Chapter 94: Open for Business (50% Forum Format)
In the following days, Xie Xizhao focused on modifying the demo.
Now that they were living together, everyone finally got to see what he was like when he got serious.
He wasn’t exactly working day and night without rest, but at the very least, he was nowhere to be seen from morning to night.
If anyone asked, the answer was always: “He’s in the composition room.”
At first, everyone just showed mild concern and moved on, but as time passed, even Ai Qingyuan started to reflect on whether he was being too idle and if he should offer to help.
Fu Wenze stopped him.
He said, “His ideas are already taking shape. He should be done soon. Don’t get in his way.”
Ai Qingyuan: “……”
Ai Qingyuan looked completely innocent.
He quietly posted on Weibo:
[Someone’s so mean.]
Comments section:
[???]
[What’s going on? Who?]
[No cryptic messages, Maifu. Please tell me which group this is, thanks.]
[Baby, why are you acting all delicate now? Mommy won’t allow it! Leave at least one alpha in this group, ahhh!]
Fu Wenze was scrolling through Weibo when he saw the post—his face instantly turned green.
Meanwhile, Ai Qingyuan had already slipped upstairs. He lazily made a face at Fu Wenze before shutting the door to play games.
Zou Yi, who was sitting nearby, also saw the post. He remained silent for a long time before saying, “You two…”
Fu Wenze: “……”
He let out a cold laugh. “He’s doing this just to annoy me.”
Zou Yi chuckled.
He said, “Then why don’t you make a little sacrifice?”
Fu Wenze: ?
Zou Yi waved his phone at him. “The fans seem to be enjoying this a lot.”
After all, as the saying goes, if a boy group doesn’t do that, they might as well go home and farm.
During the competition of Super Rookie, various CPs flourished, and after The Phoenix debuted, their group chemistry in variety shows took this to another level—pure chaos was the brand.
Some CPs were shipped with genuine affection, while others were just for the sheer absurdity of it.
This was when good relationships truly made a difference.
If the relationship wasn’t good—like Xia Ruiyan and Xie Xizhao—the dynamic was all about one-sided clout-chasing and secondhand embarrassment. But if they got along well, it was just another part of the job, and off-screen, it could even become an inside joke.
Take Fu Wenze and Ai Qingyuan, for example.
Recently, Ai Qingyuan had evolved—he no longer took hits passively.
His new skill? Actively engaging in fanservice with Fu Wenze. Watching Fu Wenze’s expression turn as if he had just eaten crap became his daily source of entertainment.
Of course, there was another important reason.
As the forums wailed:
[Help! It’s way too dry! Where are our boys? Where are they?! When are they debuting? Just give us a solid date already!]
The fans were starving.
If they didn’t put out some content soon, the fans would all start jumping ship.
…
1L: I feel so empty, so lonely. Seriously.
I will never complain about the lack of content during the competition again—having little is still better than having nothing at all. I’m about to pass out.
2L: I’ve been rewatching all the cuts of my bias from the competition these past few days. It’s just a few hours of footage, and I keep looping through T^T and the group variety show. Why is each episode only 20 minutes long? Why did they only film once and then split it into two episodes? How is this fair?!
3L: I knew there’d be a content drought after the competition, but I overestimated my patience 🙂
I miss Zhaozhao so much…
Baby, where have you been these past two days? QAQ
4L: You all should be grateful. This is how it’s going to be during every gap between comebacks. Shenghong’s release speed for variety content is already considered fast.
Plus, this group actually works hard on fanservice.
Speaking of Xie Xizhao, I just counted—he’s posted 12 times in the past month since debut. That’s one post every 2.5 days, and they’re all original content, not just promotional obligations.
And Ai Qingyuan—honestly, I don’t know if Guan Heng’s situation influenced him, but he’s changed so much.
He used to be pretty cold and aloof, very b, but lately, he’s been so active on Weibo. He seems way more energetic.
To be honest, seeing them put in this much effort to keep fans engaged is really touching.
5L: Stanning Zhaozhao is pure happiness =3= His casual outfits are gorgeous. Such a pretty baby.
6L: Here’s my sharp critique of the five members’ fanservice styles:
Zhao: Scenery/selfies. Occasionally activates his mischievous side and plays push-and-pull games with fans. The highlight? Whether it’s scenery or selfies, everything is gorgeous. And when it comes to the push-and-pull game, he treats everyone equally—like we’re all just toys for his amusement.
Zou: Proud older brother of hardworking trainees. Mainly posts practice photos, along with the classic three-piece greeting set: ‘It’s cold, wear more clothes.’ ‘’Don’t stay up late.’ ‘Eat your meals properly.’ The highlight? You can track the entire team’s practice progress just by checking our leader’s Weibo.
Ai: ‘Hahaha, I’m the greatest!’ / ‘If you don’t like me, come fight me!’ / ‘Fu Wenze is an idiot.’ The highlight? He’s super easy to tease. Best enjoyed with Zhao or Fu for maximum effect.
Fu: Cold and distant selfies. Cold and distant selfies. ‘Ai Qingyuan is an idiot.’ The highlight? His photography skills are actually pretty good.
Pan: Breakfast.jpg. Lunch.jpg. Dinner.jpg. Highlight? This world truly has so many delicious foods worth staying for.jpg
7L: I’m crying.
8L: Aaaah, I’m laughing so hard it hurts…
9L: Not gonna lie, Zhao doesn’t seem like someone who studied math. He feels more like an arts student. He’s so sentimental—he actually enjoys documenting so many little things in life. And his landscape photos have such a cinematic feel to them.
Also, I get the feeling he really likes reading too.
10L: Yeah, Zhao is like an alternating mix of an artsy intellectual and a push-and-pull master.
The captain, on the other hand, is just responsibility.jpg.
Honestly, I used to wonder why Zou was chosen as the leader, but now I kinda get it. He and Zhao have totally different leadership styles.
Zhao is more of a free-range type. You could tell from the show—he’s not bad at giving advice, he just… doesn’t bother explaining things in detail.
It’s more like: Don’t wanna listen? Fine. Try it yourself. Fail, and then come back to me when you’ve learned your lesson.
Meanwhile, Zou is the traditional responsible leader—detail-oriented, gentle, and always looking out for everyone. Both styles work, honestly. It’s just… poor Zou.
Aside from Zhao, the rest of the team is basically a bunch of kids.
11L: The captain was chosen by the members themselves, which means they all agreed on it. Stop overanalyzing it.
But… the way you described Zhao makes him sound so dominant. Yikes.
12L: MeiDi sis reporting in—DO NOT turn our bottom into a top.jpg
13L: HAHAHAHAHAHA!
14L: Passerby here. This group dynamic feels so chaotic. I feel like you can ship anyone with anyone. MeiDi, which CP are you into? YuanZhao?
15L: YuanZhaoYuan, I guess.
Since Zhao has slightly higher popularity, YuanZhao and ZhaoYuan are like a 70/30 split?
That’s just how it feels.
16L: AllZhao / ZhaoAll, maybe…
YuanZhaoYuan is just a competition-era aftereffect—at this point, everyone’s shipping whoever.
Honestly, CP dynamics also depend on fanbase sizes. Since Zhao is the most popular, any pairing with him naturally gets traction.
Meanwhile, Ai and Fu have been gaining some traction lately too. Even though it feels like they’re just deliberately trying to gross each other out, personally—
I LOVE IT. GIVE ME MORE.gif
17L: Honestly, stanning CPs in this group is pure happiness.
Since they all get along, you can ship anyone with anyone, and they don’t shy away from it. Even someone like Ai casually jokes around with fanservice, which actually makes the whole dynamic feel healthier.
Some groups force CPs or actively break them up, and it just gets messy.
But here? The chemistry is real. They call it fanservice, but it just feels like natural friend interactions.
18L: Great, now when are we getting new performance content?
19L: @Shenghong Entertainment—we’re talking to you.
20L: AAAHHH I CAN’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE—I’M GOING TO SPAM THE OFFICIAL ACCOUNT. Don’t try to stop me!
—
The fans were getting anxious, but Shenghong Entertainment had its own plans.
Pre-debut exposure needed to be carefully controlled. Just like how everything for their comeback was progressing steadily, yet remained tightly under wraps. The sole purpose of all this secrecy? To build anticipation.
What reassured the company was that the members of The Phoenix were all very cooperative.
“Controlled exposure” didn’t mean they were completely hidden from the public. This was the time when an idol’s engagement level truly mattered.
Since there were no strict posting requirements, it was all up to their own initiative. And from the data, The Phoenix’s fanbase was still in an eager waiting phase. No significant fan drop-offs, and their follower count remained stable.
That was entirely thanks to the members’ own efforts in staying active.
Of course, they couldn’t keep teasing fans forever.
On the same day that forum discussions started heating up, The Phoenix’s official Weibo account finally made a move.
[12.29 21:00 ⏰]
After posting just those few words, the account promptly logged off—completely ignoring the chaos that erupted in the comments and the endless flood of mentions.
Meanwhile, The Phoenix members received a new notice from Miao Haicheng.
Zou Yi hesitated. “A live stream?”
“Yes,” Miao Haicheng confirmed. “A live stream.”
He paused before adding, “Your accounts on the streaming platform have all been registered. Starting today, you all have full access to stream whenever you want.”
