Rehearsal

The team selections continued as usual.

Yu Mao didn’t actively choose anyone again. Left to the end, she was bundled in with the other unselected contestants and assigned to Wei Zhiyu’s team.

This arrangement had been agreed on beforehand. Getting picked first or last was purely a matter of luck. Wei Zhiyu had no objections; after all, whether the final team won or lost wouldn’t affect the team leaders, who were already in Class A.

Besides, the song this group had been given was the most mainstream one, so relatively speaking, it was easier to stand out.

Everything was settled. Only the bored netizens were still trying relentlessly to observe and analyze Yu Mao.

[What is she thinking? I really can’t tell whether she’s upset]

[Her emotions are so stable, I’m in love. She’d be perfect as my mom]

[I suspect AI has invaded humanity; this guy was sent by them to test us!]

After the selection ended, Mo Lei clapped her hands. “Alright, the groups are set. Whether everyone got the song they wanted or not, I hope none of you lose heart. Work hard, give it your all, and then this trip here won’t have been for nothing.”

“The five team leaders may each choose a rehearsal room. Starting tomorrow morning, professional teachers will give you basic vocal and dance lessons. In the afternoon, you’ll follow your respective team leaders to prepare for the evaluation song. Of course, if any contestants are confident they don’t need the basic courses, they’re free to skip the morning classes and arrange their own time.”

She waved a hand. “Dismissed, everyone!”

The mentors withdrew, leaving the next stretch of time to the contestants to do with as they wished.

The five team leaders began calling their teammates over.

“Alright, let’s go. Pick a rehearsal room and start getting familiar with the song.”

“Wow, already? I’m hungry. What am I supposed to do?”

A girl rubbed her stomach, looking miserable.

They’d come here first thing in the morning and been filming until the afternoon. They hadn’t even had lunch, and plenty of them were already starving. Once one person said it, the others immediately chimed in.

“Why don’t we eat first? If we don’t, we really won’t make it in time.”

Chen Xia lifted an arm and hooked it around Lin Baiyu’s neck, tugging hard. “Come on, come on. I’m starving.”

For people like them, who trained in dance, the physical exertion was huge; they ate a lot too. Skipping even one meal left them desperately hungry.

The others weren’t in any real rush to rehearse, so seeing this, they all followed along and gradually headed to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was on the first floor, just around the corner and a few steps away.

Yu Mao stood still. Her gaze followed Nan Changgeng’s back as it disappeared around the corner with the crowd; only then did she slowly trail after them into the cafeteria.

The food here was pretty good; there was meat and vegetables, and they hadn’t reduced the contestants to eating grass just because this was a women’s music variety show.

But Yu Mao went around once and ate nothing. Looking uninterested, she turned and left.

Little Flying Hero hovered over her head, filming as she left the cafeteria, went upstairs, and returned to her dorm.

Of the four beds, the other three were neat and tidy. Only her own bed had a blanket bunched up messily. Yet she showed no intention of straightening it.

Yu Mao rummaged through her luggage, took out a bag of milk, bit open a small corner, and held it in her mouth before climbing onto the bed. Lying on her side, she curled up on the blanket like a cat, hugging the milk bag and taking small sips.

She looked out the window toward the sunlight. Her face was so pale and clear it seemed almost translucent, while her eyes were hollow, empty in a way that reminded one of a stone sinking into water without a sound. Even the blazing sun couldn’t reach in and light them up.

[woc… somehow I’m suddenly feeling sorry for her]

[She doesn’t eat, only drinks milk; no wonder she’s so thin and small]

[Why does she feel so lonely? Everyone else is downstairs making a scene, and she’s the only one who ran back to sit quietly by herself]

Maybe someone had noticed that Yu Mao hadn’t eaten in the cafeteria, but since it was the first day they’d met, no one wanted to pry and ask.

It was almost an hour later before someone finally came to call Yu Mao to the rehearsal room to prepare the evaluation song.

The one who came to get her was Yuan Li, who shared her dorm room.

Yu Mao had nearly drifted off in the warm sunlight, but when the door opened, she opened her eyes at once; a flash of alertness appeared in them. Hearing the message, she gave a soft mm and got out of bed to follow Yuan Li to the rehearsal room.

All the rehearsal rooms were the same. Wei Zhiyu had picked one at random, and it just happened to be the Class C classroom.

As soon as they entered, everyone was already there. Ten people sat in a loose circle on the floor, wearing sportswear in different colors.

Yu Mao always seemed to be the last one to arrive.

Wei Zhiyu looked up at the newcomers, smiled faintly, and waved them over to the empty space beside her. “Come sit here.”

She was a gentle, slender girl, her voice bright and soft; there was no trace of anything strange in the way she looked at Yu Mao.

Yu Mao sat down beside her, wrapped her arms around her knees, and because she was so small to begin with, once she curled in on herself there was only a tiny ball left, her body covered by a cape of rough black hair.

Wei Zhiyu handed the printed lyrics to the two of them. “The program grouped us together so we could help each other. Everyone should communicate and discuss more. If you have any questions, you can come ask me.”

She wasn’t very used to being in the position of team leader. After hesitating for a moment, she added,

“Why don’t each person sing the song once first, see what issues there are, and then we can solve them specifically?”

“I agree.” Yuan Li was the first to nod. “I think that’s a pretty good method.”

The others nodded along too.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“One person sings while the nine of us stare and pick apart every flaw and suggest ideas; I don’t believe we can’t make it sound good.”

There were only two Class B contestants in the group. Besides Yuan Li, there was also a Chinese-American mixed-race girl named Yirui An.

Her hair was yellowish brown, her eyes were a lighter shade, and she had a few freckles. Her frame was visibly larger than the others’, giving her a very strong, powerful look.

She had no objection to this arrangement, but her attention didn’t seem to be on the matter either. Her eyes kept drifting toward Yu Mao, openly studying her in a way that was impossible to ignore.

Yu Mao noticed it and turned her eyes to meet hers.

The other girl broke into a big smile, bright to the point of being dazzling. Her looks added a touch of warmth to it too.

As if encouraged by that, Yirui An spoke to her: “Hello, Yu Mao. My name is Yirui An.”

Yu Mao looked slightly confused and tilted her head a little. “Hello.”

The brightness in Yirui An’s eyes shot up again, and she burst out with a few words of praise in English, gaze burning as she said, “Yu Mao, do you know? You really look like my BJD doll. You’re so beautiful!”

Especially with that eerie, inhuman quality in her movements; paired with that small, exquisite face, it was as if one were seeing a doll come alive.

The others, hearing this, also couldn’t help turning to study Yu Mao. After looking a little longer, a chill crept up in their hearts again.

It was strange. Even though she looked so thin and weak she seemed harmless, she still inevitably gave people a faint sense of horror. It was like seeing a ghost in broad daylight.

Only Yirui An, a fanatic BJD doll lover blinded by beauty, looked at Yu Mao with unabashed excitement and interest.

“…”

Yu Mao didn’t know how to respond. After a long silence, she said, “Oh.”

Everyone stared at one another.

To avoid the atmosphere turning awkward, Wei Zhiyu pulled the topic back, speaking softly and carefully. “Then, uh, let’s continue. Who wants to sing first?”

“The team leader should go first and set the example for us.” Xu Yang wore a slightly roguish smile. Her posture was casual, hands braced on the floor, body leaning back brazenly.

She was wearing the pale blue sportswear of Class D. Her hair was cut fairly short in a wolf-tail style, and the most eye-catching things about her face were the clean line of her jaw and her high nose bridge. Her features weren’t especially delicate, but they came together into a handsome, fresh look.

Wei Zhiyu looked at the others. Seeing no one object, she nodded and took the microphone. “Alright, then I’ll start.”

Since she had chosen this song, it was naturally one she was good at. She sang it a cappella without accompaniment. By the time she finished, there was hardly anything to criticize.

Her voice was bright and clear, with perfect head resonance; her power was like a sharp sword, adding a fierce edge to her natural delicacy.

It was extremely refreshing. Listening to her gave everyone goosebumps, and they applauded wildly.

“So good. No wonder she’s the team leader.”

Xu Yang sat at an angle, an arm draped over one bent leg, eyelids lowered. “She’s in Class A after all. You don’t get in there without real skill.”

As soon as she said that, the room went a little still.

She’d meant it as praise, but the way she said it didn’t sound especially friendly. Her tone was faintly insolent, almost as if she were looking down on Wei Zhiyu; if you listened closely, there seemed to be a hint of resentment too.

The livestream audience was a little stunned, frowning inwardly.

[What the hell… what does she mean by that?]

[That’s some heavy sarcasm, isn’t it? Looking down on Wei Zhiyu?]

[Did she not make it into Deng Cheng’s team and is taking it out here?]

Noticing the sudden silence, Xu Yang quickly glanced around, her eyes showing a flash of blank confusion. She looked as dazed as a husky, though her blank expression hid it well.

The awkwardness didn’t last long.

After finishing her song, Wei Zhiyu was still as gentle as ever; she smiled modestly and shyly, not bothered at all. “Does anyone have any suggestions?”

Yuan Li shook her head. “I don’t think there’s anything to suggest. Our vocal skills are all worse than yours…”

Though half the group had some experience in the industry, when it came to vocal ability, none of them could compare to Wei Zhiyu, this fresh college graduate just starting out.

They collectively ignored Yu Mao.

Wei Zhiyu did glance at Yu Mao and found her staring into space, lost in thought. The corner of her eye twitched.

Helpless, she nodded and didn’t force it, deciding to ask the teachers for advice when she had time. “Then let’s go from left to right in order.”

She looked to her right. “Zhang Fan, your turn.”

The girl was a little introverted and wooden. She nodded stiffly, took the microphone, and as soon as she started, she went off-key from nerves.

Her face instantly flushed red. She forced herself not to stop, barely managing to keep going and sing to the end.

When she finished, she lowered her head deeply, raking a hand through her hair, full of frustration.

Wei Zhiyu comfortingly patted her shoulder. “Mm… I think your actual ability isn’t bad. What needs solving most right now is the nervousness issue, because your vocal stability isn’t enough when you’re tense.”

Zhang Fan nodded and said in a small, helpless voice, “It’s too hard not to be nervous. Especially standing onstage; I can hardly even speak, let alone sing.”

Xu Yang was quick to comfort her. “There are plenty of people here whose level is about the same as yours. What are you scared of?”

He Yueyuan secretly nudged her and shot her a sideways look, laughing as she scolded, “Can you learn how to talk?”

What she said wasn’t exactly wrong; it was pretty in line with a weak student’s mindset, but it was too blunt and lacked tact. It especially wasn’t suitable to say in front of a camera.

Among all the contestants, the ones in Classes C and D were the most numerous, while Classes A and E had the fewest. In their group, the overall strength was a little weaker; there were two Class E contestants, four Class D contestants, and three Class C contestants.

Xu Yang frowned and thought for two seconds, but couldn’t come up with anything, so she simply shut her mouth.

The way this came across was really ugly, and the online criticism increased again. Luckily, her own results weren’t that great either; otherwise she definitely would have been tagged with mocking her teammates.

Wei Zhiyu glanced at her and didn’t think she had any malicious intent; she just seemed to be missing a screw in her brain.

Resting her right hand in a loose fist against her chin, she smiled lightly. “How does everyone usually overcome nerves? Give me some suggestions.”

“Speaking of that…” Yuan Li turned to look at Yu Mao on her right, her eyes flashing. “Yu Mao should have the most authority to speak on this. When she performs, you can’t tell at all that she’s nervous. She sings those difficult songs with complete steadiness.”

Not only was she not nervous; she was even more relaxed than she was at home, to the point where she’d take a teacher’s scolding whenever it came.

Everyone looked over in unison, and the girl who had been deliberately or inadvertently ignored by everyone instantly became the focus of all eyes.

Yu Mao reacted half a beat late and moved her eyes slightly.

Bai Manwen, sitting directly opposite her, silently rubbed her arms, pressing down the goosebumps that had risen there. Yu Mao’s eyes were far too strange; she couldn’t even tell where the other girl was actually looking.

Clearly able to see things, yet the depths of her eyes were as empty as a blind person’s.

Just as they were beginning to suspect that Yu Mao had been spacing out the whole time and hadn’t heard Yuan Li at all, Yu Mao slowly spoke:

“Actually, I’m very nervous. I just can’t show it.”

“Can’t… show it?”

Wei Zhiyu frowned slightly. That wording felt a bit odd.

Did she mean she didn’t let it show?

Yu Mao didn’t explain further. She leaned forward and rested her chin on her knees, her thin eyelids lowered, her long lashes not trembling at all.

She was very quiet. Her exquisite face looked frozen; every movement gave off the impression of an ultra-realistic doll. No matter how convincing the imitation, it still didn’t feel alive.

“I can’t help much,” she said. “Whether I’m nervous or not won’t affect how I sing that song.”

It was engraved into the muscles of her throat; so familiar it had sunk into her marrow and flesh. From the moment the first syllable came out, every tiny vibration of her vocal cords followed a preset program and would not go wrong.

“…” Xu Yang almost blurted out that she was being too modest for her own good, but when she saw Yu Mao’s face, she forced it back down.

“Mm… that’s really enviable.” Zhang Fan let out a weak, dispirited sigh.

The way the others looked at Yu Mao changed a little.

Probably because they had already decided in their hearts that she was difficult to get along with, they hadn’t expected her answer to be so normal. That actually left them a little flattered.

There was even a trace of sudden clarity: ah, so Yu Mao is actually a normal person who can be talked to.

“There’s definitely a way to get over it. If we practice more, once we have confidence, we won’t be so nervous.”

Wei Zhiyu patted her again and didn’t want to drag things out too long. “Let’s continue. Next is Juzi.”

Sun Xiaoju and Jiang Xixi were both Class E, which meant their vocal and dance skills weren’t very good. The reasons they’d come on the show were similar too: to broaden their horizons and train themselves.

They’d made it through the audition thanks to decent looks and lively, easygoing personalities.

After the two of them finished singing, the results were equally terrible.

The problems were naturally about the same too: poor pitch, thin voices, unstable tone, unable to reach the high notes or drop into the low ones. It was obvious both of them had no real vocal foundation.

Their one advantage was that they were willing to sing and didn’t shy away from their problems; their mentality was excellent.

Author’s note:

The hidden character not displayed here is the character made up of the heart radical and the character for "door"; it displays normally in the backend, but once posted it doesn’t work. I’m not planning to change it; I’ll wait for the day Jinjiang can display it properly.

TL Note:

"woc" (卧槽) = an internet slang exclamation like “holy shit” or “damn.” WO CA—you get the idea

BJD doll (BJD娃娃) = a ball-jointed doll, a poseable collector doll popular with hobbyists