire body had been drained of energy, ready to collapse.

Days of relentless practice, averaging only four or five hours of sleep per night, had all led to this result. Without Zhu Riri in their midst, they surely would have won this competition.

Gao Yingxi and Fan Lei were both tearful as well, especially Fan Lei, whose vision seemed to fade into darkness.

She resented herself for choosing this group; she’d had a chance to join the opposing team.

Was this how her dream of becoming an idol would end? She refused to accept it! Refused! Four years of youth—how many four-year spans can a girl have?

Zhu Riri let out a peculiar smile, though it looked more like crying. Her gaze wandered, and her body swayed dizzily.

In the waiting room, Junwei’s group was celebrating wildly after overtaking their opponents by just one point.

Tian Jiaxuan’s group, on the other hand, was pale-faced, completely defeated. They hated Zhu Riri to the core.

Their performance itself wasn’t bad, but that absurd "crab performance" at the end left everyone astounded and speechless.