Esports world champion, debuted as the center of a talent show

So, at the quiz, after Wu Xiangyang asked about the song title, Jiang Zhiyu picked up the conversation.

"We unanimously approved the name 'I am who I am' last night, but we haven't had time to report it to the program team yet."

Upon hearing the name, Wu Xiangyang nodded: "The lyrics are about the mask of daytime and the true self of nighttime, but the song title says that both are me, which elevates the theme even further. Not bad."

Then, the mentors exchanged glances. Yu Qizhen looked at them and asked gently, "I'm curious, who was specifically in charge of the core concept of 'day and night,' as well as the creation of the lyrics, music, and dance? Could you tell us about it?"

Lin Sen didn't miss the chance to save face in front of his senior sister, and replied actively: "The core idea was proposed by Jiang Zhiyu, the lyrics were also written by Jiang Zhiyu, the music was co-created by Yu Jin and Qi Sixian, and I was mainly responsible for the dance choreography."

He paused, then added, "However, none of this is the achievement of any one person. From the initial concept and idea to the revision of the lyrics and music, and the polishing of the dance, everyone in the group participated in the discussions. Every detail was discussed, revised, and practiced together. It is the result of everyone's joint efforts."

Jiang Zhiyu nodded in agreement: "Yes, the final piece was polished little by little by all of us together."

Others echoed his sentiments, and Yu Jin couldn't help but add, "But I still admire Zhiyu's concept. From the initial idea to the song's tone, and finally the song title that troubled us for so long, it was all Zhiyu's idea."

The mentors' approval deepened after hearing this.

Guan Liu shook her head regretfully: "It's a pity that this round of quizzes doesn't have a ranking, otherwise your group would definitely be in first place."

"Alright, you can go back now."

"Thank you, instructor!" the group said in unison, bowed again, and then walked out of the small examination room.

As soon as they returned to the waiting area, almost all the trainees turned their gazes toward them, but the gazes quickly dispersed, because none of the members of Jiang Zhiyu's group showed any significant emotional fluctuations.

Next, the remaining groups entered the assessment area one after another, and the atmosphere in the waiting area remained tense.

Xu Xiaoyu remained sitting alone, seemingly separated from her teammates by a galaxy.

Time passed slowly, and finally, all the groups finished their assessments.

A staff member, carrying the list of unqualified candidates, walked to the front of the waiting area, cleared his throat, and said in a serious tone: "The list of unqualified candidates for this second round of mentor tests is now being announced."

Everyone fell silent instantly, holding their breath and staring intently at the list in the staff member's hand.

The staff slowly read out the names. There were very few trainees who actually failed; only a very few, all of whom were contestants whose skills were consistently at the bottom.

Those whose names were called all looked terrible. This was not only an on-the-spot execution, but also revealed that their path to the second round would be incredibly difficult.

As expected, Xu Xiaoyu was indeed on the list of those who failed.

In fact, Xu Xiaoyu's strength is far from being as bad as those who are failing, but due to the recent turmoil and other factors, not only has his practice progress been affected, but also the capital considerations, so his "elimination" is almost only a matter of time.

Upon hearing his name, Xu Xiaoyu's body stiffened abruptly, his eyes surging with humiliation and resentment.

He didn't look up, but gritted his teeth and remained silent for a few seconds. Then he suddenly stood up, turned around without a care, and walked quickly toward the door. His steps were a little unsteady. He slammed the door and left, completely ignoring the live broadcast camera that was running.

Who is this guy giving the cold shoulder to?

[You tried to take the crooked path but failed, and you're acting like you've been bullied here. Are you alright?]

[Who's protecting him? Xue Guang withdrew from the competition because of his personal conduct, so why is Xu Xiaoyu refusing to leave?]

[Actually, I think the biggest torment for Xu Xiaoyu is that he doesn't withdraw from the competition. Withdrawing directly would be too easy. Given his personality, continuing to participate but watching himself be marginalized, ranked last, and gradually eliminated is the most agonizing thing.]

Actually, the production team and mentors were quite lenient; the list of unqualified candidates was much smaller than I expected.

[Hong Liu is as unpredictable as ever. The preliminary exam at least gave me hope that Jiang Zhiyu's group would get first place, but now I'm completely lost... I have no idea how the final product will turn out!]

No one else reacted much to Xu Xiaoyu's departure; at most, they would glance at his angry departing figure.

The remaining trainees also quickly dispersed, and the time between them and the rehearsal the next day was still allotted for everyone to practice and adjust.

The rehearsal was not as private as the mini-exam. Although it was still a non-live recording, each group could watch each other's performances.

To ensure the best possible viewing experience for the official second performance, the rehearsal order was consistent with the order in which each group chose to perform in the official performance.

Jiang Zhiyu's group was the last to go on stage. Before going on stage, they stood below the stage, quietly watching the performances of the groups before them.

What impressed him most were the performances by Mi Lan and An Junying's groups.

Mi Lan changed her "cool and domineering" stage style and chose a sweet and healing song for the second performance, which was surprisingly quite suitable.

The performance by Ahn Joon-young's group made the most of Ahn Joon-young's strengths, incorporating a lot of rap into the song, which focused on his journey since joining "Shining Project" and the friendship between the boys.

Just before Jiang Zhiyu was about to go on stage, Mi Lan squeezed through the crowd and stood next to Jiang Zhiyu and Lin Sen, raising her eyebrows and saying, "Come on, let me see what this stage you two have been preparing for so long looks like."

Lin Sen replied with a smile, "Then you wait and see, we'll show you Jiang Jiang's divine concept."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhiyu gave a helpless smirk: "Alright, it's time to go on stage."

After tidying their clothes, the group calmly walked onto the stage, stood in their respective positions, and bowed slightly to the staff and mentors below the stage.

"Are you ready? We can begin," a staff member on the side of the stage reminded them.

"Ready!"

As the accompaniment began, the group got back into the zone, showing more composure and skill compared to their earlier test.

The stage lights alternated between bright and dim in response to the changing melody, perfectly matching the theme of "day and night" and maximizing the stage atmosphere.

They still didn't use masks this time, leaving the suspense of their actual effect until the official stage of the second performance.

From the audience, Mi Lan watched their performance intently, her eyes filled with amazement.

As the song ended, Mi Lan couldn't help but clap her hands enthusiastically, a genuine smile spreading across her face. She shouted to the people on stage, "Amazing! A masterpiece!"

Jiang Zhiyu looked back at him, a smile involuntarily appearing on his lips, before stepping off the stage at the staff's signal.