The warm air in the conference room was abundant, and the employees who had just woken up from their afternoon naps were still slightly drowsy. They leaned back in their chairs, yawning and waiting for Jiang Juyou to arrive.
After a few seconds, the door to the conference room was pushed open. "Alright, let's make this quick," Jiang Juyou said briskly as she walked in, pulled out a chair, and sat down at the head of the table.
The previously sleepy group immediately sat up straight, alert and ready for the meeting.
Jiang Juyou tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, glanced at the notes on her phone, and then began, "Let's start with the preparations for the final performance. Who's reporting?"
The employee next to her immediately cleared their throat. "Regarding the final performance, we've decided to move the live streaming port to the platform. Since promoting the APP is no longer our primary task, broadcasting on the platform will better maximize the show's popularity. We've signed promotional agreements with other social media platforms, and we'll increase our advertising efforts in the final week."
After finishing, they passed to the next person. "As for the trainees, the teachers have been keeping a close eye on them. Everyone has shown significant improvement, especially compared to when the show first started. Here's a list of the top thirty based on public feedback, skill level, and appearance. Please take a look; it can be used as a reference later."
Jiang Juyou quickly scanned the iPad after receiving it. The list didn't differ much from the current voting rankings.
"... Regarding the merchandise shop, it went live for the first time at noon today. In the first hour alone, sales exceeded two million yuan. Ye Xing's photo book is selling the best, followed by the support... light tickets?"
She hesitated a bit when choosing her words, finally settling on a description that best matched the item's appearance. However, her rising intonation at the end caused several people in the room to chuckle.
Jiang Juyou smiled as she took the support light ticket from another employee to examine it. "That's quite an accurate description."
For the final performance, Random Entertainment had produced limited edition support sticks to make the live broadcast look better. Initially, they planned to include them with the tickets, distributing them only to those entering the venue. But since they had already been made, they decided to open them up for sale, allowing fans to keep them as souvenirs.
It really was just a palm-sized ticket stub that would light up when inserted into a special base or handheld stick. The base cost 21 yuan, the handheld stick 63 yuan, and the light tickets were 7 yuan each, with 63 different versions – one for each trainee.
She randomly picked a ticket stub from the box beside her and inserted it into the handheld stick, then pressed the switch at the bottom. The ticket stub immediately lit up.
"Wow..." The employees in the room couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
They had received the actual items that morning and had been playing with them for hours. No matter how many times they looked at them, they still found them fascinating. Though it felt like plastic to the touch, it was soft, and despite being opaque, it could emit light. Like the netizens outside, they were curious about which tech company was backing their company behind the scenes.
Jiang Juyou, looking at the support stick in her hand, let out a long sigh. "... It's about to end."
-
"The live broadcast will begin in 34 minutes..."
"Current number of viewers: 789,623"
Advertisements played on a loop in the live stream room, while the comments section refreshed constantly. Fans were chatting about various topics in the live stream: some were spamming trainees' names, others were posting support messages, some were telling the first two groups to be quiet, and there were those finding and replying to normal comments amidst the chaos.
"My bias has no hope of debuting, I'm just here to watch it all fall apart."
"I haven't said a single bad word about Jiang Juyou since the show started. Please, let my bias make it!"
"So, does Jiang Juyou make the final decision?"
"The Hangover Cure has 100% decision-making power. The other judges only provide input, and even our votes are just for reference..."
"What about those who don't make it? Will they be dismissed?"
"Yes, they'll be dismissed."
"This Back Mom's heart is already bleeding. After today, my bias will just be a regular person, haha..."
"The support sticks are really heartbreaking. Even at the very end, Deadlock Entertainment doesn't miss a chance to stab us."
"Only Back fans will be hurt by this, right? This is the starting point for popular contestants, but the end for us (too painful to breathe)"
"My eyes are already swollen from crying, and it hasn't even started yet."
"What about those of us on the borderline? I'm so nervous I keep going to the bathroom!"
"Are they really going to be dismissed? Where did this information come from?"
"My classmate is one of the bottom-ranked trainees, and he told us that those who don't make it will be dismissed."
"Ahhh, just kill me now, save me!"
"Feels like some people in the comments are in a really bad mental state."
"How could anyone be okay? My bias will be a nobody tomorrow, and I'll never see them again, haha!"
When the countdown reached twenty minutes, the big screen inside the venue started playing advertisements. The fans seated in the venue were on edge, anxiously waiting for it to begin.
Backstage, the sixty-three trainees huddled together, encouraging and motivating each other.
"Don't let the online rumors distract you. All decisions are in Jiang Producer's hands. You all know that Jiang Producer values stage performance the most, so we all need to do our best. Don't lose hope before it even starts, got it?" Gao Xiayu embraced the two people next to him while the other sixty or so trainees listened attentively to his words.
"Got it--" the others responded.
Nearby, a camera operator held up their camera, recording this moment.
Gao Xiayu, though just a teenager himself, was also very nervous, but he still had to comfort the others. "Those who need to be hoisted up later, make sure to double-check your safety harnesses. Your safety comes first, don't get injured. Let's finish today's performance safely and soundly."
He reached out to hold the hand of the person next to him. "We'll shout 'kill' three times, and then we'll go on stage!"
These ordinary words somehow made him tear up. Gao Xiayu held back his choked voice and shouted loudly: "Final performance--"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
The cheers of the sixty-three trainees shook the backstage area, and even the front rows of the audience could hear their powerful encouragement.
Their shouts also stirred up the fans in the venue, with the support lights in the front rows swaying, creating waves of light.
Pei Luming, already in full makeup, pouted as he held back his tears. After the group dispersed, he made his way through the crowd to hug Gao Xiayu. "Brother, good luck!"
"You too, don't cry later." Gao Xiayu patted him twice before letting go, then joined the aerial team to prepare for going upstairs to put on their equipment.
Everyone was trying hard to suppress their emotions, but Jiang Juyou was patting her chest in shock.
"That scared me to death!"
Jiang Juyou, still getting her makeup done in the waiting room, suddenly heard the deafening shouts from outside. It almost stopped her heart for a moment. The makeup artist touching up her makeup also jerked their hand, and everyone in the room was startled by the unexpected noise.
Jiang Juyou turned her head to look at the door, her eyes wide as she asked, "What was that sound just now? Were they cheering?"
"Probably," someone replied.
She patted her chest again. "These kids are really going to scare me to death."
Jiang Juyou hadn't even recovered when suddenly someone knocked on the door, startling her once more.
She closed her eyes, wearing an expression that suggested she was ready to be cremated. "..."
The staff member who opened the door and came in looked innocent. "Teachers, you can enter the venue now."
Li Yao, sitting on the sofa, looked at Jiang Juyou with schadenfreude, chuckling a few times before turning to respond, "OK, we're coming!"
The atmosphere in the venue became lively as well, as everyone noticed the trainees above.
The fans below craned their necks, trying to identify the trainees in the darkness, accompanied by shouts of the trainees' names.
The journalists in the media section also looked up, with some raising their cameras to take a few shots.
Those in the VIP boxes were also unabashedly raising their cameras.
Liu Yue, in the second-floor VIP section, held up her camera, using the light from the big screen to focus on Ye Xing in the air. The fans on the lower level turned their heads to look at her, curious about why she was allowed to take photos.
Ling Cheng hesitated with her mouth open, unsure whether to take out her phone. Just then, the person in front of her called out to a staff member, "Excuse me, are we allowed to take photos during today's final performance?"
The staff member wearing an armband shook their head and said, "No, photography is not allowed at any of our performances. Only journalists in the media section are permitted to take photos."
After he said this, several fans around them pointed behind, "Why... why is that person allowed to take photos?"
Ling Cheng's gaze also fixed on the staff member, waiting for his response.
The staff member looked in the direction they pointed and exclaimed, "Oh, that's the brand sponsor's VIP box... we have no control over that area."
In other words, it was the big money sponsor's area, and they couldn't interfere.
Upstairs, Liu Yue seemed to notice the commotion below and quietly put away her camera, not wanting to draw attention. She retreated into the VIP box and told the others, "This won't work. It's too conspicuous. I've never been stared at by so many people in my life."
Besides Liu Yue, there were seven or eight other girls in the box, all with cameras beside them. The one closest to Liu Yue said, "See? I told you. If you go out now, everyone will stare at you. Wait until the countdown ends, and no one will notice you then."
"Can't you finish chewing before you speak?"
"No, I won't!"
"Can we go get photos with the trainees later?"
"Be careful, or people might call you sasaeng fans."
"Never mind then."
The girls chattered away, completely ignoring Liu Yue.
The VIP box was stocked with drinks, a buffet spread on the table, and even a row of light sticks for fans – they had one for each trainee. Other fans had to buy these separately.
Liu Yue's family was one of the sponsors for this final performance, in fact, the largest contributor, which was why they had a VIP box.
She sighed, "I'll go out again later then." As she was about to get a bottle of water from the fridge, the door to the VIP box suddenly opened.
Liu Yue found herself face-to-face with Jiang Juyou―
Someone behind Jiang Juyou called out, "Teacher, it's not this room!"
She quickly averted her gaze, "I'm sorry, wrong room!"
Liu Yue, who was getting water, was left speechless.
Liu Yue thought to herself: Who can relate to this? I'm traumatized. I never want to come to a concert again in my life!
