I desperately want to win on the peninsula

In a slightly messy room in the apartment, Hirai Momo lay on the bed, feeling quite depressed these past few days because she and her girlfriends could never walk back to their dorm together.

Because Sana Minatozaki always seems so forgetful, either forgetting her phone or having something else to do.

Moreover, when Sana Minatozaki comes back, she always brings some snacks, and her sweet smile when sharing the snacks catches Momo Hirai's eye.

In an instant, Mina's words lingered in Hirai Momo's mind, pricking her.

So ever since her best friend had a little secret, she felt really uneasy. She was itching to find out what Minatozaki Sana's secret, but she didn't have any excuse.

I could only sneakily glance at Minatozaki Sana, who was humming a little tune. She was holding her phone and smiling broadly, looking like she was in a pretty good mood.

Seeing this, Hirai Momo screamed inwardly that something was wrong; her best friend hadn't smiled at her like that in a long time.

Hirai Momo silently clenched her fists, thinking to herself: What happened to our initial feelings, Sana-chan...?

"Momo~" Minatozaki Sana looked up and saw Hirai Momo's constantly changing expression, sometimes gritting her teeth and sometimes looking bitter and resentful. Feeling very strange, Minatozaki Sana tilted her head and called out, trying to bring Hirai Momo back to her senses.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Sure enough, Hirai Momoka was delighted and leaned over to try and get close to Minatozaki Sana.

"Let's sleep together tonight..." Sana Minatozaki hugged Momo Hirai, who was leaning in, her soft body like a pillow, and extended an invitation.

"Great!" Hirai Momo was overjoyed, her smile practically non-stop. "I'll go get the pillow."

The small bed was too small for the two of them, so Sana Minatozaki and Momo Hirai naturally had to turn their faces to each other and hug each other.

They exchanged a smile. Hirai Tora, still somewhat dazed, suddenly remembered something and asked in a low voice, "Sana, what's wrong with you these past two days? You've been acting really strange."

"It's nothing."

"Mo~ I just look not very smart, you can't fool me, tell me now... Oh my god~"

"I just can't do anything with you..." Sana Minatozaki looked up at Momo Hirai. "I ran into that friend again at the convenience store, so we chatted for a bit."

"Huh!?" Hirai Momo was stunned. "But... what's there to hide? You could have just told me. I've been so worried these past few days..." As she said this, she suddenly remembered that Mina was on her way back to the dormitory, and realized why Minatozaki Sana had gone to the convenience store alone.

It wasn't that I was excluding Minami, but rather that we hadn't spent enough time together—less than a year.

People like Sana Minatozaki and Momo Hirai joined JYP together, and their time together and relationship allowed them to keep each other's secrets. Mina Mina, on the other hand, hasn't been with the company long enough.

After all, since Minatozaki Sana chatted privately with a male idol who had already debuted before her debut, Hirai Momo couldn't guarantee that her new sister, Mai Mina, would be able to keep the secret.

Now I finally understood Sana Minatozaki's worries, and my mood immediately eased.

"You didn't ask! If you had, I would have told you, wouldn't I?"

"Mo~"

Hirai Momo was finally relieved after learning the secret, and continued chatting with Minatozaki Sana as usual.

As she drifted off to sleep, Minatozaki Sana's mind flashed back to the past few days with Hayashi Kōki. It seemed like he hadn't done anything, just sat quietly to her side, and she had so much to say... she blurted it all out, both good and bad.

When she repeated some things over and over again, just when she said she had nothing left to say and felt like she was entering an infinite loop, he suddenly asked a question.

"How long has it been since Sana last called her family?"

"We haven't talked much since Sixteen ended? It's been so long..."

"He probably can't even remember the number anymore..."

"I'll believe you if you just dial the number..."

"..."

Then, for no apparent reason, Sana Minatozaki dialed her home phone number right in front of Takumi Hayashi.

Once the call connected, based on her long-standing habit, she usually only reported good news and not bad, but this time... she reported both.

Hearing the familiar voices of my parents at home, and simply looking at the people in front of me, I could easily utter many of my mixed feelings, as if I had practiced them a thousand times.

Before she could recall anything further, Minatozaki Sana drifted off to sleep, and Hirai Momo quickly fell asleep to the sound of her breathing. The two girls, sleeping together in the small bed, began to snore softly.

...

...

Sangam-dong, Ment TV station.

Today is August 28th, the final day of SMTM. The TV station opened the fan channel early to welcome the two finalists.

"I can't wait any longer, how much longer until Kyo arrives?"

"It'll be soon."

A group of fans stood by the fence, eagerly anticipating the outcome of the match, naturally chattering excitedly about it.

Basically, it's a case of praising one while criticizing another, with fans praising Lin Qianqiao and belittling Song Minhao to the point of being utterly worthless.

"It seems like no one has invited that champion anymore. YG probably gave up on him. His skills are really too poor. Compared to Kyo, he's worlds apart. It's only natural that they gave up on him sooner so he can go back to sleep earlier."

"You damn woman, shut your dog mouth if you're not going to use it!"

"Tch!" The female fan gave the other side the middle finger.

Just as the security guards noticed the commotion, two vans drove up from a distance, instantly attracting the attention of most people.

"Here it comes!"

"Someone got out of the car!"

"Aaaaaaah! It's Kyo and AOMG!"

The fans fell silent the moment the car arrived. As the people in the van got out one by one, a loud bang erupted, and some fans screamed their lungs out just to get attention.

As soon as he got out of the car, Jay Park thumped his chest like a big star, making a show of trust in himself to the long line of fans, and even his walking posture was swaggering.

Will we win?

"Yes."

Lin Qianqiao, who was following behind at a leisurely pace, heard the fans shouting, turned around, walked over and gave her a high five, saying confidently, "Trust me."

"Yes!" The female fan was so excited she almost fainted.

Then, Lin Qianqiao nodded slightly and walked towards the TV station, reaching out to high-five fans outside the fence as she went.

Behind him were his former AOMG teammates and EXY. Some fans remembered them and reached out to give him a high-five.

The little girl Exy was temporarily ignored, but she didn't care and kept a straight face, walking closely beside Lin Qianqiao.

As he entered the TV station, Jay Park gave a sly smile, "Looks like we have even more fans supporting AOMG."

"That would be even better, the advantage is on our side," Loco interjected, a rare occurrence for him.

"Hahaha! It's mainly because Kyo's charm is truly irresistible. So many fans come to see him, and they're all so envious," the Earthling with a head full of seaweed exclaimed dramatically.

"Speaking of which..." Lin Qianqiao pouted, "You're the one who posts the most photos with beautiful women in the group."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Earthlings have been making a fortune from club performances lately, all thanks to AOMG's group song "My Way." So when they heard Lin Qianqiao calling for people, they didn't need to say much; they just dropped everything else to work on the collaboration stage.

David Kim was similar; he put aside his work and went straight to practice with the team, no further explanation needed.

"Qian Qiao~" Gray put his arm around Lin Qian Qiao's shoulder, "Tonight's performance depends entirely on you!"

"Come on..." Lin Qianqiao slapped the man's hand away, "You talk as if you don't need to play."

"Haha, that's right!"

Exy didn't say anything, but quietly followed the group of people up the elevator and into the SMTM studio.

Due to the previous leak, tonight's show is a live broadcast. Everyone came to the waiting room to put down their things. Before the show started, Lin Qianqiao sat in a corner scrolling through her phone, with Exy sitting next to her.

While waiting, the others mostly chatted about various topics, but the girls didn't talk about the usual topics in the group chat.

Exy proved himself worthy; after Lin Qianqiao mentioned the collaboration stage, he actually wrote the lyrics the next day, taking that final step onto the collaboration stage.

The lyrics also fit the song's content well, and she has quite a talent for production; she should develop in this direction in the future.

She was a little nervous, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, her breathing slightly heavy, the sounds reaching Lin Qianqiao's ears, which he found somewhat amusing.

"Are you nervous?" He put away his phone and turned to look at Exy, asking.

"Hmm!" Exy nodded stiffly, "A stage of this caliber right from the start, anyone would be nervous."

"That's true..." Lin Qianqiao agreed. "In that case, I'll teach you a method so you can overcome everything."

"Really?"

"Why don't you try it and you'll know..." Lin Qianqiao pondered for a moment, "There was once a pianist who would always picture the piano keys in his mind before going on stage to perform, but he would not imagine touching the keys, he would only imagine the melody in his mind. The same is true in F1. Before a race, the race car driver will also assume a driving posture and silently recite the route in his mind."

"You can try this pre-coaching suggestion," he added. "Perhaps I can help you too."

"Okay...but how will you help?"

After Exy finished speaking, Lin Qianqiao raised her hand to cover her eyes and said in a gentle voice, "Close your eyes... imagine you are in the center of the stage, and everyone is watching you..."

Exy slowly closed her eyes, listening to his voice, and images flashed through her mind...

A few minutes later, Lin Qianqiao watched Exy prop himself up on one thigh, head down, muttering rap in a low voice, his lips moving as he mumbled something he found quite amusing.

Lin Qianqiao initially invited her to join the collaboration because she was responsible, and most importantly, because of the story of Exy and Xue'e.

Before joining Starship Entertainment, the two girls were trainees at a small agency for five years before successfully making it into the debut group.

However, just before their debut, the agency went bankrupt, the debut plan vanished instantly, and all their previous training became in vain.

No one knows the specifics of their emotional journey, but it's certain they were going through a difficult time.

Entering Starship was a fresh start for their trainee careers, and four years have passed in the blink of an eye. EXY and Seol-ah have been training for nearly ten years.

The years of torment paid off; Lin Qianqiao had been drawn to her prison-like aura a few days ago, wanting to borrow the cries from the depths of her heart.

While VVS is dazzling, diamonds are minerals formed from carbon, a process that deserves praise.

The problem is that those guys in the group are making a lot of money lately, and they've completely lost their poor and stingy vibe from when things were at their lowest point.

Exy's appearance inspired Lin Qianqiao. To put it bluntly, the two got what they needed; to put it nicely, they encouraged each other.

Pressure is indeed a good thing; this girl is able to bring out and showcase her strengths.

Lin Qianqiao is quite looking forward to Exy after tomorrow, especially her performance in "UR", which should not disappoint.

Seeing that she was already fully focused on the rehearsal, I didn't disturb her.

He continued scrolling through his phone. Now all he could do was wait, because there were no rehearsals, only the final stage.

The online discussion was quite heated at this time, with heated debates about his final match against Song Min-ho.

Moreover, this was quite unfavorable for Lin Qianqiao. After the semi-finals, the internet suddenly launched a series of investigations into him, trying to find dirt on him.

But he had never appeared in K-pop before his debut, or rather, he was virtually unknown in the Korean Peninsula before high school.

They even filled in all their family information as being from overseas, and their personal information could be easily found on Naver's encyclopedia, making it hard to tell if it was true or false. This left these people digging in vain.

Now we can only revisit the old story: Gun, the trainee whom Lin Qianqiao kicked out of the group, and who is Song Minhao's cousin.

This guy posted a long essay on social media, describing how Lin Qianqiao was suddenly added to the debut group, and how he was arrogant and indifferent to everyone as soon as he entered the company for training, ignoring the relationship between seniors and juniors.

The Peninsula takes senior-junior relationships very seriously, especially since Lin Chien-chiao is an idol. Even his trivial matters are worth reporting extensively, which instantly aroused the dissatisfaction of a group of "wolf warriors" who began to attack Lin Chien-chiao's American citizenship and demanded that he get out of the Peninsula.

It's obvious that YG Entertainment was behind this. After all, SMTM has the option of live voting, so it's only natural that they would create momentum for Song Minho while also attracting some casual viewers who already disliked him to launch an attack.

Starship Entertainment couldn't compete with YG's marketing tactics and could only put up a desperate fight.

The main Starship crew actually did it; they had no other choice.

Lin Qianqiao didn't care too much; winning the game would shut those people up, and that would be the end of it.

If he wins, there will naturally be plenty of people to defend him, and Lin Qianqiao is quite popular, so many fans are already fighting back for him, so things aren't that bad... However, it seems rather petty for a big company to use such tricks.

So these past two days, Lin Qianqiao has been comforted by a group of friends who have expressed their support for him.

For example, Sana Minatozaki is very sensible. She posted several photos of herself pouting and acting cute these past two days. In addition to the conversation, there are many emoticons in the chat box. She also explained to him that these are Japanese gyaru (gal) text. She is full of enthusiasm and seems to have regained her usual vitality.

Lin Qianqiao chatted enthusiastically about this topic, mainly because it was a Japanese intangible cultural heritage that he was unaware of, and he seemed particularly interested in it.

From then on, Lin Qianqiao, whose attention had been slightly diverted, knew that Minatozaki Sana was his best puppy friend.

Da Xuan was simple; she called him every night and they would chat for more than half an hour. And every time she hung up, she seemed to want more, like a cyber thug.

The more troublesome one is Xiao Xuan. This girl is making a big fuss about getting justice for him, but I don't know how she's going to do it... She can't just join the crowd in tearing things apart, can she?

To be honest, Lin Qianqiao felt it was a small matter, but the great effort involved made him feel flattered.

Moreover, there's a saying that goes, "A mediocre person is never envied." The fact that he was targeted like this shows that he's quite popular, and it probably even affected some companies' plans for their artists.

As we all know, as long as Lin Qianqiao and Zhou Xianyi return to the team, there is no need to worry about a lack of traffic, and their popularity continues to rise. Once MONSTAX's comeback proves its worth, many companies will be able to give them an evaluation.

So, whether it's a dragon or a worm, we'll see on September 7th.