Chapter 73: The Opening Ceremony

The atmosphere in the dorm instantly froze.

The other roommates exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

Qin Xuzhi stood to the side, making no move to intervene. She was simply watching the show.

‘Who told her to betray me?’

‘Serves her right.’

Chu Yuyao bit her lip and didn’t dare retort. Habitually choosing silence, she walked over to her own bunk and started tidying up.

Sun Yuanyuan let out a cold laugh and climbed back into bed.

****

At two in the afternoon, the opening ceremony began in the base’s main auditorium.

One hundred contestants sat in groups below. Several cameras pointed at them from all angles; the livestream had already started.

Wang Kaiming, CEO of Starflare Entertainment, walked up to the stage, his beer belly protruding.

“Contestants, welcome to the Sing with Tian Lanxing training camp!” Wang Kaiming announced into the microphone. “Over the next month, you will undergo the strictest music assessments here!”

The audience erupted in applause.

“The rules are simple!” Wang Kaiming raised a finger. “There will be a weekly evaluation, scored by our live audience. The bottom twenty contestants will be eliminated immediately!”

Gasps rose from the crowd. Twenty eliminations per week, the competition was brutal.

“And in the end, only one person will remain to enter the finals and perform on stage with the legendary magical girl, Tian Lanxing!”

Wang Kaiming swept his gaze across the audience.

“I must emphasize one thing!” He raised his voice. “Starflare Entertainment values fairness and justice! Everything is based on ability, no special treatment! No matter who you know or what background you have, if you don’t have the skills, pack your bags and leave!”

His words carried weight.

Original ly, Wang Kaiming had intended to clear Chu Yuyao’s name. But he was rich, foolish, and had zero emotional intelligence, the effect backfired.

The director keenly caught the drama. The big screen instantly displayed Chu Yuyao’s pale, flustered face.

The contestants around her all turned to look.

“You hear that? Boss Wang is warning certain people who got in through connections.”

“How embarrassing. If I were her, I’d have quit already.”

Whis pers surrounded Chu Yuyao. She clenched her fists tightly, forcing herself not to let tears fall.

****

At Flying Fish Internet Cafe.

Hua Mu’ai wore headphones, maneuvering her character Yasu through the minion wave as she glanced at the livestream on her phone screen.

When she heard Wang Kaiming’s speech about fairness and saw Chu Yuyao’s face about to cry, Hua Mu’ai’s hand twitched. Yasu slid straight into the enemy tower.

The screen went gray.

“Crap!”

Hua Mu’ai slammed her palm on the keyboard, drawing stares from nearby customers.

Hehe, even when a pretty girl loses her temper, she’s still so cute.

She grabbed her phone and opened the livestream’s comment section. The screen was filled with vile abuse.

“Is this the paratrooper? She looks innocent, but who knows what shady deals she’s done behind the scenes.”

“Boycott the rigging! Kick out the backdoor entrants!”

“Feel sorry for the other girls who fought through auditions. Why should they have their spots stolen by someone with resources?”

Hua Mu’ai gritted her teeth.

Is Wang Kaiming a pig’s brain? Picking now to emphasize fairness, isn’t that just setting Chu Yuyao up to be burned?!

At that moment, a text message popped up on her phone.

Sender: Wang Kaiming, CEO of Starflare Entertainment.

“Dear lady, tomorrow is the official start of the training camp. You are our biggest draw. Don’t forget you’re the finale act! Please, I beg you!”

Hua Mu’ai sneered and directly called him.

The phone was picked up after just one ring.

“Great Tian Lanxing, you finally deigned to talk to me!” Wang Kaiming’s voice was sycophantic. “About tomorrow…”

“Wang Kaiming, is your head filled with slops?!” Hua Mu’ai yelled at him without holding back. “I asked you to arrange for someone to get in, and this is how you do it? Now the whole internet is calling her a backdoor entrant. What kind of garbage did you spout at the opening ceremony?!”

Wang Kaiming complained bitterly.

“Dear lady, it really isn’t my fault. The audition list was posted on the official site three days ago. Millions of eyes were watching. You insisted on shoving someone in at midnight that night. How could it not be discovered?”

Wang Kaiming wiped the sweat off his forehead and continued to explain.

“I said those words on stage today to calm the online backlash. If I didn’t take a stance, how could the show continue?”

“I don’t care how you continue!” Hua Mu’ai slammed the table. “If Chu Yuyao suffers any grievance, I’ll smash your lousy base to pieces!”

“No, no, no, please calm down.” Wang Kaiming quickly tried to soothe her. “As long as she has real skills, she’ll score high in the later evaluations. The rumors will naturally die down. You must come tomorrow! It’s already been agreed. Our promotional materials have gone out.”

Hua Mu’ai gritted her teeth. If it weren’t for giving Chu Yuyao a backing, she wouldn’t bother with a boring talent show.

“Fine, I get it. I’ll be there on time tomorrow.”

Hua Mu’ai hung up. She looked at the livestream, at Chu Yuyao’s lowered head, and irritably tugged at her twin tails.

‘This idiot. Where’s the aggression she usually has when gaming?’

****

The night deepened. Group Seven’s dorm was deathly quiet.

Chu Yuyao lay flat on her bed, wrapped tightly in her blanket.

“Some people sure know how to pretend,” Sun Yuanyuan’s voice eerily broke the silence. “Back in school, she was as plain as a quail, didn’t even dare to fart. Now with a change of clothes and a new hairstyle, she thinks she’s a princess?”

Her voice grew louder. “There’s a limit to pulling strings. You got eliminated in the auditions, yet you still have the face to come back. Unbelievable!”

A girl from the next bed chuckled in agreement. “Right, and she’s dragging Group Seven down with her. When we went to the cafeteria today, the other groups were looking at us weirdly.”

“Well, she has the skill to climb into someone’s bed. We can’t compare to that.” Sun Yuanyuan’s words grew nastier.

Qin Xuzhi listened to the malicious attacks, a cold smile curling on her lips.

‘Hmph, this is what you get for betraying me. There’s more to come.’

She turned over and continued pretending to be asleep.

Chu Yuyao pulled the blanket over her head and covered her ears tightly. Tears streamed uncontrollably, quickly soaking her pillow. She didn’t dare sob out loud, so she just opened her mouth and breathed heavily.

Suddenly, she thought of Hua Mu’ai’s message: “If anyone bullies you, tell me.”

But what use would it be? Everything they said was true. She really did get in through Hua Mu’ai’s connections.

Chu Yuyao curled up into a ball, swallowing her grievances alone in the dark. She didn’t know what awaited her tomorrow when the idol descended.

Tian Lanxing would definitely think she was a backdoor entrant and be utterly disappointed in her.

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