Chapter 508 - Just A Dogfight
The question of whether the student should withdraw from the compet.i.tion rested in the hands of Su Botao. With Su Botao arriving at the scene, everyone greeted and looked at him.
Su Botao was dumbfounded. He first went to share a few words and comforted He Lu since she was the niece of the network"s deputy director after all.
The girl did great on the show, retaining her position at the top ten and even placing eighth during the last elimination round. She was able to advance in ranking every single time but unfortunately had an accident just before the semi-finals.
He caught wind that the trainee slipped and fell down the stairs.
Gu Yang waited until Su Botao and He Lu were done talking before looking at Su Botao for advice. "Mr. Su, she said she wanted to continue with the program. What do you think?"
Being put in a difficult position, Su Botao frowned and pondered on the possibility. Soon, he gave a similar answer as Fang Yao. "Ms. He Lu"s health is priority."
"Mr. Su, I think it"s a pity for Ms. He Lu to quit after coming so far in the compet.i.tion. I"d suggest for her to partic.i.p.ate in a wheelchair." Shen Xi cut in and uttered, "The fans would be moved to tears by Ms. He Lu"s perseverance and determination."
Shen Xi did not mind getting He Lu on stage since her intention was to put Su Ruowan off with her presence. Although He Lu was ranked eighth, she was still a long way from the top seven.
The reason He Lu plotted against Su Ruowan was that she wanted Su Ruowan out of the compet.i.tion due to injuries. With one extra spot available in the top seven, He Lu could climb up and debut instead.
Su Botao deliberated and thought it was reasonable but did not want to be too hasty to commit to it. "Mr. Xixi has a point. Let me discuss with the others before I make a decision."
He Lu gratefully stared at Mr. Xixi, regarding him as her savior. Mr. Xixi may seem indifferent, but at least his heart was at a good place, unlike Su Muyan and Su Ruowan who were the lowest.
Did Su Ruowan think this was over? Well, she had another thing coming. He Lu might not be able to debut this time, but as long as she was around, she was going to make Su Ruowan"s life a living h.e.l.l. He Lu had all the opportunities in the world as there was one more week before the finals.
The other mentors echoed Mr. Xixi"s views. Since the head of the production team had a say whether He Lu could leave or stay, there was still a chance for her to remain on the show.
It was all about the performance during the elimination round. Nevertheless, they could give He Lu exemption to sing in the wheelchair. With He Lu placing solidly in eighth place, she would survive the semi-finals and finals.
Su Muyan did not give any input.
Su Ruowan was certain the mentors were trying to cozy up with Mr. Xixi as they took Mr. Xixi"s word as gospel. They would of course take Mr. Xixi"s side.
He Lu was most certainly going to continue on with the compet.i.tion.
For tomorrow"s semi-finals, half of the remaining 28 trainees will be axed in the with a further eight in the finals. Even a dummy could tell that He Lu could earn pity votes from fans by sitting on a wheelchair and marketing a weak but unyielding and a tough image to the public. There was a possibility that this could turn out to be a blessing in disguise and He Lu could earn a spot to debut.
Su Ruowan was never going to allow this to happen, nor would she let He Lu, that b*tch, hang around her. She had to think of a way to end it once and for all.
Su Botao moved quickly and summoned key production executives for a meeting. Since he had full authority over emergencies, there was no need to inform the network bosses in advance.
He was on his way back when the deputy head of the network gave him a call to subtly hint about keeping He Lu on the show.
Soon, all the mentors were gone.
Apart from Su Ruowan and He Lu in the room, a female staff member stayed to take care of He Lu.
This was a room for three and Song Wenye was supposed to be their roommate. However, she moved over to Ye Weiyang"s room after the latter"s roommate was eliminated in the third episode.
Su Botao, the chief director, returned half an hour later to inform He Lu of the latest plan. She could get on stage in a wheelchair, but her team would have to redo the rehearsal tomorrow before the shooting.
"Sorry, Wanwan!" He Lu gazed apologetically at Su Ruowan. "I"d have to trouble you to run through the rehearsals with me tomorrow."
As luck would have it, He Lu was on the same team as Su Ruowan. The performance was Su Ruowan"s creation. The other teams were also performing their own originals.
The main stage was going to showcase the trainees" creativity this round. After going through music composition, dance, and vocal training, the trainees had to come up with their own songs, lyrics, and ch.o.r.eographies. The mentors were to pick the best song and ch.o.r.eography out of them.
Unfortunately, He Lu had no talent at ch.o.r.eography, song, or lyrics. Su Ruowan was bound to win this round. Despite her hatred for Su Ruowan, He Lu had to admit that Su Ruowan did a great job writing and ch.o.r.eographing this time.
Su Ruowan was gentle on the surface, but on the inside, she could kill He Lu a hundred times. She smiled. "It"s okay, Lulu. Don"t worry. We will help you."
Su Botao observed them. As a veteran director, he had seen it all and caught on to all the subtle expressions in their faces. He knew they were not as friendly as they seemed.
The catfight between the trainees was no big deal to him.
These girls had a lot of funny businesses going on despite their young ages. Since both said it was an accidental fall, he would take their word for it.
The next morning.
Shen Xi had just done her makeup when she heard a flurry of footsteps outside her door. This time, no one knocked on her door but she managed to pick up Fang Yao saying that He Lu"s wheelchair fell down the slope.
She shook her head and sighed. He Lu was a sad sack to fall into Su Ruowan"s trap.
However, the score was even now. Last night, He Lu schemed against Su Ruowan only to go for wool and come back shorn. They were both bad news anyway. It was just a dogfight.
It was Su Ruowan"s turn for revenge this morning.
Shen Xi got the full picture after heading out. There was a downward slope from the trainees" dorms to the shooting set. Since the castle rented by the production team was a tourist attraction, the slope was quite steep.
The brakes on He Lu"s wheelchair malfunctioned out of the blue, sending her into a nosedive. As the others could not save her in time nor keep up to He Lu"s speed, the wheelchair flipped and landed with He Lu suffering a concussion.
Due to He Lu being severely injured and was unconscious, she would not be able to make it to the shooting for today"s performance despite her refusal to concede. As to why the wheelchair lost control, this was a question only the wheelchair could answer.
During breakfast, the trainees were discussing the situation between Su Ruowan and He Lu.
The mentors were not that nosy. Instead, they talked about today"s performance.
"Oh, that reminds me. Mr. Xixi, you haven"t seen Su Ruowan"s creation, have you?" Fang Yao brought up the student she was most proud of into the conversation.
"Mr. Xixi left before that," He Sumo added as he grinned at Shen Xi. "You"d be pleasantly surprised by Su Ruowan"s performance."
"I look forward to it." Shen Xi nodded.
Sure, there was going to be a surprise, but it would not be a pleasant one!