Chapter 41
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Chapter 41: Chu Yuanqing, So Frightening!
At the same time.
Inside the staircase classroom.
The Grade A players in the upper circle had realized it and all shifted their focus to Chu Yuanqing in the C-level Area.
You see, Kirimi Miyuki’s exclusive ticket is at 39%, while Chu Yuanqing’s exclusive ticket is at 33%, with a difference of only 6%. Considering the suspicion of a bond between the two, this difference in votes can be almost ignored.
In other words, Chu Yuanqing’s popularity, at this stage, placed her among the top ten of everyone, even in the top five, defeating two-thirds of the Top A players.
Without her as a stepping stone, Kirimi Miyuki could never have become the ultimate winner!
This surprised everyone.
Despite Chu Yuanqing benefiting from two rounds of first place rewards, her Grade C evaluation destined her to be in the lower-middle of the "Dazzling Stage" hierarchy, theoretically not worthy of being seen as a true competitor.
And now, she successfully used the attention from the outside world to break the usual way of thinking, crushing the pride of being a Grade A player.
It can only be described as terrifying.
When people understand this point, they will naturally reconsider it.
Chen Yining looked seriously at Chu Yuanqing, her eyes flickered, then she looked away, acknowledging the other’s determination to go on stage first and following the rule of winner takes all.
The confirmation of the theme song, and even the opponent’s lead of a million votes, are all a settled reality, there is no need to regret or be distressed about it.
But the competition for the Carry Center has just begun.
Ji Shuzhu remained indifferent, as a choreographer, she remembered all types of dances and had performed most of them with her own body, none of the eight theme songs could touch her weak spot.
As for the Carry Center competition?
Ji Shuzhu’s innate hypermnesia made her a rare genius choreographer, but it also erased the budding emotions, sparks of miracles, and the possibility of entering the highest level of Heart Flow.
In other words, the foundation of stage charisma was overshadowed by Super Memory Syndrome.
She may become the top dancer in the world in the future, but it is very difficult for her to be the top idol standing at the center of the world.
So,
Ji Shuzhu doesn’t care whether she is the Carry Center or not, and the reason she came to "Dazzling Stage" was to find the ideal Carry Center.
As long as she reaches the end of this global idol project, she will sooner or later meet the destined person who shines brightly enough to ignite the emptiness in her heart.
Xie Qingxuan’s expression was indifferent, and her eyes were as calm as an ancient well.
From the beginning, she didn’t care which song was the theme song, just like what Dream Weaver Rabbit said, idols must overcome any unreasonable obstacles.
If she fails just because the theme song is "candy," it only shows her own limits.
And with only such limits, how could she trample on someone else’s dreams?
If you stop here, you might as well go die.
In the Grade B group,
Chu Wang Shu was slow to react. When she first saw the rapidly soaring total ticket sales, her mind was filled with thoughts of whether her dad was watching her on TV now that "Dazzling Stage" was so popular.
The little girl was both nervous and conflicted, thinking it would be nice to have a cellphone. She had sent a text message to someone before the competition, and she was really curious now about how her dad would reply to her.
At the very least, he shouldn’t be against it, right?
Otherwise, she would have withdrawn from the competition long ago.
Chu Wang Shu had never thought that her dad would be angry about it.
Even though he had always been very listless and quiet, even to the point of being cold and indifferent, deep down he was a gentle person. Even at his most tired, he had never shown anger towards anyone.
But on the other hand,
Chu Wang Shu just wants to see him get angry for her, she wants to see him show more lively emotions towards her.
So, she decided to defiantly join such a large survival reality show.
Now, her mixed feelings are tangled with fear, a bit of a sense of revenge, and intense guilt that is very contradictory.
This burning blend of complex emotions made her not react in time when the theme song "Candy" came on, she was slow to realize what was happening, but then sincerely felt happy for the other person and clapped like a little seal.
On stage,
Dream Weaver Rabbit clapped and said,
"The theme song has been announced, starting tomorrow, contestants of each level will receive training on ‘Candy’ in their respective practice rooms."
"The total time is one week, Grade A contestants can choose to livestream for four hours each day, limited to the practice room, there are no additional conditions for starting or stopping the stream, very free."
"Grade B is the same, the only difference is the livestream is limited to two hours."
"Lower-ranked contestants will not have the permission to start live broadcasts on their own."
"Please note that this rule will continue until the end of the show."
As the voice fell silent, both the room and the live broadcast room couldn’t help but stir up a commotion.
"Gosh, is ‘Dazzling Stage’ trying to create a class divide? I’ve never seen such exaggerated differentiation in a talent show before."
"To be honest, it’s already ridiculous to assign one luxurious practice room to each Grade A and Grade B contestant. And now deliberately creating a monopoly on live broadcasts, isn’t it obvious it will cause a gap in popularity between Grade A, Grade B, and lower-ranked contestants?"
"According to this rule, Grade B and below will have no chance to debut at all, destined to be left further and further behind."
"Damn, is this a warning? If they don’t seize the opportunity for a higher secondary rating, they will definitely be eliminated later due to the huge difference in popularity."
"Survival of the fittest, the strong will always prevail, what else is there to say."
The audience had diverse opinions on this.
Fans of Grade A and Grade B contestants believe that the rules of the show are perfect from the perspective of those who are already benefiting from it.
It’s important to know that only 40 contestants are in Grade A and Grade B combined. Now, the remaining 128 contestants have become stepping stones and sacrifices. The stark contrast in numbers is too exaggerated, and the fan base of the latter group could never be satisfied.
It’s a simple truth that being top-rated does not always equal being the most popular.
Apart from Chu Yuanqing, who is a complete amateur and stands out, there are many low-rated contestants who already had a lot of popularity before coming.
This includes online celebrities with millions of fans, beauty and makeup influencers, contestants with strong backing, rising stars from entertainment companies with strong promotion, and influencers who have appeared in TV shows and major variety shows.
The combined fan base of these people can easily rival the fan base of the upper circle and cause a big stir.
Compared to the enthusiastic fans in the live broadcast room,
Contestants who didn’t get much screen time from the start and didn’t receive high ratings are feeling even more devastated now.
These trainees have always been at a disadvantage due to zero exposure, and after being emotionally manipulated by various conversations, they become even more anxious upon seeing the vote count for the theme song, feeling left out.
At first, when they heard they could start a live broadcast, they felt comforted by this thought. They thought it could increase their popularity and decrease the distance between each other. But Dream Weaver Rabbit cruelly shattered this illusion, causing a huge emotional drop that almost broke their self-control.
Zhou Qianqian couldn’t help but stand up. She poured out all the built-up resentment and anger, questioning with a righteous voice:
"We entered the competition knowing we may never be idols again. Why should our first-round performance be hidden from the public eye? Why should the treatment during the evaluations be so vastly different?"
The trainee’s eyes turned red, and she asked with pressed lips:
"Yes, I understand winners deserve rewards, and ‘Dazzling Stage’ has its own rules."
"But can hard work make up for the huge gap in resources like the virtual reality system and advanced technology devices?"
"With such a significant difference in treatment, higher-rated contestants will not only progress faster than us, but even the evaluation standards will rise accordingly."
"In this situation, how can lower-rated individuals catch up to higher-rated ones? How can they achieve a higher rating in the second evaluation? How can this be considered a chance for a fresh start?"
