Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha and Got Marked by the Enemy (ABO, GL) - Chapter 94

Chapter 94

With her outstanding skills and stage charisma, Yu Jing rightfully won first place in the first public performance.

When the host announced her name and the camera zoomed in on her, Yu Jing’s expression looked slightly dazed.

Xiao Yihuan, standing beside her, hugged her excitedly and shook her. “Ahhh, Jingjing, you’re amazing! First place!”

Her teammates and other trainees gathered around to congratulate her.

“Thank you,” Yu Jing said with a stiff smile.

The host invited her onto the stage. Still a bit confused, she tilted her head and looked at the host. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes were full of question marks.

The host pointed to the standing microphone and reminded her, “Give your speech!”

“…Oh.”

Yu Jing remembered the process. The top three had to give speeches. The other two had already spoken. Now it was her turn.

But what should she say?

Yu Jing never expected to take first place. She hadn’t prepared anything. She deliberately walked slowly to the microphone. In her mind, she quickly drafted her speech. She gripped the microphone, raised her face, smiled at the camera, and began her speech.

She first thanked the fans and netizens who voted for her. Then she named each teammate to thank them. She thanked the mentors, the host, her manager, and her assistant. She spoke with sincerity, her earnestness like a student cramming for a college entrance exam.

After reciting a long list of thanks, Yu Jing bowed ninety degrees to the camera and ended her speech.

The little whales in the audience stood up together, holding her support signs. Her heart warmed. She bowed again, smiled, and walked off the stage.

Suddenly, she heard soft sobbing from the crowd. Yu Jing turned her head and saw a few trainees hiding from the camera, wiping tears. She froze.

Before she could process what was happening, the host said, “Now, I will announce the elimination list.”

Something struck Yu Jing’s mind. The joy of winning first place vanished instantly. She realized this show was not just a reality program but also a competition.

Competitions involve rivalry. Rivalry is harsh.

Some progressed while others fell behind. Yu Jing, twice in first place, couldn’t climb higher. Among her five teammates, Chen Xiao moved from B class to A class. Xiao Yihuan rose in rank but stayed in B class. The other three remained in C class. All six were safe from elimination for now. Still, the crying affected their moods, making them somewhat heavy.

The rules stated that those ranked in F class twice would be eliminated directly. This performance eliminated five trainees. The host read their names one by one. The scene fell silent for a few seconds, then murmurs arose.

Some sobbed quietly. Others cried loudly. Those leaving and those staying parted reluctantly.

The first public performance ended in a heavy atmosphere.

Leaving the studio, Xiao Yihuan felt low. Thinking of the eliminated trainees, she sighed. She hugged Yu Jing’s arm and said worriedly, “I’m so afraid I’ll be eliminated too.”

Yu Jing saw her frowning. After thinking, she leaned close and whispered, “There are plenty of contestants worse than you. No way you’d fall to F class.”

These words weren’t to comfort her by belittling others. Yu Jing was just stating facts. Xiao Yihuan’s dancing wasn’t great, but her singing ranked in the top ten. With her natural audience appeal, she couldn’t possibly be eliminated.

Xiao Yihuan thought about it and realized she was worrying too much. Still, Yu Jing’s words didn’t fully comfort her. She frowned and muttered, “But I want to debut.”

Who didn’t? Yu Jing stayed silent.

“There are only five debut spots. Do you think I have a chance?” Xiao Yihuan looked at her with uncertainty and hope.

“Of course you do!” Yu Jing hugged her shoulders, looked into her eyes, and said encouragingly, “Yihuan, you had no foundation, yet in just a few days, you learned the theme song and the tough dance for the first performance. That’s huge progress! As long as you work hard, anything is possible. Believe in yourself.”

Xiao Yihuan finally found some confidence. Her eyes brightened. She gripped Yu Jing’s hand tightly and said, “Let’s work hard together. Keep going!”

“Keep going!”

A week later, the second public performance began, still in group PK format.

Yu Jing became the team leader again.

Leaders could choose teammates. Other leaders picked new members based on rank changes, but Yu Jing made the same choice as before. The six hugged happily.

The audience didn’t understand her choice.

[Why not change members? Her group has three C-class members.]

[It shows they’re close, right?]

[It’s like one king carrying one diamond and four bronzes.]

[King Yu Jing, diamond Chen Xiao—I agree. But our cute Yihuan isn’t bronze. She works so hard!]

Yu Jing’s thinking was simple. She knew it was a competition, but beyond rivalry, she wanted to make friends. The six had varying skill levels but got along well. After ten days, they bonded and had chemistry. There was no reason to switch teammates.

The second performance’s songs were chosen blindly. Yu Jing’s group got a highly explosive rock song.

The six looked at each other. None had experience with rock. They had no confidence.

“I probably didn’t wash my hands clean today. I’m a bit unlucky,” Yu Jing said, taking the blame for picking the song.

Everyone quickly comforted her, saying it wasn’t her fault. They encouraged each other, adjusted their moods, and prepared to head to the practice room. Suddenly, the host stopped them.

The host said, “Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Your phones are with me. Come get them. You can call your families.”

The announcement caused an uproar.

Since entering the base, the program team confiscated everyone’s phones. Without internet, they trained endlessly, cut off from the outside world. They barely remembered the date. Hearing this exciting news, the sixty trainees rushed toward the host like crazy.

Finding their phones, most trainees called home immediately.

Yu Jing held her phone, her eyes unfamiliar and confused.

The program team had kindly charged the phones. Others treated their phones like treasures, but Yu Jing stayed calm and slowly unlocked hers.

Her phone dinged with notifications. She opened the unread messages.

All messages came from one person.

Mother: “Baby, why are you still awake so late?”

Mother: “What training takes so long?”

Mother: “You sent me so much money. Do you have enough for yourself?”

Mother: “What show doesn’t even let you use your phone?”

Mother: “Baby, I saw you on TV today! So that’s the training you meant. I don’t know much about the entertainment world, but I wish you well. Baby, keep going. You’re the best!”

Mother: “Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. I still can’t reach you. I don’t know how you’re doing at the base. I can only wish you a happy Mid-Autumn in a text.”

Yu Jing felt bombarded by these messages. Her eyes fixed on the screen, unmoving.

Before entering the base, Yu Jing transferred money to Zhou Qi. Since Zhou Qi didn’t use WeChat, Yu Jing sent a text explaining she’d be training and unreachable for months. She sent it late at night; Zhou Qi likely didn’t see it. Then her phone was confiscated.

Since returning from M City, Yu Jing hadn’t spoken to Zhou Qi. Their mother-daughter relationship was nearly nonexistent. Was there a need to check in?

A trainee passed by, holding her phone and whining to someone on the call, “I miss you all so much, waaah…”

Whatever the other person said made the trainee cry harder. After a few sobs, she noticed someone nearby, felt embarrassed, and walked away.

Yu Jing watched her back, feeling an unexplained envy.

What she envied, she couldn’t say.

Maybe she envied that the trainee had a home to return to and someone to act spoiled with.

Yu Jing suddenly felt her phone weighed a thousand pounds.

She didn’t want to call Zhou Qi at all.

Who else could she call?

The weather was cool, but no sun shone today.

It was too noisy inside. Yu Jing held her phone and wandered out aimlessly. She ended up at the small lawn where they usually ran.

No one was around. A few landscape trees looked bleak.

A breeze blew, shaking off a withered yellow leaf that landed on her drooping head.

Yu Jing raised her head and saw the trees slowly going bald. She realized autumn had truly arrived.

She didn’t know if time passed quickly or slowly. She just stared at the tree.

“What are you looking at?”

A familiar voice came from behind. Yu Jing turned quickly and saw Ming Zhu following her. Surprised and delighted, she said, “Sister? Why are you still here?”

Ming Zhu stepped over the fallen leaves and walked to her. She removed the leaf from Yu Jing’s head, held its stem, and lightly brushed its tip over Yu Jing’s dazed face. “If I’m not here, where would I go?”

The leaf tickled Yu Jing like a feather. She scratched her face, grabbed Ming Zhu’s wrist, and looked at her blankly. “It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival today. Aren’t you going home to reunite with your family?”

Earlier, when the host told them to get their phones, Yu Jing heard mentors say the program gave them a holiday to leave the base. She thought Ming Zhu had left.

Ming Zhu shook her head, tossed the leaf, and tucked Yu Jing’s windblown hair behind her ear. “I told my grandpa I’m not going back this year.”

“Why?” Yu Jing blinked.

Ming Zhu raised an eyebrow and pinched her face. “Guess why?”

Yu Jing blinked again and realized, “Because of me?”

Ming Zhu didn’t deny it. She stepped closer, as if sharing a secret, and lowered her head. Her voice carried deep affection. “My girlfriend can’t go home to her family. How could I leave her alone here?”

Yu Jing smelled the cool fragrance from Ming Zhu’s body. Her breath caught, and she froze.

She was wrong. She wasn’t without anything. She had Ming Zhu!

She felt she must have saved the galaxy in her past life. How else could she have found such a wonderful girlfriend like Ming Zhu?

Ming Zhu gave up her principles to be a mentor here. She stayed to keep Yu Jing company instead of going home. Ming Zhu had done so much for her.

Yu Jing finally understood why the trainee cried while acting spoiled. Being loved and cherished felt so happy—happy enough to make her want to cry.

Her nose stung. She stood on tiptoe and reached out.

Just as she nearly touched Ming Zhu, she remembered something. Her steps halted, and she quickly stepped back.

Ming Zhu had opened her arms to embrace her but caught only air. Seeing Yu Jing retreat while looking around, Ming Zhu understood her concern and said softly, “There are no cameras here. Really not going to hug?”

Yu Jing wanted it badly!

She wanted to dive into Ming Zhu’s arms forever, hug her, act spoiled, and be loved and cherished by her.

But in the end, Yu Jing held back her impulse.

“No,” she said. This wasn’t a private place; someone could come by anytime. Yu Jing retreated, feeling sad. She sniffled and said, “Sister, wait for me two more months.”

In two months, they could leave this place. Then they could hug as long as they wanted and do whatever they wanted!

Ming Zhu stopped her step toward the embrace. She saw the tears and determination in Yu Jing’s slightly red eyes. Her heart stirred. She pressed her lips and said, “Okay, I’ll wait for you. We’ll go home together.”