Chapter 500: The Squad Assembles

Chapter 500: Chapter 500: The Squad Assembles

The first round of names scrolled and refreshed rapidly, with hundreds of IDs flashing past. The five of them compared them word by word, but in the end, none of them made the cut.

A brief silence hung over the video call as a faint sense of disappointment quietly spread.

Zoe immediately piped up to cheer them on: "It is okay! There are fewer slots in the first round, but there are still plenty of rounds left. Four thousand slots is more than enough!"

Michelle quickly chimed in to keep their spirits up: "Right! There is a round every five minutes. Let us wait patiently; good luck is yet to come!"

Those five minutes felt exceptionally long, with every second dragging like a year.

The five of them kept refreshing the page, repeatedly checking the system status, terrified of missing a single update to the list.

At 10:05, the second round of names refreshed right on time!

Michelle instantly sprang up from her seat, her high-pitched scream piercing through the screen: "I got in! I got in! My name is there! I really got in!" She took screenshot after screenshot to verify, her eyes turning red as she babbled in excitement, "I get to go see Britney live!"

The other four immediately cheered and congratulated her. The oppressive atmosphere vanished instantly, and the squad’s morale was boosted to the max.

At 10:10, the third round of names refreshed. Zoe’s screen lit up first, and she flashed a peace sign with a smile: "My turn! I got selected too!"

At 10:15, as the fourth round rolled out, Ella’s gentle voice carried an unmistakable ecstasy: "I got in... I can really go see Irene live."

Right after her, Leah spoke up calmly: "I got in too."

In just fifteen short minutes, Leah, Michelle, Zoe, and Ella had all successfully made the cut, leaving only Hayley, the youngest, still empty-handed.

Seeing her friends all get selected, Hayley’s eyes instantly filled with disappointment. She pursed her lips and whispered, "As expected, I just do not have the luck. I am so glad you guys get to go, though."

The other four did not ease up for a second, offering her gentle words of encouragement.

Leah advised patiently, "The slots have not all been announced yet. There are still several rounds left. We have to hang in there until the very end."

Time passed slowly as the rounds of lists continued to update. Countless hopefuls across the internet posted about their disappointment as they dropped out, with the vast majority of the 500,000 applicants ending up empty-handed.

Just as Hayley was about to lose all hope and close the page, at 10:35, the eighth round of names refreshed right on time!

The long list scrolled slowly, and right at the end, Hayley’s name clearly appeared!

Hayley froze instantly. She rubbed her eyes repeatedly to check the name and phone number, her voice trembling and choking up: "It is me... It is really me! I got in too!" Her long-suppressed emotions erupted, and tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. "I have never been this lucky in my life!"

With that, all five members of the squad—Leah, Michelle, Ella, Zoe, and Hayley—had successfully got selected, with not a single one left behind!

The video call was instantly filled with cheers and screams. The five girls shouted excitedly across their screens, tears and laughter intermingling.

Out of 500,000 people competing for 4,000 slots, the success rate was less than one percent. Countless veteran fans and fan clubs of hundreds of members went home empty-handed, yet the five of them, close friends who spent every day together, had actually all made it through, seizing the ultimate stroke of luck on the entire internet.

After calming their excitement, the five of them immediately opened their personal centres to verify their eligibility.

The golden "Selection Successful" badge was eye-catching and clear. Their exclusive electronic certificates and official instructions were all active. That afternoon, confirmation texts and emails arrived simultaneously, completely securing their admission.

Michelle immediately took a nine-grid screenshot and shared it on Facebook, instantly racking up countless likes. Innumerable netizens left envious comments, calling them the luckiest fan squad of the year.

Ella sighed softly, "I barely slept these past five days, my heart was in my throat the whole time. But all that anxiety and anticipation is completely worth it now."

Leah smiled and said, "Tell me about it! But God was watching over us—He saw our hard work and persistence!"

Zoe was full of anticipation: "I cannot wait to head to New York’s Radio City Music Hall and witness this peak stage spectacle!"

Hayley wiped away her tears, her eyes curving into crescents full of hope: "It turns out ordinary people can be favoured by luck too. I am so looking forward to this grand journey of ours."

The five of them immediately agreed to wear matching outfits, enter together, vote carefully, and witness this unique annual ceremony with all their hearts.

Five hundred thousand set out, and four thousand made it.

This hard-won stroke of luck was not just a simple offline show attendance; it was a fulfilling culmination of passion and persistence.

They were about to step into the world-class venue of New York’s Radio City Music Hall to witness the ultimate showdown between four future music superstars, to see with their own eyes the musical spectacle crafted by Irene and Britney, and to embark on a grand encounter belonging to youth and passion.

The morning light in New York was gentle and bright, having chased away the usual light mist, as clear sunshine bathed the entire Manhattan district.

The recording day for the finals of The Voice had finally arrived as scheduled. For Leah, Michelle, Ella, Zoe, and Hayley, this was the day their dreams, which they had anticipated for days, would come true.

The five of them had agreed beforehand to meet offline at exactly 8:00 AM. They wore matching simple, clean, solid-coloured casual clothes paired with small backpacks—lightweight and suitable for long queues and sitting inside—all to head to the venue in their best state.

As the backbone of the squad, Leah was always the most self-disciplined and reliable one.

Before seven o’clock, she had already finished washing up and was dressed neatly. In her backpack, she had prepared tissues, a small fan, change, ID documents, and printed copies of the electronic selection certificate. Everything was categorised and organized properly. She had even checked the commute route, weather conditions, and venue guidelines in advance. Everything was perfectly prepared, without a single oversight.

She arrived early at the agreed subway station entrance, waiting quietly for the others and patiently prepared to set off at any moment.

When she messaged the others, Michelle and Ella both replied "OK," indicating they could set off on time, but Zoe and Hayley were dragging their feet.

Zoe, who worked part-time at a coffee shop year-round and was used to rushing to meet deadlines, seemed bright and efficient but was actually the most prone to procrastinating and being lazy in private.

That morning, she slept right through her alarm. After waking up in a panic, she washed up haphazardly, threw her things around, and repeatedly opened and packed her bag. One moment she forgot her phone, the next she could not find the screenshot of her admission voucher. After all her dilly-dallying, she was a full half-hour late before finally rushing out the door.

Then there was Hayley, the youngest. By nature, she was quite shy and easily nervous, and her excitement only made her more flustered. Before leaving, she agonized over her outfit, changing her shoes four or five times alone.

While packing her bag, she successively forgot her phone, her small purse, and her sunglasses. After finally finishing and walking downstairs, she suddenly remembered she had forgotten the small fan support badges she had prepared in advance, and she had to run back upstairs in a hurry to get them.

"Hayley! If you dawdle any longer, we are really not going to make it for the early queue!" Michelle called out, standing on her tiptoes and looking around as she sent a voice message.

Panting heavily as she sprinted, Hayley apologised softly into her phone, "I am sorry, I am so sorry! I was just too nervous and kept feeling like I forgot something. I have delayed everyone."

After a chaotic morning of packing, the five of them finally assembled. Together, they took the subway, heading towards Rockefeller Center on Manhattan’s Sixth Avenue.

The moment the grand and magnificent Radio City Music Hall complex came into view, everyone’s fatigue and anxiety vanished instantly.