Chapter 264

Chapter 264: The Boomerang’s Social Death, a New Activity for "Dazzling Stage," Photo Shoot

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, a week had gone by.

The young idols trained step by step, and their daily lives were as light and fluffy as clouds.

If we skip over the thousands of words from the magical performances during the week, and Charlotte’s occasional new tricks, this group of people lived very healthily, spending their days either training or exploring beautiful spots, almost eating all the delicious food in the old town.

The vlog tasks naturally added up during this time.

As for the show filming, since Charlotte was also present and often caused show accidents, Dream Weaver Rabbit took over Chen Xiaoxiao and the others’ work, allowing this group of workers to take a paid holiday, and they all went home, letting the young idols enter a completely free stage of being cared for.

Well, show accidents refer to Miss Saintess often stealing kisses from Honey Qing in front of the tiny cameras, and even loving to touch inappropriately, publicly announcing her coming out.

To keep things secret, Esther had to pay for a certain Holy Maiden’s naughty behavior, turning from boss to a hardworking rabbit, diligently cutting out the inappropriate parts from the recording materials.

The reason for doing this was naturally for the greater good of "Dazzling Stage."

Although it cannot be denied that many viewers of girl groups enjoy seeing lesbian relationships, this does not mean that these people can truly accept lesbians, let alone other audience groups.

Therefore, to ensure that the two leading stars receive the purest sparkling energy before completing the ultimate plan of "Dazzling Stage," making public announcements and coming out is strictly prohibited.

As for CP fans and certain speculations, even if they come up with their own conclusions, as long as the main figures are not caught and do not announce anything, these opinions will only be guesses and will not truly affect the audience or the overall situation.

This is evident from the fact that after Pure White Witch seemingly "embraced" someone at the end of the sixth episode, Weibofan did not decline at all and instead surged to 27.91 million in just one week, highlighting the issue.

Normally, proper affection shown between them would only attract public attention and would not turn into negative news that drives away casual fans; this is especially true since both topic figures possess an allure akin to succubi.

Within a week, including in Donghong Federation, Sacred United Country, and various regions of different countries, "Dazzling Stage" has become a nearly household name grand project, momentarily casting modern society, which has maintained peace for 17 years, into the illusion of entertainment overload.

The concept of idols and stages, which is relatively niche in the entertainment circle, has been pushed into a wonderful position that normally would not be reached, driven by the anxiety of civilization’s survival.

Of course, the widespread use of "Heart Flow" has led many contestants to create various miracles on stage, and even the early form of "Shining Magic," which is one of the reasons the public believes it can bring sufficient emotional value.

The popularity of the "Dazzling Stage" project has created an atmosphere of rapid change, as idols and stages have blended into every aspect of life under overwhelming and saturated promotion, with related stock prices and economic trends flourishing ever more.

Today, the influence of public opinion has created a feeling among people that we are entering, or perhaps already in, a "great idol era," turning more potential groups into viewers of this show.

People come from everywhere seeking profit, and everywhere people bustle about for gain.

Even those who are not interested in idols or do not feel excited about the stage, when they see that the benefits affect them personally, many who think of themselves as laid-back have no choice but to jump into the "pit" dug by the officials.

However, for the vast majority of viewers, "Dazzling Stage" is just an entertainment show, and hardly anyone will explore the core and driving forces behind it. Most people see this grand audition program and will likely just say, "If you put thought into it, that’s good."

Chu Yuanqing and Charlotte, along with some rising reserve witches, seem silent in this global celebration, like countless splashes created by a crashing wave.

The internet users in Daxia are completely unaware of the future crisis.

Especially the fans of Pure White Witch, who are currently immersed in their little idol’s frequent updates on Weibo, happily enjoying Honey Qing’s stunning beauty, showering her with compliments.

Well, this frequency of three Weibo updates a day likely suggests that someone, after hosting a party, feels guilty towards their little fans and wants to make up for it through hard work.

The latest Weibo post was made five minutes ago, mainly promoting a new event for "Dazzling Stage."

The first picture shows a delicate hand holding a pen, with fair skin and elegantly long curves. There are no fancy nails, just natural pink tips that are well-shaped and beautiful.

The second picture is a signed photo that will be given away at the event. It has the name "Chu Yuanqing" written neatly on the paper, and beside it, she has practiced the signature of the nearby Little Sakura, drawing a simple bouquet of flowers.

The third picture is a video taken in the dance studio.

Chu Yuanqing wears a sporty jacket that hides the curves of her yoga outfit. Her clear, gem-like eyes gaze into the mirror, while her flawless, beautiful face is tinted with a captivating coral pink, looking as if she has just finished exercising. Her expression is habitually serious.

In the scene, Honey Qing initially makes a serious cheer gesture, but Little Sakura, who is filming the video, rejects it, saying she seems too stiff.

Meanwhile, a strange yet pleasant, playful voice rises and falls like notes in the ear:

"Little Qing, don’t be so stiff! This is your first time talking to fans on social media, right? You need to show sincerity and joy, and bring your smile to the fans!"

Under Miss Saintess’s mischievous guidance, the Pure White Witch, after countless tries, finally greets the fans in front of the camera with a charming and relaxed demeanor, her smile gentle and warm.

Compared to her initial awkwardness, unnaturalness, embarrassment, and even faint dislike, her later gracefulness and the shadow of deep sadness in her eyes gave the fans a delightful surprise, successfully promoting the event for "Dazzling Stage."

…

…

At dusk, Salzburg.

Charlotte bought a fluffy cotton candy from the old lady’s stall. It looked like a soft, fluffy cloud as she proudly handed it to Chu Yuanqing, her face lighting up with a happy smile. She pulled her friend to sit by the street in the old town and said:

"Watching the clouds while eating cotton candy is a special treat, isn’t it?"

Chu Yuanqing had felt embarrassed about the trick that Charlotte played on her earlier, but after receiving the cotton candy and seeing The Last Diva’s sweeter-than-candy smile, she couldn’t stay upset. She could only say carefully:

"You must not tease me again. When you mess around, I can’t make my videos properly."

Miss Saintess blinked her eyes, sitting very upright beside her, looking cute and well-behaved. She clearly felt a little guilty about what she had done. She didn’t even try to be silly or act cute; after sincerely apologizing, she changed the subject and said:

"By the way, does Little Qing know what activities will be held for ‘Dazzling Stage’?"

Chu Yuanqing thought for a moment and said:

"I don’t know. Usually, this should be something that Assistant Chen informs us about. Since Little Dream took over, she just had us sign the photos and post something on Weibo."

Yes, if Charlotte hadn’t encouraged her and caused trouble, she would have only made a little thank-you video for the fans like Little Sakura, and it wouldn’t have been repeated so many times like filming a movie.

After hearing this, Charlotte felt a bit unsure.

How much does Little Qing dislike being online? She clearly logs into Weibo every day; she should pay a little attention to the trending topics, right?

The Last Diva reasonably suspected that this was Little Dream’s "prank" on Honey Qing, and she suddenly asked:

"Little Qing, have you done anything recently that would make Little Dream angry?"

Chu Yuanqing was a bit confused when she heard this. She thought seriously for a while about what might have made Esther angry. Could it be because of that batch of Disaster Debris? It shouldn’t be, right?

Pure White Witch’s thoughts wandered here, and soon shifted to the thought, "Why hasn’t that batch of Disaster Debris arrived yet? I should go urge Dream Weaver Rabbit," and she quietly opened the app’s store, tapped the button to urge the order, and then confidently answered:

"Not at all."

After Charlotte heard this, she stopped thinking. She looked at the soft cotton candy in Chu Yuanqing’s hands, leaned closer, and took a bite. After encouraging Chu Yuanqing to eat some too, she took the chance to snap a very close selfie and happily posted it on social media.

Even though Dream Weaver Rabbit said not to come out publicly or make an announcement, isn’t it reasonable for good friends to share a cotton candy?

…

…

Daxia, Sea City.

At the entrance of Sea City Foreign Language Private College, a human-shaped stand advertising "Dazzling Stage" was covered in names of a certain adorable daughter written by a group of excited fans.

Although they are called names, most of them are encouraging phrases like "Go Honey Moon!" "Mom loves you!" "Baby, you are the best!" It is clear that Chu Wang Shu has a lot of mom fans.

But mixed in are phrases like "Little Shu, you must debut!" "The class leader is very handsome," and "I hope the senior gets her wish," which seem to be written by insiders. They might be Chu Wang Shu’s classmates, junior students, or possibly even teachers and the homeroom teacher.

If you walk into the school, even though you can’t see the big fuss about Chu Wang Shu advancing in "Dazzling Stage," you can still see her as an outstanding student being celebrated on a red banner for her acceptance to Sea City Art University.

Across from the teaching building, the all-day advertisement bought by "Dazzling Stage" has been cleverly changed to show direct videos of the team Chu Wang Shu is in, taking good care of their own school’s students.

It’s clear that the school leaders are eager to use Chu Wang Shu to ride the popularity of "Dazzling Stage," and they are probably already thinking about how to negotiate with Chu Wang Shu to put her picture on next year’s enrollment forms.

If she knew about the current situation at her alma mater, she would likely feel quite confused.

Of course, when Chu Yuanqing sees the advertisement screen across from the teaching building, it will blow her mind faster than her lovely daughter’s CPU.

Because on the advertisement screen, her and her daughter dancing together in the performance looks perfect, even surpassing what she initially imagined as the ultimate embarrassing scene, a heartbreaking boomerang in fast motion.

"Honey Tong, don’t die, just watch Honey Qing’s dance to gain some life!"

"Oh, all the little idols are so cute; my darling dances so beautifully."

Xu Ling pulled Pei Xiaotong, who complained about the sun being too bright, as they stood in front of Chu Wang Shu’s alma mater, like on a sacred pilgrimage, looking here and there, finally gazing at the billboard on the academy building, enjoying Pure White Witch’s dance from the second performance.

"Honey Ling, do star chasers like you have so much energy?"

Pei Xiaotong said softly, still in the bright sunshine, picked up her phone, and excitedly scanned the QR code on the advertisement board covered in words to start the lottery.

This is a recent offline event launched by "Dazzling Stage," held together by Sea City and Kyoto. The rules are quite similar; the specific detail is that ten thousand stands have been randomly placed across the country, and everyone can scan up to 20 different stands for a chance to enter the lottery.

The prizes in Sea City are especially varied; besides cash, delivery vouchers, and common items like eggs, oil, and salt, there are also plush toys of Dream Weaver Rabbit, mentor and contestant signed photos, postcards, and products endorsed by various Grade A little idols.

The most popular prize is still tickets to the three performances.

"Dazzling Stage" has put a total of ten thousand tickets into the prize pool for the offline lottery, and even to prevent older ladies from winning and not attending, they have allowed ticket transfers and sales.

To prevent scalping and ticket flipping, all transfers and sales must be done on the "Dazzling Stage" platform, making this event highly praised while also very lively.

Xu Ling really wants a performance ticket, but what she wants most is the grand prize from this prize pool. She dragged Pei Xiaotong around Sea City to enter the lottery and managed to enter three times in just two days.

Although Sea City set up more than a hundred stands, many of them were duplicates.

After all, Sea City’s "Dazzling Stage" placed 10,000 life-sized cutouts across the country, using the images of the eliminated contestants, totaling only 84. Among them, Grade A contestants would receive a streaming boost, so their cutouts would be much more common than others.

This meant that online estimates suggested they would have to visit all three cities to truly have 20 chances to win.

Xu Ling and Pei Xiaotong had a total of six tries, five of which were discount coupons for video memberships, and one was a Dream Weaver Rabbit plush toy. They were just there for support and didn’t even get a signed photo.

But this situation was quite normal; with 84 little idols in Sea City, if each signed 10 photos, that would be just over 800 photos. Considering the size of the country and the program’s audience, only a lucky few would get a signed photo, let alone one of their own favorite idols.

"Ah! Why did it run out of battery right now!"

Pei Xiaotong looked at her phone, which had gone black just before the lottery results, feeling frustrated and teary as she glanced at her cousin sister, only to receive the same sharp sound of disappointment.

"Wah, mine shut down too! I didn’t even get to open the webpage."

Xu Ling ran to the small store to borrow two power banks, then took her little cousin, who had turned silly from the sun, to sit under a tree’s shade and enjoy strawberry ice cream from a nearby cart. She tugged at her collar, looked up at the swaying branches, and vowed,

"Once we charge our phones and finish the draw, we’ll go home and enjoy the air conditioning!"

Pei Xiaotong pressed the cold water bottle against her face. She took a bite of her ice cream, then quietly moved a little farther away from her warm cousin sister and said:

"You said the same thing this morning, but when you heard that Honey Moon’s school gate has her sign, you rushed to take a taxi over."

Xu Ling, feeling guilty, turned her gaze away. She smiled awkwardly and looked towards the endless blue sky, then changed the subject, saying:

"It’s strange. Even though summer is almost over, it’s still so hot."

Pei Xiaotong took a bite of her ice cream cone and casually said:

"I heard on the news that the ocean temperature is rising. This summer might be longer than usual. My grandmother told me that the flowers in our hometown have already wilted. Who knows, by the time the ginkgo leaves turn yellow, it might still be this hot."

Xu Ling felt her clothes soaked with sweat and sticky. She was thankful that her makeup was waterproof. She looked at the school and the advertising boards for "Dazzling Stage," listening to the noisy cicadas. While eating her ice cream cone, she said:

"That sounds like summer just won’t leave and is still on vacation. Isn’t that nice? The only problem is that it uses up the air conditioning a bit."

Pei Xiaotong complained:

"It would be great if we could have more holidays. When school starts, I will probably need a whole week to catch up on an episode of ‘Dazzling Stage’, and there won’t be any time left to follow other animes."

Just as she finished speaking, her phone, which turned on automatically after charging, began to chime.

The little girl opened the WeChat class group with curiosity, and her eyes widened with surprise. She excitedly tugged at her cousin sister’s arm and said with shining eyes:

"Honey Ling, look! Our school’s summer vacation is really going to be extended, for an entire month! This is like a dream come true!"

Xu Ling looked at the group chat message from her cousin’s teacher tagging the whole class and was shocked, unable to help but complain:

"Is this really not a case of someone hacking the account?"

"By the way, Honey Tong, if your luck is really this good, you might win something nice!"

After the girl finished speaking, she also looked at the phone that had turned on, casually opened the lottery page, and watched the wheel spin. With eager little fingers, she tapped it and was surprised to see brilliant golden light.

Xu Ling looked at the characters and icons behind the golden light, feeling confused for a moment, and then she joyfully exclaimed:

"Yay! Honey Tong, I got tickets for three performances!"

Xu Ling looked excitedly at her cousin but found her staring motionless at her phone screen. She blinked in confusion and leaned in curiously, only to see the wheel’s pointer stopped at the smallest rainbow-colored area.

That was… the mysterious grand prize, which was better than signed photos, performance tickets, or merchandise. The winner could choose any little idol from the competition to have a special magazine photo shoot for "Dazzling Stage"!