Pirates began to dominate the Chinese entertainment industry.

Chapter 169 Ji Yun Makes a Stunning Debut with "Faded"

Backstage corridor.

Huo Wenxi stood behind Ji Yun, one hand on his shoulder, and helped him straighten his collar.

"Are you ready?" Huo Wenxi asked.

Ji Yun tested the microphone and joked, "What do I need to prepare? I don't need to sing."

Zhang Liangying rolled her eyes at him: "Then you better not mess up the rhythm."

Ji Yun chuckled and turned to walk towards the elevator platform.

Zhang Liangying followed behind him, took a deep breath, and her expression changed from relaxed to serious.

The lifting platform slowly rose.

The stage lights went out once again.

The whole place fell silent.

Someone called out from the darkness, "Ji Yun!"

Then more people started shouting: "Ji Yun!" "Director Ji!" "President Ji!"

The sounds grew more synchronized and louder.

Gao Yuanyuan took off her sunglasses and sat up straight in a corner of the VIP area.

Liu Shishi held her phone, her palms sweating.

Backstage, Bai Lu's expression changed instantly, her eyes widening as she peered towards the stage: "Is the director going on stage?"

Li Yitong was speechless, but her neck stretched even longer than Bai Lu's.

Even those huddled in the corner couldn't help but scream "Daifa!"

The atmosphere in the waiting area shifted from tense to excited, with a dozen girls crowding around the edge of the curtain, heads close together, looking out.

The lights on the stage were not yet on.

But a figure walked out from the side of the stage and walked to the center of the stage.

His silhouette was faintly visible in the darkness, his face obscured, but all 80,000 people knew who he was.

The spotlight came on.

Ji Yun was wearing a simple black shirt, with one corner of the hem tucked into straight-leg casual pants. She didn't look like a wealthy young man, but rather like a young singer who had just graduated from university.

The screams from the crowd reached the highest decibel level of the night.

When Bai Lu saw herself standing in front of the judges for the first time, singing "Nobody" off-key, her voice trembled with nervousness, and her hands and feet were as uncoordinated as newly fitted limbs.

The whole audience burst into laughter.

Bai Lu covered her face.

"There's no need to put this kind of thing here... I want to withdraw from the competition..."

She thought this was the most deadly moment.

The next moment, the image on the screen changed.

That was the image of her falling onto the practice room floor.

Then, no one knows who was the first to clap, but the applause started from a corner of the stands and quickly spread throughout the entire stadium.

The video ended with a freeze-frame on the first group photo of the 101 girls.

Black background with white text appears:

Rocket Girls, debuting tonight.

Backstage, the girls had all finalized their makeup and styling.

Naza stood in front of the full-length mirror, carefully checking her makeup, and took a deep breath.

She wore a silver sequined mini-skirt, revealing a pair of long, straight legs, which, combined with her exotic face, made her look like a game character model.

Dilraba stood beside her, wearing a pure white jumpsuit with a fitted and flowing design that perfectly accentuated her slender figure. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her makeup was exquisite, giving her a noble and aloof Western princess vibe.

Bai Lu stood in the corner, clutching the hem of her skirt, her palms sweaty. She was wearing a pink tutu today, completely at odds with her comedic persona. She was so nervous her stomach ached, and sweat poured from her forehead, forcing the makeup artist to touch her up every few minutes.

Li Yitong wore a long dress, revealing her delicate collarbones and rounded shoulders. Her long hair was styled into a low ponytail at the back of her head, giving her a more mature and elegant look.

Yang Ying wore a bright red short skirt and black stilettos, looking both sweet and sexy. Wen Yongshan wore a royal blue cheongsam-style dress with a slit that went up to mid-thigh, revealing a section of her long, gleaming white legs.

Zhang Tianai stood in front of the mirror and pinched her face.

Her baby fat had almost completely disappeared, replaced by a sharp, angular face. For the past few weeks, she had been desperately dieting, eating only one meal a day, starving herself to the point of seeing stars, but refusing to eat anything more. The results were visible to the naked eye: her face had become much thinner, her jawline was as defined as if sculpted by a knife, and even her body had become much firmer.

Jiang Peiyao stood next to her and patted her on the shoulder: "Sister Tianai, you look beautiful today."

Zhang Tianai's eyes reddened, and she almost cried.

"Don't cry, your makeup will run."

"...I didn't cry."

"Tears were almost dripping down to my collarbone."

Zhang Tianai quickly tilted her head back, trying to hold back her tears.

Jiang Peiyao looked at her stubborn expression and laughed: "If you debut today, I'll treat you to a month's worth of meals."

"What if they don't release it?"

"Then you can treat me."

"...I think you're just hungry."

The stage lights changed again.

The assistant director's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Contestants, prepare."

Naza took a deep breath, grabbed Bailu's hand beside him, and squeezed it tightly.

Bai Lu paused for a moment, then smiled and squeezed back firmly.

The girls lined up, holding hands, and walked towards the stage.

Li Yitong walked at the front, her long, flowing hair swaying gently with her steps, her skirt shimmering under the lights. Her back was ramrod straight, her pace unhurried.

Dilraba walked behind her, her steps light and graceful, a faint smile on her lips. It wasn't that she was particularly confident; she simply felt that getting to this point, these three months had been worthwhile.

Naza and Bailu walked at the very back, side by side, hand in hand.

Bai Lu's palms were all sweaty, as were Na Qi's palms; it was like two chickens pecking at each other.

The two exchanged a glance.

"Don't be nervous," Nazar said.

"Don't slip up," Bai Lu replied.