CHAPTER 209: CHAPTER 202 BEFORE THE 2ND GONG

The second day

The sun rose as usual

When the trainees walked into their respective classrooms, they found their photos posted on the bulletin board.

These images were captured during their last public performance, and everyone was quite happy, starting to seriously search for traces of themselves on the board.

Each person felt a mix of emotions. These photos represented the beginning of their honor here but also symbolized the endpoint for certain individuals.

Here, Hu Binbin announced a piece of good news: one of them would be named the spokesperson for a sponsor.

This made the girls both excited and extremely nervous. A spokesperson was something they wouldn’t dare even dream of.

But they understood that only the one with the highest popularity could win this "reward."

The girls were then escorted by staff to the hall for the next process.

Long Zitao was waiting for them there.

Long Zitao assumed that after the emotional outpouring yesterday, the girls would feel very fatigued, but upon seeing them today, they were all full of life.

He started explaining the program’s process, but everyone was giggling and chatting, and it wasn’t until the filming crew asked them to quiet down that they stood properly without saying a word.

This made Long Zitao quite displeased because, having been trained in a semi-island nation, he valued discipline greatly. In occasions like this, basic etiquette required taking things seriously.

In fact, out of politeness, the girls should have attentively listened to the host, Long Zitao.

"Alright, I’ll announce the next stage: team formation."

"We will have six dance teams, four vocal teams, and two songwriting teams."

"For the upcoming performance, there will be twelve showpieces. This time, the soul of each team will be the team leader."

Upon hearing this, some became worried. The so-called soul figure was essentially the C-position, and whoever was chosen as C-position would inevitably become the hottest member.

If the program directly adopted the big C-position, then others would unavoidably become background performers.

But they weren’t going to give up. Promoting a big C-position was common in girl groups.

Even if they couldn’t compete with the leaders in rankings, the remaining eleven slots for advancing to the next round were what they were fighting for.

Long Zitao continued, "Those ranked highest in likes directly become team leaders."

Upon hearing this, everyone’s suspicions were confirmed.

"Meng Meixuan, Wu Zixuan," When Long Zitao uttered these two names, everyone froze for a moment, especially Wu Zixuan, who looked visibly unhappy.

She had only just reached the pinnacle yesterday; by rights, her name should come first. How could it be that annoying Meng Meixuan again?

Meng Meixuan, on the other hand, curled her lips into a slight, smug smile, though it quickly disappeared.

This wasn’t a slip of the tongue by Long Zitao; it was intentionally arranged by Penguin.

The purpose was to break apart the "Yuehua Twin Flowers" CP and suppress their popularity, allowing other individuals to emerge.

Such actions aimed to prevent Yuehua from dominating alone and then exploiting contract loopholes to oppose them.

"Li Shihan, Zhao Juke, Wang Miaomiao, Jiang Mengqi, you are the team leaders for your respective teams," Long Zitao continued.

There was no surprise regarding the other three, but Jiang Mengqi unexpectedly securing a dance team leader position left many stunned.

Soon, everyone snapped out of it, realizing this sweet, seemingly invisible girl was ranked 16th.

However, there was some fluff in this ranking. In reality, those truly visible to the public were only the top six.

"Next, the six team leaders will choose their members to complete the team formation."

Long Zitao’s words caused an uproar throughout the room. This was the exact opposite of how the first round had been conducted.

At the same time, many worried about being picked into teams they didn’t want, or even worse, feared not being picked at all—like Zhu Riri, who had already anticipated her outcome.

Long Zitao continued, "Team leaders will select their desired trainees in order of likes ranking from highest to lowest."

Wu Zixuan and others listened attentively, while she herself grew increasingly nervous because she was the first to select.

"As long as the first trainee behind the team leader hasn’t been decided, the leader retains the right to compete for that trainee with other leaders currently making selections."

The six leaders thought this arrangement was fair enough. If the first and second leaders selected all the strongest trainees, it wouldn’t leave much competition for the latter four.

"If two or more leaders compete simultaneously, then the selected trainee has the right to counter-select."

Those standing across the room, equally tense, finally exhaled in relief. They had been worried about ending up in a group they weren’t familiar with.

The lesson from the first public performance was clear: you had to listen to your team leader. If the chosen leader only treated you as a backup dancer, it would be a terrible outcome.

"Following the order of rankings, please, ranked first, Wu Zixuan, make your selection."

Wu Zixuan scanned the girls in front of her, quickly weighing her options in her head.

She didn’t want to follow a sexy-sweet trajectory, but the outside world had already stereotyped her. The only way to change this would be through an earth-shattering performance that could overturn perceptions.

However, this was extremely difficult, akin to a complete career transformation for an actor. It wasn’t possible unless the program meticulously packaged and promoted her.

That was obviously out of the question, so she decided not to take risks. Opting for teammates with styles similar to her was the best choice.

"Wu Zixuan, please make your selection. Your options are limited to dance trainees."

Wu Zixuan didn’t hesitate and made her first choice: "Jiang Mei’er."

Jiang Mei’er was her teammate, and also her teammate during the first public performance.

This girl had solid dance skills, ranking high among the group, and her image was also in line with the sexy-sweet style.

Beside her, Meng Meixuan looked regretful because she also wanted Jiang Mei’er for similar reasons as Wu Zixuan.

"Does any other leader wish to select Jiang Mei’er?" Long Zitao asked, glancing at Meng Meixuan, his eyes full of encouragement.

At this moment, Meng Meixuan clasped her hands behind her head, smiling as she looked at Jiang Mei’er, waiting for a confirmation from her. If their eye contact signaled it was okay, she would compete for her.

Su Zixuan didn’t glance at Meng Meixuan but was internally on edge. If Jiang Mei’er rejected her, it would be a significant blow to her reputation.

Across from Wu Zixuan and Meng Meixuan, the other trainees took in both their expressions.

Some watched with amused interest, while others worried for their friends.

They speculated whether Meng Meixuan would really raise her hand to compete.

If she did, it would signify not only discord between the pair but also the surfacing of their rivalry for the final group’s C-position.

Some others among them would then be forced to pick sides.

"Jiang Mei’er, since another team leader raised a hand for you, the choice is now yours," Long Zitao said.

Jiang Mei’er looked back at the other girls, appearing as though she was searching for an answer.