After Transmigrating Into An Idol Talent Show

Mentor Yao Chen, who was in charge of teaching Class C, was well aware that Qin Lu's dance skills had been improving rapidly over the past few days and was sure to astonish all the mentors. But even though he was mentally prepared, when he watched Qin Lu's assessment video, he still couldn't help but slightly widen his eyes.

As the music started, the trainee in the video lifted his head at the right beat, and his light-colored eyes seemed to lock onto the camera as if making eye contact with the person behind it. He tilted his head in sync with the upbeat rhythm, and his attractive profile showed a slight upward curve of his lips. That hint of a smile was infectiously captivating, instantly lightening the entire atmosphere.

It was different. This felt completely different from the usual practice sessions.

If during regular classes one could only sense Qin Lu's dedication to practicing every move, now he seemed to be using the foundation and muscle memory formed from countless repetitions to effortlessly perform and enjoy the stage.

It looked easy, every bend and jump seemed casual and comfortable, yet the moves were precise. While other practice students were still focused on not making mistakes, Qin Lu was able to use the confidence derived from his wholehearted practice to present a more complete stage presence.

"Our Youth Belongs to Us" was a song that was relaxed, happy, and positive from beginning to end. As the theme song of the show "Infinite Youth," its purpose is clear: it was about youth, sunshine, vigor, depicting the most brilliant and beautiful aspects of youth.

Given this, the tone of the entire performance should be one that makes people want to smile and ignites aspirations involuntarily. After several hours of looping performances, only Qin Lu managed to achieve this.

The feeling he gave perfectly aligned with the overall tone of the theme song.

Even Han Suyan, who had impressed Mentor Yin Suli not long ago, completely overlooked this point. He was dancing earnestly, and it was evident that he had put in a lot of effort into practice. There were parts of his singing and dancing that shone brightly, but it wasn't a complete performance.

Han Suyan executed the dance moves to completion and sang the song without any mistakes throughout, but his performance wasn't complete.

His expression was focused, and you could even say that his seriousness was palpable throughout. However, a stage required the expression of emotions, not just being "focused."

From the moment the music started, Qin Lu transported all the instructors into the atmosphere of the theme "youth." This was a performance that met all the criteria from every angle because his performance "convinced" everyone who watched.

This was exactly what youth should be like.

"Is this talent or..." Instructor Yin Suli was a bit speechless. She couldn't imagine how a child in his teens could have such an astonishing ability to captivate.

Having been in the industry for so many years, the Mentors' discerning eyes were quite sharp. Qin Lu wasn't just the best performer at the moment; more importantly, the instructors could see in him a tremendous potential that others didn't have—

Other contestants were still in the phase of expending all their energy to improve their skills, but with Qin Lu, the instructors had already started subconsciously imagining how he would shine on the stage.

Yin Suli felt that even she at Qin Lu's age wouldn't be able to manage expressions that made the audience feel comfortable, refreshed, and natural. This meant that either he was consciously aware of the importance of this aspect and had practiced it repeatedly or he possessed a formidable talent.

Whichever it was, it left the instructors reassured and optimistic.

While Qin Lu's current skill might still be a distance away from an A level, the tremendous potential they saw in him and the commendable performance he demonstrated in just a few days made the instructors unanimously give a result that surprised the production team.

 (in) Class C.

"How long have we been waiting? Feels like a century passed."

"Sigh, I wish we could wait a bit longer. I'm not mentally prepared for the results yet."

"That feeling of the teacher about to walk in with the test papers is back... Help, I feel like I'm about to be publicly executed for my grades in the next second."

Su Qinglan listened lazily to the murmurs of those around him. He wasn't nervous, but he was getting a bit hungry.

He turned his head to look at Qin Lu, who seemed to have been silent for a long time——

"Uh..." Su Qinglan couldn't help but laugh. The black-haired trainee was sitting there, holding his knees, and his head was slowly drooping down, seemingly about to fall to the ground.

The little curly-haired boy quickly reached out to support Qin Lu's forehead, but the next second, Qin Lu opened his eyes and sat up.

"..." Qin Lu who was out of the lopp blinked his eyes a little sleepily in a rarely seen dazed state. "Has the instructor come?"

Su Qinglan put on a serious face and said, "Yeah, they've finished announcing the ratings and left. Want to know your results?"

Qin Lu was momentarily taken aback. He quickly looked around, his amber eyes gradually becoming clear. He rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn, "Su Qinglan, you've learned how to lie too?"

"Hehe." The little curly-haired boy shook his head regretfully, "Failed again."

Qin Lu, feeling drowsy, had a vacant expression on his face and mused as if lost in thought, "Give it another ten years, and you still won't be able to fool me."

"That's not necessarily true," Su Qinglan murmured in a low voice. He always felt that Qin Lu was a bit too mature most of the time, and it was only in moments like this, when he was too tired to think, that he resembled a peer a bit.

Qin Lu had barely slept for almost a week, having stretched himself out tightly for the assessment (1). After finally relaxing, he inevitably felt exhausted and wanted to sleep.

When the trainee, who was bored outside the door, rushed in and shouted, "He's here, he's here," everyone sat up straight and breathed a sigh of relief.

Instructor Yao Chen walked in with long strides from outside. He was dressed casually today, but his expression didn't look happy. The trainees of Class C couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy.

He raised his hand to stop everyone from standing up. Without any unnecessary words and an expressionless face, he said directly, "We will now announce the assessment results."

Announce them right away? No way?

"Liu Yaojun."

The trainee who was called up felt as if he was struck by lightning. He went up and, with his arms and legs matching in gait (2), collected the card containing the result. The content was folded inward, so others couldn't see it.

But this didn't hold much significance; after the lineup change, everyone would naturally know.

After opening and looking at the result, he silently buried his head in his arms. The people around him had initially intended to ask, but they guessed the outcome and refrained from speaking after seeing his reaction.

"Chen Yifei."

The pace of distributing the results was faster than anyone had anticipated. In just a few minutes, almost all of them were announced.

Su Qinglan and Qin Lu happened to be the last two. When they went up in succession, Instructor Yao Chen's slightly disgruntled expression softened a bit.

"God bless, God bless..." The little curly-haired boy muttered as he clasped his hands together in prayer, squinting his eyes. After opening them, his eyes lit up. "Qin Lu, I got promoted! I'm in Class B now!"

Excited, he turned to ask Qin Lu, and just happened to see the stamp on Qin Lu's card, which made him freeze.

Class A.

After Mentor Yin Suli announced the results, she waved her hand decisively, "Those with changes should head to your future classroom immediately, right now."

In Class A, two people were demoted, one to Class B and one to Class C. The atmosphere was heavy with emotions as they stood up and walked out upon hearing the announcement.

Fan Xi, who was usually talkative, took a couple of steps and patted the arm of a friend he had become familiar with over the past few days, giving encouragement. However, the other party was not in the mod to respond and simply left without saying anything.

Liao Junchen sat quietly in a corner. He actually wanted to say something, but his personality prevented him from uttering any emotional words. In the end, he just sat there without moving.

He couldn't provide straightforward comfort like Fan Xi did. Based on his past experiences, Liao Junchen's succinct consolation could even seem like a cruel pity to the other person, though he didn't intend it that way.

So he chose not to do anything.

Liao Junchen looked towards the door. As footsteps approached, his right hand habitually pressed the small mole at the corner of his eye.

From moment of the announcement of the results, Liao Junchen remained calm. He didn't participate in the farewells of the two previous classmates leaving nor did he congratulate Yu Zifei, who had just been promoted.

Yu Zifei, the first to enter Class A, had the three words (3) 'Not making friends’ written all over his face. He was so indifferent it was enough to make someone wish they could climb the Himalayas for warmth.

The trainee with light golden hair responded to Fan Xi's tentative greeting with a simple nod and then sat against the wall without much ado.

With one hand propped on his knee, he lowered his head slightly, causing the diamond studs in his ears to gently sway.

Fan Xi felt a bit awkward and touched his nose, meeting the amused gaze of Jin Yooeun.

Great, another iceberg (4) came.

Liao Junchen's gaze remained on the corridor until he saw a light green training uniform appear at the door. Unable to resist, he curved his lips, unintentionally revealing a rare smile without even realizing it.

The camera captured this moment timely, becoming an important memory that would later make fans shed tears over their divine friendship in the future.

Qin Lu got promoted, moving from Class C to Class A.

Fan Xi's happiness returned. Seeing the familiar faint smile on Qin Lu's face, he rushed over and gave him a big hug.

With sparkling eyes, he looked at the Qin Lu who was slightly dazed and said, “Welcome, welcome. Honestly, a major reason I didn't drop this time is because of your influence. I've never worked this hard in my eight lifetimes.”

Jin Yooeun showed an expression of incomparable disgust and offered a sincere evaluation, “Ugh, I’m going to puke, bro.”

Fan Xi turned his head, looking smug. “You understand fart (5).”

Jin You'en lifted his thin eyelids and said with a cool face. “Lu, from now on, I got your back, bro. Ignore this weirdo. Look at his dyed red hair and that row of blinding earrings. Obviously, he's not a reliable and good person.”

Fan Xi: “... This is fashion; you wouldn't understand. Jin Yooeun, you're a Korean idol hanging a sheep’s head but selling dog meat (6), trying to fool people. I can see an old man's soul all over you.”

Meanwhile, Su Qinglan, who was being enthusiastically welcomed by Class B, was burning with fighting spirit. Next time, he was certain he would catch up to Qin Lu!

There were significant changes in the lineup, with many moving up and even more moving down.

Han Suyan's promotion to C grade earned him the qualification for the performance two days later. Nan Xiao made no mistakes this time and securely advanced to grade A. Lu Zhi's grade remained unchanged at B, so he and Nan Xiao, this pair of seemingly antagonistic friends, wouldn't be in direct competition for the time being.

The pace the program was recorded at was incredibly fast. Following that night's evaluations, an anonymous voting session was held immediately to select the initial C-position performer for the theme song recording from among the A-grade trainees.

The production staff worked overtime to count the votes, and soon the final results were quickly announced. Liao Junchen's vote count was in a league of its own. His absolute strength had convinced most trainees. He became the universally recognized strongest C.

This also meant that Liao Junchen would have the privilege of standing alone on the most central diamond stage, becoming the center of attention among the ninety-nine trainees and obtaining the best and most prominent camera angles, enjoying an absolute advantage.

The filming for the group performance was scheduled for tonight, and the finished theme song recording would be uploaded to various online platforms and the official program's social media accounts tomorrow. It would also be promoted as headline news on numerous websites—

The moment the theme song recording was released online, the voting channel would officially open.

The ninety-nine trainees would face the most straightforward test through fans, receiving a tangible measure of their popularity through vote counts.

Every subsequent shot symbolized a warfare without gunfire, a competition that would officially begin from tonight.

While all trainees were allowed to participate in the recording, D and F-rank trainees wouldn't have the opportunity to step onto the stage nor would they bask in the bright spotlight.

Only those who had experienced the taste of dancing in the shadows could understand the power of transforming their unwillingness into an all-out counterattack.

Everyone received an identical white school uniform suit, shirt, and black tie.

Even though it was uniform attire, there was an unexplainable feeling of being unique after putting them on.

The clothes were elegant, and the stage was beautifully designed. It could be seen that program team had meticulously prepared it. The center stage belonged to the A-grade trainees, raised about two meters above the ground. B and C-grades flanked either side, while D and F-grades were dispersed around the stage.

Once everyone had confirmed their positions, the recording of the theme song began. One take, two takes, three takes...

The final edited version was completed overnight and announced promptly at 10 o’clock the next morning on Weibo and various online platforms:

[Infinite Youth Official Weibo V: Are you all ready? The theme song recording is done! Click to watch and support your favorite little brother (7) ! Infinite Youth, the best moment to meet you. At this very moment, we meet for the first time! [Cute][Heart][Heart]... [Video link]]

Five minutes later, likes and comments began to soar at an alarming rate.

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Translator's notes:

(1)   The raws mentioned Qin Lu maintaining a taut string, which doesn’t really make sense in English. It basically means he’s been tense and stretched thin in anticipation, and I tried to convey that in the translation.

(2)   Like taking a step with your right foot while swinging out your right arm, and doing the same with your left side. It’s normally alternating so the way he’s walking is really awkward here

(3)   There’s 4 chinese characters to the phrase, but it’s three words after translation.

(4)   Refers to someone who is cold and indifferent. It’s often used to describe those cold CEO types lol. The other iceberg is liao Junchen haha

(5)   He’s basically saying he knows nothing, like a fart. It’s confusing to too funny to leave out

(6)   Idiom referring to deception.  Basically fan xi is accusing Yooeun of pretending to be a bigshot

(7)   It was actually xiao gege, so little big bro. it’s a more casual way of referencing a guy