CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol
Chapter 88 - 86: Showcasing Skills

Chapter 88: Chapter 86: Showcasing Skills

Next up, three contestants from Red Cherry took the stage.

If Lv Fangxin’s group earlier could still be watched for fun, these three were outright disasters.

They were even worse than the first three contestants—constantly off-key, with cringeworthy dancing.

After enduring over a minute of forced "noise," Yin Xiren came up and had the audience laughing uncontrollably.

This chatterbox of a girl spoke quickly, sang even faster, practically in double speed. Her tone was such a chaotic mess that it felt like it belonged on a meme platform instead.

After her came the "Shenjing-Xixi" duo from the Joint Special Company. As soon as Zhu Shenjing stepped on stage, she pushed an awkward "dumb beauty" persona.

But her looks were painfully underwhelming. Her overly modified face made people feel uneasy, and most simply thought of her as "deranged."

The mentors had no fondness for her either, genuinely thinking she’d gone mad in her desperation to become famous.

Following three groups whose performances practically drove everyone to collapse, a plain-looking girl donned in a school uniform stepped forward.

She was Duan Yuxin from Feng Soaring Culture, and as soon as she took the stage, the room fell silent.

All the girls seemed drawn into their own memories of the past. This girl naturally exuded an aura that screamed strength.

Without much chatter, she gave a simple self-introduction before starting her song.

Immediately, her voice flowed through the studio like a crystal-clear stream from a mountainside.

Focused, bright, and utterly beautiful.

Her singing carried no excessive technical flourishes, but her natural talent shocked everyone. Untrained yet able to master high vocal placement techniques and produce celestial head resonance.

The song choice complemented her pure voice perfectly, fitting her aura like a glove.

The mentors who had already taken notice of her looked visibly pleased, especially Hu Binbin, who was downright thrilled.

For a music producer, discovering such a gifted voice was like finding a hidden treasure.

The girls in the audience were equally mesmerized. Chen Yinghan’s eyes even welled up with emotion as she felt the stirrings of nostalgia and a longing to cry.

Her voice transported her to the quiet and wistful memories of times gone by.

"Amazing, absolutely amazing, this voice is extraordinary." Hu Binbin removed his headset, his face glowing with admiration.

"Did you study vocal music before?" Long Zitao couldn’t help but ask, clearly envious of the girl’s talent.

Though he worked hard, his natural limitations prevented him from achieving such beautiful singing.

"No." Duan Yuxin shook her head.

She attended vocational school to train as a kindergarten teacher, and the education quality in Huaxia’s vocational schools is notoriously poor, especially in smaller cities. Though her curriculum included singing, teachers merely read aloud from the textbook in class.

"Do you know how to dance?" Wang Junhe asked.

Duan Yuxin gently shook her head, a trace of awkwardness crossing her eyes.

"With a voice like yours, why would you need to dance!" Hu Binbin quickly jumped in to defend her.

"Ah, now that’s where you’re wrong. She can dance!" Luo Junxiang’s words caught everyone off guard, including Duan Yuxin herself.

"Look at what she’s wearing; it’s obvious she does street dancing," Luo Junxiang added.

"That’s not necessarily true. Just because someone wears sweats doesn’t mean they dance street-style," Tian Jiaxuan interjected to smooth things over.

This was the first time all five mentors spoke so extensively to a single contestant, clearly captivated by her remarkable voice.

"We’re not trying to make things difficult for you. It’s just that being in a girl group requires knowing how to dance," Long Zitao commented, having received Yang Xiaoyue’s script earlier.

The music started, and Duan Yuxin moved with the rhythmic beats.

Her innate talent was undeniable—her waist flexible, her body well-coordinated, her movements full of rhythm, all very pleasing to the eye.

Up next were the Fantasy Digital Girl Group.

"Hello everyone, we are: the former Fantasy Digital Girl Group." Led by leader Fan Lei, the members announced loudly.

The group carried an air of defiance, desperate to prove they were abandoned by capital but not lacking in skill.

"Mr. Luo, can you explain why they’re calling themselves the ’former Fantasy Digital Girl Group’?" Yang Xiaoyue’s voice rang out.

Luo Junxiang paused. The reasoning was simple, akin to how an ex-employee couldn’t represent their old company in ventures.

Still, he followed the director’s instructions and asked anyway.

Seated next to Yang Xiaoyue, Sun Miao was furiously jotting notes.

"Because our group has disbanded," Fan Lei answered, holding back tears that brimmed just beneath the surface.

The other members’ eyes were red as well; their youth, dreams, and sweat had all been obliterated the moment the company announced the dissolution.

They felt profound unwillingness and confusion, lost in what to do with their lives.

Ye Yuwei had a lump in her throat, deeply resonating with these girls trying not to cry.

They were like caged songbirds trained to please their owners, only to be discarded and left with shattered worlds once abandoned.

Lu Bingbing’s lips curled into a sneer. Toward the rivals who once challenged her status, she had zero sympathy.

If these girls didn’t cry now, then one day it would be her and her 300-something sisters crying instead. The brutal competition in the industry worked just that way.

Suddenly, for reasons unclear, the performance screens displayed information about the group, emphasizing that they were a girl group built with an astronomical investment of 500 million yuan.

Their subsequent performance, however, led to universal disappointment.

Logic suggested any team backed by such massive funding should at least deliver professional-level vocals and visually dazzling choreography.

But none of them hit the mark in singing.

Their dancing was as unremarkable as previous groups like Bala Girl Group or Fashion Girl Group.

No one could tell where the 500 million yuan had gone.

If there hadn’t been prior performances by lesser groups, they might have garnered more applause. But after the audience’s expectations were raised, only disappointment remained.

Ultimately, Hu Binbin remarked, "If talent exists, rely on your talent. If you have gifts, excel in using them. Or, you fight with hard work and persistence. If none of those apply, elimination is inevitable."

Luo Junxiang followed with, "Artists without a stage are pitiable. Artists who don’t know when to leave the stage are tragic."

These words pierced the hearts of the Fantasy Digital Girl Group members, eliciting immense grief.

This group, once trained with staggering resources to take on industry giants, was now set to become mere stepping stones in dominating corporate battles.

Next came Leshu International and Rumeng Entertainment, whose talent level appeared mediocre—just here making their rounds.

As Ye Yuwei began to lose interest, the Insect Girls took the stage.

But to most viewers, this girl group seemed destined to merely check in for attendance as well.

Within the industry, the Insect Girls had some reputation.

Yet their company’s most elite six "powerhouses," especially the "Rain-Snow Duo," were absent. These six followed the traditional artist path, focusing on music festivals and television appearances.

The three present at this event mainly performed at small venues—essentially the second-string team.

Among them, Jiang Mengqi stood out. She had an extraordinary following in the troupe’s plays and managed to catch the eye of high-level management. She’d even been grouped with the "Rain-Snow Duo" in a street dance show audition but was cut during the preliminaries.

For this event, even though the organizers hoped Insect Girls would showcase their best, the company declined to support a rival and chose to send three backups to provide exposure instead.

Music began, and the trio’s voices filled the room.

The audience, with low expectations, was unexpectedly struck by surprise.

The performance turned out surprisingly good, especially a girl whose sweet smile captivated everyone. Her precise dance moves and bursts of energy were highly impressive.

Collectively, their dance was sharp, clean, and well-executed, with impeccable facial expressions.

From the first group till now, they were the only ones to portray the boundless energy of youth perfectly.

The prior contestants, irrespective of style, exuded more of a mature or sultry vibe.