Liang Yu was the first to react.

She chuckled, "Go on, brag. Even if my fans made me a rainbow avatar, I wouldn’t debut."

Liang Yu’s sixth place was bought by the company in advance, and they had also communicated with the fan club.

People outside might not know, but she and her fan club knew what was going on, so they wouldn’t blame others for her being in sixth place.

Of course, some people would still be unhappy.

Her original fans from the music festival scene, of course, wanted her to continue running underground competitions and major music festivals.

Why do a girl group? It’s much more less free to do a girl group.

But her new fans from this show felt that a girl group had more potential.

The company had also asked Liang Yu’s opinion.

Liang Yu felt that a girl group’s future was good, but was that why she came to this show? No.

She had accepted the company’s arrangement and reluctantly participated in the show because she wanted the freedom to do what she wanted to do.

Although she did feel that it was good to collaborate with someone like Jiang Ye.

But if she had to choose, she still wanted to play solo.

Otherwise, if she did a girl group, she would have to compromise on everything, it would be a pain in the neck.

She heard that their debut group had signed with Guangying Entertainment, a company specifically set up to manage this group, and they would be investing a lot of effort in promoting the girl group.

It sounded good.

But Liang Yu thought about the fact that she might be forced to cut off her dreadlocks, and she was already starting to get a headache.

Forget it, forget it, she’d go back to her rap creation.

As they were chatting, a staff member came over to urge all the trainees to gather backstage.

The group of trainees included not only those who didn’t debut, but also those who had been eliminated in the first round, ages ago.

"Seriously."

Liang Yu rolled her eyes, "Come on, I was about to go home."

"Is there still a post-show interview after the finals? Can you just focus on the people who debuted and let us non-debuters go?"

She spoke lightly, she really didn’t feel bad about not debuting.

Tan Meng finally calmed down, relaxed, and thought for a moment, "Let’s go, I don’t know what’s so important."

Jiang Ye also nodded, then waved to the audience who were still there, and followed the others back to the backstage.

The staff member arranged for the trainees who came back one after another to sit in a meeting room.

Some trainees had already cried several times because of the atmosphere, and now, facing the camera, they subconsciously said, "Stop, are you going to film now?"

Staff member: "This is the last recording, everyone, cheer up."

"！Why didn’t you say so earlier?"

"Oh my god, can I touch up my makeup first?"

"Me too! I’ve been standing for hours, my makeup is about to fall off."

"It’s okay, it’s good like this."

The staff member looked at the trainees, "It’s natural, it’s real."

Trainees: "..."

Of course.

Their makeup is about to fall off, how could it not be real?

As the trainees were collectively protesting, the big screen in front of them suddenly lit up.

【Do you remember your 30-second self-introduction?】

The trainees instantly exploded.

"Help, I suddenly have a bad feeling."

"Seriously, the finals are over, why are you doing this now?"

"Oh my god, that’s my black history! I don’t want to see it!"

The trainees were very resistant.

Even Lin Zui’s expression froze for a moment.

Jiang Ye noticed that something was wrong, "What’s wrong?"

She had only looked at her own 30-second data, she hadn’t paid attention to anyone else’s, so now she asked with a gossipy attitude, "Was your recording embarrassing?"

"… It wasn’t embarrassing."

Lin Zui said, "It’s just a little bit face-slapping."

As soon as Lin Zui finished speaking, the first thing that played on the big screen was hers.

【If someone asks me how I want to be seen.】

【I would say, as long as you see me in first place, you can see me however you want.】

Lin Zui: "..."

Lin Zui looked at her own video with a wooden expression, "I didn’t expect that, what goes around comes around."

Jiang Ye patted her shoulder, "It’s okay, even people standing next to the first place will be seen."

Lin Zui: "… Go away."

And after Lin Zui, the next one to play was Jiang Ye’s.

【The next time we meet, I will be greeting you from the first place.】

Lin Zui: "… You really are consistent."

Jiang Ye smiled, "Thank you."

She was very satisfied with what she had said at the time.

If she hadn’t been so bold and made those bold statements, gaining her first wave of attention, her journey wouldn’t have been so smooth.

Even if she had to do it again, she would say the same thing.

The trainees’ 30-second introductions played one after another.

Some trainees were so embarrassed that they banged their heads on the table.

Some trainees watched and their eyes turned red, they felt a little ashamed of their past selves.

The staff member came up at the right time and handed them back the paper airplanes they had folded.

Some were folded on the rooftop before the first ranking announcement.

The other part was folded by the trainees who were asked to fold them before they left.

The staff member said, "Open them up and see, have your thoughts changed?"

•••

The audience outside gradually left.

Jiang Grandma was older, she could not stay up late, so she was one of the first to leave.

Qin Yue had invited her to the venue, and he was going to send someone to take her home.

But before she left the venue, she was stopped.

"Grandma."

Jiang Grandma saw the person and her eyes lit up, "Ah Zhou."

"Why are you here?"

"I see, you came to see Jiang Ye?"

"Did Jiang Ye give you the ticket?"

"I didn’t expect you two to still have such a good relationship after all this time."

He Zhou: "..."

He had asked his roommate to buy this ticket, and it was actually quite close to the stage, Jiang Ye had looked at his part of the audience several times.

Especially after she debuted, the audience in the back rows left one after another, and Jiang Ye greeted the fans in the front rows.

But her gaze when she looked at him was almost no different from when she looked at the others.

He was sure she didn’t recognize him.

However, He Zhou just hummed and said, "I’ll take you home."

"No need."

"Jiang Ye’s boss said he would send someone to take me home."

Jiang Grandma pulled He Zhou’s hand and chattered, "Ah, you and Jiang Ye’er always played together back then, and now you’re both so grown up…"

"I remember, you two used to love folding paper airplanes and making wishes, right—"

"Grandma."

He Zhou interrupted her memories softly, trying to smile, "That was so long ago, I don’t remember."

"… That’s true, you can’t take what you said as a child seriously."

Jiang Grandma patted his head, "But look at Jiang Ye, Jiang Ye’er still remembers. She’s achieved her dream, hasn’t she? You should learn from her."

•••

Jiang Ye opened her paper airplane.

What was written inside was exactly the same as what she had written as a child.

So many years had passed, even after going through a rebirth, she hadn’t changed her initial thoughts.

But this time, there was one more line.

Now, have you achieved your dream?

Jiang Ye chuckled softly, "You could say that, I’ve achieved it."

•••

On the other side, He Zhou, back in the dorm, slowly opened his paper airplane.

The last time he went back to the orphanage, he took back a lot of his old things.

Grandma had kept these things from his childhood very well.

He Zhou’s memories went back to a very long time ago.

—"Is your dream to be a singer?"

—"Do you think it’s ridiculous?"

—"No."

At that time, He Zhou didn’t say the next part out loud.

He wanted to say, mine is also ridiculous.

I want to be a songwriter.

But when he grew up, he realized how unrealistic that dream was.

His adoptive parents, the He family, were good people.

At first, they supported his interests and sent him to learn music.

But they said, interests are interests, they can’t be used to make a living.

He had to work hard to go to college, get a master’s degree, take the civil service exam, and take the public service exam.

Those were the dreams he should have.

As for his so-called musical dream, it was just a dream.

He Zhou looked at the crooked words on the paper airplane, written ten years ago.

And his earphones were playing Jiang Ye’s song.

"The Farthest Place I Can See".

Jiang Ye had really stood on the highest stage, just like she had said.

It’s just that she had forgotten the person who had dreamed with her at the beginning.

And what about him?

He was even worse.

He had completely forgotten the dream he had.

He Zhou was silent for a moment.

A wave of self-disgust washed over him.

His own life was already mediocre enough.

He had even tried to make Jiang Ye give up at the beginning.

He had that strange dream, and while he was worried about Jiang Ye, he also had the thought that pursuing a dream in that direction was unrealistic, it was good that he hadn’t taken that path.

His parents were right, daily life was boring, but at least it was stable.

He wanted to make Jiang Ye give up, to change to a stable path, with the mentality of someone who had been worn down by society and abandoned their dreams.

How ridiculous.

He had forgotten that Jiang Ye was never that kind of person.

He should have known that when he first met her.

She was born to shine, the kind of person who belonged on stage.

She was the light that had helped him escape the shadows of losing his parents.

He Zhou now understood why God had made him dream about Jiang Ye again.

He thought it was fate guiding him to save Jiang Ye.

But it wasn’t.

That dream was to guide Jiang Ye to save him.

To let her light shine on him again, to save him, the him who had been slowly losing himself in the boring and mundane routine of life.

•••

The recording was over.

Jiang Ye refolded the paper airplane.

She breathed out, and it flew through the hallway.

On the other side, He Zhou held the paper airplane and sent a message to his parents.

【Dad, Mom, I don’t want to prepare for the civil service exam anymore.】

【I want to change my major to the music academy.】