Chapter 88.1: Little Phoenix (30% Forum Format)
That night.
In the brightly lit hall, where it was almost as bright as daytime, a lavish banquet was spread out with an array of exquisite dishes. Men and women dressed in elegant gowns and suits moved gracefully between the tables, raising their glasses as they engaged in lighthearted conversations. The atmosphere was lively and harmonious.
Amidst it all, a particular corner stood out the most.
For the twelfth time, Xie Xizhao declined a toast from an unknown business partner or sponsor. For the eighth time, he apologized, saying, “Sorry, my health isn’t great. I’m still recovering.” And for the ten-thousandth time, he adjusted his stiff smile.
All the while, he also signed autographs for industry insiders who claimed to be his fans.
By the time he signed the thirty-second one, his long-awaited savior finally arrived.
Fang Qingqing strode over in black high heels, each step exuding confidence. Her face was adorned with a celebratory smile as she gently but firmly urged people aside, saying, “Excuse me, please make way,” while swiftly extracting Xie Xizhao from the crowd.
Once they reached a quieter spot, her expression changed instantly.
She immediately examined Xie Xizhao’s face with urgency. Only after confirming that he showed no signs of intoxication did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“You scared me to death,” she said. “I was only gone for a little while, and when I came back, you were drowning in people.”
Xie Xizhao looked equally innocent. “I have no idea how it happened either.”
Fang Qingqing: “……”
“Forget it,” she said. “I suppose this is normal.”
After all, standing before them was the most dominant and undisputed C-position of the past three seasons of the Super Rookie competition. And to top it off, he had emerged from a small company, with a bright future ahead of him.
It was only natural for others to be envious.
Of course, no matter how envious they were, he was still theirs.
With that thought, Fang Qingqing swelled with pride again.
Xie Xizhao had no idea what she was thinking, but he did notice that the smile on her face was becoming increasingly strange.
But since Fang Qingqing had arrived, Xie Xizhao saw his chance to make a graceful exit.
“Sister, I’ll head out with Brother Zhou first?”
He was referring to the driver assigned to them by Stardust.
“You guys are going out for dinner, right?” Fang Qingqing’s smile hadn’t faded yet as she waved him off. “Go ahead, go ahead. The banquet is pretty much over, and you’re not needed for the rest.”
Xie Xizhao let out a sigh of relief.
As he walked down the long hallway toward the exit, he ran into a few more fans along the way. By the time he finally got into the car that had come to pick him up, another ten minutes had passed.
It was a medium-sized van with four rows of seats arranged in a 2-2-1-3 configuration. The first few rows were already occupied, so he casually shut the door behind him and took the empty seat in the last row.
The person sitting next to him was wearing a baseball cap, focused on his phone, and didn’t even lift his head as he spoke in a sarcastic tone.
“Oh, look, the big star is finally back.”
A voice from the front row drifted over. “Ai Qingyuan, try being sarcastic one more time and see what happens.”
Xie Xizhao quickly mediated. “…Everyone, let’s stay calm.”
The front row fell silent. Ai Qingyuan spun his phone in his hands but didn’t say another word either.
After a while, he asked, “Hot pot?”
Zou Yi, who was sitting in front of him, responded, “Yeah, I’ve already reserved a spot. I talked to Xiao Yan and the others—they’re eating right now, but they’ll come join us later.”
With that, the car started smoothly, and the group headed toward their destination.
At that very moment, exactly three hours had passed since the final debut results of Super Rookie Season 3 had been announced.
—
The heater in the car was running, gradually driving away the chill that had clung to Xie Xizhao from his walk outside.
After the live broadcast ended, they were immediately caught up in a flurry of activity. First came all sorts of handovers, followed by farewells with the remaining trainees. They had initially planned to return to the dormitory and pack up quickly, but somehow, they dragged it out past midnight.
By the time they finished packing, the celebratory banquet had already begun.
And so, like puppets on strings, the five of them were once again pulled into the event.
By the time they finally gathered in the van, it was already 3 a.m.
Xie Xizhao hadn’t stayed up this late in what felt like ages. After being stuck in a crowded room for so long, he felt dazed, to say the least.
Dazed, but not sleepy.
Leaning against the window, he absentmindedly scrolled through his phone. He hadn’t even been at it for five minutes when someone in the front seat knocked on the back of his chair. Looking up, he saw Zou Yi handing him a neck pillow.
“If you’re tired, get some sleep,” Zou Yi said softly. “Or just head straight home. It’s all familiar faces here anyway.”
Xie Xizhao took the pillow and smiled. “I’m fine.”
“A rare occasion.”
Zou Yi didn’t say anything else after that.
Xie Xizhao lit up his phone screen again.
Thinking about the final debut lineup, he suddenly found the whole situation a little surreal.
Not because—
Well, not to sound conceited, but even before the finals, it had been a foregone conclusion that he would debut as the center.
What surprised him, though, was how favorable the entire debut lineup turned out to be for him.
Ai Qingyuan and Fu Wenze were a given—they had been dormmates since the first public performance. Yun Pan was practically someone he had personally pulled out of Wenyang, and they had grown close. As for Zou Yi, well, at the very least, they had been in the same team during the second public performance.
Besides, in those final moments, Zou Yi had very clearly treated him as an emotional anchor.
Xie Xizhao… Xie Xizhao suddenly had an absurd thought.
‘Did I organize this entire show while sleepwalking?’
He wasn’t the only one with this thought.
At that very moment, countless discussions were unfolding across the forums regarding the debut lineup announced just three hours ago.
—
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
On Weibo, trending topics popped up one after another. Ever since the live broadcast began, forum activity had skyrocketed to an unprecedented level. Not only had the dedicated fan sections exploded, but even the general entertainment boards had practically transformed into discussion hubs for the show.
Of course, the person mentioned the most was none other than tonight’s brightest star:
Xie Xizhao.
During his solo performance, new posts flooded in at lightning speed, refreshing by the second. And when he officially debuted as the center, the entire forum erupted in celebration—his victory was so undisputed that the term dominant center position had never been more fitting.
Now, in the aftermath of the frenzy, the forum was finally regaining a sliver of rationality.
[So, everyone, let’s talk about tonight’s debut results and the final group. After watching the whole thing, what are your thoughts?]
OP: I’ll go first: Pure satisfaction.
1L: Who’s dead from happiness? Me. Absolutely euphoric. The gap was insane.
That was a 40-million vote difference AHHHHH. He single-handedly carried the show’s popularity.
My bias is legendary, and his fans are legendary.
2L: Zhaozhao baby always gives us surprises T.T The thought of no more stages for a while is making me depressed…
3L: Ahhh don’t say that!!
4L: Congrats aside, I gotta say—the debut group lineup is actually pretty solid.
I’m a solo stan, but I think I can follow them. Plus, they really do seem familiar with each other. Unbelievable.jpg
Especially my bias. The show edited him to make it seem like he only knew the younger trainees from his company—I almost thought he had become socially anxious.
5L: Hahaha, is upstairs a Zou Yi fan?
Tragic.
6L: Just a casual viewer enjoying the drama. If I put myself in each fanbase’s shoes, the debut group must be ecstatic, and honestly, the rankings seem pretty reasonable. No last-minute shock placements to be upset over. As for those who didn’t debut, there were definitely some regrets, but based on popularity, they just didn’t have the numbers.
For a show that’s usually full of drama, it’s kind of amazing how peaceful the debut night turned out to be.
Oh, and one more thing—if I were a Xie Xizhao fan, I’d be absolutely over the moon. Not only did he dominate the center position, but every single debut member took turns thanking him personally. What kind of group favorite treatment is this?
7L: You reap what you sow.
8L: Yeah. We don’t know what happened behind the scenes, but the fact remains—everyone who shared a stage with Xie Xizhao ended up benefiting in some way.
For a competition show, that’s an incredibly rare thing to come by.
9L: This thread is chill.
If you go outside this forum and say “Xie Xizhao carried the whole group,” just watch how fast other fandoms lose their minds.
Oh, but if we screenshot this thread, people will start saying the forum is controlled by Xie fans again. Fine. Tonight, we are all random numbers.jpg.
10L: It is what it is.
The current forum sentiment is probably a reaction to all the backlash against C-position fans during finals week. Honestly, most fans hang out in their own super-topic chats. Who even browses these public entertainment boards? Show fans are just eternally young and tearfully devoted—it’s mostly just spectators eating popcorn.
And let’s be real, everything being said here is factual. Even the debut members themselves acknowledged it.
Otherwise, why would they all take turns thanking Xie during such a crucial moment? If it were just for fanservice, they would’ve at least spread it out among different people. No way would they all collectively orbit around one person like that. I think the idols themselves are far more self-aware and grateful than some fans give them credit for.
That said, if other fandoms get upset over this… oh well.
Xie Xizhao’s fans can handle a four-on-one fight just fine.
11L: Thank you, random commenter. That was incredibly satisfying to read.
12L: Can we stop talking about fandom drama? It’s always the same nonsense in the same tiny circles. Honestly, most people follow idols for fun—whether they’re from top-tier or underrated groups, who has the time to argue online 24/7? Especially when the idols themselves get along so well.
Let’s get back to the debut group. Their lineup is stunning—seriously, top-tier visuals and talent.
As someone who naturally leans towards being a group stan, this debut night hooked me hard. I feel like this team is going to be really strong.
13L: Agreed, agreed.
I’m not even a Zou Yi fan, but I’m glad he made it. Honestly, I was so done with “dance game” groups.
Let’s break it down: Xie Xizhao is the ACE, Fu Wenze is the main rapper—no debate there. But who’s the main vocal? And the main dancer?
14L: I remember Super Rookie usually announces official positions. Let’s wait and see.
Main dancer should be Xiao Ai.
15L: Xizhao will probably be ACE + visual. As for main vocal, I think whoever can handle high notes best should take it, and Panpan seems like a great lead-in vocalist.
Either way, having multiple strong vocals is a win. From that past fan meeting, we already know Xiao Ai and Brother Fu can sing too. As long as their line distribution is handled well, this group is going to kill it live.
Also, we still need a leader.
I feel like anyone except Panpan and Xiao Ai would be a good pick—they don’t seem that steady personality-wise. The other three all seem like solid choices.
But Xizhao’s health isn’t great, so I hope it’s not him.
16L: I’m just waiting for their reality show now.
17L: This season is shockingly peaceful. Usually, debut night is complete chaos—debuted members fighting, non-debuted members’ fans fighting, debut group fighting among themselves. But right now, people are calmly discussing positions??
And honestly, even though some folks keep bringing up the whole “forum being controlled” thing, I’ve scrolled through most of the posts—only a handful of people are being passive-aggressive.
Meanwhile, we already have a bunch of new group stans assembling. This team is definitely going to blow up big time.
18L: The hype is already insane. It’s been forever since a new group completely dominated trending topics like this, and the engagement under those trends is crazy high.
People have been saying that this Super Rookie season is the biggest one yet, but now it really feels real.
19L: Since this is a forum, I’ll just say it outright…
Saying Xie Xizhao is a “Purple Star” isn’t just for fun—he really set this entire show on the right track. The debut team had a ton of unexpected twists along the way, but every single member has been impacted by him in some way, like a butterfly effect. And outside the show?
Honestly, I think Xie Xizhao is one of the few idols who truly understands what being an idol means.
If I remember correctly, he never begged for votes, never played the sympathy card. That whole stunt in the third performance? He literally sacrificed himself just to let his fans shine (though of course, his skills were strong enough to handle it). A lot of his actions feel like he’s actively guiding the fan culture in a healthier direction.
On the show, he was the top-tier leader. Off the show, he’s still leading. Any toxic drama-loving fans have probably already left by now—so the ones that remain are normal people.
20L: Master, I have seen the light.
21L: Group stan reporting in! So, what’s our group’s nickname?
22L: Oh, that’s actually a hot topic right now! There are two main ideas—one is directly using “Phoenix” (since the group was “born” from the show’s ashes), and the other is using the abbreviation TP, which sounds like something phoenix-related.
Official fandom name is out, though—it’s Flame. 🔥
23L: Little flames? That’s actually really cute.
24L: Can we just call them “Little Phoenix”?? It sounds cool but also adorable.
25L: Honestly, fans don’t really get to control the nickname in the end…
26L: So if we go with the TP abbreviation, my first thought is “Tou Piao” (vote). Why not just call them the Voting Group? After all, they were literally voted into existence. And when comeback voting happens, it’ll remind fans not to forget their roots. (lol)
27L: LMAO…
28L: Forget the randoms, I actually love the phoenix symbolism.
From now on, my personal nickname for our group is Little Phoenix.
29L: Alright, alright, count me in!
30L: What do I do… It’s only been one day since debut and I already miss my bias. He barely got any screen time in the show, and now that they’ve debuted, there’s literally nothing to look forward to… AHHHHHHHHH.
Shenghong Entertainment, I’m begging you, film something for us!!!
And the first album—three days of rest is enough, right?? Drop the teasers already!!!
31L: Hell is empty, and the demons walk the earth.
But yeah, same.
32L: Okay, I get that we can wait for the first album…
BUT can we at least get some interviews, radio shows, group variety content, debut docu-series, or dorm vlogs first??
Most importantly—MY BIAS!! Where is he???
33L: What is the debut team even doing right now? They should have their phones back, right?
At least post a 3×6 photo grid selfie to prove your worth!! 😭😭😭
