“The crystal shoe fits perfectly, and the prince was the cure for all diseases.”
“The evil dragon turns into gold coins in its lair, Little Red Riding Hood is no longer afraid of the dark.”
The pages of the fairy tale book turned one by one as the blonde, green-eyed bard leisurely strolled to the front of the book.
The giant screen focused on his figure, and the pleasant, highly memorable lyrics flowed from his lips along with the melody.
There were no complex vocal runs, nor passionate high notes.
The accompaniment had the characteristics of classical music, but the verses and chorus were solidly pop music, sounding naturally beautiful, yet unexpected.
To be honest, with the groundwork laid by the initial stage and several public performances, most viewers, including the fans, had assumed Quentin would unleash some ultimate move on the finals stage.
They had all prepared themselves to hear Quentin show off his skills and enjoy another shocking live performance like his initial stage song…something they could not understand but still found amazing.
Unexpectedly… it was such a catchy pop song.
Quentin stood in front of the fairy tale book. The spotlight shone down from above, and only then did the audience notice a standing microphone stand entwined with thorny roses placed in front of him.
So many gorgeous elements had been piled together, yet they were completely suppressed by his stage presence. Not only was there no sense of incongruity, but it actually made his face look even more stunning.
The singing continued.
“Who pressed pause on the story, who hid the following title page.”
“If fairy tales are just the basic version, if happiness needs verification.”
“If after the midnight chimes is the real login interface…”
The giant fairy tale book in the center of the stage glowed with warm yellow light.
As the lyrics progressed, the spreading halo gradually transformed into cool-toned blue-violet light. The originally blurred boundaries of the light also gradually became sharp and tangible, like shattered, splattered glass.
Digital pixel-like cracks appeared on the fairy tale book, as if the illusionary story was collapsing layer by layer, and the real game DLC was about to unfold.
“The faded ball gown, the rusty sword, the overlooked foreshadowing.”
“Cinderella must face the palace records, the prince will tire of unchanging sweetness.”
“The hero returns to his small town, day and night narrating in the tavern the dragon-slaying past.”
“The story’s ending is always a happy ending, the story after the story is still to be continued.”
The entire venue’s lights suddenly went dark, and the collapsed fairy tale book pages stopped abruptly.
In the pitch-black center of the stage, a pure white spotlight shone down, landing on Quentin.
“——”
The shallow sound of breathing was amplified by the microphone. At some point, only minimalist piano music remained in the accompaniment.
Quentin took the microphone off the stand, looked at the camera, and stepped forward twice.
His voice was clean and clear against the backdrop of the piano music. There was no intense emotion in his singing. Instead, like a bard, he gently told the story.
“But my friend, this is not to say fairy tales are false.”
“It is asking, why are we afraid.”
The young man’s voice suddenly soared like a rainbow.
Even though the entire venue was dark, with only a single spotlight in the center of the stage, his singing allowed the audience to experience sight through hearing, granting them a sensory enjoyment as bright and wonderful as sunshine after rain.
There was no applause.
No cheering.
No interaction.
Only pairs of eyes tightly fixed on the young man under the light, ears perked up.
Nobody made a sound.
Nobody even had the mind to share their thoughts with the friends beside them.
They were afraid of missing a single shot or a single lyric.
“Afraid of the story having a sequel, afraid that ‘forever’ comes with a price.”
He sang: “Afraid that the initial magic cannot withstand the time difference of the mortal world.”
…
…
If one were to abandon fan filters and rationally and objectively discuss Quentin’s singing ability, many people had already done so in the previous life.
There was no doubt that his singing ability was excellent.
But if you were to dissect the techniques used in every word and sentence and compare them to world-class vocalists, it didn’t seem quite as outstanding.
——Come on, who compares things like that? Only haters would meticulously single out the singing ability of a top-tier original singer and compare it to world-class vocalists.
Inexperienced people listening to his songs only felt that each one was amazing and endlessly enjoyable.
Those who truly understood music, however, knew that Quentin had genuinely achieved a fusion of vocal tone and technique, creating an effect where 1+1 was far greater than 2.
Aside from his songwriting ability, his most outstanding characteristic on the surface was undoubtedly his voice. Therefore, Quentin’s goal in honing his singing ability had always been very clear from start to finish.
That was to control this SSR-level weapon known as “his voice”, enchant it with songs, and use it as naturally as his own arm to conquer listeners.
This was also why people in his previous life always said that only Quentin himself could sing his songs with their true flavor. No matter which other singer performed them, it simply would not feel satisfying enough.
The trainees in the waiting room had already heard Quentin’s new song during rehearsals. But hearing it again at this moment, they still couldn’t help but shake their heads and sigh.
Because of the livestream cameras, they dared not speak as freely as during previous public performances. They could only stare at the screen broadcasting the stage feed in real time while frantically spamming comments in their hearts.
—Quentin must have held back during rehearsal. Singing live sounds like listening to a CD. Great master, please accept my bow!
—No comparison, there’s no comparison at all. If I had a vote, I’d want to vote for him. Brother, you’re in the wrong place, wuuuu!
—Once I get his contact information, having the strongest connection network in the industry will depend on him, hahaha!
Even though the trainees didn’t say a single word, looking at their expressions, you could probably guess what they were thinking.
Fortunately, their sparkling eyes weren’t too conspicuous compared to the invited guests and live audience. Otherwise, something like “everyone is a little fan” would have been trending.
In short, starting from the live broadcast of Quentin’s song, the front rows of the trending hot topics had been completely occupied.
Various film crews, variety shows, and even celebrity studios wisely avoided tonight’s “NS” live broadcast. Few celebrities with more money than sense were that stubborn, spending money to buy trending topics at this time to compete head-on with the dark horse of the survival show.
Even among the invited guests who also performed on stage during the debut night live stream, very few managed to squeeze into the trending rankings.
The fans of the seniors worked very hard. But how could the unprecedented craze sparked by the top contestant of a nationwide show be easily shaken by the fans of a single fandom?
Didn’t they see that the song “Fairy Tale Story DLC” was already rapidly climbing the charts on the Light Music app?
In only ten minutes, it had already reached the bottom of the monthly rankings and was charging aggressively toward the annual silver chart and even the gold chart!
Which family’s new song is this insane? Even buying fake data wouldn’t be this bold!
Scary, too scary.
The number of viral videos, the repost, like, and comment data of official posts, the rate of increase in followers on personal accounts… and so on, were all hidden beneath the surface.
Unless someone pulled up charts to compare with fellow celebrities, it was hard to quantify just how “explosive” Quentin’s “viral explosion” was.
Therefore, before the livestream truly began, no one could estimate just how big an impact this newcomer, with one foot already in the entertainment industry, would bring to domestic entertainment.
The Galaxy Entertainment company building was brightly lit all night. BKL headquarters and Xinda Media were not far behind.
At this moment, the most regretful people were undoubtedly the department in Galaxy Entertainment that was responsible for signing survival show boy group members.
Oh my god, why didn’t they shamelessly chase after Quentin and sign him back then?! How did they let this money tree slip through their fingers without noticing!!
Did they know how hard it was to cultivate another top traffic star in today’s entertainment industry!!!
**Top traffic star(dǐng liú) is a celebrity with massive fan engagement, data popularity, and commercial influence. The best real life examples are Cai Xuqun and of course…Xiao Zhan, especially the period after the airing of “The Untamed”. I believe now he’s evolved though.
Someone like Quentin, who had risen to top-tier status entirely through self-driven momentum and at virtually zero cost within only three months, was simply unheard of!
Unprecedented!
Unlikely to be repeated!
This isn’t scientific! How did he become famous before capital had a chance to get involved?!
The smartest company was undoubtedly OW Asia-Pacific branch. The eyeshadow line advertisement originally planned to air next Sunday alongside “Cat and Mouse Game” was immediately released without warning.
As a result, the corresponding sales link was instantly overloaded.
The limited edition gift boxes sold out half a minute after launch. The new eyeshadow product sales broke ten million in one minute, tens of millions in a few hours, and over a hundred million in a single day…
The speed at which real money flowed in changed so rapidly that fans could not even post celebration reports fast enough.
Fortunately, the actual manager of Quentin’s studio was the system, which immediately applied mature celebrity studio management strategies.
The busy system coordinated with the OW Asia-Pacific branch on one side, comforted the fan support clubs on another, and also organized the mountain of brand collaboration invitations that had flooded the mailbox.
Every task was handled smoothly.
Oh, right, it almost forgot to repost the debut congratulatory posts from the “NS” production team and the newly created account for the survival show boy group.
Yes, that’s right. On this night that shook the entire domestic entertainment, the survival show boy group MagicX, which should have been the center of attention across the entire internet, officially debuted.
But because the C-position was too popular, his vote gap was too terrifying, and the OW advertisement’s beauty value had exceeded all limits, related trending topics surged forward one after another, and the netizens’ discussion of the specific rankings of the “NS” debut group fell short of expectations.
For such a thing to happen on debut night was also very bizarre.
But were there few bizarre things regarding Quentin? Thinking about it now, it wasn’t surprising at all.
At most, the fans of other teammates could only suffer in silence, unable to express their bitterness.
Complaining privately about things like “the C-position being too popular and stealing the group’s popularity” was one thing. If they actually said it publicly, they would be ridiculed out of the circle.
Having a newly promoted top traffic star as the C-position in the group and still complaining was truly taking advantage of something and acting like a good boy.
＊
>Topic: [The trending topics are a mess, opening a thread to count how many incidents happened tonight XP]
1L: [In a corner nobody cares about, Lu Kui quietly fell from grace. His vote count quietly fell out of the debut group, and he quietly rolled up his bedding and went home…]
2L: [Who watched the change in Lu Kui’s live vote count without laughing? From when his relationship was exposed, his vote count slightly increased by a few thousand. Solid proof that BKL bought fake data in the early stage [big laugh]]
3L: [ If you guys had not mentioned this person, I would have forgotten about him. . Is there some kind of curse on IceCola trainees? The two whose images collapsed during the show are both from their company. It’s ridiculous.]
4L: [Didn’t someone spill the tea, saying Zhong Qu was the person BKL originally planned to promote. But he unexpectedly collapsed before the show even aired, forcing BKL to change their candidate and hastily buy shares in Lu Kui.]
5L: [And then Lu Kui collapsed on finals night? BKL is really unlucky, haha. Why didn’t they buy shares in Yan Qiao?]
6L: [Maybe Yan Qiao had a guaranteed debut position and didn’t need the company’s help.]
7L: [Speaking of which, did you know? Someone dug into BKL’s other two trainees, Dong Zeyu and Wei Bowen. They each have their own exciting stories too.]
8L: [Too unknown, who cares]
9L: [Wc, could Yan Qiao also have dirt on him?! How dare BKL do this? Don’t they do background checks before sending people to a survival show?
Wasn’t BKL known for having the strictest trainee management? The military academy of domestic entertainment? How are people collapsing one after another?]
10L: [Let them collapse. It’s good they collapsed early, lest they debut and affect our newly promoted top-tier boy group.]
11L: [Indeed, as long as those who collapsed haven’t debuted, it doesn’t matter. But these seven who debuted absolutely can’t collapse. It’s rare to come across a boy group where everyone is likeable. I’m still waiting for their first album and fan meeting.]
12L: [Speaking of which, fans have no objections to the debut rankings? I haven’t seen any fan wars. So the production team really didn’t tamper with the vote counts?]
13L: […Actually, there were fights, but nobody cared.]
14L: [I think the final rankings are pretty fair, they met expectations.]
15L: [I haven’t seen the rankings yet. Let me guess.
Number 1 was definitely Quentin.
Number 2 was Yan Qiao?
Number 3 Wen Xinyi.
Number 4 Xue Mingzhu.
Number 5 Cheng Shaozhi.
Number 6 Cui Yan.
Number 7 Fang Xu.
Right?]
16L: [Isn’t that just the reverse of the stage order on debut night?]
17L: [Except for Lu Kui not being there, it’s exactly right.]
18L: [I can only say that the production team is unexpectedly fair. They really didn’t mess with the vote counts [shocked]]
19L: [What does MagicX mean? What’s the significance behind this group name?]
20L: [Magical unknown. That’s the meaning apparently. Haven’t you noticed the “NS” theme song is related to a magic academy? Including the uniforms, the black and gold stage styling, and the post-production. The fantasy flavor is quite strong.]
21L: [I thought they specifically chose a Western fantasy route to match the center’s style…]
22L: [Don’t talk nonsense. The group name was decided long ago. And who says magic must be Western?
An insider at Galaxy Entertainment revealed that MagicX’s first album is themed around the Classic of Mountains and Seas. My guess is each member corresponds to a mythical beast.]
23L: [Tsk tsk, amazing. They’ve already arranged animal personas for you. The merchandise is going to sell like crazy.]
24L: [I didn’t expect Galaxy Entertainment to move so fast… MagicX’s group variety show sponsorships have already started. The first album is also being prepared.
It is said that group endorsements are lining up. Industry insiders say that major brands are fighting tooth and nail, and the price bidding has gone crazy. Who would have thought back when “NS” started recording that they would become this popular?]
25L: [Instead of just talking about group endorsements, it’s better to consider how outrageous Quentin’s individual business opportunities are.
I heard he’s the only one in his group who didn’t sign a personal contract during the group period under Galaxy Entertainment’s name. Doesn’t this mean Galaxy Entertainment can’t restrict his endorsement deals and personal schedules?]
26L: [It’s hard to imagine. Quentin’s solo fans must be overjoyed. Just how powerful is this guy’s background? How did Galaxy Entertainment let go?]
27L: [Although the group contract still prioritizes group activities during the group period, there’s way too much room for maneuvering.
Galaxy Entertainment probably doesn’t want to fall out with Quentin either. Currently, MagicX’s group value is far less than Quentin’s individual value.]
28L: [Quentin only officially debuted last night, and today endorsement rumors involving him are already flying all over the internet. Even the show “Sing If You Dare” has put him on their tentative guest invitation list. Aren’t this show and “NS” competitors???]
29L: [Being competitors doesn’t stop them from inviting a newly promoted top traffic star.]
30L: [Is the term “newly promoted top traffic star” meant to criticize or praise? How long has Quentin debuted? Is he really a top traffic star?]
31L: [It was initially over praising to set him up for a fall. But after the OW advertisement data and product sales came out… the top traffic position was basically booked.]
32L: [His achievements aren’t bad either. The chart-climbing speed of “Fairy Tale Story DLC” is almost breaking records. Mainly, he’s still young. How do you know his next song won’t be even more explosive?]
33L: [His endorsements are still far behind. But he just debuted, so no rush.]
34L: [It is said OW is already preparing to upgrade Quentin’s title, can you believe it… Although OW, a brand specializing in cosmetics, isn’t classified as luxury goods, its brand positioning is still among the top tier internationally. For now, it can be considered high-end within the cosmetics industry.]
35L: [OW has never found a domestic spokesperson since its establishment. They’ve only had regional ambassadors or single-category promoters. Even if gets a title upgrade, he can only get upgraded to ambassador, right?]
36L: [Which OW spokesperson can break Quentin’s sales record?]
37L: [Pure passerby, not a fan. I think it’s impossible for Quentin’s face to lack luxury endorsements. Maybe the brand owners are already riding horses on their way here orz]
38L: [I wish my bias can get Quentin’s career luck. I don’t have the energy to be jealous anymore. Now I believe that true top traffic stars can emerge out of nowhere. Who would have dared to believe it three months ago ahhh!]
39L: [You don’t need to be jealous. Let me be jealous on behalf of Quentin’s teammates’ fans first!
With such a dazzling moon leading, who can compete for the spotlight? The group’s traffic is going to be absorbed by him alone.. In the future, MagicX will only exist as an accessory to Quentin, right? Hhh]
40L: [Nooo… I like Xiao Xue. He finally came back to debut after two years out of the circle. Why is his fate so bitter [wiping tears]]
41L: [I won’t even mention who my bias is. Sigh, in the first few episodes of the show, we could still join forces with other families to fight a few rounds. Now, I don’t dare to even touch the edge. Ah, fate~~~]
42L: [Laughing to death. Did you see the final vote counts? The votes of six people added together barely exceed the first place. One person really drained the entire market. Invincible.]
43L: [Jokes aside, don’t forget that since “NS” started airing, every viral topic has been inseparable from Quentin. If you ask me, this show became popular because of Quentin. Just look at the bloodbath among dramas and variety shows airing during the same period.]
44L: [There is now one way out for other members of MagicX: Hug! The! Thigh!
I don’t need to explain how explosive the CP video data from last night’s debut night was, right? Especially Qi Yang, this brother who withdrew from the competition. The ‘secret crush perspective’ video of him sitting in the audience watching Quentin’s stage actually got five million likes. Damn it, it became even more popular than some actual stage videos. Does this make sense?]
45L: [It’s still because the CP was too well-shot and too well-edited. I almost believed the secret crush storyline. That look in Qi Yang’s eyes would confuse anyone who saw it.]
46L: [I look at Quentin the same way =v= Another me in the world]
A note from the author:
Next chapter will be the debut night from Quentin’s perspective!
After that, the pace of the variety show recordings and group variety show storyline will speed up.Whenever I get writer’s block,I tend to become slow and drag things out, so I can only adjust it gradually. I’m really sorry, everyone.
Translator’s note:
Hello everyone! Since the author doesn’t have a fixed update schedule, I’ll be checking for new chapters every Monday and Friday. Whether there’s an update or not, I’ll make an update here and on whichever novel I’m working on in the meantime.
