Transmigrated As Cannon Fodder Omega, Their Knees Bent Chapter 16

 Chapter 16: Grouping

Zhan Yunqi was momentarily stunned by the scolding, holding his phone in bewilderment. He stammered in a panic, “I’m not, I didn’t… Qian-ge… Qian-ge?!”

Before he could say anything else, Qian-ge abruptly hung up the phone!

Zhan Yunqi’s vision darkened, and he fell onto the bed.

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Originally, the director wanted to wait for all the trainees to gather together to avoid later malicious editing by some influential fans, who would label their idols with lazy tags.

But now, only a few people had arrived, and he couldn’t wait any longer.

If they didn’t start filming soon, the next episode might not be able to go online on time. Not to mention malicious editing, they might not even have the main footage!

Ba Yanchen tapped the documents in his hand and asked when the five people looked over, “Is everyone here?”

“…”

The director frantically waved his hand from behind, signaling for someone to respond.

Knowing that the director didn’t want to offend the absent celebrities, as the most experienced one among the five, Ji Huan replied, “Everyone is here, Teacher.”

Ba Yanchen wasn’t blind; how could he not notice that someone was late? He couldn’t stand their lazy appearance, so he deliberately said, “You all arrived quite early.”

Xie Rongrong discreetly bumped him, then smiled at everyone, “Today, our main task is to divide the 21 trainees into groups.”

“A total of 307 participants registered for this competition. After the first round of elimination performances, only 21 remain, each with an evaluation score from the mentors.”

“The scores range from high to low, and you are free to choose which group you want to join. Each group consists of seven people. If the group you want to join is already full, then the remaining people will have to compromise and join another group. Later, if the performance evaluations change, you can switch groups.”

Xie Rongrong briefly explained the grouping rules and continued, “Now, let the trainee with the highest score, Lou Ting, choose first.”

Lou Ting nodded and took a step forward, but before he could speak, Ba Yanchen couldn’t wait and said, “Come to my group. I feel like your style is particularly suitable for rap. The rap segment you did during the live broadcast was good, but don’t you feel like you want more?”

“The rap is indeed good, but I feel that Lou Ting is more suitable for my group,” Xie Rongrong said, slightly slower but calmly. “During my live broadcast, I already said that I like Lou Ting and want him in my group.”

Ba Yanchen asked, “Lou Ting, where do you want to go?”

Xie Rongrong also cast her gaze, her eyes burning with intense flames that spelled out two words: choose me!

For a moment, Lou Ting stood in the middle, caught in a dilemma.

They were both seniors, and rejecting either one wouldn’t be good.

Yu Senze, who had seen many variety shows where trainees chose mentors, murmured softly, “Lou Ting is so popular. I also want to experience the feeling of being fought over by mentors.”

“Snap out of it, kid. Daydreaming while standing is too dangerous.”

“…”

Lou Ting remained silent for a long time, not because he was considering joining a particular mentor’s team, but… he was thinking about how to politely reject both mentors without seeming rude.

They say that on a show, one should highlight their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, but Lou Ting felt that his rap skills were good, and he could even serve as a vocalist in a team. On the other hand, his dancing was weak.

It wasn’t that his foundation in dancing was poor; it was the original host’s body. He hadn’t learned dance since childhood, so although he could imitate movements based on memory, his basic skills were lacking.

Therefore, what Lou Ting actually wanted was to join the dance group.

“Lou Ting, have you made up your mind?” Ba Yanchen said. “Don’t worry about it. Regardless of which one of us you reject, we won’t hold a grudge…”

As he spoke, he deliberately covered his eyes with his hand and muttered softly, “We’ll just make things difficult for you in future episodes.”

“Hahaha!”

The trainees waiting in the back burst into laughter.

Xie Rongrong refused to back down and said, “It’s fine, Lou Ting. If you choose me, and he tries to make things difficult for you, I’ll beat him up. This sis will protect you!”

“That’s enough, you two.” Yan Zige, who had been silent on the side, interrupted their words. His slightly furrowed brows gave off a hint of seriousness.

This… Was he angry?

The trainees looked at each other.

Could it be that they had been talking for too long, and Yan Zige, the teacher, had become impatient?

“Although Lou Ting is outstanding, I understand what you both want, but you should also respect the trainee’s own thoughts,” Yan Zige said, walking over to Lou Ting and patting his shoulder.

Although Lou Ting didn’t feel troubled, he had a good impression of Yan Zige. Not many mentors were as selfless and righteous as him, without expecting anything in return.

Yan Zige said, “Give me your ID card.”

The ID card contained each trainee’s identification information.

Lou Ting didn’t think much and handed it over to him.

Then, Yan Zige continued, “Since the program gives trainees the opportunity to choose autonomously, don’t interfere too much.”

Ba Yanchen and Xie Rongrong exchanged glances, thinking, When did Yan Zige become so serious about following the rules?

But don’t be fooled by Yan Zige’s cold and aloof appearance. He wasn’t this obedient when participating in variety shows!

In the next moment, Yan Zige’s expression changed as he took Lou Ting’s ID card and added him to his own team.

Ba Yanchen: “???”

What the heck!

Xie Rongrong: “!!!”

Damn it! We underestimated him!

Even Lou Ting himself hadn’t expected Yan Zige’s move to be so… swift.

It was over.

At this moment, Yan Zige finally revealed a smile.

Everyone instantly understood what had happened.

We thought you were intervening to resolve the conflict between the two, but who would have thought you would take advantage of the situation and snatch Lou Ting away!

Xie Rongrong slammed the table. “Stealing a trainee!”

Ba Yanchen also slammed the table. “Objection!”

Yan Zige remained unfazed, knowing that he had snatched the trainee with his own abilities. Why should he feel guilty?

Yan Zige said, “Next.”

The second-highest scorer was Liang Caijin, also known as Liang Yingdi, who had the longest experience and highest status in the room.

But… Liang Yingdi hadn’t arrived yet, so the next one to perform would be Ji Huanqu, the one whose score was next in line.

Just as Lou Ting returned to his seat, Yu Senze approached him. “How did you manage to be fought over by the mentors? Teach me, I want to learn.”

Lou Ting said, “Aren’t you worried about being recorded on camera?” 

“It’s fine, they didn’t notice me,” Yu Senze said nonchalantly, waving his hand without paying attention to the direction of the camera. “Teach me, teach me.”

Lou Ting thought for a moment and teased him, “First, you have to become like me.”

Upon hearing that, Yu Senze was stunned. He dumbly touched his face and sat back down, sighing heavily. “I’ve lost.”

He lost completely.

Lou Ting couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation. He was just joking around.

Besides, Yu Senze’s youthful and boyish appearance wasn’t as exaggerated as he claimed.

“Please don’t…”

*Bam!*

“Are they already filming? Why did they start without us?”

A voice came from outside as a woman in a long dress and high heels walked in.

The high heels made a crisp sound as they collided with the tiled floor. The training room, which didn’t even have a simple background music, suddenly felt a bit chaotic.

The woman glanced at Lou Ting and the others. “You’re filming with just these few people? Didn’t we agree to wait for our Liang ge to arrive before starting? Are you not taking my words seriously?”

Her high-pitched questioning voice pierced through the director’s brain, already irritated by Liang Caijin’s intentional lateness. Now, he was being scolded by Liang Caijin’s manager from a superior position, making the director feel suffocated.

But there was nothing he could do. He had to endure.

The director smiled and explained, “This variety show is scheduled according to the predetermined time. The filming was already delayed this morning, and I was afraid that further delays would affect the editing for the next episode, so…”

“So what?” the woman said, displeased. “It’s bad enough that Liang ge didn’t have the highest score in the first episode. Now you dare to start filming without notifying us?”

The woman huffed coldly. “Fang Huandong, it seems like I’m giving you face, right? Pause the filming immediately. When Liang ge is available, I’ll notify you to continue.”

After speaking, the woman turned around to leave.

It was as if her purpose for coming here was solely to inform the director to stop today’s recording.

“But… Tomorrow might not be possible,” Fang Huandong didn’t dare to state it explicitly, but if Liang Yingdi could break his appointment today, who knew if he would also bail tomorrow. If that happened, every department would have to work overtime to make up for the lost filming.

The woman asked, “Why wouldn’t it be possible?”

Fang Huandong suggested, “How about this? We continue filming now and later edit Liang Yingdi into the show. What do you think?”

“What? Editing? You want to ruin Liang ge! If it’s discovered by the fans that the show was edited, Liang ge will definitely be criticized for being unprofessional. Are you doing this on purpose?!” The woman accused, feeling that Fang Huandong, who had never shown such intentions before, was now deliberately planning something. “I…”

Just as the woman’s voice trailed off, Yan Zige’s brow furrowed, about to speak, but Lou Ting beat him to it and asked, “May I ask why Liang Yingdi can’t participate in the recording?”

The woman had a negative impression of Lou Ting, the one who stole her Liang ge’s first place.

The woman scrutinized Lou Ting from top to bottom, and after a while, she disdainfully sneered. Is this it?

He’s nothing special. I really don’t understand why those fan judges are all crazy about him. He’s far inferior to our Liang ge.

“Liang ge isn’t feeling well and can’t leave his bed. He’s resting at the hotel.”

Lou Ting nodded thoughtfully at the woman’s response. “Feeling unwell? Even if it’s just discomfort, it’s important to seek timely medical attention. Some illnesses may not show obvious symptoms at first, but once they worsen, it might be too late to save.”

The woman lifted her chin proudly and pointed a finger, adorned with bright red nail polish, at him. “Being attentive? You’re smart enough to recognize the situation.”

Ji Huan, who was standing nearby, couldn’t help but snort with laughter.

Lou Ting raised an eyebrow, surprised that the woman didn’t catch the implied meaning in his words. He suddenly became curious about how a manager with this level of intelligence became the manager of a famous actor.

The woman’s face froze, and she saw smiles on everyone’s faces. Several pairs of eyes were fixed on her, seemingly enjoying the spectacle. She immediately became furious. “You… You dare curse Liang ge to death?!”

Upon hearing this, and seeing Lou Ting still smiling, her anger intensified. “And you dare to mock me?!”

Lou Ting, without any hint of guilt for being caught, lightly tapped his chin with his fingertip and smirked. “Did I make it that obvious?”

The woman exploded in anger. “You… Do you believe that I can have my husband kick you out of this production crew?!!!”

Lou Ting raised an eyebrow. Husband?

The director made a gesture to him, mouthing silently, “Liang Caijin.”

****