Chapter 106: If you guys don’t blow up, then who will? (Filled with a flood of bullet comments and forum posts)
It took Tang Si quite a while to regain her composure.
Even though she was alone in her study at that moment, the realization that she had been so moved she almost cried made her face flush uncontrollably.
She sat there in a daze for a while.
As if guided by some unseen force, she dragged the progress bar back to the very beginning.
With the groundwork from the first viewing in place—
On the second watch, she finally understood the story.
Many groups created their own world-building, and for The Phoenix, the phoenix itself was the god of creation, with the transformation of divinity as their core concept. The deepest influence on divinity was the love of the fans.
This was a love letter to the fans.
The biggest twist in the MV lay in the core concept—Xie Xizhao, the rational main god.
He was the spiritual pillar of all creator gods and the ruler of the world. Yet, in an unnoticed corner, this seemingly emotionless and loveless god had long since fallen into the mortal world.
…Tang Si didn’t know what to say.
She finally remembered why she had clicked on this MV in the first place, but she no longer had the desire to nitpick.
She had no idea how far this title track would go in the end, but one thing was certain—it was an exceptionally outstanding piece. It wasn’t without flaws, but it was already moving enough.
…At the very least—
Tang Si thought—
Even when Newstar’s comeback had made her fall in love with them, she hadn’t been this excited.
She then thought of the TP fan she had just argued with.
…Her pride wouldn’t allow her to apologize, of course, but she silently removed them from her blocklist. After a moment of hesitation, she gave the MV a like and added it to her favorites.
Then, she sneakily created an alt account.
The moment she did, a sudden wave of exhilaration washed over her.
She quickly followed all the members of TP and headed straight to the fan forum to post:
[Sisters! Aaaahhh! Just watched the MV and fell straight into the fandom!
New fan here—please recommend me everything!]
Although Tang Si posted in a hurry, the TP fan forum—both for the group and individual members—was already in complete chaos.
The public’s eyes were always sharp.
Even though it had only been a little over three hours since TP released the song, and most people were still stuck in a state of shock, a significant number had already become instant fans after watching the MV.
With new fans joining, veteran fans naturally had to step in and provide guidance.
But…
As Jing Jin put it, the level of obsession with this MV required at least three days and nights to fully process. Most people in the fan forum were still mentally dazed.
Meanwhile, in Xie Xizhao’s fan group chat, countless message threads had already exploded past 99+ unread notifications.
[So this really is a love letter, right? Written for us?]
[Yes, yes, YES!]
[I’m seriously about to cry. Who understands the emotional rollercoaster I just went through while watching this MV? Cover: Wow, Zhaozhao looks so good → Intro: !!! Sounds amazing, this is solid! → Storyline: AAAHHH so good, so much happening! → Dance break: Who am I? Where am I? A group of celestial beings is dancing in front of me—what did I do to deserve this… → Three minutes already?! → Ending: Three minutes already?! → Last 30 seconds: XIE! XI! ZHAO! YOU ARE MY GOD!]
[Why is upstairs acting out my exact experience?]
[I’m seriously so moved. When Xizhao said that line in French at the end, I didn’t even understand it, but I still started crying. QAQ It just felt like he was so sad, so I was sad too. And after learning what it meant—[heart shattered instantly]—ahhh, I will love our little phoenix forever! QAQ]
[Same. The ending hit hard, but also, the entire MV just gave me this overwhelming sense of effort and sincerity. When the ‘losing fans’ discourse started a while back, I was honestly really anxious. Having no teasers can sometimes set unrealistic expectations, but! They delivered! Ahhh!]
Countless days and nights of waiting. Countless moments of doubt. By the time the MV was released, most TP fans were still anxious, some even disheartened.
A real-time trending surge was their gift to TP.
And that sincerity wasn’t wasted. Their idols, in return, had given them a gift far more precious and beyond anything they had expected.
The fan forum now felt like it was celebrating the New Year.
New posts kept flooding in by the second, group chats were buzzing non-stop, and the forum’s ranking and follower count skyrocketed like a rocket. At the same time, the tone of Tang Si’s original post had quietly shifted.
At first, it was mostly teasing and skepticism. But little by little, her thread had transformed into a full-blown MV reaction compilation.
1L: Holy sh*t, this is insane?? A rookie idol group actually pulled this off?? The members even helped with the planning?! This just shattered my stereotype that idols are all just pretty but talentless.
2L: You still think idols are ‘pretty but talentless’? My impression of today’s idols has already dropped to just ‘talentless’ at this point.
P.S.: Not referring to this group today.
Just watched the MV, and honestly, it’s one of the rare high-quality ones in recent years. You can tell a lot of effort went into the production. Shenghong’s usual standard is already decent, but this time, it feels like they outdid themselves. The visuals of all the members are top-tier, and every frame looks so stunning that you could screenshot any scene and use it as a wallpaper.
It’s genuinely a work of sincerity.
The song is also really addictive—already added to my playlist.
3L: An absolutely stunning MV. An absolutely stunning title track.
First, the MV—the storyline isn’t overly complicated, but the pacing of the narrative is executed masterfully. Some of the cinematography is honestly next-level. My second favorite shot is the dinner scene—ten whole seconds where everything is completely frozen, yet if you look closely, each character’s expression perfectly matches their personality, especially Xie Xizhao.
Oh my god, I’m obsessed with this rookie idol’s expressiveness.
Honestly, everyone’s acting is already above the average idol standard, but Xie Xizhao? He should seriously consider switching career paths.
In the first two acts, he fully embodied that cold, untouchable ‘high above the world’ figure—so aloof and rational that I felt like he was looking down on me the entire time. And then, in the third act…
Hold on, let me wipe my nosebleed first.
4L: Are we even allowed to say this? He’s so… alluring.
This is the first group where I could understand the entire conceptual core just from watching the MV. Xie Xizhao fits this holy yet dangerously seductive aesthetic too well. That last scene completely destroyed me.
A god that high and mighty, crying as he says he misses you—
HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ¥%#@*???
5L: That string of gibberish is strangely spiritual.
6L: Ahhh! No one is allowed to look at our Baby Zhao! Mama-fans are FURIOUS!
7L: Please refrain from thirsting over Phoenix in the forum, thank you. But also… go ahead and thirst over Phoenix. (Wtf am I even saying?)
Has no one actually talked about the core concept yet?
Honestly, the plot isn’t even complicated. When I saw the mythological theme, I was afraid this would be another group that focused so much on aesthetic and storytelling that they’d forget the essence of the work itself. But that wasn’t the case at all. The entire plot was smooth and logical—aside from the emotional gut punch at the end, everything followed a coherent narrative. And the core theme? ‘The Rift in Divinity.’
To be honest, I really like this concept—especially after seeing the analysis that the essence of this ‘rift’ is actually the love of the fans. It just makes me feel like…
If you guys don’t blow up, then who will?.jpg
3179L: ……
Can I just say that at this point, I completely agree with OP?
This is the absolute highest-level work a rookie idol group could put out. And it’s not just Xie Xizhao—you can see the effort of every single member in it.
Members who aren’t professionally trained but still poured everything into every shot. Every single frame of the MV, meticulously refined. Even the promotional rollout leading up to this, steady and well-executed, step by step. Everything was done perfectly.
From what I understand, to achieve this kind of result, the effort behind the scenes must have been enormous—far beyond what we can see.
Now I’m just really curious—how did a rookie group even create something like this?
How did they pick this song? How did they settle on this concept? And how much did the members actually contribute to the planning?
3179L: Aaaahhh, now I’m curious too!
—
As if in response, that very night, after posting the day’s promotional content, The Phoenix’s official account suddenly uploaded a new video at midnight.
The video was about half an hour long. The caption followed TP’s usual cold and minimalistic style, consisting of just two words: “We.”
This immediately prompted fans to joke:
[‘We’? What about ‘You’ and ‘Them’? Are we forming a global village now?]
Despite their complaints, their hands betrayed them—they clicked on the video without hesitation.
And that was when they realized… it seemed to be some sort of documentary.
[??? Wait, is this the long-awaited debut documentary we’ve been begging for?]
[This hurts—I almost forgot about this whole thing.]
[Dropping it at this hour? Classic Shenghong. This company might string you along for ages, but once promo season hits, it’s an absolute content overload. Alright, let’s see what they have to say about the MV.]
The first scene was debut night.
The moment the video started, the deafening cheers from that night instantly filled the ears of every viewer.
One of the undeniable charms of survival shows was the grandeur and dreamlike nature of debut. Onscreen, clips of all TP members walking down the golden pathway toward the pyramid flashed by, their expressions carefully captured in every frame.
[Oh, so we’re going straight for the tears, huh?]
[This brings me right back to those pre-debut days. It really felt like a dream. How did I get lucky enough to stan such a god-tier group?]
Just as the live chat was making jokes, the scene suddenly changed.
It cut to a familiar setting—Shenghong’s interview studio.
A bold question appeared on the screen:
[What does debut mean to you?]
“A new beginning,” Yun Pan answered.
“A… sense of validation?” Ai Qingyuan thought for a moment before adding, “I’m someone who really needs external affirmation.”
The person next to him glanced at him silently. “Weren’t you always the one saying ‘I’m the greatest in the world’?”
“Hey, Xizhao, do you want a beating?!”
The scene descended into chaos as the two behind them started bickering like elementary school kids. The live chat exploded with laughter.
[Ahhh, are you two ever NOT childish?!]
[Once again, I’m amazed at how lively Zhaozhao is in private. Also, Ai fans and Xie fans, no need to argue—your idols already fought on your behalf! You insult me, I insult you, but at the end of the day, they’re still going home together. Fighting is bad, okay?]
[LMAO, YuanZhao shippers, rise up!]
Despite the commotion behind them, the people in front remained composed.
“Realizing that I have fans is what gives me the most confidence,” Zou Yi said.
Fu Wenze hesitated for a moment before adding, “It means that, for me, this world holds a new kind of possibility.”
Once they finished speaking, the two troublemakers returned. At that time, Xizhao still had neatly combed black hair, looking obedient. His collar was slightly disheveled from the scuffle, and with a stray tuft of hair sticking up, he sat back down and thought seriously for a moment before saying:
“As Xizhao, I have achieved my dream.”
There was an uncharacteristic sincerity in his voice. The usually lighthearted chat seemed to pause for a moment, as if something in their hearts had been tugged. An inexplicable sadness settled over them.
Before they could fully process where that feeling came from—or why Xizhao specifically emphasized “as Xizhao”—the scene cut again.
This time, the camera showed the villa.
For the next five minutes, all the footage was unedited clips from their group reality show.
The fans saw the constantly bustling kitchen, where someone was always cooking, the ever-lively living room, where there was never a shortage of people, and the beautifully maintained garden.
This was a true group home.
Every member treated this place as their real home, and their teammates as their closest family.
They would play-fight, tease each other, have heart-to-heart talks, gather to play games, watch silly cartoons, and create music together.
The live chat was forced to snap out of their sadness and started expressing their emotions again.
[Our TP is really the best QAQ]
[So it was Zhaozhao who noticed Zou was sick and took him to the hospital? Thank you, Zhaozhao! 😭 I will forever love the vocal line.]
[Everyone has such a great personality… They’re like a bunch of little kittens playing together. Sometimes they gather around to chase a ball, and when the weather is nice, they all roll over to sunbathe. Ahhh, I love our TP so much!]
But this was clearly not the most important part.
After a brief playback of the clips, a new question appeared on the screen:
[What are your thoughts on the debut album?]
“I want to do something innovative,” Ai Qingyuan said.
“A song that sounds good,” Zou Yi thought for a moment before adding, “Hmm… If possible, I hope it’s a proper boy group track.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Fu Wenze said. “As long as I can write my own rap lyrics.”
He paused briefly, hesitated for a second, then added, “But… let’s not make it too bad. That’d be too hard to fix.”
The chat exploded with laughter.
[Ahhh! Brother Fu, you—]
[Fu Wenze! So the rap lyrics for the new song were written by you! Don’t think I didn’t see your name in the songwriting credits!]
[This is so great. Everyone has their own opinions. The worst thing about following idols is when they’re just puppets on strings.]
But it wasn’t over yet.
After Fu Wenze finished speaking, Yun Pan followed up. He also said, “A song that sounds good.”
Finally, the camera zoomed in on Xie Xizhao.
He fell silent.
[He went silent… This man went silent…]
[Xiao Zhao: Just let me handle it, okay?]
As if sensing the live chat’s reactions, Xie Xizhao finally spoke. “I have a lot of thoughts. Overall, I hope our debut album is one that people will remember for a long time.”
He paused for a moment before adding, “I hope… it will be the beginning of our journey upward.”
A voice off-camera asked, “Since you can write songs, would you want to be involved in the creative process?”
Xie Xizhao was silent for a brief moment.
Then, he said, “Yes.”
—
This interview was actually a later recording, filmed after Xie Xizhao had already submitted his proposal. Shenghong was, in a way, using it to build a more humane image for the company, and the audience was well aware of it.
At this moment, they still had no idea what they were about to see. They were simply discussing this part of the interview.
[Sigh, the kid is really proving himself.]
[Regardless, I do appreciate that Shenghong was willing to step back. If the company hadn’t given the green light, a rookie wouldn’t have had much say.]
[It’s also because Zhaozhao has talent. It’s a win-win situation.]
As they chatted, the scene changed, and Xie Xizhao appeared on the screen, completely bare-faced. The camera was so close that his long, delicate eyelashes were clearly visible.
“It’s 2 AM right now,” he muttered softly. “Fu Wenze just came over saying he wanted to discuss the arrangement I let him hear yesterday. I asked him why he still wasn’t asleep. Guess what he said?”
He grumbled like he was tattling. “He said, ‘The moon isn’t sleeping, so I’m not sleeping.’ Any Fu Wenze fans here? Can someone please take care of him?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the culprit walked in carrying a guitar.
Noticing the camera, he raised an eyebrow. “Are you livestreaming?”
“No, just filming some material,” Xie Xizhao replied. “Didn’t the company ask us to record bits of our daily lives? I’m documenting your crime of knocking on my door in the middle of the night.”
Fu Wenze: “…”
“First of all, you’re still awake too,” Fu Wenze corrected. “Second, this is the composition room.”
“‘Crime’?”
He paused for a moment before asking, “How much have you filmed?”
“Ah, I record a little every day,” Xie Xizhao replied honestly, his expression innocent. “Mainly because I don’t know what they’ll want to see.”
“Who knows,” Fu Wenze said nonchalantly. “You and your daily filming. Hurry up and finish talking. Then go to sleep. Do you even know how many nights you’ve stayed up? If you don’t sleep tonight, I’m locking your room tomorrow. Believe it or not?”
The moment he finished speaking, Xie Xizhao panicked and hurriedly ended the recording.
[Ahhh, guilty conscience much?]
[Zhaozhao is too cute… Mommy wants to kiss him! Why is he staying up so late?]
[Pulling all-nighters, composing… Was this when they were working on the ‘Rift’? My god, knowing how hard they worked makes this even more heartbreaking…]
No one expected that the most heartbreaking part was yet to come.
