CHAPTER 166: CHAPTER 161: THE HEART OF A GREEN TEA BITCH

At this moment, the stage shifted to Meng Meixuan’s group.

Every member carried immense pressure for this performance.

This was the battle to determine their fate, especially when their opponents were undeniably strong.

Zhang Xi from Milky Way Girl was so nervous she felt her heart pounding in her throat.

Her stage experience was limited, having only appeared on a few music program stages, and aside from dancing, her singing skills were average at best.

Even Meng Meixuan was pushed to her limits of nervousness. Although her persona in the show was crafted as a "big boss" excelling in both singing and dancing, much of it was a result of the editing tailored by Penguin Entertainment.

In reality, performers like Fu Xiaoyu, Su Ruiqi, Qiang Yueting, and even her teammate Zhou Xuefang were not inferior to her in skills.

However, her company had deep ties with Penguin, and since the program needed the "Milky Way Girl" brand to attract fandom viewers and boost its prestige, they created her prominence.

If there truly had to be someone who excelled in both singing and dancing, only Ye Yuwei met the standard. The latter’s dancing skills were top-tier even among professional dancers, and while singing was her weak point, she was still above professional standards.

That said, Meng Meixuan’s dancing was nothing to scoff at either. She had studied Latin dance since childhood and was a professional dancer. Surviving the harsh environment of South Korea to debut in a girl group demonstrated her capability.

The biggest issue with this group was the lack of a distinctive lead vocalist; none of the five members came close to meeting that criterion.

To enhance the visual appeal of their performance, they incorporated three prop chairs.

A slightly lazy and sultry melody began to play, and six of them started the routine with alluring movements synchronized to the rhythm.

Their initial beat hits were sharp and accurate, and their physical expressions were captivating, immediately drawing the audience into the melody.

Following that, they swiftly shifted into a linear formation, each trying to showcase their physique.

At the front stood Jiang Meier, whose enviable body, with its curves and long legs, drew gasps of admiration from many female fans as she stretched her frame.

The five quickly scattered, leaving the center position for Meng Meixuan. She swayed her hips seductively as she sat on the middle chair.

Her opening line—"I stand strong for you"—elicited cheers from the entire crowd.

At that moment, Meng Meixuan felt a surge of excitement, as though she were a queen descending to receive the adulation of her subjects.

Her voice was slightly husky, and her enunciation was clear—evidently the result of rigorous training—but it lacked uniqueness.

Moreover, her natural talent was limited, and her breath control didn’t meet the standard for singing C3-range songs. Still, she could handle this type of song with short notes and intervals.

Ye Yuwei assumed Meng Meixuan would only sing two measures at most. To her surprise, Meng Meixuan sang the entire first six measures of the first half, during which the other five became mere backup dancers.

Considering their entire performance lasted just under three minutes, with Meng Meixuan taking over 30 seconds just for the opening, it was obvious that the chorus would also be hers.

Clearly, this was arranged by the production team. Otherwise, even as the group leader, the others would not have agreed to such an uneven distribution of lines.

It was evident that the show was intentionally favoring her. Ye Yuwei was now fully convinced that a debut spot was guaranteed for Meng Meixuan—and a high-ranking one at that.

Wu Zixuan felt a bitter ache in her heart. She also realized the production’s intentions. She couldn’t understand what made Meng Meixuan better than her, why she couldn’t get what she rightfully deserved.

Lu Bingbing, on the other hand, was filled with dread.

A terrible thought crossed her mind: if the show could treat Meng Meixuan and Wu Zixuan so differently, how did the producers view her?

"No, it can’t be. The producers would never abandon me. I have tens of thousands of devoted fans. Once the actual voting begins, they’ll realize how indispensable I am."

At this point, Meng Meixuan stood up from her chair. Chen Yifan from the Illusion Numbers girl group and her teammate Zhang Xi lightly placed their hands on her shoulders to serve as her backup dancers.

The three of them bent their knees, swayed their hips, and performed soft, alluring gestures with their upper bodies, like Persian cats seeking life’s desires under neon lights on a rainy spring night.

Meng Meixuan continued her solo. By this point, one-third of the performance had passed, and she remained firmly in the commanding center position.

Before the chorus began, the six gathered around the chairs. Three sat down, extending their limbs diagonally upward, while the other three stood behind the chairs, mirroring the poses.

The move once again emphasized their beautiful silhouettes, executed cleanly and decisively.

Zhang Xi, Meng Meixuan’s original teammate, finally got her brief solo segment, standing atop a chair, rotating her hands above her head.

This was followed by a brief rotation of solos around the chair.

Jiang Meier, Jiang Meixing, and Zhou Xuefang each had a short line to themselves before transitioning into harmonies.

As the chorus hit, Meng Meixuan stepped back into the center of the formation. At this point, the six performed a dynamic butterfly-like pattern change, matching the energetic rhythm of the music with an emotive display.

The producers demonstrated strategic acumen here. While Meng Meixuan sang the first two measures of the chorus, the subsequent sections were group harmonies. This was necessary because the intense choreography required physical stamina that her breath control could not support.

However, what the audience would remember wouldn’t be the harmonies—it would be those one or two solo lines.

At this stage, even those without much insight could tell: this wasn’t a girl group performance; it was essentially a solo showcase for Meng Meixuan.

The other five had been reduced to backup dancers and vocalists for her.

The performance continued, with the rhythm growing increasingly lively and the formations becoming more complex and fast-paced.

Jiang Meixing finally had her moment to shine, where she showcased her vocal strengths and beauty to the fullest.

Meanwhile, fans of the Bright Moon Girl Group in the audience were already disgruntled. Their idols had barely 10 seconds of spotlight in the entire song.

They had assumed that as Penguin’s "favored daughters," the Bright Moon members would receive special treatment. Instead, they were overshadowed almost entirely by Meng Meixuan from Milky Way Girl.

In truth, these fans had little reason to complain. If not for their "favored daughter" status, even that brief high-note solo at the end would have been denied to them.

Of course, that was also because Meng Meixuan couldn’t hit those high notes herself.

On stage, the remaining five members were inwardly struggling. This arrangement—both overt and covert—was undoubtedly imposed by the program.

To fight for even the slightest opportunity, they had poured every ounce of effort into this performance. Their complex formations were the most intricate among all eight groups, with flawless execution to match.

To cater to Meng Meixuan, the song had even been rearranged with a distinct jazz style—her area of specialty since childhood.

To compensate for her vocal shortcomings, Chen Yifan and Zhou Xuefang provided short rhythm lines during the climactic section.

As the number approached its finale, the group began a synchronized dance routine. Meng Meixuan remained in the center, while the others executed floor-based moves to further accentuate her presence.

The performance concluded to a round of applause from the audience, but the women waiting in the holding area knew the truth: apart from Meng Meixuan, the others in her group were likely done for.

Objectively, this group’s performance was the most polished. Jiang Meixing and the others didn’t slack off despite their supporting roles. Instead, they collectively elevated the presentation alongside Meng Meixuan.

They gave their all, desperately trying to carve out even the smallest space for themselves.

Yang Xiaoyue nodded in satisfaction. Their performance fully achieved the program’s intended effect.

As for Meng Meixuan, Penguin Entertainment was determined to elevate her. After all, she was the only one who fit their criteria.

Unsprisingly, Meng Meixuan’s group won this round. Yet, this victory only deepened the psychological burden on the other trainees. They now knew for certain that the program indeed had its "royalty."