All the trainees in the audience were stunned.

Even mentor Yang Jingjing didn't react.

Yang Jingjing quickly glanced at the director's seat.

After getting his nod, she quickly realized that this segment would definitely be a new program highlight if it aired, so she quickly asked Lin Zui, "Can you tell me your reason?"

"There's no reason."

Lin Zui said, "I just simply think it's a pity that contestants can't vote in the competition, I want to vote for the trainee I admire."

She blinked, "Is that not allowed?"

Yang Jingjing: "... It's not that it's not allowed."

Lin Zui didn't wait for her to say "but", and took action before she could speak, "Thank you."

After she finished speaking, she walked to Jiang Ye's side, casually took a sticker off her body, and directly stuck it on Jiang Ye.

Jiang Ye: "?"

Jiang Ye was also very confused.

She didn't expect Lin Zui to do this.

Were they that close?

If she remembered correctly, the last time she interacted with Lin Zui was when they were going head-to-head for the first place seat.

Although Lin Zui was very straightforward, she had lost and she didn't target Jiang Ye privately.

But she never expected that Lin Zui would directly break the rules at this crucial moment and help her.

Jiang Ye was stunned for a moment, then whispered to Lin Zui, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me."

Lin Zui patted the sticker, making sure it was stuck firmly, "You deserve it."

Jiang Ye: "..."

Jiang Ye had no doubt that Lin Zui's actions and words would definitely be blown up into hundreds of heated threads on the forum.

She couldn't help but want to go and see Xue Zhihan's expression now.

It must be very interesting.

"... In that case, Xue Zhihan and Jiang Ye are tied."

Yang Jingjing exclaimed, then said with a hint of amusement, "What do we do now, should we have a battle to decide the winner?"

The trainees in the audience, who were eager for a show, chimed in, "Battle! Battle!"

Xue Zhihan's professional smile froze.

... No way, her weakest area was live battles.

Please, don't.

"—Alright, let's decide the winner with a battle."

Mu Xingchi suddenly spoke, as if he had sentenced her to death, "Then, give you two ten minutes to prepare. Then, you'll go on stage one by one and dance a segment of the chorus, and then the trainees will vote again."

Xue Zhihan: "..."

She looked at Jiang Ye next to her with a heart filled with despair.

To her surprise, Jiang Ye, who had gotten a second chance, didn't show a very surprised expression, she just nodded.

Xue Zhihan breathed a sigh of relief.

Don't be too nervous, Jiang Ye isn't a live performance type of contestant either.

Her direct shot performance was undeniably great, but it could also be the result of her hard work.

But if it's a live battle, she wouldn't necessarily lose, right?

After the battle was decided, the other trainees went to the audience seats and waited to watch the upcoming battle.

Xue Zhihan and Jiang Ye went to different rooms backstage and used the ten minutes they had left to prepare for the upcoming battle.

They had nothing better to do.

The trainees in the audience chatted quietly.

"Who do you think will win?"

"Hard to say, I'm betting on Jiang Ye."

"I'm also betting on Jiang Ye, after all, even Lin Zui voted for her."

"But why do you think Lin Zui did that? Does she have a grudge against Xue Zhihan?"

"Who knows, she's always had this kind of temperament."

Lin Zui, who was being quietly discussed: "..."

Even the mentors' seats were buzzing about this sudden event.

"I really didn't expect Lin Zui to do that."

Yang Jingjing joked, "Do you think this counts as breaking the rules?"

"Even if it does, the director agreed, right?"

Chen Yiming said, "More than that, I'm more curious, who do you think will win this battle?"

The rap mentor next to him shrugged, "I don't know much about the dance side, you should ask Xiao Mu."

Mu Xingchi said without hesitation, "Jiang Ye."

He looked nonchalant, but his tone was exceptionally firm, "Although Xue Zhihan's performance was also very good, her overall strength and Jiang Ye's are on completely different levels."

"I believe she will surprise me."

The ten minutes of preparation time was up.

Xue Zhihan went on stage first.

Although Xue Zhihan kept telling herself not to be nervous.

She still couldn't help but feel anxious.

When she was counting the votes, she felt like she was almost guaranteed to win.

So, she didn't expect this to happen at all!

Besides, there wasn't enough time for her to think about how to optimize the theme song in just ten minutes.

So, Xue Zhihan could only try to maintain her best condition and dance her chorus again in a standard way, and she added a wink at the ending pose.

In terms of beat and movements, she was a bit more forceful than in the direct shot, it was clear that she was trying her best.

After Xue Zhihan finished dancing, she breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to the audience before going to the side.

She nervously tapped her fingers, waiting for Jiang Ye to go on stage.

She knew that her performance wasn't perfect.

So, she could only hope that Jiang Ye would also have a disastrous performance.

In a sea of anticipation, Jiang Ye walked on stage.

As the music started, she lowered her head and took a deep breath.

Xue Zhihan had guessed wrong.

She hadn't shown any signs of joy, not because she was not happy.

On the contrary, it was because she was too excited.

She never expected to have this second chance.

But since she had this opportunity.

She wouldn't miss it again.

The chorus was fifty-seven seconds long.

When Jiang Ye was practicing alone in the practice room at night, she had practiced every moment of those fifty-seven seconds countless times, and she could guarantee that the dance movements and details were all flawless.

But for the C-position competition, the most important thing was a person's aura and sense of conviction.

The music started.

Jiang Ye raised her head, followed the beat, and showed a bright, beautiful smile.

The discussion in the audience suddenly fell silent.

The cold stage lights shone down from above.

Even though Jiang Ye was completely bathed in cold light, her aura was not cold.

When she raised her eyes, it was like seeing the spring blossoming on the branches in the coldest time of year, it was a wonderful fermentation, making people's heads turn involuntarily.

The music swept past, and Jiang Ye quickly got into the zone.

She slightly adjusted the details in the theme song that she felt weren't sharp enough, but every beat was still incredibly precise.

Because every point in this dance had been designed, practiced, and rehearsed countless times by her, it was only then that it could be presented in its current form.

Even though so many people had danced the same dance, it seemed like it had been infused with her unique style.

Even though it was only a few dozen seconds, it made people feel like she wasn't just going through the motions of an assessment, but presenting a work to the audience.

When the music ended, the light slowly fell on Jiang Ye.

Jiang Ye raised her head, brought her two fingers together, and raised them up, smiling at the camera again.

Just like the lyrics said.

The girls' youth, poetry, and spirit, are all flourishing with the light.

The music ended.

The audience was silent for a moment.

Only a "click" sound came from the corner.

Xue Zhihan had bitten her nail until it cracked.

"..."

Xue Zhihan even felt a bit of fear, it's a good thing that this battle format didn't put the two of them on the same stage.

Jiang Ye was really too eye-catching.

If they stood together, her presence would be almost nonexistent.

Mu Xingchi tapped his knuckles on the table, "Alright, let's vote."

Needless to say, the voting situation instantly reversed.

Not to mention how excellent Jiang Ye's performance was.

Just because of Lin Zui's actions before, it had really impacted the feelings of many people.

Many trainees who had originally voted for Xue Zhihan weighed the pros and cons, thinking that if they voted for Xue Zhihan again, the audience might notice something was wrong.

So, they all changed their votes to Jiang Ye.

Finally, the votes were counted again, and Jiang Ye won this theme song C-position with a one-sided, overwhelming victory.

After the recording ended and all the trainees left, Xue Zhihan went to find Lin Zui alone.

She hesitated for a long time, and finally asked, "... Do you have any opinions about me?"

"If you have any opinions about me, you can say it directly."

Xue Zhihan's attitude was very soft, and her tone sounded very gentle, "There's no need to target me like this."

Lin Zui felt baffled, "No, I don't."

Xue Zhihan was even more confused, "Then why did you vote for Jiang Ye just now?"

Xue Zhihan could still maintain her composure on the surface, but she was actually furious inside.

She was just one step away from the initial C.

Lin Zui had no idea how hard she had worked to get this position!

She not only sacrificed her own time, she crossed practice rooms to teach those who were bad at dancing, and she also made an agreement with them that if she had the right to choose during the first group selection, she would try her best to choose them, and that's how she secured more votes than Lin Zui and Jiang Ye.

After all, the company had made an agreement with her that she had to go all out to get this initial C position.

This way, the company could follow up with marketing efforts, and she would have a chance to debut.

Now, all her plans had been disrupted!

... Was it because she and Jiang Ye had already formed an alliance?

Xue Zhihan's heart panicked, but she thought that it couldn't be.

Their styles were similar, and they were both in the upper tier, they were very likely to clash.

If she was Lin Zui, she wouldn't be too friendly with Jiang Ye.

"... You're thinking too much, I just simply want someone who deserves the initial C to get it, is that not allowed?"

Lin Zui looked at her with a strange expression, "Are you saying that you don't really think you performed better than Jiang Ye?"

Xue Zhihan: "..."

Although this sentence wasn't very hurtful.

It was extremely insulting.

"Besides, my vote isn't set in stone, right? Didn't you lose in the subsequent battle?"

"This shows that the audience's eyes are discerning."

Lin Zui patted her, "Don't think too much, just focus on improving your skills."

She finished speaking and left.

Leaving Xue Zhihan alone, almost exploding with anger.

Lin Zui didn't care how Xue Zhihan felt inside.

After all, she wasn't afraid of offending people.

If your skills aren't good, then they aren't good.

The first position should belong to the most capable.

Although she had lost to Jiang Ye in the initial evaluation, she wasn't that disappointed.

Besides, she had another reason for voting for Jiang Ye.

After all, she had been in the industry for so long, she was a veteran.

Since participating in the talent show, she had been paying attention to the online dynamics.

She had also discovered that her fans were very afraid and disliked Jiang Ye.

But she didn't feel that way.

Encountering a trainee who was on her level in a show was a good thing.

This way, she would have enough motivation to push herself to improve.

So, Lin Zui had basically made a statement to her fans.

She admired Jiang Ye very much.

Stop cursing her.

And she had already thought about it when she decided to change the rules.

This segment, when it airs, would definitely be blown up.

Even if the director didn't agree, and in the end, they decided that Xue Zhihan would be the initial C, this segment would be enough to make the audience reconsider whether Xue Zhihan deserved the C position.

Although Xue Zhihan's fans might curse her.

But Jiang Ye's fans would definitely thank her.

And in the future, Jiang Ye's fans would definitely be much more numerous than Xue Zhihan's.

Lin Zui felt that she had made a good deal.

Because time was tight, a few hours after the trainees selected the theme song C-position, they changed their uniforms and went to the MV recording site.

Jiang Ye, wearing the special uniform for the C-position, stood on a small stage in the center.

She was still a bit dazed, as if she was still in a dream.

She had been prepared for Xue Zhihan to get the initial C.

To be honest, she was a bit disappointed at that moment.

But then she thought, although the initial C position had a lot of traffic, it wouldn't be a bad thing if Xue Zhihan got it.

After all, when the show airs, anyone with eyes would be able to see who's better and who's worse, they would have their own judgment.

If Xue Zhihan wasn't eye-catching enough, she wouldn't be able to hold down the C position, it would be counterproductive.

She was already comforting herself with the saying, "A setback is a blessing in disguise.".

She didn't expect Lin Zui to suddenly lend a helping hand and pull her up.

This was a bit unexpected.

Jiang Ye didn't like owing people favors.

She was ready to thank Lin Zui.

But Lin Zui directly said to her.

"—Don't thank me."

"If my votes weren't low, I would definitely have wanted to be on stage myself."

Lin Zui said, "But my votes were lower than both of yours, so I thought, it's better for you than Xue Zhihan."

"And to be honest, I was also thinking about myself."

Lin Zui added a bit ruthlessly, "Otherwise, when people open the show and see, oh, the initial C of this show is at this level, they'll directly stop watching, wouldn't I be losing out?"

Jiang Ye: "..."

She didn't know what Xue Zhihan would think if she heard her say this.

Xue Zhihan and Lin Zui ended up becoming the protective positions for the theme song, standing on her left and right sides during the final shoot.

The camera angles were basically the same.

It was just that when they got to the last part of the chorus, the platform under her feet would send her to the highest point.

Jiang Ye stood on the highest point of the entire stage and looked down.

Below her, in a circle, were the A class, and below them were the B and C classes.

And in the corner at the very bottom, with almost no light, were the F class.

Jiang Ye felt a bit of nostalgia.

This is what it feels like to stand at the highest point.

But in her previous life, although she was a trainee in the A class, she was standing at the very end during the shoot.

She only got half a second of screen time when the final MV was released.

Now, she could finally stand on the highest, most central, most dazzling spot of the entire stage.

Even if it was to not disappoint her previous life's efforts.

She would keep standing, forever.

•••

After the theme song MV recording ended, it would still take a while for it to be officially released.

But the trainees couldn't relax for a moment.

This year's schedule was tight, and the tasks were packed.

They had just recorded the theme song stage dozens of times yesterday, and everyone was almost exhausted, but today they had to continue without stopping and accept the third task release.

This time, the task was released by another vocal mentor, Yue Xia.

"Your next challenge is the first performance."

"The first performance will be a group battle."

"The program team has prepared six songs for you. You can take a look."

The large screen displayed thirty-second videos of the six songs.

Jiang Ye glanced at them roughly.

The program team was quite considerate.

These six songs had different styles and difficulties, almost every trainee could find a song they liked.

"Each song will be a battle between two groups, five people in each group."

Yue Xia paused, then said, "Now, we will draw one trainee from the A class, and she will be the first to choose."

Jiang Ye: "?"

Jiang Ye: "？？？"

If she remembered correctly, in the previous life's show, wasn't this the initial C's right?

Jiang Ye stared at the voting box, she had a bad feeling about this.

Sure enough, mentor Yue Xia drew a piece of paper from the box, unfolded it, and read the name, "Xue Zhihan."

Jiang Ye: "..."

She remembered.

Xue Zhihan was from a big company.

The initial C position, which almost belonged to her, had been taken away.

Then, her company definitely wouldn't be able to stand for this.

So, spending money to have the program team modify a few important rules wasn't a big deal.

Although the problem wasn't really a big deal.

But Jiang Ye didn't know why she felt uneasy.

Xue Zhihan immediately showed a very surprised expression and happily stepped out.

As the first trainee to be drawn, she could choose her favorite song first.

She weighed her options for a long time, and then stood under 《You Can't Stop Loving Me》.

Wow.

Jiang Ye thought, she has good taste.

This was a song with a slightly darker style, and it was also the most popular song out of the six.

But if it's rearranged well, it could become a viral work.

It's just that, it didn't seem to fit her usual gentle, angelic persona.

Jiang Ye idly speculated.

Did she want to change her style temporarily?

Perhaps she discovered that the gentle angel persona wouldn't work in this group of trainees, so she decided to take a different approach and create a new persona?

"As the first trainee to choose, you also have the opportunity to choose your opponent."

Mentor Yue Xia said, "The trainee you choose will become a member of the opposing group."

Many trainees who originally wanted to choose this song raised their hands.

"I love this song!"

"Sister Xue, look at me, give me a chance!"

"As for the opponent."

Xue Zhihan scanned them, pretended to think for a second, and then said with a smile, "I want to choose Jiang Ye."

For a moment, all the trainees' eyes turned to Jiang Ye, "—Wow."

Jiang Ye: "?"

She had just been speculating about Xue Zhihan's thoughts.

Who would have thought that she would be the one eating the melon?!

Xue Zhihan gave her reason, "Because I lost once in the theme song C-position battle, and that's when I saw Jiang Ye's strength, she's really very strong. So, I hope to be opponents with her and challenge her again."

She smiled and looked at Jiang Ye, "Is that okay?"

Jiang Ye: "..."

So, that's what she was waiting for.

Could she say no?

Group battle, fated rivals.

It's clear that Xue Zhihan's intention was not what she said. It seemed that Xue Zhihan, or rather, her company, had realized Jiang Ye's huge potential and buzz. She was already the initial C, and suppressing her further wouldn't be beneficial. It's better to take this opportunity to curry favor with her. And if she chose Jiang Ye, the buzz of the entire group would be raised accordingly.

Simply put: I, Xue Zhihan, want to create a CP with you, I hope you don't reject me.

Jiang Ye: "..."

But although this song was indeed very good. She didn't want to choose this song. What kind of favor was this?

But according to the rules, the chosen trainee didn't have the right to refuse.

Jiang Ye had no choice but to step forward.

"Now, the first opposing group has been formed."

Yue Xia said, "Trainees, you can choose your teammates."

Xue Zhihan glanced at Jiang Ye.

Jiang Ye didn't stand on ceremony, "Let me choose first?"

She said, "Then I'll choose Lin Zui."

Lin Zui: "?"

Everyone else: "?"