With a week gone by, the finals kicked off amid the intensifying doubts.
Be it peeved off, doubtful, or expectant, the viewers and fans were not going to give up on the show after following the program for three months. Whether it was behind the TV, on the computer, or on the phone, they were ready to tune in to the show.
Compared to the fans, the trainees were the ones getting the jitters. Without Su Ruowan in the semi-finals, the results were,
First place: Ye Weiyang
Second place: Song Wenye
Third place: Tong Kejun
Fourth place: Liu Qianyu
Fifth place: Guan Rou
Sixth place: Ji Jingyan
Seventh place: Han Yan
In contrast to the other girls, Han Yan’s ascension in the ranking was most striking. Originally in ninth place, she did not appear to be in the running to debut.
Following He Lu’s injury and Su Ruowan’s scandal, she went from ninth to seventh place. Netizens dubbed her the chosen one for her lucky streak.
There usually would not be major changes in ranking in the final round. Turning the tides and whatnot only existed in fiction. It was almost certain that these girls were going to be making their debut.
However, Su Ruowan’s vote counts rose sharply in the past two days. By a minute difference, she surpassed Han Yan and placed seventh for now.
In the backstage dressing room, the trainees were exchanging views on the matter. Apart from the top seven trainees, the remaining girls who knew they no longer stood a chance did not have much of an opinion about Su Ruowan anymore.
It was not as though they could ever debut, regardless of whether Su Ruowan made it to the end or not. Some of the girls even fanned the flames, hoping Su Ruowan would debut so they could watch the girl group crumble. Since they were going down, they wanted to take everyone down with them.
Su Ruowan missed out on training the day after the incident but resumed her normal activity with the girls for the rest of the week.
The mentors were professionals to not bring personal matters into their work. Despite their opinions of Su Ruowan, there was no difference in the way they talked and got along with her.
Gu Yang and the rest got ready and anxiously waited for Mr. Xixi’s arrival. With the door pushed open at last, their restless minds were put at ease at the sight of Mr. Xixi.
The Chief Director mentioned that Mr. Xixi could be present for the last round. Nevertheless, no one could rest until he was here. What if Mr. Xixi changed his mind and refused to come? It would put them on the spot.
Facing the thrilled group, Shen Xi nodded in greeting.
A few wanted to strike up a conversation with him, but he found a spot on the sofa and fiddled with his phone. No one dared to bother Mr. Xixi then.
Mr. Xixi kept to himself a lot and was apathetic. Those who did not know him might think he was autistic since it proved a difficult feat to communicate with him.
With Mr. Xixi fine on his own, the mentors simmered down and began to chat. They talked about the trainees, especially Ye Weiyang and the girls who were predicted to be winners. Mr. Xixi had a real eye for talent to pick out Ye Weiyang from the lot.
The trainees sent by Cosmos Entertainment were great talents, but it was a shame they were debuting as a girl group. Each one of them was capable of paving their own way in the music industry as solo artists.
Still, everyone knew the girl group was only for a limited time. The trainees participated in the show to make a name for themselves, and after a year, the girls were free to advance in their solo careers with the contract up.
These girls would grow and become the pillars of the music industry, particularly Ye Weiyang. With that stage presence of hers, the sky was the limit.
The remaining few had their own charisma. As to where the path would lead them to, it would depend on their individual effort and choices. Hard work was not enough to survive in showbiz as many put in the effort, but only a handful made it big. It all boiled down to opportunity.
Shen Xi might be engrossed in her phone, but she was picking up on their conversation. Of course she was happy they were complimenting her artists; it took experience and observation for her to handpick these talented girls.
Soon, a staff member came and informed them to get ready to enter the set.
The stage for the final round was grander than the last. No expense was spared for the lights, sound effects, and set. The stadium with fifty thousand seats was a full house. It was said that the seats and ticket-scalping were sold in seconds.
Even though the value of ticket scalping was astronomical, fans went all out and dug deep into their pockets to witness the final showdown in person.
Among the audience in the stadium was Song Wenye’s fan base. Watching as the mentor entered the scene, Pei Xu suddenly mumbled, “Why do I get a familiar feeling from Mr. Xixi?”
Yu Qiubai gave him a look and smiled. While his foxy eyes narrowed in Shen Xi’s direction, he did not say a word.
Pei Xu elbowed him. “I’m asking you.”
Yu Qiubai shook his head in a daze. “I don’t feel the same way.”
Furrowing his brows, Pei Xu was suddenly reminded of Shen Xi’s marvelous makeup skills when she disguised as a doctor. It was an entirely different face. Pei Xu had a shock then. The idea in his head had more clarity.
Xixi had been missing classes a lot lately.
Instead of asking around, he whipped out his phone and began checking on Mr. Xixi’s filming calendar. It dawned on him that the calendar matched and overlapped with Xixi’s days off from school. His mind flew to Mr. Xixi’s attitude towards Su Ruowan.
“F*ck!” Something clicked in Pei Xu, prompting him to let out a shout. He nearly hurled his phone away.
Sitting next to him, Lin Ge was startled. He turned and asked, “What’s the matter with you?”
“Nothing.” Pei Xu pulled himself together and observed Mr. Xixi once more just when he thought nothing could surprise him anymore.
He had to be right!
It must be her!
Shen Xi could feel Pei Xu’s inquisitive gaze burning a hole through her. They bought an infield seat that was not the closest to the stage but offered the best view. She looked back at him.
Pei Xu screamed another cuss word before holding his tongue altogether.
The thing he was tempted to shout at the top of his lungs was “bad*ss Sister Xi”!
She was not even subtle nor was she bothered to hide it. It took one look, and Shen Xi was already admitting it was her. They, as ordinary people, did not stand a chance against an all-rounded genius like her.
He wanted to ask her if there was anything she could not do!
