The faces of the five boys on stage instantly stiffened. They were already panting lightly from their performance, wiping sweat from their brows, and the helpless expressions in their eyes made Lily Yu's heart tighten.
"Oh, they're quite cute," Lily murmured softly.
System: …Stop flirting. You're being a menace.
Lily: I wasn't flirting! They're children!
Blocked.
Victor Zhao shifted the conversation and turned toward her with a smile.
"What about you, Mentor Lily? Any comments?"
Lily gently curved the corner of her lips.
"Their singing and dancing were both solid," she said. "But there's a small problem. You're young, full of energy, but just one performance and you're sweating buckets. That's not good."
Some of the contestants laughed nervously.
Victor Zhao nodded. "Lily is right. If any of you get the chance to hold a concert in the future, this small amount of physical exertion won't cut it."
He was about to announce their rating when Ruby Sun suddenly stepped forward, face expressionless, voice crisp and cold.
"This is supposed to be a stage for the new generation. What we expect is uniqueness—something only they can do. But their performance was a template copied from predecessors. Frankly, they belong on an imitation show."
Ouch.
Her words were aimed at the trainees, but her tone was clearly directed at Lily, contradicting her on purpose.
Victor Zhao and Daniel Wang exchanged helpless looks.
Meanwhile, the director behind the cameras was bouncing like an excited toddler at a fireworks show.
"Film this! Quickly! This is all golden material!"
Lily actually agreed with Ruby Sun's point about needing uniqueness—but the way Ruby said it was… a little harsh.
Lily inhaled softly and replied with calm politeness, "Director Sun, I think there may be a misunderstanding. This program is about watching these students grow. If we expect them to walk on stage with perfect, industry-level skills from day one… then why would they need this show to debut at all?"
The atmosphere froze for a second.
Ruby Sun's jaw tightened.
The audience stirred.
They could feel it now—tension between the female mentors.
Sensing the friction, Victor Zhao hurriedly stepped in. "Alright, everyone can go to the contestant area. After all performances are over, we'll begin evaluation."
He had been in the entertainment industry for decades. He had seen actresses fight behind the scenes, but this was the first time he saw it happen right in front of the cameras.
Ruby Sun did not stop.
Throughout the evaluations, she nitpicked every comment Lily made, challenging her at every turn. Anyone watching could clearly see that the two women did not get along.
Finally, after all one hundred contestants were seated, Victor Zhao handed the evaluation forms to the director. The scores would be announced on the big screen later.
The top twelve A-grade contestants would get to choose their preferred mentor. Everyone else would be assigned by drawing lots.
After the three other mentors performed their individual stages, it was Lily's turn.
She would be performing "Butterfly Transformation," a reenactment of the tragic love of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. She had already changed into a loose red outfit, and Chloe Lin rushed toward her in the dressing room to fix her makeup.
"What's wrong?" Lily asked, watching Chloe's gloomy expression through the mirror.
Chloe looked furious.
"That Ruby Sun woman has no sense of gratitude. Is she trying to steal your spotlight?"
"No," Lily said softly. "She just has a stubborn personality. Someone like her wouldn't listen to the team's arrangements anyway."
Chloe pouted, clearly unsatisfied. "Well, just don't let it bother you."
"It won't," Lily replied, adjusting her posture. She examined her face in the mirror, then gestured to the makeup artist. "Can you add a few small flower petals between my brows?"
The makeup artist did as instructed, and Lily's appearance instantly transformed—elegant, nostalgic, heartbreaking.
Just then, the director hurried in. "Mentor Lily, it's time!"
Lily stood and left for the stage.
Five seconds later, Chloe blinked, frozen in place.
Oh my god… was I just stunned by Lily's face?
She shook herself and rushed after Lily before she missed the cue.
Back in their seats, the three mentors had returned from their performances and rested while the stage lights dimmed.
A haunting melody began.
A single beam of light illuminated the center of the stage.
And when a woman in flowing red stepped into the light—
The entire hall fell silent.
Was that… Lily Yu?
Her silhouette was graceful yet tragic, every movement fluid and precise. As the melancholic music deepened, Lily performed a sequence of complex traditional-dance techniques with effortless elegance.
It was as though she had pulled the entire audience into the ancient story.
When the final note ended, Lily balanced on one leg, arms drifting through the air like butterfly wings.
The last light went out.
Silence.
Then—
Thunderous applause.
Even the trainees who never cried found tears in their eyes.
Lily bowed gently and headed toward the mentor's table, but Victor Zhao quickly stopped her.
"Wait—Mentor Lily."
A staff member rushed a microphone into her hand.
"Mentor Lily," Victor said with genuine admiration, "you surprised us today. Have you trained in dance before, or did you learn this specifically for the show?"
Lily smiled modestly. "As the saying goes—one minute on stage equals ten years offstage. I started training in ethnic dance when I was four. It's been fifteen years."
The audience gasped in shock.
Fifteen years?
Ruby Sun had only trained for ten.
"Mentor Lily was hiding all this talent?" Victor laughed.
"No, it's written in my online profile," Lily replied casually.
The director stared at Lily from behind the camera.
"...She can WHAT?
Don't joke with me—I didn't even know this!"
Originally, he wanted Lily to bring controversy and attract attention.
Not outperform one of the most decorated dancers in the industry.
Lily returned to her seat. Ruby Sun stared at her, eyes complicated—jealousy, shock, and something unreadable mixed together.
The ratings appeared shortly after.
Out of the twelve A-grade contestants:
Four chose Victor Zhao
Three chose Daniel Wang
Three chose Ruby Sun
Only two chose Lily Yu
As expected, the trainees still favored mentors with stronger reputations.
One dance didn't change Lily's online image overnight.
The remaining contestants were assigned by drawing lots, and the recording finally ended.
Exhausted, Lily lay against the seat inside the nanny van, staring blankly out the window.
Beside her, Chloe Lin scrolled through Weibo.
Predictably—
Lily was on the hot search again.
#Shocking! LilyYuTrainedinEthnicDancefor15Years
#NewGeneration2025FirstRecording
#LilyYuVsRubySun
Chloe clicked one.
Nothing substantial—just tags pushed by the program team.
Then a small voice echoed inside the van.
"I want to act."
Chloe nearly threw her phone out of the window. "WHAT did you say?"
"I want to act," Lily repeated calmly.
Chloe wanted to cry.
"Can we focus on one thing at a time? This show is finally cleaning up your reputation! Let's finish recording first before you go chasing new roles!"
Lily just smiled faintly.
But her eyes… were distant, thoughtful.