Chapter Seventy-Four: Unfairness

Xie Yuxin returned to the filming site with a dark expression.

After the second round of eliminations, the fifty-five remaining girls were to be regrouped for team battles. There would be six groups in total, each with a core center position. In these battles, the winning team would advance directly to the next round, while the losing team, apart from the core center, would see its members at immediate risk of elimination.

Therefore, choosing the strongest possible teammates was now the most crucial task for the nine center players.

The first to select teammates was Xie Yuxin. Second was Liao Meiqi. Third was Yu Xiaoxi. The six centers took turns choosing in order of their ranking by the number of votes, up to the sixth. However, each center could only select one member at a time.

Almost everyone wanted to join Xie Yuxin’s team, with Yu Xiaoxi’s team being the next most desirable. As for Liao Meiqi, she wasn’t the top choice for most contestants. After more than a month of being together, the girls had a good sense of each other’s strengths. Xie Yuxin and Yu Xiaoxi, both of whom had debuted overseas, were the most solid in terms of skills and popularity, making their teams the safest bets for victory.

Liao Meiqi, though ranked second, was, apart from her singing, the weakest dancer among all the center players. With a center like her, the team’s prospects were less than ideal.

Other than the six centers, there were several Class A contestants remaining. So, after Xie Yuxin picked a strong Class A member, it was Liao Meiqi’s turn, and almost all the Class A contestants avoided her gaze.

“Ju Nianzhi,” Liao Meiqi called.

A collective sigh of relief swept through the group, and smiles appeared on many faces.

Ju Nianzhi walked out with a helpless look and complained, “Why did you pick me?”

Liao Meiqi grinned, “Because you’re the best dancer!”

Ju Nianzhi sighed. In truth, she would have preferred to join Xie Yuxin’s team—the show’s popularity queen—or Yu Xiaoxi’s team. Those two could easily outshine any other center. Liao Meiqi was not her top choice.

Not to mention Liao Meiqi’s capabilities, even their relationship was complicated. In the initial class assignment, Ju Nianzhi had challenged Liao Meiqi for her Class A spot, but lost. Although Liao Meiqi had always been polite since then, Ju Nianzhi had never warmed to her, seeing her as all show and no substance.

Sure enough, after the second round, Ju Nianzhi made it into Class A, while Liao Meiqi fell out of it. But after the show aired, to Ju Nianzhi’s shock, Liao Meiqi’s popularity soared, with more likes from viewers than almost anyone else.

After another round of eliminations, not only did Liao Meiqi return to Class A, she even jumped to second place.

My goodness, is this what viewers like nowadays? Is singing a few songs really enough...?

Ju Nianzhi suddenly asked, “Meiqi, can your brother write girl group songs?”

“I don’t think so...” Liao Meiqi replied uncertainly.

Defeated, Ju Nianzhi tried a different angle: “Then do you have any new songs from your brother?”

“No...” Liao Meiqi admitted sheepishly.

Ju Nianzhi’s face fell. That was it—no hope.

Soon, more than half the teams had been assembled. When it was Liao Meiqi’s turn to pick again, Xie Yuxin suddenly interjected, “I want Zhu Xiyu too!”

The Class A contestant Zhu Xiyu, who had been about to join Liao Meiqi’s team, was stunned. “Me?”

“Yes, you!” Xie Yuxin smiled. “Xiyu, come to my team!”

Liao Meiqi protested, “I picked her first.”

“But she doesn’t seem to want to join your team,” Xie Yuxin countered, turning to look at Liao Meiqi. “And as per the rules, if there’s competition, the choice goes to the contestant!”

Sensing the tension, Chen Xiuyuan, the host overseeing the team selection, quickly stepped in. “That’s right. So, Zhu Xiyu, the choice is yours—will you join Liao Meiqi’s team or Xie Yuxin’s?”

A trace of conflict flashed across Zhu Xiyu’s face. She glanced at Xie Yuxin several times, but in the end, her decision shocked everyone. “I choose Liao Meiqi.”

“What? Did I hear that right?”

“She actually picked Liao Meiqi? Is she throwing away her future?”

“Zhu Xiyu is usually so quiet, but she never seemed foolish. What’s going on today?”

“Yes! That’s one less spot on Liao Meiqi’s team!”

The contestants were all delighted. Even Liao Meiqi seemed in disbelief. Watching Zhu Xiyu approach, she exclaimed, “We’re going to win!”

“I trust you. I trust my own judgment!” Zhu Xiyu smiled and lined up behind Liao Meiqi.

Liao Meiqi was deeply moved, her face radiant with excitement.

But Xie Yuxin was clearly upset. Seeing Liao Meiqi so overjoyed only made her feel worse. Suddenly, she shouted, “This isn’t fair!”

Her voice echoed through the stadium, drawing every eye, including those of the mentors and the director’s team.

“What’s wrong, Yuxin?” Chen Xiuyuan asked.

“The director’s team is being unfair!” Xie Yuxin pointed at Liao Meiqi. “Why does she get her own featured MV? Why don’t the rest of us?”

The contestants were bewildered. They didn’t really understand what a featured MV meant, or its significance.

But Xie Yuxin knew. Her agent had told her about the tens of thousands of comments and millions of views. It made her furious. “So where’s the fairness the show always claims? Can the director’s team just ignore fairness and justice whenever it suits their preferences or interests?”

Fu Yuntao frowned and stood up from his director’s chair, signaling to the cameramen.

As the cameramen prepared to turn off their cameras, Xie Yuxin snapped, “Feeling guilty? Am I hitting a nerve? Why turn off the cameras? Isn’t this show supposed to be the most real, fair, and just?”

Fu Yuntao laughed angrily. He was losing his patience. Gesturing to the cameramen to keep filming, he said bluntly, “Fine, keep them rolling. Xie Yuxin, let me explain exactly why we gave Liao Meiqi a solo MV!”

“Do you think everyone is like you, with a base of fans, a company backing you, and endless resources to spend on promotion? Is that what fairness looks like to you?”

“Liao Meiqi is just an artist from a small company, without even an agent. After joining the show, she had no one to promote her, no one to canvass votes, and no one expected her to go far!”

“But is she less talented? I believe the audience has clear eyes. That’s why her votes have stayed at the top since the show aired!”

“And as for the solo behind-the-scenes MV, it was called ‘Memory.’ It was just a song Liao Meiqi sang for her graduating fans. The song’s popularity brought huge attention to ‘Produce 101,’ which benefited every contestant!”

“Let me clarify something—I have never given any contestant a personal video feature. If there is one, it’s because of the big three video platforms, not me! I only put the song’s MV in the behind-the-scenes footage. If not for the show’s time constraints, believe me, I would have put it in the main program!”

“I’ll state this now: if any contestant here can perform a song of the same quality as Liao Meiqi’s, I, Fu Yuntao, will shoot an MV for her on the spot!”

“So, is there anyone?”

A hush fell over the group.

If any of them could sing a song like “If There’s a Next Life,” they wouldn’t need to compete for a girl group—they’d be a solo debut star, backed by their company!

“Stop making excuses!” Xie Yuxin scoffed. “Don’t think I don’t know about your secret deals. Director Fu, isn’t your favoritism toward Liao Meiqi really about the film rights to ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’?”

Fu Yuntao was taken aback. “Who told you that?”

“Just answer the question,” Xie Yuxin pressed.

Fu Yuntao studied her intently. Suddenly, his anger flared. He flung his megaphone to the floor. “Damn it, get the contestant management team here!”

The room fell silent. Even Xie Yuxin shrank back at his sudden outburst, her eyes uneasy.

Even mentor Chen Xiuyuan said nothing, stunned by the scene.

Soon, the head of contestant management came running. “Director Fu, what is it?”

“Who’s in charge of Xie Yuxin?” Fu Yuntao said coldly.

The manager forced a smile. “That’s Xiao Zhao. Uh, did something happen?”

Fu Yuntao snapped, “Tell him to pack up and get out right now!”

The manager looked baffled. “Why? Director Fu, can’t we talk this over...”

Fu Yuntao kicked the megaphone, sending pieces flying. “Talk, my ass! What was the point of the confidentiality agreement? If he doesn’t want me to sue him, he’d better leave now!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll have him leave right away.”

Once the manager had hurried off, Fu Yuntao fixed Xie Yuxin with a cold glare. “Miss Xie, remember this—rules are rules. If you want to play with them, you need to become the one who makes them first.”

Xie Yuxin bit her lip and stayed silent.

Fu Yuntao looked around at all the contestants and said sternly, “‘Produce 101’ is a truly fair, open, and just girl group competition. The rules are completely transparent. All the votes are backed by data, and every voter must register with their phone number. Whatever means you use to canvass for votes, I only care about the final numbers! Whoever has the highest numbers gets the most screen time!”

“As for my work with Liao’s brother on film adaptations, that has nothing to do with this show! Believe it or not, I don’t have to explain myself to you!”

With that, Fu Yuntao left the set.

The contestants were left exchanging bewildered looks.

“Teacher Chen, are we still filming?” someone asked softly.

Chen Xiuyuan grimaced. “Film what? The director’s gone. Let’s go!”

Many began to leave. When the cameras were finally off, a cluster of contestants hurried to Xie Yuxin, chattering, “Xiaoyu, was what you said true?”

“Did the director really make a personal video for Liao Meiqi?”

“No wonder she’s so popular lately—they gave her special treatment!”

“This show is so unfair!”

“I kind of regret coming. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have joined.”

“I told you, Liao Meiqi just has connections!”

“But really, is her brother that good? Writing both songs and scripts? I’ve never heard of him before!”

Everyone was speaking out against Liao Meiqi.

Xie Yuxin looked over at Liao Meiqi, standing off to the side, and sneered, “I’m not letting this go!”

Meanwhile, things were much quieter around Liao Meiqi. Only Zhu Xiyu and a handful of others remained. Ju Nianzhi, who had just joined the team, had already disappeared.

“Some people just can’t stand seeing others do better than themselves,” Zhu Xiyu said, shaking her head. “Meiqi, don’t let it get to you. Just focus on what you need to do...”

She trailed off, looking at Liao Meiqi’s exuberant face in confusion. “Are you... are you smiling?”

“Huh? Yeah, I’m smiling! Hehe!”

Liao Meiqi grinned goofily. “I can’t believe my brother’s so amazing—‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ is being made into a TV series!”

“Wait, what’s the story with ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’? Your brother wrote it?” another girl asked in surprise. “I’ve never heard of that novel, but it sounds really popular!”

“‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ was written by my brother before I entered the competition. I only listened to one episode. I had no idea Director Fu wanted to adapt it.”

Liao Meiqi beamed. “You don’t know my brother—he’s so low-key, he hasn’t even told me about this yet!”

“Meiqi, doesn’t your brother write songs too?” the girl continued. “Can you ask him to write one for our team? Let’s see if we can blow away those who look down on us in the next performance!”

“Yeah, Meiqi, you’re the center, so you don’t have to worry about being eliminated, but the rest of us do. If we lose, we might all have to leave...”

“It should be a girl group song!”

Everyone chimed in with their suggestions.

Liao Meiqi fiddled with her hair, hesitating. She didn’t want to trouble her brother, but these were her closest friends in the competition, and she didn’t want them to be eliminated. In the end, she nodded. “I’m not sure if it’ll work, but I’ll try my best!”

“That’s amazing!”

“Yes! With your brother’s song, we’re sure to win!”