Peninsula: Who taught him to make that connection?!

Chapter 19 Utterly Cold-Hearted

The music stopped abruptly, leaving behind a lingering, scorching heat in the air.

Jiang Tang stood in the center of the evaluation area. After a whole high-intensity dance song, his eyes were not tired at all, but instead revealed a sharpness that made people's hearts tremble.

In the practice room, you could hear a pin drop.

After a few seconds of silence, dance teacher Huang Shangxun glanced down at the score sheet, then looked up at Jiang Tang.

As a senior choreographer at SM Entertainment, he has seen countless promising talents.

For example, Eunhyuk from Group A, whose skills absolutely crushed the boy in front of him, was unable to take his eyes off Jiang Tang for those three minutes.

"Jiang Tang".

Hwang Sang-hoon finally spoke, "If we judge solely on dance technique, your fundamentals still have a lot to improve. Your power points aren't precise enough, and some of the transitions feel forced in order to keep up with the rhythm."

Kim Tae-yeon instinctively tensed up.

Park Jung-woo quietly clenched his fist, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Hwang Sang-hoon's words took a sudden turn.

"but,"

His gaze fell upon Jiang Tang, filled with a rare admiration.

"The stage is never solely about technique. Your dance is full of personal flair; you know how to enjoy the music and how to captivate your audience. This kind of personality, where flaws don't overshadow strengths, is truly rare."

Huang Renxun picked up a pen and wrote down a score on the evaluation sheet—A.

A low gasp escaped from the crowd.

A!

One trainee, who chose a difficult group dance as his individual performance, actually got an A!

Han Zhengxun stood beside the judges' panel, his expression complex.

Just two weeks ago, he coldly reprimanded this "externally recommended student" in the corridor, asserting that he wouldn't even make it to the end-of-month evaluation.

But now, this young man not only endured it, but also slapped those prejudices hard in the face in front of everyone.

Han Zhengxun looked at Jiang Tang and finally wrote an A on his own comprehensive evaluation form.

"The younger generation is truly formidable," he murmured to himself.

In the following time

All eyes turned to Lee Soo-man.

Lee Soo-man didn't look at the rating sheets the two handed him; instead, he quietly stared at Kang Tang with his sharp eyes.

Jiang Tang did not avoid his gaze and looked back at him frankly.

The boy stood tall and straight, his eyes filled with undisguised pride and ambition.

A full half minute passed before Lee Soo-man tapped the table twice lightly.

"Jiang Tang".

"Next month, we'll switch to Group B for practice."

The entire evaluation room erupted in chaos.

"Group B? Did I hear that right?!"

"Skip Groups D and C directly? How is that possible!"

"This is SM Entertainment, you know. Even newly recruited trainees have to start from Group D. He's just an audition trainee..."

The trial training team was dumbfounded, and Park Jung-woo's face was filled with shock.

Meanwhile, on Group A's side, Leeteuk, Eunhyuk, and the others also showed surprised expressions, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, it's Group B.

If they come directly to Group A, they would be a very big threat.

Kim Heechul raised an eyebrow. "This kid really surprises us time and time again."

Kim Tae-yeon, standing outside the door, bit her lip to keep herself from cheering and celebrating in the hallway.

"Ah!!! Jiang Tang, I knew you could do it!"

Yoona smiled and poked her waist.

"Taeyeon unnie, your friend has passed the test."

"Yoona, stop fooling around!"

Kim Tae-yeon felt the teasing touch of the finger, gasped softly, and said with a blush:

"I'm just here to watch the show. What does it matter to me if he passes?"

Jessica Jung glanced at Taeyeon Kim and said indifferently:

"His lips are still curved in a smile."

In the center of the evaluation area, Jiang Tang listened to the exclamations around him, his face beaming with youthful elation.

He bowed deeply, his voice steady: "Thank you, Director Li, thank you, teachers. I will continue to work hard."

The end-of-month evaluation has officially concluded.

The trainees began to leave one after another. Jiang Tang was about to walk out the door, eager to see Kim Tae-yeon's expression at that moment.

However, before he could take two steps, Han Zhengxun called out to him.

"Jiang Tang, come with me to the management office. Your trial training badge can be exchanged. I'll take you to get your official Group B pass and do some data entry while we're at it."

Jiang Tang stopped in his tracks, feeling helpless.

He turned his head, his gaze passing over the crowd, and caught sight of Kim Tae-yeon standing in the corridor outside the door.

The girl was staring at him expectantly.

Looking at her adorable appearance, Jiang Tang couldn't help but smile.

With Han Jung-hoon on his back, he quickly winked his right eye at Kim Tae-yeon, then mouthed the following silently:

See you at the usual place tonight.

Kim Tae-yeon's face flushed red instantly.

She hurriedly looked away, but couldn't help glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, as if answering him softly.

"it is good."

……

The evaluation room was empty, with only Lee Soo-man and Yoo Young-jin remaining in their seats.

"This child is a real surprise."

Yu Yongzhen watched Jiang Tang's departing figure, his admiration undisguised.

"His growth rate is astonishing. Not only are his physical attributes outstanding, but what's most remarkable is his innate leadership qualities. Just now, in the trial group, he was able to rally everyone with just one sentence. With such potential, whether as the face of the group or the leader, he would be a perfect choice in the future."

Lee Soo-man picked up his coffee and took a small sip.

"He's really good. He's much sharper and more dazzling than when I first saw him in the selection."

Yu Yongzhen sensed the underlying meaning in his words and frowned slightly: "You seem to still have concerns?"

Lee Soo-man put down his coffee cup and said calmly, "Young-jin, you're a pure music producer; you value talent and the stage. But I'm a businessman; I value the balance of the whole picture."

He stood up and walked to the spot where Jiang Tang had just stood.

"The company's major boy group project for next year, Super Junior, is in its final stages."

"It's a huge puzzle, and every piece has a clear direction. For example, Kim Heechul, that face, that self-centered personality, that presence that can draw everyone's attention just by standing there, is irreplaceable."

Lee Soo-man turned to Yoo Young-jin: "Kang Tang's personality is too strong. He's not someone you can just throw into the puzzle. If you force him into a team that's already almost balanced, what do you think will happen?"

Yu Yongzhen fell silent.

Of course he understands. An overly dazzling member can easily disrupt the initial ecological balance of a large group, and even cause an imbalance in popularity within the team.

"So, sending him to Group B is actually a form of indirectly ignoring him?"

"Let's see."

Lee Soo-man's tone remained calm. "The rough jade is indeed rough jade, but it will take time to determine how it should be sculpted."

"Then why not let Jiang Tang go directly to Group A?" Yu Yongzhen couldn't help but try to advocate for Jiang Tang.

Lee Soo-man walked to the door without turning back, leaving behind only a chillingly cold statement:

"SM will never stop operating because of the loss of one trainee, nor will it fail because of his absence."