Chapter Seventy-Three Fans
"What are you thinking about, Fanxi?" Gu Huailang sat opposite Meng Fanxi and asked with some concern when he saw the not-so-relaxed expression on his face after looking at the rankings.
Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Meng Fanxi met Gu Huailang's gaze. The man in front of him had only moved up one place and barely made it into the debut position, but he showed no signs of tension. He sighed and said, "As things stand, we still can't completely take control of the situation."
Xu You didn't understand, so he sat up from the sofa and asked, "Why don't we just find a way to improve Gu Huailang's ranking?"
"It's not that simple." Meng Fanxi didn't care about the cameras at this moment. He leaned forward, and the serious look in his eyes made everyone move closer.
"Now that all six of us have made it into the debut group, we'll definitely become the thorn in the side of all the other teams."
“That’s true.” Lin Ruohe nodded in agreement and continued listening.
Xu You still couldn't figure out the connection, his eyes filled with doubt.
Meng Fanxi lowered his voice, his tone mysterious and cautious, as if he knew this was a secret. The other five also realized the importance of the conversation, holding their breath and waiting quietly for what was to come.
“From the initial stage to this reference ranking, we are the team closest to debuting. Right now, they may still be following the show's rules and competing, but if this trend continues, the teams will definitely not sit idly by.”
Gu Huailang asked, "You mean they'll engage in malicious competition?"
Meng Fanxi glanced at the camera. He believed there would definitely be malicious competition, but he couldn't be too blunt under the camera's lens.
"More often than not, they will change their strategies."
Ren Yuchen seemed to have grasped the meaning. "You mean, form an alliance or defeat them one by one?"
“That’s right.” Meng Fanxi gave Ren Yuchen an approving look. “There are not only group debuts, but also limited-time groups. Once they realize that the possibility of their own team debuting is extremely slim, they may turn their attention to limited-time groups. As long as a few people are squeezed out of our team, limited-time groups will not be a problem.”
Xu You exclaimed incredulously, "Don't they want to debut as part of their own group? Forming a limited-time group with someone else? Just thinking about it makes me go crazy."
Meng Fanxi was amused by Xu Youning's indomitable expression. "Since we've come to the show, every team wants to debut. But when the chances of debuting are slim, we'll definitely consider more pragmatic methods. At least we can push the core members of the team into the limited-time group to accumulate popularity. After the limited-time group disbands, we can use the accumulated popularity to support the team."
His gaze was cold as he looked at Gu Huailang, then at everyone else. "Gu Huailang, me, Ren Yuchen... everyone in the team will be their target."
"With our current popularity, can't we compete with them?" Zhang Yang, who had been silent until now, pursed his thin lips.
“Not enough.” Meng Fanxi briefly analyzed, “Now there is one person from another team in the top six, probably in WONE. So he can form an alliance with the core of another team, a powerful combination. The novelty and strength should not be underestimated. By analogy, each team will concentrate its resources and spotlight on the core. In the end, it will not be a competition between teams, but between people.”
Upon hearing the name WONE, everyone instinctively frowned. Although unwilling to admit it, WONE was backed by Baihe Company, and Baihe probably wouldn't abandon it like Will did. The threat was definitely not small.
It is still unknown whether the reason for Jin Ziran's punishment will be made public. If it is not made public due to various factors, then Jin Ziran's position in the next song selection will automatically help him torment his fans and attract a large number of fans who sympathize with him.
"If they can squeeze one or two of us out of the debut positions, they will have won."
Meng Fanxi pointed his long, slender fingers at the rankings on the screen: "So we need to be prepared."
Gu Huailang, who usually jokes about giving up, looked somber; he was currently the most dangerous member of the team.
Once you give up, it's over.
It's not just him, but also the team they've poured countless emotions into.
"What should we do?" Gu Huailang finally realized the seriousness of the problem.
Meng Fanxi: "I want to be number one in the individual competition."
"Then what about Ruohe, who's in first place now?" Xu You asked, puzzled.
Meng Fanxi simply repeated: "Get first place personally."
At first, everyone was puzzled, but then Ren Yuchen, Lin Ruohe, and Zhang Yang relaxed their brows and understood the deeper meaning.
Under the watchful eyes of numerous cameras inside the villa, Meng Fanxi made no attempt to conceal his ambitions. He looked frankly at everyone and said, "I have improved my ranking, but I am not satisfied."
"Because I want to be number one, and you all have to be too."
His gaze was calm and serene, conveying a sense of unwavering strength.
Only when everyone strives to be number one can there be a chance for everyone to debut.
...
The apartments for A-level trainees are located in one place, with private bathrooms inside the apartments and public restrooms outside.
Trainees usually hide in the bathroom to discuss private matters.
The public restrooms outside the apartment are usually deserted, but today was an exception; voices could be heard coming from the sinks in the outer room.
"...I'll wait for you to come find me later. I don't believe you can generously watch the Eternal Six Stars debut." The boy smiled, but the few uncontrollable madness in his eyes looked somewhat eerie.
Paradox leader Gao Xinyi maintained a calm tone: "Jin Ziran, our collaboration ended after the theme song, so please don't keep calling me over to say meaningless things."
Jin Ziran snorted coldly, "You'll see when you're in a hurry." Then, she changed the subject and said slowly and sarcastically, "That's right, you're not the main supporter of your team, so you can't really make decisions. It's still more useful to ask An Yi."
"What's gotten into you? Don't take it out on me." Gao Xinyi clenched his fists at his sides, strode out, and slammed the door shut behind him.
"Coward." Jin Ziran scoffed disdainfully.
...
When Meng Fanxi suddenly heard many voices calling his name on his way to the practice room, he realized for the first time the extent of his popularity.
The recording camp was surrounded by high walls and trees. Only on the way from the dormitory to the practice room was a section of high wall turned into a fence, through which one could look out at the scenery.
On this bright and sunny day, we were going to record a spin-off variety show in the afternoon, which would continue into the evening.
Meng Fanxi and the others made the most of their time, planning to rush to the practice room early in the morning to practice their basic skills and rehearse the various pieces they usually practiced in Weir, in order to maintain their physical familiarity.
During breakfast, Zhang Yang and Lin Ruo ate very slowly, while the other four couldn't wait and left the restaurant first.
Unexpectedly, they heard someone calling their names on the street. They immediately looked in the direction of the sound and saw many fans with cameras and long lenses standing behind the fence, as well as uncles who looked like paparazzi.
Seeing them looking over, the volume of their shouts instantly increased.
The enthusiasm in their eyes didn't lie, and Meng Fanxi decided to walk towards them.
Ying Zhuo followed beside them, reaching out to stop them and reminding them, "Don't get too close. If this gets posted online, more people will come here to stake out, which won't be safe for either of us."
Meng Fanxi nodded: "Understood."
The four of them stood in a row at a suitable distance. The captain was not there, and all four of them were a little stiff. Their names were displayed on the phones, tablets, and headbands of fans not far away.
Coming here for them feels like a novel experience.
Meng Fanxi, who had some experience, asked everyone to bow to the fans to express their gratitude.
Just as he was about to say something more, a more outgoing fan outside the fence shouted, "Fanxi, congratulations on winning first place in the deduction!"
Meng Fanxi was stunned for a few seconds before she realized that she was referring to the spin-off variety show that was recorded after the initial stage performance.
They were taken to the amusement park next door, where the production team booked the entire day, and they had a blast.
That episode combined obstacle course reasoning with game adventure. The challengers went through many levels and finally presented an item they had deduced to break the spell of the park, which was considered a successful completion of the challenge.
Meng Fanxi and his team weren't interested in the so-called reasoning at the time, but unexpectedly, other teams in the game gradually triggered their attack attributes, and they could also obtain clues by attacking other teams.
The six of them, who were addicted to amusement park rides, were the main targets of the investigation. Since that was the case, they decided to go all out and stay on the rides.
While others were searching for them, they were riding the Ferris wheel, hiding in the sky and enjoying the scenery.
While others were deducing and searching for clues, they were enjoying the scenery on a giant swing ride.
While others struggled repeatedly with their deduced items at the verification station, they sat on the carousel, enjoying a peaceful life.
After experiencing the entire park twice, they arrived late and casually placed the initial items that the production team had asked them to buy at the checkpoint.
Meng Fanxi accidentally broke the amusement park curse by using the apple headband.
He then noticed that many fans at the scene were wearing the same apple headband, and he chuckled, "Winning was purely a coincidence."
The fan replied, "That's unusual too. Who would have thought it would turn out to be an apple felt headband?"
Xu You, standing nearby, laughed out loud, recalling the scene from back then. The production team had asked everyone to buy an initial item, which could be exchanged or redeemed for clues later. The other teams were carefully selecting items, repeatedly analyzing and pondering what to buy based on what the production team had said.
Only they, as if they hadn't been to an amusement park in ages, went to buy things just to make up for the regrets of their childhood.
For example, Meng Fanxi is obsessed with headbands because when he was a child, he was taken to an amusement park with his head shaved, and not only was he ridiculed by many children, but he also lost the amusement park headband because his smooth little head couldn't support it...
Fans asked, "What is Xu You laughing at?"
Just as Xu You was about to share this amusing childhood story about Meng Fanxi, Meng Fanxi cleverly interrupted him and changed the subject: "The spin-off program has already aired?"
A fan said, "It already aired midweek. We came yesterday, but we went to the wrong place and ended up in the other dormitory. We waited for a long time but you didn't show up, and that's when we realized we were in the wrong place."
The girl sounded a little aggrieved as she spoke, so Meng Fanxi quickly comforted her, "It's okay. The most important thing is to be safe. Thank you so much for coming, but please be careful not to get heatstroke. We'll do our best."
The four chatted with their fans for a few more minutes, creating a very relaxed atmosphere. After some persuasion, their fans reluctantly said goodbye and left. Only some middle-aged men who were taking photos for hire were unwilling to leave and continued to take pictures frantically.
Ying Zhuo whispered from behind, "Let's go, we'll talk to these people later." After saying that, he jogged forward to call the security guards.
Just as Meng Fanxi and the others were about to turn and leave, they suddenly heard a teasing male voice behind them: "Xu You, what's the relationship between Yun Mengtao and Xu Cangyan? Tell us!"
Not only Xu You, but Meng Fanxi also turned around inexplicably, his brows furrowed as he looked at the person who had spoken.
The man was burly and narrow-eyed. He held a video camera in his right hand and a cell phone in his left, with the camera pointed directly at them. He seemed very excited to have captured their reactions.
Xu You's jawline was taut. He didn't know what this person meant, but his tone of voice was extremely unpleasant.
"Were they already married? Do you have connections on this show?" The man continued, his greasy smile radiating from his lips.
My good mood from just now has completely vanished.
Meng Fanxi pulled Xu You behind her and noticed that Xu You was in a bad mood. Gu Huailang quietly comforted him from the side, and Ren Yuchen also stepped forward.
"Shut up!" Meng Fanxi snapped, his voice booming. "Show some respect!"
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