CHAPTER 156: CHAPTER 152 VARIOUS THOUGHTS_2

The opening scene didn’t use dimmed lighting, but instead cast warm-toned lights from the ceiling.

The outfits of this group were reminiscent of what you’d wear for a beach outing, with orange-red hues dominating the palette. There were sportswear and casual apparel, but amongst them, Jiang Mengqi stood out.

She was the only one wearing a sleeveless turquoise tank top. If not for the positioning, your first impression might have been that she was the C position.

One wonders if this outfit was assigned to her intentionally by the production team.

Today, she also wore a reddish-brown curly wig, which paired nicely with her fair, creamy complexion.

However, the oversized black-framed glasses ruined the look, making her seem slightly dowdy.

Among the group, Liu Mengmeng had the best styling. She wore an orange-red sports jacket over a white cropped tank top, matched with a white sports miniskirt adorned with blue flying patterns. Her ensemble looked youthful and vibrant.

She also opened with the first line of the song. This track, "Sugar Cube," was a popular pop song created by the USA band Red Devil. It was quite famous over there.

However, many songs that are hugely popular in North America tend to have average success elsewhere globally. "Sugar Cube" shared this fate—although various groups in Asia had performed it, it never really caught on.

Still, many boy and girl groups use it as a promotional dance song because it’s upbeat, relatively easy to sing, and has a strong rhythm that makes it simple to stay on beat.

Liu Mengmeng’s opening vocals were decent. Thanks to her professional training since childhood, she hit all the notes accurately.

Next came Xu Qianhua from HK’s Emperor Entertainment, and the moment she opened her mouth, she instantly outclassed her predecessor.

Even among professional singers, there can be enormous gaps in skill. The difference between these two was like scoring 100 vs. 65, a disparity painfully noticeable to the audience.

The initially scattered members of the group began moving in sync with the rhythm.

Here, they were clever; instead of quick, butterfly-like shifting as seen in the previous two performances (since three of them lacked strong dance skills), they opted to form dynamic heart-shaped formations, moving with the melody. This approach was visually pleasing and compensated for their weaknesses.

Jiang Meiqi, Liu Mengmeng, Yang Ni, and Natasha stood at the front, forming two rows.

Behind them was Xu Qianhua, with Li Shihan and Yin Xiren in the rear. The latter two extended their arms above Xu Qianhua to form a heart-shaped pose.

The audience immediately erupted in cheers—the overall formation was incredibly sweet.

Then, the group separated and lined up diagonally, singing in unison. Yang Ni stood at the center, followed by Jiang Mengqi and Yin Xiren moving forward as they began their vocals.

Both were singing in a broad chest voice. Jiang Mengqi was somewhat better, at least hitting the higher range.

At this point, Yang Ni and Xu Qianhua provided harmonies for the duo, creating a pleasant sound for the audience.

Next came Yang Ni’s solo, during which Liu Mengmeng leaned against her, her gaze dreamy and her movements serpentine.

The female fans on-site screamed with excitement. Yang Ni’s so-called female fans were mostly "Rainbows," and this interaction struck a deep chord with them.

Natasha then crouched down and performed a few seductive moves from "pole dancing."

Amid the overwhelming screams of the female fans, the seven members continued to shift positions. Li Shihan, the designated C position, began her first solo, though once again it was Xu Qianhua who provided vocal harmonies.

The group finally attempted their first synchronized dance routine. However, it was a very basic "stationary movement" style, often jokingly referred to as "radio calisthenics." The seven executed it passably well, though Yin Xiren fell a half-step behind.

With a shift in rhythm, Jiang Mengqi took the stage for her solo section, which involved more singing. Yang Ni harmonized with her, while the other five provided backup through choreographed arm-raising and hip-twisting movements—a passable attempt at mimicking true performance styles.

The male audience members were visibly pleased at this point.

Jiang Mengqi maintained decent popularity, catering perfectly to the "straight male appeal." If she ditched those large glasses, she could likely attract even more male fans.

A second later, the group reassembled into a triangular formation. Xu Qianhua stood at the apex, unleashing her vocal prowess.

Her voice was exceptionally penetrating, climbing higher and higher along with the pitch of the instruments—layer upon layer, like an exhilarating ascent up a towering peak, ultimately standing atop a sheer cliff.

The mentors visibly expressed their approval. As Xu Qianhua sang, it was clear what defined a true vocalist.

Backstage, the girls waiting for their turn enthusiastically applauded for Xu Qianhua. Just then, the seven performers began throwing candy to the audience, instantly boosting the on-site atmosphere.

Sitting in the middle, Li Ke silently lamented to himself—he really wanted one of those adorable girls’ candies.

The seven dispersed again, with five crouching at the front while simultaneously extending their arms in silk-thread-like flowing motions. Li Shihan and Yang Ni, the double Cs, began an interactive dance segment.

Their movements, set to the lively beat, felt like two mischievous kids—a girl and a boy—engaging in playful antics and affectionate teasing. The "Rainbow girls" went wild with excitement.

At this point in the performance, Yin Xiren started running out of energy and struggled to keep up with the tempo, while Xu Qianhua began showing signs of breath irregularity.

After all, professional singers focus on stability in their singing—even when performing songs with dance routines, it typically involves only minor twists or simple pacing back and forth.

Although the dance had been simplified, the continuous movement still proved tiresome.

During the next group chorus, Yin Xiren completely lost her place, nearly throwing off Jiang Mengqi by half a beat. Fortunately, Jiang Mengqi managed to recover and correct herself.

At this moment, the importance of Yang Ni and Liu Mengmeng became glaringly evident.

Although neither were top-tier vocalists among professionals, their years of experience singing and dancing allowed them to remain steady in such performances.

Their voices guided the team through the performance, and after Xu Qianhua lagged briefly, she adjusted her breath and rejoined seamlessly. Suddenly, the combined voices of the seven filled the entire studio.

As the song ended, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

The highlight of this group was undoubtedly Xu Qianhua.

The performance leaned heavily towards stationary movement, de-emphasizing dance in favor of emphasizing the vocals.

Xu Qianhua’s solo one minute into the performance was practically "jaw-dropping," becoming the soul of the entire act.

Of course, the other members did well overall, fulfilling their assigned roles.

Moreover, the stationary movements included elements akin to a stage play, which added bonus points to the act.

On the whole, this performance allowed each member to leverage their strengths while avoiding their weaknesses—except for Yin Xiren, whose performance was lacking.

Compared to the last two performances, this one still fell short of Ju Lin’s group but was slightly better than Ye Yuwei’s team.

The group performing on the adjacent stage had an even closer look at this show, given their parallel vantage point.

They could do little in the face of Xu Qianhua’s vocal delivery.

In the entire base, only Chen Afang could barely hold her own against her—everyone else would be thoroughly crushed.

Still, Wu Zixuan wasn’t fazed by their act, as she didn’t care for such opportunistic performances.

She believed that for a girl group, resorting to almost stationary displays while singing a relatively easy song was disgraceful and indicative of insufficient ability.

The true skill of a girl group lies in singing while performing challenging choreography flawlessly, allowing the audience to truly feel their charm.