Chapter 42

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This chapter is edited by Cthulhu. Thank you for your contribution!

Chapter 42: Let’s Train Together!

The atmosphere indoors was tense.

Bullet comments flew across the live chat room:

“Wow, this trainee is very brave.”

“Zhou Xianxian? I remember she was just one spot away from debuting in ‘Utopia’ last year.”

“Well, no wonder. She was one of the last participants born after 2001 to join, didn’t get much exposure in the first live round, performed poorly in the initial evaluations, and with the harsh rule of elimination meaning lifelong exclusion from the stage, it’s no wonder she’s feeling down.”

“Setting aside everything else, the consequences of elimination on ‘Dazzling Stage’ are too severe. Creating such a gap among contestants based on just one initial evaluation – it’s really hard to call it fair under these circumstances.”

“The key is the advanced technology, darn it! Have you heard of this kind of idol training method? Who knows how much more efficient it is compared to normal training. This sister’s anxiety is understandable.”

Perhaps because the rules of ‘Dazzling Stage’ were too harsh, any obvious differences in treatment would be greatly magnified by the audience. Zhou Xianxian’s questioning not only spared her from excessive criticism for the moment but also earned her some screen time and added to the discussion.

Dream Weaver Rabbit didn’t seem bothered by this at all. It studied the speaker’s face, revealing a sly smile, as if completely unsurprised. In a sincere and enthusiastic manner, it replied:

“I understand your anger and frustration, but you don’t need to worry too much.”

“The main idea of ‘Dazzling Stage’ is to be friendly and helpful to each other.”

“For this, the program group has given Grade A contestants a special privilege!”

Dream Weaver Rabbit spread its arms wide with an enchanting smile, looking around as it continued in a passionate tone:

“That means – they can share the practice room, equipment inside, and even have permission to be broadcasted without any conditions with the other contestants.”

“So, what do you think? Now, each Grade A contestant has a practice room of nearly 300 square meters. As long as they’re willing, you can all start from almost the same position.”

“Of course…” it paused, “I’m also curious to see if these Grade A contestants will extend a helping hand to you all.”

As the words fell silent, ninety percent of the contestants on stage lifted their heads simultaneously and looked at the upper Grade A area like starved ghosts, causing the atmosphere in the room to freeze.

After igniting this fire, Dream Weaver Rabbit fell silent. It glanced at the time, bowed slightly, and said with a smile:

“So, the rest is up to you to decide. Our training for the theme song will officially begin tomorrow.”

“Trainees, looking forward to our next meeting.”

With that, the super AI mascot dissipated on the spot, leaving behind 168 trainees still sitting in place, bound by the tense atmosphere and unable to move.

Dream Weaver Rabbit’s announcement of rules was cunningly crafted, almost using deceptive words to shift the contradiction of rating treatment from the program group to the Grade A players. This maneuver immediately pitted the 14 Grade A players against the 148 lower-rated players.

It was clearly a plot. Everyone knew the program group was stalling, and Dream Weaver Rabbit was using moral coercion.

For the lower-rated players who wanted to reduce the treatment gap with the upper circle and seize their chance to change their fate, the best choice was to take advantage of the tense atmosphere Dream Weaver Rabbit had created and compete for a debut position.

In the lower part of the stair-shaped classroom, discussions began to rise.

“If we just share the practice room, each Grade A practice room can easily accommodate twenty people.”

“Yes, after all, it has an area of three hundred square meters.”

“If we insist, even the permissions of the virtual reality system could easily cover a dozen people at once.”

“We don’t have to let them share some time-limited permissions, it won’t affect them, right?”

The atmosphere grew even more tense and subtle. Since those words were spoken, “Dazzling Stage” had truly become a game that tested human nature.

The live broadcast room’s discussions heated up further.

“Oh my, Dream Weaver Rabbit is really being unreasonable, I want to fry it.”

“What a ridiculous rule! Isn’t this just forcing someone to do the right thing?”

“She’s good at shifting focus, now the show will be even more entertaining.”

“I feel okay about it. We’re not asking the top players to share everything, just letting other girls use the practice room. They still have their advantages.”

“Yeah, if you don’t like it, just say no.”

“This rule is great! Little Sakura will definitely invite Honey Qing to join her, right?”

“Whether the couple is real or not depends on the present!”

The audience’s opinions were divided, and bullet comments flew chaotically. The noise inside surged like a wave, pushing toward the top 14 Grade A players.

Fortunately, there weren’t many ordinary people among the Grade A players.

Xie Qingxuan looked indifferent, as if observing insects, completely unaffected. She didn’t understand social norms at all and just felt the people below were too noisy. After glancing at Dream Weaver Rabbit, she stood up and chose to leave, heading to the practice room to learn dancing by herself.

The Great Devil truly lived up to her name. Her aura was too terrifying; the area she passed through clearly became a low-pressure zone. No one dared to intercept or approach her throughout her journey.

Xie Qingxuan was able to break the deadlock because her consistent character made fans simply comment when they saw her, acknowledging her as expected.

The other contestants also reacted quickly, showing their unique abilities. Chen Yining and Ji Shuzhu chatted about Xiaoxiao, then took away trainees from their respective entertainment companies. They went directly to the lowest floor, collected 18 Grade F contestants, shared their practice room with them, and received much gratitude and appreciation.

Chu Yuanqing blinked, lost in thought. The Miss of Yunlan Entertainment was quite clever. With 148 low-level players on the field and about 10 players each sharing with Grade A contestants, she and Ji Shuzhu had first helped themselves by taking in 21 players, avoiding suspicion while winning audience praise.

Furthermore, she had considered the risk of keeping potential enemies close, mostly taking in the lowest Grade F players, expecting the other Grade A players to follow a similar approach. As expected, the Grade A players behind them easily adopted similar methods.

In the process, the remaining 30 Grade F players were all picked out like precious specimens, 41 Grade D players were also taken almost completely, while the C-level area was left overlooked, neither here nor there.

Chu Yuanqing felt a bit overwhelmed by the current atmosphere, as if the Grade A and Grade B players below needed to be adopted like orphaned children. Leaving early seemed disrespectful to the other players waiting to be “adopted,” but she didn’t really care about learning to dance in any level practice room!

Fortunately, a guilty-looking Little Sakura, after repeatedly preparing herself mentally for being stabbed, scolded, and rejected, courageously walked from the highest position to the front.

The girl unconsciously placed her hands behind her back, her eyes flickering with a lowered gaze, her slender white fingers anxiously twisting and crossing, her rosy lips pursed, as she earnestly and cautiously asked:

“Little Qing, can you train with me after this?”