Chapter 31
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This chapter is edited by Rain. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 31: “Candy”
Inside a room in the Sea City apartment building,
“Shaha, Miyuki! Honey Qing!”
Xu Ling lay on the soft, large bed, holding her phone, secretly browsing Chu Yuanqing’s fan club.
Her face was bare of makeup, with dark circles under her eyes, her lips curving into a silly, affectionate smile, looking innocent and playful like a college girl, radiating both love and mischief.
Hmm, this fan, who only supported Kirimi Miyuki, after snapping a few photos, hurried back home without pause, watching a full eight hours of live streaming without missing a single moment.
During this time, she not only set up Kirimi Miyuki’s fan support group and topic page, and posted carefully prepared promotional materials across platforms, and fan groups, but also edited videos of Kirimi Miyuki and Chu Yuanqing’s performances, showing impressive initiative.
What’s more, she now managed the Chu Yuanqing fan group because of the “love me, love my dog” mentality and had also joined forces with Kirimi Miyuki’s fan group.
However, due to some fan circle rules,
Xu Ling, a big fan of Kirimi Miyuki, decided to give up her position as group leader when she saw someone familiar from the circle join. She didn’t want to raise any suspicions and quietly became a regular member, enjoying herself with others in the group.
The group chat was active, with messages popping up every minute, keeping the fans engaged.
“Oh no, has Honey Qing unlocked all the assassin’s passive skills? No wonder she’s sitting in the corner of the waiting room.”
“This character design is so anime-like. Even with a mask on every day, she still has such a strong presence, right?”
“Haha, why is there only one photo of the maid? It’s not enough to satisfy our curiosity!”
“Well, that photo was taken from the staff picture wall by the manager. Let’s hope for some fan feedback! Honey Qing’s maid outfit is amazing!”
The group members chatted freely about topics that would make the main character blush. After repeating “amazing” dozens of times, they continued to imagine different scenarios.
“I never knew Honey Qing had it so tough. No wonder she talks to Chu Wang Shu like a little hedgehog.”
“Boohoo, thinking about how young she is, living alone and working so hard to support herself. It really breaks my heart!”
“Who said she couldn’t do it? With no dance background, she handled the pressure well and completed the performance on stage. It’s truly touching.”
“Dream Weaver Rabbit deserves the harshest criticism!”
Xu Ling coldly sneered and agreed:
“Haha, if that mysterious reward is disappointing, I’ll definitely grab its rabbit ears!”
The group then moved from discussing spicy rabbit head recipes to a more serious topic:
“Honestly, I can probably understand why Honey Qing made such a decisive choice to participate in the competition. Given her circumstances, pursuing her dream on ‘Dazzling Stage’ is likely her only chance.”
“Yeah, who on reality shows in the entertainment industry doesn’t have some background?”
“For Honey Qing, missing this opportunity would be like losing her dream, so she boldly decided to compete!”
“Honey Qing is really courageous! A 23-year-old admires her.”
At that moment, a group member who clearly supported CP spoke up:
“Just thinking about it, Xiaowangshu is also an amateur, from a single-parent family with poor conditions. No wonder she became good friends with Honey Qing.”
Fans of another idol sharply criticized:
“Speechless. Even though Xiaowangshu is a friend of Qing Qing and I really like her, out of respect, can we not bring her up in Qing Qing’s fan support group?”
“Didn’t the previous group owner cut themselves off because they only supported the main idol, Sakura Girl?”
After a tumultuous fight and argument, the topic finally returned to:
“Today the official website will choose the theme song. Which song do you think suits Honey Qing best?”
“Objectively speaking, Honey Qing’s dancing skills are really lacking. I think it’s better to choose a song with simple choreography.”
“Then how about voting for ‘Candy’? It’s a sweet song with simple choreography. Imagine Honey Qing dancing in a little dress. It’s so sweet!”
The group leader stepped forward to speak:
“Among the eight songs, this one is definitely the simplest. But for safety and to reach a consensus, let’s have a group vote first, and then make an announcement.”
Although Chu Yuanqing’s fans felt some pressure, they knew it would be difficult to sway the other popular contestants’ fan bases. They also knew they had to act first to see how things would unfold.
So similar discussions were continuously brought up in the fan support groups that were gradually forming, as well as in online forums.
It was clear that due to the overwhelming popularity of “Dazzling Stage,”
Despite Chu Yuanqing only recently entering the public eye, she had already gathered a group of fans who were genuinely looking forward to her debut and were even willing to actively support her.
“‘Candy’?” Xu Ling said thoughtfully.
Kirimi Miyuki also suited sweet songs very well.
Or rather, she was the only contestant who had proven on stage that she was suitable for sweet songs.
Imagine if “Candy” became the theme song of “Dazzling Stage.” Kirimi Miyuki would gain an advantage and compete with Xie Qingxuan for the chance to be the center of the theme song “Carry.”
So now, in this fan support group for “Sakura Girl,” the fans have also decided to vote for this theme song.
On the contrary, Xie Qingxuan and other contestants considered unsuitable for sweet songs would most likely avoid “Candy,” and their fan bases would choose another song based on their main preferences.
In other words, this is a tug-of-war between fans from different sides, even including casual audience members.
The final day is only 24 hours away!
The official “Dazzling Stage” continues to adhere to the law of the jungle.
Although this theme song voting may seem ordinary, the most likely winner will undoubtedly be the contestant who attracts the most fans during the live broadcast!
However, nothing is absolute.
Whether it’s Ji Shuzhu, Xie Qingxuan, or even Grade B Tang Liuli, these contestants who had a large number of loyal supporters before the competition, as well as potential fans, have a much stronger foundation than amateurs like Chu Yuanqing, who had a sudden burst of popularity.
Besides other things, the efficiency of organizing fan voting alone is not on the same level.
On the other hand, in similar historical votes, there have been instances where fan voting differed from the main trend, resulting in unexpected outcomes that tricked the main participants.
It can only be said that there are many variables involved.
“Dazzling Stage” does promote survival of the fittest, but it still contains elements of unavoidable luck.
As Xu Ling thought deeply, a bright idea struck her, and she opened a folder filled with treasured files on her computer.
Inside were hundreds of photos exported from her camera, mostly unedited raw images, with only a few enhanced by a soft glow filter, capturing treasures from a serendipitous downpour on that day.
Xu Ling logged into her Weibo account, muttering to herself:
“If I post these, the buzz should increase with the support of new CP fans, perhaps boosting the ranking of ‘Candy’ even higher.”
