Title: Melon-Eating Discussion / However, Those Few Girls Are Getting Too Much Screen Time...
"Random Entertainment's intention to promote those few girls is too obvious. The plot basically revolves around them, while others are just like props... I really feel sorry for my bias."
Comments section:
"...?"
"You people are so hard to please now. You complain when popular members get too much screen time, and you also complain when they get too little."
"While I understand the show needs popular members to carry the camera time, it's really too much."
"Is this how you're supposed to beg for attention?"
"So you're saying that since the popular members are already popular, the screen time should be given to other trainees who aren't as popular?"
"Everything else aside, I really don't understand why Fish Ball's popularity is so high. Who actually wants to watch her?"
"Yes, yes, Yu Dan has an internet-famous face, we're all internet users, just let us have this one."
"Perhaps... this is what they call vote manipulation?"
"There are some strange people in this thread... Ridiculous, accusing Random Entertainment of vote manipulation?"
"It's true though, those few girls' makeup artists were all brought in from Korea..."
Like a drop of ink in water, the accusations of Random Entertainment manipulating the show spread from a small black dot outward.
But with the third public performance approaching, everyone's attention was more focused on the upcoming show. Even those who saw these comments didn't pay much attention, because it was Random Entertainment - how could vote manipulation possibly happen?
The third public performance was the day after tomorrow, with rehearsal scheduled for tomorrow. Today, all the trainees were packed into the practice room. In Beijing's dry climate, they managed to raise the humidity in the practice room by several degrees through their efforts alone. Water droplets had condensed at the bottom of the mirrors, and their clothes had long since changed color from sweat.
After dancing through the routine more than ten times, Yu Dan finally allowed everyone to rest. Si Yanyu, completely exhausted, collapsed onto the floor. The others were startled for a moment, but she quickly raised her hand and said, "I'm fine, just out of energy."
The trainees in the practice room looked like they had just climbed Mount Tai. Their legs trembled as they walked toward the benches, not only drained of energy but their brains seemed to have stopped working too. Only one thought kept cycling through their minds: So tired, so tired, so tired...
From the moment they opened their eyes, except for meal times and short breaks, they had been practicing continuously. Solo practice followed by group practice, then focusing on details - repeating single movements dozens of times, going through formations hundreds of times.
This was how they practiced for basically every stage performance, to the point where they felt they could perform it perfectly even with their eyes closed.
But the more they practiced, the more anxious Si Yanyu became. She lay on the practice room floor staring at the ceiling for a while until suddenly, overwhelming emotions enveloped her. Si Yanyu quickly got up, grabbed her clothes and phone, and headed for the door. "I'm heading back first, not feeling well."
The others in the practice room, their faces contorted with exhaustion, immediately looked over when they heard this and showed concern, "What's wrong, are you okay?"
Si Yanyu just shook her head and walked toward the door. "I'm going back first."
Yu Dan, sitting in front of the large mirror, watched Si Yanyu leave and couldn't help but purse her lips. Because of the cameras present, she couldn't express her dissatisfaction.
Si Yanyu's departure didn't leave a big gap; without her, the others could still practice. Yu Dan helped the other girls go through the movements one more time, and it wasn't until midnight that she finally let everyone return to their rooms.
On their way back, they encountered many trainees from other groups. Everyone looked exhausted, and some practice room lights were still on - who knew how long they would continue practicing.
At the elevator, Yu Dan ran into Pei Zhiping and Han Lemi. Pei Zhiping always maintained perfect posture, her ponytail like a string pulling up her spirit, while Han Lemi looked like someone whose spirit had been stolen by Pei Zhiping - she was swaying just standing there, looking like she might collapse any second.
Seeing Yu Dan approach, Pei Zhiping greeted her and, noticing her troubled expression, asked, "What's wrong?"
"..." Yu Dan was silent at first, shaking her head before saying, "Si Yanyu left early earlier, her mood seemed off." She had only realized it afterward. Although Si Yanyu was aloof, she wasn't impolite. Even when she had been too tired to move before, she had never just left early. Today was unusually out of character for her.
Han Lemi seemed to regain her soul, straightening up and saying, "Let's go check on her when we get up there."
The three of them arrived at Si Yanyu's room and knocked on the door. The hallway was full of returning trainees and others visiting different rooms, creating quite a commotion. Han Lemi pressed her ear against the door, trying to hear something, but the hallway was too noisy to make out any sounds from inside.
Just as Han Lemi was about to knock again, the door suddenly opened.
It only opened a small crack, and the person inside didn't even show their face, immediately retreating into the darkness.
"We're coming in..." Han Lemi took the lead, pushing the door open and entering, with the other two following behind, stepping carefully.
Like entering some kind of cave, the room was pitch black and silent. Once the door closed, the darkness completely engulfed the room.
Yu Dan reached out and felt for the wall, turning on the light. As the room brightened, Si Yanyu pulled the covers over her head on the bed.
Pei Zhiping walked past Han Lemi to Si Yanyu's bedside. "...Are you feeling unwell?"
Han Lemi, who had been scanning the room, noticed a pillow that had fallen to the floor, with large tear stains on it. She tugged at the others' clothes, giving Yu Dan a meaningful look to turn off the lights.
The room went dark again, and just as Si Yanyu was about to peek out from under the covers to see what was happening, she was suddenly pinned down.
Han Lemi pushed both Pei Zhiping and Yu Dan onto the bed, and amid their startled screams, she jumped on too. "Hugs, hugs, hugs!"
"Why did the lights suddenly go off?"
"Why is everyone screaming? Let me join in too!"
"Aww, our little bread has such a tender heart!"
"Si Yanyu must be under too much pressure..."
In the pitch-black room, after the four of them shouted for a while, the subtle melancholy and oppressive atmosphere immediately shattered. Yu Dan, who had been tickled, squirmed and screamed on the bed, "Han Lemi, that was definitely you!"
Si Yanyu, who had been crying just moments ago, burst out laughing, even blowing a snot bubble. Fortunately, all the lights were off, so no one could see.
"Ahhhh, who's crushing me?" Pei Zhiping let out a yell.
Si Yanyu, pressing down on Pei Zhiping, laughing and crying at the same time, reached for some tissues by the bed. After blowing her nose and wiping her tears, she finally turned on the bedside lamp.
Han Lemi, tired out, sat up straight. With her messy bed head, she took a deep breath and looked at Si Yanyu, "Alright, tell us, why were you crying?"
Si Yanyu, whose mood had just improved, immediately became gloomy again at these words.
"I'm just too anxious..." she lowered her head, avoiding their gaze. "And while being anxious, I keep slacking off."
She fidgeted with her hands as she spoke: "I know at this point I should be focusing on practice, but I just can't control myself... When choosing between vocal practice and playing games, I chose games. I play while being anxious, knowing I'm making the wrong choice, but I just can't control myself, and I keep putting things off."
In the show, she was always glued to her phone. At first, everyone thought she was chatting with someone, but later they discovered she was just playing games. Initially, people could joke about her good attitude, but later viewers couldn't help but criticize her, especially compared to her hardworking teammates.
Si Yanyu wasn't even using games to relieve stress - she was simply avoiding, running away from the right choice.
It was like those people who know they have assignments due in a few hours but lie in bed mindlessly scrolling through their phones - pure procrastination and avoidance, playing while anxious.
"This is totally me... Six hours until the deadline, but here I am lying in bed watching your stories."
"I get it, but do they have to show this in the final cut?"
"This is literally me with my severe procrastination. I even have to coax myself into taking a shower."
"I understand, playing while being anxious, heart beating so fast, can't even feel any joy from gaming."
"This is so annoying, there are five people in their group, and everything revolves around those two? Fine if they want to join, but why must they include Pei Zhiping and Han Lemi?"
"I don't want to go to school! Don't want to go to classes! Don't want to do homework!!!"
"What's your problem with the four of them being close? If you don't like it, just leave!"
Each group's stage performance was preceded by a VCR segment showcasing the difficulties they encountered during preparation. Jiang Juyou, sitting at the judges' panel, watched along with a furrowed brow.
She turned to ask Yang Siyu, "Isn't this editing a bit too focused?" Jiang Juyou meant that basically every group's story centered around the popular members, while other trainees got unfairly little screen time.
Yang Siyu, who was asked, didn't furrow her brow but explained, "But this is what actually happened, and since there wasn't much other content to edit, they decided to include it."
Jiang Juyou nodded after hearing this but remained silent. She sat up straight and continued watching, though her expression was no longer pleasant.
The livestream occasionally showed glimpses of the judges' panel, where everyone's expressions weren't as enjoyable as during the first public performance. The last time Jiang Juyou frowned like this was during the first season, when the male trainees' skills truly warranted her concern.
Perhaps influenced by the expressions of these five judges, people who initially thought the stage performance was decent began to reassess their opinions.
"The stage presence felt better when Pei Zhiping and the other three were together."
"Both Xia Simiao and Pei Zhiping are quite eye-catching individually, but why does it look so chaotic when they're together? Whose fault is it?"
"I can understand Si Yanyu and Yu Dan's frustration - they have to bend their knees more to stay in sync with the others."
"Ahhhhh I want the group of four!"
"The four of them plus Xia Simiao and Ji Wensu would probably work really well. Remember to vote for six spots when the debut member voting opens tomorrow."
"Why not vote for nine? More positions mean more opportunities!"
