Chapter 33 The first episode is broadcast

After the first round of performances ended, the fans who went to the scene posted repos in the program and the contestants’ personal super chats as soon as they got their phones back.

[Jiang Mo Nan's thigh pendant V: The first round of performances was so good! Highly recommend the "Hot" set 1!]

Nan Nan was the lead vocalist for group 1 of "Hot" and sang the bridge of the chorus and the high notes at the end. The performance was electric! The whole audience was shouting Jiang Monan's name. I'm betting that "Hot" will become a legendary performance after the show airs!

[By the way, Nannan looked super handsome today! His outfit was gorgeous too, like a fairy! It’s a shame he wasn’t center stage… but then again, Sheng Yanyu’s family wasn’t center stage either, hahahahaha!]

During this period, the fan circles of the two groups have been fighting openly and secretly for the top spot in the voting pool, causing a lot of friction. After hearing the rumor that the two were in the same group for the first public performance, the fan circles of both groups were unhappy about it for a while.

Sheng Yanyu's fans even boasted that their group would definitely be the center of this round of performances, and told Jiang fans not to have such wishful thinking. However, netizens who attended the performance said that Sheng Yanyu was not the center.

Although they weren't supporting their own idol, they were actually happier seeing their rivals get humiliated than supporting their own idol. Who made them so arrogant and overbearing before?

Seeing Jiang Mo Nan's vote count rising, everyone started cursing the royal family and saying the show was shady. Then they started brainwashing the fan circle like a cult.

What about "Brother only has us" and "Do you want to see his dream shattered again?"

He even morally blackmailed fans into believing that if they didn't spend money to vote for him, it meant they didn't love him.

Although there are few fan circles that are not crazy nowadays, it is rare to see one as crazy as this.

While everyone was happy, someone asked, "So who is the C position of Group 1 of "Hot"?"

The blogger who published the repo replied:

[It's Lei Lie! So handsome! By the way, Lei Lie's fans are in luck: his outfit is a deep V-neck shirt with translucent tulle—the kind that really shows off your abs (side-eyed smile)]

As soon as these words were spoken, the comment section exploded.

Most of the people who follow the show are veteran fans, and few of them support only one person. Even though almost everyone who sees this repo is a fan of Jiang Mo Nan, there is still a good chance of finding a second or third person.

Star-chasing girls like them have hearts made of durian. Not only are their words hard and thorny, but there are also people standing on the tip of each of their hearts.

As for a guy like Lei Lie who is objectively handsome, even if you don't push him, you can't say the word "ugly" about his face.

The same goes for Baili.

It is precisely because of this that, before the show started, when the outside world knew nothing about the contestants, apart from Sheng Yanyu who had fans from his former company's family and Jiang Mo Nan whose appearance made him a hot topic, only Lei Lie and Bai Li were the most popular.

Similarly, their popularity is the highest except for the child star Chang Jun.

Many people who love looks are attracted by Lei Lie's sculptural, mixed-race looks. Therefore, when they learned that Lei Lie's stage look was a deep V-neck, not only Lei Lie's fans, but also those who love looks like a good-looking person also let out wolf howls.

Netizens in the comment section were immediately jealous, and they all envied the fans who went to the scene and were able to appreciate the handsome guy's beauty and body from such a close distance.

Although there is still some time before the first public broadcast, the good news is that the first episode of the show will finally be aired tonight.

At 8:00 p.m., Cai Shumin and her roommate Luo Xinyi immediately squatted in front of their mobile phone screens.

Probably because the preheating has been going on for so long, the production team was embarrassed to continue the hunger marketing. The first episode was a full three hours long and was released together in two parts.

After turning off the comment section and skipping the commercials and opening theme song, host Zeng Yu, sporting a familiar bald hairstyle, appeared in the center of the screen. After fast-forwarding through the show's customary opening remarks, the contestants finally took the stage.

Watching the handsome men with exquisite makeup and hair enter the studio to choose their seats, Luo Xinyi couldn't help but mutter -

"Why hasn't Jiang Mo Nan come out yet?"

"Come in and take a look."

Cai Shumin sped up the video playback speed. However, until the first contestant came on stage to perform, they still couldn't find Jiang Mo Nan.

Luo Xinyi was immediately furious. "What the hell? Our Nannan is such a grown man. Are the production team trying to prevent him from exploding?"

As an old show host, Luo Xinyi is very familiar with the methods used by some shows to prevent contestants from exploding.

At the beginning, they used popular contestants as a diversion, but after the show started, they tried to reduce their importance as much as possible and increase the shots for the people they really wanted to promote.

Although "Youth Project" was advertised as an all-amateur talent show before it was aired, in fact, there were child stars and internet celebrities among the contestants?

It is impossible for anything related to the entertainment industry to be completely free of interests.

Although Cai Shumin wasn't as outspoken as Luo Xinyi, she couldn't help but curse the production team in her heart. They patiently watched, and finally, they saw that figure appear.

In the picture, Jiang Monan is wearing a simple white T-shirt and black sports trousers, looking fresh and clean, which is in stark contrast to the contestants around him who are dressed up.

Seeing this, Luo Xinyi frowned immediately: "Isn't she dressed too plainly? If it weren't for her face and figure, I would have thought she was a boy from our school."

Although there is no one as handsome as him in their school, this outfit always gives people a sense of déjà vu.

Although the stylist hung a silver necklace around his neck as decoration, it looked quite plain compared to the fancy looks of others.

Cai Shumin nodded. "It's a bit simple indeed. But he's still handsome."

Although she was not very satisfied with the look, Luo Xinyi's resentment slowly dissipated when she looked at the face in the picture.

[“Has anyone ever told you that you look like someone?”]

When they heard the question raised by Lu Ye, their hearts suddenly tightened.

The program crew is making trouble!

Knowing how much criticism Jiang Mo Nan has received online recently due to his appearance, he deliberately let the instructor ask this question and even released this clip! Isn't this clearly leading the audience to think that Jiang Mo Nan is deliberately trying to ride on the popularity of his predecessors?

For a moment, they began to feel nervous for Jiang Mo Nan and were curious about how he would answer.

["have."]

The boy's answer in the picture was very honest.

[“Is that why you chose to perform Mo Bei’s song?”]

Hearing this, Luo Xinyi immediately flew into a rage, "Did the production team do this on purpose?"

As a fan, Luo Xinyi didn't think it was wrong to capitalize on the popularity. After all, Mo Bei had been dead for 20 years. Even if he had been a top star during his lifetime, he was already a thing of the past. Besides, it wasn't like other people had imitated Mo Bei's songs online or on variety shows. Why couldn't Jiang Monan do the same?

Although she stands by her idol, Luo Xinyi is well aware of the treacherous nature of fandoms. A seemingly ordinary remark can be magnified and maliciously misinterpreted.

Therefore, Jiang Mo Nan’s next answer is crucial.

In the camera, the cold, moon-like face pondered for a moment and then spoke:

“If I say I didn’t want to ride on the hype, you wouldn’t believe me. But the main reason I chose this song is because I like it.”

“Even after listening to it twenty years later, I still think it’s a well-made piece.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Xinyi and the other person's hearts, which had been hanging in their throats, immediately settled back into their stomachs.

"It's okay, it's okay."

"As expected of my idol. High emotional intelligence and adaptability!"

Perhaps because he had obtained enough materials, the instructors stopped asking him tricky questions after that.

But the two people who had just put their minds at ease never expected that what happened next would cause quite a stir in the fan circle and even on the Internet in the future.

Perhaps because Jiang Mo Nan was quiet and expressionless, the host and mentor had a misunderstanding.

"Contestant, don't be nervous. Relax and smile."

[“That’s right, we don’t eat humans.”]

Hearing this, Jiang Mo Nan tried to pull the muscles at the corners of his mouth, and then a stiff smile appeared on his face.

The atmosphere seemed to become awkward.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Mo Nan said with a serious face -

[“Sorry everyone, I just went to the hospital for Botox a few days ago, so I can’t make big expressions.”]

After the words were spoken, silence fell on the scene.

Not only the mentors and contestants in the studio, but even the two people outside the screen were jaw-dropping.

Is this kind of thing allowed to be said on the show?

Jiang Monan, do you have to be so straightforward?!

After a moment of shock, Cai Shumin recovered and said, "He must be joking. Why would he get Botox at just 23? Besides, I've been to the scene, and his face doesn't look like he has any signs of cosmetic surgery aftereffects."

Luo Xinyi held her forehead with her hand, unable to explain herself. "Even if it's a joke, it can't be made in this situation. It's like giving the opponent a black mark for nothing."

Even though it hasn't been posted on a public platform yet, she can already imagine how much of a shock her idol's words will cause in the fan circle.

Resisting the urge to open Weibo, the two had no choice but to continue reading.

Fortunately, the contestants and mentors didn't seem to take his words seriously, and just regarded them as a joke to ease the atmosphere.

After the thrilling interview session ended, Jiang Mo Nan's first stage rating performance began.

The song he performed was called "Moving Forward".

The two had never heard the original version before. Judging from the version sung by Jiang Mo Nan on the show, the song was indeed quite nice.

Unlike the two relatively calm people in front of the screen, the contestants and mentors on the scene were shocked.

[“Holy crap! Is this the original version?”]

[“Wait, did he actually start the mic? Didn’t the production team play a separate soundtrack for him?”]

[“Oh my god… this is amazing. The voice is almost identical to the original singer!”]

Looking at the shocked and surprised faces on the screen, Luo Xinyi, who had been worried because Jiang Mo Nan joked about having Botox, suddenly felt refreshed.

What is strength? This is strength!

What is a reversal? This is a reversal!

However, at this moment, the lights on the stage suddenly dimmed.

The spotlight that was originally shining on Jiang Mo Nan in the center of the stage went out, and the environment on the scene instantly became dim.

"What's going on?" Luo Xinyi frowned.

In the picture, Jiang Mo Nan's dance began to become stiff and jerky like a robot, which was very different from the previous smooth and natural dance.

"What happened? Did he make a mistake?"

For a moment, the two fans couldn't help but worry about each other.

After this inexplicable dancebreak ended, Jiang Mo Nan bowed to everyone and said—

[“…The last part is actually a dance style I created, called ‘Zombie Punk Popping’.]

From here on, things started to become unusual.

First, the staff on the scene came out and said that there was an accident with the stage lighting, and asked the mentors and contestants to give Jiang Mo Nan another chance to perform.

Later, mentor An Junze rejected the program team's proposal on the grounds that "the lighting problem was not enough to affect Jiang Monan's performance, and giving him a chance to do it again would be unfair to other contestants."

Although what An Junze said is correct, from the perspective of Jiang Monan's fans, the production team is inhumane.

Why was the lighting working fine when others were performing, but broke down when it was Jiang Mo Nan's turn?

Even if there is a malfunction, they won’t allow you to perform a second time!

With this kind of treatment, how can Sheng Yanyu's fans have the nerve to criticize their royal family? Whose royal family is so miserable!

For a while, Jiang Mo Nan’s fans who saw this segment cursed the production team for being inhumane in the barrage.

It is true that Jiang Mo Nan’s votes are currently in the upper circle, but fans still couldn’t help but feel distressed when they saw this scene.

However, faced with such a result, Jiang Mo Nan himself remained calm.

He was neither dissatisfied nor complaining, but calmly accepted the C-level card given by the instructor.

"This show is too sloppy. The lighting issue isn't Jiang Mo'nan's fault. Anyone would be nervous if such a mistake happened on their first live show. Why can't they give them a second chance?"

Even Cai Shumin, who is usually good-tempered, couldn't help but start scolding the program crew at this moment.

"Don't be angry yet. This might be a script arranged by the production team."

Compared to her previous indignation, Luo Xinyi looked surprisingly calm this time.

"What do you mean?" Cai Shumin was puzzled.

"The performance went awry because of a problem with the stage lighting, and the production team didn't even give them a chance to fix it. If this isn't deliberate suppression, then it's definitely backstabbing the fans!"

As she spoke, Luo Xinyi's eyes sparkled with excitement: "Sister, we might actually get the royal family this time!"

At the same time, contrary to everyone's expectations, after the first episode of "Youth Chance" was broadcast, what first went viral was not the contestants' explosive performances, but a remark by Jiang Monan that seemed to be a joke on the show.

[A Little Feather V: (picking his nose) I was wondering how there could be two people in the world who look so similar. Turns out he had plastic surgery. (Video link)]

Unaware of the situation, a passerby saw this Weibo post and couldn't help but click on the link out of curiosity. In the video, a contestant in a white T-shirt said to the instructors with a stiff face, "Excuse me, teachers. I just went to the hospital for Botox injections a few days ago, so I can't make big expressions."

The clip went viral within hours of the show airing, with comments swirling around the internet.

Jiang fans naturally would not admit that their idol had plastic surgery, and they only responded with:

"This is obviously a joke. Why would Jiang Mo Nan, who's so young, get Botox?"

"Yes, everyone knows that Botox is used to remove wrinkles. Who needs wrinkle removal at the age of 23?"

"I thought he was joking, too. The atmosphere was awkward at the time, and everyone laughed when he said that."

Regarding the response from Jiang Mo Nan’s fans, other black fans naturally expressed their opposition:

"The main person has admitted it, but the maid is still washing."

"The fans above saying young people shouldn't get Botox is hilarious. Some people are born with expression lines at a young age, so maybe your family is trying to get rid of nasolabial folds and forehead wrinkles."

In the chaotic fan circle war, some passers-by commented disapprovingly:

"Actually, getting injections is nothing. How many people in the entertainment industry don't get cosmetic treatments? It's not like they're going under the knife to shave their bones. There are plenty of people who get hydrating injections, Botox, nose jobs, or double eyelid surgery. He's doing this because he's a decent person and is willing to maintain his looks so as not to embarrass his fans."

"I ordered it. It's better to be willing to invest in your face than those love-struck people who don't do any image management and are only willing to invest in their sister-in-law."

It is true that most passers-by did not think there was anything wrong with what Jiang Mo Nan said. Instead, they thought that he was honest, but he could not withstand the large number of black fans on his side.

Even though fans and passersby who had been there offline before posted pictures to prove that there was no trace of plastic surgery on Jiang Mo Nan's face, it was of no use to those haters.

They just want to insist that Jiang Monan is an unknown person who had plastic surgery to look like Mo Bei and was trying to get close to his senior.

Sheng Yanyu's fans were especially upset with Jiang Mo Nan, whose votes were so close to their own idol's. Now, seeing the rival idol actively offering negative feedback, they were practically grinning, and now they were even more determined to pull him down.

For a time, Jiang Mo Nan's fan circle faced a huge challenge. Under the relentless attack of those haters, some passers-by were led astray and began to have a bad impression of Jiang Mo Nan.

But many times, challenges and opportunities coexist.

As a former top star, Mo Bei had a bloody, black and red physique in his lifetime. After being reborn as a zombie, this trait seemed to have continued to the sock puppet "Jiang Mo Nan".

Thanks to the tireless forwarding of anti-fans, this video gradually went viral. Many netizens who were not fans of Jiang Mo Nan didn't even know who he was, but because of this clip, they also began to take an interest in Jiang Mo Nan and the program "Youth Project".

Soon the number of views of the first episode of the show skyrocketed.

For a moment, the program team and the senior management of Pineapple Video were all grinning from ear to ear.

Originally, they spent a lot of money on marketing the program and promoting the contestants' looks and abilities, but in the end, they were no match for the talented contestants, who simply boosted the number of views with just one sentence.

Those passersby who learned about the program and became interested in it through forwarding did not care about whether Jiang Mo Nan had plastic surgery or not. They only sighed -

Why didn’t I catch up on this show sooner? The guys in this show are so handsome!

Bubble grunted, "I don't usually follow talent shows or idols, but after watching the first episode, I want to vote for Jiang Mo Nan! Anyone understand?"

Lucky Little Koi: "I get it! This guy may be straightforward, but he has a pretty high EQ. I was nervous for him when the instructor asked those tricky questions earlier, but he answered them so confidently. Even though he only got a C due to a stage error, I'm sure he'll rise to higher positions in the future!"

Love eating jackfruit: "The performance went awry because of a lighting malfunction on the stage. This was clearly the fault of the production team, but the mentors refused to give him a second chance. I almost feel sorry for Jiang Mo Nan."

Seeing a passerby speak up for Jiang Mo Nan, the haters couldn't stand it anymore and quickly came out to criticize him -

momo: "Come on, it's just a lighting malfunction, not a stage collapse. Is that why the instructors should give him another chance?"

If you argue with me, I'm right: "That's right. It was clearly my own poor mental state that caused the mistake, and you're still talking nonsense about this being a self-created dance style. Isn't that shameful?"

Bruno: "Hahaha, fucking 'zombie punk popping'. That's hilarious!"

However, with the "botulism toxin" incident beforehand, a minor incident like a stage blunder wouldn't really cause much of a stir. After all, there were plenty of other contestants performing poorly on the same show. Jiang Mo'nan's stage blunder wasn't worth discussing among them. Most netizens, uninformed about the situation, and Jiang Mo'nan's Lu Hao were solely focused on their faces.

Ariana: "I watched the first episode. The production team didn't add any filters. I think many close-up shots of Jiang Mo Nan looked very natural. It doesn't seem like Sheng Yanyu's fans said he had a major facelift."

I don't know how to name it: "I got it. You haven't even dug up her old photos and you're already saying she had plastic surgery. How is this different from spreading rumors?"

Summer Solstice and Autumnal Equinox: "That's how fandoms are. They'll throw all sorts of dirty water at their opponents just to crush them. Regardless of whether Jiang Mo Nan's words were a joke, even if they were true, claiming someone's head was swapped without any actual evidence is just ridiculous."

Huahua's internet mom: "I agree with the above. According to them, ordinary people getting Botox wrinkle removal is like having a new head? What kind of bandit logic is this?"

Barbie Rabbit: "I originally liked Sheng Yanyu himself, but his fans really ruined my impression of him."

Most passersby were normal and had no prejudice against Jiang Mo Nan. Some even became fans of Jiang Mo Nan after learning about the show.

Seeing things develop like this, Sheng Yanyu's fans who originally wanted to drag Jiang Mo Nan into the water were so angry that they almost vomited blood.

What are these people looking at?

Instead of being a fan of Sheng Yanyu, who has natural good looks, strong abilities and no negative news, you actually want to be a fan of a plastic surgery freak with poor abilities?

Are they blind?

Unconvinced, Sheng Yanyu's fans were planning to make trouble again, but unexpectedly, a netizen claiming to be Jiang Mo Nan's friend posted a clarification on Weibo:

[A Fish Who Wants to Sing V: I can testify that Jiang Mo Nan was joking! He definitely didn't get any Botox! Because he stayed at my house for a few days before joining the show! We were always together during that time, and he never went to the hospital!

What's more, he has no money!

He lost his phone a week before the show, but he never bought a new one. Even the clothes he wore on the show were lent to him by me. How could he afford Botox?

PS: On the day of the show's recording, my grandmother and I took him to the set. Here are two photos from that day.

At the end of the Weibo post, there were two group photos: one of Jiang Mo Nan and a boy, and the other of Jiang Mo Nan and an old man.

With the exception of Jiang Monan, the faces of both the grandparents and grandchildren were blurred. However, judging by the background of the photo, it was undoubtedly Xingyue Film and Television Park.

Some sharp-eyed fans immediately recognized the white T-shirt Jiang Mo Nan was wearing in the first episode of the show. This proved that what he said was true.

Jiang Mo Nan's Sweet Pumpkin: "No wonder all the other contestants have Weibo accounts, but Nan Nan doesn't. Turns out he lost his phone a long time ago..."

Loves donuts: "I can't even afford a cell phone. The clothes I wear for the competition are all borrowed. Why is my idol so miserable?"

Don't mess with me, I'm a fighting fan: "Even with this, they're still being called the royal family! Whose royal family is so miserable?"

For a time, fans began to stand up for their idols.

Because Lu Yu, the witness, came forward to speak, Sheng Yanyu's fans seemed powerless no matter how much they threw dirty water at him.

They could only point their fingers at Lu Yu, the poster, saying that he was in cahoots with Jiang Mo Nan and that his words were not credible.

But the problem is that they can't provide any evidence to prove that Lu Yu is lying.

Instead, Lu Yu's classmates and friends saw this message and confirmed that Lu Yu did know Jiang Mo Nan, and even revealed that the other party had sold a copy of Jiang Mo Nan's autograph at school.

As insiders, Fan Le and Zhou Mingyao directly posted photos of themselves attending the audition together, proving that Jiang Mo Nan did move into Lu Yu's house after the audition.

No one expected that a group of high school students would come forward to dispel the rumors on Jiang Monan's behalf.

It was originally a joke, but it had unexpectedly taken off like this. Suddenly, public opinion swung in Jiang Mo Nan's favor. Some passersby took pity on him and voted for him. Jiang Mo Nan's fans, initially speechless, were now proud of the news.

Of course, there were also some unfriendly comments, saying that the misunderstanding was entirely Jiang Mo'nan's own fault. If he hadn't made such a joke, nothing would have happened.

While this statement is not wrong, if you think about it carefully, if it weren't for this joke, the show wouldn't have gone viral, and Jiang Mo Nan wouldn't have been known to more people. This is actually not a bad thing for the show or him.

Regardless of how netizens view it, this farce, which originated from a war between fan circles, seems to have come to an end. However, only those within the fan circle know that this matter is far from over.

Because of the deliberate blackmail by Sheng Yanyu's fans, Jiang Mo Nan's fans were completely enraged. Everyone voted with a determined determination to defeat their opponent. Even those who had become fans of Jiang Mo Nan because of this incident also contributed their votes thanks to the hard work of Jiang's fans.

In just half a day, the two people who were originally fighting hard suddenly widened the gap between them.

On the other hand, because of Lu Yu’s Weibo post, many fans came to him to find more traces of Jiang Mo Nan.

After all, Jiang Mo Nan doesn’t even have a Weibo account so far, so even if they want to do some archaeological research, they have nowhere to go.

It’s a pity that Lu Yu’s Weibo is all about himself and there is nothing worth reading.

Lu Yu himself also knows that talking too much can lead to mistakes and disaster, so he ignores all the private messages bombarded by fans.

As for the person at the center of the incident, because of the Internet outage, he has no idea what is happening in the outside world at this moment.

But even if he knew, he wouldn't react much.

After all, in the entertainment industry, black and red have always coexisted.

No matter how good an artist's reputation is, it is not possible for everyone to like him.

For him now, the most important thing is how to stand on a broader stage and be seen by more people.