Dad, Please Let Me Stan Her Alone!

Rather than saying it was about controlling and dispersing her possessiveness toward others, it was more like controlling her emotions—a form of cultivation as well.

If she could do that perfectly, perhaps it would help her onstage too.

Little Wangshu might unexpectedly be a genius!

Kiriwake Yayoi's confusion was temporarily dispelled. She bowed seriously in thanks, and before Chu Wangshu could hurriedly tell her not to make such a grand gesture, she hastily left behind the words, "Xiao Qing has already gone back to the dorm," then headed toward the A-Class practice room.

Tomorrow was the Second Evaluation!

Though she was confident she could maintain her current rating in her strongest field, as an idol, she could not be careless about the stage. In the limited time she had, she needed to make her body completely remember the dance and deliver the best possible result.

Chu Wangshu could not become a thief of motherly love, and now even the top A-Class Little Sakura was outworking her. She was exceptionally miserable.

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. After thinking it over, she still felt that she could not lose to the other girl even in effort, so she resolutely headed for her own practice room.

—The B-Class practice room had private bedrooms and bathrooms too. She simply would not return to the dorm tonight!

At the same time, similar things were happening in many places.

Especially in the large D-Class and F-Class practice rooms.

There were forty-one people in D-Class and as many as forty-eight in F-Class.

Normally, most of them had managed to gain access to the A-Class practice rooms thanks to Dream Weaver Rabbit's PUA tactics, so they did not have to crowd into the public practice rooms.

But that changed drastically after something was revealed.

That was—following the Program Group's arrangements, an assistant had randomly chosen a time to conduct three surprise visits to C-Class, D-Class, and F-Class, filming material and interviewing the trainees present.

The trainees realized through this that although the show had not granted lower-rated contestants the right to freely livestream and draw in exposure, that did not mean there were no other ways to give them screen time.

Compared to livestream footage that was immediate and not even guaranteed to include them, surprise filming material and interviews had a very high chance of being edited into the show. Their value was an entirely different matter.

As long as they had a few memorable shots in the program, even if they did not achieve good results in the Second Evaluation, they could remain for a few more rounds and gain more popularity and fame.

All that could be said was that Dream Weaver Rabbit knew how to balance things.

First, it morally blackmailed the top A-Class contestants. Then, it maneuvered the remaining contestants who chose to take the easy way out, rewarding those who had trained the hardest in their original practice rooms and maintaining a delicate balance of rewards and punishments.

Many viewers who had watched the first episode could not help but marvel at the sheer caliber of the Super AI.

And it was the same now.

Though the first episode had already aired outside, for trainees living in a closed environment, they could only guess at that news.

This information gap gave many D-Class and F-Class contestants a sense of hope. They all chose to work hard in their own class practice rooms, hoping to win a shot in the program like the lucky ones before them.

So, these people were secretly competing with one another. Rather than calling it intensive training, it was more like seeing who could outlast whom. They clearly would not stop until daylight.

Elsewhere, the pressure on the various top A-Class contestants was even greater.

Even setting aside the show's deliberate attempts to stir conflict, objectively speaking, if they were still outworked despite receiving A-Class treatment, people would easily see them as beneficiaries of good Initial Evaluation stage design rather than truly hardworking individuals, with a bit of luck mixed in.

Not only would they lose the label of being powerhouse contestants, but they would have no chance to make a comeback later. At most, they could only redeem themselves through later Public Performance battles.

And even if they succeeded, it would be nowhere near as inspiring as contestants who leaped from F-Class to B-Class or A-Class.

This indirectly left too little room for an emotional arc, making people lose the anticipation to keep watching.

Thus, there were hardly any top A-Class contestants who had finished training.

Xie Qingxuan was an exception.

This girl, who had received so much outside attention, was quietly practicing Zen Meditation.

The Virtual Reality System simulated a bamboo pavilion in the middle of a lake.

The sky was blue, with leisurely white clouds drifting by.

A strong wind swept past, causing bamboo leaves to rustle and intertwine. Mixed with the sounds of water ripples, they formed fragmented murmurs that filled the air with a tranquil, far-reaching atmosphere.

The Zen Meditation Ritual contained a saying: "When you wish to sit in meditation, choose a quiet place, lay down a thick cushion, loosen your clothing, compose your bearing, and then sit cross-legged."

The girl sat at the center of the bamboo pavilion. Around her hung ink paintings steeped in Ancient Style charm, along with sheets covered in wild cursive calligraphy. Dressed in a loose, pure-white inner robe, she seemed to blend with her surroundings. Her eyes were gently closed, her breathing natural, as though it moved in rhythm with heaven and earth.

The setting and manner were perfectly suited for Zen Meditation.

And precisely because of that,

even though her features carried European depth and her platinum-blond hair shimmered hazily in the light, there was no sense of incongruity when she appeared in the same frame as Great Xia's Ancient Style.

—Zen Meditation.

This form of quiet cultivation had ancient origins.

Xie Qingxuan's learning came from an artist within Great Xia.

For that elderly artist, the purpose of Zen Meditation was simply to cultivate body and character, settle one's spirit and temperament, and gain greater inspiration while creating art.

But for her, it was a means of restraining, devouring, and suppressing her emotions—even... a substitute for [Flow State].

Xie Qingxuan was always detached and calm. Even after the conflict with her family Reached its peak, she was like Flames quietly burning in a lake, restraining her own heat as she waited for the moment to erupt.

The girl had talent for Zen Meditation, or perhaps it was because her temperament was relatively pure.

Her progress was rapid. From Zen Meditation to a Meditation State, from meditating only while seated to meditating at any time, from being plagued by many Distracting thoughts in a day to spending most of each day in an empty state.

In the end, Xie Qingxuan gradually felt that when her mind was clear and empty, her consciousness became increasingly sharp. She could even perceive subtle details and sense all things more clearly.

This state was not as good as [Flow State], yet it surpassed [Flow State].

And now, Xie Qingxuan no longer needed to practice dancing.

Using Zen Meditation, she was undoing that clear emptiness and allowing herself to completely become "Fallen Mortal," preparing to perfectly perform the theme song Candy in the Second Evaluation and Public Performance by immersing herself in emotion without separating from herself.

The Virtual Reality System covered the stage.

That virtual light and shadow, created by the Super AI through global data calculations and tailored to the user's individual circumstances, moved in rhythm with Chen Yining's dance.

The girl's raspberry-red hair cast bright arcs through the light. The white hem of her skirt spun lightly, while her striking beauty was softened by her clothing and makeup, making it more suited to Candy's style. Moving to the rhythm of the music, her whole being embodied the meaning of the song's title.

The Young Lady of Yunlan Entertainment had displayed such sharpness and edge onstage that outsiders believed she was poorly suited to this theme song.

But the facts now proved that she was Completely able to transform her own aura and style, throw herself wholeheartedly into this sweet dance, and root her efforts in every detail. The stage she delivered was excellent, entirely worthy of her top A-Class rating.

After a long while, the music ended.

The smile on Chen Yining's face slowly disappeared. It was as though she had been drained dry once more, her emotional state somewhat hollow. Even as she Looked Towards the data on the screen before her, she revealed a trace of gloom and agitation.

[Dance Duration: 3 minutes 31 seconds]

[Dance Completion: 98.9%]

[Dance Expressiveness: A-Class]

[Dance Performance: A-Class]

[Singing and Dancing Evaluation: A-Class]

Beyond that, string after string of data popped up. Combined with countless direct-camera shots and instantly playable video clips, all corresponding one by one with the flawless AI figure, they presented every score from the previous stage in a dazzlingly detailed fashion.

Chen Yining snapped her fingers. The screen projections throughout the room, along with the false stage created by virtual reality, Rumbled as they shattered into Flowing Light, leaving behind a bright and empty dance studio.

The girl stood there in a daze, utterly unable to feel happy about the stage she had just performed.

Or rather, the better that stage had been, the more emotion and focus she had poured into it, the greater the frustration it produced.

Because...

Even so, she still had not touched the realm of [Flow State].

For the past ten years, as the Young Lady of Yunlan Entertainment, she had abandoned the more promising paths of acting and singing. At every moment, she had aimed for the stage and for becoming an idol, all because of the promise she had made with Ji Shuzhu as a child.

That was—to become world-class idols together and present dazzling stages that, even if remembered through Hyperthymesia, would never grow tiresome over a lifetime.

And to Reached that dream, [Flow State] was a pass she absolutely had to possess!

By now, Ji Shuzhu had relied on her Hyperthymesia talent and her accomplishments in choreography to surpass nearly all of her peers worldwide. Even Chen Baijiu, the choreography mentor on the show, spoke with her as an equal.

By comparison, Chen Yining was not Ji Shuzhu, nor was she like Xie Qingxuan.

She did not possess any innately exceptional talent. Or rather, her talents in every area were evenly balanced. She could reach an outstanding level in all of them, but none could be called astonishing.

Though she had never slacked off for many years and had received the best educational resources and conditions, she had only won a few domestic singing and dancing awards, with fairly average fame.

Even if part of that was because she had focused on fundamentals and had not debuted, the sense of disparity was unavoidable.

Chen Yining had to prove herself. She had to prove that she was qualified to fulfill their promise.

Ji Shuzhu said nothing. She had single eyelids and phoenix eyes, and she did not look easy to provoke. Whenever she looked down at someone, she always gave off a sharp, intimidating feeling.

Perhaps because of the debuff imposed by Hyperthymesia, this beautiful girl with her slender figure always wore an aloof expression, filled with a sickly, world-weary beauty.

But only Chen Yining knew that Ji Shuzhu used to smile.

Back then, she had not been as thin as she was now, and her cheeks had carried a little more baby fat. Her profile was still cool as hell, but when she smiled, she looked both cocky and adorable—a sweet girl full of contrast.

It was just that...

Ji Shuzhu's Hyperthymesia was somewhat unusual. The memories and emotions it carried would occasionally become like an avalanche as she grew older, crushing her emotions and sense of self into fragments.

Over time, her temperament became increasingly low and heavy.

After the accident at that music festival, she had even stopped smiling altogether.

Thus, their childhood promise gradually changed in nature from that point onward.

For Chen Yining, it was mixed with a sense of mission—to grant salvation to her childhood friend.

For Ji Shuzhu, however, that promise became shackles that bound her, forcing her to remain for its sake.

Ji Shuzhu stepped forward and handed her a towel, praising her softly.

"Xiao Ning, that stage was amazing."

Chen Yining's agitation Dissolved like ice and snow at those words. She broke into a cute smile and buried the worries in her heart deep inside.

That was right. Haste made waste.

The more urgently she wanted to reach [Flow State], the farther away from it she became.

What was I afraid of? There was no pressure in the Second Evaluation. Even if I couldn't secure the Center position for the Public Performance stage, I could still try to get the Center position moved to the least competitive contestant.

And after that, it would be time for the Group Performance.

According to Flash Dance's earlier promotions, the initial Group Performance would most likely allow free selection, or perhaps give A-Class contestants priority in choosing.

Without question, she would choose Ji Shuzhu.

That way, Chen Yining could hold up the stage as the main Center position, while Ji Shuzhu could enhance it with choreography and take on dance positions of any difficulty. With their chemistry and abilities, they would definitely win together in the end.

And with that mindset,

Chen Yining no longer forced her exhausted body through more high-intensity training. After chatting with Ji Shuzhu for a while with a smile, she turned and walked into the bathroom.

Ji Shuzhu watched the Young Lady's retreating figure, her eyes lowered and her gaze obscure.

Her slender hand clenched the fabric over her chest, and she only felt the agitation and pain in her heart becoming increasingly unbearable.

If the dancers in the theme song MV were tasteless plastic,

then the Candy Chen Yining had done her utmost to perform, filled with emotions and herself, was a dessert blended from tartness and caramel.

But it was still not enough. Far from enough.

That emptiness was not something this level could satisfy. It had to be happiness richer, brighter, and more immense than this.

Ji Shuzhu's expression was cool and distant, her gaze calm.

She gave the bathroom one final glance, pulled up her hood, and turned to leave. In her heart, she murmured:

"Xiao Ning, from the moment I joined Flash Dance, I decided I would no longer wait for you."

"I'll give you one chance."

"If you really want me, then... come take me yourself."

Second Evaluation, a Stage Like a Giant Beast

The next morning.

Chu Yuanqing's Weibo follower count rose again and again. Under the boost of Flash Dance's first episode, it climbed overnight to five million followers at a terrifying rate she herself deeply resisted, nearly tripling.

Normally speaking, though, five million Weibo followers came with enormous amounts of inflated numbers. Once paid commenters, haters, marketing accounts, advertisements, and giveaway followers were excluded, there was practically nothing left. Who knows, a post might not even get ten thousand likes.