Chapter 154: Combination

When all twelve people stood scattered inside the practice room, they could all feel their own heartbeats thumping hard enough to make breathing slightly difficult. At this moment, the five members of BigBang, who were practicing in the room, felt this deeply; early last year, they had also gone through such a test and selection to become the final five. Back then, there was only Yang Hyun Suk as a judge, but now there were many more judges, naturally making things much harsher and doubling the tension.

Seungri (Lee Seung-hyun) had an even more profound experience with this. Back then, he had been eliminated, and it was ultimately thanks to Jiang Yihan's guidance and an outstanding song that he passed the test. I suppose the tension felt by the twelve people before him right now was no different from what he had felt back then.

When Yang Hyun Suk and Lee Tong walked into the practice room, the previously frozen air suddenly turned thick, enveloping everyone. Their entire bodies tightened up, unable to move, and even taking a deep breath felt like it required too much effort. The tense atmosphere reached its absolute peak.

Shortly after, the familiar trainee managers and assistants also walked in, instantly filling the previously empty practice room. The five members of BigBang also stopped their practice, walked over to a corner, and sat down.

Although everyone had entered, the two big bosses showed no intention of starting at all. They continued to sit nearby, chatting in low voices, making the taut string in everyone's minds stretch even tighter, to the point where even breathing became difficult.

At this moment, Jiang Yihan and Lee Ran walked in. As soon as the two entered, they bowed in greeting, and everyone hurriedly greeted them back. Jiang Yihan's face was beaming with smiles, making him look in a good mood. Today marked the completion of the recording for Jiang Yihan's final variety show appearance of this recent period; next, he was going to dive into drama filming. Recently, due to vocal cord issues, Lee Ran had practically offended the vast majority of television stations, turning down shows and only appearing on a few major ones. However, until the very end, the broadcasting stations did not utter a single word of complaint. The reaction of the Castles to Jiang Yihan's vocal troubles had caused the official websites of various television stations to crash, with everyone boycotting Jiang Yihan's continued appearances on shows, which made the various broadcasting stations witness the true power of the fans.

Seeing Jiang Yihan enter, everyone knew it was about to begin. The twelve trainees immediately gathered together, stood in a single row, and bowed in greeting to Jiang Yihan. Jiang Yihan smiled and returned the bow before walking over to Lee Tong and Yang Hyun Suk.

"Uncle Lee, Uncle Yang, how are you? Why hasn't it started yet?" Jiang Yihan walked up and greeted them.

"Heh, isn't it because we were waiting for you?" Yang Hyun Suk said with a smile.

"Really? Oh, sorry, sorry, I just finished my schedule. You guys start, go ahead and start. Heh." After saying that, Jiang Yihan scurried over to where G-Dragon was sitting.

After discussing with Yang Hyun Suk, Lee Tong prepared to begin.

"Yihan-hyung, who are you betting on?" G-Dragon softly started chatting with Jiang Yihan.

"Me? What about you? From your perspective, who do you think has the most hope?" Jiang Yihan turned his head with a smile and asked.

"My eye for this isn't great, haha." G-Dragon laughed, but still shared his view. "I really admire Lin Yue; her overall strength is extremely prominent. Her stage presence, vocal techniques, and everything else are very good. Yihan-hyung, how is it that you go to Korea—no, Japan—and bring back such a formidable character? I am truly impressed."

"Heh, it's a matter of luck. Who would have thought that someone with Lin Yue's caliber wouldn't have even debuted in Japan? I really don't know what her company was thinking." Jiang Yihan curled his lip. Meeting Lin Yue by fate was truly special, and matters of fate were really hard to explain. "What about the guys?"

"I appreciate Cheng Yu and Lee Jae-hwan." G-Dragon's answer made Jiang Yihan look at him sideways.

"Oh? That's a somewhat different choice. Why? There are several others who are also quite outstanding." Jiang Yihan asked curiously.

"I chose those two mainly because their comprehensive strength is easier to spot and stands out. Most importantly, I like the stage presence of both of them—they have that shining feeling on stage." G-Dragon clearly had a good understanding of these people, and the opinions he put forward were quite pertinent.

"Heh, looks like you're not bad. You're starting to look like a producer." Jiang Yihan patted G-Dragon on the back before turning his gaze back to the final selection.

"Some of you have practiced for six or seven years, while others have practiced for less than a year. Many people might feel it's unfair—why should those with such vastly different training periods stand together?" Yang Hyun Suk said. "Have you ever realized that perhaps being an artist isn't the most suitable path for you? I hope that today, regardless of the outcome, you can think very carefully about this question. If you are not selected, you should carefully consider whether to stay in the company to practice or choose another outlet."

Yang Hyun Suk's words were very realistic. Indeed, if someone had practiced for so many years and still found no way to debut, did it mean they were truly unsuited? Should they persist further, or should they give up right here and seek a new path?

Life is still long; one shouldn't hang oneself on a single tree.

"Now, the people whose names I call, please step forward." As soon as Lee Tong's voice came out, it marked the beginning of what everyone had been waiting for all evening.

"Cheng Yu, Lin Yue." As soon as these two names were spoken, the expressions on everyone's faces didn't change much, but the churning in their hearts was something outsiders could never know.

"As for Cheng Yu, although his training time is not the longest, his performance in all aspects is very prominent, and he is also the one most willing to delve deep and practice. His comprehensive score this time is also the highest among you all, so there is no doubt about his selection." Lee Tong briefly stated his evaluation of Cheng Yu. "As for Lin Yue, many people might disagree, but her own strength is the best affirmation. Her dancing, singing, and other aspects have reached a certain standard, so time is not an issue. She is the first selected female."

Standing at the front, Cheng Yu had extremely complex feelings at the moment. There was the excitement of being selected, the warmth of receiving such good praise, and the anxious worry for his partners. His heart was tangled into a messy ball of hemp, and his mind instantly went completely blank.

Lin Yue was somewhat emotional—or rather, very emotional. Her tears were already on the verge of slipping out of control. The hardships she previously endured in Japan, and the grievances of being ostracized by everyone after joining One because she was a parachute drop, all rushed to her heart at this moment. An unspeakable soreness made her eyes sting. Meeting Jiang Yihan could be considered the greatest turning point of her life.

"Alright, the two of you step aside for now. Next, the few people I call will also step out." Following Yang Hyun Suk's sequence, everyone was now too nervous to speak. Some of the assistants in the back had already begun to cry. These children had spent day and night with them for so many years, yet now they had to face such a major life challenge. Knowing that most of them were under sixteen years of age, how could the psychological pressure be explained in just a few words?

"Xu Zhengya, Yin Yun'er, step out." Every name Yang Hyun Suk spoke made people's hearts beat a few beats faster, tightening up before continuing to leap violently. At this point, no one dared to breathe heavily. "And Lee Jae-hwan, Lin Xiaoguang."

Lee Jae-hwan could no longer control his emotions. He breathed heavily, his chest heaving violently as he awaited the result—either qualified or eliminated. The world seemed to slow down. Only when Yang Hyun Suk stated word for word, "The four of you have passed," did the world return to normal, and Lee Jae-hwan's tears streamed directly down his face. Seven years. Seven years. Lee Jae-hwan had finally waited for the result he had anticipated. The excitement in his heart was beyond description; tears kept falling while his mind went completely blank, unable to think of anything. Lee Jae-hwan tried hard to bite his lower lip to keep from crying out loud. Lee Jae-hwan's assistant had also long since broken down in sobs. Having taken care of his daily life every day for all these years, it felt just like family. Now that he had earned the qualification to debut, the assistant was naturally genuinely happy for him.

"Finally, the remaining six of you," Yang Hyun Suk continued, "only two will be selected."

Yang Hyun Suk's words made the air in the practice room freeze once again. The hearts of all six tightened. Only choosing two meant what? It meant four more people would face yet another life choice—to continue persisting or to give up right here; it meant four people would swallow bitter tears today.

"Actually, the performance of all six of you was great, but there are regrets to a greater or lesser degree. The final choice of these two people is mainly based on the opinions of the managers and assistants. After all, they are the people who understand you best, and their opinions account for the major portion, combined with the opinions of your teachers to arrive at this list. You could say this is the result of your accumulation over time. Although there are regrets in this performance, I hope you will show a good attitude just like you did during your past training. Only in this way will you not辜负 (disappoint) the expectations of your assistants and teachers." This time, Yang Hyun Suk offered an explanation.

Indeed, out of twelve people, eliminating four in the end was a torment for whichever four it was. After all, they had been initially selected, but now they had to face such an outcome.

"The first person," Yang Hyun Suk didn't say anything else and directly prepared to announce the result, "Xu Dongxu."

At this moment, everyone truly experienced the feeling of going from extreme sorrow to extreme joy. Xu Dongxu himself showed no reaction at all for the moment. The result he had waited five years for still felt somewhat unreal. Scenes replayed in his mind like a movie: the hardships of his training, his injuries, and the despair he once felt for the future all surged into his heart. Now that he was already standing at the threshold of debut, Xu Dongxu's feelings were less about excitement and more about a complex mixture of all flavors.

"The last one." Yang Hyun Suk opened his mouth again. The remaining five people looked at each other, then lowered their heads, not daring to meet each other's eyes. Apart from the sound of their own heartbeats, the rest of the world seemed to have come to a complete standstill, until Yang Hyun Suk spoke the second name, and everything seemingly broke a spell to return to its original state: "Yin Guangxuan."

Upon hearing his name, Yin Guangxuan quickly raised his head, using his gaze to confirm with Yang Hyun Suk. When Yang Hyun Suk nodded in reconfirmation, Yin Guangxuan fell to his knees in utter disbelief. Seeing this scene from the back, Jiang Yihan was also somewhat moved and clapped vigorously. Yin Guangxuan's training period could be considered relatively short, and he had even given up due to a lack of confidence during this selection, yet Jiang Yihan was the one who chose him. Although Yin Guangxuan's performance at Jiang Yihan's fan meeting wasn't very good and he had made some minor mistakes, his overall level and usual performance still helped him get selected at the final moment.

At this moment, the expressions of the remaining four people instantly stiffened. Elimination, elimination, elimination—these two words continuously magnified before their eyes. Having worked so hard for so long and gained so many opportunities, yet still failing to get a good result, what should they do? How should they choose? The path forward was a vast expanse of blankness.

Jiang Yihan walked up and hugged the remaining four people one by one—Han Yunzhe, Lee Ledi, Jiguo Chinda, Song Baolan. For the eliminated, no amount of comfort mattered; a loss was ultimately a loss. Jiang Yihan had no way around it either. In the entertainment industry, there were countless people harboring dreams of singing and acting, but how many could successfully debut? And among those who debuted, how many successfully rose to the top? And among those who reached the top, how many could stand out and truly own a patch of the sky? Countless others were mere handfuls. That was the cruelty of this circle; opportunities weren't for everyone, and even if you had an opportunity, you weren't guaranteed success!

The eight selected individuals also came up to hug their partners. As someone's tears fell, everyone lost control of their emotions and began to cry one after another. Having trained for so many years and fought together for over a month, they now had to face a realistic and cruel farewell with these four partners. Aside from helplessness and reluctance to part, they truly didn't know what else to say.

Seeing this scene, Seungri felt a sour pang in his heart. Back then, he had experienced the exact same feeling—that kind of disappointment, that kind of solitude. Without having lived through it, it was extremely difficult to express in words. Seeing Seungri's expression, Jiang Yihan knew this scene had touched his emotions, so he walked over and patted Seungri's shoulder in understanding. Seeing that it was Jiang Yihan standing beside him, Seungri smiled to indicate he didn't need to worry about him. Yes, this was reality—an inescapable reality.

After a sleepless night, the brand-new morning left people feeling somewhat lost, but their hearts were filled to the brim with anticipation, and life had to go on.

"The eight of you are now artists preparing to debut. Next, we will start helping you choose songs and record albums; everything is falling into place. However, you cannot let your guard down. Debuting doesn't mean everything is settled; only by continuing to work hard will success be grasped in your own hands," Lee Tong said, facing the final eight selected children.

"The company now plans to divide you into two groups: five boys forming one group and three girls forming another, debuting separately. As for the producer of your albums, it should be your senior, Jiang Yihan." Lee Tong's words brought bright smiles to the faces of the eight kids before him. "However, he might be quite busy recently, so whether it can be confirmed depends on further discussions. But you must know that if Jiang Yihan becomes your producer, he is very strict. His demands in work are very high, so keep working hard and look forward to your own performances."

Two groups, the first artists launched after the establishment of One, with Jiang Yihan as producer, were now underway.