Chapter 8

Xu Chaomu took a sip of water, and at least that got them moving along.

Ji Changyin didn’t bother to mince words. She knew people would probably twist them into something malicious, but she didn’t care.

“Don’t overdo the vocal tuning in post, okay?” Ji Changyin said with a smile at the director.

The director: “…”

At last, they got to the third performance. The group had appeared onstage before, and there were six members. They sang one of their own songs.

Ji Changyin glanced at Xu Chaomu again. The other woman looked a little less displeased this time, though her brows were still faintly knitted. She didn’t seem particularly impressed. She took a sip of water.

Ji Changyin had come on the show to be eye candy. She had no interest in giving critiques.

“B is about right. They definitely don’t deserve an A,” Xu Chaomu said.

Ji Changyin nodded.

“With the first two groups setting the bar, this one feels like a breath of fresh air,” Lin Zhiyi said. “But they’re not outstanding.”

Ji Changyin took a sip of water and nodded.

“To be honest, their rapper wasn’t very good. I’d give her a C,” Feng Qi said.

Ji Changyin nodded again.

Xu Chaomu glanced at Ji Changyin. “If you have an opinion, you can share it too. You’re representing the audience.”

Ji Changyin was about to nod before she realized Xu Chaomu was talking to her.

“They were all right. But I thought the girl in the middle—the lead vocalist—was pretty good. Giving her the same B as the other four feels a little… I don’t know how to put it. A little unfair to her.”

“I agree. The girl has good vocals and dance skills, and she has her own presence,” Jiang Ruo said.

In the end, the vocalist got a B on her own, while everyone else got a C.

Ji Changyin had thought she was just tossing out an offhand comment. Who knew it would affect the final results?

The vocalist glanced at Ji Changyin. Ji Changyin smiled at her, and the girl looked momentarily startled.

“Do you like her?”

“Huh?” Ji Changyin blinked. “She’s fine, I guess. Honestly, I don’t remember her name.”

Xu Chaomu: “…”

“I just pay more attention to the vocalists. I can tell if someone sings well, but as soon as a dance gets complicated, I think it looks impressive.”

They recorded four performances in about an hour. Added to the earlier performances, they’d been filming for two and a half hours straight. When the director called a break, Ji Changyin leaned back in her chair.

“I could get used to filming like this,” she said wistfully.

Xu Chaomu stood beside her and looked down. “I think you could pull it off. You’re not that bad to look at.”

“Forget it.” Ji Changyin sat up. “I was just saying. Teacher Xu, want to go to the restroom?”

“Sure.”

By the time they got there, a crowd had gathered. Everyone looked surprised to see Ji Changyin and Xu Chaomu arrive together. After a moment’s hesitation, they all greeted them.

Ji Changyin could feel people sneaking glances at the two of them, curiosity plain in their eyes.

After all, everyone knew that she and Xu Chaomu didn’t get along.

As they left, Ji Changyin noticed that some people seemed to have figured something out.

She had no idea what they thought they’d figured out.

“Why do people say we don’t get along? I don’t think we’ve ever even worked together before.”

“No idea.” Xu Chaomu studied Ji Changyin’s face. “Just like I don’t understand how anyone thinks we look alike.”

Ji Changyin laughed.

When filming resumed, she could tell Xu Chaomu had slipped right back into battle mode.

Xu Chaomu’s critiques were sharp and to the point. She was even more outspoken than the four judges sitting beside her. It made sense, really. Of everyone there, Xu Chaomu was the biggest star.

Still, Ji Changyin had a feeling Xu Chaomu’s bluntness would give her antis plenty to attack once the show aired.

Xu Chaomu had been in a girl group before, but only for a while, and she didn’t have many awards to her name—even if there was no question she had the skills to back up her opinions.

That was one of the things Ji Changyin admired about her. Xu Chaomu did what she thought was right.

“What do you think?” Once the four judges had finished their comments, Xu Chaomu said nothing and turned to Ji Changyin instead.

Ji Changyin blinked, glanced at Xu Chaomu, and sat up a little straighter.

“A flat note woke me up just as I was about to fall asleep.” She glanced over the five performers, her gaze pausing on one of them before moving on. “Other than the one who went flat, I didn’t really remember anyone else.”

After she spoke, Ji Changyin looked at the four judges. The performer had gone flat, and the performance as a whole hadn’t been very good, but the judges had all glossed over it.

The director, standing not far away, waved at Ji Changyin and then called for filming to stop.

Ji Changyin frowned, puzzled.

“Miss Ji, that girl has connections with one of the investors,” the director explained.

The entertainment industry was full of unspoken rules. The director kept her voice low, but everyone could tell something was going on. Several trainees looked indignant. The ones who showed no reaction had probably been in the industry for a long time.

Ji Changyin gave a derisive laugh. “Are you telling me how to do my job?”

The director faltered. She had only briefed the four judges beforehand. She hadn’t expected Xu Chaomu to offer her own critiques, much less pass the question to Ji Changyin at a moment like this.

“Tell that investor I won’t allow it. I don’t like people pretending not to see what’s right in front of them.” Ji Changyin glanced at the girl onstage. “If she had the talent to back it up, fine. But someone coasting on connections is making a joke out of all six of us.”

The director looked troubled.

“Get in touch with the investor and tell them the Ji family won’t stand for it. If they insist on protecting her, I’ll send someone over to have a talk.”

The director visibly relaxed and immediately had someone make the call.

Once the person on the other end heard it was Ji Changyin, it took less than a minute for them to back down. They told the production team to handle things as they saw fit.

Ji Changyin was reminded once again that living in an old-school romance novel world had its perks.

They filmed the critiques again. The four judges had been sneaking in their complaints the first time around, but now they said everything outright. They looked as if they were finally getting to vent.

Ji Changyin propped her chin on her hand.

She repeated what she’d said before. Xu Chaomu didn’t offer any further comment this time, but only because the other four judges had already covered everything.

“Teacher Xu, how are you going to thank me?” Ji Changyin asked with a bright smile as soon as Xu Chaomu finished.

Xu Chaomu looked at her. “If you hadn’t been daydreaming, you could’ve figured it out yourself.”

Ji Changyin was about to say something when Xu Chaomu added, “I’ll buy you dinner tomorrow.”

“Deal. I’m getting something good.” Ji Changyin patted Xu Chaomu’s thigh.

Xu Chaomu caught her hand. “Pay attention to the show.”

“Okay.”

Ji Changyin squeezed Xu Chaomu’s hand in return, then slipped hers free. Xu Chaomu glanced at her but said nothing.

Xu Chaomu’s hand was ice-cold, even though it was the middle of summer.

The group Ji Changyin had seen in the practice room came onstage. They were right around the middle of the lineup.

They had already been explosive in the practice room. With new costumes and stage lighting, their performance looked even better.

At last, Ji Changyin felt some of her sleepiness fade.

“This one’s good,” Xu Chaomu said.

Ji Changyin nodded. They had been a little out of sync before, but this time they were tight. Every member had a chance to shine, especially their center, who was impossible to look away from. Ji Changyin checked the name on her badge.

Qiao Tingxi.

Qiao Tingxi looked proud, with a commanding presence to match. She owned the stage, especially during her solo. But once she rejoined the group, she reined herself in and made room for her teammates.

Qiao Tingxi got an A. No one objected.

When the final results came in, Qiao Tingxi let out a breath. Her smile widened, and she turned to hug her teammates. The group had seven members: three had earned As and four had earned Bs. They were the top-performing team so far.

Ji Changyin lowered her eyes to the roster. All seven had returned from overseas a year ago, after training for about five years. They had come from different companies, but after returning to China they had joined forces. They had kept a low profile ever since, so this chance to appear on the show must have meant a lot to them.