Chapter 115: Before Taking the Stage

[Has it started yet?] Tan Qi’s eyes were fixed on the screen. [Has Lu Xu made his appearance?]

Her friend replied with an exasperated emoji: [It just started; they’re still running ads.]

Tan Qi then leisurely finished slicing the oranges, arranged the other fruits and snacks, and finally opened Sunset Idol at her own unhurried pace.

After hearing the news that Lu Xu was participating in the show, she had hurriedly caught up on the first five episodes of Sunset Idol.

The variety show turned out to be better than she had expected. The contestants’ performances were on par with idols who had already debuted. The program didn’t even edit the audio—whether the live singing was raw and unpolished or sounded like a cow mooing, it was all presented authentically.

Of course, the competition system was brutal. Eliminations were swift and ruthless, with no room for mercy.

Tan Qi even felt that perhaps the harsh reality of “contract termination” looming over the contestants gave them the courage to give it their all—several previously lackluster contestants had managed to shine brightly.

For many contestants, Sunset Idol was their last fight for their dreams. Even if they were eliminated, they were determined to showcase themselves on the stage.

Behind idol survival shows like this, there was often heavy capital involvement, and scripted elements were commonplace. However, the contestants on Sunset Idol were indeed idols who weren’t the primary focus of their respective agencies. A quick search of their companies’ official social media accounts revealed very little information about them.

While waiting for Lu Xu’s appearance, Tan Qi silently observed the barrage of comments on Sunset Idol. As expected, many viewers were drawn to the show because of Lu Xu.

[I heard Lu Xu was assigned to Group K?]

[With Li Jia and Jiang Yumeng? Hard to imagine that lineup. Isn’t their group full of dance leads?]

[Guests can choose to perform on stage with the contestants or stay off stage. Maybe Lu Xu is just there to be a spiritual mentor. [Laughs]]

[To teach tips on how to make a comeback?]

[Lu Xu’s skills were mediocre back during his Verse days. Don’t tell me his abilities suddenly skyrocketed after becoming an actor.]

The comment section was a mixed bag, with some viewers, like Tan Qi, eagerly anticipating Lu Xu’s appearance, while others took the opportunity to criticize him.

Having been a fan of Lu Xu for so long, Tan Qi was well aware that not all of his detractors were diehard fans of Verse. The group had long since disbanded, and Xie Qingyang, Gu Sinian, and Meng Qin were barely relevant in the current entertainment industry. It was unlikely their fans could still harbor a grudge against Lu Xu for so long.

Yet, there were undeniably many who disliked Lu Xu. Without much effort, Tan Qi could name several of them.

Certain individuals—let’s call them “so-and-so”—probably hated Lu Xu to their core, but unfortunately, they couldn’t take him down.

Some people even criticized Lu Xu for participating in Sunset Idol, claiming he had “lowered his status” by joining an idol survival show.

Lu Xu & Xu Wen: “…”

In truth, there was no “lowering of status” involved—the production team had simply offered a substantial amount of money.

When Lu Xu’s pay for Sunset Idol was eventually revealed, marketing accounts quickly jumped in, accusing him of greed and his manager of shortsightedness.

But opinions are like mouths—they belong to whoever owns them, and they could say whatever they wanted.

On the day Sunset Idol aired, at Lin Ge Entertainment.

Xie Qingyang, Gu Sinian, and Meng Qin, rarely seen together, had gathered to watch the idol survival show.

To the three of them, it was inconceivable that Lu Xu would ever agree to participate in a survival show. No one understood his singing and dancing skills better than they did.

Indeed, just as they had imagined, even in an era when celebrities were eagerly crossing over into various fields, Lu Xu remained one of the few A-list stars who rarely participated in variety shows or showed enthusiasm for fashion events.

Xie Qingyang, Gu Sinian, and Meng Qin had all experienced fame before, so they understood how overwhelming the flood of offers could be for a popular celebrity. Yet, Lu Xu had always stuck to his principles.

The three of them had assumed that if Lu Xu ever participated in a variety show, it would be something lifestyle-oriented or intellectually stimulating.

An idol survival show? That was practically inviting criticism.

“What on earth was he thinking?” Gu Sinian turned to Xie Qingyang.

Xie Qingyang shook his head lightly. “I have no idea.”

Lu Xu’s participation in Sunset Idol was significant to the three of them. By joining the show, his identity as a “former member of Verse” would inevitably be emphasized, giving Xie Qingyang, Gu Sinian, and Meng Qin an opportunity to ride the wave and market themselves.

Their presence in the entertainment industry had become so negligible that if they hadn’t strongly opposed it, Lin Ge Entertainment would have likely arranged for them to start livestreaming.

Livestreaming essentially marked a shift from being a celebrity to becoming an influencer. While it might bring in a decent income, it would also mean losing their foothold in the entertainment industry.

When Verse debuted, they had skyrocketed to fame. None of the three had ever experienced the desperation of bowing to financial pressure. They still wanted to be stars, standing in the spotlight and surrounded by adoring fans.

At this point, they couldn’t help but regret the impulsive decision to disband Verse. If they had chosen to pursue solo careers without officially breaking up the group, their situation might not have been so dire.

However, while they regretted disbanding Verse, they didn’t regret what they had done to Lu Xu in the past.

Lu Xu’s appearance on Sunset Idol had already caused the search term “Verse” to surge in popularity, bringing increased attention to the three of them as well.

This was the heat brought by Lu Xu.

If Lu Xu were to perform poorly on Sunset Idol or fail to even muster the courage to take the stage, Lin Ge Entertainment was already prepared with a “Verse Members’ Strength Comparison” package to release.

Xie Qingyang and the others couldn’t help but recall something their manager had said a few days ago: “You should count yourselves lucky that the one who hit it big in Verse was Lu Xu.”

If Lu Xu had been a flop and the three of them had also faded into obscurity for various reasons, they wouldn’t even have the option to ride on anyone’s coattails. Without a prominent topic to chase, their careers might have been over. But with Lu Xu’s explosive popularity, it was a different story. Even though they were no longer relevant, they could still bask in the glow of being Lu Xu’s former teammates, snagging guest spots on shows to reminisce about their trainee days.

Such opportunities weren’t something other washed-up idols could easily come by.

In fact… they couldn’t even beg for it.

Though they wouldn’t admit it, this was undeniably the reality.

Meanwhile, Yao Yuan constantly reminisced in his livestreams about how Lu Xu had once “looked after” him. Between sharing casual gossip and shouting “Only 9.99!” at the top of his lungs, Xie Qingyang could barely resist the urge to dive into Yao Yuan’s livestream and strangle him to stop him from talking.

The most humiliating part of his career now wasn’t the black mark of b*llying Lu Xu—it was having once been part of a CP scandal with Yao Yuan.

B*llying Lu Xu at least implied that he had once been on equal footing with him. Being linked with Yao Yuan, however, made him feel like a pair of bargain-bin plastic flip-flops—“Buy one, get one free for 9.99!”—reeking of cheap, low-quality material.

Chen Ye, who had once clashed with Lu Xu over the role of Ji Xiuya, also took every opportunity to bring up how Lu Xu had “stolen” that role from him on the various shows he attended. He acted as though the entire audience had collectively developed amnesia.

Chen Ye endlessly lamented how whoever played Ji Xiuya would become a star and expressed regret over missing the opportunity. Every time he repeated this sentiment, the comment section would erupt with viewers criticizing him, but that didn’t stop Chen Ye from continuing to milk the topic.

He was already a washed-up has-been, his most notable label being “the idiot who gave up the role of Ji Xiuya.” Instead of being completely forgotten, it was better to reinforce this impression with the audience. That way, more variety shows and programs might invite him.

Still… knowing that it was Lu Xu who had skyrocketed to fame left Xie Qingyang and the others bleeding inside.

Looking back, they thought it might have been better to lock Lu Xu down in Lin Ge Entertainment, denying him resources and ensuring he could never rise again.

“Lu Xu is about to take the stage!” As soon as Xie Qingyang spoke, Gu Sinian and Meng Qin immediately turned their eyes to the screen.

This episode of Sunset Idol featured four guest mentors, all former members of idol groups. Among them were vocal leads, dance leads, and all-rounders. While their groups had been less popular than Verse, they hadn’t descended into the kind of public drama that plagued the Verse members.

Of course, the most attention-grabbing guest was still Lu Xu.

Since Lu Xu decided to join Sunset Idol, every trending topic about the show had been related to him.

The format of Sunset Idol was unique but followed a typical survival show structure: the mentors encouraged the contestants and collaborated with them in joint performances.

Even as Lu Xu began interacting with the contestants from Group K, the comment section was still buzzing with debates about whether he would participate in the performance.

[He definitely won’t perform!]

[Group K is doomed, right? I really like Li Jia and Jiang Yumeng—I don’t want to see them get eliminated because of this.]

[…Suddenly, this feels unfair. As a mentor, Lu Xu can freely choose not to perform, but the contestants in his group desperately need this chance to perform with him. I don’t want to see their dreams crushed by Lu Xu’s decision.]

[I don’t want to see it happen +1.]

↑ This was the tone of the comments before Lu Xu’s appearance.

Once Lu Xu appeared, however, the tone instantly shifted:

[!!!!!!!]

[Oh my god!!! He’s so ridiculously, ridiculously handsome!]

[What the—!! Insanely good-looking!! Absolutely dazzling! I finally understand why Lin Ge Entertainment forced Lu Xu into Verse right before their debut. Just a few seconds of him showing up and it feels like the entire practice room is glowing!]

The production team even added sparkling effects and a rosy blush to highlight Lu Xu’s radiance during his entrance, but most viewers declared that such post-production gimmicks were completely unnecessary. Lu Xu himself was already dazzling enough.

Dressed in the same training uniform as the contestants—a uniform that had been heavily criticized by viewers—Lu Xu somehow transformed it into a fresh, youthful look that made him seem like the epitome of a wholesome campus heartthrob.

[Lu Xu didn’t even put on makeup!!]

[!!! He looks absolutely amazing!]

According to Sunset Idol’s format, during the mentor encouragement segment, the mentors were expected to share motivational insights, like how hard work leads to success or how youth makes anything possible.

Lu Xu, however, took a rare approach and reflected on his time in Verse.

He described it as “a flawed idol journey.”

“I used to wonder constantly if Verse would have been better off without me.”

“I didn’t understand the purpose of my existence. I was a failed idol.”

“But if I had another chance and you asked me if I’d debut with Verse again, my answer would still be yes.” His smile was soft as he looked into the camera. “Because from the moment I joined Verse, I had no regrets. I wanted to be part of Verse. I don’t regret the choices I made, because regret is meaningless.”

“Debuting is great, but after debuting, you might end up as a terrible idol—just like me.”

“Just do your best to live well every day.”

The barrage of comments scrolling across the screen came to an abrupt halt.

The fans watching the show hadn’t expected Lu Xu to respond like this. They thought he’d deliver a more motivational, success-oriented answer, something that bordered on the cliché of self-help advice or highlighted his own superiority.

But Lu Xu didn’t.

He even said that he didn’t regret being a part of Verse, even though there were now no traces of Verse in his daily life.

He called himself a terrible idol.

[He even told the contestants that even if they successfully debuted, they might still end up walking down the road of becoming a bad idol.]

[There are indeed many people who forget their original intentions after debuting.]

Then—unexpectedly for most viewers—Lu Xu stepped onto the collaborative performance stage.

The production team of Sunset Idol deliberately created suspense. While the contestants’ rehearsals were all shown on screen, whenever it came time for Lu Xu’s parts, the cameras would mysteriously pan away. This fueled immense anticipation for Group K’s performance of “Become a Vampire”.

The audience peaked during Group K’s stage time.

As the title suggested, “Become a Vampire” was a dark concept. When the curtains opened, the lights illuminated the contestants’ faces, but the most striking figure stood in the center.

A vampire with crimson eyes, pale skin as if carved from marble, and an eerie, otherworldly gaze that seemed to silently lure humans into corruption.

To say the stage was mesmerizing would be an understatement. The live chat exploded with an overwhelming flood of “Super good looking!” and “!!!” drowning out almost all coherent commentary.

Standing at the center, Lu Xu transformed the entire stage into a dazzling spectacle.

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