Superstar Ch.39

Chapter 39: Fired Up (About 50% Forum Post Format)

When Xie Xizhao stepped onto the stage, the entire room remained eerily silent.

He took the microphone, delivered a short speech, and, as always, his voice was steady.

A stark contrast to the varied expressions of the audience below.

“Thank you for your support,” he said. “I’ll continue to work hard in the future.”

Offstage, Ai Qingyuan’s mouth twitched.

Work hard for what? To crush all of them?

Whether he would crush others or not was uncertain, but Ma Hongping truly felt like he was about to be crushed. Looking at the young man on stage, he experienced, for the first time in his life, the feeling of being at a complete loss for words.

What now?

They had already tried to suppress him. They had cut his screen time down to almost nothing.

In the end, the production team had no real grudge against Xie Xizhao. He was just a twenty-year-old rookie. There was no need to go out of their way to target him.

When the platform reached out to him, he had actually felt relieved.

To be honest, no one wanted to cut Xie Xizhao’s footage. Whether it was behind-the-scenes clips, extra content, solo shots, or group segments, anything that featured Xie Xizhao always performed exceptionally well.

This trainee had immense potential.

The audience wanted to see him. They were eager to watch him.

But Yaoxin had refused their request.

The response had been polite, leaving some room for negotiation, but everyone knew it was a clear rejection.

Thinking back to when they first approached Yaoxin, and the company had said they needed to consult the artist first, Ma Hongping finally understood—

Xie Xizhao was not some clueless rookie who could be easily manipulated by his company.

And that, in turn, made things even more complicated.

Ma Hongping’s temples throbbed slightly from the nonstop calls he had received after the voting period ended.

Compared to him, the other trainees had far less complicated thoughts.

Although they had known for a while that Xie Xizhao would ascend, his entrance into the debut positions after the first public ranking still caught many people off guard.

There were only five debut spots, so when someone moved up, someone else had to fall. The lower-ranked trainees were still stunned, unable to snap out of it, while those ranked higher had already realized the seriousness of the situation.

In the silence, Dou Yu announced the fourth place.

Fourth place went to Guan Heng.

He took the stage amidst Ai Qingyuan’s slightly surprised gaze and stood next to Xie Xizhao.

Guan Heng’s tone was calm, and his words were smooth. He had consistently remained in the top five, and most people were still caught up in the aftershocks caused by Xie Xizhao’s performance, so there wasn’t much of a reaction from the crowd.

Only Xie Xizhao glanced at him.

Noticing his gaze, Guan Heng smiled and said, “What’s wrong? Want to move up?”

He said it jokingly.

Xie Xizhao smiled and replied, “Mhm.”

He then shifted his gaze, seemingly lost in thought.

On the other side, Dou Yu had already announced the third place.

Third place went to Qiao Ye, who had also consistently stayed within the top ten.

He was the rap specialist, quite handsome, and his company was also well-regarded.

Ultimately, those who made it into the top ten of the first public ranking were either exceptionally talented in a specific area or had strong backing from their companies.

Xie Xizhao refrained from commenting on Qiao Ye’s rap skills but was familiar with the company behind him.

That was because they had once considered signing him.

This was a company that was very skilled in marketing and generating hype. Whether in favorable or unfavorable situations, they could always use a set of well-honed tactics to brainwash fans and uninformed viewers.

As a result, Qiao Ye’s most loyal fans were among the most dedicated in the top ten.

This time, he was up against Fu Wenze and lost. Yet, he still moved up from sixth to third.

Xie Xizhao could tell with his eyes closed exactly what kind of tactics his company had used to manipulate the fans.

He didn’t interact much with Qiao Ye, but the latter had always seemed quite interested in him. After giving his speech on stage, he bypassed Guan Heng and said to him, “You’re awesome, brother.”

Xie Xizhao politely smiled at him. “You’re amazing too.”

“Not bad, I guess,” Qiao Ye replied.

There was a faint smell of smoke on him, and Xie Xizhao couldn’t hold back and coughed a couple of times after a moment of tolerating it.

He hated the smell of smoke.

Qiao Ye seemed to sense this, feeling a bit awkward, and didn’t continue the conversation.

Finally, the top two were announced.

The names were no surprise to anyone: Ai Qingyuan and Xia Ruiyan.

Dou Yu didn’t directly announce who was first and who was second but instead had the two of them come up on stage.

Everyone in the room knew that this was meant to create a wave of hype, and they all cooperated by showing reactions of both anticipation and nervousness. Among everyone, only Guan Heng and Xie Xizhao remained the calmest.

Guan Heng glanced to his side. “Aren’t you curious?”

Xie Xizhao honestly replied, “Actually, there’s no suspense.”

Guan Heng was slightly surprised. “Xia Ruiyan did get an additional 200,000 votes.”

“Don’t underestimate the early vote pool,” Xie Xizhao smiled. “200,000 isn’t much.”

Though 200,000 votes sounded like a lot, in relative terms, it wasn’t.

From Xie Xizhao’s observations, the popularity of Super Rookie this season had surpassed, or at least matched, the previous two seasons. High popularity meant more people were voting.

In the early stage, each person could vote for nine trainees a day, during the so-called 9-pick period.

Aside from the naturally devoted fans, most people didn’t have the energy to like nine people at the same time. For the sake of convenience, they would typically vote for the higher-ranked trainees, so as not to affect the vote distribution later on.

Especially the first place.

Moreover, for most fans who followed the strong contenders, they were already inclined to like the first place candidate, viewing them through a favorable lens.

As expected, Dou Yu announced the final vote count.

Ai Qingyuan still held the dominant center position.

He had no expression on his face.

To him, this center position no longer mattered.

What he cared most about now was defeating Xie Xizhao in the second public performance.

The first and second-place contestants were also supposed to give speeches. Ai Qingyuan, still focused on the second performance, suddenly heard his own name.

He looked up, confused.

Xia Ruiyan tilted his head and looked at him. “Is it okay?”

Ai Qingyuan: ?

…What was going on?

Guan Heng coughed and lowered his voice to remind him. “He just said that he has always seen you as his goal to chase, and now that he’s standing next to you, he’s asking if he can hug you.”

Ai Qingyuan: “…”

一

At the end of the recording, Ai Qingyuan hadn’t regained his composure yet.

Xie Xizhao and Guan Heng were walking towards the small store, planning to buy some bread and milk for breakfast the next day, when they heard Ai Qingyuan muttering incredulously behind them, “He’s not sick, right? Am I really that familiar with him? When did I become his… target of pursuit?”

When he said those four words, goosebumps popped up all over him again.

Ji Yan, enjoying the drama, said, “This is simple.”

“He has a crush on you.”

He said it seriously.

Ai Qingyuan almost tripped over himself.

“You’re here acting like you’re disgusted by him,” Ji Yan mocked. “When you declared your love for my brother before, my brother didn’t reject you, did he? What’s all this fuss about?”

Ai Qingyuan: “… You’re full of nonsense, that was a challenge!”

Ji Yan lazily responded, “Mhm, mhm, mhm.”

“Alright.” Guan Heng interrupted them. “Xiao Yuan, what flavor of milk do you want? I’ll grab it.”

Ai Qingyuan reluctantly replied, “Chocolate, I guess.”

Guan Heng placed the chocolate-flavored milk into the shopping basket. After they paid, they all walked out of the small store together.

The sunset was setting in the west, and there were small groups of people standing not far off. These were the trainees who had packed up and were ready to leave. Many of them had red eyes, and as they looked back toward the dormitory building, their eyes were filled with unwillingness.

Behind them, Ji Yan and Ai Qingyuan were still bickering, while Guan Heng and Xie Xizhao slowed their pace.

“Most people seem to know you,” Guan Heng smiled. “Aren’t you going to go say goodbye?”

At the end of the recording, the eliminated trainees had said their farewells to everyone. Many of them mentioned Xie Xizhao, saying that he had helped them a lot during the theme song evaluations. In the emotional moments, some even shed tears.

Xie Xizhao coughed once.

He was still a little afraid of the cold. As soon as the cool breeze blew, his throat would feel uncomfortable.

Then he said, “I said goodbye yesterday.”

Guan Heng suddenly understood.

The two of them slowly walked toward the dormitory building. Not far away, the sunset had cast a brilliant golden layer over the sky. Xie Xizhao slowed his pace. Guan Heng turned his head to talk to him but saw him slightly tilting his head, looking toward the sunset.

The young man had a graceful appearance, and his slightly pale face seemed to be veiled in the soft glow of the sunset.

The scene was as beautiful as a deity.

Guan Heng was momentarily distracted, but Xie Xizhao had already noticed his gaze and looked at him with a questioning look.

Guan Heng came back to his senses.

He said, “You seem to really like looking at scenery.”

“People who’ve died once are like that,” Xie Xizhao smiled, “Everything looks new.”

Guan Heng fell silent, feeling a little moved.

He believed that anyone other than Xie Xizhao wouldn’t be able to remain calm about his experiences. But strangely, Xie Xizhao could say such things in such a calm tone.

He said, “The great disaster is over, and from now on, everything will go smoothly.”

Xie Xizhao sensed the comforting intent and said, “Thank you.”

Then he asked, “What were you going to say just now?”

Guan Heng had actually wanted to talk about the eliminated trainees, but in comparison to death, the failure of a reality show was clearly trivial.

He paused and ultimately swallowed the words back, changing the topic.

“Have you decided what kind of song to pick for the second public performance?”

The second public performance wasn’t early, nor was it late.

Time in the show was always a bit faster than in the outside world. The schedule for the second public performance had already been released, and it was in two days. They would start by recording the song selection and groupings.

At this moment, however, the progress in the outside world was still stuck at the end of the first public performance.

In the past couple of days, major forums had been flooded with Xie Xizhao’s name.

To be precise, since the second episode of the first public performance and the weekend’s spin-off show aired, the entire “Super Rookie” program-related sections had gone wild. After the airing of the spin-off show, a certain entertainment forum had practically built a skyscraper.

[Can anyone tell me what this show has done to deserve making someone like Purple Star appear?]

1L: I can’t even. It’s just my vote, take it all away 🙂

2L: I totally understand. I’m sitting here with my hair all messy, crying and laughing in front of my computer. How could my treasure end up in such a trashy program and yet be so amazing?

3L: 2L is too relatable, Ahhh! I’m the same.

4L: The internet went out, who is Purple Star?

5L: Then you really lost connection. It’s Xie Xizhao.

That night’s program, the forum watched as everyone went from calm to crazy. Today’s spin-off show also did really well.

To be honest, there’s no exaggeration in calling him Purple Star.

6L: That night’s program was so funny.

At first: What kind of sh*t is this?

In the middle: So sleepy.

At the end: Ahhh, my baby!

7L: But it was such a perfect stage, fresh and full of energy, really healing, and such a treat for the ears. I really beg you all to watch Xie Xizhao’s personal performance; he’s so pure, like a sweet boy with a high voice, and his dancing was gorgeous.

8L: His vocals were also amazing, ahhh!

The intro was divine.

9L: That ending wink was divine.

I totally, completely understand my sisters now.

She had gone to watch the live performance that day. She had originally gone to see Lu Xing, but came back having switched her support.

At the time, I asked her why, and she asked me, “Which would you pick, a talented ugly person or a beautiful useless one?” I said the beautiful useless one, and she said I was wrong. “Only children make choices. Adults go for the talented and beautiful idol.”

10L: Master, I’ve realized.

11L: Doubting Xie’s fans, understanding Xie’s fans, becoming Xie’s fan.

The old me: What a useless vase.

The current me: Zhaozhao Zhaozhao Zhaozhao Zhaozhao (repeating machine.jpg) Mommy is sick, she needs another wink from Zhaozhao to get better.

12L: And! He’s! Super! Smart! Ahhh!

Who hasn’t seen this episode’s spin-off show yet? Go watch it now!

My baby is killing it with two hangers-on!

13L: Xiao Ai and Xiao Panpan: ?

14L: Ai Qingyuan, get off your main account.

Panpan is one thing, but why are you also useless?

15L: I’m laughing so hard.

16L: Ai Qingyuan: Brother will take you all flying.

Also Ai Qingyuan: Xie Xizhao Ahhh!

That part when he first walked in, his eyes were filled with pure foolishness, it was hard to watch.

17L: Speaking of that part, Brother Zhao is a bit scheming, didn’t you all notice? He purposely let Ai Qingyuan walk first.

18L: This guy is really good at it.

The reason everyone has been so obsessed these past few days is exactly because of this.

His professional skills are excellent, he knows how to promote and pamper his fans, and the key is that his personality is really captivating. You’d say he’s cold, but he’s gentle with fans, colleagues, and even with ghosts. You’d say he’s gentle, but that cold, broken feeling he had on the first stage gives him a sense of distance.

Also, although his temperament is really good, he’s not boring at all. When he jokes around and teases people, it’s incredibly charming.

The most important thing is, how does he manage to control the atmosphere all the time?! LMAO

…

936L: So that’s why he’s the Purple Star.

So far, I haven’t seen any flaws—except that he was born into this crappy show Super Rookie.

937L: Everyone in this thread is just screaming. I’m impressed by you star-chasing girls.

So, can someone analyze whether he can debut? He’s ranked 15th this week.

I really want to support him. I haven’t been this obsessed in years. But I feel like the better his personal qualities are, the worse his external conditions are. This lousy company and this lousy show production team—I’m really worried.

938L: He should be able to.

939L: Dumbass production team. They’re pushing his first public performance to the second week—what, do they think they can attract another wave of fans as soon as it airs?

Just thinking about it pisses me off.

Even though Xie Xizhao and Ai Qingyuan have a good relationship, I still have to say—if their treatment were swapped, Xie Xizhao would absolutely be an untouchable center, while Ai Qingyuan… not sure if he’d even make it up there.

940L: Ai Qingyuan’s actual skills are okay… It’s more of a personality issue.

Some people in the top ten definitely don’t deserve to be there.

941L: I don’t think Xie’s ranking for the first public performance will be bad. His fan club has already started organizing concentrated votes. There are still three days left before voting ends—that’s enough. Plus, there are casual voters too.

If he can maintain his ranking afterward, he’s definitely going to fight for a debut spot.

It just depends on whether the company will step up.

942L: The company… sigh.

Boss Qi is a good guy, but he’s really not reliable.

It’s not about whether they have money—it’s about connections, resources, and negotiations with the platform and investors.

943L: I hate this feeling

They promised a national vote to select the strongest boy group.

But in the end, it still comes down to capital’s approval.

944L: But for some reason, I have this inexplicable confidence in Brother Zhao.

Like, don’t you guys feel it? He has this really special aura about him.

In that first public performance cut that was later released by fans—so many people fell into the YuanZhao pit. I’m not really into shipping, but even someone as proud as Ai Qingyuan seems to genuinely admire Brother Zhao.

It just feels… I don’t know if you all get what I mean.

Not just him—Brother Heng, Yanyan, Yun Pan, and the others too.

945L: Which part?

946L: Oh, I know this! It was during the talk segment of the show, where Xie Xizhao got completely edited out again.

But actually, at the time, they had a really long conversation at the live recording—right after Brother Heng’s speech. Xiao Ai said he was really happy to be in the same group as Xie Xizhao and mentioned that Xie Xizhao was the mastermind behind the entire stage performance. Then, he went on this heartfelt monologue about how much he wanted to defeat Xie Xizhao.

I remember reading the text recap and being absolutely stunned.

That’s when their CP basically materialized out of nowhere. Now, with all the spin-off content, the fandom is totally obsessed.

947L: It’s not just YuanZhao. Lately, a bunch of new ships have popped up around him.

I get what 944L is saying. CPs are fun to ship because they have tension, and all of his CP dynamics come from his commanding presence.

But honestly, that isn’t limited to just CPs.

948L: I don’t think the show can suppress him.

949L: Exactly!

On the surface, it looks like the production team is constantly trying to hold him back.

But in reality, that only means he’s forcing them to respond. He’s the one controlling the narrative.

950L: Hiss…

951L: People who support Xie Xizhao are truly blessed.

He’s obviously the type to carry his fans to success. And honestly, someone like him will never struggle to attract genuine, passionate supporters.

It’s a mutual pursuit at this point.

952L: Feeling fired up!

953L: So, does anyone have an analysis on how he’ll pick his group for the second public performance?

I feel like every choice he makes is incredibly smart, like he’s some kind of sentient dice.

954L: His group selection order for the second public performance should be pretty high, right? I bet he’ll go for a completely different style from the first round. Already getting excited—ahhh!

—

“Pick one…” Xie Xizhao thought for a moment. “Something different from the first public performance.”

“What about you?” he asked Guan Heng.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Guan Heng admitted. “But I kind of want to be in your group.”

The honesty caught Xie Xizhao off guard, making him laugh.

“If we’re in the same group, our scores are going to clash again. You sure about that?”

Right now, Xie Xizhao was ranked fifth in popularity, while Guan Heng was fourth. If they teamed up, audience votes would inevitably be split between them.

“I thought the early-stage vote pool was big?” Guan Heng chuckled. “Whatever, I don’t need that 200,000 votes anyway.”

Xie Xizhao hadn’t expected him to throw his own words back at him. He froze for a second, then let out a laugh. “Hey, what’s this? Feels like I’m losing the argument here.”

Guan Heng didn’t mean to make any promises.

“It’s just a nice thought,” he said. “If we end up in different positions, this whole discussion will be pointless.”

To be honest, Xie Xizhao also wanted to team up with Guan Heng.

Strictly speaking, Guan Heng and Zou Yi were the same type—gentle and thoughtful.

The best thing about working with people like them? No need to worry about interpersonal drama.

The second public performance was different from the first. If the first round had been more scattered, then among the fifty contestants remaining in the second, most were now a little more ambitious. One wrong move, and conflicts could easily arise.

Xie Xizhao wasn’t afraid of conflicts. Like he always said—

He just didn’t like trouble.

But Guan Heng had a point.

The second public performance was a position evaluation, meaning contestants were divided into four groups: vocal, dance, rap, and composition. It was meant to highlight each trainee’s strengths while also giving those who were weaker in certain areas a fair shot.

It was entirely possible that he and Guan Heng would end up choosing different categories.

With that understanding, neither of them pressed the conversation further.

After returning to the dorm, Xie Xizhao took a shower.

Guan Heng’s words had reminded him—it was about time he started thinking seriously about his song selection.

But before he could make up his mind—

Someone came looking for him first.

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