Chapter 60

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Chapter 60: Secondary Rating, the Giant-Beast-Like Stage

The next morning.

Chu Yuanqing’s Weibo followers kept increasing at a terrifying speed under the influence of the first episode of ‘Dazzling Stage’, reaching five million overnight, nearly tripling.

Although normally, five million followers on Weibo have a lot of inactive accounts, excluding fake followers, haters, marketers, ads, and giveaways, there’s almost nothing left. A single Weibo post might not even get a thousand likes.

But remember, Chu Yuanqing hasn’t debuted yet, she’s not even officially in the industry. The first episode had such a huge impact overnight. Imagine when ‘Dazzling Stage’ ends, won’t her fan base expand to tens of millions, rivaling A-list celebrities in the industry?

Furthermore, even without mentioning this prospect.

This account is different from those accounts that artificially boost their followers.

Chu Yuanqing’s Weibo account has a high ratio of active followers, which is not right in terms of economic benefits or fan purity.

It can be said that even if she is eliminated now, with five million fans, she can quickly transition into an internet celebrity or artist, earning a lot and living a worry-free life.

Of course, for Chu Yuanqing’s fans, witnessing her elimination is no different from witnessing their loved one being broken and shattered, it is equally devastating.

This ending for Chu Yuanqing can be described as epic, just thinking about it makes one almost cry, it is especially heart-wrenching.

At the same time, in hundreds of fan support groups, fans who stay up late watching the increase in Weibo followers as if they have won a holy war, feeling the emotion of seeing a loved one grow up, tears well up in their eyes, shouting slogans that make one’s eyes go dark.

Xu Ling lurked in a fan support group of 2k people, passionately emphasizing:

"This is a small step for Honey Qing to become a world-class idol, but a big step for our ‘Yuanxiao Group’ in helping Honey Qing debut!"

Lantern Festival (Yuanxiao Festival).

This festival was chosen by fans of Daxia through the character "Yuan" in Chu Yuanqing’s name as their fan club name.

Because of its auspicious meaning and the beautiful implication opposite to its actual origin, symbolizing the wishes and blessings of fans, it gained the agreement of most fans almost overnight.

Now, Chu Yuanqing’s fans either call themselves "Little Yuanxiao" or "Yuanxiao Group", the former being cute, and the latter having a somewhat secretive club feeling, with a cohesion and organization very different from yesterday, seeming to have a clear organizational outline.

The reason for all this is that the first episode not only attracted casual fans, but also some big fans and showbiz insiders.

They have rich experience in establishing fan clubs for idols.

Whether it’s deciding a fan club name, uniting scattered fans, or organizing activities, these are just the basics; once you become a fan, you naturally put your heart and soul into it.

This is why Chu Yuanqing’s fan club suddenly became a well-structured core overnight.

However, from a God’s-eye-view, it feels like the main character is still sleeping while the outside world is rallying under her name and starting a fierce and abstract battle.

The fans in the fan support group were completely unaware, still worrying about someone who was sound asleep.

"I think there’s a high chance, the first episode broke the record for viewership in the entertainment industry, the program group has confirmed that the live broadcast format is beneficial, it wouldn’t make sense not to start the show during this peak traffic."

"I wish Honey Qing could achieve a Grade B."

"Sigh, I think it’s better not to have too high hopes, it will put pressure on Honey Qing."

"That’s right, although Honey Qing has worked very hard, so have the other contestants. With a weak foundation, maintaining the original rating is already a victory."

Some fans started feeling sad.

"I still feel very sad, Honey Qing clearly loves the stage so much, yet has to convince herself in public that she doesn’t like it."

Some fans sadly imagined.

"Because in Honey Qing’s perception, she has never had the privilege of being willful, so she is used to compromising, retreating, and accommodating reality. Even if she truly loves it, she has to work hard to hide it, not wanting others to see her true emotions."

Xu Ling’s eyes were wet, she sniffed, and said:

"The reason why Honey Qing is mature is because she had to learn to take care of herself early on, to plan for the future, to work hard for her life, and she couldn’t be a naive child from beginning to end."

"She couldn’t afford pretty dresses, makeup, snacks, or live carefree. Life made her struggle, reality made her feel inferior…"

"In the end, maintaining a calm and composed attitude without arrogance is the only way she can uphold her dignity."

"That’s why, while other contestants can’t help but cry during interviews, Honey Qing doesn’t. She is insecure but stubborn, preferring to digest these emotions alone in the late night, rather than showing vulnerability in front of the camera."

After saying this,

The group of friends had already imagined Chu Yuanqing quietly wiping tears under the covers, and suddenly all broke into tears, starting various small essays in the group, poking each other, sending glass shards, throwing iron thorns, promoting BE fan fiction, escalating in a chaotic spiral.

Finally concluding with "Honey Qing must still be training hard, right?" triggering a bunch of starstruck girls to cry loudly.

Worth mentioning is that the mastermind Xu Ling, after sending her remarks, quietly left, heading to the fan support group for Little Sakura and Honey Qing’s pairing to peek at the screen.

Well, as the night passed, Kirimi Miyuki and Chu Yuanqing’s relationship became even more popular.

Xu Ling, as the blogger who introduced this couple, quickly filled up eight chat groups with 2,000 members each. The stories shared in these groups became more abstract, filled with desire and creativity. Almost every day, new fanfiction was created, with many focusing on Chu Yuanqing and Kirimi Miyuki’s love story.

The fans who supported Kirimi Miyuki and Chu Yuanqing were worried about their favorite character being left out, heartbroken, and in tears. Little Sakura, feeling emotional, decided to take on the dream and continue creating beautiful scenes for everyone to enjoy.

To add to the drama, images of the two walking together in the rain, sharing an umbrella, and emotional background music were included as inspiration for their stories.

"Miyuki, my Miyuki, sob, sob, sob, she finally found a good friend!"

"Haha, it must be Chu Yuanqing, Little Sakura seems too innocent and sweet, perfect for a younger partner in their relationship!"

"Oh no! Yellow card warning! You better start crying seriously!"

The fans’ emotions were overwhelming, turning their sadness into low-quality content. They quickly got off-topic, and even the emotional stories lost their impact. Some fans forgot their troubles and indulged in exploring new desires and fantasies.

Similar discussions were happening in other chat groups where Chu Yuanqing was paired with different characters.

Xu Ling looked at it with disgust for a few hours, scornfully downloaded all the group files, prepared to criticize them harshly later, then stood on a moral high ground with a self-righteous attitude, contemptuously closed the group chat, and decided to take a nap first.

Before long, a sudden announcement popped up on the official website of "Dazzling Stage", revealing that they would livestream the entire secondary rating process.

It was already noon, 12 o’clock.

Silently, Xu Ling got up, wearing her anti-blue light glasses, ordered an iced Americano on Meituan, turned on the computer she had just shut down, hugged her dinosaur plushie, and quickly clicked on the livestream link.

The bullet comments flooded in like a tidal wave, the screen almost didn’t have a chance to show anything before being covered with a dense layer of comments.

The screen was filled with cheers from popular contestants and a variety of quirky comments, silently expressing the spirit of modern netizens.

Unfortunately, in the livestream, it was not the 168 trainees who appeared.

Instead, it was the mentors of "Dazzling Stage", along with the Dream Weaver Rabbit that netizens had discussed in countless ways.

Leading actress Luo Siling, renowned singer-songwriter Zhao Dapan, domestic rap sensation Jiang Chi, and world-class choreographer Chen Baijiu.

Four people sat at a fancy pure white round table, looking at the big screen in front of them with expressions of resignation, seriousness, or solemnity, like judges determining fate, making the atmosphere heavy and suffocating.

Dream Weaver Rabbit, with its usual smile, opened its arms and warmly greeted the audience, amidst the strong condemnation from the barrage of bullet comments, it began to explain the rules:

"As we all know, ‘Dazzling Stage’ has given the trainees a week to train, and based on their performances on stage, they will be re-evaluated."

"However, unlike other survival talent shows, to ensure transparency and fairness, the performances of all 168 trainees in the secondary rating were not pre-recorded."

"In other words, you in front of the screen will truly witness their future!"

This statement led to an increase in the number of bullet comments due to the significant amount of information.

It is important to note that this kind of operation is almost unprecedented in the talent show industry!

In most survival talent shows, during the secondary rating, mentors only watch the footage of the contestants recorded by the staff, and use it to evaluate them.

While this method saves the trainees personal time, it adds many loopholes to the competition format.

For example, there are royal family members with a background, so they are not afraid of making mistakes. They can keep trying multiple times, select the best video, and flawlessly present it in the group evaluation video, gaining applause from the audience.

On the other hand, in some survival talent shows with pre-written scripts, to ensure no mistakes in the script, they will take precautions against unexpected popular contestants in advance.

Even if they won’t directly criticize or demote for the sake of public opinion, skipping her performance video, exposing the rating directly, missing out on attention and viewership, is a simple matter indeed.

That is why the entire process of secondary rating being made public in "Dazzling Stage" has caused such a huge wave of public opinion, almost declaring a complete rejection of capital influence, truly using the stage to determine success and failure!

"The stage is like a battlefield, where victory and defeat shape the future. The slogan of ‘Dazzling Stage’ is not false, its purity is also real. It truly aims to cultivate genuine idols!"

"Tears filled the eyes of many families, never did they expect to witness such a pure talent show in their lifetime."

"Fans are ecstatic, from now on I am a loyal supporter of ‘Dazzling Stage’."

"I am truly looking forward now, what kind of idols can a show with this level of purity nurture?!"

At this moment, many viewers began to believe for the first time that the overly strict elimination mechanism of "Dazzling Stage" may not be just for show or bad taste.

Instead of picking the most ambitious and dreamy trainee, they really want to make them compete, fight, step on each other, and sharpen each other, in order to cultivate idols who can shine brightly at the top of the world!

Dream Weaver Rabbit’s voice faded away.

The screen in the live broadcast suddenly split, revealing the personal channels of 168 contestants in a dense Rubik’s Cube-like manner.

"Because the entire process of the secondary rating requires at least 9 hours of recording time, it is done for the well-being of all contestants."

"The program group allows contestants to engage in free activities in the underground base before being queued for evaluation. During this time, whether it’s training, resting, or entertainment, it’s up to the contestants’ personal choice."

"For this live broadcast, the program group has opened the permission for all viewers to freely choose contestant channels."

"If a black screen appears during the viewing, it means the contestant is out of the camera’s recording range."

"Furthermore, the assessment order of the secondary rating will be based on the current ratings of the contestants."

"The first contestant to enter the assessment now is Grade A contestant – Xie Qingxuan!"

Dream Weaver Rabbit finished explaining, and the main screen of the live broadcast switched back to Tutor Group.

At the same time, Xie Qingxuan’s personal channel was pinned to the top for viewers to see a first-person view of the stage.

And in the scene,

Xie Qingxuan had just walked out of the practice room. She was tall and slim, with fair skin and long legs. She looked captivating in a pure white short skirt, her thighs round like jade stones. Her steps were powerful and firm.

The young girl had a calm expression, the light in her eyes serene. Her platinum hair danced in the wind, resembling an elf emerging from the forest. Her demeanor exuded a sense of calm elegance, not at all like facing a battle that would decide her fate.

The audience in the live broadcast room, seeing this, felt both excited and uneasy:

"Great Devil is making the first appearance; is he going to dominate the entire arena?"

"Oh no, Qingxuan is as cool as ever, it amazes me!"

"Darn it, hold your horses for now, I feel there’s something off about this secondary rating, it’s too grandiose. Surely, ‘Dazzling Stage’ has some tricks up its sleeve."

"What could affect Great Devil’s performance? Remember, she danced perfectly even with a high fever, before collapsing on stage like a super tough person."

"Makes sense, maybe the other contestants need to worry about what else Great Devil has to fear."

As the audience in the live chat argued with bullet comments,

Xie Qingxuan had already entered the prepared competition venue of the program group.

The layout here looks magnificent, just like a real large stage, with no difference in specifications and design. It looks more advanced than the initial evaluation stage, surrounded by hundreds of circular tiered seats. It’s truly stunning at first sight.

And this is all underground!

How many years has the official ‘Dazzling Stage’ prepared for this, what kind of advanced technology have they used, and what crazy ideas led them to spend a huge amount of money to build an underground stage that can accommodate hundreds of people?

No matter how the audience thinks about it, they can’t come up with a reason, they just find it extremely bold.

Could this place be the stage for live scoring by the audience during the future finals? It can’t just be for secondary ratings, right? That would be too abstract!

Xie Qingxuan stood in the middle of the stage.

As she walked, the lights on the stage changed with each step she took.

The stage lights, resembling an inverted tower, slowly came to life like a giant beast, emitting a silent roar that captured the attention of everyone on stage, creating a solemn atmosphere in the broadcast room.

The voice of Dream Weaver Rabbit echoed:

"In ten seconds, the music will start playing, and the performers can get ready to showcase their talents."

10、9、8、7、6…

On the screen by Tutor Group, a countdown appeared, the numbers pulsating like a heartbeat, connecting with the audience’s hearts and reducing the speed of bullet comments in the broadcast room, creating a tense fog in the air.

Even the spectators felt the pressure, let alone the performers on stage.

Xie Qingxuan’s heart pounded rapidly, keeping her dance emotions high. She did not enter a meditative state to clear her mind. The current situation felt like breathing in toxic fumes, and despite her strong spirit, her body reacted with involuntary movements.

The stage looked like a hungry monster.

Without enough stage experience and corresponding resistance, even the most determined and self-confident person could have their soul exposed, facing their weakest and most insecure self.

Time seemed to slow down, until the countdown reached 10 seconds, then suddenly accelerated crazily as the stage lights came on and the prelude of "Candy" blared out.

What truly shocked everyone was,

The moment when the audience filled the hundreds of seats below the stage, and the deafening noise hit like a wave.

In that instant, the air in the world seemed to be sucked dry, causing a terrifying suffocation to suddenly grip the people on stage!!!