Before the finals began, she had already taken annual leave from her company just to watch the live broadcast of "Everybody's Idol" tonight and see Xia Shiyu debut in the center position, as if this could make up for the regret of giving up her dream during her teenage years.
There are many fans like Lin Ling. Some are alone, scrolling through Weibo and WeChat Moments while opening a live streaming app. Others are in groups of three or five, with beer and snacks ready, chattering away as they wait for the competition to start.
According to previous Weibo surveys, these fans include full-time housewives, white-collar workers, students, teachers, and doctors from all walks of life. Women account for more than 70%, and among them, women with higher education levels account for as much as 40%.
Various memes have even circulated on social media.
[Fellow men, remember the fear of being dominated by your girlfriends during the World Cup? The time for revenge has finally come!]
[The World Cup didn't lead to divorce or separation, but today the opportunity has come again! Of course, if you're both watching "Everybody's Idol," then disregard what I said and just wish you a long and happy marriage [Goodbye]]
Today is our anniversary, and my boyfriend asked me to choose between him and another girl. What should I say? Urgent help needed!
While it may be a bit of an exaggeration, it does demonstrate just how popular "Everybody's Idol" is.
-
At this moment, a group of very low-key big shots also arrived at the competition site of "Everybody's Idol".
The staff led them to the VIP seats in the front row. Guo Wenyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, took off his sunglasses, and looked behind him: "It's really lively here!"
Many fans held up support signs, decorating the entire venue with vibrant colors. Whenever the camera panned across them, they would shout their idols' names.
Pei Ran smiled and said, "It does evoke some fond memories."
Guo Wenyuan, who had never enjoyed such adoration from fans, shut his mouth in embarrassment.
Pei Ran had only been speaking offhand, but seeing this, she changed the subject: "Where did Xiao Shen go? Wasn't he with us just now?"
Chu Meibo replied, "It seems she went to answer a phone call."
Shen Huai was making arrangements with Ming Wei on the phone in the corridor. Although Yingyuan Company had been beaten to the point of no return, everything was still subject to change before the end of the finals. Shen Huai was cautious by nature, so he spoke in more detail.
Mingwei, however, was full of confidence: "President Shen, don't worry, we are all on high alert and will ensure that there is no scandal."
Shen Huai grunted in response, and before he could say anything more, he heard screams coming from the competition venue outside, which immediately drowned out his voice.
After waiting for the screams to subside, Shen Huai quickly gave a few instructions before hanging up the phone and heading back to his seat.
At this moment, Guo Wenyuan was tinkering with a bunch of support items, all of which he had instructed Jia Mingming to prepare for him. In addition to a huge light board, there were also a bunch of light-up headbands and hand lights.
Without saying a word, Guo Wenyuan prepared a whole set for Chu Meibo and Pei Ran, which were sparkly and very cute.
Guo Wenyuan said eagerly, "This is all to support our Xiaxia!"
Chu Meibo and Pei Ran: "..."
Just as the two big shots were speechless, Shen Huai walked over and sat down. Guo Wenyuan then enthusiastically grabbed his shoulder and shoved a headband full of raindrops onto his head.
Shen Huai reacted quickly and was about to take off the headband when Pei Ran and Chu Meibo seized the opportunity and each grabbed one of his hands.
Shen Huai: "..."
Pei Ran: "As Xia Shiyu's manager, you must set an example in supporting her."
Chu Meibo: "Besides, this is so eye-catching! When Xiao Ye is on the judging panel, he'll definitely spot you at a glance!"
The two worked together seamlessly, one singing in harmony with the other. If you didn't see them tightly holding Shen Huai's hand, they would have seemed exceptionally sincere.
Nonsense! Better to die for your fellow Daoist than for me!
Shen Huai moved his fingers with difficulty, and finally could only say helplessly, "I won't take it, let go."
Chu Meibo and Pei Ran exchanged a glance before letting go of each other's hands.
Shen Huai stretched his arms and was about to say something when he suddenly heard a scream from the scene.
He looked up blankly and realized that the camera had just passed by them and had captured him directly. The GIF of him wearing a raindrop headband and looking completely bewildered quickly spread across the internet.
At Morningstar Company, Mingwei and others were on high alert for any online activity, but instead of something related to Xia Shiyu, they received a GIF of their boss.
Everyone: ...
One member whispered to Mingwei, "Sister Ming, is this considered dirt on us?"
Mingwei: "..."
Looking at the rapidly increasing number of reposts of this picture, she said with difficulty, "This... is an accident. Let's all do our best and leave the rest to fate."
Upon receiving the instructions, all members quickly began their work.
Mingwei glanced at the GIF again, then silently downloaded it and added it to her favorites.
-
The countdown to the start of "Everybody's Idol" is half an hour.
Fan Jiarou, still a student, rushed back to her room after taking a shower, not even hearing her mother calling her to eat fruit. At this time, the QQ group on her computer was already very lively.
Fan Jiarou opened the class group chat, where messages were being exchanged intensely, reaching 99 in no time. However, Fan Jiarou didn't have time to check the messages and immediately opened the live streaming app. But whether it was because there were too many viewers or because of the slow internet speed, it was very slow to load.
Fan Jiarou was so anxious that she stood up from her chair, opened the bedroom door, and asked her parents who were watching TV in the living room, "Mom, you're not downloading any TV dramas, are you?"
Mrs. Fan looked up, puzzled. "No, oh, you came out to eat fruit..."
Before she could finish speaking, Fan Jiarou closed the door and hurriedly opened the WeChat group.
[@Everyone, ladies! Did you join the live stream?]
[No! It's too laggy. I just checked Weibo, and it says the software crashed because there were too many viewers.]
【Ahhh, no! I've been looking forward to today for so long, I have to hold on during the live stream!】
I heard that Zhongjing TV will also be broadcasting live? I don't care, if I still can't get into the live stream later, I'm going out and fighting with my mom for the TV!
Fan Jiarou breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to find that she had actually logged into the live streaming app. Although the video was still choppy, she felt relieved. Since the competition hadn't started yet, they chatted in the group chat, and Fan Jiarou couldn't help but ask a question.
Do you think Xiaxia will get the center position tonight?
【You can definitely do it! Xiaxia is the best!】
[Sigh, I used to ship Xia and Wang, but Yingyuan was so disgusting that I stopped voting for Wang Can.]
[CanCan was also let down by the company. I just saw on Weibo that her fans left Yingyuan's fan club, and Wang Can had already been distancing herself from the other members of the company on the show.]
Even if it's their company's problem, doesn't she know that? Isn't she at fault? Xiaxia finally managed to get out of that slump, but they've smeared her so badly. Now that she knows she's being criticized, she's trying to distance herself. Pah! I hate her!
The girl who had spoken to Wang Can earlier stopped talking.
Their argument is a microcosm of online discourse, where people express themselves more directly. Overnight, Wang Can went from a popular contestant to the target of public criticism.
-
This is backstage at "Everybody's Idol".
After Wang Can changed her clothes, she came out of the fitting room. The once lively backstage area suddenly quieted down, and several girls who had been standing next to the fitting room moved to keep their distance from Wang Can.
Wang Can pursed her lips, pretended not to see, and walked to the dressing table.
Since the online comments went viral, the girls from Yingyuan Company were immediately isolated by others. Before the show's producers hid the vote count, some of Yingyuan Company's contestants had already fallen out of the debut positions.
Wang Can has always been well-liked and very capable. Even without Yingyuan Company's secret plans, her number of fans is still quite considerable.
After learning about the company's plans, Wang Can vehemently opposed them and secretly distanced himself from the original group members, which led to an argument with them.
But at this moment, no one believed her, especially the contestants who had a direct conflict of interest.
The online comments and the indifference and isolation from others put a lot of pressure on Wang Can, but she did not give up. After a brief period of confusion and breakdown, she chose to grit her teeth and get through it.
But at this moment, she was all alone and was being subtly rejected by both sides.
No matter how much mental preparation Wang Can did for herself, at this moment, she finally couldn't hold on any longer.
She didn't want to stay backstage any longer and strode out. But as she walked out, she tripped over someone, but luckily she caught herself against the wall. Looking at the girls who were laughing and joking without any remorse, she clenched her teeth and walked out.
Wang Can walked into an empty passageway and finally couldn't hold back her tears. But afraid of ruining her makeup, she could only lower her head completely and let the tears fall directly to the ground.
She told herself that she was only going to be weak for a moment, but the tears seemed to flow endlessly.
Just then, a hand holding a tissue appeared in front of her.
Wang Can was stunned.
She sniffed, slowly raised her head, and saw Xia Shiyu standing opposite her. Her face did not show the hatred and anger she had imagined; instead, it carried a hint of gentleness.
"Wipe it off."
Wang Can blankly took the tissue, whispered "thank you," and then lowered his head.
Xia Shiyu looked at her, her feelings were also a bit complicated. In her memory, Wang Can was a bit arrogant, but she wasn't a bad person, nor was she as scheming as people said on the internet. It's just that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. As the most popular contestant under Yingyuan Company, she naturally became a target for many people.
Xia Shiyu had experienced similar cyberbullying before, which she found regrettable. She didn't want Wang Can to become the next Xia Shiyu.
Wang Can wiped away her tears, and her mood calmed down considerably.
Xia Shiyu thought for a moment and said to her, "Some things are fine as long as you have a clear conscience. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Wang Can paused. Ever since this incident, she had been enduring the pressure and hadn't said a word, because she knew very well that no one would believe her no matter what she said at this time. But she didn't expect that Xia Shiyu would actually comfort her.
At this moment, Wang Can suddenly felt the urge to confide in someone.
She looked at Xia Shiyu, her voice tinged with urgency: "I never agreed to the company's actions. I've been arguing with the company, and I've had many arguments with my agent. I can testify to that! But I can't stop them..."
In the end, she seemed unable to continue, her voice lowered, her fists clenched tightly, and she whispered, "But no matter what, I'm sorry."
Xia Shiyu looked up at the top of her head and softened her voice: "I believe you."
Hearing her say that without hesitation, Wang Can felt it was almost a perfunctory response. The light in her eyes dimmed, and she gave a bitter smile: "You're right not to believe me. I don't believe it myself..."
Xia Shiyu knew immediately that she had misunderstood.
In fact, something similar had happened when she was Tang Wanjun, so she could understand Wang Can's feelings at this moment.
But she knew that no matter how she explained it, Wang Can, who was extremely sensitive at that moment, would still be suspicious.
So Xia Shiyu gave up explaining, took her hand, and pointed to the stage where the lights were already on.
"You don't need to prove anything to me, or to anyone else. That place under the neon lights is where you can prove yourself."
☆, Chapter 169
At 8:00 AM sharp, the grand finale of "Everybody's Idol" officially began.
Although it's called the grand finale, in a previous interview with producer Zhang Li, she said that rather than a competition, she hoped it would be a grand party for everyone's entertainment. All the contestants gave their best efforts and were in their best form, so she hoped the audience could enjoy the show and see their sincerity.