Chapter 85

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Chapter 85: I’ve Stolen Your Sparkle

The same day.

Lucky ones like Xu Ling started showing off in forums, group chats, TikTok, and moments, making many envy and resent them, wishing they could skewer them with a spear.

The price of the performance tickets quickly shot up from 5,000 to a shocking 200,000 in a short period of time.

Unfortunately, it was soon revealed that the performance tickets were linked to individuals’ IDs, and facial recognition was required for entry, making it impossible to resell the tickets.

The game between the rich guys ended hastily, or it might have multiplied several times.

But due to the unpleasant experiences of scalpers among the fans and supporters, and the fact that most people were not wealthy, there was little discontent. In fact, many strongly suggested that "Dazzling Stage" should continue with this rule.

In accordance with the usual practice of talent shows, the organizing team would early on arrange for the creation of original songs and dances for the debut girl group, preparing for concerts to profit from the show.

In other words, in the "Dazzling Stage" competition zone where Chu Yuanqing was, once the girl group debuted, judging by the current popularity trend, it wouldn’t be long before they could hold a large concert for thousands of people.

——Perhaps even a nationwide tour!

By that time, if this rule remained in place, it could completely prevent scalpers from monopolizing ticket sales, and stop various unpleasant practices, thus helping the fans who had been negatively impacted.

On that day, there were many complaints from the Yuanxiao Group.

"So this time the tickets for the performance were priced very high because of that news. It might reach a million if the news hadn’t been leaked."

The same topic had appeared in the fan support groups of the contestants long ago.

These fans who wanted to support their favorite idol had to first calculate how many lucky ones in the same group had gotten tickets before they could decide on the supporting colors, light sticks, banners, and even send experienced senior fans to instruct new fans on how to support correctly.

Supporting indeed has its rules, especially in this culture-rich island country.

The standard structure of a song generally consists of an intro → A melody → B melody → chorus → interlude → A melody → B melody → chorus/C melody → chorus → ending.

In this island country, there are a series of supporting actions such as clapping, jumping, waving, raising hands, rain brushing, backing vocals, and hand clapping, all corresponding to different parts of a song’s standard structure – from the intro, interlude, chorus, and other sections.

The culture of supporting in Daxia is not as strong as in the other place.

Here, fans are more skilled at contributing financially. For example, before their idol’s major events, they spontaneously fundraise, plan and produce themselves, and contact relevant personnel to carry out absurdly large-scale promotions such as posters in subway stations, banners, bus advertisements, and so on.

However, to provide better support to the main performer during the concert and not cause trouble, it’s still necessary to educate fans in advance about some small supporting techniques.

In this atmosphere, as time passes, there is only one day left before the performance.

Because every day’s rehearsal requires multiple buses to travel back and forth, and the location of the performance is no longer a secret.

In these days, there have been media and paparazzi staying in Zhelong Town, even at Sea City Expo Center for stakeout filming.

Among them, there are many fans gathered around the entrance barriers, hoping to see their favorite idol and take some photos to share online.

This is quite normal, as a talent show program, allowing fans to wait eagerly and take photos can help maintain the popularity of the show in between episodes.

Even a unique show like "Dazzling Stage" has started using live broadcasts instead of being isolated in an underground base with no interaction with the outside world.

Therefore, the official decision was not to refuse, but to prioritize the safety of the contestants and agree to filming from a distance.

This has led to many recent candid photos of the contestants, with Grade A contestants receiving the most attention.

Due to this change, the Chu Yuanqingfan support group’s town saint image has transformed from a photo of her working in a maid outfit to a picture of a girl with a tired but adorable daughter on her shoulder, looking down with compassion and love, a curve on her lips showing a gentle smile.

Hmm, it was the old father taking care of his daughter who became paralyzed after the parade, and the scene was captured by a fan just in time.

At that moment,

After admiring the photo a picture, Xu Ling seemed to gather courage from it. She looked at the three support items piled in front of her, trembling as she held her phone to open it,

Suddenly, there were chimes and beeps.

The message notifications kept coming.

Because she boastfully showed off on her social media about winning the ticket draw, now she was being mentioned in three different group chats – the Spring Mud Group, the Lantern Festival Group, and the Shengqing Couple Group – where people were asking if she wanted to join the group support activities.

At the same time, some close friends in the groups were also messaging her privately to ask.

Xu Ling’s scalp tingled, feeling regretful and as if she had entered a strange battleground.

At that moment, she couldn’t help but count her blessings.

Firstly, as a huge fan of Little Sakura, she was the first to promote her in the country and translated various gossip about her from the island nation before the first episode aired. She also explained it on Weibo, Bilibili, and Tik Tok.

At the same time, she enthusiastically put together a story of Little Sakura’s dream journey from Hokkaido to Tokyo, where her dreams slowly shattered over seven years. This allowed later fans to have a complete understanding of her journey and she put a lot of effort into it.

With around a million fans on Weibo, and a continuously growing fan base recently, she started as a prominent figure in various fan groups, even creating the fan name ‘Spring Mud’. Her status was very high.

However, this status crumbled when she created a popular fan fiction pairing of Little Sakura and Honey Qing, and actively promoted it. It caused a big commotion.

The simple truth is, if even a star’s fans start creating fictional relationships, what happens when they become overly obsessed? Who will protect the star’s rights then?

It’s like a Catholic pope secretly worshipping not only Jesus but also other gods. Such impurity cannot be accepted by the crowd, let alone lead other devout believers.

Therefore, just like how Xu Ling initially set up a support group for Chu Yuanqing and then handed it over to someone else, after creating the fan fiction pairing, she transferred ownership to a senior fan of Little Sakura. She essentially gave up her hold on power but retained some influence.

Xu Ling understood herself well. She used to be a casual fan, only truly falling for Little Sakura, not understanding how to manage fans or having any interest in doing so. Giving up control was inevitable.

So now, she is a devoted fan of Little Sakura, a fan of Honey Qing (promoting them before their debut), and a leader of fans who support their relationship.

Xu Ling thought for a while, then looked at Honey Qing’s loving photos, feeling like she was comforted by her mom for a long time. It reignited her courage. She solemnly replied to the message on her phone, and then…

She held the support stick tightly at the edge!

The girl pressed the button.

The golden light overflowed from it, with a sacred and gentle texture, giving off a luxurious vibe. What’s most amazing is that inside, there are scattered pink cherry blossoms, swaying with a gentle movement in the golden light, slowly blooming, forming a wonderful visual combination.

Gold is the chosen support color of the Yuanxiao Group.

This color looks earthy on many idol fans, but on Chu Yuanqing who contributed to the stage, it seemed to enhance her mysterious sacredness, fitting her well.

The support color chosen by Spring Mud is pink, corresponding to the cherry blossoms blooming in March.

From the support stick in Xu Ling’s hand, you could tell at a glance that it was a carefully prepared item from the two fans who are enthusiastic supporters.

This was received yesterday from a local courier. Besides the support sticks mixed with the colors of the two fans, there was also a delicate handcraft with Chu Yuanqing and Kirimi Miyuki’s photo printed on it, and a fan light board.

Hmm, it’s troublesome to hold up the sign, so it’s basically not used at concerts, it’s just a simple gift.

It’s basic moral sense for CP fans not to dance in front of the main characters. The fan lights are used a lot, so the design on top is very subtle, with only the name Chu Yuanqing and cherry blossoms intertwined in the gaps, subtly hinting at the relationship between the attacker and the receiver.

Xu Ling’s face pressed against the light stick, her eyes reflecting the golden cherry blossoms, she seemed to suddenly think of something, her expression gradually dazed, then suddenly awakened, coughed a few times, barely restraining the smile at the corner of her mouth, she said firmly:

"Sorry, Honey Qing."

"I’m sorry, Miyuki."

"Mom can’t completely give up any one of you, so becoming a CP fan and cheering for you all together is unavoidable, right?"

…

…

As night fell, the final day of rehearsals came to an end.

The tired contestants got into a special car and headed back and forth to the underground base of Zhelong Town.

The atmosphere on the three cars was quite different.

The contestants assigned to Little Sakura as Vice C were in good spirits, feeling as refreshing as eating watermelon by the sea. They were full of anticipation in their demeanor and expression, unable to hide their longing for the stage despite being tired.

It was obvious that during the week-long rehearsals, these people were immersed in Kirimi Miyuki’s stage charisma, as if they were being painted as a whole. They performed better, their spirits were great, and there was laughter coming from the car from time to time.

The contestants under Chen Yining were more average, nothing special or depressing, just a normal atmosphere.

The contestants on Chu Yuanqing’s side were the quietest. Most of them were resting with their eyes closed or staring blankly out the window.

The colorful lights of Sea City were particularly vivid in the night. Across the pure white wall that spanned the horizon, the nearly one-kilometer tall tower was the most striking building. It stood by the glittering river on the other side, reflecting the desires of a city.

Dream Weaver Rabbit appeared floating in mid-air through the car’s device, also looking out at the night scenery. It resembled a tour guide who would tell passengers stories about the sights, appearing to carefully consider what past events to share, with a magical smile on its face.

In the end, it observed the expressions of the 56 contestants, sensing their dark, gloomy, black, and irritable emotions, whispering softly in its heart:

"After more than a week, it has had enough time to ferment."

"Is it Disaster Shell, or fuel, or idols, or witches?"

"All of this will be decided by your ‘heart’, isn’t that fair?"

The whole train carriage was silent, with a gloomy atmosphere, making the feeling of exhaustion even stronger.

Today is the final rehearsal, tomorrow they will face an audience of two thousand, presenting what could be their last performance of a lifetime.

As the main stage, they become increasingly aware during each rehearsal that their shining will be overshadowed by the two side stages during the actual performance.

Unwilling.

Very unwilling.

If…

If main carry position was Xie Qingxuan, that would be great.

Dark clouds swirled in Luo Chan’s eyes, her desire growing, mesmerized by the lights of Sea City.

——It was the manifestation of desire, the greed in her heart, the hopeless future.

The girl understood that if she got eliminated from "Dazzling Stage," she might never experience such a lavish life.

So, she couldn’t help but blame, couldn’t help but resent, couldn’t help but hate.

Even though she herself voted for Tang Liuli, actively engaged in malicious voting, pushing Xie Qingxuan out of the Carry Center, the ugly side of her emotions kept dwelling on the outcome most beneficial to herself.

Dark clouds flickered in Luo Chan’s eyes as she looked at Chu Yuanqing beside her. Chu Yuanqing’s profile was perfect, her expression indifferent, her features as if sculpted by God. Just a fleeting glance left a beautiful mark in Luo Chan’s heart.

So beautiful, if she had such a pretty face too, could she also easily climb to the top in popularity among the contestants, effortlessly changing the fate of coming from a small town?

So envious, with that face, even if she ended her stage performance at that level, she would still win people’s love, secure a debut position in "Dazzling Stage," right?

It’s so unfair. She has no foundation at all. Why should she be able to surpass the hard work I’ve put in for five years, and why should she be able to create such an unbelievable stage?

I wish Chu Yuanqing would disappear.

If Carry Center could be replaced by Xie Qingxuan, no, if it could be replaced by me, that would be great.

If everyone’s attention could always be on me, that would be wonderful.

Even though many negative thoughts collapsed, morals and basic reason suppressed the body’s actions.

Luo Chan realized something was wrong, but the trend stopped abruptly like an avalanche. When she met the mascot’s smile filled with crimson eyes, she completely lost the ability to struggle.

Reason snapped.

Instead, there was a strange and inexplicable logic like a mental illness.

– There are no cameras in the car. If you want to crush Chu Yuanqing’s resolve without collapsing in the eyes of the outside world, it can only be done before reaching the base, which is now.

Luo Chan was consumed by unkind thoughts, she lost her usual composure, stood up expressionless, walked up to Chu Yuanqing in the puzzled gazes of others, and bluntly mocked:

"Chu Yuanqing, as the main carry position, holding the best position, yet unable to surpass the other two sub-C players. Every rehearsal ends in failure, boosting the confidence of the other two teams. Don’t you feel ashamed?"

"Are you pretending not to know, or are you really so foolish that you can’t even see how much everyone is bothered by you?"

Luo Chan suddenly laughed, then hysterically burst into tears, and continued:

"Exactly, before joining ‘Dazzling Stage,’ you weren’t even a trainee, you couldn’t possibly understand how hard we work and how much we value this opportunity here, right?"

"Do you know how rare it is to perform on stage? Do you know that because of the rules of ‘Dazzling Stage,’ it might be the last stage we ever step on in our lifetime? Do you know how much attention the main stage will receive tomorrow because of your incompetence?"

Dark clouds seemed to be on the verge of seeping out from Luo Chan’s eyes, she reached out to touch those clear eyes, her lips trembling, whispered softly like a spell:

"Chu Yuanqing, you are not worthy to be the main carry position, you might as well give it up."

Snap.

Her wrist was held.

Luo Chan instinctively lowered her gaze, only to find that the person holding her hand was the same person she was about to mention.

– Xie Qingxuan.

The teenage girl’s platinum blonde hair swayed, her expression indifferent, the black haze in her eyes swirling like a vortex, the pupils inside seemed to have lost focus, the oppressive feeling that came suddenly was like the Demon King descending from the sky.

The unusual [Heart Flow], acquired as if by a mistake in evolution, displayed extremely terrifying traits in that moment.

Luo Chan was speechless and dazed, the black haze just filling her pupils seemed to encounter a higher-level monster, abruptly being drawn away and devoured, but the most crucial point was that even her other emotions were seen as food, forcibly snatched away together, chewed up and swallowed.

Luo Chan took a step back, suddenly slumping down, kneeling on the ground, she covered her empty chest, her expression blank, for a moment even the bewildered emotions were hard to generate.

Xie Qingxuan also seemed somewhat dazed, subconsciously hearing the sound of falling rain, a complete Personality Fragment emerged momentarily, followed by an urgently pursued Dream Puzzle.

– Did I… take away her shine?

Chu Yuanqing watched the scene feeling confused and a bit lost.

At the same time,

Dream Weaver Rabbit’s eyes were bright red, excitedly showing a joyful smile, and whispered softly:

"Is this completely different from Kirimi Miyuki’s type?"

"This competition… seems to be more interesting than I imagined."

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