As the two mentors began reading their script, the trainees who had just finished dancing the theme song rushed backstage to quickly change into their outfits for the next stage. They had to change clothes three times throughout the finals night, so time was very tight.

The two mentors’ voices faintly came from the stage.

“Mentor Mu, I think I’m more nervous than the trainees, how about you?”

“I’m also nervous and excited for them, I hope they have an amazing stage and a perfect ending tonight.”

•••

Backstage.

Jiang Ye quickly changed into her outfit for the next stage. She checked herself in the dressing room mirror one last time, then mentally rehearsed the upcoming flow.

After the hosts finished their opening remarks, it would be time to play their practice room footage. Then, it would be their group’s turn to go on stage.

Calculating the time, they had about ten minutes left before their performance. Everything was the same as the rehearsal, not a single mistake. Perfect.

So, Jiang Ye walked out, ready to give her teammates a quick pep talk: “We’re about to go on stage, everyone okay?”

Jiang Ye finished speaking and glanced around. Her teammates were all nervous, some were shaking their hands and feet, others had stiff expressions.

Jiang Ye: "..."

It seemed like there was a big problem.

The same thing that happened during rehearsal was happening again. During rehearsal, everyone was used to going on stage, so they felt fine. But now, on the actual day, it was different.

On one hand, there was the pressure of debuting. On the other hand, there was the pressure of the live stream. Two mountains of pressure weighed on these young girls’ hearts, and they were suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety.

Even Tan Meng’s expression wasn’t great. And Cheng Zhen, as tonight’s C position, with the shadow of her car crash during the live stream at the fan meeting, was undoubtedly the most nervous of them all.

Jiang Ye made a hand gesture of taking a deep breath, "Deep breath, deep breath, deep breath."

Cheng Zhen tried to take a deep breath.

Two seconds later, she said, "It’s over, why do I feel even more nervous?"

Lu Xiaowan followed suit, taking a deep breath, and said with a pained expression, "… I think I am too."

Jiang Ye: "..."

So many people were watching the live stream. If they had a car crash, they would not only be on the hot search, but they would also go down in the history of talent shows.

Every year during the finals of talent shows, the unethical netizens would bring up their car crash moments and mock them.

Thinking about that scene, Cheng Zhen and Lu Xiaowan couldn’t help but start crying, burying their heads in their hands.

"My parents are in the audience today."

Cheng Zhen said with a tragic expression, "If I really mess up, will they completely disown me?"

Jiang Ye: "..."

Don’t be so dramatic, really.

She thought for a moment, she really wanted to give them some chicken soup, but she felt like it wouldn’t work, so she changed her mind before speaking, "It’s okay, if you really mess up, I’ll buy you some water army."

Cheng Zhen said in confusion, "Will buying a water army to whitewash you work? Everyone can hear."

Jiang Ye chuckled, "Who said I wanted to whitewash it?"

Jiang Ye uttered some unethical words, "I’ll just put out a press release saying that it was an ear monitor malfunction during Chasing Light Girls finals night, and let the program team take the blame."

Everyone: "..."

But it must be said that unethical words were more effective than any chicken soup at this moment.

Cheng Zhen was instantly invigorated, "I think that’s a good idea, let’s go!"

After the hosts finished their opening remarks and left the stage, the lights dimmed for a moment.

Then, the practice room VCR for Jiang Ye’s group began to play.

This VCR recorded their pre-competition practice process, and also documented their uncertain state before the finals.

They were excited for the upcoming group formation night.

But they also had doubts about their performance.

At the beginning, the overall color tone of the footage was dark.

The trainees’ voices began to sound.

"I’m so tired, I don’t want to practice anymore."

"I’ve said it before, I can’t do this, I’m not going to be the C position."

"Can I really do this?"

"The finals are so soon, I’m not ready yet."

The audience was moved by the emotions in the VCR and quieted down.

But the next second, the footage suddenly brightened.

Jiang Ye’s voice suddenly rang out, "It’s okay, let’s think of it as going to fight a beautiful final battle, win or lose, as long as we have the courage to fight."

The background music became more intense with her words.

The footage showed the trainees practicing tirelessly.

They beat time, practiced their breathing, adjusted their positions, and gave their all to this stage.

The last shot of the VCR was of six girls with their hands clasped together, "One, two, three, go!"

The screen went dark.

All the spotlights on the stage lit up.

The door in the center of the stage opened.

Six girls walked out from the middle.

It was like the VCR’s plot had merged with reality, they had cheered themselves up, and the next second, they walked through the screen and into reality.

The camera zoomed in.

Standing in the middle was Cheng Zhen.

Her style was different from her previous cute look, she had tied her hair up in a bun, it was neat and clean, and she was wearing a black dress.

Next to her, Jiang Ye was wearing a white cropped sweatshirt, revealing a sliver of her slender waist. She was wearing a red jacket over it, making her look exceptionally bright and beautiful.

And she was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed round glasses, she was only eighteen years old but she had a strong aura of a domineering woman.

The comments instantly exploded.

【Wow, our Cheng Zhen baby changed her style!!】

【Damn, damn, damn, Jiang Ye in a domineering woman style is making me faint, silver hair, red dress, gold-rimmed glasses, this outfit is so beautiful, she’s glowing, wuwuwu!!!】

Amidst the screams and the music that started playing.

Jiang Ye lightly flipped her hair, raised her eyebrows at the camera, and walked to the center of the stage with her teammates.

The lighting for the finals was very reliable.

The lights shone on her, making her skin look even whiter and more beautiful, her waist was slender, her legs were long, every step she took exuded an irresistible charm.

This song had a lot of vocals.

It was even more difficult to perform live on finals night.

So, whether they were watching for the drama or as fans, everyone had high expectations for this stage.

The first trainee to sing was Tan Meng.

She had always excelled in dance, but as soon as she opened her mouth, everyone realized that her vocal abilities were equally impressive.

【Wow, Tan Meng is amazing.】

【The dance main is so stable live, she’s really amazing!】

【Wuwuwu, our Tan Meng must debut!!!】

One after another, the trainees began to perform their parts.

They were all nervous before going on stage.

Even Jiang Ye, thinking that this was the most watched performance of her life so far, couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

But she loved the stage, and she loved the audience.

She loved to hear the screams, and she enjoyed the screams that were for her even more.

During the first part of the chorus, when Jiang Ye walked to the center of the stage, she instantly heard a wave of screams rushing towards her.

Jiang Ye’s eyes lit up, her palms were hot.

It was her fuel.

Jiang Ye held the microphone and began to sing.

This part was a little difficult, there were two complex melismas, but she handled them beautifully.

【Jiang Mei’s voice is so beautiful, wuwuwu.】

【So stable! I completely believe that she wasn’t autotuned during the regular performances!】

【Damn, is this a live performance? I would believe it if you said it was a studio recording!】

After Jiang Ye finished singing this part, she stepped aside.

The C position had a solo part in the chorus, it didn’t belong to anyone when the sections were assigned.

It was this part that made Jiang Ye realize that if she took the C position again, this entire chorus would be her part.

It was too much, so she gave this part to Cheng Zhen.

Cheng Zhen walked to the center.

The other five trainees followed the beat of the music, knelt on one knee, and surrounded her like a group of stars surrounding the moon.

The light shone on Cheng Zhen.

All the cameras were pointed at her.

She was nervous for a moment, but when she saw the dark crowd in the audience, her heart unexpectedly calmed down.

If she wanted to debut properly, she had to overcome her fear of live performance.

She wouldn’t let anyone who liked her down.

There was nothing to be afraid of.

The casual viewers who were ready to watch the drama were all stunned when Cheng Zhen sang her first line.

Not only was it stable, but it was also very beautiful, even better than her performance level during the regular shows!

Cheng Zhen used this one stage to shatter all the doubts about her abilities and prove herself again.

Cheng Muhe and Yang Lin smiled in relief from the audience.

Cheng Zhen finished singing, and the interlude began.

Tan Meng and Jiang Ye stood up from the floor.

They had a very short duet.

This was something they had added during the choreography.

After all, this song had a lot of vocal parts, and the choreography was relatively simple, so they used this interlude to show off their dancing skills and expand the content of the entire stage.

Jiang Ye and Tan Meng had developed an excellent sense of teamwork over the past few days.

Their duet was extremely synchronized, drawing gasps from the audience.

At the last beat, they swapped positions, then extended their hands towards each other, gently touched each other’s hands, and then walked to the sides of the stage.

The next part of the music began.

Jiang Ye had the most parts, a high note section was coming up next.

Her vocal abilities were not far off from professional singers, and this section of switching between real and false notes was so good that it gave people goosebumps.

The comments were all saying they were shocked.

【I’m a casual viewer watching the live stream, this girl is so talented.】

【+1, how many CDs did she eat to have this level of live performance?】

【Upstairs casual viewer, don’t run away, join the fandom! Our all-around ace Jiang Ye is not just hype, okay, she’s a hundred-point student in every subject, get to know Jiang Xiaoye.】

…

When the last chorus started.

Several fireworks erupted around the stage.

The trainees walked to the center of the stage and began to sing the last part together.

This song was called "United as One".

During this final chorus, it was as if the six of them were truly united as one.

They had worked together to achieve the same dream until today.

No matter who debuted today, they would all continue to pursue their love for the stage, carrying the love of all the Chasing Light Girls trainees.

The music ended.

Confetti fell from the sky.

Jiang Ye blew away the confetti that had fallen on her glasses, then looked at the camera and smiled brightly.

…

The screams of the audience went wild for her.

"Ah, ah, ah, Jiang Ye, daughter! Wife! Baby, I love you!"

"Amazing, all live mics and so stable throughout!!"

"Wuwuwu, she’s a goddess, how can anyone dislike Jiang Ye, ah, ah!"

Jiang Ye’s fans were shouting until their throats were hoarse.

She took a deep breath, quickly popped a mint, and was about to scream again when she looked at the person standing next to her and expressed her confusion, "Isn’t it enough, how can you still be so calm?"

The girl looked at the person.

He wasn’t holding anyone’s light stick, and she couldn’t tell who he was a fan of.

She quickly became alert, "You’re not a rival fan, are you?"

He Zhou: "..."

He Zhou didn’t really like this noisy environment.

This was his first time at this kind of event, his first time looking up at the people on stage from this perspective, he was a little uncomfortable.

But his gaze never left Jiang Ye.

He didn’t like watching talent shows before.

He felt that it was something from a different world, and he couldn’t understand why someone could feel such a powerful sense of strength because of an idol’s existence.

But now, watching Jiang Ye bow and wave to the audience with bright eyes, he suddenly understood.

No one was more suited for this profession than her.

She was born to bring dreams and strength to people.

If he had been a little worried because of that dream before, now he was completely reassured.

Jiang Ye was standing on such a big stage, smiling so brightly.

After the performance, her teammates surrounded her and hugged her.

And the people in the audience holding her light sticks and cheering for her were too numerous to count.

So many people loved her.

She wouldn’t die alone like in his dream.

It was good that his dream was just a dream after all.

But while He Zhou was happy for her, there was a little bit of his own disappointment.

Ten years could really change a lot.

Ten years ago, he could look up and see Jiang Ye smiling at him.

But ten years later, the front row of the concert hall was the closest he could get to her.

The distance between them, from standing shoulder to shoulder in the orphanage, a few centimeters apart.

Now it was tens of meters, separated by a stage and a sea of people.