Chapter 156: The Despairing Fang Yiren

Dou Jiajia’s eyes turned red in an instant, and she wept uncontrollably with tears streaming down her face. The surrounding contestants were infected by the emotion, feeling a sudden sourness in their noses and coming close to tears themselves.

"Thank you, thank you for giving me this chance. I never expected to make the debut group during the rehearsals, so my mind is completely blank right now. I don't know what to say. Thank you, thank you all..."

The long-awaited hope had finally come true. Although Dou Jiajia spoke incoherently, she felt an immense sense of relief. All the pressure was released at this very moment, and the tears on her face flowed endlessly, making her look exceptionally poignant and beautiful as she cried.

She continuously bowed to the audience, the contestant seating area, and the mentor seating area in front, behind, and to her sides.

The mentors were also deeply moved, and Jiang Lingsu even shed tears of emotional agitation.

"Congratulations, Dou Jiajia! Please take your place upon your rightful debut throne!"

Guided by the host Huang Wensong's commentary and accompanied by majestic, sweeping music, Dou Jiajia walked the long flower-lined path, bowing step by step, until she finally ascended to the pinnacle of the pyramid and took her designated seat.

That seat shone brightly, radiating a unique and captivating charm.

All the girls looked up with eyes brimming with shimmering tears.

Soon, the seventh, sixth, and fifth debut contestants were revealed one by one.

They were Zheng Miner, Chang Jun, and Ju Nianzhi, respectively.

Among these three, the one who attracted the most attention was Chang Jun.

As it turned out, Chang Jun had previously hovered around the tenth position, but in this grand finale, her vote count achieved a miraculous last-minute surge. Her numbers jumped directly from around 110 million votes to approximately 190 million votes, truly astonishing everyone.

Even the person herself wore a look of utter bewilderment.

Good fortune had arrived too abruptly. Chang Jun, who had previously been residing in the danger zone, never imagined she would ultimately rise to the sixth spot, which caught her somewhat off guard.

Meanwhile, Zheng Miner performed with her usual stability. Always ranking eighth, she took a small step forward to secure the seventh position.

As for Ju Nianzhi, she achieved her long-cherished wish, ranking fifth with a vote count infinitely close to 200 million, trailing Chang Jun by only a few tens of thousands of votes.

Finally came the last spot in the first round of the debut lineup: fourth place.

The gaze of the entire arena turned toward Yu Xiaoxi and Zhu Xiyu.

These two were respectively the brightest and most outstanding presences within Xie Yuxun's and Liao Meiqi's respective camps.

At the same time, their rankings were extremely close.

Third place, or fourth place?

Yu Xiaoxi and Zhu Xiyu exchanged a glance, both breaking into radiant, flower-like smiles.

"Next, I will announce the contestant who has won fourth place!"

Mentor Yan Niannian looked down at the letter in her hands and read aloud, "She has received a total of 219,437,368 votes!"

The entire arena erupted into thunderous applause.

"She can sing and dance brilliantly. From the very first day she entered the training camp, she has always remained in Class A and has never once dropped out of the top 11!"

Amidst the focused attention of everyone, Yan Niannian raised her head and announced, "She is—Yu Xiaoxi."

Yu Xiaoxi stood there dumbfounded, her facial expression suspended in a strange state where it was impossible to tell whether she wanted to cry or laugh.

It was not until applause echoed through the entire venue that she regained her composure. Donning a "surprised and delighted" smile and exchanging hugs with Zhu Xiyu and the others, she walked to the front of the stage and repeatedly expressed her gratitude.

Yet beneath this excited exterior lay a fiercely turbulent and restless heart.

Fourth?

How could it be fourth?

Having firmly occupied the third position without ever slipping down once, Yu Xiaoxi perfectly embodied the true meaning behind the phrase, "Smiling on the outside, cursing fiercely on the inside."

"You're third!"

Behind her, Liao Meiqi hugged Zhu Xiyu by the shoulders, tugged at her little hand, and blinked. "Congratulations!"

Zhu Xiyu wore a coy and shy expression. "The results haven't been officially announced yet, don't talk nonsense."

"You'll know in just a moment!" Liao Meiqi comforted her.

After delivering her acceptance speech, Yu Xiaoxi also walked step by step along the long flower path and took her seat upon the pyramid throne.

Meanwhile, the mentors had completed their tasks and returned to sit at the mentor podium.

"Alright, the announcement of the first round of the debut lineup has concluded! Next is the second round of the debut lineup. This list represents sweat and hard work, and there are three spots in total, specifically positions nine through eleven. Eleven is a very special number; take one step forward and you debut, take one step back and you leave."

Chen Ke'er smiled and said, "And this list will be announced on stage by a heavyweight guest. Now, let us welcome the famous director—Zhang Yichi!"

Zhang Yichi, sporting a full beard, walked onto the stage. After exchanging some banter with the hosts, he picked up the envelope in his hand, tore it open, and asked, "Where should I start reading from?"

"Wherever you like, wherever you like!"

Huang Wensong and Chen Ke'er hurriedly replied.

Zhang Yichi nodded and said, "Very well, let me announce the eleventh place first! She received a total of 117,336,811 votes, and her name is—"

The girls in the audience who had yet to debut clenched their hands tightly in tension, their eyes filled with a hopeful light.

Within the crowd, Fang Yiren kept biting her fingernails, her eyes wide open and heavily laced with bloodshot veins.

Prior to today, the highest ranking she had ever achieved was eighteenth place.

Just moments ago, the host had informed her that as of 6:00 PM tonight, her ranking had achieved continuous upward surges and settled securely at eleventh place.

So, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, within the span of a mere two hours, would her ranking change once again?

Fang Yiren's heart pounded violently, her eyes frighteningly red.

She dared not harbor extravagant hopes for a higher ranking.

Because judging by her current performance, she was either eleventh place or she was eliminated.

"Her name is—Feng Qiqi!"

When Zhang Yichi spoke that name, Feng Qiqi and Fang Yiren collapsed to the floor almost simultaneously.

One experienced sheer joy, while the other plunged into utter despair.

Everyone hurriedly stepped forward to help them up.

"Thank you, thank you Director Zhang, thank you mentors, thank you to the fans who supported me, thank you, thank you!"

Feng Qiqi was so overwhelmed that her words became disjointed as she repeatedly expressed her gratitude to everyone present.

As for Fang Yiren, she stood there blankly like a soul detached from its body, even after being helped to her feet.

After Feng Qiqi took her debut seat on the pyramid, Zhang Yichi announced another name: "Tenth place, she received a total of 144,637,003 votes, and her name is—Yang Ziqi."

Yang Ziqi, who had constantly hovered around the eleventh position, took a deep breath, broke into a smile, and amidst the overwhelming applause and screams, bowed deeply to express her gratitude to everyone.

At this point, seven of the eleven debut spots had been distributed.

Only the top three and the ninth place remained unannounced.

Meanwhile, as Yang Ziqi delivered her debut acceptance speech, almost all the contestants behind her mirrored Fang Yiren, wearing expressions of despair.

The top three were positions they dared not even imagine.

That was a battlefield fiercely contested by Liao Meiqi, Xie Yuxun, and Zhu Xiyu.

Therefore, only a single debut spot remained.

Finally, Zhang Yichi lowered his head and read out the name for the final slot: "Ninth place, she received a total of 157,331,877 votes, and her name is—Fang Yiren."