Chapter 84

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Chapter 84: Look, Honey Qing Is Smiling So Happily

"Look, Honey Qing is smiling so happily."

"We have successfully defeated her feelings of inferiority, right?"

"Wow, this is a small step for the Lantern Festival, but a big step for Honey Qing to step into the world!"

"I can’t wait to see Honey Qing shine brightly. Family, let’s work harder and make sure to support her debut! ❤️❤️❤️"

People’s joys and sorrows do not always connect. Just as Chu Yuanqing is reluctant to accept reality and thinks this must be an illusion from the Sea of Truth, the pure and kind Little Yuanxiao have already started a celebration party, expressing their sincerest blessings through bullet comments.

Ding ding dong dong, ding ding dong dong.

Close to Chu Yuanqing’s soft flesh creases, with a large influx of positive emotions, the lantern pendant is devouring the tiny Magic Crystal that shimmers like a vibrating phone, causing her pale skin to blush slightly and feel ticklish.

The girl scratched herself cutely and covered her chest instinctively.

After this action, her expression slowly stiffened, gradually realizing. The emotions in her eyes were like a spilled plate of mixed seasonings, full of despair, sadness, shame, confusion, and a variety of other feelings.

The lantern is the physical manifestation of the soul, the warmth it burns out is not at all influenced by the illusion of the Sea of Truth.

In other words, she did secure the main carry position.

But darn, why is this happening?

The popularity at this level can no longer be explained just by the stunning secondary ratings of Charlotte.

Considering it’s only been two days since the performance, no matter how popular it is, it still needs time to ferment and attract followers. There is simply no way to beat the other contestants who already had a large fan base.

Chu Yuanqing isn’t stupid, she sadly realized that maybe she didn’t have a million haters; the crisis responses before were likely triggered by those disturbing bullet comments, not by being harshly insulted.

Oh no, why! Did my character collapse? Wasn’t that interview segment from the first episode included?

Chu Yuanqing looked confused, unable to understand why she had so many fans despite not excelling in anything other than her looks. Before stepping onto the stage of the secondary school talent show, she hadn’t shown any remarkable skills. Why did she have so many fans?

Besides, the other girls were also very pretty.

Thinking it over, Chu Yuanqing thought that in terms of her own aesthetics, she may have a slightly prettier face than Miyuki, slightly longer legs than Xiaoxiao, better body proportions than Qingxuan, a slightly more pleasant voice than Liuli, a slimmer waist than…

Chu Yuanqing interrupted her thoughts, her face serious.

She tried hard to ignore the inexplicable anxiety, silently feeling fortunate that she had decided to compete incognito, avoiding revealing her true appearance. Otherwise, the feedback from the public on her witch-like figure with golden eyes and white hair would have been much more terrifying than it was now.

So scary, too scary!

Just imagining a girl with lotus-like arms gave her goosebumps.

Chu Yuanqing was annoyed.

Is the internet all about looks now? How shallow!

She has poor dancing and singing skills, no business abilities, doesn’t like idols, and is seen as an uncommitted trainee on stage. Her sudden popularity feels like an insult and denial to other children!

However, many Little Yuanxiao supporters seem to disappear under the overwhelming praise, their comments are so sincere and lovely that they radiate warmth and genuine love with each blessing they share.

So…

Chu Yuanqing wanted to announce that she actually doesn’t like performing on stage, doesn’t want to be an idol, and feels unworthy of being liked, but she swallowed her words and kept quiet.

When she read the bullet comments from these Little Yuanxiao fans, her heart softened. She couldn’t bear to be harsh with them.

Because criticizing them would mean denying their sincere and passionate support.

Chu Yuanqing couldn’t bring herself to do that. She silently suppressed her frustration and looked at the screen glowing with likes, hoping for non-existent haters to crush the kind comments around her.

It’s just a pity,

Chu Yuanqing looked confused, feeling no comfort. As her mind processed the information, she felt even more overwhelmed and on the verge of breaking down.

How was the show "Dazzling Stage" edited to twist the interview like that?

Are the thoughts of modern internet users really that strange?

She clearly doesn’t want to be an idol or be on stage, and actually wants to be eliminated right away and leave with her salary! Can you believe it?!

And what is this Yuanxiao Group about? In just a few days, her fans have already become so organized, disciplined, and united?

Chu Yuanqing forced a smile, feeling dizzy, as her remaining hope and even her father’s pride were shattered by the harsh bullet comments, drifting around like cold snowflakes.

Meanwhile,

Tang Liuli, in order to boost Chu Yuanqing’s favorability rating, switched to acting mode, pretending to be her old self, briefly overcoming her social anxiety, ignoring the annoying bullet comments around her. She approached Chu Yuanqing like an affectionate cat, with a cute smile, sincerely congratulating her:

"Congratulations, Little Qing! Now that you’re on the main stage, as long as the performance goes well, you have a great chance to debut!"

Chu Yuanqing felt heartbroken, forcing a smile and replying insincerely:

"Haha, really? Well… that’s pretty good."

Tang Liuli didn’t notice anything wrong. Her natural talent had recently grown stronger, making her unable to sense others’ emotions unless she chose to. She casually explained:

"Yes, normally, if a secondary rating contestant gets a Grade A and competes for the main C performance spot, they’ll likely debut. The difference is just in what place they debut and whether it’s as a Carry Center."

"Based on my guess, even though ‘Dazzling Stage’ is strict, getting a debut spot is uncertain. But among all the contestants now, you have the best chance of debuting because popularity and hype is like building a snowball game."

"If you lose in the beginning, it’s hard to turn things around, but if you win, you can keep building on your success."

"The second episode of the show hasn’t aired yet, but with your current popularity at the top, even if you don’t perform well later on, you’ll still get screen time in the third, fourth, and fifth episodes. Being on screen will help you gain fans and stay until the end."

Tang Liuli felt like she was painting a bright future for Honey Qing, and the more she analyzed, the more excited she got.

When she first thought of helping Chu Yuanqing, she never imagined that Chu Yuanqing could unleash such terrifying idol potential on the secondary rating stage.

As for now…

The performance at Carry Center is just the beginning!

Chu Yuanqing didn’t need any help. By following the progress, she believed she could debut in "Dazzling Stage" and climb to the top of the world step by step, shining on the highest stage like a goddess!

Tang Liuli continued to analyze reasonably:

"However, Little Qing, based on the hints from Dream Weaver Rabbit, popularity is important, but there will be more abstract and unreasonable challenges in the later stages of ‘Dazzling Stage.’"

Chu Yuanqing calmed down and thought after climbing out of the depths of despair:

"Are you saying that there will be innovative changes in the competition, and even popular contestants might unexpectedly be eliminated?"

Tang Liuli remarked:

"It’s likely, or why would Dream Weaver Rabbit keep emphasizing that low-rated contestants still have a chance of winning?"

"If other hosts of talent shows said the same, I would think it’s just for show. But ‘Dazzling Stage’ is different, and Dream Weaver Rabbit as a super AI wouldn’t say this without a reason."

"So, it’s important to train seriously and be careful."

Chu Yuanqing had a sudden realization, her pretty face serious as she spoke earnestly:

"Thank you, Liuli, I understand now."

Indeed, the so-called savior was just like that, never truly despaired even in the face of terrifying situations as long as there was a glimmer of possibility of being eliminated, she would never choose to give up!

Just taking on the main role on the performance stage, what’s so scary about dancing in a short skirt in front of two thousand people?

Is there something harder than defeating the Calamity God? Even if… even if it’s a bit tougher mentally, she can definitely overcome it!

At the same time,

The Dream Weaver Rabbit on stage clapped and smiled, turning off the bullet comment effects, and then continued:

"Everyone, the official performance stage will be held in a week, the venue is at the Sea City Expo Center. The stage for the theme song is already set up and ready for rehearsals."

"Please all contestants go back to your dorms and change into your performance outfits. Use your access cards to go to the main hall together, where we will take a special car to the stage for our first rehearsal."

As the words fell quiet, all the contestants’ eyes sparkled, and almost instantly they all cheered, saying "Yeah!"

These more than one hundred beautiful girls were like prisoners hearing they were allowed to leave the prison for a while and all they could think about was the taste of freedom. They had no idea how tough the rehearsal would be, and eagerly headed back to the dorms.

And so, in this atmosphere, the rehearsal for the performance stage began in full swing.

Time flew by.

The contestants went from being excited and looking forward to it, to experiencing the hardships of the rehearsal and complaining constantly, all in just two days.

Although the choreography for "candy" was simple, solo performances and group dances were completely different. The main difference was that, besides singing and dancing, they now had to pay attention to their positions as well.

Even with simple choreography without complex changes, just being less than half a meter apart from each other was enough to cause a common mistake to trigger a terrifying chain reaction on the large stage, even leading to accidents, like a set of dominoes collapsing.

This was why the program group intentionally divided into three "Carry Centers" for the three stages.

Now with only 56 people on stage, the difficulty of the group dance has been greatly reduced, giving a week for rehearsals to minimize the chances of stage accidents.

Chu Yuanqing didn’t feel pressured at all. She had witnessed the collapse of continents, the destruction of main cities, the swallowing of suns, and the drying up of seas. No matter how grand or beautiful the stage was, she couldn’t be stressed.

From this perspective, the main role position suited her well.

However, as a Grade B contestant, Chu Yuanqing’s lovely daughter was placed in the third row of the main stage based on the number of video likes, with only about one and a half meters away during rehearsals.

The lovely curve of Chu Yuanqing’s skirt fluttering could be easily seen by others.

Despite her embarrassment threshold gradually increasing with various punishments, these rehearsals were like torture for her, leaving her physically and mentally exhausted after two days.

While in the eyes of the other contestants,

Chu Yuanqing’s performance as the main character could be considered average, not exactly stunning but very steady, with almost no mistakes.

Unfortunately, behind her on the main stage were Tang Liuli, Xie Qingxuan, and Ji Shuzhu, the three Grade A contestants who failed to secure the Carry Center position.

These three dancers are all doing well, except for Tang Liuli who makes occasional mistakes. Compared to her main carry position, the others are more resilient, make fewer mistakes, and stand out.

On the other side, the two Vice Carry Center dancers on the two sidelines shine even more due to their positioning.

Chen Yining has a strong presence. She thrives under the spotlight like a fish in water, especially when she is at the central Carry Center. Her adaptability to the stage increases, especially with her raspberry-colored hair that pops on camera.

Kirimi Miyuki takes it a step further. Just the thought of stepping onto a stage in front of two thousand people drives her to use the Perfect Interpretation Method early to envision the scene. She rehearses with all her might, feeling the joy of the stage each time.

As a result, the Vice-C team members, under the influence of Little Sakura’s stage presence, turn into whirlwinds. They have to give their all driven by the atmosphere, ending up exhausted every time.

This situation causes even the low-rated dancers to progress in training no slower than the high-rated main stage dancers. It’s like overtaking on a bend, indirectly affecting both the Vice and Main stages, creating a strange atmosphere during rehearsals.

At one point, Chu Yuanqing’s unexpected performance on the secondary rating becomes a rumor that is unlikely to be repeated, spreading throughout the dancer community.

Some dancers start whispering in secret:

"It’s not just about editing for the show and focusing on the Carry Center on camera. When we face two thousand spectators, all camera footage will be shared online and scrutinized."

"Simply put, if the main star can’t handle the pressure, and hasn’t been on the stage as the lead before, I can imagine how the public will criticize. Even though Chu Yuanqing has popularity, what about us who are assigned to the main stage?"

"With so many Chu Yuanqing fans, will they blame us in the end?"

"I regret voting for her. If the lead was someone else with a higher grade, it wouldn’t be so bad, right?"

"An amateur is like this, without a dance background, even if they shine on stage once by chance, they’re not suitable as the lead."

"Don’t say this in front of the camera, be careful of getting attacked by her fans."

During the voting process, they all had their own thoughts and made choices by free will, theoretically not blaming Chu Yuanqing, but that’s just human nature.

These high-rated contestants assigned to the main stage, just the thought of their hard work and sweat being overshadowed by the incompetence of the lead, makes them harbor dark feelings.

Chu Yuanqing vaguely senses this, but doesn’t know the exact reason. Even if she knew, she wouldn’t get angry, but would rightfully feel ashamed.

For many of the 168 contestants, performing on this stage could be their last chance to step on such a huge stage in their lifetime.

Because it is so precious, the pressure also increases, like another important exam in life.

When facing such high pressure, Chu Yuanqing, who did not show her true strength, will face criticism and suspicion, which is understandable.

Time keeps passing in this environment, and three days have gone by.

The rehearsal progress is going well, after a total of five days of training, the dancing performance of the 168 participants is already very good, and the next two days will be for polishing and perfecting.

On the other hand, the official website of "Dazzling Stage" finally announced the list of randomly selected audience members at noon on that day.

To protect personal information, the list is hidden, and you need to enter your Tik Tok account to check if you have won.

Even though the winners will receive a text message the next day, many people wanted to know the results early, causing the webpage to instantly receive billions of clicks within an hour, almost crashing.

Xu Ling silently recited the names of various gods and Buddhas, placed her cross, prayer beads, talismans, the Hand of Fatima, and a bunch of fancy little objects on the computer desk.

Finally, with her hands together in prayer, she said:

Xu Ling finished all the mystical preparations, with a mindset of giving it her all, she entered dozens of TikTok accounts from relatives and friends one by one, even her own account as a last resort when all hope seemed lost.

After that,

The page slowly turned, bursting out with a fireworks display effect, revealing the winning notification.

Xu Ling was so happy she had to resist screaming, she fiercely punched the dinosaur pillow next to her eight times, then jumped on the bed rolling and giggling.

The young girl calmed down for a while before taking a screenshot of this scene, sharing it in groups and on Weibo, enjoying the simple happiness of Versailles, secretly looking forward to the stage performance in two days, showing a happy smile.

——Honey Qing, what kind of stage will you present this time?

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