The sixth episode of the program recording focused on selecting team leaders, team members, and songs.
This time, the leaders were chosen based on the online voting results from the past week. The vote counts had been hidden since Friday morning, so none of the participants knew their final rankings.
The host walked in holding cue cards: "Welcome, everyone, to the new episode of our show. I’m sure you’re all curious about who the new team leaders will be. Now, I’ll announce the top eight—our new leaders."
"First place, Rong Yu, with 1.93 million votes."
"Second place, Rong Ruoyao, with 1.24 million votes."
Rong Ruoyao bit her lip so hard it nearly bled.
Before the show aired, she had been the most popular contestant.
But by the sixth episode, whether in individual popularity or team competitions, she had been completely overshadowed by Rong Yu.
It was humiliating.
"Third place, Lisa, with 910,000 votes."
"...Eighth place, Su Tian, with 370,000 votes."
Su Tian was stunned. "Wait, how did I end up in eighth place? I don’t want to be a leader—I just wanted to latch onto Sister Yu’s coattails! Are they really not giving me that chance?"
Jiang Shuang, sitting nearby, wore a complicated expression.
If she had chosen Rong Yu in the previous round, she would have been the one to sing the opening opera line, and now, she would have been the one voted as a leader by the audience.
One wrong step, and everything had spiraled out of control.
Su Tian whined, "Sister Yu, I don’t want to be a leader. I want to give my spot to someone else..."
Rong Yu looked at her and said, "You’re the best teammate anyone could ask for. I hope you’ll also become my strongest rival. Work hard with your new team and enjoy the stage, okay?"
Under her gaze, Su Tian inexplicably found courage.
Before joining this show, her goal had been to survive three episodes—anything beyond that would be a bonus.
Who would’ve thought that by latching onto the right person, she’d make it to the sixth episode? Halfway through the competition, she, an unnoticed nobody, had been voted a leader by the audience.
This proved she was talented too.
Maybe it was time to lead her own team and prove she could stand on her own.
Su Tian shook off her gloom and declared, "Sister Yu, I’ll do my best to become your greatest rival."
Rong Ruoyao smirked.
She believed Rong Yu’s consecutive wins in team battles were solely due to her perfectly synchronized teammates.
Now that Su Tian was a leader, their old team would split up. She wanted to see how Rong Yu would keep winning first place with a new group.
Once the leaders were decided, they took their seats in designated areas to begin selecting team members.
The remaining contestants, ranked by popularity, would choose their preferred leaders—and the leaders couldn’t refuse them.
Rong Yu glanced at the rankings. There were 48 contestants left, and after the next performance, 16 would be eliminated. That meant anyone ranked beyond 30th was in danger.
Two of her former teammates were in the 30s—the lower the rank, the fewer choices they had.
Leaders had no say in selections, so Rong Yu could only wish them luck.
As she pondered, several high-ranking contestants walked toward her one after another.
Her popularity was undeniable—she was the top choice among all participants.
Li Ying'er, ranked 16th, glanced between Rong Yu and Su Tian. After a long hesitation, she stood up and said, "Sister Yu, I hope Su Tian and I can become your toughest rivals together."
She’d ridden Rong Yu’s coattails long enough—it was time to walk on her own.
The top 20 contestants gradually settled into their chosen teams. Only Rong Ruoyao’s area remained empty.
Her sweet smile slowly stiffened.
Once, she had been the most sought-after contestant, with everyone begging to collaborate with her.
Now, no one even glanced her way.
Was it just because she’d vented a few complaints online? Who hadn’t gossiped about others behind their backs?
If the popular contestants refused to pick her, she’d be stuck with low-ranking performers. How could they possibly put on a good show?
Panic set in. When it was Jiang Shuang’s turn to choose, Rong Ruoyao forced a smile. "Jiang Shuang, didn’t we say we’d collaborate on a stage if we got the chance?"
Jiang Shuang laughed awkwardly.
Last time, she’d picked Lisa and lost miserably.
If she chose Rong Ruoyao now, she’d lose even worse—maybe even get eliminated.
She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
"Sorry, Yaoyao," Jiang Shuang said. "I’m picking Rong Yu."
Each team had six members. Once Jiang Shuang took her seat, Rong Yu’s team was full—all high-ranking, high-popularity contestants.
Rong Ruoyao gritted her teeth.
Her team, filled only at the last minute, consisted of contestants teetering on the edge of elimination—people she’d never even acknowledged before.
Now, she had to work with them.
She couldn’t even fake a smile.
The live chat erupted with schadenfreude.
"Serves her right. She trash-talked everyone on her alt account—no wonder she’s being shunned."
"Thank goodness the show’s generous. If they cut her screen time, she’d have no choice but to accept it."
"Hey, did you guys even see Yaoyao’s clarification post? Those comments weren’t from her! Stop slandering our Yaoyao!"
"LOL, you’ll believe anything she says, huh?"
"As someone with a younger brother, I get Yaoyao. I believe her brother framed her."
"Our Yaoyao is amazing—calligraphy, painting, piano, she’s the best at everything. Someone that talented wouldn’t waste time gossiping."
"Pfft, stop bragging. Remember when Rong Yu’s ‘genius’ persona backfired? Is Rong Ruoyao next?" (Clearly a Lisa fan, oozing sarcasm.)
"Our Yaoyao is a real genius—she’d never fail like that!"
"Rong Yu had to repeat a grade—she’s an idiot. She’s not even fit to lick Yaoyao’s boots."
"Who even likes Rong Yu? It’s laughable!"
"..."
Old Master Ji lounged on the sofa, watching the livestream. As the show moved to song selection, he analyzed each track’s pros and cons, wondering which one suited Rong Yu best. He didn’t notice the comment section at first.
By the time he checked, it had been overrun.
Lisa’s fans stirring trouble.
Other fans jumping on the bandwagon.
Rong Ruoyao’s diehard supporters, humiliated this round, were now viciously attacking Rong Yu.
"This is too much! How dare they talk about Auntie like that!" Duoduo’s cheeks puffed up in anger.
Old Master Ji’s eyes gleamed. "Duoduo, go upstairs and fetch the physics competition trophy from your aunt’s room. Quick!"
Duoduo’s eyes lit up. She dashed upstairs, pushed open Rong Yu’s door, but the trophy was placed too high for her to reach.
She turned to call for help—just as Ji Liuguang descended from the third floor.
"Uncle Four!" she called. "Can you help me grab something? I can’t reach it!"
When Ji Liuguang saw Duoduo, he was reminded of last night—how her piano playing had woken him up, leading to Old Master Ji slapping him across the face.
He said coldly, "Can’t you see my hand is fractured? How am I supposed to help? You’re really being inconsiderate for a kid."
