Dad, Please Let Me Stalk My Favorite!

This was truly strange.

It was only a minute and a half of dancing, yet it felt as though she had fought a bloody battle until she was nearly drained dry.

Chu Yuanqing swallowed the metallic sweetness in her throat, feeling somewhat gloomy.

The Supernatural Senses from earlier had not been an illusion.

After all, although the Lantern Pendant hidden against her chest had already dimmed, the accelerated neural speed and massive physical exhaustion it caused were undeniable proof.

But to someone who was about to die, neither the Lantern Pendant nor the secrets of Magical Girls mattered.

Chu Yuanqing was drowning in brand new Black History, swallowed whole by immense shame.

At that moment, she was like a Magical Girl being publicly bound and toyed with by tentacles, teetering on the edge of utter disaster.

Feeling every scrutinizing gaze upon her, Chu Yuanqing fought back the urge to tremble. Relying on sheer willpower, she began Self-hypnosis.

Haha, it was fake. Just a dream.

I'm exhausted right now. Don't think about anything.

That's right. This was what happened when people were tired. They wouldn't think about anything; they would only quietly space out in their own world!

Time passed.

Once her heartbeat gradually returned to normal and her vision cleared, the mentors' table in the distance finally reached a decision.

Luo Siling picked up her microphone, lavishly praising her without restraint.

"Chu Yuanqing, I can say with certainty that you were born to stand beneath the big screen. Whether it's your innate camera presence or this flawless face with no bad angles, heaven practically chases after you to feed you."

As the award-winning actress spoke, she felt increasingly reluctant to let such talent go. She had recently terminated her contract with her former company and established her own studio. Seeing such an Unpolished Jade as Chu Yuanqing, she truly had the urge to lure her away.

But considering her contract with Flash Dance, she could only suppress those thoughts and continue.

"As Long As you are willing to keep walking beneath the cameras, you will definitely have a place in the Chinese Entertainment Industry someday."

"My rating is B-Class."

Chu Yuanqing pressed her lips together, keeping her expression taut.

She only felt as though she were being ruthlessly tortured.

Please stop praising me. What camera presence, what heaven feeding me, what having a place in the Chinese Entertainment Industry? Everyone else is looking at me even more intensely now, okay?

She even felt that with every sentence Luo Siling spoke, the Magical Girl in her imagination lost another piece of clothing to corrosion. By now, her Whole Body had been stripped bare, and her ears were filled with shrill screams.

Jiang Chi said flatly, "Although your dance was stunning for a civilian's stage debut, you haven't demonstrated your singing ability. Unless you are willing to take an additional test and show us your singing, I can only give you a D rating."

Zhao Dapan cracked a joke.

"I'm not as demanding as Mentor Jiang, but an idol can't exactly not sing, right? My rating is C."

These were three completely different answers.

The Program Group's rating system had clearly built suspense into even the smallest details.

Chu Yuanqing forced herself to Cheer Up and viciously crushed the tentacle monster in her mind.

That's right, insult me more!

Chu Yuanqing was no fool. The moment she saw the Bullet Comments, she guessed that the official Live Broadcast Room had started streaming long ago.

Therefore, the audience had most likely seen her enter first earlier. That was why some people knew her name and even posted incomprehensible Bullet Comments.

But this was not beyond saving!

Although being the first contestant rated was very eye-catching, As Long As she received a middling rating like C or D, or even a terrible F rating—

The trainees performing one after another afterward would make the audience quickly forget she existed, allowing her to achieve her perfect goal of blending into the background!

Chu Yuanqing felt that she had at least some talent for slacking off. She looked Towards Chen Baijiu in the distance with eyes shining brightly, full of anticipation.

He had been the sharpest-tongued one earlier. He had better throw her an F, or his character setting would collapse!

I Don't Want to Let You Down

Chen Baijiu felt inexplicably guilty under her gaze, and even his original thoughts began to waver violently. He had to admit that a contestant's looks could sometimes severely test a judge's bottom line.

The mentor hesitated for a while before speaking firmly.

"Your stage performance just now was indeed quite good, but your weak fundamentals are a major deduction."

"For this stage alone, you have B-Class ability, but all of that was based on this opportunistic choice."

"This Street Dance lacks the elements that a Girl Group dance should have. Throughout the entire performance, there was almost no need to demonstrate facial expression management."

"And that is precisely an important scoring criterion in Girl Group dance."

"Flash Dance is, after all, a Talent Show meant to cultivate Girl Groups, so my rating is... C-Class."

Under Chu Yuanqing's somewhat disappointed gaze, all four mentors had finished giving their ratings.

Most contestants felt that the mentors' assessments were quite fair, if unexpectedly strict, and began worrying about their own ratings.

The stage was like a swamp. Those without shining points would only be swallowed by it.

The larger the venue and the more viewers there were, the truer that became. Many people lacked the confidence to deliver a performance better than Chu Yuanqing's under such immense pressure.

The Live Broadcast Room's audience discussed it fervently.

"So strict. I thought she would get B-Class, but looking at it now, C is probably the highest she can get overall, right?"

"That's normal. The stunning impact of that stage was built on our low expectations for Chu Yuanqing. If the Great Demon King or Ji Shuzhu had danced that routine, there probably wouldn't be so much praise online."

"The mentors' ratings were all well-reasoned, but that's assuming there hadn't been that sudden music-playing stunt."

"That comment about expression management really hit the mark. That cool Street Dance from earlier could barely work with a blank expression, but what if it were a seductive, playful, sweet, or girlish style?"

"But why do I feel like Mentor Chen Baijiu wavered a little while rating her?"

"Qingqing looks so disappointed???."

"I'm dying, why are you copying Chu Wangshu's way of addressing her now?"

"Because calling her that is cute."

"Hehehe, even her disappointed expression is so cute. I want to steal her away???."

Chu Yuanqing reined in her disappointment and maintained a good mindset.

Black History was Black History. Anyway, nobody knew who she was.

As for the rating, although it was not F-Class, C-Class was already good enough. She could definitely muddle through!

Yet in everyone else's eyes, that posture looked like strength: after feeling downcast and wounded, she had immediately adjusted herself. Attracting a flood of Bullet Comments in the Live Broadcast Room filled with both pity and delirious obsession.

Chen Baijiu silently shifted his gaze away and coughed.

"The four of us mentors are only responsible for offering our personal opinions."

"The final decision still rests with Dream Weaver Rabbit, our head mentor."

Dream Weaver Rabbit seemed to have been disconnected for ages and had not spoken at all. Only after being mentioned did the focus return sharply to those eyes.

The mascot's mouth curled into an exaggerated arc. Looking at the retired Savior standing in the center of the stage as though she were a treasured object of fanatical desire, she smiled.

"Chu Yuanqing, congratulations on passing the unique test reserved for the first contestant to perform."

"Although your final rating is still C-Class after combining the other four mentors' scores, the Program Group will give you a mysterious reward later. Please look forward to it."

As soon as she finished speaking—

The Live Broadcast Room erupted in discussion.

"Only C-Class? That's a little unfortunate."

"Yeah. Going by the usual Talent Show experience, those who start with low ratings have a hard time fighting for a Debut Spot unless their later public performances explode in popularity."

"I don't think so. Qing Bao entered first and was rated first, so she has already gained the advantage. When they edit the show, the camera can't avoid her no matter what. That's a considerable edge."

"It still depends on her later stages. Chu Yuanqing has many weaknesses. If she can't keep up during training, it'll be hard for her to get into the fight for a Debut Spot."

"So what exactly is this reward?"

"No idea. Nobody can figure out Flash Dance's format or tricks."

The audience seemed to have already assumed that Chu Yuanqing would not be eliminated in the first round. Their discussions focused on her chances of debuting and on Flash Dance itself.

Chu Yuanqing knew none of this. She secretly cheered inside, quite satisfied with the rating. After politely bowing in thanks, she kept her expression straight and tried her hardest not to reveal even a trace of happiness as she pattered back to her spot and sat down in Seat 101.

As the second contestant to take the stage, Chu Wangshu only had time to smile at her before waving goodbye. Adjusting her breathing, she walked step by step onto the stage beneath countless eyes.

Chu Yuanqing first let out a breath of relief. Having just spoken of her "dream," she really found it difficult to face her daughter calmly now.

But immediately afterward came the anxiety of a parent.

Precisely because she had just stepped down from the stage, she understood how much pressure and expectation one had to bear while performing on it.

The only reason Chu Yuanqing had not made any mistakes was that she had seen far too many grand occasions.

But her daughter had never participated in a major performance program growing up. Coming to a variety-show stage on the level of Flash Dance was worrying no matter how she thought about it.

On the stage—

Chu Wangshu introduced herself.

"Hello, everyone. I'm an independent trainee, Chu Wangshu."

Luo Siling made a joke.

"You share a surname with contestant Chu Yuanqing, and you're sitting next to each other. Could you be sisters?"

"No, no. It's just a coincidence."

After saying that, Chu Wangshu wanted to lift the corners of her lips and smile, just as she had practiced countless times in front of a mirror.

But when she truly tried to do it, the gazes from the mentors' table, the cameras hidden all around, the stares of hundreds of contestants in the seating area, and even the stage itself seemed to become monstrous beasts that would devour her.

Chu Wangshu only felt as though her face was twitching uncontrollably. Even if she forced out a smile, it would look ugly. Her mind was nearly blank, while nervousness and pressure swelled like carbonation, flooding her consciousness.

No, this won't do!

Calm down. I have to calm down, or I'll definitely mess up the dance later.

At that moment—

The girl raised her head and, as if compelled by some unseen force, Looked Towards Chu Yuanqing. She saw the gaze looking back at her.

It was strange. Everyone was watching her, yet the instant she realized that Chu Yuanqing was watching, she did not feel nervous at all. She even felt... a little happy.

Chu Wangshu looked dazed.

The words that person had spoken back then inexplicably echoed in her mind.

—[Chu Wangshu, perhaps you can become the moon too.]

—[After all, it seems that the person who gave you your name believed that.]

The girl's gaze turned resolute. It was as if she had borrowed courage from that person's hand. Warmth burned in her chest like a blazing fire, instantly driving away her nervousness and leaving behind only excitement and joy for the stage.

Qingqing, you were right. I'm going to become the moon.

For this stage, I cannot let myself down, and I definitely cannot let you down.

When She Shines

Chu Wangshu's change happened in an instant. She answered the mentors' questions one by one and was soon asked to perform.

The virtual reality equipment activated its effects, and the accompanying music resounded.

Chu Yuanqing looked Towards the stage nervously.

Chu Wangshu had studied Great Xia's traditional ethnic dance since childhood. The piece she was performing now was a relatively famous ethnic dance called Five Poisons.

The Five Poisons generally referred to several venomous creatures from southern Great Xia: snakes, scorpions, toads, centipedes, and geckos. This dance used body movements to imitate the postures of those five creatures.

In terms of concept, it was somewhat like the Form-Intention Fist of martial arts.

The instant the performance officially began, Chu Wangshu swiftly entered her state.

Chu Yuanqing was somewhat surprised. Her daughter seemed not only to be an excellent student academically, but her adaptability to the stage was unexpectedly impressive as well.

The moment she began to dance, she displayed the beauty of fully extended limbs. Her open hands resembled flowers, while her straight yet curved arms were like a peacock's.

Then, following the music's beat, her limbs turned and shifted in succession. Her broad, sweeping movements revealed smooth and beautiful muscle lines while retaining a woman's softness.