Chapter 16: On What Grounds?

"Fine, let's proceed that way." The producer flicked his cigarette ash. "It's almost time. Get ready for recording."

Ten minutes later, inside the assessment room.

In the lounge, the other dance mentor, Lin Qingyan, glanced at the empty seat beside her. "Is Teacher Si really going to show up... like the rumors online say?"

"It makes no difference whether she comes or not," the singer-songwriter mentor, Li Jingchen, said with a cold expression. "What could she possibly do if she shows up?"

Lin Qingyan said, "Teacher Li, she's still young and unfamiliar with the rules of the entertainment industry. We should try to be more understanding."

"Teacher Lin, don't bother explaining things to her." Impatience pressed between Li Jingchen's brows. "If she lacks that level of emotional intelligence, she shouldn't be in this industry."

Aside from Si Fuqing, the other four mentors were all over twenty-five, making them seniors in the industry.

Li Jingchen was thirty-two this year and held a deep disdain for the current state of the entertainment industry.

Not only were artists' abilities declining, but they had also learned the tricks of marketing and stepping on others to climb. Seeing that Si Fuqing wouldn't even follow the basic duties of a mentor, he naturally felt no goodwill toward her.

"I saw online that the Zuo family wants to kick her out." Lin Qingyan frowned, looking quite worried. "If she leaves the Zuo family, then wouldn't she—"

Her words were interrupted by the sound of the door pushing open.

The girl was wearing an apricot-white striped shirt with a Baroque-style leather jacket over it, her legs long and straight.

Her face was covered in heavy, exaggerated makeup.

Seeing her enter, Lin Qingyan's movements froze.

Si Fuqing walked slowly to the empty seat and sat down, ignoring all eyes on her.

She pulled the scoring sheet toward her, her slender fingers hooking around a pen to toy with it.

The entertainment industry of the Great Xia Empire—she indeed hadn't dabbled in it yet. She could have some fun.

Lin Qingyan suppressed her smile and hesitated for two seconds. "Teacher Si?"

Si Fuqing rested her chin on her hand, her eyes lifting slightly as she smiled. "Yes?"

When she smiled, her fox-like eyes curved beautifully, a hint of a smile dancing in them like shifting light, causing the ice to melt instantly.

Though her original features were impossible to discern through the makeup, just sitting there and tilting her head slightly allowed her to effortlessly capture everyone's attention.

A natural, king-like charisma.

"It's nothing major." Lin Qingyan's expression faltered before she smiled again. "The second class division assessment is coming up shortly. If you really find it too difficult, Teacher Si, I actually suggest you apply to withdraw from the program."

"It's better than losing face and being mocked by the entire internet later, wouldn't you agree, Teacher Si?"

Lin Qingyan knew exactly how poor Si Fuqing's professional abilities were.

Having struggled in the industry for so long, she understood its various rules and boundaries deeply.

Although Si Fuqing was only a mentor on the show, she was also a competitor.

*Youthful Teens* featured four mentors in total, teaching vocals, songwriting, and dance, but dance was the only category with two mentors.

Before recording began, Lin Qingyan had been very worried that she would end up being a stepping stone for Si Fuqing.

Now, she was completely at ease.

In the entertainment industry, if Si Fuqing lacked both ability and looks, she wouldn't be able to survive at all.

Once the show ended, Si Fuqing would be useless.

Si Fuqing glanced at the prepared scoring sheet, her expression nonchalant and lazy. "Then I'll just offer some perfunctory comments."

She had specifically looked into it: *Youthful Teens* was a competitive survival reality show. 101 trainees selected nationwide would spend three months in a training camp, and ultimately, only nine contestants would debut.

The competition was fierce.

Although the second class division assessment wouldn't eliminate anyone, the rankings would affect their subsequent screen time and fan voting.

The trainees were all fighting hard.

Li Jingchen was so angry he laughed. He no longer cared about saving face for Si Fuqing and spoke coldly, "What can you even comment on? 'Perfunctory'? The skill level of these trainees is all above yours!"

"A dance mentor who doesn't even understand dance!"

He truly didn't know how Si Fuqing had even entered the industry.

"Teacher Li." The vocal mentor couldn't listen anymore; he shook his head, signaling that the assessment was about to begin.

Li Jingchen didn't spare Si Fuqing another glance and looked toward the stage expressionlessly.

At 8:30, the first trainee entered.

He walked onto the stage, bowed, and introduced himself: "Hello, teachers. I am the trainee Mu Ye from Tianle Media, specializing in vocals."

Hearing this name, Si Fuqing raised her eyes slightly.

Once the injury on her wrist healed, she wanted to stretch her limbs.

After finishing his introduction, Mu Ye began performing the theme song of *Youthful Teens*, "I'm the King."

The climax of this song had a very high range and required intense technique, making it easy to distinguish the quality of the trainees.

This was the first time Si Fuqing had heard this song.

Her ears twitched, and she quickly identified the pitch and range of every note.

She then glanced at Mu Ye's dance moves and felt a strong urge to close both her eyes and ears.

As expected, a bunch of mediocre talents.

If the A-class was all this level of strength, she could just carry the F-class away directly.

Is this what the current entertainment industry is like?

After the performance, Mu Ye stood in the center of the stage, not at all reserved, looking very confident. "Thank you, teachers."

Lin Qingyan smiled, her words loaded with meaning. "Teacher Si, even though he is a junior from the same company, you mustn't go easy on him."

It wasn't just the mentors; the trainees could also see that Si Fuqing was not favored at Tianle Media, but was instead suppressed at every turn.

Even trainees who hadn't debuted yet, like Mu Ye and Lu Yan, could step on her.

The thought that she had initially treated Si Fuqing as a rival made Lin Qingyan feel that her previous idea was quite ridiculous.

Si Fuqing rested her chin on her hand, looked at Mu Ye, and smiled. "Which class do you think you belong in?"

Mu Ye glanced at her with a hint of contempt, though his expression remained professional. "I believe I can stay in Class A."

"Then congratulations." Si Fuqing's finger tapped the scoring sheet, her voice pausing. "F."

If F weren't the lowest grade, she could have sent this junior straight out of the solar system.

Mu Ye's face turned pale instantly.

Everyone knew that among the five classes—A, B, C, D, and F—Class F was the worst.

If you were placed in Class F during the second division assessment, you wouldn't even get the chance to perform the theme song on stage, which would drastically reduce your screen time in the later stages.

Less screen time would further impact his popularity and might even cause him to fall out of the top nine.

Mu Ye's eyes turned cold in an instant.

If Lin Qingyan or the vocal mentor had given him an F, he would have accepted it.

Only Si Fuqing was unworthy.

Most importantly, the rankings were determined collectively by the mentors. How could Si Fuqing make the decision alone?

"Si Fuqing, you can't sing or dance." Mu Ye spoke with a sneer. "You can't even complete the performance of the theme song yourself, and you aren't even a professional vocal mentor. What right do you have to give me an F?"