Chapter 176
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Chapter 176: The Fourth Episode Airs
Sea City, an apartment.
Xu Ling was holding a slightly old dinosaur toy, snuggled on the soft sofa, eagerly watching the fourth episode of "Dazzling Stage."
The third episode was halfway through the team competition, and the fourth episode should show the remaining parts, continuing from the live broadcast where Dream Weaver Rabbit eliminated three contestants the day before.
It can be said that after many "spoilers," the anticipation for the fourth episode was not very high, but reality shows are easy to enjoy, especially when there are little idols you love, making it worth watching every episode. Not to mention the high quality of the "Dazzling Stage" performances.
Therefore, the number of viewers kept rising; the two "Dazzling Stage" shows in Sea City and Kyoto had accumulated billions of views in previous episodes, gradually reaching a point where even people outside the fanbase and market women had heard of it.
"Honey Ling, are idols really that amazing? I still have to catch up on the new shows."
Pei Xiaotong sat next to Xu Ling, wearing a cool summer sailor suit, looking quite cute with her slightly round baby face.
The little girl was restlessly tapping her little shoes on the floor, looking very energetic, while pouting and complaining, clearly being dragged here against her will as an otaku.
Xu Ling did not look at the other person and playfully squeezed her soft cheek, saying:
"Don’t be so formal, call me cousin sister."
"Your mom said that during the weeks you stay with me, you have to listen to me. And don’t you want to buy that dress from Conomi and look for a summer job? Come help me edit videos, and I’ll help you buy it. Right now, you can get familiar with the work."
Upon hearing this, Pei Xiaotong’s sad expression changed; her eyes sparkled like a little animal as she leaned closer to the college student, confirming that the other person was not lying, and cheered:
"Really? I knew you were the best, sister!"
Xu Ling said seriously:
"Of course! Why would I lie to you? You just have to help me for one week. If you help me take on half the work this week, I’ll clear three dresses from your shopping cart."
Pei Xiaotong felt a bit doubtful.
Is this really true? When has cousin sister ever been this nice?
The little girl thought for a moment and then realized there was nothing to be afraid of. What is so difficult about editing videos? The video her cousin sister wanted to edit was probably just a simple cut, something done by an amateur fan, so it shouldn’t be of very high quality, right?
Pei Xiaotong hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she couldn’t resist the temptation of the little dress and agreed.
"Okay! A liar must swallow a thousand needles!"
Xu Ling smiled and eagerly grabbed her cousin’s little hand to make a pact, her heart couldn’t help but bloom with joy. She had been wanting to find a little helper to assist her in editing videos for a long time!
God knows ever since she became a fan of Honey Qing, she has felt such a strong desire to create. In a day, 24 hours were spent running fan clubs or editing videos.
The key is that, as a Mommy fan, she especially likes to support everyone equally. She can’t be biased towards any little idol; she needs to edit videos for Honey Qing as well as for Little Sakura. As the banner holder of "Meet You in the Mist," she even has to create a video for the couple.
You could say ever since she became a fan of Chu Yuanqing, she has been as tired as a dog every day!
But it’s okay! For the bright future of Honey Qing and the happy life of Miyuki, what does it matter if she is tired or exhausted?
Honey Tong, just sacrifice a little of your hair and join me in singing praises for Honey Qing and celebrating the glorious career of the cherry blossoms!
Pei Xiaotong was completely unaware of how scary it was to take on half of her cousin sister’s workload. She sat up straight and took on a serious attitude, looking at the fourth episode of "Dazzling Stage," which was playing on the television.
This episode lasted a total of 151 minutes, about two and a half hours, which was longer than before. A group of viewers who had watched the live broadcast started to post comments at the beginning, saying "spoiler":
"The advertisement endorsed by Honey Qing has already been on TV! Even though it’s not time for weddings and I can’t buy a wedding dress, I ordered the same necklace and guitar. Her popularity really makes her a little idol now. So happy! ❤️❤️❤️"
When Pei Xiaotong saw this comment, she glanced at the guitar case next to the TV stand and complained:
"Honey Ling, you didn’t buy the guitar endorsed by Chu Yuanqing, did you? That one is really expensive, almost four thousand dollars! You can’t even play! What a waste!"
Xu Ling let out a confident sneer and replied:
"That’s nonsense! Just because I can’t play now doesn’t mean I won’t be able to play in the future."
"Besides, aren’t your action figures useless and super expensive too?"
"And this style of guitar will randomly include five hundred signed photos written by Honey Qing in the latest batch! If you don’t enter the draw, you’re not a true fan."
The little girl thought for a moment and curiously asked:
"Did you get picked?"
The university student was momentarily at a loss for words. She looked away and stubbornly said:
"Of course! I’m a lucky dog! If I can win tickets to the first live performance, how could I not get a signed photo?"
Even though she didn’t get picked, when she has the chance to meet Honey Qing, asking her directly for a signed photo would be much more precious than any giveaway!
Pei Xiaotong looked at her cousin sister, whose little dinosaur toy was almost choking her, shrank her neck in fear, and decided to keep quiet, not wanting to provoke this scary woman any further and just enjoy the show.
At first, she found it quite boring since she hadn’t seen the previous episodes and didn’t know many of the contestants.
Fortunately, her cousin sister acted as a commentator, often pausing to briefly explain the contestants’ abilities, backgrounds, personalities, and their relationships, so after watching for half an hour, she gradually started to enjoy it and found it interesting.
Pei Xiaotong couldn’t help but let out a series of gasps:
"What an amazing Great Devil! She’s using that thing called [Heart Flow], right? After so many stage battles, doesn’t she get tired?"
"Wow, watching an idol’s performance feels like this! It’s as if emotions are completely under control, and I can’t take my eyes off their shining figures. It’s so wonderful, it feels almost surreal! No wonder so many people love to watch!"
Then, the show showed the scene where Xie Qingxuan fainted on stage. Even though many people knew it would happen, they couldn’t help but worry since they had just come off the stage.
Of course, there were also bystanders like Pei Xiaotong, who got scared.
The little girl waited until her sister explained that Xie Qingxuan was fine before she excitedly commented,
"I get it! ‘Dazzling Stage’ is like a real version of a girl opera! This kind of passionate storyline in idol shows could easily turn into a manga, just like the nearby AKB group!"
Xu Ling thought for a moment and replied,
"That’s certainly possible! The ‘Dazzling Stage’ project was meant to create an IP. Maybe each popular competition area will hire a team to plan this kind of thing."
As the college student talked, she became somewhat excited. With Honey Qing and Miyuki ranking in the top ten of the entire Daxia’s ‘Dazzling Stage,’ if they really made extended works, it would be hard to avoid focusing on them!
In other words, a three-dimensional girl could also become an otaku wife! What unbeatable double happiness?
Pei Xiaotong, as an otaku, immediately understood the exciting parts inside, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she thought about what it would be like if the little idol turned into an otaku.
The characteristics of the Great Devil were very clear: a tall, proud, and powerful beauty with golden hair and striking curves—a perfect fit for the story.
At first, she suppresses the main characters, creating twists and goals for the plot. In the middle, she gets redeemed and weakens to join the main group. In the end, she is moved by love, changes her views, evolves completely, and becomes an essential member of the team.
Little Sakura? According to her cousin sister, she is a classic main character from a heroic story.
Tang Liuli, once a genius child star, returns after many years in "Dazzling Stage." It’s clear she has many hidden shadows and secrets from the past, fitting the classic role that the main character must save.
Instead, the little idol, who is called "Godly Qing" one moment and "Honey Qing" the next in the bullet comments, seems rather chaotic; she appears to have an easy and unbeatable flow but actually carries a hidden danger, which could lead to either broken dreams or a downfall, becoming everyone’s beloved.
Pei Xiaotong watched and imagined, thoroughly enjoying the two-hour program. She sighed, feeling an unexpected sense of loss as if she wanted more.
"How do you feel?" Xu Ling asked.
The little girl raised her head and looked at the sky, feeling very shocked.
"It feels like the door to a new world has been opened; I have never seen such an amazing stage."
"Honey Ling, do idols usually bring magic with them in the future? I didn’t know being an idol was such a magical job!"
Xu Ling confidently chimed in:
"That makes sense. Don’t you know about Nakajima Miyuki, who lowered the suicide rate in her country with just one song, or Justin Bieber, who reduced the youth suicide rate in America by 32% with ‘Believe’? There are many similar examples."
"Although they aren’t exactly idols, they are artists."
"Look, the reach of an idol’s stage isn’t as wide as just listening to music, so it makes sense that the emotional value they provide is a bit higher, right?"
Pei Xiaotong felt that something was off; after thinking hard with her little head, she couldn’t figure it out and simply gave up on thinking, agreeing instead:
"You are right, and after experiencing Honey Qing’s performance of ‘Heart Flow’, I feel her show can not only reduce suicide rates but also cure depression. It’s only natural for her to have such popularity; maybe she will be even more impressive than those people you mentioned in the future."
The little girl said with some regret:
"But it feels like a pity. Looking at the bullet comments, the stage in the live show looks much more amazing than the stage in the program. [Heart Flow] is truly magical. Even though they are the same media, whether it is live or not really affects how it looks. I can’t even imagine how incredible it must have been in person."
"Honey Ling, don’t you think if we could have the real effects of the stage, without too much cutback in the program, we could even edit those few minutes and send them to the mental health department at the hospital? Wouldn’t that save on medication?"
Xu Ling thought for a moment and glanced at the official website on her phone, saying:
"Although it seems very magical and unbelievable, what you said does seem to be possible?"
"After all, Dream Weaver Rabbit mentioned in the first episode that 《Dazzling Stage》 gathered a lot of high-tech companies as sponsors. Considering the existence of the [Heart Flow] development team, the program group might have initially aimed to develop in this direction."
"Moreover, the official website of 《Dazzling Stage》 says that out of five thousand live tickets, a hundred will be specially drawn for audience members with a history of depression. It all seems like they are ‘experimenting’ with the live effect, right?"
As Xu Ling spoke, she felt that this world was beginning to seem a bit magical.
But in the end, this is not a bad thing. It gives her even more reasons to support these little idols.
If this keeps going, sooner or later, parents who don’t like the entertainment world will show a happy expression when they hear their child is a fan of Chu Yuanqing, saying it’s a good choice.
Well, now it feels right to be a fan.
Fans on each platform felt very amazed by the ticket lottery rules released by the official website, which led to many discussions and topics.
"If the stage of [Heart Flow] can use technology to bring 50% of the live effect and 90% for streaming, it wouldn’t be just a dream for medicine anymore."
"To be honest, if that happens, it’s not only about medicine but also about the changes in human society, it’s a major event with a deep impact."
"Indeed, the climb of human spirit cannot keep up with the speed of technological advancement, just like the spread of compulsory education before, breaking superstitions, building a civilized society, and gradually lowering crime rates."
"If [Heart Flow] can show different effects based on different dance songs and the idol’s personality, then to put it dramatically, uplifting songs could lower suicide rates and crime rates, right? It could even spark joy and hope in life and speed up overall social development."
Internet users have very imaginative thoughts, and the official side does not control this at all, as if there is an invisible force wanting the public to slowly accept idols as this gradually surreal profession and give it a new definition unique to this era.
Many people also believe that these little idols, with the potential to benefit society, deserve the incredibly high salaries that the entertainment industry has seen in the past.
"Dazzling Stage" has once again broken boundaries and successfully attracted a large number of new viewers.
However, due to the limited number of "Heart Flow" holders in Kyoto, the "Dazzling Stage" in Sea City became the biggest beneficiary, and the trainees inside gained fans at a faster pace, thriving remarkably.
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, another week went by.
The impact of the fourth episode continues to expand, and aside from the popular discussion on "how to use ‘Heart Flow’," the increasingly spectacular Shining Stages in this episode are the main reason the audience cheers.
As for the other gossip and love rivalries, there are no shortage of them.
For example, will "Ri Yi Yue Shu" reunite?
The authentic "Meet You in the Mist" is being undermined by deceitful outsiders.
The sacred "Qing Cheng Qing Guo" will strike back against the cunning sakura girl with pure love.
The poor and powerless "Qing Ci Li Qu" is gathering strength while still battered and bruised, trying to gain the edge.
On the other hand, the live tickets for the official website of "Dazzling Stage" have been completely sold out, and the rules are the same as last time; they cannot be transferred, making the lucky ones on social media particularly annoying.
On that day.
Chu Yuanqing sat alone in the bathroom, showing her true form with white hair and golden eyes. Even the Magic Armor, which looked like a dress, hugged her slender figure, outlining her delicate and full curves, making the atmosphere serious and solemn.
It is worth mentioning that the lantern pendant in Magic Armor form became a decoration embedded in the chest of the Magic Armor, with silver threads like moonlight carving a frame, and inside it was a gem covered in a layer of dark film, reflecting dim and shattered patterns, sometimes shimmering like holy light in ripples.
The girl lowered her gaze and touched the lantern with her fingertips. Its colors, usually vibrant with magical energy, surrounded her like flowing water at this moment, showing a soft, dark silver like moonlight. It felt like musical notes swirling in the air with her breath, truly beautiful.
This is a sign of "Flower Blooming."
Chu Yuanqing seemed to understand and murmured to herself:
"So, the ‘Pool’ level represents not only the amount of magic but also the process of the first transformation of magic. It involves the nature, quality, color, and functionality of magic, as well as various elements that start to show a clear direction."
"As long as during this time, the colors of magic and soul unite, it can be used to nurture the ‘Cocoon of the Heart,’ allowing it to bloom with flowers unique to oneself, giving rise to what is called Patronus Magic."
"My magical power was supposed to be pure white, but because of the curse, it has been forced to downgrade, and now it has turned into a dull silver?"
Chu Yuanqing also didn’t know if this guess was correct.
The Pure White Witch is, in theory, at full power from the start and doesn’t need to elevate her magic further. There isn’t much specific information in the inherited knowledge, so she figured all this out herself.
If it wasn’t for the strong feedback from the recent fourth episode, causing her magic to always be in a state of boiling and transformation, she wouldn’t have guessed the characteristics of the [Pool] level.
Chu Yuanqing took a deep breath.
Although her soul is like a sieve, making her magic seem limited, it’s different now. As a Pure White Witch, she doesn’t have the [Cocoon of the Heart], so to make the [Bloom], she needs to water the Lantern Gem.
In other words, the Magic Crystals that gather around her all the time are automatically helping her nourish the sprouts, promoting her to achieve the [Bloom].
This phenomenon has lasted for a full three days.
And at this moment, it is the crucial time when the lantern is about to be filled and the Flower of the Soul is about to bloom!
