The staff members backstage held walkie-talkies, while those leading the way used flashlights to illuminate the path. Sang Mo adjusted his in-ear monitor as he jogged behind the staff in front, with the other members of his group following behind.
In the tense backstage environment, they too were infected by the atmosphere, their hearts racing and breaths quickening.
Sang Mo crouched on the rising platform, repeatedly clenching his fists to alleviate his nervousness.
This unique competition format not only made fans anxious but also made the trainees uneasy.
The votes that fans paid for didn't even serve as a reference; they only gave the trainees they chose more opportunities to showcase themselves in front of the producers. In the end, who would be selected depended entirely on Jiang Juyou's preferences.
They had no idea about Jiang Juyou's inclinations. Her words had hinted at high requirements for skill and an acknowledgment of market-driven selection. However, the trainees currently ranking high were mostly those who had used their personal stories to develop the show's plot, gained a lot of screen time, and become familiar faces to the audience.
They weren't necessarily the most skilled or the best-looking, but they were the ones voted for by fans.
Watching the livestream was nerve-wracking, but being at the venue was even more so for the fans.
The big screen was playing a VCR, while the stage was being set up. After the rising platform descended, one could see heads moving about through the gaps.
Even though it wasn't them going on stage, these fans were so nervous they could barely breathe.
The content of the VCR showed their intensive practice after the tour ended.
All the trainees gathered together, undergoing pre-performance checks by the teachers. As the music ended, seven of them formed a circle with their backs to each other, kneeling straight on the ground. Even after the accompaniment stopped, their heavy panting could still be heard.
The surrounding trainees applauded, but the six seated teachers didn't look pleased. Gradually, the applause became sparse as others noticed the atmosphere and withdrew their hands.
"Is this how you're going to perform on stage in two weeks?" The teacher sitting in the middle snorted coldly, his brow furrowed with displeasure.
The post-performance interview, however, focused on Pei Luming, asking for his thoughts on the teachers' evaluation of Sang Mo's group's performance.
Pei Luming first shook his head and sighed, "I really thought Sang Mo's group's stage was super cool. The overall completion was very high. There's a move where they line up, and they were almost like copy-paste, even the angle of their raised hands was the same. So after watching, I was really fired up, thinking we should refine our movements more when we get back... But then the teachers said their stage wasn't fit for performance..."
He touched his chest, his expression becoming gloomy, "What about me then? What am I supposed to do? If they were criticized like that, what's going to happen to me later?"
The venue erupted in merciless laughter, and the danmu was flooded with "Hahaha".
After being scolded, Sang Mo's group returned to their practice room after the pre-performance check. Their expressions were not good, especially Sang Mo's. As the leader of this group, all the teacher's harsh words were directed at him, each one seemingly fatal.
He stood in the corner of the practice room, lost in thought. After a while, he said, "I'm going out to cool off for five minutes."
With that, he left his members and went out alone.
The cameraman followed him out, only to see him turn left and right before entering a solo vocal practice room.
Opening the door, they saw Sang Mo, who had just been a reliable leader, kneeling in the corner, holding back his sobs. It was as if he had lost all his strength; as soon as he entered, he collapsed, his emotions breaking down with him.
He refused to let the camera capture him crying, constantly dodging the lens, while repeatedly saying, "I'm sorry, cameraman... I don't want to be filmed right now."
The fans who had been smiling widely just moments ago immediately became teary-eyed. The danmu was filled with messages like:
"It's not your fault! It's mama's fault! I joined the fandom too late! If mommy had watched this damn show earlier, you wouldn't have fallen into the bottom ranks!"
"I really don't understand, why not vote for this handsome Sang Mo and instead vote for that ugly guy? He even has a solo stage, I'm really done, who exactly likes that ugly thing?"
"Wuwuwuwu baby! My baby! Even crying like this, he still remembers to be polite wuwuwuwu!"
"Tonight's final performance is like my death by a thousand cuts..."
"It's the first time I've wanted to vote so desperately! Deadlock Entertainment, can you open the voting channel for a bit longer?!"
"Look at the hangover cure! Look here! Good skills and handsome looks are right here!! Don't choose the ugly one!!"
The unfilmed continuation was Sang Mo being dragged to the post-interview room with red eyes. His eyelids were slightly swollen, his nose tip pink, and he was clutching a ball of paper in his hand, his face a mixture of stubbornness and grievance.
The staff asked him, "Do you think what the teachers said was right?"
"..."
He raised his hand to wipe his eyes, organizing his thoughts before speaking, "...I'm not crying because I feel wronged, it's just that suddenly... my stupidity flared up."
Staff: "...?"
Audience: "?"
Sang Mo continued, "What the teachers said wasn't criticism, it was to make us clearly aware of where we still fall short. At this point, there's no need to beat around the bush. The issues the teachers pointed out are parts we've practiced over and over again... but our current skill ceiling is just here. We probably won't be able to make up for these shortcomings in the next two weeks..."
As he spoke, his eyes reddened again, "If we can't present a good stage, we won't be remembered by Producer Jiang. If Producer Jiang doesn't remember... I can accept not making it into the group, but what about the younger ones..."
His fans in the audience were crying as they watched, not forgetting to have a one-sided conversation with him across the distance.
"Wuwuwuwu what bullshit are you talking about, you have to make it into the group!"
"Baby wuwuwu you're ranked in the fifties, I don't think you're in a position to worry about others wuwuwu!"
"Worry about yourself first!!! You're at the bottom wuwuwuwu!"
In the footage, he wiped away his tears and spoke with determination, "But we still have two weeks. Worst case, we'll sleep less... No, we can't sleep less. Producer Jiang said she won't consider anyone under 180cm, and the younger ones haven't reached 180cm yet."
Pei Luming, who was waiting nearby for his post-interview, suddenly entered the frame. He blinked at the camera that turned towards him: "..."
The venue once again erupted in laughter, everyone nearly dying from Pei Luming's two blinks.
"Hahahaha my head hurts, laughing one moment and crying the next!"
"These two are suitable for comedy skits, they're too perfect together!"
"Hahahaha help, Pei Luming, how are you everywhere!"
The next part showed Sang Mo's group practicing to correct their mistakes. The entire VCR segment was only a few minutes long. After it finished, a transition screen appeared, indicating that the stage performance was about to begin.
A few seconds later, the screen finally changed from the VCR to a panoramic view of the stage.
The camera slowly panned across the top of the stands. The fans in the venue were very supportive, waving their light sticks, with some holding up Pei Luming's banners, causing a wave of screams.
The music started, an a cappella intro leading directly into the chorus.
Sang Mo opened, standing sideways. As the music began, he turned and walked forward. A three-second close-up shot filled the danmu with "expletives".
"Holy shit! That face!"
"Such clear features! Clearer than my path to success!"
"I'm done, why didn't anyone choose this handsome guy before?"
"Damn damn damn! I've been hit!"
"Ahhhhh shit! How did I not notice before?!"
This group was basically all trainees from the bottom ranks. If they hadn't discovered Sang Mo, this hidden gem, before the broadcast, their VCR wouldn't have been so spectacular. It was precisely because Sang Mo suddenly became popular that the VCR was re-edited, even pulling in popular trainees to serve as their stepping stone.
Without that VCR, the brilliance of their stage performance today would have been halved.
In the early stages of the show, the editing was done by the system, but in the later stages, it was the variety show department that supported it. The screen full of praise in the danmu showed that their decision was undoubtedly correct.
This is how variety shows work. Whoever has the most appeal gets the most screen time. The reason Pei Luming is so popular is that his natural personality is likable and he has great variety show effect. In each episode, his screen time is always among the top, contributing many hot topics and discussions to the show.
Gao Xiayu's high popularity was not only due to the deep impression he made during his initial appearance, but also because he was often paired with Pei Luming. The two were closely linked, naturally increasing their screen time.
While Pei Luming was at the center of one topic of discussion, Ye Xing was at the center of another.
All new viewers of the show would initially assume that Ye Xing was just a pretty face with no talent, as this was often the case in the industry where the most attractive person didn't need any skills.
Unfortunately, this wasn't true for Ye Xing. The initial impression that he lacked ability was purely because of the presence of Gao Xiayu, Yao Shuo, Pei Luming, and Chi Qiao. These four were known as powerhouses among the trainees, either all-rounders or specialists who excelled in particular areas. In comparison, Ye Xing, who had just barely passed the qualifying line, seemed somewhat lacking.
However, many people were still impressed by Ye Xing's abilities. They hadn't expected him to be able to hit high notes or keep up with the dance routines. He was beautiful, yes, but not useless.
In the early stages, Pei Luming consistently ranked first. Ye Xing's eventual overtaking of him was due to an instance where he was assigned to a group with members of mediocre skill levels. He was forced to take the main vocal part and not only did he complete it, but he even improvised a few high notes. This left the fans at the venue unable to control their expressions of surprise, even his own fans were stunned.
During the final round of voting, Ye Xing's wealthy female fans all came out in force, organizing giveaways that directly propelled him to first place.
Ye Xing's group was the last to perform. The later the performance, the more nervous they became. Yao Shuo from the same group was restless, alternating between fidgeting with his hands and collapsing on the sofa with a sigh.
The groups before them were called out one by one, until only their group was left waiting backstage.
During the commercial break, the live stream was split into two halves, with muted advertisements on one side and backstage footage on the other.
"Why did we end up right after the commercials?" Ye Xing sighed. "What if the audience's expectations are too high?"
Yao Shuo wore an expression of utter despair. "Whose fault is that?"
Ye Xing: "..."
Despite having 'luck' in his name, he was actually quite unlucky. When drawing for the performance order, the host Jiang Tang had made it clear that the last group, performing right after the commercials, would be subject to extremely high expectations from the audience. If they didn't disappoint, their scores from Jiang's company would be good, and vice versa.
Yao Shuo had been in the bathroom at the time, and the others didn't know about Ye Xing's bad luck. Thinking that he had more screen time, they thought talking to him more would increase their exposure. The result was that their group drew the last spot.
When the seven of them returned to the practice room, their spirits were deflated. They had lost confidence even before the final performance.
"Hahahahaha only your name is lucky!"
"When drawing for order, you either get first or last. Baby, you do have some luck!"
"How come there's a comedy group here too!"
"Rumor has it that the boy group produced by SJYL will have five members. So let's have Yao Shuo, Ye Xing, Sang Mo, Pei Luming, and Gao Xiayu debut. If it's a six-member group, add Chen Wu! For seven members, add Chi Qiao!"
"If Yao Shuo, Ye Xing, Sang Mo, Pei Luming, and Gao Xiayu debut as a five-member group, I'm willing to contribute my first experience as a group fan."
"Sisters, you're getting ahead of yourselves. This is just selecting the debut group. They still have to go abroad for training, and when they come back, there's another debut competition!"
"Same person, same pain, why do I have to go through this twice?!"
"If you don't want to experience it twice, let me experience it! I hope my bias makes it into the circle and debuts!"
As the commercial break ended, the scene returned to the venue. Jiang Tang had changed into a pure white minimalist gown. Standing on the side stage, she once again cued Jiang Juyou.
"With only one group left to perform, does our Jiang company have a general idea of who they want to choose after seeing so many stages?" This question had just been added, and Jiang Tang suppressed a laugh after asking it. Although she couldn't see Jiang Juyou, she could imagine how much Jiang Juyou wanted to curse at that moment.
Sure enough, Jiang Juyou on the big screen pressed her lips together, suppressing the corner of her mouth, then picked up the microphone and said, "...My choices have always been clear. Those who stand out in ability, appearance, audience appeal, and those who are ambitious yet humble - the twenty-one people who meet these criteria can enter the debut circle."
She rounded off her answer, saying everything and nothing at the same time, yet seeming to have given an answer.
Jiang Tang continued to press, "So will the rankings from the audience votes affect your choice?"
"Of course," Jiang Juyou replied.
A fan nearby loudly criticized, "What's the use? It ended eight hundred years ago. If you have the guts, open one now."
Because they were close, the microphone picked it up, and everyone in the venue heard it.
Jiang Juyou: "..."
More and more people were watching the live stream, with the viewer count already passing ten million. As Ye Xing ran towards the stage, he overheard staff members sharing this news, making his heart skip a beat.
Yao Shuo, following behind, patted his shoulder. "Don't be nervous, you've practiced this thousands of times. You won't make a mistake." What he actually wanted to say was that Ye Xing was 100% guaranteed to make it into the circle, so there was no need to be too nervous.
Before Ye Xing could respond, the staff member in front said, "You can go on now."
Ye Xing immediately swallowed his words and ran onto the stage.
As soon as he appeared, the venue erupted in cheers. Ye Xing's group had many high-ranking trainees, including Yao Shuo and Chen Wu, all of whom had significant screen time on the show.
He stood at the center point and adjusted his earpiece. The director's voice came through, "The microphones are on. Everyone touch them to check if they're working."
They all raised their hands to touch their mics. The sound director gave an OK sign to the broadcast director, indicating they were ready to start.
"Alright, counting down from five--"
The spotlights were ready, falling on Ye Xing as the music started. The circle of light gradually expanded to encompass all seven of them.
After finishing the opening, Ye Xing, who was in the center position, gave way to Yao Shuo.
"Hear that? The alarm's ringing. Even if you don't want to, it's time to get up!" Yao Shuo, standing in the center position, effortlessly hit the high notes while dancing, without a hint of wavering.
The high notes right from the start, crisp and hitting the notes perfectly, suddenly energized the fans at the venue.
Show fans had argued many times about whether Yao Shuo should debut or not. Some thought Yao Shuo was too short, others thought he looked too ordinary, believing his inclusion in the group would affect the visual appeal. Another group believed that with Yao Shuo's unshakeable position as main vocalist, if he couldn't debut, then no one could.
Every time this argument arose, there would always be a moment of unity, and that was when Yao Shuo sang, especially when he sang as part of a group.
It wasn't a joke to say that his voice changed completely when he started singing. This was especially noticeable for the live audience. When others sang, you could more or less hear the backing track underneath their voices, but when Yao Shuo opened his mouth, not only was the backing track suppressed, even the audience in the last row could clearly hear every word he sang.
Jiang Juyou, who was unprepared, was also impressed for a moment. Her raised eyebrow was accurately captured, and the live broadcast showed the situation in Jiang Juyou's room.
"Yao Shuo's chances of debuting are as stable as Ye Xing's."
"No wonder Yao Shuo isn't panicking. If I had this level of skill, I wouldn't panic either."
"Wow... how did your domestic entertainment industry quietly become so strong?"
"If Yao Shuo went abroad as a green card holder, he'd probably be even more popular."
"Deadlock Entertainment, you've got something here!"
Yao Shuo, Ye Xing, and Chen Wu had been in the same group before, known as the Golden Triangle. Now they were grouped together again, which was already noteworthy, but they exceeded expectations. Ye Xing, as the sub-vocal, even got two lines of improvised high notes.
Out of the nine groups, each had an original song, with all lyrics written by Jiang Juyou. The nine songs varied in difficulty, and Yao Shuo's group's song had the most straightforward lyrics but the most challenging melody. The chorus started with high notes, dropping slightly in the bridge section, before rising another key towards the end.
Designed as an alarm song, it started gentle and steady, but once Yao Shuo began singing, it was like a forced wake-up call. The noisy melody paired with simple lyrics, repeated over and over, quickly made people remember its tune.
In the stage story setting, the seven of them are cats and dogs, waking up their owner.
The rarely seen fresh and energetic stage in "21 Heartbeats of Youth" brightened the eyes of all audience members, especially when paired with the dance, giving them a childlike quality for the first time. It was then that everyone realized they were indeed only fourteen or fifteen years old.
The lucky moms in the audience went crazy when Ye Xing came on stage:
"Ahhhhh! Cat ears!"
"Little cat paws! Let me nibble them!"
"Why wasn't Ye Xing born as my child! So cute!"
"Stage planner, you're my god!!!"
"Wuwuwuwu so adorable, Ye Xing is the only little kitty!"
Another reason they went crazy was that they couldn't take out their phones to take photos. They could only pray here, hoping that some brave lucky mom would capture a few fan-taken photos of Ye Xing.
At this moment, the brave lucky moms:
Liu Yue quickly pressed the shutter, her lens constantly following Ye Xing's figure.
Behind her, several fansites for other trainees also exclaimed:
"Oh my god, little cat ears!"
"I'm dying of cuteness, I'm going to stan!"
"Why didn't Pei Luming choose this? It suits him so well."
"Where did those two go?"
"To the middle to help Sister Mumu take direct stage shots."
They were all fansites, with very diverse fan backgrounds, following idols both domestically and internationally. Some even followed rival groups, but because they didn't participate in fan wars, their relationships were very good.
The "Sister Mumu" they mentioned was Liu Yue. None of them had revealed their real names, and Liu Yue was called Mumu because of her nickname. Her WeChat name was Moonmoon, so they called her that.
Seeing Liu Yue taking photos outside, someone else came out with a camera to help, "One yuan per photo, sis!"
"Get lost!" Liu Yue retorted.
They were just joking around. The group often helped each other take photos, and it was common for them to help record multi-cam direct stage videos when following overseas groups.
Today they came not because they were fans of any particular trainee on site, but simply to help take photos. For them, these trainees were still too young to follow.
Outside the VIP box, there was another camera set up on the seats, used to record the direct stage video from this direction. Only they dared to film so openly. Other fansites were all secretive, covering their legs with blankets, quickly pulling down the blanket to cover up and swiftly removing memory cards when staff members approached.
Other fans came to enjoy the stage, but they came to wage guerrilla warfare.
The finale, originally scheduled to last three hours, had already been broadcasting for nearly five hours, but the audience showed no signs of fatigue because it was almost time to announce the final lineup.
After a commercial break, Jiang Tang held the microphone and introduced to everyone, "All stages have been performed. I wonder if everyone is satisfied?"
"Next comes the moment all viewers have been waiting for. Let's welcome the producer of this show, who is also the artistic director and producer of Random Entertainment - Ms. Jiang Juyou-"
Suddenly, one end of the extended stage lit up, and Jiang Juyou, wearing a camel-colored plaid suit, walked onto the stage. The fans on both sides immediately turned to look, and everywhere the camera panned, people were covering their mouths and widening their eyes.
She was still in the same outfit as in the studio earlier, just with an added jacket. Jiang Juyou walked towards the main stage holding a microphone, and everywhere she passed, people were shouting trainees' names.
Jiang Tang, who was originally on the main stage, had already gone down, giving the position to Jiang Juyou.
The opening song was still playing on site, repeating over and over. She walked to the center position in rhythm, stood still, looked forward, and introduced herself gracefully: "Hello everyone, I'm Jiang Juyou."
She didn't add any prefix when introducing herself.
Jiang Juyou stood in the center of the stage, with all the lights on site shining for her. Her black hair fell smoothly over her shoulders, making her look extremely gentle and refined.
This was the first time Jiang Juyou had publicly stood in front of the masses, and it was also the first time the audience clearly realized how good Jiang Juyou's physical attributes were.
"Ahhhhh! Wife!"
"Husband! Husband! Husband!"
"Damn, those long legs!"
"Has Jiang Juyou really never been an artist before?"
"What artist? My wife is still a female college student who needs to defend her thesis!"
"Let's put the trainees aside for a moment, Jiang Juyou, can you debut first?"
"I can't take it anymore. Can you people in the bullet comments calm down a bit? What are you doing lusting after someone else's husband?"
"M-type personality explosion! Mommy!"
"Thank you to all the viewers who have watched this show over these past few months. From October until now, it's been five months, so I also want to thank the trainees who have persevered in training every day during these five months. They have to train every day, go to school, and find time to record the show. It's really very hard."
"During the show's broadcast period, I've seen all the feedback from the audience, and your votes are our primary reference condition."
As Jiang Juyou was speaking, at some point the trainees had changed into uniform outfits and stood behind her. The camera occasionally captured the trainees in the back, and every time one appeared, a scream would rise from the audience.
In her hand, besides the microphone, there was also an envelope. After picking up the envelope, Jiang Juyou said: "In this envelope are the twenty-one trainees we've selected over these five months through the show, through rankings, through evaluations, through stage performances."
"These twenty-one trainees will go abroad for training after the show ends-"
As she spoke, the big screen displayed the names of sixty-three trainees.
"The rest may stay with the company or return to school." Each of her sentences was slow, the rising intonation tightly gripping the hearts of the audience. Below the stage, there were already fans covering their hearts, anxiously waiting.
Suddenly, she opened her mouth and said: "First, let's announce to everyone the thirty trainees from '21 Heartbeats of Youth' who might make it into the circle."
Just when no one was prepared, thirty-three names slowly disappeared from the big screen.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh-"
Regardless of who they were rooting for, everyone let out screams at this moment.
"My heart is about to stop."
"...My bias isn't there..."
"Damn, didn't you say you'd consider the votes?!!!"
"Ahhhhhh Sang Mo!!!"
"This is very Random Entertainment, scared me to death."
The trainees on stage also saw the big screen. They hugged each other, their expressions showing slight sadness and reluctance.
"Next, I will announce in order, starting from the twentieth place," Jiang Juyou said, opening the envelope and taking out an iPad.
The fans below shouted: "Slow down! Slow down! My heart can't take it!"
Random Entertainment's sudden attack and straightforwardness probably came from Jiang Juyou. She glanced at the iPad.
There were still trainees behind trying to peek, but the iPad had an anti-peeping film, so they couldn't see anything.
Everyone was comparing with the big screen, trying to guess who was in twentieth place. The next second, they saw Jiang Juyou holding the iPad, raising the microphone and saying: "In twentieth place..."
The entire venue held its breath.
"Chen Wu."
"Huh?"
"What the hell?"
"What?"
"Ahhhh I can't live anymore!"
Chen Wu's face appeared on the screen. He was congratulated by those around him, but his expression was also somewhat bewildered, because he had always been a top 15 popular trainee.
The other two panels displayed the ranking and reasons.
"Name: Chen Wu"
"Score: 85.1"
"Deduction points: Unstable live performance, weak breath control, sometimes low volume, decent dance control but very slow in memorizing movements, easily affecting overall progress, high error rate during performances, major mistake in the third public performance, total of four mistakes."
All the viewers watching this finale were shocked by the deduction points written on the screen.
Talent shows and survival shows have been around for decades, but this was the first time they had seen a show so clearly lay out the problems in front of the public, throwing it in the audience's face during a live broadcast. They might as well have written "fair and square" on the screen.
Just as Jiang Juyou said, they would consider the vote rankings, but that was merely a reference. Each person who came out afterwards had a different ranking from what the netizens had predicted.
"In seventh place - Sang Mo."
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"Oh my god! Mom, I've got royalty!"
"My baby suffered so much in the beginning, what's wrong with being first now?"
"How can someone with both looks and skill not be in the top seven?"
"Hahahahaha, who's feeling good? I'm feeling good!"
"Sixth place, Yao Shuo."
Each trainee whose name was called walked forward, entering the so-called circle.
The stage was lit up, with a large circle containing many smaller circles, each at a different level. The stage looked like a cake, continuously rotating.
Yao Shuo, who hadn't expected to be ranked sixth, took a deep breath to steady his emotions. As he walked, he looked at the deduction points on the screen.
"Deduction points: Dance skills in the lower tier, poor sense of rhythm."
In contrast, Chi Qiao, who outperformed others in a single category, was ranked eleventh, with deduction points opposite to Yao Shuo's, all related to vocal issues.
After announcing a few more positions, only the top two and twenty-first place remained unrevealed. Three high-popularity contestants were left: Ye Xing, Pei Luming, and Gao Xiayu.
These three had consistently been the top three on the rankings. It was unimaginable for any of them to be placed twenty-first.
People were almost too afraid to watch.
"Although the deduction points make sense, aren't you guys being a bit reckless?"
"I'm already grateful that none of the twenty-one are ugly."
"High start, chaotic ending!"
"Gao Xiayu must be twenty-first, it can't be Ye Xing or Pei Luming."
"My head hurts, my heart aches..."
At this moment, Jiang Juyou picked up the microphone again and announced: "Second place."
"Pei Luming."
The venue erupted. They felt that even when they grew old, they would remember this explosive scene from the final performance.
Unlike the others, Pei Luming happily ran over, greeting fans along the way. When expressing his thoughts, he even comforted the fans, saying he was very satisfied with his ranking.
Now that Pei Luming was locked in second place, the first place was obvious.
At least the last place couldn't be the founding father, Ye Xing.
But the next second.
"First place -- Gao Xiayu."
"Oh, for fuck's sake!"
"Ahhhhh, shit! First time following Chinese entertainment and it hurts like this!"
"Random Entertainment should go bankrupt!"
The only one left behind Jiang Juyou was Ye Xing.
Other shows might create suspense for the last position, but Random Entertainment didn't need to. If this position wasn't Ye Xing's, they would throw their support banners onto the stage right now.
Jiang Juyou wore an earpiece, but she could hear the audience's voices clearly. Her expression never changed, nor did she waver due to the fans' words.
At the very end, she announced:
"Twenty-first place."
"Ye Xing."
Xing's Mom: Tonight, we'll assassinate the hangover cure.
:)
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Please forgive me for being half an hour late, considering the word count.
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