Congratulations, You've Advanced

After playing billiards for two hours and having two matches with others,

Fang Jun and An Yuexin were finally hungry.

"Let's go, let's go eat. I heard there's some audition competition over at IGC Plaza. We can check it out and grab food there."

An Yuexin called out to Fang Jun and Lin Mo.

"Huh? Then let's take a taxi over."

Fang Jun thought about the location of IGC Plaza and suggested.

"Let's take a taxi. If we take the bus, it'll take more than half an hour."

Lin Mo didn't really mind either. IGC was a newly opened large shopping mall, more upscale than the nearby malls, and getting there by taxi would only take about ten minutes or so.

As soon as they arrived at IGC Plaza, they found it was nearly packed with people.

"Whoa, how are there so many people?"

"It's the holidays. Let's get inside first."

The three of them walked into the mall. Although it was a new mall, all the stores were already open, and only a few were still under renovation behind barriers.

Most importantly, the entire mall was covered with banners. Fang Jun looked up at the banner above the stage and read it word by word.

"On-site audition for the talent show of the South Korean YJJ Entertainment Company?"

Lin Mo also clearly saw the banner. He couldn't recall such an event happening here in his past life, but it might have been something he simply hadn't noticed.

After all, his past self hadn't been aware of everything, and he might have just missed out on this event.

However, as Lin Mo swept his spiritual sense across the audition site, he did notice someone.

"Come on, let's go check out what the audition looks like."

Lin Mo took the initiative to suggest.

"Sure, let's go take a look." Fang Jun didn't mind either.

The group headed toward the atrium of the mall, where such events would naturally be held.

"Why don't we watch from upstairs? Down here all we see is the backs of people's heads. It'd be better to go up there." An Yuexin pointed at the escalator.

That made sense, so the three of them went straight up to the third floor.

After all, the second floor was also crowded with people who had the same idea.

There were still a few spots open on the third floor, so they leaned against the railing and looked down at the sea of heads below.

The audition was open for on-site registration, apparently running until the mall closed.

Contestants could showcase their talents, with some singing, some dancing, and even some performing stunts.

The audition was open to both men and women; anyone willing could go on stage.

It looked quite lively.

But still, Lin Mo just couldn't recall this event happening before.

Just then, An Yuexin suddenly shouted: "Holy crap! Fang! Look! Isn't that Cai Junhuang!"

Fang Jun had been feeling rather indifferent up to that point, but hearing An Yuexin's words, he quickly looked in the direction he was pointing.

Sure enough, Fang Jun immediately recognized the striking and confident Cai Junhuang.

"It's her!"

Fang Jun immediately pulled out his phone, ready to make a call, when suddenly a hand pressed down on his.

"I suggest you don't call." Lin Mo's words made Fang Jun pause.

"Why not?"

"Think about it. She's about to go on stage. If you call her now, you'll only make her more nervous. If she passes, fine, but if she fails, you'll be the one to blame."

Hearing Lin Mo's reasoning, Fang Juan felt it made a lot of sense and put down his phone.

Such timing really wasn't appropriate.

"Brother Mo is right. If she wanted to tell you, she would have told you already. Oh wait, she did say she was going to do something important."

That actually fit quite well.

Because Cai Junhuang knew that if Fang Jun found out about this, he would definitely come to the scene to watch her.

Here, surrounded by strangers, she could hold it together. But if a familiar face showed up, she would definitely feel even more embarrassed and pressured.

She stared down at her toes, unconsciously tracing circles on the wooden floor.

Thinking this over, Cai Junhuang looked down at her number tag. Her turn was coming up soon.

"Alright, stop that. Scuffing the soles of your shoes won't make flowers bloom."

Her companion, Sister Mian, who was purely there for support, adjusted the shoulder bag on her back. She patted Cai Junhuang gently on the back, comforting her while watching the performances ahead.

"Did you see the ones before you? So far, no dancer has been better than you. No matter what, you have to believe in yourself."

"Cai Cai, don't stress. You've been practicing dance for so long, isn't this the moment you've been waiting for?"

"Number 337, get ready." A staff member walked over.

He glanced up at Cai Junhuang, and his originally formal, indifferent gaze faltered for a moment, lingering half a second longer on her face. His tone involuntarily softened. "The performance time isn't fixed, but when you hear the bell, you have to stop."

The person looked at Cai Junhuang once more and only added that extra reminder.

Beautiful girls weren't rare, but just having a pretty face wouldn't get you far.

Cai Junhuang tugged at the hem of her performance outfit, made sure there was no risk of exposure, and stepped toward the waiting area.

Soon!

Ding!

"Next!"

The host announced into the microphone.

Cai Junhuang took a deep breath and slowly walked onto the stage.

The lighting wasn't blinding, but it was enough to blur the faces in the audience.

In front of her sat three judges. The judges would be swapped out every hundred contestants to avoid fatigue and loss of focus.

Each judge had a buzzer in front of them. If they pressed it, the performance ended, and the judges would then decide the contestant's fate.

Generally speaking, if the buzzer was pressed early, it meant elimination.

But if it was pressed near the end, it meant there was a chance.

In this kind of setting, beauty served as a ticket in, but sticking around required something deeper from within.

"Good evening, judges. I am contestant number 337, Cai Junhuang, and my performance is a dance called 'Carnival.'"

No sob story, no emotional appeal; her introduction was as concise as a manual.

The judges looked up. Their previously relaxed postures straightened.

The male judge in the middle tapped his knuckles on the table, signaling the sound technician.

A heavy bass accompanied by rapid drumbeats crashed down like a boulder plunging into stagnant water.

The moment the first beat dropped, Cai Junhuang's entire demeanor changed.

That subtle hint of nervousness was completely cast aside. For this high-tempo, explosive dance style, the key was to make an immediate impact.

Her calf muscles tensed. With a sharp whip of her head, her hair cut a sharp arc under the lights.

Cai Junhuang knew that an audition stage demanded an explosive performance, demanded a sense of power; only then could she grab the judges' attention.

If she had been singing, she would have had to belt out high notes. But for dance, the display of strength was equally important.

The bystanders nearby looked at Cai Junhuang with surprise.

The other waiting contestants, who had been murmuring quietly earlier, fell strangely silent.

Cai Junhuang had indeed shown something unique.

The three judges sat upright, watching her dance.

Then they each nodded.

A three-minute dance track came to an end without the buzzer ever ringing.

The male judge in the middle nodded and stood up, saying directly, "Congratulations, you've advanced."