Chapter 52: CHAPTER 52

All eyes in the room were on Lin Zui.

A trainee whispered, “No way, that can’t be right?”

“… That’s Lin Zui?!”

Yes, it was Lin Zui.

The confident, dominant Lin Zui who had been aiming for first place all along.

She didn’t get first place, fine, but how did she drop to third place?

If this trend continued, wouldn’t she fall out of the debut lineup?

Jiang Ye was also momentarily stunned, almost forgetting to clap.

She felt a mix of emotions.

Although she and Lin Zui were mostly in a competitive relationship, and their fans were constantly bickering, it didn’t affect their personal relationship.

Or perhaps, because of this competitive relationship, it actually brought them closer.

After all, they both had considerable talent and the ambition to be number one. In this show, they were the only ones who could truly understand each other’s thoughts.

Lin Zui’s popularity was higher at first.

Later, Jiang Ye surpassed her with her strong ability to attract fans.

So Jiang Ye never doubted that she and Lin Zui would be the best rivals in this show, constantly changing their positions between first and second place, all the way to the finals.

Now, her rival had dropped a spot.

Her first reaction wasn’t, “Whew, this is easier now.”

It was, “How can you be third? If you’re third, who will compete with me for the C position?”

However, Lin Zui herself seemed very calm about it.

She stood up, walked towards the podium, her thoughts racing.

If she was third, then Xue Zhihan was second.

Lin Zui didn’t dislike Xue Zhihan, she just simply looked down on her.

She naturally admired strength and believed that every position should belong to the most capable person.

But Xue Zhihan was the type who used other means to achieve her goals.

But objectively, she didn’t think she could blame Xue Zhihan for dropping to third place.

She had taken a different approach in her performance, challenging a skill she wasn’t very good at, and the results weren’t very impressive after the performance aired, which was something she had anticipated.

Also, she had initially attracted a lot of top fans with her strong presence, and now, after carefully considering the situation, most of those top fans had gone to Jiang Ye, so a slight drop in popularity was normal.

So, when she spoke, she was very calm, “Hello everyone, I’m Lin Zui, the one who always wanted to be first, got second last time, and now I’m third.”

She said it so directly that many people were stunned.

“First, of course, I want to thank all of you who voted for me.”

Lin Zui said, “I’ll say it again, you don’t have to put too much pressure on yourselves. No matter where I end up, I’ll still be Lin Zui, that won’t change, so don’t worry about me.”

“Now, let’s talk about myself.”

Lin Zui thought for a moment, then smiled, “Before, I always heard things like, ‘Look, that’s Lin Zui, Lin Zui is so amazing, there’s nothing she can’t do’.”

“When I came to this show, I realized that I can lose too. I’m not as amazing as I thought, and I have many weaknesses.”

“It’s because people realize their imperfections that they want to become more perfect. In that sense, coming to Chasing Light Girls has been a great experience for me.”

“And I also really like the song you chose for me.”

“The third performance is in two days, and I’ve been preparing seriously. I hope I can perform the song you chose for me well this time.”

“The most important thing for Lin Zui is not to be the best, but to strive towards the best.”

Lin Zui waved to the camera, “See you on stage next time.”

Her attitude was neither humble nor arrogant. She didn’t cry, nor could it be considered a tactic to gain sympathy, but she honestly said everything she wanted to say.

Yang Jingjing looked at her and smiled gently, “I believe you can do it.”

Applause erupted.

Lin Zui walked towards the pyramid and sat down in her seat.

She glanced in Jiang Ye’s direction, meeting her gaze directly.

The professional smile on Jiang Ye’s face didn’t change, but she seemed a little worried about her.

Lin Zui raised her eyebrows, pointed her thumb at the C position behind her, and then gave Jiang Ye a thumbs-up.

I don’t care about being third.

But you have to get first place for me.

•••

“So, the first place this time.”

Yang Jingjing pulled out the envelope, “It should be between trainees Jiang Ye and Xue Zhihan.”

The camera zoomed in on Jiang Ye and Xue Zhihan.

The trainees in the audience cheered for them enthusiastically.

Of course, most of them were shouting for Jiang Ye.

Xue Zhihan immediately looked at Jiang Ye.

A great opportunity!

They were both top 1 and top 2, they had to interact a bit, right?

But Jiang Ye was already looking down at the steps as she walked, not even glancing at her.

Xue Zhihan: "..."

Is Jiang Ye serious?

She can flirt with other people, but not her?

Although Jiang Ye ignored her, Xue Zhihan still felt a hint of excitement.

Playing the victim was the most effective way to gain votes.

Plus, the company bought her a hot search that stayed on for a whole day, so it was no surprise that she could move from third to second place with the sympathy votes from casual viewers.

She knew that her performance was subpar.

So, she deliberately exposed this incident on the day of the performance.

That way, people wouldn’t focus too much on her poor performance.

She just wondered if she could surpass Jiang Ye in one go.

Xue Zhihan took a deep breath and stood next to Jiang Ye.

Yang Jingjing asked, “Do you two have anything you want to say before I announce the rankings?”

“This is the second time I’ve stood in this position.”

Jiang Ye said, “I’m really grateful to everyone, but I’ll save the specific words of thanks for later.”

She looked at the camera and smiled, “But no matter what the fans give me, I’ll accept it.”

Although she was still smiling, her mood was slightly colder than the last ranking announcement, and her words were less enthusiastic.

Xue Zhihan paused, unable to think of anything to say, so she quickly followed, “Um, me too.”

“Then I’ll just announce it.”

Yang Jingjing held two pieces of paper in her hand and slowly read, “The first place in the second ranking announcement of Chasing Light Girls is——”

Jiang Ye looked at her, seeing a calmness and composure in Yang Jingjing’s eyes. For some reason, she felt reassured.

As expected, Yang Jingjing announced, “Congratulations—Shengrui Entertainment trainee Jiang Ye. You have secured first place with 17,058,000 support points.”

A stone fell from Jiang Ye’s heart.

Thank goodness.

Her fans had withstood the pressure from Xue Zhihan.

Although Xue Zhihan’s company was very good at buying hot searches and heavily marketed the image of a trainee being bullied in school, her die-hard fans were still more powerful.

Yang Jingjing: “Please give your speeches.”

Xue Zhihan spoke first as the second-place finisher.

Jiang Ye listened for a while.

Xue Zhihan’s speeches were basically the same every time. She would first thank her fans, then cry for her group members, and then encourage herself.

Although most trainees’ speeches were similar, comparing Xue Zhihan’s two speeches, you could see that her speech was carefully designed, probably written in advance—and it was highly unlikely that she wrote it herself.

While Jiang Ye was formulating her own speech, she could not help but think to herself.

Do Xue Zhihan’s fans really like this kind of person?

Her persona is designed, her stage is rehearsed, and her speech is written in advance.

What’s the difference between liking her and liking a doll?

While Jiang Ye was thinking, Xue Zhihan had finished her speech.

The camera moved to her.

Jiang Ye quickly gathered her thoughts.

No matter what she was thinking at this moment, the ranking announcement was meant for communication with her fans.

She couldn’t go off track.

“First, I want to thank everyone who voted for me.”

“I recently received letters from you all through the program team, and I’ve read many of them during my breaks.”

Jiang Ye said, “A fan told me in her letter that I’m her source of strength.”

“I’m happy because I’ve always wanted to not only give you a better stage, but also give you the strength of being an idol.”

This wasn’t just the feeling of one fan.

Many trainees in the audience felt the same way.

Jiang Ye stood there, as if she could bring a gentle sense of strength.

She wasn’t just a top trainee, she was the embodiment of every girl who was constantly striving for their dreams.

She was the embodiment of dreams, the image that all trainees, and even everyone else, fantasized about becoming.

“As an idol, I exist for everyone who loves me.”

“Because you love me, my existence has value.”

Jiang Ye was selling a fantasy on stage.

Fans supporting her dream was like supporting their own.

Some people studied hard day and night, putting up a poster of Jiang Ye as their source of strength.

Some people came to Beijing alone, using Jiang Ye’s picture as their phone wallpaper as their belief.

There were many, many trainees like Jiang Ye, using her as a reference, constantly striving towards her direction.

“I want to move forward with the dreams of everyone who supports me.”

“As long as there’s one person who likes me, I believe that everything I do is meaningful, and I will continue to stand on this stage.”

Jiang Ye bowed to the camera, “Thank you!”

Applause erupted.

All the trainees in the audience stood up and cheered for her.

Jiang Ye walked up from the bottom of the pyramid.

With each step, it seemed like trainees came to hug her, as if they were hugging her with their own strength and dreams.

When she reached the top, Lin Zui also stood up.

Jiang Ye thought she was going to come over and hug her, so she subconsciously stretched out her hand.

“Don’t be silly, I’m not that clingy.”

Lin Zui rolled her eyes, “I just came to escort you up.”

She sent Jiang Ye to the first-place position and smiled, “Sit down, our number one.”

•••

After all the ranking announcements were finished, the camera focused on the eliminated trainees.

In this world, miracles don’t always happen.

The ‘Tiny’ group had many trainees with lower rankings, and this time, five out of eight were eliminated.

Jiang Ye sighed softly in her heart.

But maybe because they had already cried their hearts out on stage yesterday, their mood was better today.

The ‘Tiny’ group had their last gathering, and the girls chatted amongst themselves.

“Although we’re leaving tomorrow, actually, there’s not much regret.”

“Yeah, I’m just waiting to watch our group’s stage after we leave.”

“Do you think the program team will give us tickets for the third performance? I really want to watch.”

“… What are you thinking about?”

“Ah, that’s a shame.”

A trainee said, “Even though we’re gone, our hearts are still with you.”

The person next to her echoed, “That’s right, that’s right, our spirits will still be on stage with you.”

Liang Yu couldn’t help but exaggerate her shiver, “Wow, your spirits are on stage with us. How did you make such a creepy sentence sound so good?”

"..."

“Oh right, we were discussing it backstage, and we came up with a new name for our group.”

“Although we’ve left, can you use this group name when you perform? It’ll be like we’re participating in your performance in this way.”

Jiang Ye raised her eyebrows, “Sure, what’s the name?”

They looked at each other and said in unison.

“We think our team should be called——”

“Although Tiny, But What’s Wrong With That!”