The atmosphere on stage was tense. The music teacher on-site had even added background music to heighten the suspense for the announcement of second place.
The big screen displayed the faces of two people, while fans below held up banners and light sticks, chanting names.
Sitting in the middle of the crowd, Jiang Juyou just smiled at the scene on stage. She lowered her gaze, refreshed the interface, and glanced at the trending rankings.
The top spots on the trending list had already been taken over by Random Entertainment, with hashtags about the official announcement of the debut competition, group concepts, individual posters, and even trainees being admitted to prestigious schools.
Jiang Juyou, sitting among the crowd, straightened her back, stretched her shoulders, and her smile behind the mask grew even brighter. She was very satisfied with the contrast between what was happening on and off stage.
"Let's go," Jiang Juyou said to the staff members around her.
It wasn't just Jiang Juyou who had come this time, but also several teams from the A&R department, as well as the variety show department team that would be responsible for the debut competition program, totaling over thirty people.
As the second place winner was being announced on stage, Jiang Juyou led her team to stand up, adjust their clothes under the watchful eyes of the surrounding audience, and then turn to leave.
The timing was deliberate, the commotion intentional, the lack of subtlety purposeful.
"Oh my..."
"I don't even dare to look up, afraid my face will be remembered."
"What a way to crash the party, they might as well have thrown it in the program team's face."
"Even though I came to watch the final performance, I'm still on Random Entertainment's side."
"Too late now."
Many audience members had followed "21 Heartbeats of Youth" before, and faced with this scene, they only grew more excited, wishing a fight would break out right then and there.
Jiang Juyou and her team's actions were quickly posted online. On forums, some criticized her for being disrespectful, while others said her behavior was satisfying to watch.
People soon understood why they chose to make the official announcement on this particular day.
"Title: Gossip is fun / but I still think Hangover Cure is so cool..."
"She deliberately chose to make the announcement today, not just to steal the spotlight from Fruit TV, but I think what's cooler is how confident she is. She knows very clearly that everyone will be looking forward to the debut competition, that everyone will come to watch, and that this public anticipation will definitely push them to the top of the trending list."
"If today's announcement hadn't trended and was just self-hype within the fandom, her stealing the spotlight at the venue would definitely have been mocked. But the opposite happened."
"Hangover Cure's confidence is just too cool!"
"It makes me even more excited for the debut competition! And for the group she'll create!"
Comments section:
"That GIF of her standing up and leaving is just too cool, I want to open it and watch it again every time I see it."
"I don't understand the people criticizing her for being impolite. Hangover Cure let them talk trash for half a year, why don't these people go criticize the program team?"
"Am I the only one who noticed that their entire group was all women? I just checked, 90% of Random Entertainment's employees are women."
"I have no class, so I think it's cool and satisfying. As long as I'm satisfied, that's all that matters. Who cares what those moral police think."
"Saying 90% are women is a bit of an exaggeration. Their performance department still has quite a few male employees, but it's true that 95% of the upper management are women. Only the head of the performance department is male, all others are female employees."
"People just fall in love with Hangover Cure over and over again at different times~"
"Her confidence is really captivating, damn it! Woman, you've got me wrapped around your finger. I just unconditionally trust Hangover Cure's taste."
"I'm dying of laughter, there are even fan site admins who released on-site fancams of Hangover Cure!"
The trending list was completely taken over by Random Entertainment, once again proving their influence on the public to both insiders and outsiders.
Previously, there would be rumors about the debut competition circulating externally every month, but those were all fabricated. Every time the rumormongers were asked for evidence, they would delete their accounts and disappear.
The industry had never been able to provide concrete information, not even Random Entertainment's employees could, because the company simply doesn't follow the usual path.
Normal variety shows would secure sponsorships before broadcasting, and Random Entertainment's employees thought the same, even preparing for sponsorship meetings, waiting for Jiang Juyou to return for discussions on which brands to invite.
However, the first thing Jiang Juyou did upon returning to the country was to issue an order to announce the broadcast date of the debut competition.
So it wasn't that Random Entertainment's employees were tight-lipped, they simply had no idea that a variety show could be produced without sponsorships.
This time, "Time Train Countdown" will be broadcast on subtitle sites, just like before, with no advertisements during the competition period.
Fans who smelled blood immediately understood from this point that Random Entertainment must have prepared a bunch of money-making schemes again. Big fans immediately issued warnings, telling everyone to save their money in case Random Entertainment suddenly makes a move.
The super topics of the trainees also became unusually active, with follower numbers soaring. The data team hadn't seen so many people online simultaneously in a long time, and the management team nearly burst into tears hugging each other.
Random Entertainment's official announcement brought the "New Year" early, and fans of various trainees were so excited they wanted to set off fireworks in celebration.
Some just said it, while others actually did it.
Ye Xing had many wealthy fans, and there were indeed some who set off fireworks to celebrate for him.
Besides celebrating seeing fresh content of Ye Xing after so long, what was even more worth celebrating was that Ye Xing had been admitted to a key high school in Beijing.
Among the twenty-one trainees, more than half were ninth graders. Two months ago, when they returned for exams, it briefly caused some discussion, but they only stayed for a few days. As soon as the exams were over, they left quietly, their departure going unnoticed.
During the summer vacation, Random Entertainment didn't update much content, and the fandom's activity level decreased accordingly. This led to the trainees' presence on various forums also diminishing, and no one paid attention to their high school entrance exam results.
Random Entertainment had also been protecting the trainees' privacy. It wasn't until today, when they returned to the country and the trainees were about to start school, that the admission lists of various schools were made public. Only then did people take notice of the trainees' high school admissions.
Each trainee's high school entrance exam scores had slightly improved compared to before, with Ye Xing even being admitted to a key high school, ranking among the top. This news, along with the announcement of the debut competition, also trended.
Many student netizens who came to watch the drama suddenly realized that Ye Xing was about to become their classmate.
Ye Xing's good results gave the Lucky Moms, who had been suppressed for the past half year, a chance to vent their frustrations.
Because he ranked 21st in the previous survival show, every time there was an argument, he would be brought up. This ranking might seem harmless, but it actually affected their voice in the fandom.
Especially when arguing with Pei Luming's fans, having a voice was even more important.
Ye Xing's admission to a key high school allowed them to hold their heads high for once, and even regained quite a few fans.
What was even more gratifying was that after half a year of training, Ye Xing's appearance had changed, becoming more handsome. Just his face alone could become a source of confidence.
After shedding his childish features, his facial features became more three-dimensional and profound. The blonde hair in his official announcement photo further amplified his artistic aura, making him look like a piece of art that had escaped from a museum.
The concept for the individual announcement poster was a newly awakened artificial human.
In a silver-background experimental factory, a series of glass capsules were shattered, with circuits and pipes falling chaotically behind. Ye Xing stood in front of the broken capsule frame, mechanical hands gripping glass shards, a dangerous smile on his lips. His messy blonde hair covered one eye, which should have reduced some of the aggression, but his other eye staring fixedly at the camera was too determined, like a killer locking onto prey, the emotion palpable.
Although it was a still photo, people seemed to see the chaos in the factory at that moment.
Ye Xing's photo was shared tens of thousands of times, crushing the few thousand to tens of thousand shares and likes of other trainees' data.
"Born with the configuration of a wooden beauty, but a god of hard photos."
"Whether it's A cut or B cut, Ye Xing is just too perfect. What a great face."
"This poster is too perfect. Whether it's the props in the background or Ye Xing's pose, everything is just right. Even the hair covering his eye is just perfect."
"The posters of other trainees give off their personal vibe, but Ye Xing's poster always has a feeling of a dramatic character. I can imagine a whole story in my head."
"I'll say it again: Ye Xing! The goddess of photoshoots!"
"It's really amazing. Ye Xing seems stiff when dancing, but her body is exceptionally relaxed and graceful when taking photos."
"Blonde hair! It's blonde hair! Ahhh, blonde hair!"
"Everyone else is so eloquent, unlike me who can only say 'Ahhhh, holy crap!'"
Meanwhile, the trainees who had just returned home also received a notice from the company, requiring them to bring their luggage to the company the day after tomorrow to prepare for the journey to the filming location for the debut competition.
They had barely warmed their beds before having to get up and pack their luggage. For those whose homes weren't in Beijing, it was even worse - they had just gotten off the plane when they received this message, and could only rush home to have a meal with their families before returning to Beijing.
At the same time, Jiang Juyou also received news that they would be entering the filming location soon.
In the business car, Yang Siyu also saw the announcement posted in the company's internal software. She turned to ask Jiang Juyou behind her, "They're going in to film the day after tomorrow, so it should be released in a couple of days. Will there be enough time? Why don't we use the previous editing team? I remember we used to release videos quite quickly."
Hearing this, Jiang Juyou stiffened for a moment. She cleared her throat and said, "Ahem... it's already been arranged."
She then silently questioned the system in her mind, "Um... there will be a discount, right?"
The system: "..."
-
Although they said the show would start broadcasting next week, this week felt particularly agonizing. The fans even felt that this week was harder to endure than the previous six months. The employees of Random Entertainment were tight-lipped, making it impossible to dig up any information.
Their filming location was the same park as before, which was completely inaccessible. Trying to get any information was like climbing to heaven. The only thing they knew was that the trainees had already gone in, the show had started recording, and it would be broadcast tomorrow.
This week was as quiet as the calm before a storm. Not only were there no leaks about the show, but Random Entertainment was also unusually quiet. The fans were really not used to this.
Their sixth sense told them that something should happen today, so the fans kept refreshing Random Entertainment's official account.
But when asked where this intuition came from, one fan answered:
"Well, this time the show isn't seeking sponsors. Although that's good, it means they'll probably come up with some crazy event from time to time to make money... The show starts broadcasting tomorrow, so I think they'll definitely try to sell something today. Come on, my wallet is ready."
Just as a big fan said this, Random Entertainment's official account came online.
"Title: Gossip Discussion/Report - They're selling! They've started selling!!!"
"Random Entertainment just officially announced! The final concert is scheduled for February 3rd! It will be held at Hangzhou Aocheng Stadium!"
"[PS. Hangzhou Aocheng Stadium can accommodate 89,000 people]"
"They're also selling a light stick! It's the little flower from the concept short film!"
Comments:
"?"
"The show hasn't even started, and they're already selling tickets for the final concert?"
"I saw someone in the group saying that Random Entertainment had applied for the stadium in Hangzhou. I thought it was fake news, but it turns out to be true."
"Suddenly feeling a bit relieved. It's good that they're selling something, otherwise I was worried they might go bankrupt."
"89,000... How much are the tickets?"
"The ticket prices are the same as before. They'll go on sale in two hours. You can get a refund anytime up to a month before the show. You'll have to grab them on Galaxy. You can't choose seats, only the ticket price. Seat assignments will be released a week before the show. Sisters, I don't need to say anything else, I'm definitely in for this 89 yuan excitement!"
"The concept of their light stick is so unique, I've never seen such a mini light stick before... It's making me dizzy."
"Ah... I've seen that light stick..."
"What's wrong with the light stick? Is there a picture?"
"I've seen it..."
"A light stick the size of your index fingernail... I've never seen anything like it in all my years of being a fan."
"But it's only selling for 3 yuan each!"
"Given Random Entertainment's usual pricing, could it be that only three people will debut?"
"21 down to 3?"
"How is that possible!!! It must be seven people, they've always grouped in sevens!"
"No, you guys don't understand. The light stick can be DIY-ed. You can buy several and string them together to make a bracelet. With a ribbon, it's a bracelet; with an elastic band, it's a hair tie. If you want to join the light board battle, you can even string them together to form the trainees' names."
The two items announced in the afternoon successfully dominated the forums. All the entertainment circles in the Chinese entertainment industry are now full of related topics, with some discussing why such a large venue was chosen, and others discussing what else the 3-yuan mini light bulb can be DIY-ed into.
The fans of various trainees were stunned for a moment when they saw these two announcements, but it seemed perfectly reasonable coming from Random Entertainment.
"I can't stand it, who announces ticket sales just two hours in advance?"
"Can that light stick really be strung together to form trainees' names? Won't that violate any rules? Can we ask the fan club to check? If it doesn't violate any rules, we can buy them and make light boards."
"We're too kind-hearted, even asking before making light boards."
"If it's 89,000, how many seats will be available? At least 80,000 seats, right? If I can't get a ticket with 80,000 seats available, I'll have nothing to say."
"We're too naive. Asking about making light boards. We should just do it."
"With 89,000 seats, how many will be available? At least 80,000, right? If I can't get a ticket with 80,000 seats, I'll have no excuse."
"You're not happy with such a sudden ticket sale? After the show starts broadcasting and more people join the fandom, do you think you'll still be able to get a ticket?"
"Ah... I didn't think of that. Thank you, Random Entertainment, for your mercy."
"So considerate, it's still 580 yuan... This time, there must be a seat for me at 580. I want the small card!"
"You can already set a reminder on Galaxy. Damn, I looked and 170,000 people want to see it... Do I have so many co-fans?"
It was indeed the calm before the storm. Now the storm has arrived, and fans of various trainees are in chaos, preparing to grab tickets and figuring out how to use the light stick.
The official poster for the light stick released by Random Entertainment shows multiple versions of the item. The first one is the widely discussed mini light bulb, which is only the size of a fingernail. It looks like the small flower from the concept short film, a white flower bud with two green leaves. The stem at the bottom has a long slit where a ribbon can be threaded through. There's an example image next to it showing a white ribbon threading together a dozen or so light bulbs to form a bracelet.
The second item is what people normally think of as a light stick - a transparent acrylic ball with a white handle, with the mini light bulbs inside. The third item is something similar to a tambourine, where the mini light bulbs can be hung around the edge.
With so many versions, the only constant is the mini light bulb inside.
In the official demonstration video, the light bulbs in the light stick make a sound when shaken and collided, and their brightness changes depending on the intensity of the shaking.
It's even more obvious with the rattle - it can make a sound, a crisp sound similar to a small bell.
With so many items, the pricing also varies. The light bulbs are 3 yuan each and need to be bought separately. A set of light sticks is 69 yuan, while the rattle is 49 yuan.
Like the concert ticket prices, they are divided into different levels to cater to fans with different financial backgrounds.
"Come on, who do they think they're looking down on? Are they afraid I can't afford it with such cheap pricing?"
"So, has any fan club asked about it? If we can make light boards, I'll order 100 light bulbs right now."
"In this situation, I usually go all in. But after going all in, it's just over 100 yuan... I've never followed such a cost-effective star."
"I'm new to the fandom. Sorry to ask, but are Random Entertainment's things always this cheap?"
"Yes, Random Entertainment's things are always very cheap, but limited in quantity."
"...This is a flower bud... Could there be a second and third version in the future?"
"..."
"Feels like we've discovered the truth."
"Then I'll stock up more. I can sell them to group fans at the 10th anniversary."
Amidst the frantic discussion, two hours slowly passed. On the surface, everyone deliberately avoided mentioning the final concert tickets, but privately they had already started testing their internet speed.
Ten minutes before the ticket sale started, they could enter the page early to fill in their information.
Those who hadn't used Galaxy to grab tickets for a long time discovered that its ticket-grabbing interface had been redesigned.
"Why are there bullet comments now?"
"Hi~ sisters~"
"You can choose people?!?!"
The ticket-grabbing interface not only added bullet comments but also added a piece of information that needed to be filled in.
The form below asked the ticket buyer: "Please select your desired fan area in the form."
Upon opening it, they saw not only the names of the twenty-one trainees but also options for Groups A, B, and C.
Everyone happily made their selections, praising Random Entertainment aloud. The bullet comments even gave Random Entertainment a round of applause. However, gradually people began to notice that something wasn't quite right.
The seating chart at the top of the ticket purchase interface showed a clustering situation.
Group C, which included Gao Xiayu and his teammates, had seats concentrated on the right side of the stage. Now the right side of the image was a sea of green, while the left side for Group A wasn't as full.
"Oh boy, it's a fan allegiance survey."
"Are there this many people on Group C's side?"
"Is there an option to accept reassignment?"
"Is the number of fans for each trainee fixed?"
"What if, hypothetically speaking, a C fan chose A?"
"They'd be beaten to death by the other toxic solo stans in Group A."
"Why did they have to do it this way? I take back my praise."
"No, the number of fans isn't fixed. Look, the area for Group C is clearly larger than the other two groups. It seems the area expands when more people choose it, and shrinks when fewer people do."
At the same time, Jiang Juyou was also looking at the bullet comments on the ticket-grabbing interface on her phone. Her expression didn't show any panic at all from the comments.
The system, however, grew curious, "Why set it up this way?"
It's worth noting that every modification to Galaxy costs a lot of money, and this amount even increases with level upgrades. This particular setting Jiang Juyou added cost nearly a million.
In the system's view, this was a completely unnecessary setting because it could only be used for group concerts, and how many groups are there domestically? Moreover, those groups wouldn't use their software anyway.
In other words, this million-dollar modification existed solely for Random Entertainment's group, and it was just for a show-limited group at that.
Jiang Juyou heard the system's question, but she didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stared at the ever-expanding Group C area on the screen and the bullet comments.
The bullet comments had already started taking sides. People weren't discussing whether this feature was good or bad, but arguing about which group had the highest popularity.
On the screen, Group C's area kept expanding, constantly encroaching on the other groups' territories.
As the number of people simultaneously online on the ticket-grabbing interface suddenly increased, Jiang Juyou could imagine the scene of people going to Weibo to rally support and call for reinforcements.
Many people probably didn't even know about the ticket-grabbing event yet, but in just this short time, over 400,000 people wanted to watch this concert, with more than 530,000 people online simultaneously.
Different shades of green fought for position, while the bullet comments turned into a small group war.
Seeing this scene, Jiang Juyou finally smiled. She chuckled and answered the system, "You can cultivate solo fans, and you can also cultivate group fans. Haven't you noticed they've already automatically divided into groups?"
When interests and fame are tied together, even toxic solo stans can be united, and a sense of collective honor can be cultivated.
The final group size hadn't been announced yet, but everyone knew the competition would unfold between these three groups.
During the months the show was airing, each trainee's performance was tied to their small group, making it difficult for solo fans not to stand from the perspective of group fans.
"Do you know why Group C has the highest popularity?" Jiang Juyou suddenly asked the system.
The system hesitated, "...Because they have more high-popularity members?"
She laughed again, "It's because most people's favorite trainees are all in this group."
"...?"
Jiang Juyou looked at the question mark displayed before her, her smile growing brighter, "In the three groups A, B, and C, none of the members had been in the same group before."
She was referring to the competition groupings in "21 Heartbeats of Youth". Taking Gao Xiayu's group of seven in Group C as an example, they had almost never been in the same group during the previous competition period. At most, occasionally two people might have been in the same group, like when Yao Shuo and Ye Xing were briefly in the same group during the final performance.
The competition format at that time was intra-group battles, which caused viewers to only be critical within small groups. With so many small groups, viewers basically had one pick in each group when watching.
The A, B, and C groups were divided this way, with each group having a different image and giving a different feeling. This was entirely related to the preferences of the viewers who chose them.
The reason Group C consists of Gao Xiayu, Chen Wu, Sang Mo, Ye Xing, Chi Qiao, Yao Shuo, and Pei Luming is because a portion of viewers voted for these seven people together at that time.
In other words, Jiang Juyou had been setting up this game since then.
Scattering them was to prevent competition between fans, requiring the selection of seven people at once was for the debut competition regrouping, and dividing them into A, B, and C was to gather and cultivate group fans.
And spending nearly a million to modify a setting was to refine group fans.
Jiang Juyou: Ha, bet you didn't see that coming!
