Chapter 26: Hello everyone, I am Jin Li, I'm back

The moment the piano intro began, the many trainees transformed once again into screaming chickens.

They were all far too familiar with this intro; it was "Girl's Secret Heart," one of the breakout hits by the girl group Pink Girls.

The intro carried a faint sense of melancholy, describing a story of a young girl moving from a secret crush to a confession, only for it to come to an abrupt halt.

When the song was first released, fans had fought bitterly over it.

Some believed the song described the feeling of a secret crush that fades away without resolution.

Others believed the girl's confession was successful, and the abrupt ending was merely a cliffhanger, implying she was about to embark on a new story hand-in-hand with her beloved.

The Pink Girls had twelve famous songs in total, but "Girl's Secret Heart" was the only one released without a matching music video.

"Girl's Secret Heart" was the group's first promotional single, and it was the song that catapulted the team to stardom.

It was said that by the time they released their second single, the company finally had the funds, so the music videos and merchandise were all fully provided.

Fans had requested a remake project for "Girl's Secret Heart" countless times, hoping for a proper music video and merchandise, but the company simply played dead and pretended not to see.

Now that the group had disbanded, this matter could only remain a permanent regret in the hearts of the fans.

Reliving "Girl's Secret Heart" at this moment, all the female trainees on site transformed into fans. The very first line Jin Li sang triggered a massive sing-along from the entire crowd!

"The day the wind chimes rang, you stood before the blackboard... In your pure white shirt, the summer breeze blew... My heart raced back and forth, scattering in disarray... Using a long time to etch your image into my mind~"

The atmosphere on stage no longer needed igniting; the mass sing-along was the best affirmation for Jin Li.

Sister Fang and Jin Li had not made a mistake in this move—selling nostalgia was the ultimate trump card!

But Jin Li's stage was clearly not that simple.

After playing a segment on the piano, she first walked out to interact with the trainees before sitting back down at the piano.

As a chorus passed and it looked as though the next chorus was about to begin, the melody suddenly shifted.

The trainees all widened their eyes; this melody... they had never heard it before!

Was this a song medley?

As Jin Li continued to sing, not only the trainees but even the mentors were stunned.

The lyrics remained the same, but Jin Li had changed the melody!

She sang the same line of lyrics with two completely different emotions!

"I waited for a long time, as the sunlight moved from rising to setting... The wind chimes continue to ring, but no one stands before the blackboard... The wordless silence cannot extinguish my racing heart... You appear in every corner of my diary~ My secret heart, the secret I want to forget yet keep forever~ You appear in every corner of my world~"

The stage was pitch black, with only a single beam of pure white light shining on Jin Li.

The screen behind her flickered with deep blue lines, outlining various galaxies, and the floor changed accordingly, leaving Jin Li stepping upon a mysterious and magnificent nebula.

She seemed to be singing at the center of the universe, transformed into a pure and flawless elf.

Under Jin Li's interpretation, this song no longer felt like a regret, but was instead filled with the anticipation of meeting again in the future!

—A girl's secret heart remains forever in that summer, and summer will surely return.

The trainees screamed with excitement, their eyes brimming with tears, as if they had returned to the summer the year Pink Girls debuted.

The wind was still as gentle, the weather was still as beautiful, and they were still there.

That was enough.

Although the melody had changed, as long as Jin Li opened her mouth, she could turn any song into "the Jin Li style"!

Brilliant!

As the song ended, Jin Li stood up and gave a deep bow to the crowd below the stage.

She felt her heart beating rapidly; she wasn't sure if it was the atmosphere or if she was nervous, but her limbs felt somewhat stiff as she walked.

Jin Li took a deep breath and said solemnly to everyone, "Hello everyone, I am Jin Li. I am back."

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Whistles, cheers, screams, applause... all the sounds eventually converged into one

"Jin Li!!!"

The stage lights dimmed again, and as Jin Li left the stage, the trainees from the first group prepared to take over.

The dim stage obscured Lian Baozhi's stiff and unsightly expression.

Jin Li's sudden rise to fame was indeed due to good luck.

But she had miscalculated one thing.

Jin Li's fame was not just due to luck.

"Chengzi, you're not worried now, are you?" Chen Lin whispered into Gu Cheng's ear. "The senior is incredibly powerful. Look at how she blew the roof off this place!"

Gu Cheng pushed Chen Lin's face away in disgust. "I wasn't worried to begin with."

However, her upturned eyebrows betrayed her excellent mood.

Jin Li did not change her performance outfit; she simply went backstage to touch up her makeup before returning to the stage.

But this time, she did not appear as a performer, but sat in the mentor's seats, right next to Lian Baozhi.

Lian Baozhi's program was ranked third among the mentors, so she wouldn't appear until the second half of the recording.

During a break in recording, Jin Li turned to her and asked, "Teacher Lian Baozhi, what do you think of my stage performance?"

A smile tugged at the corner of Lian Baozhi's mouth. "Teacher Jin Li is indeed as sharp as ever. Even after three years away from the stage, your voice is still so beautiful. It's just a pity that you only sing old songs and not new ones."

Jin Li smiled faintly. "There are so many old songs I can't finish singing them all, so there's no time for new ones. Oh, I almost forgot, Teacher Lian Baozhi doesn't seem to have any old songs of her own."

Ouch!

Lian Baozhi took a few breaths, turned her head away, and stopped speaking.

Four long hours passed, and it finally reached 12:00 PM.

Jin Li left the scene with a slightly pale face; her body was reaching its limit. Starting the singing right at the beginning had exhausted much of her strength.

Toward the end, she had been praying to the Mazu in her jade pendant, hoping to hold on just a little longer.

Sui Lingfang came to pick her up for lunch, and upon seeing her complexion, her heart sank. She hurriedly asked, "How are you? Is your body okay?"

Jin Li shook her head, her breathing somewhat uneven. "Not really."

Sui Lingfang said anxiously, "Do you need to go to the hospital? I'll tell the production team right now that we won't participate in the second half of the recording!"

Jin Li pulled the anxious Sui Lingfang back, took a long, deep breath, and then said, "No need. Just apply to the production team for a three-hour break; my body should recover with some rest."

She gave Sister Fang a reassuring smile. "I just feel too tired."

However, her frail state made Sui Lingfang feel that it was a forced effort no matter how she looked at it.

Jin Li desperately wanted to leave the island; if she could just go to the Mazu Temple in Haikou to pray, she would instantly become full of life again.

But this was hard to explain, and since it was during the recording period, it was impossible to let a mentor leave midway.

Sui Lingfang immediately applied for a break with the production team. The on-site director thought this was just an excuse and specifically came over to check.

As a result, he found that after removing her makeup, Jin Li's face was so pale she looked like a female ghost, which gave the director a fright.

Rest, she must rest!

The director even said, "I'll go tell the higher-ups. She can rest for as long as she needs. If it's really not possible, she doesn't have to come for the second half of the recording; after all, this clause was mentioned in the contract."

Sui Lingfang was also a bit flustered, repeatedly thanking the director, but she didn't dare make any promises.

An hour passed, the mentors returned to their seats, and the recording resumed.

Gu Cheng glanced at the seat Jin Li had occupied earlier; it was empty.

The captain received some news and said, "It seems Senior Jin Li isn't feeling well. She applied for a longer break, and if she still feels unwell, she won't come to record this afternoon."

Hearing this, Chen Lin said with some regret, "That's a bit of a shame. She barely spoke during the first half, so her screen time will probably be quite low."

Gu Cheng shook her head gently. "No matter how big the world is, health comes first. Being healthy is what matters most."

Goodnight~

(End of Chapter)