Chapter 65: The Idol Who Controls the Stage (80% Forum Format)
Xie Xizhao’s speech was very brief. Of course, he didn’t leave out anything that needed to be said.
The trainees below the stage were already used to his composure. After all, Xie Xizhao was always like this—he wouldn’t even flinch if the sky were falling. Some of them even envied him.
“If only I could stay as calm as Brother Zhao every day,” one trainee said.
Only Ji Yan noticed something unusual.
When Xie Xizhao stepped down and sat beside him, Ji Yan nudged his arm. “Hey, brother, you still haven’t snapped out of it, have you?”
Xie Xizhao always spoke off the cuff, and those close to him knew it well. Most of the time, his impromptu speeches were more polished than ones others prepared in advance. Language was an art, after all, and art required talent.
But to Ji Yan, this speech didn’t quite match Xie Xizhao’s usual style.
Xie Xizhao looked at him and blinked slowly.
That expression was pure and innocent to the extreme. Ji Yan reminded himself that playing cute to get by wasn’t a good habit, but in the end, Xie Xizhao still got away with it. He successfully dodged the moment and calmly shifted his gaze away, continuing to space out.
In truth, he knew Ji Yan was right.
He really hadn’t snapped out of it yet.
He had always known he would be first sooner or later. That was his goal and his direction. But he had never expected that first place would come so soon.
He had made countless predictions, and every time, he had been accurate.
That accuracy came from his experience guiding him.
…But this was the first time his prediction had been wrong—because of his fans.
Not that he wasn’t happy about it.
It was precisely because he was too surprised and happy that this rare “mistake” occurred.
It was like a precisely operating machine suddenly halting for a moment—just because of the full moon in the sky.
Not a malfunction.
Just a moment of being moved by the moonlight.
What he didn’t know was that, at this very moment, the internet had already gotten wind of the news. The fading buzz surged back like a tidal wave, and the major forums had completely exploded.
—
The leak came from the production team.
As always, they released the full rankings, seven parts true and three parts false. This had become a standard practice every time rankings were announced.
They were capitalizing on the time gap between recording and broadcasting.
Usually, people just treated it as entertainment.
But this time, the name at the top was truly shocking.
Within five minutes of the ranking leak, discussion threads shot up like skyscrapers, while countless new posts flooded the forums.
The reactions were chaotic.
Xie Xizhao’s fans temporarily lost their ability to form coherent sentences, spamming “Ahhhh, Zhaozhao is first!!! Aba aba!!!” Meanwhile, Ai Qingyuan’s fans were equally stunned, simply posting “…???”
The number of new posts exceeded the number of replies—most people were too shocked to do anything but react with short, meaningless comments.
The heat was concentrated inside the biggest discussion thread:
OP: Xie Xizhao is first??? Lol, I’m dying
1L: I know you’re just as happy for our Zhaozhao as we are. Laughing so much—here, have a candy to share in the joy.
2L: Ai fans, huh…?
We told y’all not to get complacent. Spent all day worshiping his visuals and hyping up every little piece of content. Even when the second public vote was about to close, his fan club was acting like everything was fine. Meanwhile, the big accounts were busy crafting some “almighty little prince” persona for him. If I were just a casual fan, I would’ve slacked off too.
I mean, if he’s already a prince, then obviously, he’ll auto-snag center position, right? But now you’re telling me I actually had to vote? shocked Pikachu face
3L: Well, now everyone’s seen the results.
4L: His fans really do take after him—arrogant and proud, and super aggressive too.
But Ai Qingyuan has always been competing with Xie Xizhao for first place. Now that he’s been completely overtaken, I wonder how he feels about it.
5L: Aren’t he and Xie Xizhao on good terms now? What’s there to feel?
That said, Ai Qingyuan really needs to work on his personality. The only reason he gets along with Xie Xizhao is because Xie Xizhao has the patience to tolerate him. Other than Guan Heng, did he even have any real friends before this?
Oh, right—Guan Heng really got screwed this time. As expected, he dropped.
6L: Can I say this?
The only reason Ai Qingyuan managed to hold onto his ranking this long is because his CP with Xie Xizhao gave him a positive image boost.
What was his personality like before? Everyone used to call him rude, bad-tempered, and low EQ. But slap a CP label on him, and suddenly, he’s a top-tier, alpha-male, overbearing CEO type? The CP filter is insane.
7L: Our Zhaozhao really doesn’t do CP stuff—just leave him out of it. He’s just a genuinely nice person.
8L: LMAO, that’s what happens when you’re the undisputed top. Forget just his CPs—this entire show is leeching off of him.
At least the promotions are finally getting back on track.
Turns out, you really have to drag clueless people through the mud before they get the message.
9L: Xie Xizhao using CPs would actually weaken his persona. When will you all finally accept that being gentle and emotionally intelligent is not the same as being a delicate little flower? His ability to command the stage isn’t obvious enough for you?
He’s the last person who needs a CP to round out his character.
Let me put it this way: he has a well-rounded personality, stable emotions, no weaknesses in talent or looks, and he’s smart. Someone like that is destined to rise. The only way to stop him from shining is to force him out of the industry entirely.
Everything else—leaked rankings, CP hype, fan traffic—is just icing on the cake. None of it actually changes the bigger picture.
Sure, in a survival show, fans seem more important since votes decide rankings. But once the group debuts, that influence won’t matter as much. He’s someone who can thrive off general popularity and name recognition alone.
His fans shouldn’t get too worked up.
10L: Ah, I’m a fan, and I think you’re right. o.o
11L: Suddenly, everything makes sense.
12L: Y’all are just assuming this ranking is real? LMAO, what if he actually ends up second? That’d be embarrassing.
13L: It’s only a matter of time… His data has been first across the board for a while now. Ai Qingyuan’s ranking is just the last thing holding up his image. Look at this entire thread—has a single Ai Qingyuan fan dared to step in and argue?
14L: I got the answer to that one—they’re out there making new threads, arguing with thin air.
15L: He’s losing fans fast. Things were too easy for him before, but now the struggle has started. Also, Xie Xizhao’s fans shouldn’t think the production team leaked this ranking as some kind of congratulations. Looks more like Shenghong is making a move.
16L: The dynamics in the top ranks are really delicate.
Based on popularity alone, Xie Xizhao is the undisputed center—his fanbase alone could carry the entire group. Any company with half a brain wouldn’t even think about pulling him out of the debut lineup at this point. The real question is whether he’ll get the center position all the way to the end.
Shenghong is obviously in play, but the companies behind Qiao Ye and Lu Xing probably want the center spot too. They’re all watching and waiting.
Yaoxin Ent has been improving noticeably, but their company is still too small, and they play things too clean. These big companies? They have no shame.
Honestly, Xie Xizhao himself is pretty smart. His company would do well to listen to his strategy.
And about his popularity—
Right now, his momentum is still climbing. If he can maintain his level in the third public performance and pull off another hit like Boundless Sea, then the platform won’t just be debating whether he should be center—they’ll be figuring out how to keep him around long-term.
Of course, ethically speaking, Xie Xizhao probably wouldn’t just quit the show. But with his personality, I don’t think he’d let the platform manipulate him easily either.
…
Now, let’s talk about other people.
Ai Qingyuan’s situation isn’t that bad. He’s definitely securing a debut spot. His main issue is adjusting both his own mindset and his fans’ expectations. Coming into the show as the obvious top pick, only to drop in rank, is bound to be a tough pill to swallow.
And honestly, his personality really needs work. He’s either screwing other people over or setting himself up to get screwed.
Sure, he’s got Shenghong and the Ai family behind him, but public opinion doesn’t bend just because you have money. He’s lucky he hasn’t had a scandal on the level of Xia Ruiyan’s—otherwise, his career would’ve taken a major hit.
Speaking of Shenghong—let’s talk about Guan Heng.
Man, what a shame.
Not sure if Shenghong will back him or not. He’s actually pretty talented, and he’d be a solid core member in a smaller group. Everyone always says big companies are better, but honestly, he’s a prime example of someone hurt by being in a big company. And he’s not that young anymore, either.
Other candidates—
Yun Pan looks like he has a good shot. He’s exactly the type Stardust likes—young, skilled, and his original company has a decent relationship with Stardust. After Xia Ruiyan’s scandal, Wenyang is definitely securing his debut spot.
Lu Xing and Qiao Ye are in a similar position—their companies want to push them, but their individual qualifications are just so-so. Their debut chances aren’t guaranteed. Right now, their best bet is to pray no dark horse comes out of nowhere.
Who else was in the top ten?
17L: …I’m just sitting here in awe.
18L: Our forum is full of hidden strategists, huh? HHH.
The rest of the top ten are Qi Hang, Ye Yiyang, Fu Wenze, and Shi Song.
19L: Qi Hang? Yeah, cross him out. He doesn’t have much of a chance.
I forgot about Fu Wenze—he’s solid. Both he and his company are smart and keep a low profile. He and Shi Song are similar: the type to hold back and make a push later in the competition.
But Shi Song is at a slight disadvantage. He’s got a unique style, but he’s missing that one stage that makes him memorable.
Fu Wenze, on the other hand, has enough skill and solid performances. I’d bet on him more.
Plus, he’s close with Xie Xizhao. When Xie Xizhao fans throw extra votes in multi-pick rounds, the top two they support are always Fu Wenze and Ji Yan. Ji Yan doesn’t have enough die-hard fans, and his company doesn’t want to get involved in drama, but his core fans are still pretty devoted.
Also, side note: there’s an overflow of high-ranked vocals.
20L: So, between Ye Yiyang and Shi Song, only one of them gets in? Neither has ever been in a debut ranking.
21L: The vocal lineup this season is insane.
First, we need to shift Xie Xizhao to ACE since he’s the one carrying Boundless Sea’s high notes.
Among the top ranks:
Ai Qingyuan is technically more of a dancer than a vocalist.
Guan Heng is well-balanced.
Lu Xing is a vocalist.
Qiao Ye’s rival is Fu Wenze—they’re both fighting for the main rapper slot.
Yun Pan is also a vocalist.
Help.
22L: You forgot about Zou Yi, currently ranked 11th. Big-time vocalist…
23L: Will Zou Yi move up? I actually like him. Plus, if he debuts, we’ll have someone to handle the high notes in the group song.
Otherwise, wouldn’t Zhaozhao be exhausted?
24L: Xie fans, don’t push it! You’re already picking out group positions?!
25L: To be fair…
Once you reach this stage, you can actually start considering it.
26L: …
Honestly, the one really picking out the lineup is Xie Xizhao himself.
Haven’t you noticed? The OP’s analysis only briefly mentioned Xie Xizhao at the start, but every single point indirectly ties back to him.
Just look at how many of the top-ranking trainees are close to him—it’s obvious. Even if no one openly says it, multi-pick rounds always include votes for the trainees he’s worked with. That’s an invisible advantage.
Yun Pan, Zou Yi, every teammate from the second public performance, even Ai Qingyuan from the first public performance—who hasn’t benefited from working with him?
(Okay, maybe not Ai Qingyuan, but still. The CP buzz is a fact. And let’s be real, Ai’s skills haven’t changed. His first public performance stats went up, but his second public performance lost fans. Why?)
He’s too independent.
He just doesn’t know how to blend into a team. The only reason the first public performance was so seamless was because Xie Xizhao trained him into cooperating.
And look at the rest—who’s struggling now? Pretty much anyone who wasn’t associated with Xie Xizhao.
Not because he sabotaged them or anything.
Just look at the second public performance. Boundless Sea blew up, and the unintended consequence?
Every other stage became completely irrelevant.
If nothing stands out, fans will leave.
People will look at the trainees and think, ‘Hey, you’re all supposed to be on the same level, so why does this guy feel so… plain?’ The moment comparisons start, gaps appear. And once that happens, of course fans will leave.
Even if they don’t go to Xie Xizhao, they’ll go somewhere else. The only ones who won’t lose fans are the trainees who either shared a stage with him or have a close connection—because at least they get to ride the wave.
Xie Xizhao isn’t just controlling his immediate surroundings. He’s controlling the entire show.
I’m guessing the smarter trainees have already figured out what they need to do for the third public performance.
So yeah, Xie Xizhao fans… you might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.
You’ve basically ended up with a true stage-dominating idol.
27L: …
