I Choose to Keep Si Di

As an old friend who had known him for a long time, Qian Er's eyes spun as he spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"The fight between you two caused such a huge commotion. I was originally planning to take your side and eliminate that little shrew on the first day."

"But as you can see, his potential is obvious to everyone. If I deliberately suppressed and eliminated him, what would people who know the business think of me afterward?"

Qian Er blinked his sincere, wide eyes.

Though he said that, he knew perfectly well that Qin Wei had never been someone who mixed personal grudges with work.

Even on the day Si Di debuted, when Si Di publicly called him a dog.

People in the industry had followed the wind, afraid of offending Qin Wei, and so they had treated Si Di with cold words and colder attitudes.

But in reality, Qin Wei had never suppressed or retaliated against him.

Qian Er had only been joking. He secretly pinched Qin Wei's arm and said with a hint of amusement, "Why don't you make up with Si Di? It'll save me from being stuck in the middle."

"Hmph." Qin Wei snorted coldly. "Ignoring him is already the greatest tolerance I can offer. Asking me to greet him with a smile? Not unless I'm as mentally ill as he is."

The cameras were still rolling.

Qian Er could not say much more to Qin Wei. He looked away and asked Si Di, "Do you usually do any training related to balance and strength?"

Si Di thought about it. "Does yoga count?"

He had been far too idle over the past year and a half. People had to find something to pass the time, after all.

"It counts. Yoga is excellent for training balance. Si Di, you have great talent. As long as you practice more in the future, I'm not saying you'll reach award-winning levels, but as far as dancing in a boy group goes, you absolutely won't have any problems."

Was that an outright compliment?

Si Di was a little dazed.

His performance had been that awful, and he was still being praised?

He had only listened to that nursery rhyme three times and watched the dance twice.

He had actually forgotten one section while dancing just now and made up a few moves on the spot. They had not even noticed?

What the hell!

At this rate, how was he supposed to become the chosen one today?

Si Di hurried to explain, but the rap mentor Li Si picked up her microphone and said at exactly the right moment, "My opinion is the complete opposite of Teacher Qian Er's."

The air instantly filled with tension.

The venue fell silent.

Everyone looked at one another before whispers began to spread again.

Li Si was a female rapper.

Most people in this field were men. As a female rapper more precious than a national treasure, Li Si was treated exceptionally well in the industry.

Combined with her own considerable ability and several major awards abroad, she had naturally taken the throne as the number one female rapper in the country.

The camera shifted to Li Si.

Li Si secretly glanced at Qin Wei beside her, lifted her chin, and said coldly, "The future is unknown. For now, Si Di's performance was undoubtedly the least technically demanding among all these people. Since this is a competition, we must be fair and impartial. We cannot let him take a place that should have belonged to someone else based solely on an unknown possibility."

Well said!

Si Di nearly failed to stop himself from applauding.

The next second, Qian Er picked up his microphone without hesitation and declared forcefully, "I don't think Si Di is an unknown possibility!"

"The fact that he could perform two dance moves that were not simple in such a short time, to a level that could almost be called perfect, is already enough to prove that he has talent for dancing."

"Hard work certainly deserves respect, but talent is even more precious! Take Beethoven, for example. So many people in the world play the piano, so why was there only one Beethoven?"

"Mediocre people may think heaven is unfair, but a genius is a genius. No matter how many times, or even dozens of times, harder ordinary people work, they will still be far behind a genius."

Whoa!

The entire venue gasped!

The adorable Yu Ning turned around and glared triumphantly at the yellow-haired Lu Chen.

Hmph.

Did you hear that? Teacher Qian Er said Si Di was a genius!

What else did you have to say now, you big idiot?!

Lu Chen's expression darkened. He could only pin all his hopes on Mentor Li Si. He said nothing on the surface, but inwardly he was already praying desperately.

Li Si did not disappoint him. Raising her voice several degrees, she said, "Isn't Teacher Qian Er being a little too hasty to call Si Di a genius based on just two dance moves?"

Qian Er remained unwavering. "The basics reveal the truth!"

Li Si said, "If Teacher Qian Er insists on keeping Si Di, isn't that too unfair to the other trainees?"

Qian Er said, "Was Beethoven's existence fair to everyone else who played the piano? If the choice were in your hands and you could only select one person to continue playing the piano, would you give up the exceptionally gifted Beethoven and choose someone with mediocre aptitude instead?"

Li Si was left speechless.

The entire venue was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard!

The two mentors had actually started arguing!

The trainees did not even dare to breathe loudly!

After several seconds of silence, Li Si stood up and said, "Since the two of us disagree, then let's vote. With five mentors, there will always be a winner and loser. I'll go first. Personally, I choose to eliminate Si Di."

Qian Er remained seated calmly, his expression unchanged as he held the microphone. "I choose to keep Si Di."

The camera shifted to vocal mentor Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi was famously smooth and tactful in the industry. He looked at Li Si, then at Qian Er, and smiled as if chiding them playfully.

"How did one contestant make us mentors start arguing? Whether Si Di stays or is eliminated, let's sit down and discuss it slowly. If we mentors keep arguing like this, the trainees coming up afterward will get scared."

He said they should sit down and discuss it slowly, but he was really just giving both sides a way out.

Li Si, however, refused to let it go. "What is there to cover up? Wasn't the program changed to a live broadcast precisely for fairness and impartiality? If that's the case, what can't we say directly?"

[Li Si is being a little too aggressive.]

[As a mentor, shouldn't she at least follow the show's rules? So many trainees haven't gone on stage yet. Why is she in such a rush to eliminate someone?]

[Does Li Si have a grudge against Si Di too?]

[What grudge? Are you people sick? Since our Sisi is a mentor, she has the right to voice her opinion! Is a bad performance not allowed to be criticized now?]

[First of all, I'm from the Bodyguard Squad, and I've always stood with those calling for Si Di's downfall. But people should be honest. In this matter, Li Si really is being a bit unreasonable. What if there are even worse performances later? Will they call Si Di back? Also, Si Di didn't even rap. Why is she being so hostile?]

Adults believed in leaving some room when doing things, so they could meet again in the future.

Li Si was giving no face and leaving no room at all. Even Zhao Yi, who had a good temper, was somewhat angered.

"Since Teacher Li Si has put it that way, fine. I'll share my opinion too."

"As far as singing goes, Si Di's performance just now truly had little skill to speak of. But his strength lies in his beautiful tone. His voice is clear, like a stream; when it enters the ear, all dust is washed away, leaving only delight."

"Moreover, Si Di had no problems with pitch. His breathing was very light, his rhythm relaxed, and he handled it with ease. Just as Teacher Qian Er said, if he practices properly, he has enormous room for improvement!"