Chapter 86: Ability Evolved, Beset by Ominous Qi

As the March Sky boy band’s stage performance concluded, the lights on the stage suddenly dimmed.

Before long, the concert hall returned to brightness, and the audience saw that the mentors had already taken their seats.

In "PICK~ Next Station Diva," the March Sky boy band had always been the center of attention. However, this time, one group’s popularity surpassed theirs, triggering roars from the entire venue. That group was—

"Pink Girls!!!"

The host walked out just then, smiling as they said, "I heard your cheers. Whose names are you calling?"

"Pink Girls!!!"

The host said, "Come on, let’s cheer their names once more!"

"Pink Girls!!!!"

The microphone was passed to Jin Li and Xi Mengze.

Xi Mengze first looked at Jin Li. Jin Li shook her head at her, so she spoke first: "Hello everyone, I am Xi Mengze. I am very happy to see you all on such a wonderful stage."

The venue erupted in cheers.

Jin Li also spoke: "Hello everyone, I am Jin Li. I am very happy to see you all again."

The venue erupted in cheers once more.

Not only were the live audience members excited, but the live-stream comments were also buzzing.

[A memory from my childhood!]

[Ah, isn't your childhood a bit too early?]

[Finally reunited! But it’s only two of them. Is there a possibility that all 6 members of Pink Girls could reunite this year?]

The host interacted with Jin Li and Xi Mengze for a while longer, then turned to the March Sky boy band, asking them to say a few words.

Chen Lin took the microphone and said, "I feel like the sisters have already said what I wanted to say. I have nothing to add here."

Yan Xingdong nodded: "Correct."

Gu Cheng and Luo Yi both nodded in agreement.

[Suddenly remembered how Ji Qinglian kept echoing whatever Jin Li said on the show, covering mouth to giggle.jpg]

[The essence of humanity is being a repeater~]

[Still a pity the girl group members didn't all gather. Otherwise, having the current top boy band and the former top girl group standing together would be quite shocking.]

The host, ensuring everyone got equal attention, then interviewed Qiu Qiwen and Lian Baozhi.

Everyone said some polite pleasantries, such as being very much looking forward to the upcoming program. Before long, the stage lights suddenly dimmed.

The true protagonists of the night—the three girl groups finally selected after the previous seven rounds of competition—appeared before everyone and began their performances.

"PICK~ Next Station Diva" focused on a fast pace and high efficiency early this evening.

Jin Li felt as if she had only zoned out for a moment before the first girl group’s performance had already ended.

She hadn't really looked at the stage, only hearing that the music was quite high-energy. She wrote a question on a card and nudged Xi Mengze beside her.

The live music was too loud; passing notes was better than communicating through conversation.

Jin Li: [How was that group's performance just now?]

Xi Mengze scribbled a line:

[Not very good. The contestants were all extremely nervous. Only the lead singer felt a bit better; the others were not good. A few went off-key live, though not severely.]

Soon after, the second girl group appeared.

Compared to the previous group, which leaned toward "singing," this group leaned more toward dancing.

But after watching for a while, Jin Li couldn't help but lower her head.

How to put it...

The dance was a bit too complex, which resulted in the members failing to coordinate at all, making it look particularly messy.

Actually, in such moments, it would be better to perform a simple dance, at least to maintain the completeness of the stage.

And such a chaotic stage, in her eyes, was not a stage at all, but a half-finished product that hadn't been rehearsed properly.

Soon, the third girl group appeared.

The moment she saw Gong Jiajia, Jin Li was slightly startled.

Xi Mengze’s eyes lit up, as if she had discovered something, and she immediately wrote a line.

[She is the contestant you were optimistic about, right? I remember you encouraged her to grab the Center position on the show!]

Jin Li: [Yes, her team wasn't outstanding at the beginning. I didn't expect them to make it to the final round step by step.]

She was actually quite looking forward to this team.

She didn't know the other teams, but Gong Jiajia’s team had indeed risen from the bottom all the way up, growing alongside the program.

The song their team brought involved both singing and dancing; it rarely leaned toward one side. They needed balanced strength to carry it off.

But unexpectedly, they performed quite well.

Jin Li couldn't help but nod.

It had only been a month, and that little girl who was once shy in front of the camera could now stand on her own.

As the final drumbeat fell, Gong Jiajia also hit the final note, a happy smile blooming on her face as she bowed with her teammates to thank the audience.

[Hey, I feel like this group’s performance was actually okay!]

[A bit of a surprise, it did exceed my expectations.]

[Actually, the program they prepared was quite average, but the other two weren't great either, making this ordinary one stand out.]

Because the stage performance was quite good, Gong Jiajia’s team’s votes rose immediately.

All team performances had ended, yet the Debut Night could not end just like that.

They had performed a wave of fast-paced stages earlier, offering a feast for the eyes and ears.

So now, it was time to focus on a wave of slow-paced content.

But this so-called slow pace wasn't very slow; it just shifted from dense group performances to beautiful individual solos.

Every girl group had at least 5 people or more; it was impossible to give everyone a chance to showcase themselves.

Therefore, the process for "PICK~ Next Station Diva" was: an individual vote-pulling segment, with the captain going on stage to solicit votes.

Those girl groups took a shortcut.

They didn't let the original captain go on stage to solicit votes, but instead had those with higher popularity temporarily act as captains to solicit votes.

Jin Li couldn't help but raise her eyebrows; this was a very clever approach.

This segment was for soliciting votes, allowing the captain to showcase their strength while also sharing their thoughts on the journey so far.

To get fans to vote, one definitely had to send the most popular person to mobilize the fans.

In the audience seating.

He Yixuan heard the wealthy little girl next to her complaining again; she was still so "long-winded."

"Have to top up the membership again. Besides making us buy Penguin memberships, can't there be other ways to vote? I really don't want to open a membership."

"Last time I already opened it for fifty years; if I open it again this time, it’ll go straight to 99 years. I don't even know if this membership will still be usable after I die."

The little girl complained even louder: "What's even more excessive is that there’s actually a top-up to 108 years. Is this a competition to see who lives longer??"

He Yixuan couldn't help but lower her head and smile.

Time flew by, and another two hours passed.

Only then did Jin Li feel her body couldn't take it anymore, her complexion turning slightly pale.

Xi Mengze noticed her abnormality immediately and asked: "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Jin Li shook her head: "A little, but don't worry, I can still hold on."

Xi Mengze frowned, "Really? Don't lie to me. If you're very uncomfortable, leave quickly."

Jin Li affirmed: "Really, I’m just pale, my body is fine. How about I perform a split for you?"

Xi Mengze was angered into a laugh, reaching out to flick her forehead lightly, "Still in the mood to joke, looks like you're really fine."

It wasn't as if she hadn't seen Jin Li in a weak state before. Back then, running around the country for engagements, Jin Li would be floating when walking toward the end, needing someone to support her.

That was the true definition of frail.

She looked at Jin Li carefully; she only looked a bit pale now, but her state was indeed okay.

Xi Mengze couldn't help but exclaim: "You are truly healthier than before!"

Jin Li smiled slightly.

Envious?

It was exchanged by doing practice problems.

Another half hour passed, and finally, the final segment arrived.

Yes, there was still a segment!

This segment involved bringing back all the girl groups that had been eliminated previously to dance the initial group dance together.

After they finished dancing, the voting channel would close, and the host would announce the final girl group to debut.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1!" The host shouted: "Time is up, let’s pause the big screen!"

Everyone couldn't help but look up; those three bright red pillars stopped immediately after the host finished speaking.

Jin Li looked over.

The scores of the three teams were very close, but there were still subtle differences.

The first team, with a narrow lead of 1000 votes over the second team, became the debut group!

At the same time, the first team was only 3000 votes ahead of the third team.

These three teams could be said to be evenly matched.

"Bang bang bang!"

Countless confetti fell at the scene, like stars twinkling across the sky. Amidst these dancing stars, Jin Li quickly left the scene and went to the lounge first.

The final debut girl group had been produced.

But that didn't mean the program team stopped recording.

There were still some scattered testimonials, mentor blessings, and so on afterward; just padding it out could take half an hour.

After Jin Li finished three pages of "Five Years of College Entrance Examination, Three Years of Simulation" and came out, she was a new person, returning to the program team.

By this time, it was already nearing the end, and the audience at the scene was gradually leaving.

"Jin Li!"

Xi Mengze was talking to Qiu Qiwen; seeing her, she waved her hand hurriedly.

Everyone was standing on the stage, and Jin Li followed suit.

She asked: "What are you all talking about?"

Xi Mengze smiled: "Qiwen was telling me about your performance in the crew; it was amazing. I didn't expect your acting skills to be so outstanding."

Jin Li shook her head, saying modestly: "I was just acting casually."

She hadn't even exerted 1/5 of her Heavenly Realm·Drama Queen·Koi talent; it was just that her body was limited, otherwise, she felt she could have performed even better.

Everyone was chatting when suddenly a noisy sound came to their ears.

The three turned to look and found Lian Baozhi walking over slowly, surrounded by a group of entertainment reporters.

"Lian Baozhi, you accidentally had a wardrobe malfunction on stage tonight. What are your thoughts?"

"Was the performance outfit prepared for you by 'PICK~ Next Station Diva' too loose?"

"Will you wear this kind of clothing to dance next time?"

At this moment, there were all kinds of people on stage: officially debuted groups, eliminated members, mentors, entertainment reporters, program team clearing staff...

Lian Baozhi stopped her steps to accept an interview from a media outlet.

She smiled and said: "It was just an accidental wardrobe malfunction, nothing big. I think you all are so exaggerated; is there a need to be so surprised?"

Her words paused, "Everything was for the stage effect. The clothes prepared by the program team were actually okay; it was just that my movements were too big."

"It was my first time performing such a complex dance. I guess I won't want to touch it for a while; let's talk about it next year."

These entertainment reporters all had cameras on, and everyone was live-streaming simultaneously on various platforms.

Being an entertainment reporter nowadays is also competitive!

A reporter suddenly asked: "I heard you are going to accept the variety show 'Intimate Contact Between Stars and Passersby.' Is that true?"

Once this reporter said this, the other reporters couldn't sit still either.

"To what extent do you plan to go on that variety show?"

"Are you afraid that a passerby will hide in your bedroom and jump out in the middle of the night to scare you?"

"Is this something you wanted to take on yourself?"

Jin Li and the others listened for a while, felt it was boring, and prepared to leave for another place.

After walking a few steps, she heard Lian Baozhi’s answer: "This news is a rumor. I will not take on 'Intimate Contact Between Stars and Passersby.' I don't really like this kind of variety show."

Jin Li’s steps paused; it was rare for Lian Baozhi to answer so firmly.

She turned to look; compared to that smiling voice, her face was much more cautious.

"I just have a bolder style and like to show off a good figure, but that doesn't mean I like participating in these intimate contact programs. My personality is still relatively conservative. If it's not someone I have a good relationship with, I cannot accept strangers suddenly touching me."

Jin Li looked closely and suddenly discovered faint black energy between her brows.

—Beset by Ominous Qi!

But the Ominous Qi was wrapped in Vitality; although she might fall into a desperate situation, she could also find a way out of it. It wasn't a dead end.

Seeing this, Jin Li stopped paying attention.

She glanced at others casually; as long as she observed carefully for a while, she could see the state of other people’s physiognomy.

Her ability had upgraded again, seeing things in more detail than in the past.

If it were before, she would at most only see the Ominous Qi hidden between Lian Baozhi’s brows, but not the Vitality.

She didn't know when it had upgraded.

A thought suddenly popped into Jin Li’s mind: if she went to the Daoist temple to pray diligently in the future, could she unlock a new ability every day?

Uh, become a modern-day superhero?

Just off the stage, Chen Lin came running over, bouncing and asking: "Sister Jin Li, do you want to go for a late-night snack later? Let Sister Mengze and Sister Qiu come along too."

Jin Li hadn't dispersed the ability to see physiognomy yet; looking now, she realized Chen Lin was beaming with joy.

This physiognomy wasn't about being amorous like a spring breeze, but a carefree physiognomy, indicating that everything had been going smoothly recently and there were no troublesome things.

Just as she was about to refuse, Gu Cheng also walked over and said: "Let's go together. I just happened to find a few interesting problems; we can discuss them later."

Jin Li nodded immediately: "Okay!"

She looked at Gu Cheng and couldn't help but be startled.

Gu Cheng’s physiognomy was that of the Red Matchmaker Star moving!

Although Jin Li was a bit curious, she didn't care. Young people, having a marriage line was normal; she just didn't know who the person he liked was.

She thought to herself: Gu Cheng grinds problems with her every day; she didn't know if he could chase the girl he liked.

At night, the mentors gathered for a meal!

The March Sky boy band sent messages to all the mentors, but only Jin Li and Xi Mengze came. Qiu Qiwen and Lian Baozhi both had engagements to run, flying to other places overnight.

Besides them, the newly debuted girl group and some little girls who had been eliminated but hadn't left yet also came along.

The atmosphere of the dinner wasn't so tense; everyone ate and chatted casually.

Of course, trainees were still at the trainees' table; even the officially debuted girl group didn't dare to sit with the mentors, so everyone chatted among themselves.

Jin Li had just finished solving the problems Gu Cheng gave her, stepping out of the focused state of [Twice the Result with Half the Effort], when she heard them discussing the group variety show.

Yan Xingdong said: "I plan to use budget travel as the theme, but I'm thinking about how to earn money. Many life and travel variety shows now involve earning money by performing arts or doing manual labor."

Luo Yi, while pondering, saw that Jin Li had already put down her pen and was drinking water slowly, so he asked: "Sister Jin Li, what are your thoughts?"

Jin Li finished a sip of water before saying: "Anything is fine. I don't have any thoughts; you all can decide."

She had never been involved in a group variety show; professional matters should be left to professionals to decide.

Yan Xingdong hesitated: "Actually, I plan to develop it by experiencing different professions. We can experience life while recording the program."

His words paused, "But I’m a bit worried about whether Sister Jin Li’s body can handle it; the professions experienced might not be very easy."

Jin Li smiled and shook her head: "No, you don't need to worry about this; I can do it."

She emphasized: "I can endure hardship more than you imagine. If you don't believe me, you can ask Mengmeng."

Xi Mengze was eating hairy crab; hearing this, she nodded repeatedly, gave Jin Li a thumbs up, and expressed affirmation with her eyes.

Seeing that the March Sky boy band was still a bit worried, Jin Li thought for a moment and said: "If you are really worried that something will happen to me, how about this: arrange the travel route near a Daoist temple, or have a Daoist temple nearby. The gods will protect me."

As soon as these words came out, Chen Lin was the first to be amused.

"Sister Jin Li, don't dabble in feudal superstition!"