Chapter 154 Group Night 3.0

The bus slowly drove across the river bridge and finally stopped in front of the venue of the finals - a giant stadium that can accommodate 50,000 people.

Despite the grand scale of the venue, tickets for the "Road to Stardom" finals were sold out within seconds of going on sale.

There are so many fans who want to be present as witnesses that the mere 50,000 seats are not enough to accommodate them all.

But this is the maximum that the program team can handle with their current organizational capabilities after estimation.

After all, when this show was first being planned, no one was optimistic about it.

Although chief producer Liu Yue is known for his strict professional standards, the resources of the startup team are still far behind those of the top production teams.

Being able to reach this point today is a miracle that exceeds everyone's expectations.

Therefore, the program team took an extremely tough stance this time. No matter how the brand hinted at adding seats or how the fans petitioned collectively, they still insisted on sticking to the upper limit of 50,000 people.

Everything is done to ensure on-site order and live broadcast quality, so that this event can have a perfect ending.

No matter how much I ask, it's useless. I even use the universal excuse: Isn't there a live broadcast of the entire event? 4K multi-camera, it's clearer than the live show~

(Fans of various brands: Same shit! Haha! Did you add the wavy line at the end because you think you’re cute?)

At this moment, there were already crowds of people outside the stadium.

The cheering colors of various teams merged into a colorful ocean, and fans held up light boards and banners, spontaneously organizing a human-shaped barrage wall.

When the bus carrying the athletes slowly drove into the dedicated channel, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted.

"Baby Leo, let's walk on the flower path tonight!!!"

"Sun Lele is an unparalleled dancer. She performs exceptionally well on every stage. It would be a crime if you didn't debut!"

"Qingyu wife! Look at the kingdom we've built for you! We've booked that giant screen for three days! Three days!"

"As long as baby Qingyu is happy! Mommy's money comes from the wind!"

"Keep moving forward, Weiran! Don't look back, you're already amazing!!!"

“………”

The shouts came one after another and intertwined with each other. Fans who did not have tickets waited here early just to take a closer look at the contestants when they entered.

Even if you can't be there to witness it in person, you should still wait as close to your idol as possible, as if this will bring your feelings closer.

"Brother, there are so many people!" Leo looked at the dense crowd outside the security wall, feeling happy but also a little helpless.

In the past, the number of spectators at performances was no more than 3,000, but tonight the number of spectators entering the venue alone reached 50,000, so the cheering was naturally incomparable.

Xie Qingyu could see the nervousness hidden beneath Xiao Gou's excitement. He raised his hand and grasped Leo's wrist, tightening it slightly. He smiled at the fans outside the window and said, "Yeah, there are so many people. Look, every beam of light is saying 'I'm here for you.'"

Leo followed Xie Qingyu's gaze and also saw the fans waving their own cheering color light signs.

Tears welled up in their red eyes, but they still tried hard to smile.

He took a deep breath and nodded solemnly in response: "Yeah." This simple syllable seemed to be infused with some kind of power, and his originally tense nerves miraculously relaxed.

To ensure safety, even though a security fence had been set up on site and a large number of security personnel had been deployed, the program crew still specially arranged for the bus to be parked as close to the entrance as possible.

After getting off the bus, the contestants only need a few steps to enter the dedicated channel.

Dozens of staff members protected the contestants in the center like stars surrounding the moon, and organized them to get off the bus in an orderly manner.

Xie Qingyu was sitting in the back seat of the car and deliberately turned sideways for a moment when getting off.

He pushed his fisherman's hat back to reveal his delicate features, pulled the mask down to his chin, and raised a gentle smile at the corner of his mouth.

Wearing the uniform white training suit of the program crew, he clasped his hands together in front of his chest in the midsummer breeze and bowed deeply to fans in all directions.

In the fans' shots, the light dust in the air seemed to be particularly fond of him, surrounding him and refusing to disperse. The picture was as beautiful as a movie shot.

"Xie Qingyu! Look here!!!"

Lin Lulu's shouts were mixed in with the noisy voices, and her arms holding the camera were already numb.

As the leader of Xie Qingyu's fans, this time she brought her fan club members to wait in the best position early.

Although she knew that her voice would likely be drowned out by her current popularity, she still raised her camera and stubbornly called out the familiar name.

In the camera, the once young boy turned his head when he heard the voice, his eyes accurately found her camera, and the corner of his mouth raised a clean smile that was exactly the same as when they first met.

Lin Lulu's fingertips trembled slightly. She knew that this photo, carrying the memory of time, would become the most precious and exclusive moment.

When they walked into the backstage of the stadium, everyone was surprised to find that many contestants who had been eliminated before had arrived early.

On tonight's group formation night, they will also wear the program's uniforms and perform the theme song opening performance with the twenty qualified contestants.

Although they have been eliminated in the previous rounds, the program team still hopes to take this opportunity to let these faces who have sweated for the stage appear again.

The familiar melody and neat movements are not only to evoke the audience's memories, but also to create a collective sense of "walking side by side", so that this grand ceremony will not only be exciting but also have a touch of warmth and emotion.

For the eliminated contestants, this is both a solemn farewell ceremony and an opportunity to make up for their regrets.

They have fought and shined here. Even if they fail to reach the end, at least they can end their journey in the most decent way.

For fans, this is undoubtedly an unexpected surprise - being able to cheer for their favorite contestants again allows their unfulfilled expectations to find some comfort tonight.

The joy of reunion spread backstage, but now was not the time to reminisce.

Time is running out, they have to start makeup immediately and then rehearse the movement lines.

The twenty qualified contestants were quickly escorted away by the staff, while the eliminated contestants who remained looked at their backs with mixed feelings.

Once upon a time, they were sweating in the same training room and giving their all in the same performance.

But after tonight, someone will wear the crown, while someone else will just be the supporting role.

"If I had tried harder..."

"If the performance had been more perfect..."

"Am I also one of those being surrounded and protected now?"

The thought of regret flashed through my mind, but was gently pressed back into my heart by reality.

The competitive arena has always been cruel, with winners and losers, and there is no such thing as "if".

All they can do is finish the performance with the brightest smile when the music starts.

Both for my former self and for my companions who are about to be crowned.

After Xie Qingyu was led to the dressing room by the dedicated staff, he began to change into his first set of clothes - the custom-made uniform of the program team.

That's right, the contestants who made it to the finals even wore different uniforms than the eliminated contestants when they performed their theme song.

There are multiple reasons, but the main reason is to differentiate their identities, to strengthen the identity difference of the "finalists", and to imply that the twenty of them will be closer to the goal of forming a group.

The fabric is made of a more rigid high-grade blend, which will show a delicate texture and luster under the light.

The tailoring adopts three-dimensional splicing technology, which not only retains the youthful freshness, but also outlines the superior body proportions through the waist-hugging design.

The designer even added hidden pleats at the shoulder line to ensure that every dance movement can bring out the rhythmic flow of the fabric.

While keeping the main color tone unchanged, add highlight elements, such as small embroidered patterns on the cuffs, fine glitter and sequins on the neckline, etc.

There are endless clever little ideas, and I saw the effect on stage during the rehearsal before, it’s really amazing!

The uniform is only the first set, and it will mainly be worn during the opening theme song and when the final group list is announced.

Xie Qingyu also has two other sets, one set is for the performance costumes of the group assessment stage, and the other set is a "battle suit" tailored for personal solo stage performance.

Each set of clothing hides the program crew's ambition to spend money lavishly: from hand-sewn sequins to custom-dyed fabrics, there is a sense of luxury everywhere that shows they are "not short of money".

This nouveau riche aesthetic can probably be traced back to the difficulties faced in the early days of the show.

The program crew that has now become the landlord seems to be suffering from some kind of "compulsive disorder of showing off wealth". Anything that can be captured by the camera must be extremely luxurious.

Especially the stage design for the group formation night, which shocked Xie Qingyu during the rehearsal - how could this be the finals of a talent show?

The three-story three-dimensional stage is equipped with holographic projection, and the lifting platform and wire system operate in an intertwined manner... It is clearly designed to create a legendary concert.

Fortunately, the contestants are all strong enough. If they were a little worse, they would be overwhelmed by the overly gorgeous choreography.

The costume designer finally adjusted the pleats at his waist, and as her fingertips brushed over the embroidery, she sighed softly, "The stitching on this suit was done by a master craftsman who works on haute couture shows..."

He was really wealthy. He ordered twenty sets in total, and they were custom-made and flown in overnight.

Xie Qingyu laughed when he heard that. This was very typical of the program crew. They would save money on lunch boxes where necessary, but would not hesitate to spend money on the show where necessary.

After changing into the uniform, the staff led Xie Qingyu to his exclusive dressing room.

Unlike the arrangement during the performance period where the whole team shared one dressing room, as the number of contestants decreased, the scale of performances expanded, and the program team had ample funds, the finals provided each qualified contestant with a single dressing room and a dedicated makeup team.

At this critical moment of the last fight, the program team has put in all their efforts. Since they have spent huge amounts of money on the stage design, it is natural to provide the contestants with high-quality makeup conditions.

The configuration of exclusive makeup teachers has been carefully considered. They can tailor the most suitable makeup look according to the personal characteristics and stage style of each contestant to ensure that the contestants appear in the best condition.

This not only avoids the style confusion that may be caused by multiple people sharing a makeup artist, but also maintains the consistency of the overall look during the touch-up phase.

More importantly, the makeup teachers who focus on a single contestant are more meticulous and efficient, after all, the subsequent process is quite tight.

At this moment, the makeup artist was applying foundation for Xie Qingyu at a lightning speed. In order to make the foundation adhere better, the powder puff made a crisp "pa-pa" sound when it was patted on the face.

Xie Qingyu closed his eyes and rested, while memorizing the performance process in his mind.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. He slowly opened his eyes, tilted his head slightly and said, "Come in."