She debuted after having a child with a celestial being.

Unsurprisingly, Xiao He received the most votes and took the center position.

Three days after the theme song ranking reassessment ended, the production team notified all trainees to gather, as the official recording of the "Ei Ei" theme song MV was about to begin.

The recording took place in Studio 6, the largest studio in the factory, and the stage was already set up.

Blue and white lights shone down from the ceiling, and the mirrored floor reflected the light, making it look like a frozen lake.

In the very center of the stage is a lift platform, a dedicated lift platform for the center position. Once activated, it will slowly rise from below the floor, lifting the person standing on it to the highest point of the entire stage.

The positions of the one hundred trainees had been marked with white tape, spreading outwards from the lifting platform, layer upon layer, like ripples.

The original Class A had twelve people.

In addition to Xiao He, Cai Kunkun, and Zhu Zhengting, there are also You Zhangjing, Lin Chaoze, Zheng Ruibin, Zhang Yifan, Fan Chenchen, Zhou Rui, Wang Ziyi, Zhou Yanchen, and Li Junyi.

The clothes were uniform gray-blue school uniforms, with a white shirt underneath, a gray tie, and a slim-fitting gray-blue suit jacket with the program's logo embroidered on the left chest.

When the twelve people had changed their clothes and were standing backstage, someone looked down at themselves and then at the person next to them.

"Don't we look like high school students?" Chen Linong said, standing on the C class side.

"This is a boy band," Wang Ziyi said. He straightened his tie meticulously.

"This is my first debut performance," You Zhangjing said, smiling.

The makeup artist applied makeup to each of them one by one.

Cai Kunkun's center-parted bangs naturally fall on his forehead, Zhu Zhengting's hair is slightly curly, and Xiao He's Hong Kong-style three-seven parted hairstyle is retained, but the overall look is more youthful.

Twelve people stood in front of the makeup mirror, their gray-blue school uniforms with neat shoulder lines and their ties tied in a tidy manner.

Looking at them in the mirror, they resemble a boy band that has already formed.

Recording begins.

The director sits behind a monitor, with twelve split screens in front of him, each displaying footage recorded simultaneously by twelve cameras.

Zhang Yixing stood on the side of the stage, wearing a black suit, without a microphone, just standing there watching.

The music started.

The intro to "Ei Ei" features layers of electronic sound effects.

The elevator slowly rose, and Xiao He stood on it. His first words were his.

The part in position C.

"Hey, I'm getting closer to you in the next second..."

Xiao He's voice was clean and clear, like the first ray of light passing through glass in the morning.

As the camera zoomed in, he smiled, his relaxed demeanor making him seem less like he was recording a formal music video and more like he was in a practice room, dancing in front of a mirror for himself.

But it was precisely this state that made the director, watching from behind the monitor, pause slightly in surprise.

Is this really their first debut stage?

Cai Kunkun was positioned to the left and slightly behind Xiao He, and his part came in shortly after.

His voice had a unique quality, and he wore a faintly sexy smile; he was an exceptionally handsome young man.

Zhu Zhengting is to Xiao He's right rear.

Yu Changjing's high notes supported Lin Chaoze's dance moves, which were expansive and well-structured.

Zheng Ruibin's vocals were as steady as a rock, and Fan Chenchen's rap pronunciation had improved a lot, much better than his first stage performance. He was standing on the far side, but he kept up with every movement without missing a beat or forgetting his lyrics.

The voices of Zhou Rui, Wang Ziyi, Zhou Yanchen, Li Junyi, and Zhang Yifan, twelve people in total, overlapped and sounded as if they were strung together by the same thread.

The first recording session is complete.

The director yelled "cut," then looked at the monitor and remained silent for about five seconds.

"The person in the center position is in good form. As for the others, some people are rushing to take the picture, and some are looking at the center position instead of the camera. Class A, you need to look outwards, not inwards."

The music started again during the second recording.

"Third row, second from the left, you were a beat too slow."

The third time. The fourth time. The fifth time...

The stage lights were bright and intense, casting the shadows of the twelve people on the mirrored floor, layer upon layer.

The sixth recording is complete.

The director stood up from behind the monitor and took off his headphones: "That's a wrap."

He paused, his gaze falling on the still image of Xiao He on the monitor screen.

"The center position was well chosen, and the lead dancer is fantastic."

After the recording was finished, Zhang Yixing gathered everyone in the Pyramid Hall.

Behind him was a huge LED wall displaying the cover art of eight songs: "The Orcs," "PPAP," "Can't Stop," "The Great Artist," "Get Ugly," "Dance to the Music," "Code Name: Contra," and "Shake."

"The theme song recording is finished. Next up is the group battle."

The trainees began to gather in twos and threes, whispering among themselves.

"The rules are simple," Zhang Yixing's voice quelled the commotion. "Sixteen teams, two against two. Same song, same stage. Voting by the live audience of producers. Winners get 10,000 votes plus bonus votes; losers get none."

He paused.

The entire hall fell silent immediately.

"After this performance, nearly half of the participants will be eliminated. Sixty-one will remain, and the rest will leave."

Everyone became noticeably more nervous. Some lowered their heads, some secretly glanced at the people next to them, and most of them became uneasy.

"Therefore, choosing songs and choosing people are all related to whether you can stay."

Zhang Yixing's gaze swept from left to right.

"Cai Kunkun, as the first place voted by the public producers in the previous round, you have the right to choose songs first."

Cai Kunkun stood up from his seat in Class A, having changed out of his gray-blue school uniform and back into his own clothes.

He walked to the center of the stage and looked at the covers of the eight songs on the LED wall.

After a few seconds of silence, he pointed to the second song, "PPAP".

Inside the pyramid, someone whispered, "As expected," and others began to murmur amongst themselves.

He then began selecting team members, his gaze sweeping from Class A to Class B, and then to Class C.

"Wang Ziyi. Zhou Yanchen. Zhou Rui." He paused for a moment, then added, "Zhu Zhengting."

Four names were finalized.

A series of hushed gasps rose from inside the pyramid.

Two A-class students and three B-class students – this lineup needs no further explanation.

The lottery box was handed to Cai Kunkun.

He reached in, pulled out a numbered ball, and the staff member glanced at it and read out the number.

The selected trainee stood up from his seat and walked to the center of the stage.

Then came the next draw, with sixteen teams being filled one by one.

Xiao He didn't have to wait long. He was very powerful, but his reputation was not public. If it were a vote by all the producers, his ranking would be average.

When the lottery box was handed to him, he reached in and touched a cold ball.

The staff took it out and glanced at the number.

"Xiao He. Choose a song."

He stood up and walked to the LED wall.

My gaze swept over the covers of the eight songs.

"Half-Orcs" is a song composed by Zhou Jielun for the game, with a strong rhythm and a dynamic, youthful feel.

It's not a catchy, brainwashing song like "PPAP," not a sexy track like "The Great Artist," and not a gentle killer like "Can't Stop."

It's something tougher and more powerful, like his.

He stood under the cover of "The Orcs" and began selecting people.

Their gaze swept across the pyramid, and the first choice was made without hesitation.

"Little brat."

The rapper in Class B, from the underground scene, has real talent.

During his initial performance, Liu Yifei analyzed the situation for him, advising him not to directly clash with him in rap.

But this time it's not a direct confrontation, it's a joint effort.

The second candidate is Ding Zeren, who was in Class A and has a solid foundation in dance.

The third one is Li Quanzhe, from Class B. He has a sweet appearance but a tomboyish personality, and his vocals are distinctive.

The fourth one is Li Junyi, from Class A, the lead singer, with a clean and clear voice.

As the four names were announced, someone inside the pyramid whispered, "This group isn't weak either."

Xiao He stood back under "The Orcs," and the five of them reunited.

The little devil walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

Bi Wenjun was drawn by the person behind him and chose Group B of "Half-Beast".

He walked over to Xiao He and stood next to him, his gaze sweeping over the five people in Group A.

Then Ming Peng, Jiang Dahe, and Li Xikan stood behind him one by one.

Under the LED wall, sixteen teams gradually took shape.

Cai Kunkun chose Group A of "PPAP", and his teammates were Zhu Zhengting, Wang Ziyi, Zhou Rui, and Zhou Yanchen.

The lineup for the opposing Group B was also quickly finalized.

Chen Linong chose Group A of "The Great Artist", and his teammates were Hou Haoran, Sun Haoran, and Zhang Yixuan.

Fan Chenchen chose Group A for "Shake", and the team members were Lin Chaoze, You Zhangjing, Jiang Jingzuo, and Gao Maotong.

Han Mubo, Xu Shengen, Qin Fen, Wang Zihao, and Ling Chao from Group B also stood on the opposite side.

The members of Group A for "Can't Stop" are Fan Chenchen, Zheng Ruibin, You Zhangjing, Deng Langyi, Lü Chenyu, and Lin Chaoze.

Group B consists of Dong Youlin, Han Mubo, Ling Chao, Wang Zihao, Jiali, Qin Fen, and Xu Shengen.

The A group for "Get Ugly" consists of Lu Dinghao, Li Rang, and others, while the B group consists of Huang Ruohan and others.

……

Sixteen teams, eight songs, and head-to-head battles.

After everyone had stopped, Zhang Yixing's voice rang out again.

"Starting today, we have three days. We'll adapt, rehearse, and practice. After three days, we'll go on stage and compete."

His gaze swept over each of the sixteen teams.

See you on stage then.

The practice room for Group A of "Half-Orcs" was at the east end of the corridor, with windows facing the gray walls of the factory. A poster with the lyrics of the original song "Half-Orcs" was pasted on the wall.

Xiao He gathered the five people together, and without saying much, he played the original song once.

The lyrics describe a being that is half-human and half-beast, struggling between humanity and bestiality, and yearning to break free from the curse and find themselves again.

After listening to it the first time, the kid tapped his fingers on his thigh to the rhythm, and his eyes lit up.

"This song is energetic."

Li Quanzhe came closer and lay down on the floor looking at the lyrics poster.

His appearance is sweet, but the way he lies on the ground is not sweet at all. His legs are spread apart and his chin is resting on the back of his hand, like a large dog lying down.

"I want the vocals for the chorus. I want to sing the line 'Let our orc souls churn.'"

"Here you go," Xiao He said.

Li Junyi pushed up his glasses. He was the lead vocalist of Class A. His voice was clean and clear. He sang a ballad on his first stage performance. Li Ronghao commented that "his voice is very distinctive."

"I can do the main verse."

Ding Zeren stood in front of the mirror and began to move.

He is in Class A, with a solid foundation in dance, a good sense of structure, and powerful, expansive movements.

He didn't wait for anyone; he stood in front of the mirror and broke down the choreography for the chorus, trying out each movement one by one.

Xiao Gui sat in the corner, copying the lyrics of the rap part onto a piece of paper and circling the rhyming parts with a pen.

After finishing circling, he looked up at Xiao He.

How is the center position determined?