Two hours later, inside the “NS” filming base, the 100 trainees, having changed back into their “aristocratic boys’ school” suits and uniforms, stood in formation in the center of the square according to their A, B, C, and F class positions.
Directly opposite them stood a wooden tiered stand, similar to those used for class group photos, covered with black suede carpet. Each standing position had a bright yellow number label attached.
There were five rows in total on the tiers. The very center of the bottom first row was position number 1, with numbers 2 and 3 on the left and right sides respectively. Using this as the central axis, the numbers extended outwards to both sides, with the last number on the edge of the fifth row being 72.
The trainees who saw this quickly realized the meaning of the numbers. The four mentors standing in front of the tiered stand didn’t keep everyone waiting long. After a few serious and solemn opening remarks, they soon got to the main topic.
“….Then, the announcement of the first round rankings for the domestic large-scale boy group survival show ‘Next Stage’ officially begins!”
Vinki started calling names from 71st place onwards. Every trainee whose name was called had an expression of immense relief.
They jogged to the front of the tiers, took the microphone from the mentor, turned to face the familiar faces below the stage that were full of nervousness and anticipation.
Then, they took a deep breath, looked directly at the camera lens ahead, and earnestly expressed their feelings during this period and their mood about successfully advancing to the second round.
Although each person’s speaking time was limited to three minutes, if someone got emotional and spoke a bit longer, the production team wouldn’t forcibly take the microphone and cut them off.
This caused the recording time for this first elimination ranking announcement to be infinitely drawn out.
Out of concern for the cameras, none of the 100 trainees on or below the stage dared to move their sore and numb legs and feet freely. They stood stiffly under the sun, their initially tense and agitated emotions gradually subsiding as time wore on.
As time passed and the sun was about to set, the ranking finally reached the top 15.
The production team nearby could also see the fatigue on the trainees’ faces, so they called for a stop, giving everyone a ten-plus minute break to adjust their state for the continued recording.
Finally able to rest, the boys sat down on the ground without a care for their image. At this moment, no one cared if these expensive custom-made suits and uniforms would get dirty or easily worn out.
After all, the people wearing them were almost exhausted, and the sweat from being under the high temperature and exposure had already soaked through the white shirts inside the suits.
The evening wind blew, cool and refreshing against their bodies, making everyone shiver and goosebumps to rise.
“Sigh, what should I do? I guess I’m going to be eliminated in the first round……” A boy raised his hand to cover his eyes, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably a few times, his mood visibly low.
His voice sounded somewhat choked up: “From 71st to 16th, my name wasn’t called. I definitely won’t make the top 15, and I don’t have the luck to get the last 72nd place either… How did it come to this…Am I leaving so soon…”
The companions sitting beside him didn’t know what to say for a moment.
Most of them were from Class C and F, their skills were neither top nor bottom, barely securing mid-to-lower tier ratings in the first ranking. None of them had 100% confidence they would survive the next round of elimination.
Looking at their depressed companion, they couldn’t help but feel anxious and melancholic from the shared fate.
A companion tried to make his tone sound as light as possible: “Just calm down… Think of the positive side. Once you’re out, you can eat, drink, and sleep well to your heart’s content. You can also play on your phone, play games, and catch up on variety shows. Isn’t that better than being imprisoned in this godforsaken place?”
“…”
The boy rubbed his reddened eyes and muttered quietly: “That’s true, but I still want to stay…”
As he spoke, his gaze subconsciously fell on Quentin and the others sitting chatting not far away, and his face showed a look of envy: “They also haven’t had their names called, but look at them, they’re not worried at all.”
His companion sighed: “Because it’s impossible for their votes to be low… Someone like Quentin probably only has to consider whether he can break into the top five. People like us can’t do that; we just have to take it one day at a time.”
“Top five?”
The boy looked away dejectedly: “He should be considering whether he can be number one.”
His companion chuckled: “… You still have the mood to say that? I think your mindset is pretty good. What, are you becoming Quentin’s little fanboy too? Have you also been bewitched by Mr. Jester?”
“What little fanboy, I’m three years older than Quentin.” The boy retorted subconsciously, then pursed his lips guiltily, a trace of regret in his voice. “And I haven’t even spoken to him much……He’s always in the Class A practice room, and there are always people around him. I never found a chance to strike up a conversation.”
If the Quentin from the initial stage and theme song assessment period only made other trainees aware of his extraordinary skills, then the Quentin from the first public performance stage used his powerful personal charm to conquer the entire audience.
The cheers from the trainees watching the live performance via the LCD screen in the backstage waiting room at that time were no less than those from the live audience.
Whenever the camera moved to Quentin’s face, or when it was Quentin’s part to sing, the boys either hugged the pillows on their chairs tightly, or swallowed with difficulty, their eyes glued to the boy’s every move on the screen, thinking;
So, this is what Quentin is like on stage……
The trainees’ roars and applause almost shook the ceiling of the lounge. The cameramen observing this scene looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and shock.
It was obvious to anyone that these young people weren’t creating a show effect; they were genuinely won over by Quentin on stage.
There was even one who knelt in front of the LCD screen at some point, his intense stare making people suspect that if given the chance, he would crawl into the screen without hesitation and grab Quentin for a kiss.
They say practitioners in the same field are jealous of each other, but the deeper they walked in this industry, the more they understood how mesmerizing Quentin’s existence was.
How could someone be this good-looking?
How could someone sing this well?
How could someone’s every move on stage be so captivating and charming?
So envious, so envious, so envious…
So envious of Quentin’s teammates.
To be able to stand on the same stage as him, to strive for the same goal together day and night.
Even though they were all in the same show and met occasionally in various places around the filming base, they always felt that they were very, very far from Quentin.
Like the moon in the sky and the water in the pond, reflecting each other night after night, their hearts rippled for it, yet forever unable to truly touch it.
The boy silently clenched his fist and closed his eyes as if making a vow: “If I’m not eliminated this time, for the next performance…I must do everything to get into Quentin’s team!”
“……Hmm, who wouldn’t want to.”
His companion muttered softly: “The difficulty of being assigned to Quentin’s team now is no less than surviving the second round of elimination.”
*
The break time soon passed.
Quentin rubbed his stiff calves, got up from the ground, and returned to his original standing position.
By now, the sun had set behind the hills, and the twilight’s afterglow enveloped everything.
The hazy warm yellow focused into layers of halos in the camera lens, falling softly on the scattered figures standing in line.
At a glance, there was an inexplicable sense of melancholy, as if the story was reaching its end.
At this critical juncture, who would leave and who would stay was clear at a glance.
The only remaining suspense was the ranking of the top 15.
But this bit of suspense was nothing to Quentin, who had a system by his side.
“Phew! That was close, host! You and second place only have a 1080 vote difference! You almost got overtaken!”
Quentin, who was drowsy and tired under the setting sun, was startled awake by the sudden voice in his mind.
He narrowed his eyes, listened carefully, and found that the ranking had already been called to 12th place.
“Why are you here only now?”
Quentin conversed with the system in his mind.
“Uh…” The system felt inexplicably somewhat guilty, and whispered, “Isn’t it because the forums were practically in an uproar after the voting closed? I couldn’t resist and got slightly involved…”
Quentin: “Hmm?”
“Because you took the top spot in the first ranking announcement, and the vote difference with second and third isn’t large, many people thought you were just lucky.”
The system muttered: “Right now, the fans of those two families have joined forces to make sarcastic remarks to smear you on the forums. Your fans, of course, didn’t indulge them and immediately fired back and started tearing into them.”
“According to my investigation, the most active major fan in your fanbase currently is ‘Creamy Cute Ginger’. Her main account is the fan site operator ‘Quentin_cuteginger’.”
“During this voting battle, she was the main combat power on our side. She actively organized fans to vote, called on fans in various groups to fight back against the smear campaign, and even held occasional lucky draws and sent red envelopes to boost fan morale.”
“And the most famous big fan is ‘Quentin_QQsugar’. Whether it was during the chaos of voting in the early stage or the flame war after voting closed, they didn’t participate openly. They spent the whole day editing videos and sending red envelopes. Their homepage can be said to be the logistics and recharge station for fans to recharge after getting tired from counter-attacks.”
“The quality of the videos they edit for secondary creation is particularly high, and the data is absolutely amazing. They almost single-handedly occupy half the kingdom of popular ‘NS’ videos. Many of your breakout videos are their work.”
“These two top fans and the numerous other fans cooperate seamlessly. Even without studio intervention, they’ve created a virtuous cycle in your fan circle that can be controlled freely!”
The system paused and said seriously: “However, I believe they still lack a wise and resourceful strategist who is good at checking backgrounds, catching spies, tearing off disguises, exposing the real person behind the account, and screenshotting to collect evidence of rumors and insults…This position, of course, should be filled by this system!”
Quentin grew increasingly silent as he listened, and after a moment, uttered: “You’ve worked hard, thank you.”
The system declared righteously: “It’s not hard at all! Charging into battle for the host is my honor!”
Quentin: “…”
‘But, Quentin_QQsugar?’
‘This name…is it a coincidence?’’
How did it happen to be the same as a certain top Chinese fan he had in his previous life?
This thought flashed through his mind. He didn’t immediately think in the direction of “he’s not the only one who has been reborn or transmigrated”, and just considered it an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Quentin had a deep impression of that Miss Q.Q Sugar from his previous life, after all, she was always enthusiastic about posting all sorts of cheesy pick-up lines on his Instagram.
Her words were particularly interesting, and every line was filled with strong affection, always managing to catch his attention among the multitude of messages.
Although Quentin didn’t go online often, he was never stingy with likes and replies to fans.
Even when his fame grew later and his every move was constantly watched, followed, and even magnified and analyzed by countless people, he still did things his own way, remaining intermittently active among the fan community.
However, he didn’t really hear much about fan circle wars and internal management matters.
Perhaps in his previous life, his fan base leaned more towards “music fans”; people liked his songs, not necessarily him as a person, so the arguments weren’t as fierce as in boy group survival shows?
Quentin was completely unaware of his own stormy hot-search physique. The topics about him on the internet in his previous life were actually countless times more intense than in this life. The current ups and downs were just small-scale fights, like children playing house, compared to the stormy waves of his past life.
Compared to the employees in the Quentin studio who were scrambling in panic to deal with public opinion on one side and also had to pay attention to their boss’s mental and physical health on the other, the system found these tasks much easier to handle. A high-dimensional artificial intelligence was practically invincible in the realm of the internet.
Even though the headquarters placed heavy restrictions on the system, it didn’t affect its extremely high work efficiency.
Even now, fans thought this strategist “Quentin_system” who appeared out of nowhere was a legendary hacker big boss.
“Now, let’s announce the 11th place…”
Chen Shiyu raised her voice: “Let’s congratulate, Class A, Xue Mingzhu!”
The boy standing next to Quentin was stunned for a moment, then quickly walked forward.
“Sigh, host, you don’t know, Xue Mingzhu’s ranking this time is so unfair,” the now-idle system simply stayed to eat melons with its host. “He was originally stable at 10th and aiming for 5th, and at his highest even reached fourth place. If it weren’t for the rumors about his ‘black material’ these past two days, he definitely wouldn’t have dropped to 11th.”
As it spoke, it multitasked by glancing at the forums: “Wow, that matter about Xue Mingzhu is still a hot topic. It feels like someone is intentionally stirring up trouble behind it……Host, host, could Xue Mingzhu be one of the main characters? Do I need to go and interfere a little?”
Quentin looked at the boy not far away holding the microphone and giving his speech, and thought: “What rumors?”
System: “Nothing much, just a bunch of nonsense, anyway, it’s very fake! I investigated online and it’s absolutely fake, completely unfounded!”
Quentin hummed in acknowledgment: “Then help him out. See if you can find out who’s targeting him, and also keep an eye on the progress bar’s movement.”
“Alright!”
While Quentin and the system were chatting, the top ten of the first ranking were announced one after another.
Tenth place, Bi Xiao;
Ninth place, Cui Yan;
Eighth place, Fang Xu;
Seventh place, Lu Kui;
Sixth place, Cheng Shaozhi;
…….
Half of these five showed clear surprise when their names were called.
Among them, Bi Xiao was clearly dissatisfied with his current ranking, but after finishing his speech with a stern face, he passed in front of Xue Mingzhu, glanced over, raised his eyebrows, and his mood visibly improved.
Hmph, no matter what, his ranking was higher than the Internal Combustion Engine’s.
Xue Mingzhu: “…?”
‘Is he sick?’’
Fang Xu, on the other hand, was shocked that his ranking was ahead of Cui Yan’s.
Cui Yan, ninth place, and he…was eighth place?
How was this possible? In what aspect did he perform better than Cui Yan?
How could his votes be higher than Cui Yan’s!
Fang Xu stood rooted to the spot for a full three seconds before, reminded by Wen Xinyi, he blankly took a step forward, staggered slightly, then lowered his head and quickly walked forward.
Lu Kui’s reaction was bigger than everyone’s.
The surprise on his face could almost be described as horror.
As the only Class F trainee in the top ten, Lu Kui had already mentally prepared himself to be eliminated in the first round before his name was called.
After all, compared to the other popular contestants, he sincerely felt he wasn’t outstanding in any aspect.
Even if he was lucky enough to become team leader during the first performance, “Next Stage” had only aired up to the second episode, and the first public performance hadn’t even been mentioned in the main show yet.
Forget highlights, his presence in the first two episodes was probably similar to a transparent person, without even a topic that could attract hate.
And to be honest, before joining the survival show, Lu Kui never thought he could debut successfully. Even if the other four in their BKL five-member group debuted, it wouldn’t be his turn!
He was a pure newcomer who had just signed with BKL, and even his dancing was something he learned in a rush for three months, like forcing a duck onto a perch. He couldn’t do anything else. Not feeling stage fright relied entirely on his big heart and thick skin.
The flustered and frantic Lu Kui walked toward the stage under the puzzled and congratulatory gazes of the people around him.
When he took the microphone from the mentor, he was speechless. He stared at the pitch-black camera lens in front of him and ll simply didn’t know what to say.
It was just too…. unreal.
Was his vote count really this high?
Did that many viewers really like him and vote for him?
The curly-haired boy rattled off a series of jumbled and incoherent words of thanks, finally took a deep breath, and bowed deeply: “Thank you to all the fans in front of the screen for your support! I will continue to work hard and keep moving forward with determination!”
The announcements continued….
Fifth place, Zhou Zilin;
Fourth place, Yan Qiao;
Third place, Wen Xinyi.
When only the publicly recognized high-popularity contestants Quentin and Qi Yang remained standing below the stage, the gazes of everyone present converged on the two of them.
Why did it have to be Qi Yang and Quentin competing for first place?
This was the common question in the trainees’ hearts.
They knew Qi Yang had high popularity, but if the final ranking was Qi Yang defeating Quentin for first place……
Help, just the sound of that was already absurd beyond imagination.
How could Qi Yang be compared to Quentin? “NS” isn’t an actor survival show, there is no comparison between the two at all?!
The trainees watching these two had even greater emotional ups and downs than the parties involved.
Many felt indignant in their hearts…Forget about who’s first or second, even putting these two together was simply an insult to Quentin, right!
Please! That’s Quentin we’re talking about!
There were also a very few who were deliberately watching for fun. After all, the strong don’t only attract affection and admiration; human nature has its darker side, and jealousy and resentment were the true feelings hidden in some people’s hearts.
Seventeen years old… such a young and hopeful age.
And blessed with such a handsome face, an exceptionally good voice, and talent and charisma that practically overflowed from his entire being.
He was so good-looking, so likable, without needing to do anything deliberate, he could effortlessly gain everyone’s attention and affection.
He seemed born to carry the world’s love.
How could such a person not make others feel envy, jealousy, and resentment.
They hated the bright moon for hanging so high, and hated that the bright moon shone on everyone except me. Thus, hidden malice began to sprout and spread.
Quentin ignored the gazes coming from all directions. He and Qi Yang stepped out from the lineup at the mentor’s call and stood on either side of Chen Shiyu, each quietly awaiting the announcement of the ranking.
“Next, the trainee whose ranking I am about to announce is young,tall, and handsome. Since making the decision to cross industries to participate in a boy group survival show, his every move has attracted considerable attention from netizens.”
“The audience had high expectations for his performance in the program. Since the program began broadcasting, his popularity has consistently ranked highly. He once played the young general Qiguan Shun in the 2024 hit historical romance ‘Po Jun Xing’, earning praise and affection from countless viewers with his exquisite acting and his appearance and temperament that suited the character setting.”
Under the focused, unblinking stares of the trainees, Chen Shiyu said with a smile: “Then, let us congratulate…..Qi Yang, for obtaining second place in the first round ranking announcement with 26,784,387 votes!”
Amidst the warm applause at the scene, the microphone was passed to Qi Yang.
Qi Yang’s speech was very brief. This professional actor, trained at a prestigious school, had considerable skill in delivering lines. His short, straightforward words of thanks were spoken with sincerity and force.
But Quentin, who was standing beside him, stared at the expression on the other party’s face and raised his eyebrows slightly, a trace of doubt in his eyes.
Qi Yang… seemed to be lying?
He was genuinely thankful to his fans for their hard work in voting for him, but he didn’t sincerely want to continue staying in “NS”, nor did he genuinely want to debut as a boy group member.
Did something happen?
Quentin felt he could read a bit of resistance and weariness on Qi Yang’s face.
However, Qi Yang hid it very well. It was almost impossible to read his true feelings from micro-expressions alone, a testament to the professional discipline of a trained actor.
After finishing his words of thanks, Qi Yang noticed the cool gaze from beside him and turned to meet a pair of eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything.
Under the glow of the setting sun, they were a pair of bright yet cold green eyes.
Their eyes met briefly, a slight contact in the air, exchanging some unknown message, before both looked away the next second.
“As for this last trainee, even if I don’t say it, everyone knows who he is.”
Chen Shiyu turned to look at the boy beside her, her smile softening considerably. “In my personal opinion, no amount of praise is too much for this trainee.”
“During the initial stage rating, he gained widespread acclaim across the internet with an original French song, even sparking curiosity and attention from listeners abroad.”
“His highly charismatic musical style and voice have captivated countless people. Netizens exclaimed that in his singing, they could see the vast, lonely scenery of a snow-covered country.”
“In the theme song assessment, he demonstrated powerful learning ability and the stage presence of a true king, achieving the highest score in the 24-hour surprise assessment and winning unanimous praise from viewers online.”
“In the first public performance stage, he amazed the entire audience with his role as a clown. Even after the performance ended, you could still hear the departing audience fervently discussing that arrogant, unrestrained green-eyed young man.”
The eyes of the surrounding trainees grew increasingly fervent with Chen Shiyu’s words. Various gazes intertwined, shining like spotlights and converging on Quentin.
Just looking at this scene, you would never recognize them as trainees competing on the same stage as Quentin; instead, they seemed more like crazy fans chasing a star.
Chen Shiyu proclaimed clearly, word by word: “Finally, let’s give a round of applause to congratulate the first-place winner of the first ranking announcement in [Next Stage]!”
“The Class A trainee who secured 26,785,467 votes before the voting deadline….”
“Quen! Tin!”
