CHAPTER 119: CHAPTER 116 CHOOSE A TEAM

"Yinghan, I can’t believe the Hard Work group doesn’t have a single A-class member," Lv Fangxin whispered.

"Don’t be deceived by appearances," Chen Yinghan said seriously.

"Appearances?"

"Exactly. Do you really think someone can drastically improve their singing and dancing in just a few days?"

"No way!"

Lv Fangxin seemed to have understood what Chen Yinghan was getting at.

"Other than Lv Xiaoxue, everyone in Class A is extremely strong, especially when it comes to dancing," Chen Yinghan said.

Lv Fangxin nodded in agreement with her assessment.

"Many of us could practice for an entire day and still not match what they can achieve in just one hour, so if you’re counting on practice time to bridge the enormous skill gap, it’s impossible," Chen Yinghan continued.

"Then, Yinghan, why did the show set up this segment?"

"For entertainment value. Weren’t you just moved by it earlier? In our moral framework, hard work is something deserving of respect and reward," Chen Yinghan said with a smile.

"The production team is so cunning! I really thought we could defeat them through hard work."

"There’s nothing wrong with working hard. They worked hard and got more screen time as a result. In the upcoming performances, they’ll have even better camera angles. Isn’t that reward enough?" Chen Yinghan said sternly.

Lv Fangxin nodded, saying, "Yinghan, you’re absolutely right. You never know if one shot on camera might make you famous. Getting as much screen time as possible is being responsible to yourself."

At that moment, the Hard Work C-position holder had just finished speaking, and Zhu Riri held the microphone: "Here, I want to apologize to one of my sisters. That day, I scared her to tears."

She seemed perfectly normal now, neither like an idiot nor someone unwell.

The camera immediately pointed at Gao Ziyi, whose expression was mixed. She couldn’t believe that this "lunatic" had actually been chosen for the C-position.

Was it really because she practiced for longer hours, or was the program team just blind?

"It’s fine!" Gao Ziyi’s face showed no hint of a smile.

Long Zitao seemingly noticed everyone’s confusion, so he chimed in: "This Hard Work C-position was calculated after the team reviewed the footage. There’s no reason to doubt it."

He then listed the practice times for each individual, revealing that the one with the longest hours was Lu Bingbing, who averaged only three hours of sleep per day.

"Now that we’ve unveiled the Hard Work C-position, next is the Talent C-position. We all know that besides hard work, becoming a successful girl group member also requires talent," Long Zitao continued.

This time, there was no lengthy speech, and the list was announced directly.

Chen Afang, Li Zimeng, Wu Zixuan, Yang Ni, Ye Yuwei, Liu Feiyu, Fu Xiaoyu, Meng Meixuan.

The list surprised many, as both Yang Ni and Chen Afang were from Class B.

Other unselected Class A trainees became incredibly nervous.

"Yinghan, how did that Chen Afang make it?" Lv Fangxin looked puzzled.

"We know what kind of person she is, but the audience doesn’t. She’s the most famous member here. The production team needs her," Chen Yinghan sighed.

Long Zitao then invited the Talent C-position members to speak. After everyone finished, he smiled and said, "Ye Yuwei, we know Lu Bingbing is your team captain. If your teams face off in this round, do you have confidence you’ll beat her?"

Ye Yuwei and Lu Bingbing both understood that this was the production team stirring up drama.

"Just now, Host Long mentioned there would be a surprise for the winning team in this showdown. I believe that surprise is meant for all members of the victorious team. I want to secure that surprise for my team," Ye Yuwei said with sharp determination, showing no sign of backing down.

Her words drew applause from everyone, as Ye Yuwei genuinely seemed to be thinking of her team.

Long Zitao then turned his gaze to Lu Bingbing.

Lu Bingbing’s smile was impeccably graceful: "I’ve prepared extensively and given so much for this program. I trust that hard work will always pay off."

In contrast to Ye Yuwei’s boldness, Lu Bingbing opted for subtlety, embedding a veiled barb with her "hard work pays off" remark to imply she would emerge victorious.

After all, hadn’t her C-position selection been the very outcome of her tireless hard work?

Long Zitao wasn’t particularly fond of Lu Bingbing, not because he favored Ye Yuwei, but because he inherently disliked people who were "too perfect."

"Now, starting with Class B, it’s time to choose which C-position leader you’ll follow in the upcoming showdown. Each team is capped at six members, so choose wisely," Long Zitao announced.

His words made everyone both eager and anxious. Some were secretly fretting, worried that their desired group might fill up.

The Class B trainees looked visibly torn, especially those with teammates in both opposing C-position groups.

"Just follow your instincts; don’t worry about me," Wu Zixuan said, smiling to her original Class B teammates.

In truth, she wanted all three of her Class B teammates to join her. That way, her voice within the group would become dominant. However, only Yang Suhuan chose her.

Next, Wang Yanran from the Bala Girl Group and Luo Jiangyi from Dreamlike Soaring joined her group.

After hesitating for a bit, the majority of the other Class B trainees opted to go with the Talent group.

The remaining Class D and Class F members on the sidelines felt an overwhelming sense of despair.

Most of them also wanted to choose the Talent group.

For one, it was instinctual for the weak to follow the strong. Two, everyone wanted to win—winning meant more attention and greater exposure.

Nevertheless, there were exceptions. For instance, Lin Jiayi, who was initially graded as Class A, surprisingly chose Zhu Riri.

Nobody expected this, least of all Zhu Riri herself, who froze for a moment upon seeing her: "Why is she coming here? Could she be trying to steal my C-position? She’s so strong."

Still, her face showed a grateful smile: "Jiayi, thank you. You’re truly a great roommate."

Lin Jiayi had indeed helped Zhu Riri a lot over the past few days, often correcting her dance moves.

"No need to thank me. As long as we work hard together, we’ll get great results," said Lin Jiayi, who, at just 17 years old, had an unshakably optimistic outlook on everything.

Her innate sense of justice and sympathy for Zhu Riri, coupled with their shared dorm-room bond, made her feel compelled to lend a hand. Besides, Zhu Riri’s effort had moved her deeply.

"Meixuan, can I join your group?" Zhang Xi smiled at Meng Meixuan.

"Of course, come on!" Meng Meixuan responded cheerfully with a nod.

This girl had decent dancing skills. She was a proper undergrad, a sports major, and even the captain of her university’s cheerleading squad. Plus, Meng Meixuan got along well with her.

Another teammate of Meng Meixuan’s, Jiang Mei’er, also stepped forward to join her group.

Over at Chen Afang’s group, Chen Yanran chose her, reasoning that since Afang couldn’t dance but could sing, Yanran would secure the best dance portions during performances.

"Yuwei, can I join your group?" Simona walked over with a smile.

Ye Yuwei was surprised that this tall beauty, standing at 170 cm with long legs, would pick her. Being a Yuehua trainee, Simona was expected to choose either Zixuan or her other Yuehua teammates.

The Yuehua girls all exchanged glances, but Simona ignored them, making it clear that her relationships with them were not good.

Simona had her own reasons. She’d been training in singing and dancing since she was 15 and was quite capable. Coming from a wealthy family, her aloof personality had strained her relationships with others.

Her choice of Ye Yuwei was calculated—she felt that Ye Yuwei shared her chic and independent vibe.

Next, Wei Jin from Dreamlike Soaring also chose Ye Yuwei.