The scene at the live broadcast site was, to put it mildly, chaotic.
Before this, there had been many boy group talent shows, but never before had the members of any talent show been so absurd and ridiculous. The center on stage openly stated that he did not want to be in the group, and another contestant who made it into the group even gave the small crown of the group to Jian Xingsui, as if he was slapping the face of the production team.
When the rankings were announced, some of Jian Xingsui's fans at the scene were incredulous. Some of them even came with flowers in their hands. They had never had the chance to see the players or face them during their closed training at the sports stadium, so there were many things they didn't have time to say.
They wanted to tell him that he had worked really hard and that his original songs were beautiful.
You've taken the stage seriously now; everyone has seen the countless nights you've spent practicing late into the night.
You deserve a debut spot.
These are flowers for you. Congratulations on your debut today!
They wanted to see that boy, who was a little insecure on his first stage and said he didn't dare to pursue his dreams, leave the gymnasium after sunrise and walk on the bright road that belonged to him in the applause and flowers. But he didn't debut. They might never see the path he walked again. That lonely boy who was unknown to everyone would have to return to loneliness alone again. It was as if the program team had slapped them hard, leaving everyone speechless for a long time.
The camera cuts to the fans in the first row at the back. A little girl holding flowers sheds tears like beads, covering her lips and trying her best to hold back her sobs. The tears fall on the flowers, and she is heartbroken.
The live stream chat was flooded with comments:
"Why?"
"Why?!"
“He was in the debut position every time the rankings were announced, so I thought he was a shoo-in.”
"Aaaaaah, why?!"
Beside the podium, Jian Xingsui, wearing a small crown, opened his arms and gave Ning Ze a hug, gently patting Ning Ze's back and whispering, "Congratulations, Brother Ze."
Ning Ze held Jian Xing Sui tightly, his eyes red-rimmed.
This man was always taciturn. He would get water for his roommates when he got up early in the morning, and he would take care of his friends who had cramps during dance practice and help them stretch. He was never very talkative, but at this moment, in front of Jian Xingsui, his eyes reddened and his voice trembled: "Stage, you must persevere and not give up on music."
Jian Xingsui froze.
Ning Ze was not talkative, but he understood everyone too well. He knew that some failures were very difficult for a person to overcome, and he was afraid that Jian Xingsui would give up the stage.
"Don't give up." Ning Ze repeated the words awkwardly. The burly boy with bronze skin had tears streaming down his face. This was supposed to be the night he had dreamed of forming the group, the happiest moment for him, but he couldn't let go of his younger brothers. He patted Jian Xing Sui on the back, his voice choked with emotion: "You're great, you did a great job, you've already tried your best, I know."
At this moment, Jian Xingsui could no longer contain the surging emotions within him. His lips trembled slightly, and he sobbed. If you don't comfort the child who has been enduring grievances, and just let him be, perhaps he will calm down after a while. But if you insist on going over to give him a hug and gently comforting him, then the overwhelming grievances will pour out and become uncontrollable.
Too many audience members were caught up in the emotions and finally couldn't hold back anymore.
Someone shouted that their voice carried over the crowd, and the girl stood up and cried out, "Sui Sui, don't cry!"
After someone took the lead, the others also stood up:
"Don't cry, you're the best!"
We will continue to support you!
"You did exceptionally well today!!"
It's unclear who started it, but more and more people stood up, and the shouts grew louder and louder. The resulting commotion made the show's security guards restless, and they came over to suppress the girls' voices, but they still couldn't stop them. The live stream was also in chaos, with the barrage of comments increasing dramatically in a short period of time, making the screen seem almost too full to contain them.
At the same time, Weibo's trending topics list was updated.
#StarlightGroupDebutNight#
#StarGirlGroupContestListRevealed#
#Jian Xingsui did not debut#
The third-ranked trending topic surpassed the other two to top the trending list within just ten minutes. A large number of viewers, drawn by the trending topic, clicked into the live stream out of curiosity, and the chaotic scene became a spectacle. Following the announcement of the final group lineup, the official Weibo account of "Superstar" updated with a celebratory post: "Superstar will come to a perfect end tonight, and the boy group SHINee is officially formed. Let's celebrate the successful debut of the following trainees..."
The top-rated comment received 100,000 likes within minutes:
Director of the association specializing in the treatment of various brain diseases: "Hello."
Below the top-rated comments are angry fans and viewers who feel wronged:
He was still fifth when the last ranking was announced two hours later!
"Openly suppressing votes?"
"Is all our hard work of two or three months really over just like that?"
"Star is bound to flop!"
Among these comments, there were naturally some from fans of the debuting contestants celebrating their idols' debut. Shen Xingchen, who debuted as the center, received no comments. However, the most eye-catching group was undoubtedly An Ran's fans, who posted a long string of messages accompanied by various colorful flag symbols: "Congratulations to An Ran on debuting in third place! An Ran's future is bright and promising~~"
No one can really blame anyone for these celebratory comments for the athletes.
The problem is that the top comments are all filled with criticism and insults directed at the production team. Some fans, worried that their celebratory messages wouldn't be seen by a wider audience, directly typed under comments questioning why Jian Xingsui didn't debut: "Borrowing this space, congratulations to An Ran for debuting in third place! An Ran's future is bright and promising~~"
After someone took the lead, it turned out that more than one person was doing it.
Jian Xingsui's fans are usually laid-back and don't fight for anything, but tonight they were indeed provoked. They originally just wanted to question the program team and seek justice, and they were in a fit of anger when they opened the replies and saw the words of blessing An Ran's debut floating below their comments. They felt extremely irritated and as if their hearts had been stabbed.
Even the most good-tempered person would be provoked by this, and many people were so provoked that they directly replied to An Ran's fans:
Do you think it's appropriate for you to do this in our comments section?
"Don't you have hands? Can't you post a comment yourself? Why are you borrowing someone else's thread?"
"Is your eating manners so unseemly?"
"Can we please not bother each other? If you want to celebrate, please go celebrate by yourselves somewhere else, okay?!"
An Ran's fans felt extremely wronged by the sudden concentrated attack, and some of them began to fight back and reply:
"It's just borrowing this building to celebrate, why are you being so aggressive?"
"If you're angry, apologize to your sister. I understand your family didn't debut, but being so fierce really scared me (wiping sweat)."
"There are still many people who haven't debuted yet. If they don't have the talent or the votes, they can't debut. Why are you making such a fuss?"
"Speechless. They can't even let others celebrate if their own idol hasn't debuted yet."
Some people's replies are like knives, always stabbing at people's sore spots.
Many of Jian Xingsui's fans were furious upon seeing these comments, feeling both wronged and angry. To their surprise, the arrival of another group changed the situation. Shen Xingchen's fans have always been known for their strong support, both in voting and teamwork. They hadn't spoken up because their idol's emotional breakdown on stage seemed like nothing to celebrate, but seeing their younger brother's fans being bullied was a different story.
"Oh my, let me check. With all this joyous celebration, is An Ran the number one center who debuted, little sister?"
"Is the third place team jumping like this?"
"Hahaha, you've never won a prize in your life, mistress?"
"I thought it was something amazing!"
"I'm so naive, it's hilarious. The future looks promising."
As the main focus, the fans spoke with great confidence. They also exploited An Ran's weakness in rankings, retaliating relentlessly and turning the Weibo comment section into a battlefield.
The crew backstage was also in a panic. The assistant director was sweating profusely: "Director, director, what should we do? There seems to be a lot of negative news on Weibo and various media outlets."
The director himself was also flustered. He hadn't expected the audience's reaction to be so intense. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Don't worry, these people will only cause trouble for a while. They won't do anything serious. Our live broadcast is still going on. The most important thing is to finish this group formation night first."
The assistant director had a bad feeling, but he didn't say anything more.
However, just as the production team was trying to gloss over the situation, at 10:59 p.m. that night, the live broadcast of "Starlight" was overwhelmed by a large influx of user comments and viewers, and the two apps responsible for the broadcast crashed because they couldn't handle the sudden surge in traffic!
#Live streaming platform crashed#
The topic trended on the hot search list in less than 10 minutes because the live streaming platform's finale was forced to be canceled due to one contestant's failure to debut, making "Starlight" a huge joke in the industry tonight.
The assistant director became even more anxious upon learning of the situation: "Director, director, what do we do now?"
After realizing that the live broadcast had been interrupted, the director cursed under his breath. He immediately said, "If the live broadcast is forced to stop, let the cameramen prepare. We'll record it first. No matter what, we have to finish this final night. As for those people on Weibo, we'll just publicly state our position, make the contestants' votes public and transparent, and tell them about our fairness and impartiality."
It's definitely vote suppression.
However, as long as the suppressed numbers were released and the fans believed that Jian Xingsui's votes were indeed low, that would be enough. In any case, the moral high ground had to be secured first. These directors had a good plan, but they never expected that this would become the decision they would regret the most later.
...
At 11:00 AM, amidst the chaos on Weibo, the official Weibo account of the "Starlight" program team, which had been bombarded with over 100,000 negative comments, finally updated.
"Hello everyone, due to technical issues with the live streaming platform, we are working urgently to resolve the situation. In consideration of everyone's concern, here is a breakdown of the votes for the top ten contestants. We have maintained a fair and impartial attitude towards each contestant, and we hope that all contestants will have a bright future."
The vote count is made public and transparent, so that everyone can see it.
First place: Shen Xingchen (980 votes)
Second place: Li Xu'an, 7.62 million votes
Third place: An Ran, 6.3 million votes
Fourth place...
...
Sixth place Ning Ze: 4.62 million votes
Seventh place: Jian Xingsui, 4.41 million votes
The release of these votes, which should have allowed everyone to see clearly and understand the situation, thus ending any further debate about fairness, instead became a weapon for An Ran's fans to retaliate. Numerous sarcastic and cynical comments appeared in the comments section.
"If you don't get enough votes, you shouldn't even be debuting."
"If you want him to debut, just throw money at him. If you don't have enough money, what can you say?"
"Some people really do have a penchant for impotent rage when they don't have enough money."
"Don't blame the production team if you're not popular enough."
Although not all of them, many of those who said these things were An Ran's fans who had just wanted to celebrate but were suppressed. They couldn't argue with Shen Xingchen's fans, so they frantically tried to find their place. Just when everyone was talking and about to start fighting again, just after 11:10, the live streaming platform urgently fixed the network problem, and the live broadcast was able to resume.
The contestants have already stepped down from the podium, leaving only the mentors and the host to wrap things up.
We're almost at the end of the session now. Normally, the mentors would be smiling as they watch their students graduate, but the mentors standing on the stage are mostly serious and not smiling at all.
Teacher Li had just received a list when he heard the director's voice through his earpiece, saying that this one wouldn't be read and wouldn't be made public for the time being. He hesitated for a moment and slowly glanced at Fu Jinxiao. In this industry, he might not have the power to go against the production team yet, but there was someone who could ignore the rules, depending on whether he was willing to or not.
Fu Jinxiao raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong?"
Teacher Li didn't dare to be too obvious, but just hinted by shaking the form in her hand.
Fu Jinxiao was incredibly clever, so he naturally knew that this action meant the order would be pulled and the director wouldn't allow it to be read aloud. In the past, the movie star Fu would have been too lazy to bother with such trivial matters, but today he was in a bad mood, so the production team wouldn't have an easy time either. The man reached out his hand: "Give it to me."
A triumphant smile flashed across Teacher Li's eyes as she handed the form to Fu Jinxiao.
Fu Jinxiao glanced around, then looked up at the photographers and audience again, and said, "Now we announce the voting results from the Octopus Live app and Little Sun Live app support channels. From 7 PM to 10:59 PM tonight, the top three contestants with the highest online audience votes for this event have been determined. The third place winner is Shen Xingchen, the second place winner is An Ran, and the first place winner is..."
A brief silence fell over the scene.
Under the spotlight, Fu Jinxiao's gaze met that of the boy below the stage. He parted his lips slightly and uttered the name: "Jian Xingsui".
The entire audience erupted in uproar!
The contestant who didn't debut is the most popular, yet such a high level of popularity doesn't qualify them for the debut positions.
Jian Xingsui, who was called out, froze on the spot, somewhat unable to believe what she had heard.
Fu Jinxiao's voice was deep and magnetic, his gaze dark and profound as he looked at the young man: "Congratulations, Jian Xingsui, you will become the first brand ambassador for Octopus Live and Little Sun Live apps."
This publicly announced honor was a gift that Fu Jinxiao presented to Jian Xingsui on this night, a gift that should have belonged to him.
The live stream chat exploded:
"He received over seven million votes on the live streaming platform tonight."
"He's popular."
"His vote count couldn't possibly be only a little over four million!"
At the same time, some of An Ran's fans on Weibo made sarcastic remarks implying that Jian Xing Sui's popularity was not as high as An Ran's. After seeing the live broadcast platform's public announcement of the popularity vote for this event, they shut up. In fact, this battle originally had nothing to do with them. It was only because some people were overconfident that it aroused public anger. Jian Xing Sui's popularity in this event also gave her somewhat dejected fans a sense of confidence.
After being mocked for being incompetent and lacking funds to promote their idols, the fan club, which had previously been indifferent, became truly enraged.
At midnight, Jian Xingsui's official fan club was in an uproar. No one could sleep that night. After more than an hour of work, the fan club's top supporters posted a rough estimate of the total amount of money invested in voting: approximately 3.8 million yuan. This money could buy nearly four million votes. When this data came out, everyone was shocked.
"Are you happy with your vote betting for 'Starlight'?"
"How much more money does he need to debut?"
"We just want justice. We didn't get in anyone's way. Is that wrong?"
“I remember the way he was on the mountain that day, trying to persuade everyone to stop throwing. I really broke down in tears.”
"Did he already know everything that was going to happen today, but he chose to endure it all alone for so long?"
Originally, everyone was looking for information about the production team, but after seeing the vote count, they were mostly tagging An Ran's fan club. An Ran's fan club had only released a total of over three million votes before, which was almost the same as Jian Xingsui's, but his final vote count reached six million, while Jian Xingsui was completely overshadowed.
In the end, the wronged person can't even get justice, and is instead brutally hurt by the victor in a condescending manner.
An Ran's fans' actions have also sparked discussion among some people:
"So why did he come in third?"
"Actually, not many people around me like him."
"I've always thought he was pretentious."
"I've wanted to say this for a long time, doesn't anyone think he's the emperor?"
If An Ran's fans hadn't pulled that stunt, perhaps no one would have noticed. But it was precisely because of their ugly behavior that An Ran was suddenly thrust into the spotlight overnight. Originally, other show fans didn't want to take sides, but some of the contestants that fans liked hadn't debuted, and some of the words and actions of An Ran's fans really touched everyone's hearts.
Tonight was supposed to be a joyous occasion for An Ran to celebrate his debut in the group, and there weren't many negative comments about him online. However, due to the actions of his fans, An Ran was boycotted by most of the show's fans, and rumors that he was a "royal family member" began to spread. When he got his phone, he was overjoyed and wanted to receive blessings, but as soon as he opened Weibo, he found himself surrounded by insults, and the label of "royal family member" was directly slapped on his head, leaving him completely stunned.
Ten minutes past midnight, most of the contestants received their phones.
Attentive netizens noticed that many of the contestants who debuted as part of the group have started changing their names and profile pictures, all in the same format: star—Li Xu'an, star—Ning Ze, star—Jian Anran, etc. Attentive netizens also noticed that Shen Xingchen, who is the center, has not changed her profile picture, while Li Xu'an and Anran have started following each other on social media. Only Shen Xingchen and Ning Ze have not followed anyone else.
Although this is against the rules, Shen Xingchen's fans are just as arrogant as he is:
"We are uniquely beautiful!"
"What kind of crappy group is this? What if we don't change anything?"
"It's fine as it is!"
...
1 a.m.
Many contestants started posting their graduation sentiments on Weibo, while the contestants who made it into the debut group posted a group photo of the six of them on stage. Unlike other groups where everyone was smiling when they formed their groups, Shen Xingchen, who was in the center position, was expressionless, looking as if she had been kidnapped. The others also smiled very reluctantly. If you didn't know better, you might think that the show had eliminated these six people.
Almost all six members who made it into the final lineup posted photos on Weibo, except for Shen Xingchen and Ning Ze.
Tonight is a sleepless night for many netizens who love gossip. They dare not sleep, for fear of missing out on some juicy gossip. Tonight is just too lively. First, the chaos at the "Starlight" event was like a skit. Then, the group photo of the debut contestants looked like a funeral. Later, the center contestant didn't change his profile picture and username. Netizens are jumping around in the gossip field, so tired that their feet don't touch the ground.
Around 1 a.m., amidst numerous updates from various users, Shen Xingchen posted on Weibo!
Shen Xingchen v: We've graduated! Goodbye, Starlight! @Jian Xingsui @Ning Ze
The Weibo post also included a picture of the three of them in their dorm room, with suitcases around them. Jian Xingsui was sitting on the suitcase in the middle, while Shen Xingchen stood next to him leaning on his shoulder like a boss. Ning Ze was bending down, pressing the shutter button and making a V sign.
Both the text and the photos are hilarious:
"Goodbye is goodbye, the next one will be better."
"You truly are my brother."
"I thought it was just the three of you in the group, hahaha."
"They put Sui Sui in the center; the older brothers really dote on their younger brother."
Before this, only Shen Xingchen and Ning Ze had Weibo accounts. Jian Xingsui had never opened a Weibo account. After being tagged like this, everyone seemed to have found a portal and followed to Jian Xingsui. Unsurprisingly, it was indeed a new account with only a few followers at the beginning. He followed Shen Xingchen and Ning Ze, as well as several mentors from Starlight. He only had one Weibo post, which was also this group photo, but the caption was slightly different from Shen Xingchen's.
Jian Xingsui: "Today I officially graduated. Thank you for meeting me and supporting my fans along the way. I also want to thank my mentors who helped and guided me. This talent show has given me many unforgettable memories and I have made some true brothers and friends. The three months have passed quickly. From today onwards, it will come to an end. Goodbye, Starlight."
Below are many comforting comments from fans:
"Keep it up, Sui Sui!"
"Don't give up or get discouraged, we will all support you."
"Even if you don't form a group, you'll still have a future!"
For every supporter, there are those who offer sarcastic remarks:
"Forming a group might not be a good thing, but it brings resources."
"If an amateur like Jian Xingsui doesn't make it into the group, he's basically doomed."
"Yeah, it's trending now, but you'll see who pays attention to it once the hype dies down."
"They used to ride on the coattails of the mentors' popularity and even tried to create a CP with Brother Fu, but they've finally quieted down."
This Weibo post mentioned quite a few people. Jian Xingsui tagged Shen Xingchen and Ning Ze, as well as the mentors of "Starlight" to express her gratitude.
In fact, most contestants on "Super Idol" thank their mentors when writing these thank-you Weibo posts, including the few who made it into the debut group. An Ran and Li Xu'an, among others, tagged their mentors to express their gratitude. Generally, the more talented contestants would receive a reply from their mentors. For example, Li Xu'an received a like from her mentor, and Tu Ya followed many other contestants. Most of the mentors tagged by these contestants would respond out of consideration for their relationship, except for—Fu Jinxiao.
Many talent shows, including popular contestants like An Ran and Li Xu'an, have tagged actor Fu Yingdi, but they haven't received any response or even made a splash.
Many fans speculated:
"Brother Fu didn't go on Weibo tonight, did he?"
"I didn't see an estimate."
"He doesn't seem to be particularly close to any of the other players?"
Actually, everyone was used to it. After all, Fu Yingdi's status is undeniable. His following list is mostly filled with top stars and actresses, and it hasn't changed for a long time. Most of the contestants knew about this, but they still tagged him, hoping to get a reply and gain a huge amount of attention. Unfortunately, no one got a reply. Just when everyone thought that the night would pass peacefully without any further waves,
It was a little past 2:10 a.m.
Just when many were drowsy, a message invigorated most of them—
Fu Jinxiao pays attention to Jian Xingsui
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