CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol-Chapter 348 - 340: A Battle of Wits with the Penguin
Uncle Bao walked back onto the stage:
"Everyone, please pay attention. After the next performance, the voting will be closed."
"The rankings are changing every minute right now."
Gao also spoke:
"Please make use of the remaining time to like your favorite girl."
Scenes of the girls’ past practices and competitions appeared on the big screen.
This time was allocated for them to change into performance outfits.
The final performance.
It began with 22 people divided into two teams, each singing an original song.
One titled "Into the Wind," and the other "Toward the Sun."
The two songs were entirely different:
One was bursting with energy, like dazzling fireworks.
Eleven girls dressed in bright red performance outfits moved passionately like flames, giving the entire stage a metallic texture.
The notes played on the instruments clashed like striking metal, complementing the girls’ display of strength and the beauty of power, as if they were running wildly across boundless fields.
The other was soft as a dream, with gentle melodies that resonated deeply, singing to the heart and then emerging back out, enveloping the space above and below the stage.
The girls’ voices resembled an artist painting a beautiful watercolor—tones with color, shape, temperature, and personal stories intertwined with their emotions.
Everyone realized that the final moment had come, that this dream was about to end.
Xiao Du checked the time and issued one last command: "Cast every hidden vote now."
Li Ke, bloodshot eyes fixed on the screen, also threw in the hidden votes he had been holding.
These hidden votes were never disclosed in the public voting details. To keep them secret, both camps had their top fans spend money on extra voting cards, keeping the votes stashed away.
This ensured that even if the details were revealed, no one could raise objections.
In the final three minutes before the voting channels closed, they used trusted handlers to unleash all the hidden votes.
The strategy was to stifle their opponent’s "dumpling charts."
Preventing Penguin from having the opportunity to manipulate data.
According to Xiao Du’s plan, investing 7 million votes would surely overturn Meng and Wu.
But he underestimated Penguin’s capabilities. As soon as anomalies appeared in the data,
their backend computers quickly calculated the rate at which votes were flooding in.
Meng and Wu’s vote tally, which had initially stagnated, suddenly skyrocketed wildly.
"Damn it!" Xiao Du erupted in fury at the sight of this.
But he was powerless. The other side had unlimited top-ups, while he did not.
Catching evidence of their cheating was also impossible.
"Vote for Jiang Mengqi!" Xiao Du issued his only voice command in the voting group.
Everyone involved in voting was shocked. Had their leader gone mad?
But they had agreed beforehand that no matter the circumstances, they would obey commands.
The voting team quickly changed direction and started bombarding Jiang Mengqi with votes.
When the voting channel officially closed,
Jiang Mengqi, who had originally been ranked 15th, suddenly shot up to 11th place.
This completely caught Penguin off guard.
They hadn’t anticipated anyone flooding Jiang Mengqi with votes.
At the same time, Liu Feiyu’s ranking also experienced an error. Originally in 12th place, her likes surged crazily, pushing her up to 10th place.
This also stunned Penguin. No one expected Liu Feiyu’s camp, which had repeatedly stated she wouldn’t debut, to suddenly explode with votes, throwing Penguin’s overall rankings into disarray.
The tangled rankings reflected the complex web of competing interests within.
Penguin slashed 6 million votes from Liu Feiyu directly.
By this point, no other camps could recalibrate the numbers to a plausible range.
Seven camps had cast their votes in the final minute.
Penguin resisted completely rewriting the votes, as it would negatively impact subsequent programs.
Under this trend, Penguin ceased suppressing Ye Yuwei’s votes.
They also stopped sniping the increased votes for Jiang Mengqi.
Originally, Penguin didn’t care much about whether Gao Ziyi or Jiang Mengqi joined the group.
However, the former’s company wanted Gao Ziyi in the group, given her longer contract duration.
But with this chaotic interference, Penguin grudgingly accepted the results.
When Xiao Du saw the final group ranking displayed on the computer screen, he let out a deep sigh of relief.
By this time, all the girls had changed into their pink dresses.
Everyone stood in a pyramid formation according to the third public ranking, with Meng Meixuan at the top.
The atmosphere was filled with tension, excitement, and unease.
Everyone anxiously awaited the final results, but the program group added another twist—they let each girl say a message for themselves.
One by one, the girls stepped forward as their current image was displayed on the big screen.
Radiant youth, infinite possibilities—everything felt as beautiful as a fleeting moment.
Fans couldn’t hold back their emotions anymore, with many bursting into tears.
In the stands, several girls also gazed upward tearfully. It was the dream they had once been so close to touching.
Lin Jiayi was completely broken down in tears. Reflecting upon the harsh online criticism in the days since made her question why she had acted the way she did.
The mentors walked onto the stage, each leaving heartfelt advice for the girls.
Every mentor’s voice carried a hint of a choke, their emotions running raw.
"Seeing you all perform so confidently on this stage makes me incredibly proud!"
"You’ve shown me the hope for Huaxia’s strongest girl group,"
Zhang Wei’s words brought tears streaming down the girls’ faces. They wanted to cry their hearts out.
"As I congratulate you, I must also remind you,"
"Standing in the spotlight for everyone to see also places you in the eye of the storm."
"You must endure the wind and rain."
"This is the point where you’re most vulnerable to being broken but also where you can grow stronger."
"How you do it is up to you. Keep pushing forward!"
Zhang Wei set down the microphone, tears streaming down his face, each drop heavy with his profound hopes.
At that moment, the impassioned music began.
Long Zitao walked out holding the Tianou flag in both hands. This flag symbolized the glory and sweat of everyone involved in this program.
The flag rose slowly.
Long Zitao announced in a powerful voice: "Tianou girls, you have graduated."
Following cheers and tears, Uncle Bao and Gao stepped forward.
"Three months ago, there were 101 seats here, and now only 11 remain."
"Who will ultimately claim these group positions? Let’s find out together."
Gao continued:
"The mentors will now announce the group positions from 4th to 8th place."
"These positions represent hard work and determination."
Everyone was beyond tense, on edge to the extreme. No one knew what fate awaited them as the final reveal approached.
Especially when facing a powerful adversary like Penguin.
Tian Jiaxuan stepped forward first.
"I will announce the first group member,"
"Her rank is 8th."
Onstage, the reactions varied.
Li Shihan bit her lip, tears clinging to the corners of her eyes, her expression unyielding.
Gao Ziyi bowed her head, closed her eyes, and let the tears roll uncontrollably down her face.
Lai Ruoxuan gazed at the distance, her eyes dimming like fading stars.
Lu Bingbing remained resolute and unwavering. She believed her fans would push her into the debut position at the last moment.
