CHAPTER 190: CHAPTER 185: TEARS FLOW LIKE A RIVER

At this moment, the atmosphere was unbearably tense.

Xu Qianhua’s 54th ranking made everyone feel unsure about their own positions in their hearts.

Yang Xiaoyue watched the girls’ reactions on the screen, and the corners of her lips curled into a smile.

This was exactly the kind of suspense she wanted.

In fact, before this, the reason why the girls knew their rankings before the first public performance was because she deliberately leaked the information.

"Rank 53, Liu Mengyao."

Hearing Long Zitao call out her name, Liu Mengyao, as Zhu Riri’s teammate, was extremely thrilled.

Unlike Xu Qianhua, her mentality was simply: as long as I make it, that’s enough.

Meanwhile, Zhu Riri, watching her teammate head toward the pyramid amidst everyone’s congratulations, showed envy and jealousy on her overly surgically altered face.

Lin Jiayi, on the other hand, was feeling conflicted. She couldn’t believe that Liu Mengyao, who had performed poorly within their group, still made it into the top 55 rankings, albeit towards the bottom.

But she, who had worked so hard and performed at a much higher level, was ranked 56 after the second episode.

Her eyes were red. At 18 years old, she had yet to learn how to cleverly disguise her emotions.

The trainees seated around her, many of them looked enviously at Liu Mengyao, clearly believing that it must have been her company that helped her out.

"Rank 52, Jiang Mei’er."

Coming from Yuehua, when her name was announced, some looked indifferent while others had heavy hearts.

People like Meixuan were rather indifferent; they knew that a D-class position wasn’t what they were aiming for, while others at Yuehua felt tense.

They believed that Penguin Entertainment was trying to maintain balance, ensuring every company had someone advancing to the next round—more teammates advancing meant fewer chances for themselves.

Before this, Jiang Mei’er had been sitting there with her head bowed, drained of energy. Upon hearing her name, she felt as if she could collapse right then and there.

Milky Way Girl was the second girl group she had joined, and this time, it was her most hopeful chance to gain fame.

She stumbled out of her seat, feeling more relieved than joyful.

Her groupmates Jiang Meixing and Meng Meixuan hugged her to congratulate her.

Heading toward the pyramid, tears streamed down her face as she stared complexly at the throne perched high on the pinnacle, feeling that the distance between herself and it was impossibly far and intangible.

"Rank 51, Wu Qian."

Coming from the Magical Number Girl Group, Wu Qian was stunned. She thought she didn’t stand a chance—her group only had Fan Lei making it, yet she unexpectedly advanced.

Over on the side, her former teammates clapped and cheered enthusiastically for her.

Years of ups and downs had forged bonds between them unlike any other.

"That fool, she told me yesterday she had to add me on WeChat because there wouldn’t be another opportunity. She must be really happy now," Meng Meixuan said to the person next to her with a laugh.

Sitting in the back row, Wu Meiying was also crying tears of happiness. Being young and getting along well, she and Wu Qian had a close relationship.

"Rank 50, Ju Lin."

Ju Lin was watching Wu Qian walk toward the pyramid when her name was suddenly called out, causing her to freeze for a second before Gou Xueying hugged her tightly.

"You’re amazing, Lin Lin! I knew you’d make it."

Others came over to congratulate her as well. Ju Lin was satisfied with her ranking. This mixed-race girl, possessing the highest mountain within the Base Camp, walked steadily and resolutely toward the pyramid.

"Rank 49, Wang Qingyu."

Lu Bingbing smiled and hugged her close friend beside her: "Qingyu, I knew you could do it."

"Thank you, thank you, Bingbing sis. You’ll make it too!" Wang Qingyu was trembling all over from excitement, hugging Bingbing tightly.

Due to their close relationship, they hardly had any other friends, but other members of their group still came over to congratulate Wang Qingyu.

"Rank 48, Zhang Xiaohan."

Sitting with her hands clasped together in prayer, hoping that she’d make it, Zhang Xiaohan burst into tears of joy when she heard her name.

She had been holding onto a sliver of hope and had already packed her bags, prepared to leave.

Jiang Xijie, watching her teammate, couldn’t help but tear up. She knew their group lacked qualities outside of their stage performance, and to have even one member advance was lucky.

"Fantastic, Xiao Han! Keep going!"

Lai Ruoxuan, who had a good relationship with her, leapt up to hug her. She was genuinely happy for her friend.

"Rank 47, Gou Xueying."

Unprepared, Gou Xueying was stunned when her name was called. She hadn’t expected to actually make it.

Wang Yiqiao hugged her from beside her to express congratulations, while Gou Xueying herself cried tears of joy.

"Gou Gou, keep it up!" shouted Qiang Yueting from afar—the two had a great relationship.

"Rank 46, Xiang Sixing."

"Oh my god! I actually made it!" Coming from the Magical Number Girl Group, she jumped up from her seat in excitement.

Fan Lei was equally thrilled, thinking to herself that those who looked down on them should realize now that they still had strength.

"Rank 45, Wang Tingting."

When Long Zitao announced this name, the mood in the room instantly grew vibrant. Wang Tingting was one of the most hard-working trainees in the Base Camp.

She was also well-liked, often helping others in the Base Camp.

Countless people rushed to congratulate her while she herself cried uncontrollably.

"Congratulations to Wang Tingting, moving from Class F to Class B, and now progressing forward today," said Long Zitao sincerely, feeling she truly deserved it.

Wang Tingting bowed deeply to thank everyone and then walked toward the pyramid.

"Rank 44, Du Jiayu."

Coming from Dreamy Flight alongside Guo Xia, Du Jiayu had been a little lost in thought. When she heard her name, she became so emotional that she covered her face.

The members from Dreamy Flight all ran over to celebrate her win—she was the first from their group to advance.

Unlike earlier entrants, Du Jiayu was bouncing with joy as she ran all the way to her spot.

"Rank 43, Meimei."

Having just celebrated her teammate’s advancement, Meimei hadn’t even sat down properly when she heard her own name called.

Excitedly, she jumped up from her chair, spreading her arms wide like a bird about to take flight.

"Rank 42, Zhang Xi."

Another member of Milky Way Girl advanced.

Seated within the pyramid, Jiang Mei’er began crying tears of joy. People are such strange creatures.

When she hadn’t yet advanced, she didn’t want her teammates to advance before her—but now she longed for familiar faces to join her.

"Now I announce the last from Class D, Rank 41, Luo Meiyi."

Another member from Dreamy Flight.

By now, the atmosphere had reached a breaking point.

Although each advancing girl received applause and cheers from everyone, the revealed rankings also dashed the hopes of many.

Lin Jiayi was feeling so tense she wanted to scream and escape. When Long Zitao said that rankings for Class D were now complete, she felt utterly defeated.

Sitting in the last row, Gao Ziyi pursed her lips, looking blank and hollow. She felt like she was finished, like she wouldn’t make it.

"Class D members, please share your thoughts," Long Zitao proceeded in accordance with the program’s format.

Each of them took turns expressing their feelings, and Wang Tingting’s speech was the most moving and inspiring: "To all the creators of girl groups, I thank you for your hard efforts."

She bowed towards the camera: "Founder Zitao and all the other teachers, thank you for your hard work."

Long Zitao couldn’t help but smile at her words—she was the first advancing trainee to thank him.

"Standing on this stage for even one more second, I will give my all to show everyone that we 101 girls are the strongest girl group in Huaxia."

Her remarks represented both herself and the sentiment of the entire production team.

If, three episodes ago, building the strongest girl group in Huaxia was merely a tagline, now everyone believed in it.

The belief built within them came from the show’s popularity.

Before this, no girl group had truly entered the public eye, but now, they had achieved it.

Long Zitao felt a similar sense of sentiment. Having returned to his homeland nearly five years ago, his fame had been gradually declining to the point where he was nearly forgotten.

Unexpectedly, this show rekindled his career, marking a second spring in his journey.

Thus, he held deep emotion for this program, as well as for these girls.