139: Chapter 139 Initial Stage Evaluation: You call this talent?

The recording hall of "Creation Camp 2026: Energetic Girls" was currently in a state of extreme excitement.

As Goose Factory's S+ project this year, the stage design budget could only be described as "burning money."

A huge pyramid-shaped seating area stood behind the stage, with 101 pink crystal seats shimmering with a dreamy glow.

Overhead were countless computer-controlled lights, underfoot was a holographic floor screen, and even the air was sprayed with expensive fragrance.

All 101 trainees had already taken their seats.

Most of them were only eighteen or nineteen years old, some were even minors.

Each one wore exquisite makeup, had fair skin, and was dressed in carefully designed uniforms or performance outfits; sitting there, they looked like a group of elves who had wandered into the mortal world.

"Departments, prepare!"

"Mentors, take your places!"

"3, 2, 1, Action!"

As the general director gave the order, the recording officially began.

Su Zhe, sitting in the C-seat of the mentor panel, adjusted the leather chair that was slightly uncomfortable for his backside, with his signature inscrutable smile on his face.

But in his heart, he was thinking: "This chair is too soft; it's easy to get lower back strain. I'll have to ask the production team to change it to a hard stool later, and by the way, calculate the depreciation cost of this chair for me. Also, this light is too glaring; it's a waste of electricity."

He held the Montblanc pen provided by the sponsor, unconsciously drawing circles on the scorecard, while complex mathematical calculations were going on in his mind: "The appearance fee is 30 million, the recording period is three months, which averages to 330,000 per day. Counting eight hours of work per day, that's over 40,000 per hour... That means if I sit here and space out for one minute, 700 yuan goes into my pocket. Hmm, this money is... a bit too hot to handle."

To be worthy of this 700-yuan-per-minute hourly wage, Su Zhe decided to perk up and exercise his rights as the initiator properly.

"The first group of performers, the 'Sweetheart Bomb' group from 'Honey Girls', please take the stage!"

Following the host's announcement, five girls wearing pink puffy skirts and pigtails hopped onto the stage.

The music started.

It was a super sweet, catchy song called "Meow Meow Meow."

"We learn to meow together, meow meow meow meow meow..."

The five girls were frantically discharging charm at the mentor panel.

A wink on the left, a heart gesture on the right.

The girl in the center, Wang Tiantian, was full of unique tricks.

While singing, she made cat-scratching motions with her hands, let out an "Awoo" sound, and stared at Su Zhe with watery eyes, trying to melt this "tough guy" with a cute offensive.

The reactions on the mentor panel were varied.

Zhang Yi, as a professional vocal and dance mentor, was diligently recording the precision of the dance moves.

AK-47 put on sunglasses and leaned back, clearly extremely uncomfortable with this style, having already activated "automatic blocking" mode.

Na Jie frowned, holding a handful of melon seeds but forgetting to eat them; her expression was like she was watching her own ill-behaved granddaughter acting out.

Only Su Zhe remained.

He was expressionless throughout.

He looked at the stage with hollow eyes, as if watching a group of elementary school students doing calisthenics, or perhaps contemplating the origins of humanity.

The song ended.

The five girls stood panting, posed for the final Ending Pose, and looked at the mentors expectantly.

"Hello mentors, we are Sweetheart Bomb! Please give us your guidance! Meow~"

Zhang Yi picked up the microphone and commented gently and professionally: "Overall, it's very cute and full of energy. But the synchronized dance part needs improvement; the wave wasn't smooth enough, and the breathing wasn't stable enough."

AK-47 was simple and direct: "No attitude, too soft. This isn't Hip-hop. Next group."

It was Su Zhe's turn.

The whole audience focused on him.

Everyone wanted to hear what this "all-around mentor" had to say.

Su Zhe picked up the microphone without looking at the information card in his hand.

Instead, he pointed at Wang Tiantian in the center, and asked with a look of concern and seriousness: "Um... this student."

Wang Tiantian blushed with excitement: "Yes, Teacher Su! I'm Tiantian! You can call me Little Tiantian!"

"I want to ask."

Su Zhe frowned slightly, his tone carrying a doctor's rigor, "Your eyes... do you have some kind of disease?"

"Huh?"

Wang Tiantian froze, her smile stiff on her face, "No... no."

"No?"

Su Zhe sighed, opened his thermos, and took a sip of water.

"Then just now, during the three-minute performance, your left eye twitched twenty-five times, your right eye twitched eighteen times, and both eyes twitched simultaneously twelve times. This frequency is very high. In medical terms, this is called 'blepharospasm,' which could be a precursor to facial nerve damage, or it could be muscle fatigue caused by excessive eye strain. You need to take this seriously. I have a bottle of homemade safflower oil in my bag, specifically for bruises and muscle spasms. Do you want to apply some?"

The whole place was dead silent.

Three seconds later.

Pfft...

Na Jie burst out laughing, spilling the melon seeds in her hand all over the floor.

The director in the background almost spat the coffee he had just drunk onto the console.

Wang Tiantian was about to cry, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Teacher Su... that's called a wink! It's the emission of charm! It's an idol's basic skill!"

"Charm?"

Su Zhe shook his head with an "I don't understand you young people" expression, "Sorry, I only saw the loss of control of the eye muscles. On this stage, I hope to see healthy, natural expression, not this kind of... physiological reaction like being electrocuted. Next."

...

The second group.

It was a solo contestant following the "ancient style" route.

Wearing flowing Hanfu, holding a round fan, with light makeup.

She looked quite normal.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, it was that deliberately pinched "girly voice."

"The little woman's worries... who knows..."

The voice was thin and sharp, as if nails were scratching a blackboard, or like a deflating balloon leaking air.

Su Zhe's brows furrowed even tighter.

He couldn't help but touch the goosebumps all over his arms.

"Stop!"

Su Zhe interrupted the performance directly, "Um, student, do you usually talk like this? Or is there a slipper stuck in your throat?"

The girl replied coquettishly, and even twisted her waist: "Yes, Teacher Su... this is my natural voice... it's called a loli voice..."

Su Zhe took a deep breath, feeling his eardrums under heavy attack, and said: "Then this voice of yours is a bit dangerous in the wild. It sounds like a mosquito looking for a mate, and a particularly hungry, particularly urgent one at that. If you were in a forest, this high-frequency sound wave would easily attract bats, or even some kind of predator with sensitive hearing. For your safety, I suggest you speak normally."

The girl: "..."

"Straighten your tongue when you speak!"

Na Jie couldn't stand it either, and slammed the table, her big sister aura erupting, "You have a perfectly fine voice, why force it like that? Aren't you tired? I'm tired just listening to you!"

The girl was startled and shook, instantly reverting to her normal, slightly rough, loud voice: "Sorry teacher, I was wrong! I'll change it right away!"

Su Zhe nodded with satisfaction, "That's more like it. Since your voice is so loud, why pretend to be a mosquito? Class F, pending."

...

The next two hours were simply torture for Su Zhe.

Over a hundred girls took turns.

Either they danced like limp shrimp, without any strength.

Or they sang like they hadn't eaten, weak and breathy.

Everyone was creating a "persona," everyone was "pandering to fans."

There was no sense of power, no vitality, let alone anything "hardcore."

Su Zhe had already started drawing turtles on the scorecard, and even noted in the margin, "This turtle is worth 500 yuan."

"This money... is not easy to earn either. The mental damage is too great. If I had known, I would have gone to move bricks; at least it would exercise my body and save on gym fees."

Just as he was about to fall asleep, and had even started fantasizing about a lobster dinner, "Next, individual trainee, Zodiac Zodiac."

A girl with short, clean hair, wearing a simple black sports vest and cargo pants, walked onto the stage.

She didn't have heavy makeup, just a simple base layer.

Her skin was a healthy wheat color, her arm lines were smooth, and she had obvious muscle definition.

She walked with a breeze, her eyes firm.

"Hello mentors, I am Zodiac Zodiac, and I will be performing the Chinese dance 'Hero'."

Her voice was clear and full of energy.

Su Zhe's eyelids lifted.

"Interesting."

The music started.

The passionate drumbeats were like war drums pounding.

Zodiac Zodiac moved.

Starting pose, kicking, spinning, jumping.

The movements were strong and powerful, open and bold.

Although the dance technique was a bit rough, almost like martial arts, lacking a bit of softness.

But that spirit, that sense of power emanating from her bones, instantly grabbed Su Zhe's attention.

"Now this is a dance humans should dance!"

Su Zhe sat up straight.

Suddenly.

The climax.

Zodiac Zodiac took a run-up.

Soared into the air.

Side flip!

And three consecutive side flips!

The movements were swift, the height astonishing.

But when she landed the last one, because the studio floor was too slippery, she slipped, lost her footing, stumbled, and only managed not to fall by supporting herself with one hand.

"Oh!"

The whole audience gasped.

Zhang Yi shook his head and pressed the red light.

"A pity, the basic skills aren't solid, and the center of gravity is unstable. And dancing is not just about flipping; it needs aesthetics."

Na Jie was also a bit regretful.

"Still too rushed, the mindset is not steady enough."

Just when Zodiac Zodiac was looking disappointed, biting her lip and preparing to bow and leave the stage.

"Slap!"

A crisp sound of a button being pressed rang out.

The whole venue lit up, golden rain fell.

It was Su Zhe!

He had pressed the golden button representing "S-Class"!

Everyone was shocked.

AK-47 took off his sunglasses: "What? This works too?"

Zhang Yi was puzzled: "Teacher Su? She made a mistake. And this dance..."

Su Zhe ignored him.

He stood up abruptly, his eyes shining.

That was the first time he had shown such a look since entering the venue, just like finding a real antique at a flea market, or grabbing the last chicken leg in the cafeteria.

"Good!"

Su Zhe cheered loudly, even clapping, "This is what you call talent! This is what you call a girl group!"

He pointed at Zodiac Zodiac on stage, his tone excited: "That flip just now, the airtime height was at least 1.2 meters, the airtime was 0.8 seconds! Although the landing wasn't stable, that was the shoes' problem, the floor's problem, not the person's problem! I saw it very clearly; she didn't use any external force in the air, relying entirely on her core abdominal strength to drive her whole body. This core, this explosive power, this stability of her stance! She is a good seedling to be a special... uh no, to be a C-position!"

Su Zhe was so excited he was incoherent, "Zodiac Zodiac, right? Have you trained before?"

Zodiac Zodiac was a bit flattered, stuttering: "Re... report teacher, I used to train in Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) at a martial arts school for a few years, and I even won a provincial runner-up."

"Good!"

Su Zhe slammed the table, making the microphone buzz, "Training in Sanda is good! Not only can you sing and dance, but you can also defend yourself. If anyone dares to bully you in the future, or if any obsessive fans harass you, just give them a side kick. I'll pass you! Come to my class! I'll train you personally! I want to cultivate you into the first 'Force Representative' of the Chinese Entertainment Industry!"

The whole place was in an uproar.

The comments section was full of question marks.

[????]

[Has Su Zhe's aesthetic gone to the Pacific Ocean?]

[This girl looks good, heroic, but dancing looks like fighting!]

[Got it! Su Zhe isn't picking a girl group, he's picking bodyguards!]

[Case solved! He's here to form a 'Women's Commando Team'!]

[To be fair, this girl is indeed cool, Su Zhe has a unique eye!]

Na Jie looked at Su Zhe's expression of having found treasure and couldn't help but laugh, "Okay, since Teacher Su likes her so much, and this child indeed has spirit, then she can go to Class A."

Zodiac Zodiac looked at Su Zhe, tears shimmering in her eyes.

She had been eliminated several times in other talent shows for not being sweet enough, not being weak enough.

This was the first time someone had affirmed her strength so much.

That was the gratitude of a thousand-mile horse meeting a Bole.

"Thank you, Teacher Su!"

Zodiac Zodiac bowed deeply.

And Su Zhe.

Sat back in his chair.

Behind Zodiac Zodiac's name, he drew a heavy circle.

And very seriously, he added a line of small notes.

[Key cultivation object.]

[Good physical strength, can endure hardship, has a martial arts foundation.]

[In the future, she can help me carry luggage, block reporters, and even help me grab food in the cafeteria.]

[This is definitely a super high cost-performance laborer!]

Looking at that note.

Su Zhe showed a satisfied smile.

"Finally found one I can use. This generation of girl groups is still salvageable. As long as I train them all like this, I can lie flat."