Chapter 27 (027) - Long Articles Are All Scripted
Chapter Twenty-Seven
On the latter half of Saturday night, "I Sing, You Listen" completely overshadowed "The Sound of Music" and remained in the number one position.
Even though the last guest on "The Sound of Music" was a music industry heavyweight, it couldn't stop the show's decline.
The popularity of "The Sound of Music" fluctuated significantly—indeed, when Ji Xiaming appeared on screen, the show's popularity curve showed a downward trend, and the decline was particularly noticeable.
Those fans who kept saying "the production team needs Xiao Ji's popularity" have shut up.
This time, the Music Radio production team didn't stubbornly stick to their guns, and Ji Xiaming was finally eliminated and kicked out. However, the audience that Music Radio lost did not return.
Thanks to this opportunity, "I Sing, You Listen" gradually gained recognition among similar programs, and its popularity remained high with each subsequent episode.
“A show like Music Sound, which has a fixed audience, doesn’t need fan culture hype. The audience just wants to listen to music quietly.”
For Ji Xiaming, the direct result of participating in "The Sound of Music" was that if he wanted to join a similar music variety show again, the production team would refuse without hesitation.
"I'm sorry, we already have someone in mind."
"I can't invite you to join us."
What Ji Xiaming couldn't accept was that it would have been fine if the production team had rejected him, but the person they invited was none other than Tian Yi!
How could he possibly be worthy?
Tian Yi's popularity is nowhere near his!
Back then, Tian Yi was just a pitiful guy who was eliminated early on in "The Next Star". Why would the production team choose him instead of Tian Yi, a former member of Wink?
Ji Xiaming looked down on the show "I Sing, You Listen" that Tian Yi participated in, but in the blink of an eye, Tian Yi was able to get resources that even Ji Xiaming had to fight for.
He should have accepted Tian Yi's invitation to sing with him and sent Tian Yi packing and home early.
But... Ji Xiaming wants the popularity of "Heart's Desire" even more.
Why are Lin Yuan and Tian Yi the ones generating so much buzz?
Why is everyone mocking his singing skills now, saying he's not as good as those two?
Ji Xiaming was angry for a while, then suddenly remembered that she seemed to have heard somewhere that Tian Yi had invited Zhang Xiaoyue.
If he remembers correctly, Zhang Xiaoyue should have deleted Tian Yi's WeChat account.
If that's the case, wouldn't Zhang Xiaoyue be even more outrageous?
He was inexplicably mocked simply for not replying or refusing. Zhang Xiaoyue was clearly not taking her fellow contestants from "Tomorrow's Star" seriously, so how come the other party was completely unaffected?
Ji Xiaming released the information without any hesitation.
He completely disregarded Zhang Xiaoyue, his former teammate. Although Wink likes to hype up brotherhood and sell group affection, how could such a thing as group affection possibly exist?
The idea that everyone fights tooth and nail for a debut spot during the competition, and that they'll become lifelong brothers the moment they debut, is just a lie.
Although this news might garner Tian Yi another wave of sympathy, Ji Xiaming didn't care. He certainly looked down on Tian Yi, but in his heart, Tian Yi's success was far less stimulating than the success of other Wink members.
It's more important to let Zhang Xiaoyue suffer along with us.
...
Lin Yuan noticed that this week, "Heart's Desire" was trending on social media again, followed by the hashtag #JiXiaMingZhangXiaoYue#.
To be precise, this trending topic has nothing to do with "Heart's Desire" itself; it was purely caused by the infighting between the fans of Ji Xiaming and Zhang Xiaoyue.
"Hilarious. We'll openly admit we're not close, but with so many contestants on 'Tomorrow's Star,' is it really necessary to add everyone as a friend? Or is it even worse to pretend we don't see them?"
"?? You sing so badly, yet you keep arguing about being the best vocalist. Wink's vocals aren't that bad."
"Stop trying to glorify yourself. Everyone knows how arrogant your family is. You've offended people everywhere since your debut. Deleting friends is just the most basic thing you've done."
"So praising the powerful and belittling the weak is now considered a virtue? You're the fastest at changing your tune. Now that Tian Yi is popular, are you going to add him back to the list?"
Lin Yuan: "...They really tore it apart fiercely."
Tian Yi: "...Hmm."
Despite the infighting between the two sides, Tian Yi and Lin Yuan were almost unaffected. Both of them could see that Ji Xiaming and Zhang Xiaoyue's fans hated each other even more deeply than they did.
When dealing with Tian Yi and Lin Yuan, fans from both sides only presented their achievements, implying that they couldn't even come close to Ji and Zhang's accomplishments.
Lin Yuan: "Mmm-hmm."
That's right, everything you said is right.
However, Lin Yuan did not expect that when Ji Xiaming and Zhang Xiaoyue's fans were fighting the most fiercely and the show "I Sing, You Listen" was at its most popular, Tian Yi suddenly posted a long article on Weibo.
At this time, Tian Yi's popularity had gradually increased, not as a former contestant on "Tomorrow's Star," but as a singer who gained recognition.
In the long article, Tian Yi did not mention Ji Xiaming and Zhang Xiaoyue at all.
He only mentioned the song "Heart's Desire" and said that no matter how late he practiced, Lin Yuan was willing to practice with him all the time.
"Just like when we were grouped up for 'Shrink,' I was a dance idiot and terrible at memorizing moves. Only you didn't mind and taught me over and over again."
"I still remember the slippery floor soaked with sweat that day, and you catching me. The next morning the sun was shining brightly, and in my heart, you are warmer than the sun..."
Lin Yuan responded with a hug emoji.
"The 'Heart's Secret' group is awesome!!"
"Let's stay friends! Sigh, the neighbors are tearing each other apart, but this place is so warm and cozy."
"Just by watching their performance of 'Heart's Desire,' you can tell how well these two can coordinate to sing so well. It's amazing!!"
"...Am I the only one who noticed that Tian Yi mentioned the 'Shrink' stage?"
"Me too... I followed the entire 'The Road to Stardom' back then, and to be honest, I have no recollection of what Tian Yi said."
"No impression +1".
"...In my memory, Tian Yi and Lin Yuan didn't have any interaction during the talent show. I was wondering why Tian Yi invited Lin Yuan to be his guest performer."
Many fans specifically looked for the episode featuring the "Shrink" performance.
Not only was there very little interaction between Tian Yi and Lin Yuan, but the storyline of that episode, besides emphasizing the bond between the contestants of the "Shrink" group, also focused on the glass of milk that Xie Yu handed to Tian Yi.
"...Not surprising at all."
"I knew it! In my mind, it was definitely the Milk Group!!!"
"No wonder... I was wondering why Tian Yi didn't mention Xie Yu the day he was eliminated. I was thinking, aren't they a couple? At least couples have some buzz."
"I went to look at Tian Yi's Weibo post from the day he was eliminated. He thanked Xiao Lin. I thought Xiao Lin was a staff member, but it turns out it was Lin Yuan?!"
Although "The Road to Stardom" is over and the various threads of the program's editing are hard to unravel, even through the clues revealed by Tian Yi, fans can still guess how much injustice Lin Yuan suffered.
Xie Yu was "generally recognized" as having good interpersonal relationships, but after the competition, the contestants unanimously agreed that Lin Yuan was the good guy.
It was clearly Lin Yuan who helped Tian Yi, but the production team edited the storyline onto Xie Yu.
"A glass of milk made Tian Yi's eyes light up. What does that have to do with Xie Yu? Isn't it the Tyndall effect of milk?"
"This is incredible! Ahhhhh, isn't this just Xie Yu stealing Lin Yuan's storyline? If Tian Yi hadn't finally gained some popularity, who would believe what he said?"
...
Xie Yu's fans firmly believed that their idol overcame numerous difficulties to enter the debut group. He staged a rare underdog story in "Tomorrow's Star," which led to him being wronged and misunderstood, and aroused jealousy from many people.
They believed that they were the ones who helped Xie Yu debut.
But during the time when Lin Yuan gradually gained a sense of presence, they realized that Xie Yu had no singing skills. Not to mention in the debut group, even looking at all the members of "Tomorrow's Star", Xie Yu was ranked at the bottom.
Xie Yu has no acting skills, as evidenced by "A Tear in a Cup". She even lost the audition to Lin Yuan, who had no prior acting experience.
Xie Yu has no ties; all the so-called ties are just part of the script.
They firmly stood by Xie Yu's side because they believed that outstanding people would be at odds with the whole world.
In the end... it was simply because Xie Yu was particularly bad at the game.
The fans of Ji Xiaming and Zhang Xiaoyue were fighting fiercely, criticizing each other's singing skills. Even if they were not good enough, they could still say something like, "You're only better than Xie Yu."
Many fans can even tolerate Xie Yu's poor skills, because it gives them a sense of accomplishment—if it weren't for them, how could Xie Yu have successfully debuted?
However, the reality that is gradually being revealed is that Xie Yu debuted through scripts.
The fans were unhappy; nobody wants to become a fan of a member of the royal family.
...
Xie Yu had already joined the filming of "The Immortal" at this time. The mess of "A Tear" had not yet been sorted out, but too much information about the various parties involved had been exposed, which reduced the presence of him as the male lead.
DA Entertainment seized the opportunity to secure a new endorsement for Xie Yu—her price was significantly lower than before the broadcast of "A Tear in the Sky," but DA Entertainment chose to do so at this time to prove that Xie Yu still had popularity.
In the male actor circle, the sign of fading popularity is a decline in both the quantity and quality of endorsements.
"You should interact more with your fans and encourage sales."
Xie Yu readily agreed to the company's request, regardless of the fact that his loyalty was still considerable.
On the night the endorsement was announced, Xie Yu made a surprise appearance in the fan group, chatting with fans about her daily filming experiences. She also made a surprise appearance in the brand's live stream, where she received a warm welcome.
The brand's livestream host was full of enthusiasm: "My dear fans, don't get too excited. I know you're all eager to grab these items. So, to meet everyone's diverse needs, if you want to buy one item, click on link number one; if you want to buy two items, click on link number two... and if you want to buy four items, click on link number four."
"When Teacher Xie Yu announces the start, shall we begin grabbing?"
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, fire!"
The anchor's voice was passionate, while Xie Yu sat to the side, looking completely calm, creating a stark contrast with the anchor.
"Don't rush, take your time taking pictures, we have plenty of stock..."
A minute passed, and one-tenth of the items sold through link one, less than ten items sold through links two and three, and zero items sold through link four.
"Perhaps the fans weren't prepared."
Five minutes passed, and only the purchase volume of link number one increased slightly.
Ten minutes passed, and the number of purchases remained almost unchanged.
The live stream camera shone a blinding white light, yet it couldn't hide Xie Yu's ashen face.
"Looks like our fans aren't ready." — A marketing account offered a scathing comment.
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Author's Note: Update complete! [shrugs][shrugs][shrugs]
There will only be one update today. I haven't been sleeping well these past few days. I'm going out tomorrow, so I'll try to update twice.
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