Almighty Your Persona Has Collapsed - Chapter 20

Almighty Your Persona Has Collapsed
Almighty Your Persona Has Collapsed
Author: Road of Flowers
© Webnovel

Chapter 1: Return
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

T City.
The Jiang villa.
The butler had been commanding the servants in the dining room frantically since the morning. “The Wei family will arrive at 10a.m. Move quickly!.”
After inspecting the flower arrangements and ingredients, he tilted his head and looked towards the stairs. He frowned. “Is Ms. Meng not up yet? She has a competition today.”
Looking at the watch on his wrist, the butler realized that it was already 8a.m. He headed upstairs to wake Meng Fu up. It was very quiet upstairs. Meng Fu was staying in the room at the end of the hallway on the second floor.
Standing by the door, the butler raised his hand and knocked on the door. He did not sound very polite. “Ms. Meng, are you awake?”
There was silence. He knocked on the door and asked again with a cold expression.
“Slam!”
Someone had hurled a heavy object at the door from inside. In that moment, there was a hint of shock in the butler’s otherwise cold and stern face. Ever since Ms. Meng had returned to the Jiang family, she had been observing well. Although she was unscrupulous and greedy, she still knew her status in the family. What was going on with her today?
**
In the room.
Pressing on her temples, Meng Fu tried to sit up straight on the bed. She looked at the phone which she had hurled towards the door just now due to the butler’s interruption. She lifted the blanket. Her fair feet sank into the dark-colored carpet. Then, she headed towards the bathroom. Looking down, she turned on the tap and scrutinized herself in the mirror.
She was wearing silk pajamas. A strap was wrapped around her waist loosely. There was a fiery red mole on her collarbone. Meng Fu blinked. Her amorous eyes were hazy. Her eyes radiated vitality and charisma with every bat of her eye.
As she looked down, her long and curled lashes drooped down, forming a light shadow under her eyes. After a while, she said, “Luckily, I’m still in my own d*mn body.”
Two years ago, her soul had been sucked into an alternate world. Meanwhile, her body had been occupied by a female journalist. It was only until a month ago did Meng Fu’s soul return to the real world. However, she could only exist as a spirit and had to follow the female journalist who was occupying her body.
But right now Meng Fu could reclaim her body after experiencing a mysterious force. At the thought of this, Meng Fu reached out and pressed the red mole on her collarbone. Looking pensive, she tightened the strap of her pajamas and took out a set of beige wool knitwear from the closet.
Her phone, which was the latest high tech model, started ringing. The name “Sister Zhao” was on the display. Meng Fu’s spirit had been following the female journalist for almost a month, so she knew that the caller was her manager, Zhao Fan.
When her body was occupied by the female journalist, she had just entered high school. The female journalist was an Arts student who had been hustling in the workforce for a few years. She wasn’t prepared to restudy school subjects. Furthermore, she had been acknowledged by the Jiang family just as she started occupying Meng Fu’s body. She had left the house which Meng Fu had rented in Yizhong and moved into the Jiang villa. She had also dropped out of school immediately and entered showbiz.
The child who painstakingly managed to enroll in a school in the city had been blinded by its extravagance and decided to drop out of school to enter showbiz. How could the Jiang family possibly agree to that? However, they indeed felt bad for their daughter, who had just reunited with the family. Hence, in the end, they allowed her to enter showbiz using some connections.
The female journalist really had no talent. After slogging for two years, she had only managed to become a trainee in Best Idol. She even had to pester the Jiang family to pull some strings to help her secure this spot. This was why the whole Jiang family was rather annoyed by her.
Meng Fu slotted the phone into her pocket casually and opened the drawer of the dressing table. There was a small key inside. It was the key of her rented house.
The laptop, cell phone, and other belongings which she had used last time were still in the rented house. The female journalist had not thrown Meng Fu’s belongings away. All of them were left untouched in the rented house.
After tidying herself up, Meng Fu departed for the Best Idol base camp. She rejected the Jiang family chauffeur’s offer to drive her there.
There was some distance between the villa and the entrance of the neighborhood. If it were Jiang Xinran, Butler Jiang would not have allowed her to walk such a long distance. Butler Jiang only swallowed his words because it was Meng Fu.
“Ms. Meng, have a safe journey.” Butler Jiang shook his head after Meng Fu disappeared out of his sight.
Madam and Master were not at home in the morning. The servants were all in a frenzy. The moment Jiang Xinran woke up, she could tell that something was amiss, unlike Meng Fu who was blind to it all. She did not even act like she was Master and Madam’s daughter.
Just as the butler was about to turn around and enter the house, he heard a car horn.
It was Madam Jiang, Yu Zhenling.
She was wearing a purple cheongsam and a coat over her shoulders. Her hair was combed and done up tidily. She looked exquisite yet serious. “Are both of the Misses out?”
The butler was taken aback. Meng Fu just left, he thought. Yu Zhenling would have seen her on the way in. Why was she acting like she had not seen her?
As soon as this thought surfaced in the butler’s mind, he dismissed it.
“Miss left the house at 7a.m. She has an exam today. Ms. Meng just left not long ago.” Upon saying this, he said after some hesitation, “Ms. Meng will not be able to make it to the lunch banquet in the afternoon…”
When he mentioned this, the smile on Yu Zhenling’s face vanished. She replied, “I know.”
Meng Fu was her biological daughter. However, she had dropped out of high school and joined the showbiz. She did not even have basic courtesy, not to mention education credentials. Many people in showbiz were aware of this and had started ridiculing Yu Zhenling behind her back. Yu Zhenling regretted letting her daughter join showbiz many times over.
Unlike Meng Fu, Jiang Xinran had been carefully brought up by the Jiang family. She was proficient in the four arts: zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting. She had participated in a myriad of competitions and had received many awards from middle school to high school. She was the top student of Yizhong’s advanced class.
The two were complete opposites.
Until now, the Jiang family still had not changed Meng Fu and Jiang Xinran’s last names. Everyone, including Father Jiang, seemed to have forgotten that Meng Fu was the true eldest daughter of the Jiang family.
**
In Meng Fu’s rented house.
She took off her sunglasses and hung them by her shirt collar casually. The rented house’s furnishings remained the same as when she had left. The house had two rooms, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom. A fine layer of dust lay over everything as it had not been used for a while.
Meng Fu’s bedroom was not locked. She opened the door and went in. The bedroom was very empty. Other than a bed and a table, there was almost nothing else in the room. She saw the phone she used to use by the bed. It was a silver cell phone with a red circle design on the back. It was not very heavy, but it was quite big. It was bigger than the latest Banana 11 phone that Meng Fu had thrown earlier.
The battery was dead but Meng Fu wasn’t worried about the phone being ruined despite it not having been used in a long time. She simply inserted her Banana 11’s SIM card into her old phone before charging it with a charger. Even though it had been two years since the phone was used, the phone switched within one second when she connected the charger to the phone. The phone immediately showed a green charging display.
Meng Fu rummaged through the flower pots in the living room and retrieved a key that had been buried in the soil. She opened the door to the room beside her bedroom immediately. The room used to be her study room.
It had been a long time since someone had opened this door. The female journalist must have thought that it was just as empty as Meng Fu’s room. The female journalist would never have imagined that Meng Fu’s study room would be filled to the brim even though her bedroom was barren.
On the left side of the study room there was a white bookshelf which was filled with a myriad of books. A tattered small seal script was placed together with an original text book which had never been opened before. There was a rattan chair next to the window. It looked old. Next to the rocking chair was a tea set. Furthermore, there was a set of thread and needle next to the tea set. The needle cushion had not been put away.
The desk was filled with notebooks and the pen holder was filled with pens. The lid of her black laptop had not been completely closed. Meng Fu walked to the desk and looked down at the slovenly written English words she had written in the open notebook.
UNABOMBER.
Half an hour later, Meng Fu switched on her silver phone. She unlocked the phone using her PIN number. The female journalist could not unlock Meng Fu’s phone. Furthermore, Meng Fu’s phone was made by Banana. It looked more like a second-hand phone so she had not used it. She had simply asked the Jiang family to buy her the latest Banana 11. She had even gotten herself a new SIM card.
Once she opened the phone countless notifications bombarded the screen. Moments later, the name “Sister Zhao” appeared on the screen.
Meng Fu did not ignore the notification this time. Although the female journalist had seized her body, she had not stirred up much trouble for her. In fact, she had helped Meng Fu avoid some troubles.
After scanning the living room, she tossed the study room’s key back into the flower pot casually. If someone were here, they would have noticed that the key was more or less in the same position as it had been when she arrived.
Meng Fu’s red lips curled up. Her slim and long fingers hooked onto the sunglasses hanging off her collar. “I will be there in 20 minutes.”
**
After 20 minutes at the Best Idol base camp.
Zhao Fan was waiting by the door anxiously. “That rascal. Didn’t she say that she would be here in 20 minutes?”
She took out her phone. Just as she was about to make a call, she saw a cab pull over in front of her. A woman got out of the passenger seat. She was wearing a pair of white fitting pants and beige wool sweater. Her skin was very fair and her features were refined. The moment she stepped out of the car, even the sunlight seemed dimmer.
Meng Fu’s haters would say that she was just a pretty face and that she was illiterate, but no one could say that she was ugly.
“Sister Zhao.” Meng Fu took off her sunglasses and smiled at Zhao Fan.
Zhao Fan was dazed for a moment. When she regained her senses, she held Meng Fu’s hand and led her inside while saying hurriedly, “Did you practice the group song this week? Are you able to keep up with the pace? Your assessment is coming up next. It will affect your grouping.”
Meng Fu’s spirit had followed the female journalist around for one month. Although Meng Fu had not learned the group song before, she had listened to it countless times. She spun the sunglasses in her hand and smirked. “It’ll be fine.”
Zhao Fan stared at her smile. She paused for a moment before asking through gritted teeth, “Then… What about your English?”
There was an English part in Best Idol’s group song. The female journalist was not good at English. Her pronunciation was especially bad. It was neither accurate nor smooth. She would make a fool out of herself.
Last week, due to Meng Fu’s terrible performance, unclear pronunciation, and off-tune singing, Meng Fu had been badly chided in front of all of the trainees by one of the most popular celebrities, Xi Nancheng.
As a mentor, Xi Nancheng had guided her patiently. However, as time passed, he realized that Meng Fu did not even know the music scores, not to mention speak English. He had been so angry that he stormed off. Zhao Fan was very worried because of that.
For the assessment this time round, everyone had to sing and dance to the group song individually. Everyone would be graded by the mentors.
Meng Fu did not answer Zhao Fan. She simply tilted her head slightly and placed her sunglasses in Zhao Fan’s palm. Looking slightly languid yet bewitching, she said with a cool gaze, “Wait here for me, babe.”
Waiting in the hallway, Zhao Fan recalled Meng Fu’s smile. She could not get over it. For some reason, she felt that Meng Fu, who was always worrying her, was slightly mysterious today.
**
At the assessment area, there was a 10 minute intermission. Everyone was waiting for the next recording.
The Production Assistant flipped through the papers he was holding. “There is one more person left in Group A. Afterwards, we will be moving onto Group B. I will call Mentor Xi over.”
The mentors’ lounge was right behind the set. Xi Nancheng took a sip of warm water. “Who’s next?”
The Production Assistant checked before replying, “It’s Meng Fu.”
Xi Nancheng froze for a moment before sitting up straight. “Let the three mentors film first.”
The Production Assistant nodded and walked out.
Best Idol was not very popular at the moment. However, there was a small buzz online about Meng Fu. Xi Nancheng’s manager knew that Xi Nancheng had chided Meng Fu. He knew that Xi Nancheng disliked Meng Fu. When he mentioned Meng Fu, he also thought of something. “Her looks are very suitable for showbiz. What do you think? Should we offer her a contract? I have not seen her in person before.”
Xi Nancheng lit up a cigarette and said indifferently, “She is fastidious but incompetent. She is not the type that would be well-liked by the public. Her future is not bright.”
The manager nodded and dismissed the idea of offering her a contract. He smiled. “Aren’t you going for her assessment?”
Xi Nancheng flipped through the namelist. “No. She would hurt my ears.”
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 2: Cannot Place Meng Fu on Their Level
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“She can’t sing or dance. She can’t even read music. How can someone like that take fourth place through audience votes?” Xi Nancheng flung the namelist on the table and leaned back in his chair. “There’s a reason why no one has been able to advance to Global Idol all these years.”
“The television programs these days are like that. They just want to stir up drama and hype. The girl groups in our country need some work.” The manager glanced at Xi Nancheng. He did not force him to go for the assessment which made him feel relieved.
Meng Fu was bad at everything, but she was the best at pulling strings. Xi Nancheng was young. He possessed both talent and fame. However, he was very savage. Meng Fu could not even conceal her off-tune singing and lousy English when everyone was singing as a group, let alone perform well solo.
If Xi Nancheng had been present at the individual assessment today, he would have criticized Meng Fu until she cried.
Everyone involved in the television program knew that Meng Fu only got to where she was today because she had a formidable supporter. The manager was not sure of the legitimacy of these rumors, but he did not want Xi Nancheng to be caught up in them.
**
At the individual assessment venue outside.
Mentor Tang Ze looked up and grinned at Meng Fu. “Don’t be nervous. Are you ready?”
Meng Fu had already changed into the red-colored group outfit that members of Group A wore. She picked up a black hair tie and tied up her hair slowly. Thereafter, she signalled ‘OK’ towards the backstage crew. With her eyelids slightly lowered, she looked laid-back and languid.
She greeted the three mentors and nodded at them calmly. Tang Ze was taken aback. This was the first time he had seen a Meng Fu not act coy and feminine.
Due to Meng Fu’s change, Tang Ze’s tone became softer subconsciously. “You may start. All the best.”
Meng Fu touched the mic on her clothes.
When her spirit followed the female journalist, she saw this performance multiple times. Furthermore, she got to see the female journalist practice the group song at home as well. Although Meng Fu had never listened to the sleazy lyrics seriously, she could still remember most of them.
The other two mentors were watching Meng Fu’s performance with their heads raised while discussing the other members casually.
Until the first line of the song was sung.
“Overcoming darkness…”
Tang Ze, who had been leaning on his chair slightly, looked up, and watched Meng Fu’s performance seriously. The two mentors who had been discussing between themselves also stopped talking and looked at Meng Fu in awe.
With her head lowered, she sang casually. Although she was not familiar with some parts of the lyrics, her singing was filled with soul as she got the hang of the melody. During the chorus, she managed to express her emotions very well. Her powerful high notes also sounded very professional.
The most challenging part of singing was breathing. All of the members of Best Idol could not control their breathing as well as professional singers. However, the three mentors realized that Meng Fu’s breathing was very stable even though she was singing and dancing at the same time.
Their indifferent expressions started to turn serious.
She finished singing and the song slowly came to an end. Meng Fu finished her last move. One of the camera crew members who was in charge of the cameras backstage happened to capture the scene of Meng Fu looking up at the mentors. A strand of hair swept past her cheek and landed near her lips. She blew the strand of black hair away casually and gazed into the camera calmly.
Her amorous eyes looked beautiful. They were indifferent yet bewitching. They revealed a carefree and frivolous personality.
Everyone in the camera crew instantly fell in love.
The three mentors discussed amongst themselves.
Holding the namelist, Tang Ze said in shock. “She has improved so much, especially her English. Everything was good except the fact that she missed a few lines. Her moves are powerful but she made a few mistakes there too. She is also slightly stiff. Her voice… is very healing. Her tone is superb. My minor headache subsided after listening to her singing. We should give her a ‘B’.”
Tang Ze felt that there was something more to Meng Fu’s voice. Her tone was very soothing. After thinking about it for a while, he gave his final grade.
The other two mentors nodded. “I agree. She must have practiced a lot. Her voice and tune are great. Her English also improved, but she made a few mistakes on the lyrics and dance moves. I think ‘B’ might be too good. We should give her a ‘C’.”
After the three mentors discussed among themselves, they decided to give Meng Fu a ‘C’ grade in the end.
Girl groups had a grading system which consisted of 5 grades: ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ and ‘E’. ‘A’ was the highest grade, while ‘E’ was the lowest.
Previously, Meng Fu had received an ‘E’ grade from the mentors. She had only managed to enter Group A because the audience votes had pushed her to fourth place.
She had indeed improved a lot since receiving a ‘C’ grade from the mentors.
Tang Ze gave her the Group C brooch and said seriously, “See, you can do it as long as you work hard. We gave you a ‘C’ grade because you could not keep up with the beat for many parts of the song. You also got the dance moves wrong at parts. Your greatest strength is your voice but you can’t rely on your voice alone to succeed on the stage. The final judgment is made based on holistic quality. I have high expectations of you. You have a bright future.”
Meng Fu looked down and held onto the Group C brooch tightly. “Thank you, mentors.”
In the past, her hands had only been used to fight. No one knew that this was her first time singing and dancing to this song. There was no professional crew present at the venue. Otherwise, it would be very obvious that dancing was not the only area she had to improve on.
**
Xi Nancheng returned after a few minutes.
The mentors were all on rather good terms. While they were waiting for another trainee’s performance, Tang Ze told Xi Nancheng with a smile, “You will never guess which group Meng Fu was put in.”
“Probably E.” Xi Nancheng was rather indifferent.
Tang Ze shook his head. “You are absolutely wrong. Meng Fu has improved so much since last time. We gave her a ‘C’ grade. Her voice was stunning. She has great potential. Do you want to watch the recording?”
Xi Nancheng rebutted, saying, “Great potential? Is her potential as great as Ye Shuning’s?”
He had taught Meng Fu before. She didn’t even know how to read music. What was a good voice if she couldn’t do anything else? How long could she last as an idol? The ‘C’ grade was most probably given because the mentors wanted to save face for the producer.
Taken aback, Tang Ze shook his head and scoffed. “You… How can you compare the two of them?”
Ye Shuning was the number one of Best Idol. She was a star student who was still studying in high school. She had clinched the first place in a talent competition at the age of 14. Even Tang Ze, who was a mentor, had nothing to nitpick about her.
She always surpassed the second place by a significant amount of votes and was popular amongst the mentors as well as the audience. Half of the audience watched the show because of Xi Nancheng, while the other half was comprised of Ye Shuning’s fans.
The two belonged to different worlds. How could he place Meng Fu on their level?
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 3: A Book
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Xi Nancheng held up the next namelist. “That’s enough.”
Obviously, he had made up his mind not to watch the recording. Even the second place would pale in comparison to an outstanding individual like Ye Shuning, let alone Meng Fu.
Tang Ze shook his head helplessly. He had wanted to say, ‘I think she will be a hit’ but swallowed his words in the end.
**
Outside the individual assessment venue.
After the performance, Meng Fu noticed that Zhao Fan was holding onto her sunglasses and waiting for her in the blind spot of the security cameras.
Seeing Zhao Fan, Meng Fu slowed down her pace, turned sideways, and glanced at Zhao Fan. With her lips curled up, Meng Fu tapped her slender finger on the brooch in front of her chest unhurriedly, motioning to Zhao Fan to look at it
Zhao Fan was initially stunned. She then saw the obvious ‘C’ grade on the brooch in front of Meng Fu’s chest. She could not help but widen her eyes.
Meng Fu was tone-deaf, her singing was out of tune, and her pronunciation was unclear. She could barely get an ‘E’ with such abilities. Yet, she was graded a ‘C’ today?
Seeing Zhao Fan’s expression, Meng Fu retracted her smile. Raising her eyebrows, she smoothed her slightly wrinkled sleeves and then walked into the waiting room. It was only after Meng Fu’s departure that Zhao Fan cupped her cheeks with both hands.
At this moment, the waiting room was already filled with the Group A girls who had already been assessed. After an audition and many rounds of selection, there were only five groups left: ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ and ‘E’. Each group comprised 6, 8, 12, 15, and 24 members respectively.
At the end of the television program, the six most popular members from Group A, would form a band. The eight members of Group B would be offered engagement contracts, and the rest of the participants would be eliminated.
At this juncture, a group of five was chatting softly amongst themselves.
They were surrounding a girl with waist-length hair. Meng Fu knew who this girl was: Ye Shuning.
The group of five cast a friendly glance at Meng Fu when they saw her walking towards them. They then continued their conversation with Ye Shuning.
“Ningning, Meng Fu got a ‘C’ this time. Did she improve that quickly?” Staring at Meng Fu, a girl with a baby face said.
She was Jiang Ran, now ranked fifth based on the online voting results. She had been portraying a “candid and forthright’ image, a “dare to speak the truth” public persona, in the show, and had garnered a lot of fans.
Ye Shuning neither turned her eye nor glanced at Meng Fu. She merely smiled at the words of the surrounding people but did not express any agreement with their sarcasm. This was not out of courtesy. This was because she did not see the need to lower herself to their level by deriding someone who had nothing but a pretty face.
Despite being ostracized, Meng Fu did not feel the slightest bit awkward. She sat down in the furthest seat in the last row and crossed her long and slender legs. From the back pocket of her shorts, she took out a very small book, placed it on her lap, and then flipped through it slowly.
The rest of the members successively entered the place after their assessment.
Meanwhile, the program planner was at the backstage photography office, surveying the grounds with the cameras. He saw Meng Fu, often a busybody who liked to gain the favor of others, sitting on a stool quietly. Surprised, he pointed to the screen quizzically and asked, “What is Meng Fu doing?”
As the program planner, he knew Meng Fu’s character.
The crew member replied, “Reading a book.”
Reading a book? The program planner could not help but laugh.
‘What book is she reading? Will she be able to ingest the contents with a camera filming her?’
This act was too deliberate. Meng Fu had dropped out of school, resulting in much discussion online.
“Do a close up and find out what book she’s reading.” Nevertheless, the program planner loved gossip. As he directed the camera at Meng Fu’s book, he was hunting for the next hot, trending topic.
This might be bad publicity for Meng Fu but it would boost the show’s popularity.
The crew member immediately adjusted the camera and zoomed onto the cover of Meng Fu’s book. The cover looked slightly yellowed and on it was written: “A Guide to Swine Diseases and Intractable Diseases”.
The program planner and the crew member were speechless.
Meng Fu put away the book. Clad in the red group outfit, she inadvertently glanced at the camera. Her alluring eyes had a mysterious and bold look to them. Her gaze was uninhibited and wild.
All was well when she was reading. However, as soon as she looked up, the few trainees sitting beside her immediately turned into servants surrounding the queen. They looked very dull in comparison to her.
The crew member, whose mind had been preoccupied with “pigs,” was jolted to his senses. “Did she notice us doing a close-up on her?”
No, how could that be possible?
The crew shook their heads and felt that he was being overly paranoid.
**
More than three hours of assessment had passed and all the trainees had been re-graded.
Tang Ze came in to announce the rules of the upcoming public performance. At this moment, the 65 trainees were chatting excitedly with one another.
Tang Ze clapped his hands and motioned for them to be quiet. “The next performance will be based on an elimination system. You will be divided into eight teams which will compete against one another. There will be song-composing and dance choreography segments. Winners will be determined by live polling. The top team will receive 100,000 popularity votes. The second, third, and fourth team will get 50,000, 30,000, and 10,000 votes respectively. I’m giving you five minutes to find your own teammates.”
In the next round, the 20 trainees with the lowest popularity scores would be eliminated. This would be done during a public performance, as well. Everyone was very nervous, especially those who were less popular. 100,000 popularity votes could become a game gamer. They could basically team up with Ye Shuning ride her coat tails to victory. Everyone knew that Ye Shuning would certainly clinch the top spot.
Therefore, most people wanted to form a team with Ye Shuning and she was surrounded by people. There were also many people buzzing around the more popular members as well.
Five minutes later.
Eight teams had been formed. Meng Fu was the only one who had not gotten a team together and was still standing in the middle, alone. Because there were 65 trainees, she was the odd one out.
Trying to ease the atmosphere, Tang Ze laughed and said, “Which group needs a vocalist? Meng Fu can be the leader.”
With Meng Fu’s voice, she could be trained as a main vocalist. As soon as he said this, everyone averted Tang Ze’s gaze. Some even lowered their heads and exchanged looks with their eyes. A vocalist was someone with good singing skills. Could Meng Fu, someone who did not even know to read basic music score, become a lead member and vocalist?
What a joke.
Tang Ze scanned the crowd and his gaze landed on the second team. “Jiang Ran, you’re a dancer and most of your team members are the sing-and-dance type. Your team is short a main vocalist and your performance in the show will be affected. Meng Fu can…”
Before he could finish his words, Jiang Ran said hurriedly, “Mentor Tang, we have both vocalists and dancers. We don’t need a vocalist.”
Jiang Ran did not want to offend Tang Ze. However, considering the importance of the public performance, she had to speak out. Tang Ze also knew how important this performance was to the girls. Meng Fu had screwed up before and it was understandable why they were reluctant to take her in.
Suddenly someone raised her hand. “Mentor Tang, we need a vocalist.”
Meng Fu raised her eyebrows and glanced at the girl who had spoken. She was a short-haired girl with an androgynous appearance. She wore an earring in her right ear and looked like a woman of few words.
“Chu Yue?” Tang Ze stared at the person who spoken in surprise. “Sure. Meng Fu, you will be on Chu Yue’s team.”
Tang Ze added Meng Fu’s name to Chu Yue’s team and then put away the namelist. “Today’s session will end here. Seven days of closed-door training will now begin. Your first public performance will be in seven days. All the best.”
Jiang Ran heaved a sigh of relief after Chu Yue spoke.
**
In the nanny car, Zhao Fan heaved a sigh of relief after learning that Meng Fu was on Chu Yue’s team.
She gave a simple analysis. “Chu Yue is a dancer. Ding Liuyue can compose music. Both composition and dance choreography have been taken care of. You’re quite fortunate. You just need to be their tool.”
Meng Fu fished out her small book. She looked amused. “Tool?”
“Yes,” Zhao Fan responded. Seeing the title of Meng Fu’s book, she almost choked on her own saliva. “What kind of messy book are you reading?”
Meng Fu leaned her back against the car window and peered at her. “Don’t be a busybody and you will live longer.”
Zhao Fan was speechless.
“Brother Su is coming back soon. Don’t let him see that book,” Zhao Fan said tiredly.
20 minutes later, they arrived at an intersection.
Meng Fu got out of the car and tucked her book into the pocket of her black coat. She put one hand into her pocket and used the other hand to put on her sunglasses. “Babe, wait for me. I’m packing some luggage and will be back soon.”
She had planned to return to the Jiang residence to retrieve the items that the female journalist had left in the house.
“Sure, but you must rehearse with your teammates tonight. Even if you’re useless, you must pretend that you’re not. Otherwise, Mentor Xi will chide you again…” Staring at her sultry and stunning face, Zhao Fan could not help but blush.
Seeing Zhao Fan, Meng Fu laughed softly. She then waved her hands towards her back. “Okay.”
**
At the Jiang residence.
Yu Zhenling was sitting on the sofa and conversing with a woman in front of him. The woman in front of her was Madam Tong. She was a long-time friend of the Jiang family. The two families had even arranged marriages when Meng Fu was a child.
Just as the two were talking, the servants outside said softly, “Madam, Ms. Meng is back.”
Who else could Ms. Meng of the Jiang family be? She was the biological daughter whom she had acknowledged two years ago. The smile on Yu Zhenling’s face froze. She instinctively peered at Madam Tong.
Madam Tong looked down and took a sip of tea. She looked poised and elegant, and her movements were extremely graceful. She did not glance at Meng Fu, who was just entering the house. She acted as if she did not hear what the servant had said.
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 4: A Place Where Top Students Gather
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

When they first learned about Meng Fu, Father and Mother Jiang were very emotional. However, Meng Fu’s subsequent behavior disappointed them greatly. As a result, the two tacitly did not announce to outsiders that Meng Fu was the real Ms. Meng of the Jiang family.
Regardless, their social circle caught wind of this. After Meng Fu entered the showbiz, she could not hide some of the negative news leaked by her naysayers. She had dropped out of high school and could not even speak a single sentence of English coherently.
She was basically a bimbo.
Madam Tong was well aware of this.
On the other hand, everyone in T City knew who Jiang Xinran was. She was the eldest daughter of the Jiang family. She was gentle, polite, multi-talented, and possessed both inner and outer beauty. She had been with the family since she was a child and was good at both calligraphy and painting. She had a unique and outstanding temperament, cultivated in a family of scholars, as well.
Madam Tong had always been very satisfied with Jiang Xinran. She already treated Jiang Xinran as her future daughter-in-law. Unexpectedly, someone threw a wrench in the works. Madam Tong was very fussy. She would never allow her son to marry such a person. She and Yu Zhenling understood each other’s thoughts.
As a result, Meng Fu hadn’t met with the members of the Tong family since she returned to the Jiang family two years ago.
“Isn’t there a closed-door training today? Why are you back?” Seeing Madam Tong looking down, obviously not wanting to glance at Meng Fu, Yu Zhenling didn’t introduce Meng Fu to her.
She was also afraid that Meng Fu would harbor other thoughts if she were to introduce her to Madam Tong. She knew in her heart that Madam Yong would never accept someone like Meng Fu into the Tong family.
“I came back to get something.” Meng Fu held the edges of her coat together and nodded slightly at Yu Zhenling.
She was polite and distant. After speaking, she headed upstairs immediately. She neither took a second glance at them nor asked any questions. Yu Zhenling couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief when Meng Fu scampered upstairs. She got up to see Madam Tong to the door.
“I heard that Eryu will also be going to the capital this time?” Yu Zhenling walked Madam Tong to the door.
The “Eryu” whom she was referring to was Tong Eryu, the young master of the Tong family.
Speaking of her son, Madam Tong’s gaze softened slightly. “Oh, him. He started a business with a group of people and fools around everyday. It’s good that his maternal grandfather is taking him to the capital.”
Yu Zhenling knew that Madam Tong’s maiden family was a wealthy and prominent family in Beijing. She had married into a lower status family in the past.
Her maiden family must be planning to groom Tong Eryu by sending him to the capital. Tong Eryu’s future could not be underestimated.
After watching Madam Tong’s car leave, Yu Zhenling contemplated shortly before calling Father Jiang on his cell phone. “Find a time to talk to the Old Master about the situation with the Tong family and also about Meng Fu. There have been discussions about putting her back in school. How are they going?”
**
Upstairs, Meng Fu had packed a few pieces of clothing. All of them had been brought by the female journalist from the rented house. There was also a black suitcase in the walk-in wardrobe, but it had been left untouched for a long time. There was a layer of dust on it. Meng Fu took it out and packed a few pieces of clothing in it.
Standing at the main door and glancing at the room where the female journalist used to live, she took out a key and put it on the table. She then closed the door and exited the room immediately.
Downstairs, Yu Zhenling was sitting on the sofa and drinking tea. Seeing Meng Fu coming down, she put down her teacup. “Do you have some time next week? When you have time, can you visit your grandfather at the hospital? He misses you everyday.”
Meng Fu was dazed for a moment upon hearing this. She had been following the female journalist for a month but had never seen her go to the hospital.
She raised her head and glanced at Yu Zhenling but Yu Zhenling had already taken a call. “Xinran? Okay, okay. Since your uncle is picking you up, you can follow him to the Yu residence… You… Mom knows. Okay. Listen to your uncle and aunt.”
The phone call took 10 minutes.
The butler smiled and prepared a new pot of tea for Yu Zhenling. He then said with a smile, “Is it Young Miss? Did her uncle take her to his home again?”
The uncle he was referring to was the one from Yu Zhenling’s maiden family: the Yu family.
The Yu family was a family of scholars. Yu Zhenling’s father used to be the President of T University and her brother Yu Yong was a famous artist who was highly respected in the art scene. Jiang Xinran had learned painting from Yu Zhenling’s brother since she was a child and had achieved considerable success in her own right. Yu Yong treated her better than his own son.
When Yu Yong found out subsequently that Jiang Xinran was not the biological daughter of the Jiang family, he was disappointed. However, he did not distance himself from Jiang Xinran.
“Yes, they get along very well.” Yu Zhenling smiled and finished a cup of tea. She then recalled that Meng Fu was still waiting for her. She glanced at the hall and said, “Has Ms. Meng left?”
The servant replied respectfully, “Ms. Meng left 10 minutes ago.”
Yu Zhenling stopped smiling. She looked at the butler and pursed her lips. “She left without saying a word. What is the meaning of this? She wanted to enter showbiz and the Old Master agreed to it. He said she had lived independently since high school and was a sensible, polite, and good kid, but when you look at the entirety of T City, what kind of sensible kid behaves like her?”
Obviously, she had a stubborn and rigid personality, poor interpersonal skills, and was very small-minded. She had not improved despite two years of coaching. Yu Zhenling did not even hear her addressing her as “Mom” anymore.
In the beginning, Yu Zhenling had planned to groom a second “Jiang Xinran” but she could not be bothered to do that now.
**
Meng Fu made a trip back to her rented house.
Zhao Fan had not visited this place before and was surprised to see the rented house. “What is this place?”
“I rented this house more than two years ago. At the time I was going to study at the number 1 ranked high school.” Meng Fu raised her hand languidly and flicked away the hair that fell onto her shoulder.
After Zhao Fan followed her into the house, she turned towards Meng Fu. “Why didn’t you say that you were going to study at Harvard?”
The number 1 ranked high school in T City was the top school in the North-South region. Every student at the school was considered a genius. There were thousands of college entrance examination candidates every year but the students from the number 1 ranked high school in T City would undoubtedly enter A University, S University, or prominent foreign universities.
At the very least, they would enroll into a top-notch university. This was the place where the top students gathered.
If Meng Fu had really studied at the number 1 high school, she would not have been mocked by the netizens.
“I can study there as well. ” Meng Fu maintained her calm composure. She picked up the key in the flowerpot and opened the door to the study room.
She stood in front of the bookshelf and picked out a few books. Afterwards, she threw them into Zhao Fan’s hands. “Put them in my suitcase.”
After speaking, she thought of something. She turned around and stepped outside. In the study room, Zhao Fan was staring at the room filled with bookshelves. She was very surprised. Meng Fu didn’t seem like someone who liked reading.
She walked to the row of bookshelves closest to her and looked around. There was something interesting on the bookshelf. The book closest to her was one that had already turned yellow. It had a shabby cover and looked very old. It was titled “The Divine Dragon Classic Collection”.
Next to this book was not “Compendium of Materia Medica” but a brand new “The Jade King”?
Further to the side was a book written in a foreign language. Zhao Fan could tell that it was written in ‘F,’ a language spoken in Country F.
She took a closer look. Even though the language was extraordinary, it could not hide the fact that it was a book about fairy tales.
Meng Fu was indeed venomous.
As Zhao Fan was pondering over this…
Beep, beep. Suddenly, she heard beeping sounds from behind her. She turned around and was stupefied by what she saw. “Meng Fu! Y-you… Come here, quick!”
Holding a bottle of beer in her hand, Meng Fu kicked open the half-closed door and said, “It’d better be something important.”
Zhao Fan didn’t speak and pointed stiffly at the computer. Meng Fu bit off the cap of the beer bottle. Her alluring eyes narrowed as she glanced at the computer calmly. The dusty computer on the desk had switched itself on and a row of messy symbols were frantically jumping on its gray screen.
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 5: The Mysterious Neighbor Next Door
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Countless shocking scenes flashed in Zhao Fan’s mind.
“This resembles the hacking in The Matrix…”
Meng Fu spit out the beer bottle cap in her mouth. Ignoring Zhao Fan, she walked to the computer and switched it off unhurriedly.
Snap.
The computer screen went blank immediately, returning to its usual gray appearance. This put an abrupt stop to Zhao Fan’s talking.
Meng Fu took a sip of beer. The taste had changed slightly but she didn’t care. She peered at Zhao Fan. “Do you get it now? Just do this in the future.”
Zhao Fan’s mind was filled with images of “cyber warfare” and she was momentarily at a loss for words. She stared strangely at the silent computer, almost doubting her own eyesight. She nodded blankly to express that she knew what to do.
“Have you packed the books?” Meng Fu retracted her gaze.
Zhao Fan shook her head. “I’ll do that now.”
Meng Fu stepped out of the door again and returned with many bottles.
“What perfumes are these? They smell good,” Zhao Fan inquired with Meng Fu while she packed the books. Looking at the variety of colorful bottles, Zhao Fan could tell that the bottles contained perfume. However, they were not labeled and looked like merchandise from roadside stalls.
Meng Fu didn’t turn and look at her. “If you like them, choose a bottle.”
Zhao Fan loved perfumes. She even had a few brand and limited edition perfumes that she could not bear to use. Nevertheless, she didn’t shun Meng Fu’s perfume and took one bottle for herself.
Three minutes later, Zhao Fan, who had helped Meng Fu tidy up her suitcase conscientiously, suddenly came to her senses. When did she become Meng Fu’s helper?
**
After Meng Fu came back, she packed a few books and took out two notebooks. Pulling the black suitcase, Zhao Fan opened the door. A man wearing a baseball cap was standing at the door. He was holding takeout in one hand and raising his other hand, about to knock on the door.
Zhao Fan looked up and was greeted with a pair of deep and clear eyes. They looked bright and dazzling, albeit slightly distant. She had seen countless beauties but was nevertheless stunned by him. “Mister, who are you looking for?”
The man looked past Zhao Fan to Meng Fu, who was standing behind her.
Meng Fu leaned against the door frame. She raised her head and yawned lazily.
“Come in.”
The man seemed very familiar with the room. He entered casually.
After he went in, Zhao Fan tiptoed over to Meng Fu. “Who is he? Why is he looking for you?”
“He’s my neighbor who stays in the opposite unit,” Meng Fu said nonchalantly.
Zhao Fan cast a suspicious look at Meng Fu.
The man came out after entering the room for three minutes. There was a piece of paper in his hands.
Meng Fu glanced at the takeout in his hands. “You’re only eating takeout? Watch out for flies.”
Upon hearing her words, the man stared at her for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying, “You are still that sharp-tongued, huh? It seems you’re doing fine.”
After speaking, he walked quickly to the door of the opposite unit and opened it with his key. The door closed with a bang. The dust in front of Meng Fu’s door flew all over the place from the impact.
Zhao Fan clicked her tongue. She was very curious about Meng Fu’s neighbor. She followed Meng Fu downstairs with the suitcase. “I’ve not heard you mention this neighbor of yours before. I wonder if he’s interested in entering showbiz. Do you have his contact?”
Meng Fu’s hands were beautiful, long, and slender. They were the best-looking pair of hands that Zhao Fan had ever seen. When she had wanted to carry the suitcase, Zhao Fan stopped her. Instinctively, she felt that Meng Fu’s hands were those of an artist and therefore not suitable for such tasks.
Meng Fu threw the beer bottle into the trash can near the neighbor’s door and replied nonchalantly, “Oh, I advise you to get rid of this idea as soon as possible.”
“You’ll die.”
**
Half an hour later, Meng Fu arrived at the Best Idol training camp. When passing by the corridor of the training room, the two heard someone talking in the stairway, a security camera blind spot.
The voice was soft and Zhao Fan could not hear the conversation clearly. Meng Fu glanced at the stairway thoughtfully.
“Isn’t that Ding Liuyue?” After taking another two steps, Zhao Fan caught a clear glimpse of the person.
Ding Liuyue belonged to Meng Fu’s team. She was average in popularity but very talented. She was the song-writing type of contestant.
“Yes,” Meng Fu responded and averted her gaze. “Let’s go.”
Zhao Fan did not dwell on it either. She helped Meng Fu move the suitcase to the dormitory. Afterward, Meng Fu headed to the training room on her own to look for Chu Yue.
Chu Yue and team were all located in the last training room. When Meng Fu arrived, the other eight people were training.
Everyone trained with a camera filming them. The rule of survival here was to get more screen time and create hype for oneself. One had to be seen working diligently. Otherwise, no one would know how hardworking one was.
When Chu Yue saw Meng Fu, she wiped the sweat from her head. She walked to Meng Fu and passed her the dance moves that she took an entire night to choreograph. “Follow my steps. Ask me if you’re not sure.”
She had a tall nose bridge and her facial features were quite cool-looking. She was about 1.72 meters tall. She was the andrognynous type that was currently popular in the entertainment industry.
Meng Fu took the cell phone and said, “Thank you.”
Chu Yue nodded coolly and did not say another word. She returned to her original position and continued practicing.
Meng Fu didn’t turn on the cell phone. Instead, she leaned against the table and laughed languidly. “Hey.”
Chu Yue stopped dancing and cast a sideways glance at her.
“Did you notice that someone from the team is missing?” Meng Fu put the phone on the table and picked up a pen casually. She used it to slowly wind up her long hair, in preparation for practice.
When Chu Yue heard this, she looked around the room seriously and found Ding Liuyue missing. “Liuyue is composing music. It’s noisy here and she finds it very distracting.”
Meng Fu smiled. “I see.”
At one o’clock in the morning, two people were still practicing in the training room.
Chu Yue stopped for a rest and took a sip of water. She discussed the details of the dance with the girl beside her. “My phone is still at Meng Fu’s place. Go with me to the dormitory bedroom to get it back.”
The girl beside her was Jin Wei, a singer-type contestant. She could rap very well. However, she was not very talented at dancing and had average popularity. She had been diligently learning from Yue Chu.
Chu Yue and Meng Fu were in the same dormitory. Chu Yue and Jin Wei went to open the door to the dorm. The dormitory door was not locked. When the two opened the door, they saw Meng Fu doing splits on the ground and maintaining a difficult posture. Her upper body was pressing onto her legs, revealing a small part of her fair and slender waist.
Seeing that the two were back, she looked up calmly, turned a page in the book in front of her, and greeted them. “Hello.”
Wei Jin looked at her stiffly. “What are you doing?”
“Reading and training my body’s flexibility.” Meng Fu’s posture remained unchanged and she turned a page calmly as she spoke.
She was seemingly reading at a fast pace.
Wei Jin could bet that fewer than 10 people in the training camp could do what Meng Fu was doing now, unless they had learned dancing from a young age.
**
Early the next morning, Meng Fu yawned as she went to the canteen with Chu Yue.
Wei Jin had also just entered the canteen. After last night, she had a better impression of Meng Fu. In terms of diligence, she felt that she could not be compared to Meng Fu. After learning that Meng Fu was different from how the rumors portrayed her, she took a bowl and sat next to them.
Chu Yue paused for a moment and recalled the scene in front of her when she woke up in the morning. After pausing, she said expressionlessly, “She slept doing a split for the entire night.”
Wei Jin was speechless. She stared at Meng Fu, who was waiting for her omelet. “Pervert… Monster!”
“Fortunately, she is tone deaf.” Wei Jin stirred the porridge and regained some confidence. When she looked up and saw Ding Liuyue entering the canteen, she waved at her. “Liuyue, here!”
Ding Liuyue glanced at them and pursed her lips. In the end, she walked over with her toast and apple.
“Can’t we get Meng Fu to leave our team?” Ding Liuyue sat next to Wei Jin and looked at Chu Yue. “Don’t you know how important this performance is to us?”
Chu Yue always had a cold demeanor and she was a person of few words. At this moment, she did not explain further. She was a team player. Since Meng Fu was now a member of her team, they were in this together.
Meng Fu’s omelet was ready. She came over with the milk and sat next to Chu Yue. As soon as she came over, Ding Liuyue stopped talking. It was as if she were guarded around Meng Fu or for other reasons.
Meng Fu didn’t care. She put away her phone, took a bite of the omelet, and looked at Ding Liuyue. “How’s your song-composing going?”
Ding Liuyue ignored her.
Meng Fu swallowed the omelet. She was not cross and seemed amused instead. There was a misty look in her alluring eyes. “If you encounter any difficulties, let me know. I can help you with the song.”
Help? Who in the entire training camp didn’t know that Meng Fu could not read music? Ding Liuyue was so mad that she felt like flaring up at her.
What could she help with?
Ding Liuyue didn’t even look at Meng Fu. She put away her plate, as if she didn’t hear Meng Fu. “I’m leaving.”
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 6: Grooming to the Fullest Potential
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

This was the canteen. They were not wearing mics and there were no cameras either. Ding Liuyue didn’t need to care about her image. Therefore, she expressed her full dissatisfaction with Meng Fu without any reservation.
It seemed that very few people in the entire training camp liked Meng Fu. She was perceived as a burden that would bring disaster to any team that she was on.
“Liuyue?” Wei Jin stared at Ding Liuyue’s back as she left.
Wei Jin turned towards Meng Fu and explained, “She’s not like that normally. The timing is very tight this time. We have to hand in the finalized song and dance to the mentors by tomorrow. And she’s the only composer on our team. Don’t let it get to you.”
It was the second day of the closed-door training. They only had a week to compose the song and practice it for the public performance. Everyone would likely get less than five hours of sleep per day.
Meng Fu took a sip of milk. She merely glanced at Wei Jin and Chu Yue when she heard this. “Please feel free to tell me how I can help.”
Seeing that Meng Fu did not seem cross, Wei Jin heaved a sigh of relief. “Sure.”
Both Wei Jin and Chu Yue did not take Meng Fu seriously when she said that she wanted to help. To them, staying cooperative and serious about training was the greatest help Meng Fu could be. The performance relied on the effort of the entire team, not just individuals.
Although she detected a patronizing tone in Wei Jin’s words, Meng Fu did not explain further. She merely raised her eyebrows and smiled. Until now, these two people had trusted Ding Liuyue unconditionally. This was probably the youngster’s belief in friendship. They would dash forward in the journey of life courageously and fearlessly until they ended up bleeding and badly bruised.
**
The private room on the second floor of the canteen was where the mentors and the crew had their meals.
Holding onto a plate of bread and salad, Xi Nancheng sat at the table near the window and began eating. The other crew members cast furtive glances at him but none of them dared to disturb him.
Clang.
Someone put down the dinner plate on his table and sat opposite him.
Xi Nancheng looked up and saw a middle-aged man. He politely greeted him. “Director Mu.”
The person in front of him was none other than Director Mu, the Chief Director of the “Best Idol” show. He was responsible for the local area’s contest.
“How’s the quality of this batch?” slurping his beef noodles, Director Mu looked up and asked Xi Nancheng.
As soon as he said this, Xi Nancheng thought of someone and frowned. “It’s inconsistent.”
Upon hearing this, Director Mu coughed. He was aware that Xi Nancheng had flared up at Meng Fu before. He was the one who had come forward to resolve the conflict.
Director Mu suddenly found himself at a loss for words. He immediately steered away from the topic to his purpose of looking for Xi Nancheng. “Nancheng, I won’t beat around the bush anymore. Do you think anyone from this cohort is up to performing on the “Global Idol” show?”
After the winners of the “Best Idol” formed a six-member band, they would participate in the recording of “Global Idol” together with members from four other countries. The program had been ongoing for many years. However, the local members had never been able to pass the audition stage.
The quality of the local boy and girl bands was too poor and none of them could make it to the international stage. As a result, for many years, audience at home and abroad had ridiculed the local competitions.
This year, the “Best Idol” show in China almost failed to proceed.
“Uncle Mu, we have the lowest viewership amongst the four countries in the competition. Isn’t the problem obvious?” Xi Nancheng glanced at Director Mu.
His father was a family friend of Director Mu. Otherwise, he would not have agreed to participate in the “Best Idol” show this time. The quality of this show was merely average in China.
“I’ll be frank with you. I signed a bet-on agreement, betting that some of our contestants would be able to enter the “Global Idol” this time.” Director Mu tapped his finger on the table and thought for a long time. “Do you think there are any good seedlings for “Global Idol” this time?”
A bet-on agreement was a common type of agreement in the entertainment industry. Although it was termed as “betting,” the nature of the agreement was in fact similar to options. Director Mu had signed a bet-on agreement with investors. If someone from the girl band entered “Global Idol”, he would be able to get investor funding. If this condition was not met, he would not receive any funding. Instead, he and the program would suffer a huge loss. This was not a trivial matter and Director Mu had bared his heart to him. Xi Nancheng finally realized that Director Mu was not joking.
Holding onto the whole-wheat bread, he stared at Director Mu seriously for a long time before finally replying, “There may be one.”
“Tell me,” Director looked at him.
Xi Nancheng put down his bread and enunciated his every word. “Ye Shuning.”
Director Mu heaved a sigh of relief. “We think alike. Over the course of this month, you and the other three mentors are to focus all resources on Ye Shuning and groom her to her fullest potential.”
Ye Shuning was not only popular, she was also a well rounded trainee who was good in several aspects. She was the only one who was able to keep up with the top three trainees from Country H. If the four mentors of the program were to go all out in grooming her for stardom, she might be selected for the “Global Idol” show.
The moment Xi Nancheng received this task, the toast in his hand became very heavy.
**
In the training room.
Xi Nancheng gathered Chu Yue and the rest of the team to demonstrate the dance choreography to them.
During the training period, the mentors would come by to check on the trainees’ progress. Tang Ze came yesterday and Xi Nancheng was here today to guide their dance moves. Xi Nancheng was well qualified to be a mentor. Be it the strength or details of the moves, he could demonstrate them very well.
Meng Fu remembered the moves after Xi Nancheng demonstrated them once. She then faced the mirror and practiced body posture. Meng Fu had never learned to dance before but she had enrolled in courses to strengthen her physique. There were quite a variety of courses. Therefore, she was able to carry out the difficult moves demonstrated by Xi Nancheng consistently. However, she looked slightly strange and stiff.
Meng Fu was used to fighting and killing. Therefore, she had to try to get used to these performing movements without any lethality.
She had read up many books about this. At last, she summarized her current shortcomings, picked out her problems, and decided to start working on her form and flexibility. At the very least, she had to restrain her murderous aura.
After Xi Nancheng corrected Chu Yue’s and the others’ mistakes, he was ready to leave to attend to another team. When he turned his head, he saw Meng Fu holding onto a paper and writing something at the other side of the room. She then picked up a call with her cell phone.
Xi Nancheng took a brief glance at Meng Fu. He could accept someone who was not very talented. For example, Wei Jin didn’t have a good dance foundation but she put in 10 times the effort that others did to make up for it. Meng Fu was neither talented nor diligent and Nancheng could not bring himself to appreciate her as a result.
“Let’s go,” Xi Nancheng said to another mentor.
The other mentor had heard about Meng Fu. When he walked past her table, he looked down as he was curious about what she had been writing. “I heard she was reading a book about pigs the last time…”
Before he could finish his words, he was taken aback by the contents of the paper.
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 7: They Finally Met
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

This mentor was Wen Yu. He was an artist and also older in age. The program crew had invited him to be one of the main judges of the show and he was more tolerant than Xi Nancheng of these young people. Meng Fu could be regarded as a major highlight of the show. The program crew knew far more rumors about her than what was spreading on the Internet.
In a talent show, there was actually a trainee who didn’t know how to read music. Nevertheless, Wen Yu’s impression of Meng Fu had changed slightly during the recent round of screening. He felt that she had great potential.
But now…
Wen Yu glanced at the words on the paper. The hand-written words were expressive and unrestrained, done with forceful touches and fine strokes. With only one glance, he could tell that it was written by someone knowledgeable. One’s character could be inferred from one’s hand-writing and this handwriting was extremely beautiful.
Wen Yu was adept at calligraphy and to him, Meng Fu’s handwriting put his to shame. Judging from her handwriting alone, Meng Fu was completely different from the short-sighted and poorly-educated image of her conceived after watching her in the show.
Wen Yu felt strange and puzzled.
“Mentor Wen?” Xi Nancheng’s mind had been occupied with the task of grooming Ye Shuning. It was only after he reached the doorstep that he realized that Wen Yu hadn’t caught up with him.
Wen Yu reluctantly retracted his gaze from the paper. He took two steps forward and said with surprise, “I just found out that Meng Fu’s handwriting is very beautiful. Go and take a look.”
“Handwriting?” Xi Nancheng glanced at the table and laughed. “Mentor Wen, maybe you should take a look at Ye Shuning’s handwriting. She won the second prize in calligraphy but has never mentioned it during the program. You’ll understand after you look at her handwriting.”
The entire show was now focused on boosting Ye Shuning’s popularity and ensuring that she had consistent screen time.
After hearing Xi Nancheng’s words, Wen Yu paused and said, “Nancheng, you are too prejudiced against Meng Fu.”
Xi Nancheng smiled but did not explain. “Mentor Wen, I have to attend to something else.”
Everyone was practicing dancing and she was the only one writing. Xi Nancheng was used to those kinds of cheap tricks in showbiz.
Xi Nancheng had an appointment with the director to discuss getting a personal mentor for Ye Shuning. He thus bid farewell to Wen Yu and left without even glancing at the paper on the table.
**
In the restroom.
Meng Fu leaned against the door. She plugged the earphones into her ears with one hand and turned on the faucet with the other hand to wash away the faint black marks on her hands. “Sister Zhao?”
Zhao Fan was the one who had called her.
“Find some time to come out this evening. Six o’clock.” Zhao Fan spoke very softly. She was seemingly still in the office. “Brother Su is back. Remember, you must not be late.”
Meng Fu leaned on the sink and began to wash her hands slowly. “Is there something important? I still have to rehearse tonight.”
She knew that the Brother Su whom Zhao Fan was referring to was her assistant. To be precise, he was only called “Assistant Yun” by the female journalist and Zhao Fan. Meng Fu had followed the female journalist for a month but had only ever seen him once.
Of course, Meng Fu could not understand why Zhao Fan, a dignified manager, had to address an assistant as “Brother Su.”
“You have been wanting to find a music teacher, right? I spoke to Brother Su a few days ago and requested him to find one for you. He’s back today and I believe he has found you one.” Zhao Fan covered the receiver of the phone and said, “Don’t forget. I’ll come and fetch you at five o’clock in the afternoon.”
Zhao Fan then hung up. Meng Fu took a piece of tissue from the side of the basin and wiped her hands dry. She then went to look for Tang Ze to apply for leave. Although Tang Ze was a little surprised, he did not make things difficult for her.
Meng Fu’s status was a little unique on the show. The rest of the trainees, including Ye Shuning, had never left the program crew during their training period. The only exception was Meng Fu, who would come and go as she wished. She was also rarely present during the past few training sessions. Even the director had silently acquiesced to this behavior.
Tang Ze sometimes suspected that Meng Fu had a powerful backer. At this moment, Xi Nancheng came by and happened to see Meng Fu leaving Tang Ze’s office.
“Why did she look for Mentor Tang?” Xi Nancheng glanced at Meng Fu as she walked away and asked the crew.
The crew member paused for a moment. “It seems like she is applying for leave…”
Xi Nancheng simply raised his hand and said lightly, “Let’s not talk about her.”
**
At the same time. T City.
A restaurant on an old street was filled with the aroma of tea. On the second floor near the window, an old man was sitting in a chair and playing the erhu [1. Erhu is a Chinese two-stringed musical instrument held in the lap and played with a bow.] very elegantly. A girl next to him was singing softly. Together, they created an illusion that they were from another world.
As soon as she reached the second floor, Zhao Fan looked around and inquired with the service staff. After confirming the location of the private room, she knocked on a door. Very soon, the words “come in” were heard from the inside of the room. Zhao Fan cast a hinting glance at Meng Fu and immediately pushed open the door and went in.
The private room was not big. It smelled like burning sandalwood inside. The wisps of sandalwood fragrance calmed Zhao Fan’s nervous heart slightly. Meng Fu kept playing with her phone and she wore a languid expression on her face. Smelling the fragrance of the sandalwood, she could not help but look up. She immediately noticed the man standing by the window.
The man was clad in a clean-cut, white sweater. He had a graceful posture and was very elegant and fresh-looking.
“Brother Su,” Zhao Fan said in a low voice.
Su Cheng turned around and Meng Fu saw that he was holding a teacup in his hand. His chiseled hand seemed to reflect the green teacup he was holding, making his hand appear even more translucent and slender, akin to a piece of cold jade. He put down the teacup, looked up slightly, and his facial profile became blurry under the light. “Please take a seat. The person will arrive soon.”
His voice was calm, akin to that of a continuous flow of a clear stream in a star-studded, cold night.
Meng Fu dragged a chair and sat down, rubbing her ears. His voice was very pleasant-sounding. Just as she sat down, Someone knocked on the door outside.
Zhao Fan stood up immediately, “It must be the teacher!”
She went to open the door immediately.
A middle-aged man was outside the door and he followed Zhao Fan in. “Excuse me, are you the Mr. Su that Old Chen spoke about?”
“Hello.” Su Cheng paused slightly at Meng Fu’s face. He took a brief glance at the middle-aged man and gestured at the service staff to serve a new pot of tea. “Did Old Chen mention why I’m looking for you?”
The middle-aged man nodded. As Su Cheng poured a fresh cup of tea, Zhao Fan tactfully took the initiative to explain Meng Fu’s situation to the middle-aged man.
“Are you talking about her?” The middle-aged man then understood the situation and he turned his gaze towards Meng Fu.
Zhao Fan nodded. “Yes. What do you think, Teacher?”
The middle-aged man frowned. He glanced at Meng Fu and contemplated for a long time. He then shook his head. “Sorry, I just accepted a student this afternoon.”
If this were in the past, he would not easily reject someone introduced by Old Chen.
But things were different this time. Xi Nancheng was the one who introduced him to the student he met this afternoon. When Zhao Fan explained to him, she had also told him that Meng Fu didn’t know much about music theory. He almost suspected that Zhao Fan was trying to create trouble. It was a no-brainer decision to pass over Meng Fu.
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 8: The Impossible
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The celadon teacup was placed on the table with a small thud.
“Well, Teacher, I am sorry that you wasted your time making this trip today.” The person did not sound cold or aloof, instead the person made light of the situation with a gentle tone.
Even if one did not see the person face-to-face, one could sense that this was an elegant and distinguished person.
“I… I can give her a few lessons in my spare time.” The middle-aged man could not help but feel a sudden shock. He felt an inexplicable pressure, making him give in to the request.
Meng Fu yawned, picked up her cell phone with one hand and draped her other hand on the back of the chair. She seemed to be fooling around as she turned to Su Cheng and smiled. “What kind of unreliable teacher did you find for me?”
There was always a misty look in her alluring eyes. It was just a smile, but she seemed like a seductive and charming fox.
Su Cheng was slightly startled by her smile as he said, “It’s my fault.”
After a short while, he set his eyes on the teapot again and poured tea for himself. “I won’t trouble you, Teacher. Sister Zhao, escort the guest.”
As a manager, Zhao Fan understood the ways of the world. She maintained a bright smile, trying to break the cold silence as she ushered the manager downstairs while engaging in small chat with him. Downstairs, the middle-aged man looked at Zhao Fan’s back, then raised his head, and looked at the powerful and fascinating strokes of the calligraphy “A World Beyond” on the restaurant.
He could not help but feel uneasy and anxious. He took out his cell phone, called Old Chen’s people, and asked about Su Cheng’s background.
“Mr. Su?” The person on the other end was slightly confused. “I haven’t heard the master mention this person.”
After hearing the reply, the middle-aged man tried to recall whether there was a family with the surname Su in T City. He thought for a long while and ruled out several families. He had not heard of a family with this surname. He finally felt reassured. There was no need to waste time here.
**
Zhao Fan opened the door cautiously. She happened to see Su Cheng standing in front of the incense burner, holding a thin silver spoon and adding sandalwood powder to it. Meng Fu was lying on the table. She had her hood pulled over her head. She seemed to be fast asleep.
Whenever Zhao Fan entered this room, she felt like sleeping. This was mainly due to the sandalwood, which was a little hypnotic. However, she was timid and did not dare to sleep in front of Su Cheng.
Su Cheng caught a glance of Zhao Fan. He put the spoon aside and glanced at Meng Fu who was lying on the table. “What’s up with her lately? How dare she sleep here?”
Zhao Fan also had a feeling that Meng Fu seemed to have changed a bit recently. Shaking her head, she lowered her voice. “I have no idea. She moved all her belongings at home to a rental house and said she wants to be a good person. By the way, this is the USB drive that I asked for from the program crew. She has made a lot of progress. Brother Cheng, don’t scold her anymore.”
Su Cheng paused slightly. He turned to look at Zhao Fan. He was very tall, a full head taller than Zhao Fan. The soft texture of the white sweater he was wearing added a tinge of warmth to him, making him seem not as cold and aloof. The first time she met Su Cheng, Zhao Fan almost thought that he was a righteous man from ancient times who had traveled through a thousand years of time. He did not seem like an assistant arranged by the company for Meng Fu.
Zhao Fan was a little afraid to look directly at him. Although Su Cheng was Meng Fu’s assistant, they rarely saw him around. They only saw him once a month. Zhao Fan had a very good impression of Su Cheng’s ability. She remembered that a year ago, Meng Fu was verbally abused by netizens for lip syncing and the company almost let Meng Fu go.
The next day, people on Weibo1 seemed to have forgotten about the incident. Regardless of whether it was the competitors or public relations, the “lip syncing” incident seemed to have been totally erased, as if nothing had happened. If not for Zhao Fan’s screenshots, she would have thought she had amnesia.
“Well…” Su Cheng stretched out his hand to take the USB flash drive from Zhao Fan. He looked at the sleeping Meng Fu for a while, before saying in an indifferent voice, “Let her sleep. She can leave after she wakes up.”
Zhao Fan was still reeling from shock when Su Cheng left the room. Since when was Brother Cheng so nice and easygoing? Every time they saw him, she and Meng Fu hardly dared to even raise their heads. Having worked with Su Cheng for two years, Zhao Fan knew that Su Cheng was a clean freak. This room was exclusive to Su Cheng. She and Meng Fu had to leave the room as soon as he finished giving his instructions.
It was unprecedented that he did not wake Meng Fu to make her leave the room.
**
When Meng Fu returned to the program crew, it was already 11 o’clock at night. She pulled the hood of her hoodie over her head. When she passed by the training room, the lights in the major training rooms were still on. The next performance would be based on an elimination system. All of the trainees were still working hard at this hour.
Meng Fu decided to go back and take a bath first.
When approaching the main door of the dormitory, she looked up and then walked in casually. The door of their dormitory room was slightly ajar.
Outside the door, Meng Fu could hear Ding Liuyue’s voice. “What else can I do? I gave up studying for this opportunity. The public performance is in a few days and people in the last 20 places will be eliminated. Chu Yue, don’t you know what my public ranking was last time? 37! If I make any mistakes in this public performance, I will lose this opportunity forever.”
“Ding Liuyue, we have to submit the composed song tomorrow morning. Chu Yue and the others gave you their full cooperation, writing lyrics, and coming up with the choreography based on your composition. Now you are saying you want to go to Jiang Ran’s team?” Wei Jin looked incredulously at Ding Liuyue.
“Sorry, I have already told my mentor about this and my mentor agreed to it.” Ding Liuyue did not look at Chu Yue, Wei Jin, and the others. “Today, I am merely informing all of you about the change.”
Ding Liuyue admitted that she had let Chu Yue and the team down by making this decision. However, she did not want the next public performance to be her last.
Everyone who was in the entertainment industry wished to rise up the ranks.
It was the same for her.
Since the beginning their team had not been as good as Jiang Ran’s. Now that Meng Fu was on their team, her chances were even slimmer.
After making the announcement, she opened the door to leave, just to see Meng Fu leaning on the door frame, playing with her cell phone. Ding Liuyue felt sorry for Chu Yue and the others, but not for Meng Fu.
She did not even look at Meng Fu and went straight to the training room.
Meng Fu entered the dormitory, gently closing the door. She was not surprised to see that everyone in the group was there.
“I’m going to look for Liuyue. She must have hidden sorrows.” Wei Jin stood up from the bed.
Meng Fu took out the sandalwood and its related equipment that she had taken from Su Cheng out of her pocket. She lit it in a relaxed manner. “She made an agreement with Jiang Ran long ago. I saw them when I passed by the stairs the night before. It is useless even if you look for her.”
Hearing this, Wei Jin’s face turned pale and she sat feebly on the bed. Others also looked depressed, yet unwilling to take it lying down at the same time.
Meng Fu lit the sandalwood and took a good look at it. She was very laid-back, taking her time to speak. “It’s fine that she left. She is not sincere in helping you to compose music, anyway.”
“You don’t understand.” Wei Jin and the others did not blame Meng Fu because of this. They just smiled bitterly. “She is the only one on our team who can compose music. The original song that Mentor Tang gave us two days ago was Liuyue’s. We choreographed and wrote lyrics in accordance with her style. We have to hand in the official song tomorrow morning. We are done with the choreographing and the lyrics. We are only left with the music composition.”
Now that she had switched teams, their total defeat was assured. The audience and the teachers would not care about their excuses.
Meng Fu turned and looked at Wei Jin. She stretched out her hand to lift her chin, smiling softly. “Don’t cry, we can compose the music ourselves.”
How were they supposed to compose the music? Chu Yue, Wei Jin, and the others were completely stunned. Even if they could write a song, it would be impossible for them to complete the song in one night.
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 9: Meng Fu, Who Knows A Little Bit Of Everything
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The Best Idol show in China and the show in the other three countries had similar rules.
In order to select the best female group and to groom them to become global idols, they would naturally be very strict with the judging and the selection process. Everyone was required to do proper rearrangement of music, lyric writing, song composition, and come up with the choreography.
They were only given one week. In the first two days, a mentor would guide them to work on their lyrics and music. For someone who could compose like Ding Liuyue, it was already difficult for her to come up with a composition in two days. Moreover, Chu Yue and the rest were not adept at composing music. They might not even be able to compose a song in one week, much less one night.
While Chu Yue, Wei Jin, and the others were still feeling dreadful and fretting about that, Meng Fu had already released her fingers, massaged her wrists, lifted her delicate chin, and said to Wei Jin, “Bring me a chair.”
The scent of the sandalwood had slowly spread throughout the room. The fragrance was not strong at all. There was the light smell of plants in the air. Wei Jin, who was anxious, began to calm down and she was able to think clearly. She carried a chair for Meng Fu and placed it respectfully behind her.
Meng Fu sat on the chair, crossed her legs, and pointed at the short-haired girl, smiling enchantingly. “Buddy, do you have a guitar? Let me use it.”
The short-haired girl had a guitar, but she had never used it. She had not expected Meng Fu to know about her guitar. She pursed her lips, as if deciding what she should do next before saying, “I’ll get it now.”
The short-haired girl brought the guitar to Meng Fu. It looked very old. She lowered her head, looking embarrassed. Meng Fu took it and plucked it twice randomly. It did not sound right. Meng Fu did not show any reaction. Instead, she plucked the strings to tune it. She tried to play a few notes, but some of them were out of tune. She then tuned them and the notes sounded normal.
She pressed a chord with her fingers. The guitar was half resting on her leg and her curly hair on the left side of her face was inadvertently touching the strings. The girl with short hair knew how to play the guitar. She could tell that Meng Fu was not a beginner at playing guitar. Although there were some notes that were off pitch at the beginning, her movements became more and more natural.
Meng Fu could be considered an expert. The girl with short hair and everyone else were stunned. They all thought Meng Fu was tone deaf and incapable of reading music. How could she play the guitar?
Chu Yue realized what Meng Fu was doing. She took a piece of paper and began to jot down some chords and the main melody. Everyone was immersed in Meng Fu’s expressions when she played the guitar. After playing the guitar, she released her grip on it and her slender fingertips wound loosely around the strings.
“How is it?” she tilted her head and looked at Chu Yue.
Chu Yue’s icy cold demeanor finally eased slightly. She looked at Meng Fu with gleaming eyes. “Did you transcribe the melody score that Mentor Tang gave us?”
To transcribe was to be self-reliant and to identify the main melody, harmony, and orchestration of the score. However, only people who studied music professionally were able to do it.
Chu Yue originally planned to study and fill in the music with her members tonight. She was also planning to go to Tang Ze to get a new original song. Unexpectedly, Meng Fu knew the melody that Tang Ze had played only twice. However, she had no time to ask how Meng Fu knew the song.
Meng Fu put down the guitar and changed the subject. “Let’s check the overall lyrics and melody first.”
Meng Fu used the guitar to play some of the melodies that she transcribed. With this and a little harmony and other orchestration, it would be possible to create a successful song. There was light at the end of the tunnel. The group hurried to fill in the details.
After everyone left to work on the music, the girl with the short hair was the only person left. She squatted next to Meng Fu, pinching the corner of her clothes as she asked in a low voice, “Can you play the guitar? Why did you tell Mentor Xi that you couldn’t read the score last time?”
Meng Fu was very patient with adorable girls. She did splits while answering her. “I learned guitar from my master’s friend for a while, but he didn’t have time to teach me how to read music scores.”
The girl with short hair looked sideways at Meng Fu. Choosing the word “master” was odd. In modern society, few people used the word “master.” The word “mentor” was much more commonly used.
Seeing the gleaming eyes of the short-haired girl, Meng Fu stopped herself from saying that she merely spent a few weeks learning how to play the guitar and that she had yet to master it.
Meng Fu was interested in everything and she was a quick learner. However, she quickly lost interest after learning a new skill and she would look for the next interesting skill to learn. Her master often scolded her, saying that she might seem as if she knew everything, but in fact, she was a master of nothing.
**
Ding Liuyue left Chu Yue’s group and went to Jiang Ran’s team. The trainees of Best Idol were not surprised. No one paid attention to the change except for Jiang Ran and Ding Liuyue. Everyone only hoped that they could survive till the last competition and sign an upgrade contract.
Jiang Ran and Chu Yue belonged to the same company and had similar rankings. The reason why she poached Ding Liuyue to join her was because she hoped that by doing so she would sabotage Chu Yue and cause her to drop out.
Everyone had to submit their completed work to the mentors the next day. She was surprised that Chu Yue, Wei Jin, and their team showed no signs of defeat. Instead they were in good spirits and were happily discussing something. Ding Liuyue’s departure did not seem to have caused any trouble for them.
Jiang Ran stopped at the intersection, glanced at Ding Liuyue, took off her headset, and asked, “Did you fill in the music for them?”
“No.” Ding Liuyue was puzzled but she was certain. “They didn’t even know the original song last night, how could they fill in the song overnight? They are pretending to be calm. Chu Yue always has the same expression on her face. As for Meng Fu, she didn’t come to training today.”
Jiang Ran calmed down at Ding Liuyue’s words.
She had panicked for no reason just now. In fact, even if they had a composer, with Meng Fu on their team, Chu Yue’s team was guaranteed to struggle only to fail.
**
65 trainees prepared to have their public performance on Saturday. Two thousand spectators had already arrived.
Chu Yue did not draw a good lot. They happened to be the 8th group to perform. Everyone who was in a competition knew that one would not get enough popularity votes if one was too far ahead or too far back in the performance sequence.
This was especially so for elimination matches where they needed to maximize votes.
The seventh group happened to be Ye Shuning’s team. When they performed, the audience cheered loudly. Everyone chanted Ye Shuning’s name. Most of the LED signs tonight had her name on them as well. Everything was perfect, including the singing and dancing.
Ye Shuning bowed to the audience. “I have to say thank you to all my mentors and thank you to everyone in the audience!”
“Shuning! Shuning! Shuning!”
“Shuning, soar bravely. Your fans will always be with you!”
The shouts from the audience slowly died down after Ye Shuning left the stage.
“The 7th group has performed for us. Who is the next group?” Yin Bingnian came with her two roommates, both of whom were fans of Ye Shuning. She herself was merely a passer-by fan who only occasionally showed interest in her.
“It’s Meng Fu’s and Chu Yue’s group.” One of the roommates put away the fluorescent lights and snorted. “Isn’t it funny to allow Meng Fu to participate in this kind of live performance? What should we look out for? Her lip-syncing or going off pitch? What’s the point of watching her performance?”
“The Best Idol program crew is crazy. It’s no wonder it is not as popular in the country as compared to overseas. I don’t understand why Meng Fu participates in this kind of competitive program. She did not spend much time studying and she knows nothing at all.” The boy behind Yin Bingnian stood up while pressing the voting device to vote for Ye Shuning. “I shan’t watch it anymore. I will go to the restroom first. Maybe I will run into Ye Shuning backstage.”
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 10: An Eye-Catching Performance. The Dark Horse
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

After each performance, the 2,000 spectators would press their voting devices to vote online for their favorite contestants and only two contestants would be selected each time. At the end, the individual votes of each group would be added together and the groups would be ranked according to the overall votes. The top four groups would receive additional points depending on rank.
In the first round, Meng Fu almost surpassed Ye Shuning in the online popularity vote with her looks. In the later rounds, Meng Fu’s performance was unsatisfactory and caused dissatisfaction among Ye Shuning’s fans. Most of Ye Shuning’s fans were Meng Fu haters.
This boy was one of them as well. After casting his vote, he put away the voting device and went to the restroom backstage. As for the rest of the people, some bowed their heads to chat, and some secretly played on their cell phones, posting threads to their circle of friends.
The program crew forbade everyone from sharing or taking videos of the public performances, as the program would be broadcast next week after editing. However, there were too many people and the program crew could not control everyone.
There were some people like Yin Bingnian, who were not die-hard fans. They simply watched and waited for the next performance. Ye Shuning’s fans were in the front row chanting “lip syncing” as the next group got ready to take the stage. The host kept a straight face as he took the microphone and introduced the next group. “Next up is the last group of trainees. Its members are Chu Yue, Wei Jin, Wu Yatong… Meng Fu.”
As the host introduced the trainee one by one, several large screens on the middle of the stage would zoom in on that particular trainee. When it was Meng Fu’s turn, everyone noticed that her mentor rating was “C.”
“This must be fake. There must be something going on behind the scenes!”
“She doesn’t deserve it!”
After the host introduced them, it was the four teachers’ turn to give some encouragement to the trainees.
As usual, Tang Ze was beaming. After speaking for a while, he made a special note to encourage Meng Fu. “All the best, I am looking forward to your performance today.”
Because Wen Yu had seen Meng Fu’s good handwriting and her rating performance, Wen Yu was also looking forward to Meng Fu’s performance. “All the best.”
When it was Xi Nancheng’s turn, he commented on everyone in Meng Fu’s group except for Meng Fu. He did not even look at her or comment on her. He put down the pen and performance list in his hand and said indifferently, “You guys can start.”
The song for Meng Fu’s group was “Living, To Keep on Living.”
At the beginning of the performance, all the stage lights were turned off. A guitar could be heard, followed by the bass.
Boom!
The sounds of the rhythmic drum set could be heard and the stage spotlights turned back on, and divided into eight beams, shining onto the eight girls! The drumbeats and the ethereal human vocals, turned into a harmonious sound, heard by everyone present.
Xi Nancheng, who sat indifferently in the mentor’s seat, was intrigued by the sound of the rhythmic drum set. He slowly sat upright as he watched the performance with half-shut eyes.
The eight performers had a different style from the previous group who adopted a sweet style. Everyone had a simple and cool style. Some people wore denim pants and studded jackets, while some wore T-shirts with prints of skulls on them…
Meng Fu wore a short black T-shirt, with a black bracelet on her right wrist, and a black baseball cap on her head. One of the screens zoomed in on her. The baseball cap almost covered her face, only revealing her delicate jaw.
Yin Bingnian did not have any expectations for the last performance. She did not leave purely because she was just casually interested. After all, she was a passer-by fan of Ye Shuning. Ye Shuning was very talented to have achieved so much at her age. No one could match up to her except for the contestants in the three overseas competitions.
She did not pay attention to Meng Fu’s performance. Like most people in China, she was more interested in the other three competitions abroad. Within this regional performance, only Ye Shuning was notable anyways.
She was still daydreaming when the performance started. The performance reached the first rhythm. Chu Yue started singing and the music beats could be heard in the background. The girl in the center who wore a baseball cap took a small step with her right foot and placed her right hand in front of her. Everything was fluid and smooth, her hand and feet movements were strong and powerful.
Immediately afterwards, everyone made an iconic gesture. Everyone danced hard, devoted themselves to the music, sweating profusely, as if dancing on the seaside with the rising sun in the background! They exuded passionate youthful vigor!
Thanks to the strong rhythm and the constantly changing spotlights, they had taken over the entire stage. The voices of the audience and everything else did not seem to exist. Yin Bingnian could not help but notice the girl wearing the baseball cap in the center. Her figure was really beautiful. She was flexible yet every movement of hers was very powerful.
The music was coming to an end. The high beat rhythmic drums eventually slowed down and the only sound left was the strumming of the guitar. The girl wearing the baseball cap in the center performed a classic hip-hop breaking action with one hand resting on the ground, her left foot in front, and the other hand on her baseball cap, slowly raising her head.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang! Everything froze and the dance and singing suddenly stopped.
The large central screen captured her final framed posture. She supported the ground with one hand and the baseball cap with the other, revealing her dark and misty alluring eyes. Her expression was lazy and seductive.
“Meng Fu!!!” Yin Bingnian’s eyes widened suddenly and her heart skipped a beat. She could not help but pick up the fluorescent lights that she had not used once during the previous performances.
She only occasionally watched the domestic competitions. Her main focus was on the competitions within Country H. After all, that country had the fiercest competition. However, the live performances at the competitions abroad were not this impactful!
Yin Bingnian stared at the image on the screen. She could hardly tear her eyes away from the image. What was the name of this trainee? Oh yes, she was Meng Fu! Although some of her dance movements were stiff, the 360-degree rotation in the middle of the dance was perfect!
Her body was flexible yet powerful! The minor flaw of being stiff did not matter at all. There was also another girl who was just as amazing! Her name was Chu Yue. Both of them were pretty good!
Yin Bingnian waved the fluorescent lights vigorously and could not help but rub her arms. She could feel the goose bumps on her arms. This Meng Fu was definitely another dark horse in the domestic competition this year.
**
After the performance, the group of eight came backstage. All of them except for Meng Fu were out of breath.
“How are you so energetic?” Wei Jin wiped her sweat away. She was panting as she looked at Meng Fu.
Meng Fu reached out to take off her baseball cap. “Want to learn?”
Wei Jin nodded frantically.
Meng Fu turned her baseball cap and walked backstage, slightly curling her lips. “Start running with me tomorrow morning.”
Like what Meng Fu’s roommate, Chu Yue, had said previously, Meng Fu was a crazy girl who insisted on waking up at half past five every morning to run for half an hour. There was no camera on the pavement. There was no need to be so hardworking when the camera was off.
Wei Jin choked. “That is not necessary.”
There was a room backstage for all the trainees who had completed their performances. There was only one big screen in the lounge. The live voting and rank of each trainee would be announced on the screen and then the total ranking of the eight groups would be summarized.
There were only 16 seats in the lounge and they were ranked according to the live voting ranking. After each group ended their performances, the individual score and the total score of each group would be announced here. Trainees who were ranked at the bottom had no seats and had to stand to the side. The 16 seats were already filled up and everyone else sat on the ground, chatting with each other jokingly.
When Meng Fu’s group entered, Ding Liuyue was sitting by the side, smiling and talking to others. The ranking of her group with Jiang Ran had already been revealed. She was in 4th place and they had 10,000 votes. She would definitely not be eliminated this round.
As for the results of Meng Fu’s group, no one cared about them. Everyone knew that as long as Meng Fu was in their group, they would not be a threat.
The personal ranking displayed on the screen at this time was:
No. 1 Ye Shuning, 689
No. 2 Nan Qiu, 435
No. 3 Shen Qingfeng, 417
No. 4 Jiang Ran, 409
…
Ye Shuning was far ahead of the competition. No one was her equal.
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 11: Alerted the Higher-Ups
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

There was a reason why Ye Shuning was the most popular and promising contestant on the entire show. Be it the online popularity or live polls, her results far surpassed the rest of the trainees. The second to sixth places had about the same number of votes. The seventh place only had 243 votes. Individual rankings were only revealed to the sixteenth place, which had 152 votes.
Based on the internet, nine out of ten viewers were Ye Shuning fans, which explained the discrepancies. None of the local contestants could catch up with Ye Shuning. The gap between her and the others was too huge.
In order to achieve high-quality post-edits of the show, the backstage crew did not allow the contestants to watch the performances of other teams.
The voice of the host filled the room, coming through the loudspeaker. “We will now announce the number of votes for each contestant and the ranking for Team 8.”
Besides Ding Liuyue and Jiang Ran, who were expecting to be in for a good show, the rest of the people weren’t interested in Team 8’s ranking. Nevertheless, they continued to stare at the large screen perfunctorily for the sake of the show. At the same time, the individual rankings on the entire screen disappeared and were replaced by the group ranking.
From top to the bottom, the screen was divided into eight rows. The first row was the individual votes and overall ranking of Ye Shuning’s team. Ye Shuning’s team had received 1,503 votes and was ranked first. Taking the second place was Nan Qiu’s team with a total of 1,251 votes.
…
Jiang Ran’s team was ranked fourth with a total of 1,124 votes. Besides Ye Shuning’s team, the votes of the other three teams were very close to one another.
“We’ll now announce the results of the individual votes for Team 8. Chu Yue—” said the announcer.
Holding her breath, Wei Jin’s gaze was fixated on the screen. Her hands instinctively grabbed Meng Fu’s sleeve. On the last row of the screen, the names of team eight’s members appeared.
“277 votes.”
277 votes. This was considered a lot of votes, ranking seventh overall. Had this happened in the past, no one would have been surprised. After all, Chu Yue had good foundations. She was also a dancer with strong stage presence. However, everyone thought Meng Fu’s presence would have dampened the team’s performance. Furthermore, Ding Liuyue did not compose the song. Yet, Chu Yue’s team still received 277 votes?
Even Jiang Ran couldn’t help but take a second glance at Chu Yue. She heaved a sigh of relief. She had 100 votes more than Chu Yue. Everything would turn out fine.
As she consoled herself inwardly, she couldn’t help but look at the last row.
“Wei Jin: 127 votes.”
“Wu Yatong: 68 votes.”
As the number of votes appeared one by one, the total score located in the second column of the eighth row increased gradually. After Wu Yatong’s score appeared, the total score became 756. The overall rank was still displayed the number “8.”
Jiang Ran and Ding Liuyue, who had been staring at the screen, went from feeling nervous to relaxed. Jiang Ran’s team was in fourth place and had gotten 1,126 votes. Chu Yue’s team had 756 votes now. Only Meng Fu’s votes had not been announced. If Chu Yue’s team wanted to take fourth place, Meng Fu had to garner at least 370 votes.
Chu Yue, the strongest individual in the team, had only received 277 votes. There was no way Chu Yue’s team could clinch the fourth place even if Meng Fu were to receive 300 votes, let alone 277. Furthermore, it was doubtful whether Meng Fu could receive even 100 votes with her performance.
Nobody in the crowd was expecting much. It was obvious who the top four teams would be. Some were upset while others felt thankful that they had joined a strong team.
“It’s okay.” Chu Yue was still as calm and cool as ever. Holding onto the mic on her collar, she glanced at Meng Fu expressionlessly. “Don’t feel stressed. You’ve done very well. This is the first public performance. The netizens’ impressions have always been shadowed by the trivials. They will change their opinion of you.”
Meng Fu crossed her arms on the chest and leaned lazily against the wall, bending her long and slender legs. Hearing this, she took off the cap on her face and gave Chu Yue an “okay” gesture to express that she was not worried.
After seeing Meng Fu’s expression and confirming that Meng Fu didn’t care much about other people’s gossip and opinions, Chu Yue then retracted her gaze coldly.
On the other side.
“It’s a pity for Chu Yue. She has quite a number of individual votes,” Ding Liuyue exclaimed with a regretful tone. Despite this, her slightly droopy eyes were filled with joy and smugness.
Fortunately, she had chosen to work with Jiang Ran. Otherwise, she would be the one facing this situation now. Jiang Ran’s team was ranked fourth. She would get an extra 10,000 popularity votes. Coupled with her rank of 37th during the last popularity poll, it would not be a problem for her to remain on the show now.
Just as Ding Liuyue was pondering over this, the room began to get quiet. She looked up in surprise, only to discover Jiang Ran staring at the large screen with a dumbfounded and stupefied expression as if she had seen a ghost. The rest of the people in the room were also staring at the screen.
What was happening?
Ding Liuyue instinctively turned her gaze to the screen. The total number of votes had been revealed on the last row of screen.
Team 8, the total number of votes…
1408.
Group ranking…
Second place.
After the group ranking was finalized the screen immediately displayed the individual rankings. From the top to the bottom, everyone could clearly see the rankings on the screen.
No. 1 Ye Shuning, 689
No.2 Meng Fu, 667
No.3 Nan Qiu, 435
No.4 Shen Qingfeng, 417
No.5 Jiang Ran, 409
…
In the quiet room, every row of words and numbers was extremely clear and distinct.
Even the directors behind the camera couldn’t calm down, let alone the group of trainees in the room. They couldn’t help but stand up, supporting themselves with the table and staring in shock at the name in the second row of the screen.
[No.2 Meng Fu, 667]
Ye Shuning had been the dark horse of the “Best Idol” show. Her scores were way ahead of the other trainees in all aspects. She had been hailed as the show’s first dark horse by the netizens because of this.
This was the first time that someone had received almost the same number of votes as Ye Shuning since the show had begun. Most of the live audience came to support Ye Shuning and most of them were Meng Fu’s haters. All the votes were real and no one was faking them. Under such circumstances, Meng Fu could still get 667 votes…
The backstage crew couldn’t help but look at each other.
“What the crap. That high?”
“Something major has happened.”
A trainee who had been portrayed as a bimbo by the program team had gotten second place…
“I have to say something. I couldn’t help but focus the camera on her during her performance tonight. Her stage presence is too strong. She is naturally cut out for this.”
The program team had an internal discussion. Ye Shuning had countless fans and was deemed the best candidate for the “Global Idol” show. They were also banking on her for the bet-on agreement.
Despite this however, Meng Fu’s 667 votes was significant because the vast majority of the audience supported Ye Shuning. Therefore, although Meng Fu had scored lower than Ye Shuning, Meng Fu’s achievement was that much more impressive.
The program higher-up squinted at this and stood up immediately. “Why haven’t I heard you guys mention this person before? Where is Director Mu? Please contact Director Mu!”
He knew that Director Mu was counting on Ye Shuning being chosen.
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 12: An Important Matter
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Meng Fu was able to clinch second place despite such circumstances. The program planner felt that it was necessarily to reevaluate Meng Fu. Most importantly, he had seen Meng Fu’s performance live. Coupled with her outstanding appearance, she was definitely someone worth grooming.
The crew member immediately replied to the program planner, “Director Mu is in the office.”
Tonight’s eight performances were very important. As for the announcement of the rankings, they would be made after editing. After watching Ye Shuning’s performance, Director Mu had quickly left for backstage upon receiving a phone call. He was negotiating about the bet-on agreement with the investors.
He had handed the entire stage to the program planner. What remained of the show was the announcement of the rankings and the elimination of the contestants. This was the highlight of the entire program. The planner had already handed out the scripts and it was now Tang Ze and Xi Nancheng’s turn to perform their roles.
Tang Ze had always been good at managing things. Furthermore, the rankings would not be broadcast live until after editing. The most important live performance had already ended perfectly. It was thus reasonable for the director to leave the show temporarily to settle the funding situation.
“Okay, I’m going to look for him. Keep a tight watch here. Don’t make any mistakes.” The planner then went searching for Director Mu to inform him about Meng Fu.
The show had been tepid for two years. Now they had Meng Fu, another individual who was worth grooming. Perhaps the show could be revived from this stroke of good luck. This was an important matter. He must have a good discussion about this with the director.
**
At the same time.
The four mentors who had just stepped down from the stage were putting on their mics, preparing to announce the individual ranks and elimination namelist.
“Mentor Xi, was Meng Fu’s performance okay this time?” Wen Yu glanced at Xi Nancheng, who was very prejudiced against Meng Fu.
Hearing that, Xi Nancheng tidied up his sleeves slowly and then glanced at Tang Ze. “The original song you provided was suitable for singing outdoors. As for Meng Fu, she had vocal accompaniment throughout this performance? Chu Yue didn’t. You told me last time that she is the main vocalist on this team. How can she be considered a main vocalist if she does that?”
Tang Ze originally wanted to tell Xi Nancheng that the finalized song they composed was different from the original one he provided them. However, he was puzzled by Xi Nancheng’s last few words. “Meng Fu’s voice is excellent and has an absolutely high range. Her tune is also perfect. I really thought that she was a vocalist. I didn’t expect her to have vocal accompaniment. When she sang the last time, my migraine improved a lot…”
Xi Nancheng was not bothered by Tang Ze’s words but the latter’s last sentence about his migraine getting better…
Had Tang Ze gone crazy?
Xi Nancheng glanced at him. “In terms of votes, Ye Shuning sings and dances much better. She also composed the song her group performed to.”
“Anyway, I look forward to seeing how many votes Meng Fu gets. Her performance was beyond my expectations. She’s born to be a performer. She has improved markedly since the last time. It shouldn’t be difficult for her to get at least 200 votes.” Mentor Wen Yu was not very knowledgeable about professional dancing. Naturally, he would not give any random assessments. He could only say that Meng Fu’s performance was very striking.
The four mentors were seated in the front but they were still a distance from the stage. They could neither see the huge projection above their heads nor the detailed screen captures by the broadcasting director. They could only see a group of people dancing from a distance. They couldn’t see different angles, either. They couldn’t even see the close-up shots of the performance.
Even so, Wen Yu felt that Meng Fu had improved tremendously.
“She has made a lot of progress. Obviously, her limbs and movements are not as rigid as before.” Tang Ze adjusted the position of his mic. “However, it’s hard to garner live votes. It may be difficult to get 200 when Ye Shuning has such a following.”
As they conversed, crew members brought them the latest poll results.
Tang Ze took a look and smiled. “Ye Shuning, 689 votes. Sure enough, she’s still… Eh?”
Probably thinking that he had read it wrong, Tang Ze closed his eyes and then opened them. He stared at the last name on the team that had clinched second place.
Meng Fu, 667.
Wen Yu, who had just said that Meng Fu might get 200 votes, was speechless. Tang Ze was filled with excitement. He remembered Meng Fu’s stunning performance during the last assessment and he planned to go backstage to watch a replay of the performance later.
Squinting his eyes, Xi Nancheng held onto the document. It was uncertain what was in his mind. The mentors went in to announce the final popularity rank of the trainees as well as who would be eliminated. When the four mentors entered the room, a group of trainees was still looking dazed, until they heard Tang Ze announce the poll results.
“This is the online popularity poll results as of 12 o’clock in the morning yesterday.” Tang Ze took a second glance at Meng Fu and then pointed to the big screen behind him. The 65 trainees could see their original rankings.
No. 1 Ye Shuning, 8245615
No. 2 Nan Qiu, 5213694
…
No. 4 Meng Fu, 3993621
No. 5 Jiang Ran, 3542312
…
No. 11 Chu Yue, 1715762
…
No. 24. Wu Yatong, 861147
…
No. 37. Ding Liuyue, 179701
…
No. 39 Wei Jin, 170563
…
Towards the end of the list, the gap in the number of votes became increasingly smaller. This was the reason why those who had poor rankings wanted to find a strong team. For people like Ye Shuning and Nan Qiu, nothing had changed at all.
“Ye Shuning’s team members will receive 50,000 popularity votes. Chu Yue’s team members will receive 30,000 popularity votes.” Tang Ze looked at the large screen. “These are the revised rankings based on the popularity polls. The 20 least popular trainees will face elimination. Out of these 20 trainees, the top 5 trainees will not be leaving the show as they will participate in the revival match in the next round. For the other 15 trainees, your journey ends here.”
As he was talking, the large screen changed again. Ding Liuyue stared at the large screen without batting her eye.
No. 46 Ding Liuyue, 179701
…
The 20 who ranked the lowest would be eliminated this round and Ding Liuyue was ranked 46th. Ding Liuyue felt like she had been drained of all of her energy. Her ears buzzed. She was both fearful and thankful. She felt fearful because she had been listed as one of the 20 to be eliminated and thankful because she was one of the five who would be given a second chance.
No. 34 Wei Jin, 200563.
Wei Jin, who originally had a lower ranking than her, was now ranked 34th.
**
After the rankings were announced, the recording of the show was basically over.
“Meng Fu, why didn’t you sing this time?” Tang Ze finally found the opportunity to ask Meng Fu.
Meng Fu had put on her baseball cap and was calling Sister Zhao with her cell phone. Upon hearing Tang Ze, she looked up. “The song is not suitable for me.”
Tang Ze could sense the perfunctoriness in her reply and hence he did not press on.
He headed towards the backstage to look for a replay of the recording. “Nancheng, we’re going backstage to watch a replay of Meng Fu’s performance. Do you want to join us?”
The other three mentors were very curious about how Meng Fu got 667 votes.
Xi Nancheng was holding his cellphone. He had other things to attend to and wasn’t interested in Meng Fu’s affairs for the time being. He said lightly, “No thanks. I have an appointment with Teacher Yu Xian.”
Yu Xian was the teacher that Xi Nancheng had found for Ye Shuning. Tang Ze knew that Xi Nancheng was very concerned about Ye Shuning’s affairs.
Ye Shuning had a shocking talent for composing songs. Tang Ze nodded. “That matter is more important. Go ahead, then.”
At the same time.
The program planner entered the office to look for Director Mu immediately after the latter finished his conversation with the investors.
Director Mu looked at him and said with a headache, “I’m talking about Ye Shuning with the investors. You interrupted me in such a hurry and the negotiations almost failed. This better be important.”
Director Mu tone was harsh.. What else could be more important than Ye Shuning at the moment?
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 13: Simple Resume
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“This is related to Ye Shuning,” the planner said with his hands on the table and his eyes widened. “Besides Ye Shuning, I discovered another talented idol candidate for grooming.”
Director Mu had been going bald because of the situation. Upon hearing this, his hands that had been pressing onto his glasses trembled. “Who?”
“Meng Fu,” the planner said firmly.
Director Mu might not know the strength of the others on the show but he was well aware of Meng Fu’s. Director Mu could not help frowning at her mention. Fortunately, the planner was the one who had brought up Meng Fu’s name. If she had been mentioned by someone else, Director Mu would have long chided and chased them away.
Director Mu looked up at the planner.
“She has a terrifying stage presence and received 667 popularity votes on tonight’s live poll. Ye Shuning only has 689 votes.” The planner showed the voting results to Director Mu. “You should be well aware of the fact that most of the audience supports Ye Shuning. You can measure the “gold content” of these 667 votes yourself.”
The planner was just giving his suggestions to Director Mu but the latter had to make the final call. Aside from the investors, Director Mu was the head of the entire program and crew.
Director Mu was taken aback by the planner’s words. He knew very well that no one had control over the voting results which meant that somehow Meng Fu had pulled off a miracle.
“I’ll take a look first.” He picked up the cell phone and told the assistant to find him a copy of Meng Fu’s information. He then told the planner to leave.
This was not the first time that the planner had worked with Director Mu. Judging from Director Mu’s expression, he knew that Director Mu was taking the situation seriously. The planner thus left the office with, reassured.
Ten minutes later.
Director Mu received the screen captures of Meng Fu’s public performance.
Before the start of the program, Director Mu had signed agreements with various companies and decided on the position and standing of the respective trainees. To him, Meng Fu was just eye candy who could create trending topics and boost the popularity of the show.
Meng Fu’s presence in the program would bring out the talents of a few strong trainees such as Ye Shuning and Nanqiu. He had been provided with a lot of videos. After watching them, Director Mu heaved a long sigh of relief. He finally understood why the planner had been so anxious to find him. Meng Fu was truly stunning.
Director Mu got someone to send him more details of Meng Fu. He felt slightly puzzled as to why he had not discovered Meng Fu in the past. Had his scouting instincts been wrong? Had he missed out on some crucial information? Director Mu’s heart was filled with excitement at the thought of Meng Fu entering showbiz. With two idol contestants, his show was going to be a big hit this time.
With this thought in mind, Director Mu squinted his eyes at the electronic resume on his computer screen. His wild heart eventually settled down. Meng Fu’s resume and background were too simple. She did not state any exceptional skills or abilities. This was also one of the reasons why the program crew had portrayed her as a bimbo in the beginning.
There were various types of artist images, such as top students, school belle, talent, foodie, in the entertainment industry… There were a myriad of personalities and every artist was able to fit into at least one of these roles.
Unfortunately, Meng Fu was someone who could not fit into any. Otherwise, she would not have been that unknown despite being in showbiz for more than a year. Unexpectedly, Meng Fu had taken second place with 667 votes in a live voting session, surpassing most of the talented trainees.
Director Mu stared at the document and fell into a dilemma. He did not know if this was merely a coincidence or that Meng Fu had suddenly become enlightened. Showbiz was no stranger to one hit wonders.
Director Mu tapped his finger on the table. It was not because he did not think highly of Meng Fu. It was just that his expectations of her had reduced slightly. Though Meng Fu’s dancing was top notch, he also saw Meng Fu’s shortcomings.
Yes, he could tell that Meng Fu had voice accompaniment during the singing. In comparison to Meng Fu, Ye Shuning had both strength and potential.
**
Meng Fu was unaware of what happened between the Director Mu and the planner. She was changing her clothes at the moment and didn’t stage a scene of sisterly love and reluctance to part with those that had been eliminated.
Honestly, when she joined the show, she had only been impressed by Chu Yue and the few in her group. As for the rest of them, she could not even remember their names. Their group had not been eliminated. Therefore, she didn’t bother to put on the act.
“When did you begin practicing dancing? When Brother Su and I were in the audience watching earlier, I almost thought I was seeing the wrong person!” Zhao Fan found out that Meng Fu was in the lounge. She opened the door and came in.
Behind her was Su Cheng. When he glanced over, his glabella still looked as cold and aloof as ever, though the light-colored sweater he was wearing made his usual thick and dark eyebrows appear less menacing.
Seeing Meng Fu, he paused momentarily before turning around. “Get dressed.”
Meng Fu was reading the messages on her mobile phone with one hand and buttoning her shirt with the other.
She was halfway done with buttoning up her shirt, and a large part of her fair skin at the neckline was exposed, revealing a beautiful and delicate clavicle. A few strands of unobedient, long, curled hair randomly fell onto her shoulders.
Meng Fu was the thin and slender type. Yet, she did not have the style of a bookish little fairy. Her alluring and peach-shaped eyes always exuded a profound and mysterious feeling. Zhao Fan stood aside, staring at Meng Fu. She still had the same face but there was something different about her.
“I’m wearing them.” She sat on the chair unhurriedly. Her eyes did not leave the phone as she continued to get dressed.
Meng Fu and the others had performed on the stage at the sports stadium of T City. Now that they had finished recording the show, it was time to go back to the camp to prepare for the next round of performances.
“Sister Zhao told me I can take some time off?” she asked Su Cheng after buttoning her shirt. She put on a coat and tucked her phone into the pocket.
Su Cheng turned around and glanced at her. He said, “You can take a few days off.”
Meng Fu still remembered what Yu Zhenling had told her about visiting her “grandfather” in the hospital. The Jiang family probably had other things to tell her. She had to clean up the mess that the female journalist had made in the Jiang family.
She thought about it carefully. “Two days.”
Su Cheng smiled lightly, “Okay. Let’s go.”
The program crew would probably be unhappy about this. Su Cheng promised too readily but Meng Fu was deep in thought. Why did this company, consisting of Zhao Fan and Su Cheng, come to her?
She did not think the female journalist had caused the company to lose money…
**
There were two cars parked outside.
One of them was Meng Fu’s nanny car. The other car, painted black, was parked closely to the nanny car.
Inside the black car, the man in the passenger seat frowned and looked outside lazily. “Is she the one that your family’s master has been paying close attention to recently?”
The driver in the driver’s seat didn’t switch on the lights inside the car. He merely replied respectfully, “Yes, Young Master Wei.”
There was music playing in the car. If Meng Fu were here, she would have been able to tell that this was the group song she sang during the assessment for the mentors.
“What does she do?” Young Master Wei was puzzled.
“She seems to be an actress. Ms. Meng…” the driver replied.
There was not much space for Young Master Wei to put his long legs. He retracted his gaze and raised his eyebrows. “Oh.”
He interrupted the driver’s words. A genius like him who was highly sought after by many people rarely set his eyes on someone. Young Master Wei closed his eyes and rested again. He was waiting for Su Cheng to return.
**
At the same time, at the Tong residence.
Just as Madam Tong hung up the call, she saw Tong Eryu, who had just returned. She thought deeply for a moment.
Tong Eryu put down his coat. “Mom, what’s the matter with you?”
“It’s… It’s about the young lady of the Jiang family. The Jiang family is holding a dinner at their residence tomorrow. It may be related to Meng Fu. Do you want to meet them?” Madam Tong thought for a long time and finally decided to seek Tong Eryu’s opinion.
Meng Fu?
At the sudden mention of this name, Tong Eryu could not remember who Meng Fu was.
“Is this the girl who was mistakenly swapped with Xinran?” Father Tong said as he put down his teacup and looked up at Madam Tong.
After hearing this, Tong Eryu finally remembered who she was. He could not help but smile. “I have not met Meng Fu, actually.”
It was mainly because the Jiang family had never brought Meng Fu to any formal occasions before.
Madam Tong said lightly, “She’s not someone worth meeting.”
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 14: Do You Know Whose Screen You Are Flooding Now?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Upon hearing this, Tong Eryu glanced at Madam Tong. She did not seem to want to mention Meng Fu too much.
Tong Eryu did not press further. “I’m going to visit the Wei family tomorrow. I don’t have time.”
Hearing this, Father Tong, who had not intended to speak, looked serious. “Make sure you are hospitable to the Wei family.”
In fact, neither the Tong family nor the Jiang family knew the Wei family’s status in the capital. They only heard a bit from Madam Tong’s maiden family. However, Father Tong knew that the Wei family was beyond his reach. It was important for Tong Eryu to have connections with the Wei family.
“I understand.” Tong Eryu smiled.
He was not very curious about Meng Fu because he rarely heard about Meng Fu in his circle. But he had heard before that Meng Fu was in the entertainment industry. Even if he was interested in Meng Fu, he wouldn’t have rejected Young Master Wei’s invitation for Meng Fu.
**
At the same time, Meng Fu’s nanny car arrived at the residential area where her rental house was. As they were in a rush last time, Zhao Fan had not had time to take a good look at the community. This time, she got out of the car and looked around. She felt a little strange. There were not many people around despite being already past ten o’clock.
Zhao Fan rubbed her arm thinking while trailing behind Su Cheng.
The corridors in the community were quite old. There were six floors in total and there was no elevator. However, it was clean and the lights were voice activated, which was why it was so dark.
“Give me the key.” Meng Fu was about to walk up when Su Cheng raised his hand to stop her.
Meng Fu felt puzzled. However, she had been busy with rehearsing and learning to dance with Chu Yue these past two days. She was very tired. She yawned lazily, found the key, and handed it to Su Cheng. The girl’s fingers were slender and her fingertips lightly swept across his palm, leaving a trace of warmth behind them.
Su Cheng lowered his eyes, glanced at the key, then raised his head, glancing at her lightly. “Follow after me.”
He passed Meng Fu and walked up the stairs. Meng Fu glanced at his back in surprise, then smiled. As he walked up, the lights above his head turned on.
The lights in the stairway were not particularly bright. They looked hazy as they shone on his light-colored sweater, making his complexion seem even fairer. When he raised his hand to open the door with the key, one could almost see the faint blue veins from the back of his hand.
Meng Fu’s room still looked the same as the last time they had visited. She did not do much cleaning. Su Cheng turned on the lights, scanned the room, and he could not help but frown slightly.
After a moment of silence, he looked at Meng Fu, his dark eyes reflecting the light. “Can you do it alone?”
Meng Fu lay on the sofa in the hall and raised her hand, indicating that she could do it. Her eyes were half-shut. Her eyelashes formed a faint shadow across her eyelids. She was too lazy to answer him. She seemed to be very tired.
The cell phone in her hand kept lighting up. Meng Fu casually checked the cell phone. Wei Jin sent a message through WeChat1.
Wei Jin: [To my surprise, I was not eliminated!]
Wei Jin: [Kneelingdownwithgratitude.jpg]
Wei Jin: [Turningaroundincircles.jpg]
Wei Jin: […]
She had sent countless memes. Meng Fu arched her eyebrows.
[Do you know whose screen you are flooding now?]
The other party immediately stopped sending memes.
Wei Jin: [Father, I was wrong.]
Su Cheng looked down at her and did not say a word. He made a call and within a few minutes, a burly man in black man came up, looked at Su Cheng, and said, “Young…”
Su Cheng glanced at him and said nothing.
The burly man stopped abruptly. “Brother Cheng.”
“Clean up.” Su Cheng lowered his eyelashes.
The burly man nodded respectfully silently.
**
The next day.
Meng Fu was awakened by the ringing of her cell phone.
Yu Zhenling was calling her. There was not much emotion in her voice when Meng Fu picked up. She lowered her voice and said, “Didn’t you say that you were going to visit your grandfather? He waited for you all morning.”
Meng Fu rubbed her head and sat up. “Half an hour.”
After speaking, she threw the cell phone down and walked out barefoot. She opened the door and went out, and to her surprise, the whole hall had been refurbished. The sofa was changed, and a soft carpet was laid on the ground. She raised her eyebrows, brushed her teeth, changed her clothes, and went downstairs to take a taxi to the hospital.
Half an hour later she was at the hospital.
Old Master Jiang was in the VIP convalescence room on the top floor where nurses were taking care of him. Meng Fu pulled down the mask on her face to register her information with the nurse. Afterward, she found Old Master Jiang’s ward and opened the door to go in. Most of the Jiang family was in the ward today.
Present were Mother Jiang, Yu Zhenling, Father Jiang, Jiang Quan, and a teenager sitting on the sofa in the room looking down at their cell phone.
“Dad, Fu’er is here.” Jiang Quan sat by the bed, whispering to Old Master Jiang.
Yu Zhenling looked at Meng Fu with a complicated expression. She did not speak a word. The teenager seemed too preoccupied with the phone and did not move at all.
Old Master Jiang opened his eyes and looked at Meng Fu, his eyes filled with joy and gentleness. “Fu’er, you are here, come and sit down.”
He asked the nurse to raise his bed.
He cast Jiang Quan a glance and Jiang Quan stood up to give up his seat to Meng Fu, saying softly, “Chat with your grandpa.”
Meng Fu closed the door with one hand, and pulled down the mask with the other. She paused when she heard Old Master Jiang’s words. She had not expected Old Master Jiang to have this attitude toward her.
“Are you tired from training?” Seeing her, Old Master Jiang felt much better. There was a smug look on his face. “Your show starts at eight o’clock tonight. I will tell all the nurses to watch the show and vote for you.”
Meng Fu grabbed his wrist gently. She acted very kind and obedient. “Thank you, Grandpa.”
“Oh…” Old Master Jiang looked at her and the more he looked at her, the happier he became. He suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Jiang Quan. “I heard that Eryu is also back. Did they meet?”
Upon hearing his words, Yu Zhenling choked up, not knowing what to say.
Screech!
The teenager with the phone who was sitting in the chair with his head down stood up upon hearing that. He tilted his head and sneered at Meng Fu. “Thanks to you, my elder sister rarely comes back home. Now you can’t bear that she is doing well and want to snatch away the person she likes?”
Jiang Quan’s expression changed and he cast a sideway glance at him. “Jiang Xinchen! How can you speak to your elder sister like that?”
Jiang Xinchen sneered. “My elder sister? My only sister is Jiang Xinran. People with complicated backgrounds cannot be my elder sister!”
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 15: Picking One From Two
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Jiang Xinchen, where are your manners? Who taught you to speak to your elder sister like that?!” Jiang Quan raised his hand and was about to slap Jiang Xinchen’s face, but was quickly stopped by Yu Zhenling.
In the end, Jiang Quan raised his hand and picked up a cup, throwing it on the floor. “Get out of here!”
Jiang Quan held back his anger in front of the Old Master.
Yu Zhenling calmed Jiang Quan, while gesturing at Jiang Xinchen. “Leave.”
Jiang Xinchen was young and rash. He was only a high school year one student. He was at a rebellious age. He glanced at Meng Fu and Old Master. He wanted to say something, but he did not dare voice his thoughts. He opened the door and went out, leaning against the wall. He felt irritable and unhappy.
Jiang Xinran was very good to him. Even when she was busy with the competition classes, she would make time to tutor him. Since a young age, friends, classmates, and many other people envied him for having an outstanding elder sister like Jiang Xinran.
The family had a very good life, but now they had to deal with Meng Fu. She brought all sorts of trouble with her, dropping out of school, and joining the entertainment industry. Thinking of her, Jiang Xinchen felt depressed and discomfort.
Inside the room.
Meng Fu was still sitting next to the bed. She was well-behaved and pretty. She was honest and did not seem like she would fight with others. The Old Master could not help but feel angry at what just happened.
“Dad, Xinchen is still young, don’t take his words too seriously,” Yu Zhenling poured a cup of tea for the Old Master and said in a low voice.
The Old Master did not look up at her. Instead he said indifferently, “He is already in high school and yet he is so insensible. How can he manage businesses in the future?”
This was a harsh criticism. Old Master Jiang had carved out a business empire and brought the Jiang family success. His opinion of Jiang Xinchen was a big blow to Yu Zhenling.
Yu Zhenling glanced at Meng Fu eagerly, urging her to put in good words for Jiang Xinchen.
However, Meng Fu looked docile and submissive and she remained silent. Jiang Quan said that Meng Fu did not spend her childhood with the family and therefore did not understand the rules of wealthy families. Yu Zhenling felt frustrated. This was obviously being low in IQ and EQ. Meng Fu could not justify her actions by saying that she was ignorant.
If it were her, she would know to comfort Old Master Jiang without her saying anything. She would not behave like Meng Fu.
Yu Zhenling had paid extra attention in guiding and teaching Jiang Xinran for many years. Jiang Xinran was always in line with her wishes. Even her brother and family liked Jiang Xinran. She had also made a name for herself amongst the wealthy families.
She even picked up drawing skills from her brother and her paintings cost more than 100,000 yuan. On the other hand, after returning to the Jiang family, Meng Fu was not close to Jiang Xinran at all. She even dropped out of school to join the entertainment industry. She paled in comparison to an outstanding individual like Jiang Xinran. It was impossible for Yu Zhenling to be impartial.
“Dad, I will tell Xinchen off. Don’t be angry, your health is the most important thing.” Yu Zhenling lowered her eyes, still holding the teacup upright.
Old Master Jiang knew what was going through Yu Zhenling’s and Jiang Xinchen’s minds.
He reached out and took the cup of tea from Yu Zhenling. He took a sip and said, “Xinchen is not young anymore.”
Both Yu Zhenling and Jiang Quan listened readily to Old Master’s advice. Yu Zhenling breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that Old Master was no longer angry.
Meng Fu sat by the Old Master’s bed. She looked at his wrist thoughtfully and stood up. “Grandpa, I’ll go to the restroom.”
Jiang Quan watched as Meng Fu opened the door, went out, and closed the door after her. Something suddenly struck him. The Old Master stayed in a VIP room and he had his own restroom.
Why did Meng Fu leave?
However, Jiang Quan did not have time to think about it. The Old Master leaned on the headboard and said slowly, “When will we change her surname back to Jiang? It has been delayed for two years and we did not hold a banquet for her.”
Jiang Quan paused for a moment after hearing this. “I was going to discuss this with you today. If we really hold the banquet, it will definitely affect Xinran.”
Jiang Xinran had been brought up by the Jiang family alone. Although she was not his biological daughter, she was closer to them than their own child.
“Old Master, you must have known about the Tong family.” Jiang Quan sat in the chair that he had vacated earlier and he paused for a moment before slowly saying, “The Tong family hasn’t seen Fu’er until now. We can discern their attitude from this.”
“The marriage…” Old Master Jiang sat up, his eyebrows furrowed together.
“I know. Logically speaking, this marriage is meant for Fu’er. However, you also have to think about it. Given Fu’er’s temperament and behavior, can she be a mistress of the Tong family?” Jiang Quan shook his head. “You should know the Tong family’s background. We worked so hard to groom Xinran before they finally saw her in a good light and Madam Tong barely agreed to the marriage.”
Jiang Quan paused and continued, “You should understand Fu’er’s situation. She didn’t want to go to high school and she refused to work in the company that we arranged for her. After two years in the entertainment industry, she didn’t make any progress. Even if she is married to the Tong family, you should be able to tell easily that we will end up as in-laws or enemies.”
Yu Zhenling told Jiang Quan to have a discussion with the Old Master last time. But he did not find a chance to talk to him about it. Old Master Jiang fell silent. He knew that given Meng Fu’s current situation, it might not be good if she stayed with the Jiang family. This was why he kept thinking about the Tong family’s marriage agreement. However, he was indeed affected by Jiang Quan’s words, especially when he said that he was certain that they would become in-laws or enemies.
Jiang Quan knew that Old Master Jiang was seriously considering what he said. According to the current situation, Madam Tong could only accept Xinran. If Meng Fu worked a little bit harder, Jiang Quan might put effort into grooming her and helping her fight for her rights. But if he had to choose between Jiang Xinran and Meng Fu, it would be an easy choice for him.
Thinking of this, Jiang Quan could not help but sigh. After visiting Old Master Jiang, most of the people in the ward had left.
“You should go home too. I’ll give you a ride. Remember to go to Virtue Pavilion for dinner in the evening. Your sister is also there.” Jiang Quan left with Meng Fu, offering her a ride home.
Meng Fu’s mask was still hanging from one side of her face. Hearing this, she obediently agreed. “Thank you, Dad.” She managed to save 40 yuan.
She was pretty and obedient.
Jiang Quan’s heart melted at her words.
He told the driver to start the car while he spoke to her. “Don’t take your brother’s words too seriously. He is very close with Xinran…”
Jiang Quan kept talking throughout the journey. Meng Fu sat in the passenger seat, propped up her chin, and said lazily, “Uncle, please go to Yizhong.”
“Yizhong?” The chauffeur looked at Jiang Quan in the rearview mirror.
Meng Fu pulled on her mask. “I rent a house over there, so I won’t be going back to the Jiang residence.”
After getting in the car, she became cold and indifferent. She was no longer the well-behaved daughter. The chauffeur glanced at her. Due to the marriage agreement with the Tong family, Jiang Quan felt guilty toward Meng Fu. He did not ask why she rented a house, but told the chauffeur to take them there.
They arrived at the rental community.
Jiang Quan could not help but frown. As he was concerned about the community that she lived in, he followed Meng Fu upstairs to see her living conditions. “Why did you rent this place? How is the security here?”
When he followed Meng Fu upstairs, he realized that there was no elevator and there was rubbish on the stairway. Jiang Quan was even more troubled.
“I have rented it for two years,” Meng Fu replied.
As soon as they arrived outside her unit, the door of the opposite unit opened. A young man who wore a cap made a succinct remark towards her, looking at no one else. “Lend me some paint.”
“Go in and get it yourself.” Meng Fu opened the door.
The young man did not look at anyone or say hello. Instead, he went straight into Meng Fu’s house.
Behind him, Jiang Quan looked inside and frowned. “Who is he? What paint?”
“He lives in the opposite unit. He ran out of paint and the courier didn’t send it to him, so he is borrowing it from me.” Meng Fu still maintained an indifferent expression, leaning on the door frame and knocking twice. “Hurry up.”
Jiang Quan was taken aback. “Why do you have paint with you? Aren’t you a trainee?”
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 16: The Top University In Seven Continents
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Jiang Quan’s face was full of doubt. Learning art and painting were extremely costly. This was why Jiang Quan had never imagined that Meng Fu would have such interests.
“I used them to draw talismans.” Meng Fu leaned on the door frame, a laid-back expression on her face. She responded in a calm and indifferent manner.
Meng Fu suddenly remembered something and immediately turned to look at Jiang Quan with a smile. She had snow white skin. When she smiled, it was as if she could meltl the ice and snow on a mountain with her eyes. “Not only can I draw talismans, I can also produce pills that can cure all sorts of diseases and even prolong one’s life. I won’t lie to you. Do you need it?”
She had always been laid-back. Right now she had a perfunctory smile on her face.
The chauffeur was used to seeing a gentle and gorgeous Meng Fu. He was stunned by her smile.
Jiang Quan was shocked at her words. When he came to his senses he furrowed his eyebrows. “Nonsense, the supernatural does not exist. Your mom is right. You should go back to school. All of this will poison your mind.”
“You sure you don’t want it?” Meng Fu glanced at Jiang Quan, confirming that he really did not want it. Her smile disappeared and she resumed her nonchalant and laid-back attitude.
She did not even fake a smile. It was as if everything had been an illusion.
She then knocked on the door frame with her fingers and said indifferently, “Person inside, please be fast in taking what you want.”
The chauffeur finally confirmed that what he had seen in the car was not an illusion. There were two sides to Ms. Meng Fu.
The young man inside came out carrying two small buckets of paint. He raised his head, glanced at Meng Fu, and walked back to his unit without saying a word. Jiang Quan and the chauffeur got a clear view of the man as he looked up. There was an air of arrogance about him. He did not seem to be from an ordinary family.
The door closed and Jiang Quan looked at Meng Fu thoughtfully. “Are the two of you very close?”
“No.” Meng Fu took off her mask, which had been dangling from one of her ears.
Meng Fu obviously did not want to say more. Jiang Quan had very little interaction with her. He did not know what to ask, so he changed the topic. “I spoke about going back to high school just now. What do you think? It is necessary to excel in specific areas.”
“It depends.” Meng Fu changed her slippers at the door.
She was no longer the cute girl at the hospital.
Jiang Quan sighed. Yu Zhenling had told him that he had to make sure that Meng Fu went back to school. So long as she had some education credentials, it did not matter if she really studied hard or not. “Don’t be afraid of not being able to keep up with the curriculum. I will find someone to teach you the material. It’s also fine if you want to go abroad. I am doing this for your own good.”
Meng Fu had only been returned to the Jiang family for two years now. Jiang Quan had not taken care of her for more than a decade. He did not dare to be too hard on her. Besides, Old Master Jiang doted on her, hence he did not dare to keep her under strict control.
“Then can you buy me a place in Zhou University?” Meng Fu finally looked at him directly.
Zhou University was the top university in the world. It was worthy of its name. Very few domestic students were admitted to the university. Nearly 10 million students were admitted to universities every year but only a few thousand students entered Zhou University. It was not an exaggeration to say that only one person in a million could hope to be admitted to the university.
Jiang Quan was speechless.
“It doesn’t look like you can do it either.” Meng Fu looked at Jiang Quan regretfully. “I’m all ready to buy a place in the school.”
“Do you think that anyone can buy a place in those universities? Can you go to another university? Even if it is A University, I will be able to figure out a way to get you in.” Jiang Quan rubbed his temples. He had a headache. “Zhou University? Your elder sister doesn’t even dare to dream of it. Forget it.”
Jiang Quan did not want to talk about this topic with Meng Fu anymore. “Remember to go home for dinner tonight. Your uncle and other relatives will be there. Remember to be there.”
“Okay,” Meng Fu replied.
She then turned her gaze to the chauffeur. The chauffeur was puzzled.
Meng Fu looked at the chauffeur and said politely, “My assistant just changed the carpet. If you don’t have slippers…”
The chauffeur looked down at the carpet. It was light gray in color. He had been a chauffeur for the Jiang family for more than 20 years. He was Jiang Quan’s confidant as well. He had seen all sorts of expensive and high quality items. He could not tell that the carpet was expensive. However, he still retracted his foot.
Jiang Quan had no intention of entering the house. Perhaps he was confused after being treated indifferently by Meng Fu on their way here. Hearing the girl, he made no further comments.
When he went downstairs with the chauffeur, he suddenly thought of something and asked, “That boy staying opposite Fu’er had paint in his hand. Did she lie to me again?”
That was not the cinnabar that was used to draw talismans.
The driver murmured. He felt that Ms. Meng had not been joking earlier.
**
Meng Fu played around in the study room for a while in the afternoon. It was just after five o’clock in the evening when she went out with a brocade bag. As soon as Meng Fu arrived at the door, her cell phone rang. It was from an unknown number. Meng Fu put her earphones in with one hand and pulled the hood of her sweater on her head with the other.
On the other side of the phone, Su Cheng was waiting for the red light. The night cast shadows on his eyebrows and he looked deep in thought. “Are you going to take leave tomorrow?”
“No, I will be back for training.” Meng Fu knew that if she asked for another day off, many people would hate her for it.
Su Cheng did not ask what she was up to, but did what an assistant would do. “I will pick you up tomorrow morning for training.”
“Okay,” Meng Fu replied dully before taking a taxi to the Jiang residence. “Pick me up at six.”
At the Jiang residence.
Today, the Jiang family invited Meng Fu’s Uncle, Yu Yong, to dinner.
When Meng Fu arrived, the Jiang family and her uncle were all present. A group of people sat on the sofa and coffee table, talking and laughing. They were in a good mood.
Just as everyone was laughing and feasting, the servant who was outside the gate spoke up, “Master, Madam, Ms. Meng is back.”
The party froze for a moment.
Jiang Xinchen took a piece of cake and put it into his mouth, snorting from his nostrils. Uncle Yu Yong held a teacup in his hand. He sipped the tea while chatting with Jiang Xinran and Jiang Quan, without looking back. Yu Zhenling was keeping an eye in the kitchen so she was not in the living room.
Jiang Xinran put down the painting collection in her hand, glanced outside the door, got up, and smiled. “My younger sister is back. Didn’t you need to go for training today?”
Jiang Xinran was the same age as Meng Fu. However, since the Jiang family did not want to send Jiang Xinran back, they told the two of them to address each other as sisters.
Jiang Quan felt a little depressed when he recalled how he had been treated indifferently by Meng Fu during the day, but he still took care of Meng Fu. “Fu’er, come here. Your uncle is here, why don’t you greet him?”
Meng Fu raised her eyes and spoke in a lazy and unruly voice, “Uncle.”
Jiang Quan was worried that she would exclaim that she still had an uncle. Seeing that she was well-behaved, Jiang Quan could not be bothered with her attitude.
“Your uncle came today to show us your sister’s painting. Your sister’s ink painting was selected to be displayed in the Level C booth at the T City Exhibition Hall yesterday. You should learn from her.” Jiang Quan shared the news that he had just heard.
“Oh.” Meng Fu gave a perfunctory reply.
Jiang Xinchen smiled sarcastically. “Dad, why do you tell her that? Does she even know what a Level C booth is?”
“Keep quiet.” Jiang Quan glared at him, before turning to Yu Yong. “You must not have known that Fu’er can also paint.”
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 17: Knows A Bit Of Everything
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

This was Jiang Quan’s speculation based on the paint in Meng Fu’s house. The Yu family had always been a family of scholars and they were very well respected in T City. Yu Yong was an artist. He was well-versed in zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting. He had a very good reputation in Go and painting circles and held several high positions. Many art lovers came to T City specifically to request a painting by Yu Yong.
Unfortunately, Jiang Xinchen did not inherit the artistic talent of the Yu family. Instead, it was Jiang Xinran who showed great talent in this aspect. The Yu family and the Jiang family had made great efforts to groom her for future success. Initially, the Jiang family thought that Jiang Xinran had inherited the Yu family’s artistic talent.
However, later, Jiang Xinran’s identity was exposed. Although the Jiang family and the Yu family found it a pity, it was not easy to have an art student whom one was satisfied with. The Yu family was obviously very satisfied with Jiang Xinran. Even if Jiang Xinran was not a real daughter of the Jiang family, they would treat Jiang Xinran as their own.
Yu Yong glanced at Meng Fu upon hearing that she could paint. Even Jiang Xinchen could not help but look at Meng Fu. He was obviously not convinced. One had to have patience and talent to paint well. Jiang Xinran paused while using her cell phone.
Yu Yong put down his teacup. He was nearly 50 years old and he looked immaculate and composed. He exuded the wisdom and sharpness of a learned man. He looked at Meng Fu with an air of nonchalance. “What type of painting do you do?”
Jiang Quan looked at Meng Fu nervously, hoping that she would not say that she was used to painting talismans. Jiang Xinran lowered her eyes and bent her head to drink some water, paying full attention to Meng Fu’s answer.
The hall fell silent.
Sitting on the sofa, Meng Fu showed no interest in other people. She glanced at Jiang Quan and said, “Traditional Chinese painting.”
The Yu family was well-versed in arts. Yu Yong, and Old Master Yu were veteran artists.
Jiang Quan breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Meng Fu did not fumble the ball at the critical moment. It seemed that he was right. Meng Fu had indeed learned to paint. He relaxed slightly. “Fu’er, your uncle is a great artist of traditional Chinese painting and he also teaches your elder sister. You could learn from him in your free time. It will definitely not be a problem to apply for an art school in the future if you do.”
Jiang Quan wanted Yu Yong to guide Meng Fu. Yu Yong was a great and established figure in the arts scene. If Meng Fu learned from him, it would be a highlight in her resume.
Hearing that Meng Fu had studied traditional Chinese painting, Yu Yong’s expression warmed slightly. He sized up Meng Fu quietly. “Which of these do you focus on? Landscape, flowers and birds, or figure painting?”
Meng Fu played with the brocade bag and said simply, “I do a bit of everything.”
Hearing this sentence, Jiang Xinran raised her eyebrows and looked at Yu Yong, smiling. “It seems that my sister is an expert. She can actually paint all of them.”
Upon hearing Jiang Xinran’s words, Yu Yong’s expression hardened. Everyone who learned to paint knew that experts only focused on one area. People who painted landscapes focused on painting landscapes, those who painted flowers and birds focused on flowers and birds, and those who did figure painting devoted their focus to that and that alone. This way, one could strive for perfection with few distractions. If one tried to paint many different types of subjects, one would lose focus and would not be able to achieve excellence.
Yu Yong became famous for his ink paintings of bamboo, while the painting that Jiang Xinran sold for more than 100,000 yuan was a drawing of the peony flower. He could tell right away that Meng Fu was a layman because of her response.
Upon hearing Jiang Xinran’s comments, Yu Yong had no more wish to chat with Meng Fu. However, he was at the Jiang residence and he knew that Jiang Quan wanted him to guide Meng Fu. He was left with no choice. “How many years did you spend on practicing your brushwork?”
Meng Fu thought of something upon hearing his question. She paused briefly before answering, “Three months.”
Yu Yong was stunned at her reply. He stifled his anger and continued, “What about colors? Have you read the basic reference material, ‘Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden1?”
Meng Fu shook her head at all of his questions.
Yu Yong was very famous and there were countless people every month who wanted to learn from him. However, none of them were like Meng Fu. He was so furious that he could not wait to bring out the ruler to discipline her. “You have not practiced or learned the basics, yet you dare to say that you study traditional Chinese painting? From what I see, you have merely posed as a culture lover these few years just because your elder sister learns traditional Chinese painting. You are not serious about learning traditional Chinese painting at all!”
Artists had bad tempers. This was especially so for Yu Yong. These past few years, people had heaped praise on him and literati everywhere licked his boots. Besides, he also had his own high standards for traditional Chinese paintings. When Yu Yong studied Chinese painting at a very young age, he practiced very hard until he broke countless pens. He could not tolerate people like Meng Fu who knew nothing but posed as culture lovers, but dreamed of becoming an established artist one day.
This was the first time he lost his temper in front of the Jiang family. Jiang Xinchen was scared stiff. He did not dare to mock Meng Fu further.
Jiang Xinran, who was nearby, quickly stood up. “Uncle, don’t be angry with Meng Fu. She just doesn’t know the basics.”
She sounded worried for Meng Fu, however, the corner of her lips curled up slightly with a hint of joy.
Jiang Quan, who was seated around them, did not expect Yu Yong to lose his temper. He quickly got up. “Brother, don’t take issue with Fu’er. It’s my fault. I should have clarified with her before telling you.”
Jiang Quan looked at Meng Fu and could not help but sigh. He had been too impulsive just now. Given Meng Fu’s living environment these past few years, how could she have the means to learn Chinese painting? She must have started to learn it when she returned to the Jiang family two years ago.
Yu Zhenling, who had been in the kitchen, came out upon hearing the noise. She put the fruits she brought out onto the table, glanced toward the hall calmly, and said with a smile, “Brother, what’s wrong with you? What’s with your temper?”
Yu Yong was appeased by Yu Zhenling’s and Jiang Xinran’s words. However, he no longer wanted to see Meng Fu again. After the meal, Yu Yong did not stay any longer. Jiang Quan and Yu Zhenling personally walked him to the door.
After Yu Yong’s car left, Jiang Quan sighed, and said with some regret, “I was thinking that if your brother guided her, it would be easier for her to enter any university after taking the fine arts examination. I just didn’t expect him to lose his temper.”
Yu Zhenling glanced at him angrily. “Why do you believe her when she said that she could do Chinese painting? Fortunately, it didn’t affect Xinran. Don’t come up with such foolish suggestions in the future!”
“I told her not to enter the entertainment industry and go back to school. She said she wanted to enroll in Zhou University.” Jiang Quan shook his head. “How could it be that easy to enroll in that university? That’s why I thought that it would be nice to have a teacher for her.”
“You might not be old, but you have a lot of ideas. Since you can communicate with her, tell her that she’s lucky to get a temporary enrollment at T University. She’d better not dream of going to A University, much less Zhou University.” Yu Zhenling did not want to hear anymore about Meng Fu.
While the two were talking, Meng Fu happened to come out. Yu Zhenling stopped talking immediately.
“Fu’er, it’s late, are you still going back to your house?” Jiang Quan glanced at her.
“Yes,” Meng Fu responded. She passed the brocade bag to Jiang Quan so that he could hand it to Old Master Jiang.
Jiang Quan accepted it and gave it a good look. He could not tell what it was. “What is this?”
Meng Fu took out a key, ready to head out. She replied casually, “The talisman I drew.”
Yu Zhenling, who was about to go back, turned around to look at the brocade bag in Jiang Quan’s hand. “You are no longer a young girl, yet you still waste your time on this nonsense? How many times have I told you, it’s useful to gain more knowledge. It will not harm you. People of the older generations are not as ignorant as you. This is T City. It is different from your city in the mountains. What use are these supernatural things to your grandfather?”
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 18: Very Formidable?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Meng Fu, remember. You’ve already returned to the Jiang family. Your every word and action is under scrutiny by many. I don’t care how you lived previously in that place but you have to change these bad habits. Your grandfather doesn’t approve of this. Therefore, you don’t need to waste your time and effort.” Yu Zhenling’s sullen tone intensified and her eyes flashed with fury.
Yu Zhenling and Jiang Quan had naturally investigated Meng Fu. She grew up in a remote mountain that was seriously backwards. Naturally, Yu Zhenling thought that Meng Fu had not been well brought up. After they had acknowledged Meng Fu, Meng Fu moved to the Jiang family without any reservation. Although Yu Zhenling was happy that she moved back, she felt somewhat uneasy.
After finding out that Meng Fu had not once returned to the mountains to visit the people who had raised her, Yu Zhenling felt quite certain that Meng Fu was an ungrateful person. In addition, Meng Fu also had not shown any concern for them. The relationship between a parent and child also needed to be maintained with effort and sincerity.
If Meng Fu had prayed and requested a talisman of peace from a master, Yu Zhenling would not have chided her. Instead, Meng Ful was going to present a talisman that she had painted. Could this talisman be similar to food gifts? For edible items, one could express one’s filial piety and sincerity by preparing them personally. But to paint this talisman herself?
Yu Zhenling did not know whether to laugh or cry at Meng Fu’s action. How did she come up with this? She could not blame the Tong family for their negative opinion of Meng Fu and refusing the marriage arrangement.
“What do you mean by ‘that kind of place’? Don’t be like that every time she comes home. What’s wrong with painting a talisman? I’ll show it to Father tomorrow.” In the past, Jiang Quan hadn’t liked Meng Fu very much. However, his opinion of Meng Fu had somewhat changed today for some reason. “Fu’er is your daughter.”
Upon hearing this sentence, Yu Zhenling’s expression changed. “I’m also doing this for her own good. She didn’t go to the school that I arranged for her to go to. If only she resembled Xinran more, I wouldn’t have to be worried.”
Jiang Quan didn’t want to talk about this in front of a child. He cast a look of warning at Yu Zhenling. Turning his gaze back to Meng Fu, the latter still looked obedient and sensible.
At the thought of Meng Fu living a life of suffering without water and electricity for 16 years, Jiang Quan’s heart softened. “The butler and I will send you back.”
In the hall, Jiang Xinchen heard the conversation and he peeked inside and looked at the brocade bag in Jiang Quan’s hand. He then sneered.
“What kind of attitude is this?” Jiang Quan turned around and stared at Jiang Xinchen. “Have you forgotten what grandpa taught you at the hospital today? Are you going to disregard your seniors?”
Jiang Quan had been in charge of the affairs of the Jiang family. He had always been authoritative and stern. When he was serious, even Jiang Xinchen was afraid of him.
Jiang Xinchen glanced at Meng Fu reluctantly. Meng Fu tilted her head slightly towards him, her lips curling into a smile.
“You…” Jiang Xinchen was speechless from anger.
“Jiang Xinchen.” Jiang Quan stared at Jiang Xinchen dominantly.
Jiang Xinchen turned around and glanced at Jiang Xinran, who was in the hall. He then said indignantly and reluctantly, “Okay, Dad.”
Jiang Quan sent Meng Fu home. Jiang Xinchen returned to the hall with a look of displeasure, and Yu Zhenling seemed somewhat absent-minded. It was uncertain what she was thinking about.
“Xinchen,” Jiang Xinran put down the phone and smiled gently at Jiang Xinchen. “You said earlier that you couldn’t figure out the answer to a question? I’ll help you take a look at it.”
The two began to discuss a mathematics problem. Sitting opposite them on the sofa and looking at how harmoniously the two got along, Yu Zhenling felt much relieved.
Jiang Xinran had been outstanding ever since she was a child and could achieve almost everything. While in school she was awarded prizes from time to time. She also achieved considerable success after she learned painting from Yu Yong. At a young age, she was already well-known in the T city. Who wouldn’t like such a filial and obedient daughter?
Her marriage to the Tong family would help the Jiang family and Yu family strengthen their connections with the capital greatly. At the thought of this, Yu Zhenling instinctively thought of Meng Fu again. She wasn’t even in the mood to drink tea. She put down the teacup gravely.
**
Yu Yong had also driven back to the Yu residence. The Yu residence was a standalone villa. After entering the main gate, one was greeted with rockery and man-made waterfalls. It was poetic and picturesque. The entire building exuded an oriental style.
In the study room.
The Old Master of the Yu family was holding an ancient-looking book and reading it.
Seeing Yu Yong come in, he raised his eyes. “How’s the discussion on Xinran’s Level C booth?”
“We’ll be using the drawing of the peony flower.” Because of Meng Fu, Yu Yong was still unhappy.
The Old Master of the Yu family felt puzzled at Yu Yong’s behavior. “Why do you have that expression? Is something wrong?”
“Forget it.” Yu Yong didn’t want to bring up the situation again.
Old Master Yu didn’t press on. Instead, he shifted the attention to something else. “Did you meet the Tong family today?”
The Tong family and Wei family had recently been in the spotlight in T City.
“No.” Yu Yong sat opposite Old Master Yu. “Sister invited the Tong family to discuss the marriage agreement, but they declined.”
Obviously, the Tong family was extremely dissatisfied with Meng Fu.
Old Master Yu was often busy with attending seminars in various cities around the world. He had only met Meng Fu once, when he gave her a red packet during the Lunar New Year last year. He had heard about Meng Fu from the people around him but didn’t know much about her. “That granddaughter of mine has been in T City for a while. How is her talent?”
“It has been two years and she hasn’t returned to studying at the high school. Seeing that Xinran is good at traditional Chinese painting, she also went to learn it. That’s fine. But she can’t answer my questions at all. She’s a mere copycat and this has made her a laughing stock.” Yu Yong shook his head, stomaching his anger. “She has narrow horizons and might be too used to living in the countryside. Upon arriving in T City, she only has eyes for the glitz of the entertainment industry. It’s hard for her to attain any success.”
Old Master Yu was taken back momentarily. It was such a pity. Apart from Yu Yong, the descendants of the Yu family did not have any outstanding talent. When Jiang Xinran had been born, Old Master Yu was ecstatic at first. Unfortunately, Jiang Xinran was not Yu Zhenling’s biological daughter.
**
Jiang Quan sent Meng Fu back to the community.
The lights in the community were dim and Jiang Quan was concerned about Meng Fu’s safety. He followed her upstairs and consoled her. “Don’t be upset that your uncle is not going to teach you. His students are not ordinary people. If you want to learn traditional Chinese painting, I’ll find you another teacher tomorrow. A formidable one.”
Butler Jiang followed behind the two of them. Upon hearing Jiang Quan’s words, he glanced at Meng Fu and said nothing.
“There’s no need to.” Seemingly unbothered, Meng Fu took the key and opened the door,
Butler Jiang couldn’t help but say, “Ms. Jiang began learning painting when she was four years old. That’s why she can get a Level C booth now. Her uncle has been teaching her because she is very talented.”
Obviously, Jiang Xinran was the Ms. Jiang that the butler was referring to. The servants of the Jiang family normally addressed Meng Fu as Ms. Meng.
Meng Fu switched on the lights. Upon hearing this, she looked at Butler Jiang with a smile on her face. “Is getting a Level C booth considered very prestigious? What about the Level B and Level A booths?”
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 19: I’m Here, Don’t Be Afraid
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

There were indeed Level B and Level A booths in the exhibition. Butler Jiang was aware of this because of Jiang Xinran. However, the Level A and B booths were prepared for established people with a certain level of experience in the industry. Jiang Xinran was not even 20 years old and already got a Level C booth. She was already considered a rare genius.
Could any Tom, Dick, or Harry get a Level A or B booth? Did she think that they were chinese cabbage?
“Ms. Meng, this is different from the entertainment industry. Anyone can enter the showbiz. But in the art scene, not everyone can get a booth of this level.” Butler Jiang smiled.
Meng Fu ignored him. But she suddenly thought of something and glanced at Jiang Quan.
Jiang Quan’s mind had been occupied with the thought of finding teachers for Meng Fu. He then noticed the expression in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Meng Fu touched her chin. “Did… Did you really do a DNA test two years ago?”
“You are talking nonsense again. Don’t let your imagination run wild.” Upon hearing this, Jiang Quan thought Meng Fu doubted her parentage because of Yu Zhenling’s words. He thus felt slightly cross. “Your mother personally went to the hospital for the testing. I’ve also shown you the report. How could it be fake?”
“Don’t be angry.” Meng Fu reached out and patted Jiang Quan’s shoulder. She licked her lips and smiled. “I’m just asking casually.”
Jiang Quan looked across at the furniture in the room. It looked very neat and tidy from his end. After Meng Fu had arrived home safely, Jiang Quan went downstairs. When he turned around, he instinctively glanced at the door of the unit opposite Meng Fu’s. It was an iron door and there was nothing on it. The area’s environment was certainly unconducive to secure living. The security guards seemed lazy and there was no access control to the building. Furthermore, Meng Fu lived alone. Jiang Quan was a little worried about the safety in the community.
When he returned to Jiang residence, he was still pondering over this issue. Yu Zhenling had a mask on her face as she casually inquired about Meng Fu.
Jiang Quan said, “I’m worried about Fu’er’s accommodations. She’s still staying in the place that she rented two years ago. It’s a very old place and the security is not very good. I feel uneasy about it.”
“She chooses to live there although she has a home here. She’s not in school and there’s no need for her to stay in an area near the school. Why are you worrying?” Yu Zhenling patted the mask on her face.
“I’m thinking of moving her to Xinran’s area,” Jiang Quan said.
Jiang Xinran was also living outside. She had done well on the high school entrance examination. Yu Zhenling was pleased with her results and personally bought her a standalone bungalow next to her high school. She also hired a servant for her.
Jiang Xinran could stay there whenever she had evening classes and also during her break time at noon. Yu Zhenling had spent a lot of money in order to create a comfortable environment that was conducive to learning.
“Don’t mess around. Xinran often paints there. The third year of high school is an important period. I don’t dare to disturb Xin Ran.” Yu Zhenling frowned and wanted to continue talking. However, her eyebrows drooped as soon as she saw Jiang Quan. “If you want to let her stay there, so be it. But there’s one condition. She cannot affect Xinran’s work and study.”
**
The next day. Six o’clock in the morning.
A burly man in black stood outside Meng Fu’s house. A pile of leaflets and advertisements were pasted on Meng Fu’s door. It was a disorderly and confusing scene. Staring straight, the man knocked on the door three times but no one answered.
The burly man retracted his hand and turned to look at Su Cheng. “Ms. Meng is most probably still sleeping. You should go back first. I’ll wait here…”
Before he could finish, he saw Su Cheng, who had his arms crossed around his chest, leaning on the handrail of the stairs and glancing downstairs. The burly man was taken aback for a moment. He followed Su Cheng’s line of vision but saw nothing. After a few seconds, he finally saw someone wearing a black baseball cap. It was not necessary to look at the face. Judging from the figure’s languid and somewhat cold and stunning demeanor, he could tell it was Meng Fu.
Meng Fu took off the cap as well as the bluetooth headset in her ear. She looked up and said, “Sorry, I encountered a troublesome big shot downstairs.”
Su Cheng was still leaning on the stairs. He was wearing a shirt without a tie today. However, his buttons were neatly buttoned up to the last one. He looked cold, aloof, and elegant. When he cast a casual glance at Meng Fu. His gaze was still as nonchalant as the first time she had met him. “It’s okay.”
Meng Fu smiled but said nothing. She opened the door and went in to get what he needed.
The burly man in black waited for her to enter the room before glancing at Su Cheng. He said in a very low voice, “Brother Cheng, did you just hear Ms. Meng ascending the stairs just now?”
The burly man was seriously doubting himself. When Meng Fu had come upstairs earlier, he had not heard a sound. That couldn’t be the case.
Su Cheng glanced at him lightly. “Lai Fu should be able to hear it.”
The burly man in black was speechless. He felt offended.
**
“His name is Su Di.” Su Cheng waited for Meng Fu to get her things before sending her to the company and introducing him to the burly man in black. “I’ve been busy recently. When there are urgent things, you can contact him when I’m away.”
When he heard Su Cheng’s words, the burly man in black stared in the rear view mirror in shock. Soon after, they arrived at the Best Idol base camp. Su Cheng took out a black mask from his pocket and put it on before accompanying Meng Fu in. There were many cameras in this place and Su Cheng put on a mask wherever there were cameras. However, his appearance and temperament were outstanding and unique in the showbiz, let alone amongst the program crew. Wearing a mask was quite troublesome for him.
“Brother Cheng, you’re here.” Zhao Fan had been holding her cell phone and waiting for the two at the door. When she finally saw them, she heaved a sigh of relief. “Hurry, come in! Mentor Xi has long arrived!”
“Okay, Sister Zhao.” Meng Fu raised her hand.
Su Cheng paused before entering the area with the cameras. Meng Fu waved her hand towards the back and said goodbye to Su Cheng. Before his departure, she could hear a faint voice from behind her. “Meng Fu.”
His voice was light, akin to the breeze blowing across the lake and it was as gentle as the warm winter sun. Even without sound effects, it was pleasant sounding.
Raising her eyebrow, Meng Fu tucked her hand in her pocket and turned around. “Huh?”
Su Cheng lightly smiled. “If you don’t want to participate in the show, you can leave at any time.”
Meng Fu smiled but did not reply to him. Staring at the two of them conversing, Zhao Fan was at a loss for words. Did she look like an extra?
“How many contracts did you sign for me?” Meng Fu walked on and asked Zhao Fan casually.
She knew that she must have also signed a contract.
“In order to get you onto this show, we invested a few million yuan in the program. Our company has suffered a huge loss. And now, the program seems to have signed a bet-on agreement, banking that someone will make it to the international stage this year,” Zhao Fan said in a low voice as she took Meng Fu to the dressing room.
“Someone will make it this year for sure.” Meng Fu changed her coat.
“How can you be so sure?” Zhao Fan looked at Meng Fu.
Meng Fu buttoned up her clothing patiently. “I’m here, that’s why.”
Zhao Fan was speechless. “You…?”
Although Zhao Fan felt that her artistry was good in all aspects based on online popularity polls, there was a large gap between her and Ye Shuning. The latter had very strong foundations. Best Idol was a show that focused on many aspects. After listening to Meng Fu’s words, Zhao Fan almost spit blood.
Meng Fu slowly adjusted the mic on her collar. As the sun shone through the windows, her expression was languid and casual. “It’s going to be me.”
COMMENT
0 comment
Chapter 20: This Is Not Something You Could Ask
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Don’t say this elsewhere.” Zhao Fan looked at Meng Fu, gasping out of shock. “Otherwise, your anti-fans will definitely increase by more than 100,000. Seeded players like Ye Shuning do not dare to make such comments. Why would you dare say that?”
Was she crazy?
Meng Fu connected the microphone and walked outside. She arched her eyebrows at the remark.
Sorry, but the real artist of the family just got ready to soar!
**
Several large training rooms.
A group of girls were still training. The next performance was very important. Everyone would choose a mentor according to the area they specialized in, and they would form groups. This performance could further highlight the positive traits of each performer.
At the same time, there would be a competition among the four mentors. This was a two-way system. The mentors also got to choose their trainees. In the end, if there was no two-way choice, one would be randomly assigned a mentor.
Each of the four mentors had their own schedules and it took time to schedule them to come together for recording. Today was when the trainees and mentors would make their choice.
Xi Nancheng and Tang Ze arrived together. It was only seven o’clock at the moment and there was still some time before they started recording. Xi Nancheng and Tang Ze went to the training room to look at the girls. The four mentors were quite responsible. They would try their best to answer the questions that the girls had.
“Mentor Xi, Mentor Tang.” The girls in the training room were training with the camera on. They were very excited to see Xi Nancheng and Tang Ze coming over.
Chu Yue had been practicing her floorwork. She stopped when she saw someone approaching.
“It’s okay. Continue with your training.” Tang Ze was very friendly. Chu Yue and her team performed very well last time and he was deeply impressed with Chu Yue.
In fact, the girls had also been divided into small teams during this period. Chu Yue, Wei Jin, and the others were all in the same training room, probably because they had grown closer since last time.
Tang Ze was naturally aware of this. After answering one of the girls’ questions, he glanced around the training room and was a little surprised when he did not see Meng Fu. “Where is Meng Fu? Sleeping?”
Tang Ze found it odd. He remembered that Meng Fu had always been very hardworking. There was once when he ran into her running in the morning at half past five. She was a very self-disciplined person. Tang Ze had changed his impression of Meng Fu since that day.
In fact, Tang Ze felt that he could see a more realistic side of the trainees when the camera was turned off. There was no surveillance when there was no camera. Every trainee worked very hard when the camera was on. It was impossible that she would sleep late.
“Sister Fu took time off and went home,” Wei Jin explained. “She…”
Before Wei Jin could finish her sentence, Xi Nancheng said indifferently, “Let’s go, time is running out.”
Xi Nancheng knew long ago that Meng Fu got in through the back door and that the program crew even portrayed her as a bimbo who ranked fourth. But she could not even keep up the pretense that she was serious. Instead, she applied for leave at such a critical stage. Every trainee in the training camp had been working very hard every day.
She was the only exception.
“Ye Shuning, Nan Qiu, and the rest of them got up at six in the morning and arrived at the training room before half past six. Is this what you meant by Meng Fu has made a change for the better?” Xi Nancheng glanced at Tang Ze when there were no cameras outside. “She applied for leave when there is such important training happening. Don’t tell me something important happened with her family?”
“No.” Tang Ze frowned. “I don’t think she is lazy, she must have something important…”
“Mentor Tang, enough about her. I don’t want to quarrel with you.” Xi Nancheng shook his head, not wanting to hear about Meng Fu anymore.
The two went to their own lounges to put on their microphones.
Xi Nancheng was a little surprised to see Director Mu waiting for him inside. “Director Mu, are you here for Ye Shuning’s matter? She is already training.”
“Not solely for that.” Director Mu shook his head. After discussing Ye Shuning with him, he brought up Meng Fu. “The program planner gave me a document two days ago. It is about Meng Fu. He feels that we can train Meng Fu to try for the Global Idol show. What’s your opinion?”
“Her?” Xi Nancheng frowned upon hearing Meng Fu’s name. “Are you kidding me? She has a lot of shortcomings. Global Idol show is for well rounded trainees. It brings together outstanding trainees from four countries. Everyone is very outstanding and the competition is very fierce. Meng Fu was indeed good last time, but can she be as consistent as Ye Shuning, Nan Qiu, and the others? Will she ever be able to surpass her last performance? Also, she took leave right after the performance. I don’t think she will be able to perform just as well next time. It’s better to wait for the next public performance before we decide. Everyone will get to choose the style that they are good at for the next performance. Let’s see what she is good at.”
The person they were going to choose this time had to be able to maintain her best form all the time. She had to be able to deliver good performances all the time. She had to compete all the way to the world stage, proving that the domestic Best Idol show was just as good as the others.
Hearing what Xi Nancheng said, Director Mu breathed a sigh of relief. “I have the same sentiments.”
He took the scripts and went looking for the planner.
**
Eight o’clock.
All the girls gathered in the recording hall. The hall was tiled a light pink. A total of 50 people, including 45 trainees and five pending trainees, stood in line in the center.
Tang Ze, who was as gentle-mannered as ever, clapped his hands to calm the 50 trainees before saying, “The four mentors will be divided into four groups. Now everyone will choose the area that they wish to grow and develop in and we will then choose the trainees.”
With that, he pointed to the drawing board at the back and looked at the 50 trainees. “Now choose the group you want to be in one by one.”
There were four groups on the drawing board. Vocal, dance, song-writing, and the last group, sing-and-dance. The four mentors would guide each of the four groups.
All of them filled in the groups that they would like to join. If any of the groups exceeded the quota, the two-way option would be used. This was very useful for girls who had weak spots.
Meng Fu did not fight to choose first. She and Chu Yue were the last to go on stage.
When she went on stage, Xi Nancheng said indifferently, “I hope everyone knows not to leave the training camp at will. The training camp is not your home.”
Meng Fu could tell that he was referring to her. She merely asked, “Isn’t someone else absent from the training camp as well?”
She was talking about Ye Shuning.
Hearing this, Xi Nancheng almost smiled. “Ye Shuning has gone to other places.”
Meng Fu smiled too. “Where did she go?”
“What all of you are participating in is a domestic competition. She is different from you. She is competing with people at the international stage. Nothing you could understand.”