DYUTVOBGA Chapter 62

On October 6th at 11:30 AM, the theme song “<next!next!>” MV for “Next Stage” officially launched on Youth TV.

In less than half an hour, the MV’s cumulative play count broke through 15 million.

The short four-minute video was repeatedly replayed by countless people, with each fanbase scrutinizing it frame by frame, adding bricks and tiles to the barrage.

However, most casual viewers would tacitly turn off the barrage during their first watch to immerse themselves in the charm of the MV itself.

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…

“Ring, ring, ring!!!”

A harsh ringing sound rang out, accompanied by heavy panting and chaotic footsteps.

A low-angle shot skimmed close to the ground, moved through a corridor, and the focus locked on a pair of stumbling black canvas shoes.

The camera moved upwards; a girl in a blue-and-white school uniform, gasping for breath, turned into the stairwell, grabbing the handrail and taking large strides upwards.

Her high ponytail swayed in the air, sunlight streamed through the glass window passed through her hair, and dust slowly spun in the beams of light.

In the blurred background were other students also wearing school uniforms, rushing about.

The low-angle shooting perspective caused a certain degree of distortion in the entire frame, the emotions of urgency and anxiety piling up like a tall stack of books, on the verge of collapsing and falling at any moment.

Yet, the accompaniment hidden beneath the ambient sounds fell clearly and crisply like valley wind chimes.

Ethereal and lively, it collided with the emotions conveyed by the cinematography, the strong sense of incongruity planting a seed at the very beginning of the MV.

The girl rushed desperately to beat the imminent late bell, and burst out of the stairwell.

She was still holding a cup of soy milk in her hand; the paper cup was already slightly deformed from her grip, and a bit of cold residue was overflowing from the straw inserted in the lid.

The camera moved parallel from a close-up of the cup’s lid, focusing on the back of a boy standing right in the middle of the hallway, also in school uniform but with an exceptionally upright posture.

His position happened to block the girl’s direct path.

The camera shook; the girl hurriedly tried to reach out and steady herself against the wall, but because she had been sprinting at full speed just a second ago, she simply couldn’t brake in time. With a “thump,” she crashed into the boy’s back.

The soy milk flew out of her hand, the liquid splashing from the cup and forming a brief trail in the sunlight.

Just as the milky-white liquid was about to splash onto the boy’s back, the slow-motion camera slowly shifted from the girl’s panicked, anxious expression.

To the electronic watch on her left wrist.

“Tick, tock…”

“Ding!”

With a crisp sound effect, the jumping numbers suddenly stopped.

Time froze at 6:59.

All the noisy, clamorous sounds ceased abruptly.

The harsh, urging bell disappeared, and the hidden accompaniment grew from weak to strong.

Synth arpeggios flowed out, like continuously struck celesta notes, ethereal and clear in tone, ringing out with a ding-ding-dong-dong.

This kind of elusive, mysterious music strongly resembled the prelude to a magician casting a spell, as if one might receive an owl letter the next second and fly into an ancient academy castle on a broomstick.

The girl stared blankly at the soy milk cup suspended in mid-air, the splashed liquid maintaining its splashing arc, even the droplets clearly visible.

She subconsciously looked around, seeing the frozen expressions of her classmates, both familiar or unfamiliar, her face wearing a dazed look of disbelief.

The next second, she suddenly realized something, slowly raised her head, and looked at the innocent boy in front of her whom she had inadvertently involved.

The camera closed in, freezing on the lower half of his face from the side and back; the perfect fair skin and relatively light lip color almost made viewers call out his name immediately.

Then, he turned his head. The camera moved up accordingly, landing on those calm light green eyes with no ripples.

The next shot switched to the female lead’s perspective, and viewers in front of the screen abruptly made eye contact with the boy through this scene.

The boy, who had gained massive popularity and fans due to his impeccably handsome mixed-race face, and had risen to the top three in popularity in “NS” in an extremely short time, was quietly gazing at the camera.

His eyes, as clear as the lake, were set in deep eye sockets, and the aquatic plants at the bottom of the lake seemed to gently sway.

At the moment of eye contact, it was as if one could see the reflection of the world in his eyes.

The sunlight outside the window filtered through the tree branches, casting stationary light and shadow on the boy. The outlines of the leaves were sharp and clear, warm golden and green hues overlapping and intertwining, making the entire frame resemble an excellent piece of work hung in a photography exhibition.

When the boy’s gaze met the camera, he raised his brows slightly, a subtle inquiry appearing in the depths of his eyes, the light green deepening slightly because of his downward glance.

A moist, mysterious atmosphere spread through the air like moss running wild in a forest after rain.

Logically, such an abnormal situation should make people wary, but the “culprit” who caused all these changes was just too handsome.

So much so that viewers outside the screen, just like the girl in the MV, stared at him in a daze.

“…” Whether it was a vigilant question or a polite apology, not a single word could be uttered.

In the gradually quickening intro, the corner of the boy’s mouth curved upwards slightly.

He raised his hand, and the camera focused on the clean, slender hand.

His hand reached forward and his palm covered the camera, as if using his hand to block the viewer’s line of sight.

Sunlight shone through his skin and blood vessels, illuminating a hazy red, burning vigorously like flames and instantly sweeping through the entire body.

“Thump, thump, thump…”

A deep bass sound cut in, seemingly simulating a heartbeat rhythm.

A sound effect of gathering energy sounded, rich electronic percussion filled the arrangement gaps, and the entire background music suddenly became magical and grand.

In 3 seconds of black screen, golden light spread out in circles along the lines of blood vessels, and black and gold ink slowly spread out the theme song’s title in the center of the screen.

The song “<next!next!>” officially began.
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“Listen, the heartbeat shatters the slow-motion clock.”

“The world was suddenly muted, a light secretly polished the rusted dream.”

The first line of the lyrics was clearly Quentin’s voice, yet it was different from the tone he used when singing “La liberté” and “Black Umbrella” before.

It was interesting to note that this was probably the first time the audience had heard Quentin sing a Chinese song.

A clear, brilliant, bright, and vibrant energy overflowed from the lyrics.

The moment it reached the ears, everyone’s mood suddenly brightened.

It was like getting into a self-drive tour car and singing joyfully with your best friends on a sunny coastal highway.

As Quentin’s voice rang out, the darkness was torn apart by the spreading golden light.

The camera quickly pulled back, using a wide angle to suddenly present the magnificent and majestic magic academy to the audience after the light receded.

Rolling hills, an ancient and sturdy castle, flying eagles and griffins… the production team spent a huge amount of money using special effects to portray Deville International High School as the magic academy countless people yearned for in fairy tale books.

This scene, comparable to a big-budget movie, would make even students from the actual school pause and stare for a good while.

“Look, the breath of the mountains pushes the cloud layers to surge.”

“The castle awakens, shaking off the wind sleeping on its shoulders.”

The second line of the lyrics was clear and gentle, unhurried like a spring breeze; it was Wen Xinyi’s voice.

The floating camera moved through the academy’s interior and soon arrived at a square surrounded by trees.

In the center of the square, a group of boys wearing long robes over custom-tailored suit uniforms were dancing in sync to the drumbeat of the music.

The inverted triangle formation exuded an overwhelming sense of pressure before the camera. Every familiar face was filled with a serious, soaring drive. The group dance of 101 trainees was as stunning and visually impactful as a knife-sharp dance formation.

Everyone’s aura converged towards the boy standing at the tip of the formation.

And the black-haired, green-eyed boy had a calm expression, seemingly out of place with the gradually adrenaline surging chorus.

But every one of his movements balanced strength and beauty, even the tie neatly fastened at his chest seemed to be hitting the beats too. When he raised his eyes to look at the camera, there was a kind of commanding and imposing noble aura.

Apart from the main camera representing the female lead’s perspective, there were over thirty other camera positions on site.

The editor flexibly switched angles, thoroughly displaying the perfect stage that the trainees, after enduring the scorching heat and repeated NGs, had finally presented under the on-site director’s approval.

First-rate camera work, first-rate scene selection, and top-tier editing and post-production successfully elevated the “<next!next!>” MV to the level of a fantasy film; the professionalism of its production team was among the highest tier nationwide.

From start to finish, the entire MV exuded youthful energy and passion, a sense of magnificent and mysterious fantasy adventure, and the noble aura of opulent luxury.

This was a school style, but not the common Chinese campus found in reality; it was the noble magic academy that existed in the fantasies of a young girl awakening love for the first time.

The tall, long-legged boys stood in formation, radiating youthful vitality, each with their own distinct charisma.

Mature suits collided with vibrantly colored ties; lightweight academic-style robes were paired with matte Oxford shoes. It was as if one could smell the fresh, clean, and slightly sweet scent of luxury perfume through the screen.

Very expensive, very handsome, very pleasing to the eye.

During the post-production of the second chorus, the boys on the square were dancing with increasing excitement, no longer caring about the formation, starting to dance on the spot to the beat.

Under the chorus of “next! next!” and “Woo-hoo!”, Yan Qiao, who was standing in the second row, took the initiative to leave the formation and run towards the camera.

The boy’s disheveled black hair flew back as he ran.

He stopped in front of the main camera, smiled, bent down in a gentleman’s bow, then took the girl’s hand, his eyes and brows revealing a flirtatious and unrestrained joy.

No verbal explanation was needed; this expression was clearly an invitation to the girl…and to the viewers outside the program…to join in and dance with the 101 youths to the rhythmic music.

The camera stumbled and weaved through the boys’ bright, radiant expressions, then gradually stabilized, gradually adapted, and gradually began to sway and jump along with the music………

Confetti and doves fluttered and scattered in the blue sky; the world was as beautiful and dazzling as a dream.

In the final shot before the song ended, the girl, or rather the viewer, made eye contact with the green-eyed boy once more.

He was breathing slightly heavily, his gaze much softer than at the beginning.

His beautiful eyes occupied the entire screen in the fading, dying outro, his light golden eyelashes faintly casting scattered, starry glimmers, a moist, cool mist overflowed from his green pupils.

Quentin slowly blinked.

The dense, hanging vines of a tropical rainforest seemed to gently scratch at the viewers’ hearts.

A mysterious call came from the depths of the forest, and the door to another side of the world quietly closed.

The scene disintegrated and blurred, turned upside down and spun.

Everything returned to the girl’s shocked and dazed brown-black pupils.

The noisy school hallway, the preparatory bell for morning self study, the students coming and going, rushing with anxious expressions.

The frozen time began to flow again.

The only difference was, there was no spilled soy milk on the ground, and no boy’s back in front.

The girl’s face no longer showed annoyance or guilt; it was replaced by confusion, dazedness, and a faint trace of understanding.

She raised her hand and gently touched her left eye. The moment her finger slid down, a small gold-stamped insignia appeared under her eye.

…It was a pattern formed by the interweaving of the stylized English letters N and S, like vines.

[Incredible miracles await where next meets you.]

[END]

…….

The comment section below the MV was exceptionally lively.

The front-row hot comments, usually dominated by various fanbases, rarely saw numerous screaming and howling pure show fans.

[Forever young forever loving to focus on looks]: Wuuu, NS you all really are raising dream girls well!!!

—107k likes

[Want ten tongues to lick the world to death]: So many… so many handsome guys……How does NS manage to make people look ugly in their official photos, yet make them look so handsome in the MV…… Such an eye-pleasing MV [wiping drool]

—56k likes

[Tricked out of 2.5 million by a minor handsome guy]: Noble… academy…… Uniform cons struggling to hold on, uniform cons unable to endure, uniform cons collapsed instantly [clutching heart]

— 64k likes

[Sexy, innocent, female mosquito]: Quentin…Quentin in a suit… Face-con struggling to hold on, face-con collapsed instantly [nosebleed]

—42k likes

[Adjust him to McDonald’s settings]: Promise me, no matter what sounds I make after I get in there, don’t come to save me, okay?

—79k likes

[Gloomy poisonous woman who killed eight ex-husbands]: Such a bright, radiant Mary Sue perspective MV, reminds me of the years when I was still Angelina-Blood Rain Charm-Ice Snow Heavenly Sound-K · Butterfly Spirit Dream Like Frost… [Angelina looking up at the sky at 45°.jpg]

—88k likes

[75-year-old great-grandma walking briskly]: You have such a noble academy full of handsome guys entering the domestic entertainment industry… I propose that from now on, NS should be called the Noble Boys’ School, or simply “Boy’s School”. Who agrees? Who opposes?

—76k likes

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The author has something to say:

Here’s a forum-style discussion from netizens about the initial stages of EP01 and EP02 before the theme song MV was released. Thanks for reading! [kiss][kiss]

Topic: [The NS initial stage rating assessment is finally fully aired, which performance does everyone think is the most breakout / circle-breaking? Nominating the Yan-Cheng battle, who understands, I really love this pure hate CP [Heart] [Heart]]

1L: [???]

2L:[Saw this title and clicked in immediately, OP you sure know how to drive traffic.]

3L:[Black fans racking their brains can’t compare to a true fan’s sudden inspiration…These two fanbases are almost starting World War I in survival show history, and OP is still here shipping and obsessing, is this the stress tolerance of cp fans? [Cracked]]

4L:[Mom told me not to play with people who have pica……]

5L(OP):[Doesn’t everyone like the cp of flirtatious top x aloof and cool bottom? [Pitiful][Pitiful] So what if the two fanbases are fighting? Haven’t they been fighting all along? No matter how much the solo fans tear each other apart, it doesn’t stop their idols from kissing [Chin in hand]]

6L: […]

7L:[Alright alright alright sisters scatter, OP identified as pph (Posing as a Black Fan), I don’t know which heartthrob they’re charging into battle for, to be able to hold back and come up with such disgusting tricks. Their family should really hire a master [Clown]]

8L:[But the Yan-Cheng battle really is quite popular, my roommate who never chases stars knows about it, she was asking me last night if that recent survival show has two very handsome guys who can dance well]

9L:[It had to be popular, they are truly fated rivals, putting them together creates so much program effect, this round of battle was practically a large-scale competition scene, but the nature of the competition changed the moment Yan Qiao winked and glanced at the camera flirtatiously…]

10L:[I never expected Cheng Shaozhi, who seems so proper, to be quite seductive when he dances, it’s just that his temperament is too aloof and cool, watching him dance feels like forcing a good person into a life of sin [Melting]]

11L:[Zhi-zhi didn’t used to dance like this before… He’s a professional modern dancer, you know [Facepalm laughing-crying] Who told jmz to be biased, only putting out pop music, and having short video clickbait songs invade the random song library… Who understands the feeling of salvation hearing a dirty English song in a survival show [Cracked]]

12L:[But Yan Qiao danced very naturally, he could hold his own no matter what song was played, ultimately it’s a problem with the person [Shrugs]]

13L:[Yan-Cheng circle breaking……? Are you serious… The Yan-Cheng battle is only hot within the NS circle, it’s still far from a breakout, data speaks for itself, the initial stage video with the best data on major platforms so far has to be Quentin’s French song, right?]

14L:[That song is indeed popular, although I can never remember the song title, I often come across videos using it as bgm, and it’s strangely nice to listen to. It’s hard to imagine it’s an original song appearing on a boy group survival show]

15L:[Let’s just say the initial C chosen by NS really has substance, combining both skill and popularity, he will definitely be popular after debut, I wonder which company can successfully sign him, Galaxy Entertainment probably can’t compete with other companies, unless they strike first, otherwise both BKL and Xinda are more suited to Quentin’s future career path development]

16L:[This kind of thing depends on his own choice. Galaxy’s advantage is having more money and fewer artists, Quentin would be the undisputed number one brother if he joined, a founding-level artist of the company, all the company’s resources would definitely tilt towards him. And the future limited-time group’s group contract is also in Galaxy’s hands, if Quentin really signs with Galaxy, he’ll definitely be cursed as the crown prince (nepotism favorite) by dyf (other members’ fans) in the future [Eye-roll]

If he signs with BKL, it’s to better follow the idol path, he can continue activities as a solo idol after the limited-time group contract expires.

But those with long-term vision should choose Xinda. After all, with such amazing original talent and a good voice, it would be too wasteful not to become a singer…

Besides, didn’t both Chen Shiyu and Lin Qifeng extend invitations to Quentin on behalf of Xinda? These two both hold shares in Xinda, they’re practically half-capital themselves; with them protecting him, Quentin would definitely avoid many detours.]

17L:[I don’t think Quentin signed with Galaxy, otherwise his screen time in the second episode wouldn’t be so little [Laughing-crying]]

18L:[Weren’t we talking about breakout / circle-breaking stages? How did the conversation turn back to Quentin again? [Cracked]

I nominate the initial stage of the BKL dance group, Yan Qiao and Zhong Qu really danced very well, this group originally had two Class A members, it’s a pity Zhong Qu was later challenged down…]

17L:[Zhong Qu was indeed quite skilled, although not as good as Yan and Cheng, you could still tell he had a foundation from learning dance since childhood, it’s just his screen time was too little, there’s almost no trace of this person apart from the initial stage performance]

18L:[Daily question: who exactly did NS give the screen time to? Why do all the skilled handsome guys I like have less and less screen time? [Angry][Angry] Quentin, Yan Qiao, Zhong Qu, Lu Kui… all are poor in screen time :)]

19L:[It’s normal, BKL trainees are bound to be targeted, who told them to offend jmz? If Yan Qiao didn’t have skill and popularity, jmz would wish to give them the “all cut to nothing” treatment [Shuts up] Quentin goes without saying, a pure amateur newcomer parachuted in, with no company or capital behind him, who wouldn’t dare to squeeze such an obvious soft persimmon?]

20L:[How come no one mentioned Xiao Xue’s initial stage? His rap was explosive, okay? The first episode opened with Quentin and him, two ace cards, directly hammering me into the NS pit bottom!]

21L:[Our 3A is happily awesome and amazing [Throws flowers]]

22L:[Those who watched the first live performance know how fierce 3A was, especially Quentin…It’s really terrifying, the fact that this person appeared in NS still feels bizarre to me]

23L:[Uh, casual passerby here, isn’t the most breakout stage from your NS the group of greasy guys who covered ECHO’s “Galaxy Echo”?]

24L:[Don’t… We’re selecting excellent stages here, let’s not mention the greasy men who got became popular by riding on the coattails of mentor’s work popularity and being oily]

25L:[Our NS’s reputation is being ruined bit by bit like this, first the super fake and artificial official photos, then the first public performance lip-syncing fail scandal, now certain good-for-nothings being hyped by marketing accounts over their initial stage, I’m really fed up, does NS have bad feng shui? Director Wang, find some time to go burn incense at a temple!]

26L:[The ones who suffered the most were clearly the mentors……………… Are Yang Xu and vk here in this program to overcome a tribulation? Why are so many people covering their songs? Every time the camera swept to the mentor seats you can see two faces that look so miserable [Heartbroken][Heartbroken]]

27L:[And yet two of those greasy men still made it into Class B, isn’t that rigging?… I feel like the two internet celebrities Sheng Yuanxu and Li He performed better than them [Question mark]]

28L:[Sheng Yuanxu’s dance foundation isn’t great, his strength is a bit floaty. It feels like he’s not very natural on stage, his expressions and body movements seem fake, hasn’t he transitioned from being a streamer yet?]

29L:[Wait, Li He? That game streamer? The Lilili He who specializes in horror game live streams, he actually came to participate in a survival show???]

30L:[Yeah, apparently Li He and Sheng Yuanxu are even high school classmates. Two brothers entering Class F hand in hand, isn’t that another angle of continuing their classmate bond [Smirk]]

31L:[Some people shouldn’t be so overly indulgent, their initial stage was also quite humorous, why they were pre-selected for Class B but still eliminated into Class F, those who understand, understand, they are the same level as the “greasy men” group ha]

32L:[Sheng and Li are the group that sang and danced to a viral short video song on the initial stage, right? Them going on stage was like performing a skit, our mentors indeed didn’t look miserable after seeing them, because they were all laughing. Vk was grinning foolishly, with all the big teeth showing, it was Yang Xu who reminded him to cover his mouth and hold back his laugh, but someone still screenshotted it and made a meme with caption, “It’s not time to laugh now, Brother”]

33L:[There are so many people in Class F, if you really want to criticize, you can pick on every one of them. They should remember to send red envelopes to the sound mixer after elimination, some people’s voices were even edited into electronic tones in post-production… Please, actors, internet celebrities, and trainees forcibly stuffed in by low-tier companies, stop polluting our ears, okay? I just want to watch handsome guys who are good at singing and dancing, I don’t want to see capital forcibly pushing the family’s pride and glory!!!]

34L:[The sis above is spitting facts, some people dance worse than me, an amateur hobbyist who dances anime dances, do they really think us star-chasing girls are not picky eaters? Do they really think the male idol rice bowl is that easy to eat?]

35L:[Stop chatting, friends! NS updated the theme song MV and assessment focus cams early!!! Go watch it ahhhhh! So handsome I’m stunned [Heart eyes][Pants][Pants][Pants]]

36L:[??? So fast? Isn’t the usual practice to release at exactly twelve o’clock? Half an hour early?]

37L:[Holy crap, I’m off, I’m going to watch the MV, bye~]