[What’s up with him? Why are there so many question marks?]
[Freshly baked melons, still hanging on the trending searches. Curious sisters, go search for yourselves. Don’t chat about it in the barrage. We are not interested in vote-buying marketing accounts]
[There are still people who don’t know Lu Kui is BKL’s crown prince? The whole company is working to push him to debut. An unremarkable little nobody somehow shot up to fourth place. I don’t dare to think how much effort IceCola put in]
[The voting thing isn’t confirmed. Companies buying marketing isn’t illegal either. But the melons on the trending searches are the real deal. If he really debuts, your group is finished…]
[Leave alone whether the other members of the debut group would accept having such a teammate, the fans are the first to disagree.]
[Fans from every family are already joining forces to boycott him. Galaxy Entertainment isn’t that bold to take the risk. Before even debuting, it’s already exposed that he has a first love girlfriend he’s been with since high school. Who would dare to be a fan of such an idol?]
[Lu Kui’s fans should feel lucky. Stop the loss in time. He and his first love have a great relationship. He doesn’t give a damn about you girlfriend fans at all.]
The system detected the sudden surge of arguments in the barrage. It quickly followed the information network to find the root of the audience’s indignation. It turned out that something had happened to Lu Kui, who was currently doing his solo singing and dancing performance on stage.
While this matter couldn’t be considered a big deal in the entertainment industry, when it came to the idol circle, it was definitely a heavy blow, enough to shake the fandom.
After all, it was well known that idols cannot have a love life. Isn’t the love of their fans enough?
But for a small trainee like Lu Kui, who was still one (or many) steps away from debuting, the solid evidence of a romantic relationship caused more than just a ripple in the fandom. The protests from other fan groups were even more noticeable than the presence of his own fans.
The system’s focus was on the fact that since Lu Kui had a girlfriend, he couldn’t possibly be a member of the main protagonist group.
Since that was the case, it didn’t need to bother Quentin with such a trivial matter. Tonight was the critical moment for its calm and handsome host to form the group and debut. In just a few minutes, it would be his first solo stage since the initial stage that could fully showcase his personal abilities!
Although it felt that what its host would show in this solo stage was only the tip of the iceberg, the importance of tonight’s debut night stage was undeniable.
Hmph, it was no exaggeration to say that marketing accounts across the entire internet were quietly watching tonight’s live broadcast, all waiting for its host’s stage to add a brilliant touch to their monthly KPI.
The system knew online public opinion quite well, but what it didn’t know was that it wasn’t just marketing accounts quietly paying attention to this live broadcast. Fellow artists quick at catching up with online trends within the industry were also not far behind.
After all, the spectacular scene of topics related to “NS” topping the charts during this time was truly unforgettable.
Actors with dramas airing during the same period, as well as singers releasing new songs or albums, and other unlucky artists were all completely defeated. Even “Sing If You Dare-Young Blood Season,” which everyone had high hopes for, had also failed miserably.
With such a scene, it was hard not to be impressed by the “culprit.”
Lu Kui’s two-minute stage quickly ended. He was completely unaware of the controversies about him.
Therefore, when he exited backstage to the waiting room and was urgently called away by the production team, the expression on his face was genuinely bewildered and innocent.
This episode did not affect the trainees about to go on stage.
Wen Xinyi stood on the rising platform, adjusting his breathing while tidying the tie on his chest.
Having experienced three months of closed-door recording, he weighed over 1 pound less than when he first arrived. The suit that fit him during the initial stage performance now hung loosely on his body, which was why the stylist had replaced it with another similar set.
The young man had a slender figure and a straight posture. As the platform rose, he was like a vibrant white poplar tree, growing straight and tall in the center of the stage.
[Wow, this guy is so upright.]
[Finally it’s Brother Wen’s solo. The show is almost over and I still haven’t heard him properly sing a few lines that showcase his abilities. Gege, you’re too low-key]
[Seems like Wen Xinyi isn’t nervous at all. Is his mindset really this stable?]
[…To reiterate, Xiao Wen’s mindset only collapsed a little during the time he was team leader, mainly because he encountered bizarre teammates. Normally, Xiao Wen’s emotions are very stable. Those who’ve watched the show understand.]
[Hey, this intro, isn’t that Teacher Chen’s song?]
Ethereal white fog spread across the stage, and the soft and lingering intro echoed in layers within the spacious venue.
Wen Xinyi had been exposed to music for a very long time. Even though he didn’t have many opportunities to perform on formal stages, he lacked neither stage experience nor talent.
When the familiar intro sounded, his slightly rapid heartbeat immediately steadied, and the little bit of nervousness he had been feeling naturally subsided.
The first syllable that came out of his mouth as he sang immediately formed a stark contrast with the previous performer.
The gap in singing quality was like the difference between KTV and a concert, and it immediately cleaned out the ears of the audience present.
Unlike aired episodes of the show, it was hard to have perfect post-production tuning on the live debut night. Except for a very few non-music professionals, who choose to use backing tracks or lip syncing, most artists tonight sing live with full vocal tracks.
The final 20 trainees needed no further explanation; singing live was the most basic standard. And this time, NS trainees’ live vocals without backing tracks also served as the entire internet audience’s final assessment of their three months of hellish training.
Since it’s a live performance stage, it’s inevitable that there will be a difference compared to the “perfect state” created by auto-tuning and post-production in the main show.
Fortunately, the show’s audio editing was quite fair, and the 20 trainees who survived four rounds of elimination all had good abilities. The live singing with full vocal tracks did not make the audience feel there was too big of a gap.
However, the lack of a strong sense of difference does not mean there is no gap between them.
If the auto-tuning in the main show elevated the vocal level of most trainees, then Wen Xinyi’s singing would definitely be among those whose level was lowered and “sank along with them”.
It should be known that when netizens first saw Wen Xinyi’s name on the officially announced trainee list of “NS,” most people’s first reaction was… “How did he end up here?”
Thinking this way, the judgment and belittlement Wen Xinyi had suffered over the past three months might have largely originated from the audience’s high expectations of him.
And when Wen Xinyi’s abilities didn’t differentiate with other trainees as much as the audience had imagined, the label of “a prodigy who failed to live up to his potential” was naturally slapped on his head.
[???]
[Oh my god, is this Wen Xinyi’s voice?]
[He was originally this strong? Were the microphones switched when he went on stage?]
More and more surprised exclamations began to flood the live stream. Seeing this, Wen Xinyi’s fans were instantly thrilled. The sadness of watching Wen Xinyi being ridiculed by the entire internet during this time and the anger of fighting with black fans finally dissipated.
What “talent exhausted”, what “prodigy is wasted”, our family’s lead singer is the best!
So, Wen Xinyi choosing a purely vocal solo, using his strengths and avoiding his weaknesses, was indeed the most correct decision. Setting aside his radio gymnastics-style dancing where his limbs seemed to be running away from home, his own superior physique was finally showcased in front of the entire audience.
When it reached the incredibly difficult chorus, the clear and melodious high notes like a crane’s cry instantly stunned the entire venue.
The audience, who were shaking their heads a second ago and sighing, “Wen Xinyi actually sings this well”, “It feels like he sings better than in the previous public performances”, “This guy is here to upstage everyone, only Chen Shiyu among tonight’s guests could match him”, were immediately seized by the throat with the gradually building, sky-rising high notes the next second.
At this time, the live stream switched to a wide-angle shot overlooking the entire venue. Those shaking fan signs had all stopped.
The charm of the singing voice transcended distance and time difference, reaching the heart of every viewer in front of the screen.
This was a true example of sound lingering in the air.
[Wow, who says the new generation lacks amazing male singers? Why be an idol? Just go hold a solo concert directly]
[He sings so well! How come I don’t seem to have heard his songs before? Does he have any works?]
[It’s over! Who else is there? Who! Else!]
[My heart aches for the next trainee to perform. The pressure of being after him must be immense]
Wen Xinyi’s two-minute stage ended with a low, gradually fading hum.
The lights dimmed, the platform descended, and the applause from the entire venue belatedly erupted, rising and echoing within the venue.
In the darkness, Quentin quietly adjusted the angle of his cloak and reconfirmed with the nearby cameraman the shot that would be captured when the camera turned to him later.
After he finished these tasks, the sound of rustling, overlapping leaves being blown by the wind spread from the stage.
A few seconds later, metallic clashing sounds like “clang…”, “bang”, “clang…” rang out one after another.
The layers upon layers of various ambient sounds and the howling wind in the backing track unconsciously evoked images of flashing swords and reflected daggers from martial arts novels in the minds of the audience.
The stage lights gradually brightened, revealing a wooden screen with yellow paper as the background and ink-splashed calligraphy, along with interwoven bamboo stalks.
The large screen then cut to a perfectly timed overhead shot of the stage.
The stage floor had transformed into a tranquil lake surface, with a few scattered leaves floating on it. Rings of ripples occasionally appeared, as if someone was standing on the shore throwing stones towards the center of the lake.
And amidst the screams of the audience,even larger ripples were gradually moving from the edge of the stage towards the center.
“Aaaaaah Yan Qiao! It’s Yan Qiao!!!”
“Oh my god, so handsome!!!”
“What a slim waist! What long legs! The ancient costume is so handsome aaaa!!!”
This was the moment for the girlfriend fans to show their power.
Speaking of the fan composition of the popular trainees in the “NS” debut group, without a doubt, Yan Qiao had the highest proportion of girlfriend fans.
For example, if nine out of ten of Xue Mingzhu’s fans were mom fans, then almost every one of Yan Qiao’s fans was a girlfriend fan.
There was no other reason. It was simply that this handsome guy’s various characteristics hardly aligned with the preferences of mom fans, sister fans, and other miscellaneous types of fans. Instead, many girls really fell for this “playboy with a roguish charm, single-eyelid handsome guy.”
Objectively speaking, Yan Qiao probably attracted girlfriend fans with his elegant and charming outward appearance, and then kept the girls’ hearts with his sincere and down to earth personality.
The套路 of “表面多情浪子,实则纯情处男” and “a flirtatious handsome guy收回心 for you alone” had endured for a long time, working every single time.
The trope of “outwardly a flirtatious playboy, inwardly a pure and innocent virgin” and “a flirtatious handsome guy settles down for you alone” are timeless and work every single time.
Under the lighting that flickered like water ripples, the young chivalrous swordsman wearing the bamboo rain hat had his head slightly lowered. His upper body remained still, his robes fluttering loudly as he strode forward swiftly and decisively.
His walk used the waist for power, making it both good-looking and commanding.
He wore a “tattered wuxia-style” outfit in shades of dark green and earthy brown, and the copper coins strung with red thread at the edge of his bamboo hat swayed, exuding a free and unrestrained Jianghu(martial arts world) aura.
Only when he stood firm in the center of the stage did the camera finally cut to his face.
The cameraman cleverly used the edge of the hat as a diagonal line, cutting the composition into two parts.
The top right corner showed the texture of the woven thin vines. The bottom left corner showed the unobstructed lower half of the face.
His straight nose bridge, clear jawline, a single upturned corner of his mouth, and the blade of grass held between his lips appeared on the large screen just like that.
[OMG… Yan Qiao’s lips are so sexy…]
[Originally, I didn’t like guys with thick lips, but Yan Qiao has forcefully made me find him pleasing to the eye.]
[To the person above, I originally didn’t like guys with single-lid eyes either, but because of Yan Qiao, I was forced to change my aesthetic too [facepalm]]
[The key point is that his stage presence is really cool. His dancing is even more handsome.]
[Agreed. Yan Qiao’s face alone is at most 6 points. His fancams, 6.5 points. His singing and dancing stages, 8 points. His pure dancing is phenomenal! Full marks!!!]
[Who did the makeup and styling for Yan Qiao? This style suits him so much! Even more handsome than the black fox ancient costume from the random dance challenge before!!]
[That black fox outfit was sexy. This one is free and unrestrained. Hehehe, both are handsome beyond measure.]
Ahhh Quentin take the stage in the next chapter ~~
On another note, we are getting close to catching up with the author’s latest chapter (169). As we wait for new updates, I’ll try to find another interesting novel to pick up alongside this one. That way, I can keep posting updates there whenever a new chapter of this novel goes up. 😊
