Hearthome TV Station, Studio.
The round of sixteen was being held in the Studio,
and would begin at eight o'clock sharp that evening.
Before then, a staff member pushed the door open and interrupted the contestants' conversation.
"The competition is about to begin. Please get ready. Once you enter, go to the table with your nameplate."
There were no villains in this competition.
The contestants all got along well,
at least on the surface.
The competition was being broadcast live, and would also be edited into a variety show afterward.
Since two members of their chat group were competing, Red, Blue, and the others with nothing better to do had all tuned into the livestream.
"The commercials are over. The contestants should be coming in now, right?"
Blue thought back for a moment, then said, "Just about. It was the same last year."
Brock said, "That's right."
Lt. Surge asked in confusion, "Didn't you swear you'd stop watching because Suzie was eliminated?"
Suzie had unfortunately been knocked out in the previous round of thirty-two.
Brock declared with righteous conviction, "Miss Lalami is still there."
Miss Lalami was also the older-woman type Brock liked.
Meanwhile,
at the Hearthome Breeding Center, Li Wei's family and employees had still gathered in the cafeteria, even though the evening was their time off.
Cheering for Li Wei... was just a bonus.
They would never admit they were there for the late-night snacks.
After watching Dayou fiddle with things for so long, Mizuki couldn't help asking, "Do you actually know how to do this?"
Dayou patted his chest.
"Relax. I've got this."
Dayou hadn't been making empty boasts. He did find the livestream, and the screen showed the contestants filing in.
Shiyin exclaimed excitedly, "Look! It's Xiao Wei!"
There were no introductions as they entered.
After