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Published at 14th of September 2021 10:36:12 AM


Chapter 41.2

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Chapter 41: Stay or withdraw (2)

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When Ruan Tao had come to see him that day, she had told him something shocking—
“Teacher Jiang, don’t you remember me? Didn’t you say you wanted to see me?”
It had been when she had said those words that Jiang Fengchi had realized Ruan Tao had been his little fan who had always supported him, even during the downturn of his career.
This time had been Jiang Fengchi’s darkest experience. He had no teammates, no work, no exposure, nothing. But this had not been the worst part; as long as he could see the stage, even if he had to stand alone, Jiang Fengchi would have never given up.
But the negativity from all sides almost got him. His company, the outside world, and even his fans had started vocalizing their disappointment in him.
“You disappointed us too much.”
“How did you become like this?”
“I really regret ever being your fan.”

Every word had been like a dagger aimed at his heart and suffering from verbal abuse day and night, Jiang Fengchi had gradually lost confidence.
Had he really been suitable for this stage? Had he been qualified to stand on it? Should he continue to persevere and stay? He had no future, no support, and no hope anymore.

But in the darkness, a small fan had checked in daily and left messages of encouragement for him. Every day, every single one, until Jiang Fengchi could not forget the fan’s name.
The little fan’s warmth had become Jiang Fengchi’s only consolation through this experience. Little by little, more people had started cheering for him again and he had resolutely chosen to go abroad and work hard until he had made his second debut and appeared in front of the public again.
But his little fan had disappeared.
Jiang Fengchi had sent messages to show his gratitude, asking to meet. But after many years, the little fan had never responded.
Until that day when Ruan Tao had come to see him.

Ruan Tao had said that she had joined the circle and entered the competition because she had wanted to meet him. Everything she had done had always been for him but what had she gotten? Complaints from her teammates, bullying from the audience, and Jiang Fengchi’s ignorance.

Jiang Fengchi had imagined meeting his little fan so many times before and had never thought the result would be so tragic. Ruan Tao broke down and wept bitterly in front of him until she had asked: “Teacher Jiang. Jiang Fengchi, can’t you choose me?”
Jiang Fengchi’s mind had been in chaos and his expression had been stiff. But he had managed to reply without hesitation: “I’m sorry, I can’t. This would be unfair to the other players.”

The entertainment circle was messy and full of temptation. It was easy to try to take shortcuts but Ruan Tao had not really stepped in it just yet. But as soon as she made her first move, if Jiang Fengchi agreed to her request, there would be a possibility she would go astray.
And even if Ruan Tao had not been his little fan, Jiang Fengchi did not want any player on the show to take this wrong route.
But Ruan Tao had disagreed. Countless messy emotions had collided with each other and she had shouted: “But I need your support! I need your support!”
She had strength but she had not been able to show it like she had wanted to. As long as Jiang Fengchi had given her a chance, she would have been able to stand up from the current quagmire and leave all those people who doubted her speechless.
“It’s unfair to others, but are you fair to me?”

In the dark night, Jiang Fengchi had looked at the hysterical girl in front of him and he had felt pain in his heart. He had never thought that the girl who had once lit up his life with warm messages would turn out to become like this.
But he really couldn’t respond to her expectations and in the end, he could only choose to quit.
“I’m sorry, I can’t help you. I can’t do it, I will quit the show…”

No, this had not been the answer she had wanted to hear.
Ruan Tao had looked at the man and after a while, she had shaken her head and stopped crying.
“No, you don’t need to.”
Ruan Tao’s naturally sweet voice had become colder and with some subtle emotions, she said: “I will.”
She had left and as she had said, she had withdrawn from the show the next day.

Jiang Fengchi had not decided to follow up on his words because he had wanted her to stay in the competition. Ruan Tao’s state of mind had obviously not been suitable for this kind of show and even if she had stayed this time, she would have had a breakdown again in the future. It might have been a good thing for the girl to quit right now.
But Jiang Fengchi couldn’t forget about this matter. He couldn’t forget the look in Ruan Tao’s eyes that night. Hadn’t it been for the hope he had given her, such a thing would have never happened.

Therefore, Jiang Fengchi was blaming himself and felt guilty. The depression of his darkest time had taken root in his heart again; how could he help the other players this way? He wasn’t worthy of being a tutor. The person he had wanted to thank so sincerely had become like that, how could he lead those children to go further?
He felt so confused.

“Teacher Jiang.”
Qiao Dai’s voice pulled Jiang Fengchi from his thoughts again. He looked at her determined eyes as she said in a serious tone: “Although I don’t know what happened, I believe Teacher Jiang would never make a wrong decision. Since you are not doing anything wrong, why should you feel confused?”
Qiao Dai’s words were naive and sounded easy but instantly smashed Jiang Fengchi’s line of defense.
He couldn’t let go of this stage. He wanted to witness the growth of these players. Even if he did it again, he would still not agree to Ruan Tao’s request.
Because this was just who he was.

<Pick Eleven> was playing on the huge LED screen outside the building and Jiang Fengchi’s eyes flashed. He took a deep breath and nodded as if he had made up his mind.
“Thank you.”
The man said softly, more relaxed than ever, and only then did he notice the other players standing in the corner behind Qiao Dai. When they realized he had seen them, the girls slowly walked forward and asked with worry: “Teacher Jiang, do you really want to quit?”
Jiang Fengchi’s gaze swept over the trainees one by one and he paused for a while before finally shaking his head.
“I really want to see you stand on the stage with my own eyes.”
As soon as his voice fell, there was a burst of cheers on the scene. The players happily hugged each other and clapped to celebrate.

The director was overjoyed when he heard the news, surprised to see such a tricky situation had been solved like that. When he learned about Qiao Dai and the others’ hands in this matter, he immediately developed a good impression of her in his mind.
Qiao Dai kept saying she hadn’t done anything and that Teacher Jiang had figured it out on his own, but the director didn’t think so.

***

The short holiday came to an end soon and at the same time, the astonishing news of Ruan Tao’s withdrawal because of her leg injury spread. Her announcement of leaving Galaxy also triggered a lot of discussion among fans.

But soon, the players’ attention was attracted by the more intense recording waiting for them and there was no time to waste on gossip anymore; they had to prepare for the upcoming second public performance.

In order to avoid controversy, the program team decided to not substitute Ruan Tao’s second place. Only ten players were left in Class A and a total of 70 players would participate in the second performance. At the same time, Class D would be eliminated after the performance which meant another twenty-five players would leave the competition soon.
For a while, the mood was tense again and the sense of crisis of being eliminated reigned.

“For the second stage, you will face a new form of challenge.”
Jiang Fengchi’s low voice echoed and was transmitted to the ears of every player on the scene through the microphone. All the girls raised their heads and looked at him.
“In this round, the ten players from Class A will be the captains and their teammates will be selected in the rating’s order. Once the team is completed, you will need to invite guests other than the mentors as partners to choose the song, lyrics, and choreography with you, until you will all perform on stage together.”
This meant everybody would have the opportunity to ask for outside aid. The strength of their guests would determine the success or failure of the second public performance!

Hearing this, the girls on the scene held their breaths; this was undoubtedly a huge challenge for newcomers.





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