"She actually came back. How shameless…"
"I heard Leo was furious and only kept her on so the show wouldn't get canceled."
"The vote last night had to be rigged…"
"Whoever teams up with her is screwed!"
The music in the public practice room was turned up full blast by Olivia. With the music blasting, drowning out the sound of cameras, everyone surrounded Charlotte with silent hostility.
Charlotte sat cross-legged on the floor, acting as if she hadn't heard a thing.
Her eyes subtly scanned the room. Evan wasn't there. She pulled her gaze back and focused entirely on the looming challenge.
Just then, the practice room door was pushed open, and a tall figure wearing a yellow hoodie with brightly dyed blonde hair walked in.
[Ding! New Capture Target unlocked—Jax!]
Jax? The one with the sunny 'boy-next-door' persona in the novel, but who was actually a sensitive, sharp-tongued young, dedicated character?
Wasn't Leo supposed to be the main target? Why was Jax showing up now?
Charlotte wanted to call 520 for an explanation, but sensing Jax's gaze subtly landing on her the moment he entered, she decided to put her questions aside and focus on the training at hand.
"Alright, before we start grouping, let me critique everyone's individual theme song fancams."
Jax picked up the microphone and surveyed the room. He called out names one by one, his commentary sharp and brutal until he reached her name —
"Charlotte."
The room fell silent.
Charlotte stepped forward and stood in the center.
Jax didn't critique her directly like the others. Instead, he circled her once, his gaze radiating naked contempt.
"Voice is crisp."
"Popularity, number one."
"Fancam views, dominating first place."
He paused, stopping right in front of her, and flashed a dazzling smile. "But your dancing…It's trash!"
Jax dropped the smile, his voice suddenly sharp and loud.
"I've taught so many trainees, and I've never seen anyone dance like you! You're limp, not a single move is on beat! Are you dancing, or are you doing comedy?"
"High popularity won't save you!"
"In my class, you are the dead weight of Starlight! You got this far just on your looks and voice—do you really think you earned it when everyone else is busting their butt?"
It was a humiliation.
A public, blatant humiliation.
The other trainees snickered quitely, unable to hold it in.
Charlotte remained unusually calm. She knew Jax was publicly distancing himself, unwilling to be tainted by her scandal.
"Thank you, Jax. I will try harder." She offered no defense, just a slight bow.
But as she bowed, her brain had already rapidly performed a 'data frame deconstruction' of the few demonstration moves Jax had shown and matched them with the original body's muscle memory.
The original body's weakness was insufficient core strength in the abdomen and waist, though her overall explosive power score was barely passable.
Her "calmness" did nothing to quell Jax's anger; instead, it made him feel like he was taking to a wall.
"Hmph, try harder?" He sneered, visibly annoyed, and left her standing there. "Start forming teams now! Four people per group, free choice!"
The moment he finished speaking, everyone scrambled to grab the top-ranked singers and dancers.
"Count me out! I don't want to be dragged down by a 'pretty face'!" Olivia's voice was louder than anyone else's.
Charlotte remained perfectly still where she was. Out of twenty people, there would be five groups, and one person would be left over. She just had to wait for the result.
Within seconds, Charlotte was left standing alone in the center.
The cameras were focused on her, like a public execution.
Just as Charlotte was about to become a public joke, a gentle female voice spoke up.
"Jax!"
Emily suddenly raised her hand, her innocent face full of compassion and righteousness.
Jax frowned impatiently. "What is it?"
"Jax, I want to be in a group with Charlotte."
In an instant, the whole room erupted in noise!
"Is she crazy? Teaming up with that waste Charlotte?"
"Wow, Emily is seriously too nice! She's ranked third in singing and dancing!"
Emily acted as if she couldn't hear the gossip. Ignoring the pressure, she walked up to Charlotte, took her hand, and gave her an angelic smile. "Charlotte, don't worry. We'll do this together."
Charlotte's deviousness radar screamed again.
Emily was back to "saving" her.
Given that everyone else was excluding her, Emily stepping up like this was an act of "kindness" that would move viewers across the entire internet to tears.
But was this kindness truly without any calculation?
Charlotte didn't need to think hard to predict the comments when the episode aired.
Once the teams were finalized, it was time to choose songs.
Apart from Charlotte and Emily, Group S03 also included Olivia Cater, who couldn't snag a top performer, and Rachel Brooks, an average, invisible trainee.
Their group drew a song with an extremely fast tempo.
Emily considerately began to assign parts.
"The center position for this song has a really difficult Dance Break." Emily frowned, looking troubled. "What are we going to do about that…"
"That should obviously be you, Emily! What can Charlotte dance?" Olivia immediately jumped in, her voice dripping with disdain. "We're not shooting a comedy!"
"Olivia, please." Emily shot Olivia a mild look of reprimand, then turned to Charlotte, her eyes full of trust. "Charlotte, you have the highest popularity in our group, and your voice is the most beautiful. The center spot should rightfully be yours."
"Jax was probably just trying to motivate you. I think you should take this most difficult Center Dance Break, okay?"
This was a setup, a Trojan horse of a comliment, that she couldn't refuse.
If she refused, she would be seen as having 'no sense of responsibility,' 'throwing her weight around,' and 'admitting she was worthless.'
If she accepted, this 'trash' body would absolutely turn the high-difficulty dance into a disaster, making her the ultimate joke in the first public performance.
What a perfectly calculated move.
Emily clearly wasn't as pure and flawless as the novel had described.
Just as Charlotte was about to speak, a small voice came from the corner.
"Um… Emily…"
Rachel spoke up timidly. "Charlotte… she really doesn't seem to be a great dancer… That Dance Break, even you, ranked third, said it was hard. She…"
"Rachel!"
Emily immediately cut her off with displeasure, her tone firmer. "You need to believe in Charlotte!"
Emily then turned back to Charlotte, her gaze burning. "I know you won't let us down, right?"
With her typical consideration, the original Charlotte would have politely declined to avoid dragging her teammates down.
Unfortunately, she was not the original Charlotte, and Emily's scheme was destined to fail.
Charlotte met Emily's saintly gaze and flashed a sweet, grateful smile. "Of course."
She took the sheet music for the hardest Center position and said brightly, "Thank you, Emily, for giving me such a valuable opportunity."
And with that, she successfully saw a tiny crack appear in Emily's "Madonna" mask…