Chapter 108: The Dust of History
That afternoon, the members of TP had a long-awaited meal together at home, enjoying a hotpot feast.
Ai Qingyuan and Zou Yi were in charge of picking the ingredients, while Fu Wenze and Xie Xizhao took care of the cooking. Meanwhile, Yun Pan busied himself with editing a long Weibo post, his words soaking in the steamy warmth of the hotpot.
Since they had a recording session later in the evening, everyone had only fruit juice in hand.
Just before they started eating, Zou Yi raised his glass, the juice inside swaying slightly. He said, “A toast to everyone.”
Xie Xizhao clinked his glass against Zou Yi’s, smiling as he added, “A toast to this world that, for now, seems to be treating us quite well.”
The glasses collided with a crisp sound.
They savored the fleeting joy and excitement for a moment before moving on to their next commitment.
After the music release came the sales.
If the streaming charts were the proof of whether a group had broken into the mainstream, then album sales were the ultimate loyalty test. But on this front, neither fans nor casual listeners showed any concern.
For a survival show boy band, die-hard support was never in question.
They were simply waiting in anticipation.
Topping the daily charts had already been a miracle. At this point, no one doubted TP’s meteoric rise. The only question left was—if TP could dominate the daily charts despite the usual weakness of boy groups in streaming, then in the area where they excelled—album sales—what kind of record would they set?
No, not a record. A miracle.
The day the official sales rankings were updated, the hashtag #TP Sales skyrocketed to the top of the trending list, accompanied by a frenzy of fans and casual onlookers losing their minds.
[What the hell??? Did I just see an extra zero???]
[6.28 million copies!!! Where the hell do you guys print your money?? Tell me, I swear I won’t tell anyone!]
[This is insane… This sales record is legendary enough to brag about until disbandment. Just debuting has already been the peak of a lifetime for others, and this is a survival show group??]
[6.28 million copies—4 million were sold during pre-orders, meaning over 2 million were bought by casual listeners after their debut. Their die-hard support and general public appeal are both out of this world… This group is truly a phenomenon.]
[Congratulations to TP for breaking the following records with 6.28 million copies sold: [Highest First-Week Sales in Official Chart History] [All-Time Highest First-Week Sales for Any Idol Group]. In just six days, they topped the daily streaming charts, making them [Only the Third Boy Group in History to Debut at #1] while also breaking the [Fastest Boy Group Debut to Reach #1] record. Both sales and streaming are rewriting history—TP! Fly high!]
Glorious and magnificent.
That was the most genuine feeling shared by all TP fans.
Just like in their music video, where each TP member descended from radiant clouds down to earth, stepping forward to present the fans with the most precious gift.
And that gift was something TP and their fans had created together.
Not just these staggering achievements, but also, from this moment on—memories that would be etched into their hearts forever.
While the internet buzzed with excitement, the TP members had no time to rest.
Debut came hand-in-hand with a grueling schedule that could almost be called brutal. Music show performances, variety show recordings, late-night radio appearances—realistically, with their achievements, they could easily sweep first place on every music program, whether or not they even showed up.
But to make up for the long wait their fans had endured, they still committed to every single schedule.
The direct result of this relentless grind?
Xie Xizhao—someone who had traveled across time and space countless times—nearly got sick from taking too many flights.
That day, they once again arrived in the early morning. When they got off the plane, Xie Xizhao was so exhausted that he could barely keep his eyes open.
Zou Yi, ever the expert, went around pressing an ice-cold water bottle against everyone’s necks, triggering a chorus of startled yelps.
Xie Xizhao, however, was spared. He always had special privileges with Zou Yi.
His hoodie was pulled over his head, and he let Zou Yi tug him along as he tried to wake up while walking. The group made their way through the VIP passage, and as they stepped outside, they saw fans waiting by the roadside.
Most of the fans held the group’s official light sticks, and the moment they saw TP appear, the crowd erupted into excited commotion. Someone called out Xie Xizhao’s name, and he pulled down his hood, giving them a wave.
“So early?” he said with a smile.
“It’s the final stage!” a fan shouted enthusiastically. “Of course we had to come see you!”
Just like that, a month had already passed since TP’s debut. Throughout this time, their streaming numbers and sales had remained at an incredibly stable peak.
On the streaming charts, they had held the #1 daily spot for 23 consecutive days, topped the weekly charts for three weeks, and secured the monthly crown. Their momentum showed no signs of slowing down.
If nothing unexpected happened, their song “Rift” was guaranteed a spot in the year-end music awards.
And if streaming numbers were already this strong, their sales were even more unbeatable.
As expected, over the past month, they had swept first place on every major music show.
Today was the last one.
Their achievements were stellar.
Both the members and the fans were overjoyed.
While Xie Xizhao chatted with fans, Ai Qingyuan was busy bantering with the ones in the front row.
“Why are you saying it’s the final stage so soon? A month went by fast? Hey, hey, don’t make that face—it’s not like this is the end or we’re disbanding. Fu Wenze, I warned you not to cover my mouth! Ugh—Panpan? Wait, no—Panpan, why do you look taller every day? You’re 19, are you still growing?!”
Yun Pan physically disciplined Ai Qingyuan for a moment before handing him over to Fu Wenze behind him. Then, turning back to the fans, he spoke sweetly, “Today’s our final stage! We have a surprise for you… hmm, a special performance~”
He had just turned nineteen a few days ago and was growing more mature, but the playful lilt at the end of his sentence—like a little wave—completely melted the fans’ hearts.
As they walked, the fans followed.
Despite the large crowd, the atmosphere remained pleasant, with no pushing or shoving.
When they finally reached their van, they waved goodbye before boarding one by one.
Almost the moment Ai Qingyuan got into the car, he became visibly restless.
Xie Xizhao took one look at him and immediately knew what was on his mind. Deliberately, he said, “I should give Brother Heng a call later.”
Ai Qingyuan: !
“W-What?” He stammered. “Why would you call him?”
“You don’t know?” Yun Pan chimed in with feigned innocence. “Brother Heng’s group is debuting this week! Their MV just dropped on Monday, and they’re doing pretty well. They’re performing on the same show as us today, so you’ll see him in a bit.”
Ai Qingyuan: “…”
“You talk too much,” he muttered in despair.
Then he turned to stare solemnly out the window.
Xie Xizhao couldn’t help his curiosity. “Wait, don’t you two still chat in private? Why are you acting like you’re about to run into an ex?”
An ex from a messy breakup, no less.
Uh…
Actually, now that he thought about it, it was kind of messy.
Sure enough, Ai Qingyuan sighed and said,
“You wouldn’t understand.”
Talking was one thing. Seeing someone face-to-face? That was another matter entirely.
There was a reason people said the closer you get to home, the more anxious you feel.
Of course, Ai Qingyuan was only mildly anxious. He and Guan Heng had already met up over hotpot once before, hashing out most of their past issues. This was just a bit of PTSD kicking in.
When they arrived at the artists’ waiting rooms, it didn’t take long before there was a knock at their door.
Sure enough, Guan Heng and his teammates had come over.
His groupmates were naturally outgoing—and already curious about their captain’s past gossip—so in no time, the room felt like a giant merged group gathering, buzzing with energy.
As they chatted, the conversation drifted to the other artists performing that day.
“Isn’t Teacher Li’s group performing today too?” Zou Yi asked.
The so-called “Teacher Li” referred to their former mentor from Super Rookie, Li Lin.
With TP’s explosive success, even their original survival show had regained popularity. While most new fans were cursing out the production team for their questionable treatment of contestants, the mentors had all enjoyed some level of renewed fame.
Li Lin’s group, SugarDream, was a prime example.
Since SugarDream had just released their pre-release single, they were naturally here to promote it.
“We should go say hi later,” Guan Heng suggested.
He hesitated for a moment before adding, “And also…”
“Oh, that?” Ai Qingyuan cut in. “Yeah, we’re not saying hi.”
Guan Heng: “…”
He chuckled. “That bold, huh?”
The moment Ai Qingyuan got worked up over something, he forgot all about being awkward. He scoffed, “They threw the first punch—don’t blame us for not playing nice. If they can’t handle losing, why are they even in the game?”
—
The “they” Ai Qingyuan referred to wasn’t just anyone.
It was Newstar—the group that had oh-so-coincidentally scheduled their comeback right before TP’s debut.
Back then, Newstar had thought they had a solid plan. By debuting at the same time as TP, they could ride the wave of TP’s hype. Even if they lost the head-to-head battle, their own strength would ensure they could at least hold their ground. No matter what, they wouldn’t come out as the losers.
But what they never expected was that TP would explode in popularity the moment they debuted. Both in digital sales and physical albums, TP left Newstar in the dust.
On the night of TP’s debut, there were still discussions about the two groups debuting in the same period. By the next day, when TP’s song skyrocketed into the top ten of the charts, Newstar completely vanished from the conversation.
It was a devastating blow.
Had TP and Newstar debuted at different times, TP’s meteoric rise would have still impacted Newstar, but the damage wouldn’t have been as severe.
Newstar’s fans, already anxious about the unfortunate timing, went insane when they realized their group had essentially sabotaged themselves.
Within days, fan alliances were sending protest letters to the company.
The company, in turn, was in full crisis mode.
But what could they do? TP wasn’t just ahead—they were miles ahead. Their numbers weren’t just higher; they were so much higher that even the most shameless media manipulation wouldn’t help.
With no other options, the company sent the members out to do damage control.
For a while, Newstar’s schedule consisted entirely of performances and livestreams, nonstop.
Running on fumes, both physically and mentally, it was only a matter of time before something went wrong.
And it did.
One day, a teammate started a livestream but forgot to notify the others.
As a result, everyone got to witness the group’s “golden CP” duo, Feng Hua and Xue Li, having a full-blown argument—live.
Not only were they being snarky and passive-aggressive toward each other, but they also confirmed that they had deliberately debuted at the same time as TP. Worse, they trashed TP, claiming their success was nothing but a massive PR stunt.
At that moment—
The CP fans lost their minds.
The group’s fans lost their minds.
TP’s fans…
TP’s fans did not lose their minds.
They simply flooded Feng Hua and Xue Li’s fan pages with their so-called “proof of true love,” gloating as they commented:
[Wow—so this is the legendary debut-and-come-out couple? Such a close relationship~]
[Wow—so this is the totally innocent NS? So pitiful~]
[Wow—I don’t wanna ‘wow’ anymore. This flop marketing group can get the hell away from me. Today’s a day of celebration; I don’t even wanna spare them a glance, thanks.]
On top of that, the Visual Peak Ranking from back then resurfaced.
Zheng Yunli’s personal involvement in the voting process had long turned into a joke, and the results of that poll were now being widely questioned by the general public.
[Huh??? These two are even comparable??]
[Let me clarify first: I’m not a TP fan, but C’s visuals are insane. That crying scene? I’ve rewatched it a thousand times. What the hell was that poll doing??]
[This is hilarious… Xie Xizhao’s visuals could dominate any generation, and they really had the audacity to use their senior group’s name to suppress him? Wild.]
The reason public opinion shifted so dramatically was not just because of TP’s explosive success.
[Alright, if we’re gonna compare, then let’s compare properly. Here are the receipts: [image] [image] … Since both groups’ comebacks, they’ve performed on music shows 16 times, and shared the stage 12 times. These are pictures from each time they were in the same frame—no filters, no edits. Judge for yourselves.]
[My verdict? Xie Xizhao won this hard.]
[Ahhh my gorgeous little baby! How is he this stunning? The contrast makes a certain someone next to him look even worse!]
That very night, a new poll was created.
Out of a 50,000 vote pool, Xie Xizhao won with a crushing 48,000 votes.
The original poll was erased from history—like dust in the wind.
—
This was nothing short of a one-sided massacre.
No NS fan was in the mood to argue with their rivals anymore, let alone fight over who was the most attractive. The truth was, it was uncertain whether their so-called rival would even remain a rival in the future. This battle had left NS completely devastated.
After this incident, NS and TP had thoroughly torn off all pretense of civility.
Since things had already reached this point, there was naturally no need for any private greetings. Guan Heng, who had been keeping up with online discussions, simply smiled knowingly.
Xie Xizhao, feeling a bit tired from all the chatting, stood up and said, “I’m going to wash my hands.”
He left the lively room and walked toward the restroom at the end of the hallway.
As he passed by one of the rooms, the door suddenly swung open, and someone walked out, nearly bumping into him.
Both reacted quickly, stepping aside at the same time. The other person immediately muttered a low “sorry,” his voice hoarse—
As if he had just been hysterical. Or had been crying.
After speaking, he suddenly realized something was off.
He lifted his head. Xie Xizhao stared into his eyes for a moment before finally managing to recall his name.
“Zheng Yunli?”
The other person’s expression immediately turned unpleasant.
