Jiang Juyou's job essentially involved guiding the development direction of several idol groups, which meant she had to worry about everything.
During program recordings, she was often caught on camera, mostly when the groups wanted to adapt certain musical pieces and would come to consult her opinion.
Random Entertainment's brand name was even more prominent than their idol groups, having become synonymous with quality.
This reputation led to over 10,000 music festival tickets being sold before the show even aired, and on the premiere day, things were incredibly lively. Marketing accounts were quick to catch on, and the public followed suit.
Within two hours of going online, marketing accounts began editing clips, and the short videos they posted attracted another wave of viewers to the show.
Among the invited artists, Random Entertainment's groups were the newest and least established. While the other artists might not have the same impressive fan economics as these newer groups, they had better public recognition, and many ticket buyers were actually attracted by the low prices and these veteran artists.
The purpose of this show was crystal clear to both the artists and audience.
Yet everyone was happy to watch it, because who doesn't enjoy a good show?
When the first episode aired, people finally learned who all the performing artists were. Previously, only half had been announced, and even the day before the premiere, half remained unannounced.
Only when the show went online were all performing artists revealed.
Then people saw Sang Mo's name trending alongside veteran band singers.
#AAAAHSangMo#
Due to this outrageous trending topic, many casual viewers clicked to see what could possibly warrant such a hashtag.
The most popular post was from a marketing account, with likes, shares, and comments all exceeding 10,000.
The video opened with a sharp squeal: "AAAAH what did I just see?! Sang Mo! It's Sang Mo! Sang Mo has debuted! Not in an idol group! But in a band! AAAAH I'm going crazy! I've finally made it!"
The impact of a first love is enormous, and when Sang Mo cried during the final performance, it tore at countless fans' hearts.
With falling confetti in the background like rain, his reddened eyes and flushed nose tip were perfectly captured. This photo remains the best-performing fan-taken shot in the entertainment industry, with people still sharing and reminiscing about it right up until the day before the show aired.
Tragic endings tend to linger in people's minds, and Sang Mo's desire to debut became the blade that cemented his status as everyone's first love, making the memory even more profound, to the point where seeing him again still brought back that heart-wrenching feeling from the final performance.
Not only were Sang Mo's fans waiting for his debut, but also the show's followers and those casual viewers who remembered him from that fleeting moment.
The trending topic was filled with that famous fan-taken photo from the final performance. The photo was so iconic that it continued to circulate long after the show ended, helping even those who couldn't quite remember who Sang Mo was to instantly recall him.
When Sang Mo reappeared before the public, his fans were the first to go wild. His super topic wasn't filled with giveaways and crying emojis, but rather with bouncing monkey GIFs and occasional bursts of lucidity.
"@SangberryInkDrink: Who understands how I feel right now? Haven't seen Sang Mo's name on any performance lists for months. We were speculating with other fans whether he'd been eliminated, even asking other companies if he'd switched agencies, and reaching out to his classmates through connections to see if he'd returned to normal life... Who understands... Who understands... I'm crying a storm."
"@MoMoIsBubbleMo: I clicked on the show hoping to see some trainees, but you were the first to appear, with 'Equals3 member' in the lower left corner. I completely lost it, crying while eating, rewinding those few seconds of your entrance so many times... Finally, the wait is over."
It's now late October, and though only half a year has passed since the final performance, it feels like decades.
In the show, the first shot was of a pair of shoes, belonging to someone wearing loose straight-leg pants that barely hovered a centimeter above the ground, giving the impression of dragging.
As the camera gradually panned up, the rebellious style of the pants made viewers question what kind of person would wear them.
But as the camera continued upward to reveal his face, the bullet comments exploded, with screams converted to text filling the entire video.
Sang Mo appeared with a guitar case slung over one shoulder. He adjusted the strap, glanced at the somewhat empty studio, then turned to his teammate saying, "We're the first ones here."
"That's good, I was worried we'd be late," replied Chen Wu, who also carried a case containing his bass.
When these two appeared together, the bullet comments went wild, startling other casual viewers watching the show.
Behind Chen Wu was another person wearing a gray sleeveless shirt, carrying his guitar case in hand, his arm muscles visible from the effort.
His case was flashy, covered in various stickers on the black background, including road signs and Keroppi stickers.
His entrance style, completely different from the other two, immediately caught everyone's attention.
Jiang Wangran wore chains and pearls around his neck, and after entering, he strode over to join the other two in contemplating where to sit.
While those two were seriously considering it, Jiang Wangran was just there to make up the numbers.
"Should we sit in the corner?"
"How about the right side?"
"Let's take the left side, it's the most corner spot."
After the two anxiety-prone members discussed without reaching a conclusion, an annoyed Jiang Wangran finally picked up his guitar case and walked straight to the sofa in the left corner.
This new face immediately caught everyone's attention, and the show appropriately cut to the behind-the-scenes footage.
"Hello everyone, we are Equals3." The three sat on high stools, with their instruments on stands beside them.
They introduced themselves one by one. Many people recognized Chen Wu and Sang Mo, but no one had heard of Jiang Wangran, who apparently hadn't even participated in any public performances.
When it was Jiang Wangran's turn, the scene cut to his individual interview.
The staff asked him: "Please introduce yourself."
Jiang Wangran sat up straight and cleared his throat, "Hi everyone, I'm Jiang Wangran, 17 years old, 186cm tall, blood type A, I love singing and playing guitar, and I've never dated—"
"Hey hey hey! That's enough!" Seeing his self-introduction getting increasingly strange, the staff quickly cut him off, but the segment made it into the final cut.
"HAHAHA dying of laughter, where did Random Entertainment find this sunny, cheerful big boy!"
"Now the Three Princes aren't the only sunny and cheerful big boys!"
"Random Entertainment finally has their second extrovert! Pei Luming isn't alone anymore!"
"Entered with his own BGM!"
"Completely different vibe from those two."
Just like when he had stood out among trainees to make it into the debut group, Jiang Wangran immediately caught the audience's attention upon his appearance. With his distinctive looks like a hunting wolf, strong personality, and confidence without stage fright, he seemed born for the spotlight, unfazed by others' gazes.
Halfway through watching, some people tried to search for information about Jiang Wangran, only to discover he didn't even have a super topic on Weibo.
Fans who became interested in Jiang Wangran during the first episode quickly demonstrated the speed of the entertainment industry's infrastructure building - shortly after the show aired, super topics, fan clubs, and data tracking accounts were all set up.
After Equals3 arrived, several other artists gradually showed up, with Random Entertainment's artists arriving first, possibly due to being juniors.
Pei Luming shouted as soon as he appeared, "Bros!" He excitedly ran towards Sang Mo and Chen Wu, who stood up to greet him.
In his excitement, Pei Luming tripped on the steps and fell straight into Jiang Wangran's arms.
"Oh-yo oh-yo!" The strong Jiang Wangran directly lifted Pei Luming by his armpits and helped him stand steady.
Seeing this scene, Gao Xiayu got a headache and pressed his temples.
Yao Shuo took the opportunity to tease Pei Luming, "Look who's flying!"
"Hahahahaha, I'm going to die laughing!"
"Just two idiots can create such entertainment value, hahaha!"
"Yao Shuo's mouth, I just can't- hahahaha!"
Only twenty minutes into the show, and there was already an iconic moment that had the audience rolling with laughter.
Everyone knew each other, and they had even bumped into Jiang Wangran and his group at the company several times, so the atmosphere wasn't awkward. In fact, it was quite lively. The only one feeling uncomfortable was Pei Luming, who was in his teens and particularly conscious about his image.
This was the first time he had been so quiet in public.
As they sat in a row chatting for a while, footsteps were heard from the entrance, and they all turned their heads like foxes to look in that direction.
The newcomers were Pei Zhiping, Han Lemi, Si Yanyu, and Yu Dan, who had disappeared after the final performance of the debut competition.
Pei Luming, who was already acting quiet, became even more reserved when he saw Pei Zhiping enter, almost to the point of appearing artificial.
The three groups of artists exchanged greetings with nods, and finally chose seats in the upper right corner, keeping a considerable distance from the boys' group.
The production team added special effects with enlarged heads for both Pei Luming and Pei Zhiping. They both side-eyed each other with looks of disdain.
The production team asked Pei Zhiping, "Are you not on good terms with your brother?"
"Well... I don't think there are any siblings in this world who truly love each other," Pei Zhiping answered.
The production team asked Pei Luming the same question, and he responded, "Not really, it's just normal, you know, like any real sibling relationship... neither good nor bad."
"I could watch just the two of you fight for an entire season."
"I absolutely love watching siblings kill each other."
"The actual siblings fight more intensely than their fans [joke]"
Pei Luming's fans: Secretly sending the GIF of Pei Luming 'flying' to Pei Zhiping... hehe...
