CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol-Chapter 289 - 282: The Final Promotion

Yang Xiaoyue had never expected that a showcase intended to eliminate Ye Yuwei would provoke such a strong response.

"Zitao, switch the script, ask Lu Bingbing."

Long Zitao’s face remained calm as he continued, "Lu Bingbing, as the captain of Galaxy, carrying the dreams of over 200 young idols in your group, do you think you will advance?"

"I think I will, because behind me are my sisters’ hopes, and the countless Galaxy fans who support me to keep moving forward!" Lu Bingbing said these words emotionally and firmly.

"What would you like to say to your fans?" Long Zitao continued.

"Five years ago, my sisters and I wore puffy skirts in minus 15-degree weather to hand out flyers and dance, just so our idol dreams wouldn’t be cut short."

"At that time, I cried because of the cold, and later I was so cold I couldn’t cry. But I never thought of giving up, because of all of you."

Lu Bingbing’s words deeply moved Ye Yuwei. She had not experienced that time, but she could empathize with the hardships of those years.

It was precisely because of pioneers like Lu Bingbing, who poured their youthful years into Galaxy, that they could have the platform they had today.

Many trainees present silently shed tears, touched by Lu Bingbing’s words that reached the softest part of their hearts.

Many of them had also endured tremendous hardships.

"Four years ago, I got accepted into the university of my dreams and became the captain of this group."

"But I couldn’t balance school and my career."

"In the end, I chose to stay at the small theater, because I couldn’t get used to a life without hearing you call my name."

As Lu Bingbing spoke, two crystalline tears rolled down her cheeks, her eyes shining with happiness.

"Before I came here, many people told me, ’Why are you doing this?’"

"’You’re the captain of Galaxy, and you’re already older—what will you do if you fail?’"

"But I still came, because Lu Bingbing is someone who never yields to challenges."

As soon as Lu Bingbing finished speaking, the whole room lit up with applause.

This spirit of charging ahead against all odds was something every artist with a dream should possess.

Long Zitao looked at her, his gaze complex.

Many of the girls here likely had bitter pasts unimaginable to others. What the audience saw was merely a few minutes of glamour onstage.

For each of them, their only way to escape a dim and bleak life was to become a true artist.

But this was a single-log bridge, a path to the peak paved with the fallen.

Lu Bingbing’s past deserved admiration and sympathy. But what about Ye Yuwei?

This was an unsolvable question, one that defied rational judgment.

It was only at this moment that Yang Xiaoyue revealed a satisfied smile.

This Lu Bingbing, her eloquence was indeed impressive. In truth, this script had long been prepared for her, its purpose to "emotionally grip the fans."

"Xiaoyue, shouldn’t we cut the clip of Ye Yuwei from earlier?" Sun Miao asked.

"No need, we can edit it to flow front and back," Yang Xiaoyue replied coldly.

"Congratulations to all of you, everyone has advanced," Long Zitao announced with a smile.

Ye Yuwei and Lu Bingbing walked together to the advancement zone.

"There are still a dozen trainees left. They have all participated as individuals."

"Now, let’s reveal your advancement status."

Long Zitao held the script and began this final segment of the process.

Ye Yuwei looked over at Zhang Zijing as she stood up, silently wishing for her to advance.

In truth, Zhang Zijing’s voting support was average. From Ye Yuwei’s perspective, her current ranking might have been propped up by her company’s financial backing.

The program’s staff weren’t particularly friendly to her.

In Ye Yuwei’s experience, as long as you became popular, people around you would treat you better, and the show’s staff would also grant you special treatment.

In this program, fans within the industry thought Wu Meng’s duo was the most popular.

But Ye Yuwei personally believed Lv Fangxin was the true breakout star.

This was evident as the bodyguards escorting them to and from work always seemed to intentionally encircle her, driving fans away whenever they got too close.

Wu Meng’s duo, on the other hand, only met resistance if things got excessive.

For the less popular ones, the baseline seemed to be as long as they weren’t harmed, no one cared about them.

Zhang Zijing belonged to this category, and even her active fans didn’t come to see her every day.

"I’ll announce the first group of individual trainees who have advanced," Long Zitao said, making everyone nervous. Jiao Jinglan exhaled a deep breath.

Though Zhang Zijing maintained her cold demeanor, her nervousness was evident.

"The advancing trainees are: Li Zimeng, Duan Yuxin, Wu Meixiang, Zhang Zijing, and Xu Qianhua."

The crowd applauded for them, though they felt it was a pity that Qi Ziyue did not advance.

This girl was from a drama academy and had recently been hyped as a "white rich beauty" with a good personality to boot.

"Qi Ziyue, have you adapted to your transition from an actress to being part of a girl group?"

Because transitioning from acting to idol work was seen as a "downgrade" in status, Long Zitao asked the question.

Tall, with long flowing hair and an excellent temperament, Qi Ziyue habitually flicked her hair, "Honestly, I didn’t have much confidence when I first came here."

"This wasn’t my expertise." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"But over time, I fell in love with the stage."

Perhaps her words were half true and half a façade!

Ultimately, she appeared here to gain exposure. But those trained in acting often had strong performance desires, so what she said about loving the stage also rang true.

And at her youthful age, who wouldn’t enjoy working with a group of like-minded peers chasing the same dream?

"Do you think you can advance?" Long Zitao’s question felt a little aggressive for her.

But with many sisters backing her, everyone shouted in unison, "Yes, she can!"

Qi Ziyue herself also responded loudly, "Yes, I can!"

"Congratulations, you’ve advanced."

"Thank you, thank you!"

Thrilled, Qi Ziyue darted toward the advancing zone and tightly embraced Zhao Juke.

"Next, I’ll announce the second batch of names."

"Chen Yinghan..."

Lv Fangxin, seated beside her, leapt up in joy, flapping her arms like an angel’s wings.

With a sly smile, Chen Yinghan spread her arms and embraced her friend warmly.

To one side, Lu Xiaoman gazed toward Meng Meixuan, who made a heart gesture in return.

"Jiao Jinglan, Lu Xiaoman, Lv Fangxin, Lv Xiaoxue, and Li Zihan."

"Finally, Wang Qingyu, congratulations to all of you for advancing."

"At the same time, thank you to the trainees who didn’t advance; we appreciate all your hard work during this time."

Sitting in the back row, Yin Xiren completely broke down.

Despite giving her all in public performances, she still hadn’t succeeded in staying.

Zhang Xiaohan let out a long sigh; her departure meant her group had been entirely eliminated.

The road she had walked was incredibly arduous, with no support from her family.

Every return home led to explosive arguments and emotional breakdowns, countless times she wanted to give up.

But the flame of dreaming and striving in her heart never extinguished.

For her, giving up was harder than pursuing her dream.