Chapter 80: Practice

“With careful planning, this could indeed become a smash hit.” Jiang Lingsu’s gaze brimmed with admiration. “I have a feeling this will be a nationwide sensation—both the dance and the song are far superior to our show’s theme music! This ‘Nameless Teacher’ is truly remarkable. Director Fu, who is this person?”

“That’s not important,” Fu Yuntao replied with a smile. “What matters is that the work itself is outstanding.”

A flicker of suspicion flashed in Yu Lianzhou’s eyes. Instinctively, he felt this song might have been created by Liao Yuanzhi, but he had never heard that Liao Yuanzhi knew how to choreograph. After a moment’s thought, he dismissed the idea with a shake of his head.

Soon after, Fu Yuntao instructed the songwriting mentor, Zheng Yongxu, to contact Liao Yuanzhi. The two discussed the next steps for completing “Nobody” over the phone.

Twenty-four hours later, the full version of “Nobody” was ready.

Afterward, Zheng Yongxu arrived at the practice studio and gathered the contestant team led by Liao Meiqi.

“This is a song that could make you famous overnight.”

Standing before the nine contestants, Zheng Yongxu spoke solemnly, “I hope you’ll approach your practice with the utmost seriousness.”

“Teacher Zheng, what song did you choose for us?” Ju Nianzhi asked. “If it’s not working out, we can always ask Meiqi’s brother for help. He’s a composing genius—the songs from ‘The Rest of Our Lives’ were all written by him.”

Someone quickly chimed in, “Yes, yes! We could ask Meiqi’s brother!”

Zheng Yongxu turned to Liao Meiqi with a smile. “No need to trouble such a heavyweight! As I said, the song our team has prepared for you will absolutely make you shine overnight.”

He then had the lyrics distributed to each contestant. “You have thirty minutes to memorize the words.”

Half an hour later, Zheng Yongxu sat at the piano and sang “Nobody” once through himself. Then, acting as accompanist, he asked, “Who wants to go first?”

The contestants exchanged uncertain glances.

In the end, Liao Meiqi stepped forward. “Teacher, I’ll go first!”

A hint of appreciation flashed in Zheng Yongxu’s eyes. “Good, let’s begin.”

As he finished speaking, his fingers danced lightly over the keys, filling the studio with music.

Quickly, Liao Meiqi found the rhythm and began to sing: “I-want-nobody-nobody-but-You, I-want-nobody-nobody-but-You, no matter who gets hurt first, I only need your comfort, I-want-nobody-nobody, nobody-nobody—”

“Not bad at all, you’re right on the beat!” Zheng Yongxu said with a smile.

“Thank you, teacher,” Liao Meiqi replied happily.

With Liao Meiqi taking the lead, the other contestants soon adapted to the rhythm and style of “Nobody.”

Once everyone was generally familiar with the song, Zheng Yongxu assigned vocal techniques and determined each person’s lines according to their tone and breath control.

Naturally, as the center, Liao Meiqi had the most lines in the song, which made the others quite envious.

Still, someone voiced their doubts, “Teacher Zheng, the song is catchy, but can it really win the group stage?”

With a calm smile, Zheng Yongxu replied, “Trust your mentors’ judgment.”

Next, the choreography teacher, Yan Nianan, took the floor. “I hope you’ll cherish this opportunity. You should be aware of recent developments. I’ll be blunt: the only reason you got this song is because of Director Fu’s personal connections in the industry! This song and its choreography could launch an entire girl group into stardom anywhere. I hope you understand its value!”

Liao Meiqi’s team consisted of nine members.

Arranging the choreography to highlight the center required significant effort, but Yan Nianan was an expert, and with Liao Yuanzhi’s guidance, teaching the dance proved straightforward.

“Shake your right index finger—yes, that’s it. Step left for two beats, then right for two beats—good, a total of four. Now, clap your hands in place. Zhu Xiyu, where’s your focus? Watch my posture! Two claps per beat, then lift your left knee. Hands in a finger-gun pose—right, that’s another beat. Repeat the motion.”

“After the first eight-count, switch sides for another eight. Simple! Come on, follow the rhythm, let’s all dance together: I-want-nobody-nobody-but-You…”

Yan Nianan sang and danced as she taught, utterly earnest in her instruction.

She could not let Nameless Teacher’s expectations down. Just yesterday, he had said that all the doubts and grievances the production team had suffered would be answered with this one song!

His words were confident and bold.

In Yan Nianan’s view, he was absolutely right.

She had a premonition: once this song was released, it would take the entire fan community by storm.

At that point, these nine contestants would see their popularity skyrocket—unstoppable.

Yan Nianan firmly believed that, though the team included contestants from Class A, B, and C—a true mix—once this song was performed, at least half would remain in Class A in the coming rounds.

The dance for “Nobody,” much like the song, was simple and easy to learn.

After just an hour or two, the nine contestants had mostly memorized their steps.

Once Yan Nianan had assigned their positions according to the lyrics, they began their first full rehearsal of the nine-person routine.

If it had only been the song, the contestants might still have thought Zheng Yongxu was exaggerating.

But as the dance unfolded in sync with the music, their excitement surged with every step, growing ever more astonished.

Was that really me in the mirror?

Ju Nianzhi, Zhu Xiyu, and the others stared, wide-eyed and speechless, at their reflections in the studio’s wall-length mirror.

Alluring, adorable, playful—and with the hypnotic, looping melody and choreography…

Even as fellow women, in that moment they were captivated by their own reflections!

Including Liao Meiqi, all nine felt their blood ignite with passion.

The performance stage awaited!

Let the contest begin—may the best team win!

“Incredible.”

The mentor panel watched the rehearsal footage of Liao Meiqi’s group, goosebumps prickling their skin. “We knew the song was good, but we never expected it to be this good!”

“Most importantly, all the contestants exude absolute confidence—something we’ve never seen before,” Chen Xiuyuan said with a smile. “Clearly, this song has given them a real sense of self-assurance.”

“The choreography and music are perfectly matched, and the hook is irresistible. There’s nothing else like this in the country,” Jiang Lingsu praised. “Director Fu, can’t you share a little more? I’d love to meet this choreography master!”

“Don’t get your hopes up. Nameless Teacher never shows his face,” Yan Nianan replied with a laugh. “Whenever I meet him, he’s completely disguised—cap, sunglasses, the works. You can’t tell who he is at all. But I’m sure he’s not just anyone.”

“In a few days, when the live show begins, Liao Meiqi’s group will answer all the doubters with this song,” Zheng Yongxu said, barely able to contain his excitement. “And Xiuyuan’s really stirring the pot, putting Liao Meiqi’s group up against Xie Yuxun’s group in a head-to-head battle. That’s going to be a blowout!”

Yu Lianzhou shook his head. “Don’t jump to conclusions. I’m responsible for Xie Yuxun’s group, which includes the largest number of Class A contestants. Their strength shouldn’t be underestimated.”

The mentors, hearing this, immediately played Xie Yuxun’s group’s rehearsal video.

Moments later, the meeting room fell into silence.