Chapter 84
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“Look, Honey Qing is smiling so happily.”
“We have successfully defeated her feelings of inferiority, right?”
“Wow, this is a small step for the Lantern Festival, but a big step for Honey Qing to step into the world!”
“I can’t wait to see Honey Qing shine brightly. Family, let’s work harder and make sure to support her debut! ❤️❤️❤️”
People’s joys and sorrows do not always connect. Just as Chu Yuanqing is reluctant to accept reality and thinks this must be an illusion from the Sea of Truth, the pure and kind Little Yuanxiao have already started a celebration party, expressing their sincerest blessings through bullet comments.
Ding ding dong dong, ding ding dong dong.
Close to Chu Yuanqing’s soft flesh creases, with a large influx of positive emotions, the lantern pendant is devouring the tiny Magic Crystal that shimmers like a vibrating phone, causing her pale skin to blush slightly and feel ticklish.
The girl scratched herself cutely and covered her chest instinctively.
After this action, her expression slowly stiffened, gradually realizing. The emotions in her eyes were like a spilled plate of mixed seasonings, full of despair, sadness, shame, confusion, and a variety of other feelings.
The lantern is the physical manifestation of the soul. The warmth it burns out is not at all influenced by the illusion of the Sea of Truth.
In other words, she did secure the main carry position.
But darn, why is this happening?
The popularity at this level can no longer be explained just by the stunning secondary ratings of Charlotte.
Considering it’s only been two days since the performance, no matter how popular it is, it still needs time to ferment and attract followers. There is simply no way to beat the other contestants who already had a large fan base.
Chu Yuanqing isn’t stupid. She sadly realized that maybe she didn’t have a million haters; the crisis responses before were likely triggered by those disturbing bullet comments, not by being harshly insulted.
Oh no, why! Did my character collapse? Wasn’t that interview segment from the first episode included?
Chu Yuanqing looked confused, unable to understand why she had so many fans despite not excelling in anything other than her looks. Before stepping onto the stage of the secondary school talent show, she hadn’t shown any remarkable skills. Why did she have so many fans?
Besides, the other girls were also very pretty.
Thinking it over, Chu Yuanqing thought that in terms of her own aesthetics, she may have a slightly prettier face than Miyuki, slightly longer legs than Xiaoxiao, better body proportions than Qingxuan, a slightly more pleasant voice than Liuli, a slimmer waist than…
Chu Yuanqing interrupted her thoughts, her face serious.
She tried hard to ignore the inexplicable anxiety, silently feeling fortunate that she had decided to compete incognito, avoiding revealing her true appearance. Otherwise, the feedback from the public on her witch-like figure with golden eyes and white hair would have been much more terrifying than it was now.
So scary, too scary!
Just imagining a girl with lotus-like arms gave her goosebumps.
Chu Yuanqing was annoyed.
Is the internet all about looks now? How shallow!
She has poor dancing and singing skills, no business abilities, doesn’t like idols, and is seen as an uncommitted trainee on stage. Her sudden popularity feels like an insult and denial to other children!
However, many Little Yuanxiao supporters seem to disappear under the overwhelming praise. Their comments are so sincere and lovely that they radiate warmth and genuine love with each blessing they share.
So…
Chu Yuanqing wanted to announce that she actually doesn’t like performing on stage, doesn’t want to be an idol, and feels unworthy of being liked, but she swallowed her words and kept quiet.
When she read the bullet comments from these Little Yuanxiao fans, her heart softened. She couldn’t bear to be harsh with them.
Because criticizing them would mean denying their sincere and passionate support.
Chu Yuanqing couldn’t bring herself to do that. She silently suppressed her frustration and looked at the screen glowing with likes, hoping for non-existent haters to crush the kind comments around her.
It’s just a pity.
Chu Yuanqing looked confused, feeling no comfort. As her mind processed the information, she felt even more overwhelmed and on the verge of breaking down.
How was the show Dazzling Stage edited to twist the interview like that?
Are the thoughts of modern internet users really that strange?
She clearly doesn’t want to be an idol or be on stage, and actually wants to be eliminated right away and leave with her salary! Can you believe it?!
And what is this Yuanxiao Group about? In just a few days, her fans have already become so organized, disciplined, and united?
Chu Yuanqing forced a smile, feeling dizzy, as her remaining hope—and even her father’s pride—were shattered by the harsh bullet comments, drifting around like cold snowflakes.
Meanwhile,
Tang Liuli, in order to boost Chu Yuanqing’s favorability rating, switched to acting mode, pretending to be her old self. Briefly overcoming her social anxiety and ignoring the annoying bullet comments around her, she approached Chu Yuanqing like an affectionate cat. With a cute smile, she sincerely congratulated her:
“Congratulations, Little Qing! Now that you’re on the main stage, as long as the performance goes well, you have a great chance to debut!”
Chu Yuanqing felt heartbroken, forcing a smile and replying insincerely:
“Haha, really? Well… that’s pretty good.”
Tang Liuli didn’t notice anything wrong. Her natural talent had recently grown stronger, making her unable to sense others’ emotions unless she chose to. She casually explained:
“Yes, normally, if a secondary rating contestant gets a Grade A and competes for the main C performance spot, they’ll likely debut. The difference is just in what place they debut and whether it’s as a Carry Center.”
“Based on my guess, even though Dazzling Stage is strict, getting a debut spot is uncertain. But among all the contestants now, you have the best chance of debuting because popularity and hype are like building a snowball.”
“If you lose in the beginning, it’s hard to turn things around. But if you win, you can keep building on your success.”
“The second episode of the show hasn’t aired yet, but with your current popularity at the top, even if you don’t perform well later on, you’ll still get screen time in the third, fourth, and fifth episodes. Being on screen will help you gain fans and stay until the end.”
Tang Liuli felt like she was painting a bright future for Honey Qing, and the more she analyzed, the more excited she got.
When she first thought of helping Chu Yuanqing, she never imagined that Chu Yuanqing could unleash such terrifying idol potential on the secondary rating stage.
As for now…
The performance at Carry Center was just the beginning!
Chu Yuanqing didn’t need any help. By following the progress, she believed she could debut in Dazzling Stage and climb to the top of the world step by step, shining on the highest stage like a goddess!
Tang Liuli continued analyzing:
“However, Little Qing, based on the hints from Dream Weaver Rabbit, popularity is important, but there will be more abstract and unreasonable challenges in the later stages of Dazzling Stage.”
Chu Yuanqing calmed down and thought after climbing out of the depths of despair:
“Are you saying that there will be innovative changes in the competition, and even popular contestants might unexpectedly be eliminated?”
Tang Liuli remarked:
“It’s likely. Otherwise, why would Dream Weaver Rabbit keep emphasizing that low-rated contestants still have a chance of winning?”
“If other hosts of talent shows said the same, I would think it’s just for show. But Dazzling Stage is different, and Dream Weaver Rabbit, as a super AI, wouldn’t say this without a reason.”
“So, it’s important to train seriously and be careful.”
Chu Yuanqing had a sudden realization, her pretty face serious as she spoke earnestly:
“Thank you, Liuli. I understand now.”
Indeed, the so-called savior was just like that—never truly despaired even in the face of terrifying situations. As long as there was a glimmer of possibility of being eliminated, she would never choose to give up!
Just taking on the main role on the performance stage—what’s so scary about dancing in a short skirt in front of two thousand people?
Is there something harder than defeating the Calamity God? Even if… even if it’s a bit tougher mentally, she can definitely overcome it!
At the same time,
The Dream Weaver Rabbit on stage clapped and smiled, turning off the bullet comment effects before continuing:
“Everyone, the official performance stage will be held in a week at the Sea City Expo Center. The stage for the theme song is already set up and ready for rehearsals.”
“Please, all contestants, go back to your dorms and change into your performance outfits. Use your access cards to go to the main hall together, where we will take a special car to the stage for our first rehearsal.”
As the words fell quiet, all the contestants’ eyes sparkled, and almost instantly, they all cheered, shouting, “Yeah!”
These more than one hundred beautiful girls were like prisoners hearing they were allowed to leave the prison for a while, and all they could think about was the taste of freedom. They had no idea how tough the rehearsal would be and eagerly headed back to the dorms.
And so, in this atmosphere, the rehearsal for the performance stage began in full swing.
Time flew by.
The contestants went from being excited and looking forward to it to experiencing the hardships of the rehearsal and complaining constantly—all in just two days.
Although the choreography for Candy was simple, solo performances and group dances were completely different. Besides singing and dancing, they now had to pay attention to their positions as well.
Even with simple choreography, just being less than half a meter apart from each other was enough to trigger a terrifying chain reaction on the large stage, like a set of dominoes collapsing.
This was why the program group intentionally divided into three “Carry Centers” for the three stages.
Now, with only 56 people on stage, the difficulty of the group dance had been greatly reduced, allowing a week for rehearsals to minimize stage accidents.
Meanwhile, the official website of Dazzling Stage finally announced the list of randomly selected audience members at noon on that day.
To protect personal information, the list was hidden, and fans needed to enter their TikTok accounts to check if they had won.
Even though winners would receive a text message the next day, many people wanted to know the results early, causing the webpage to instantly receive billions of clicks within an hour—almost crashing.
Xu Ling silently recited the names of various gods and Buddhas, placed her cross, prayer beads, talismans, the Hand of Fatima, and a bunch of fancy little objects on the computer desk.
Finally, with her hands together in prayer, she whispered:
“Let me win, please, please, please…”
Xu Ling finished all the mystical preparations. With a mindset of giving it her all, she entered dozens of TikTok accounts from relatives and friends one by one, even her own account as a last resort when all hope seemed lost.
Then,
The page slowly turned, bursting out with a fireworks display effect, revealing the winning notification.
Xu Ling was so happy she had to resist screaming. She fiercely punched the dinosaur pillow next to her eight times, then jumped on the bed, rolling and giggling.
The young girl calmed down for a while before taking a screenshot of the scene, sharing it in groups and on Weibo, enjoying the simple happiness of her luck.
Secretly looking forward to the stage performance in two days, she smiled brightly.
—Honey Qing, what kind of stage will you present this time?
