Big Shot Ch.1

Chapter 1: Initial Stage Evaluation (1)

In the dorms of a boy group survival show, Shen Xiu, slumped over his desk, suddenly shot upright as a cold robotic voice echoed in his mind.

[Good news: Congratulations, you’re not entirely dead. You survived.

Bad news: In the boy group survival show “Youth Unstoppable,” if you don’t debut as the center of the final lineup, you’re going to die.]

Shen Xiu: “…”

Youth Unstoppable was a major boy group survival show aired on Banana TV. The entire process—from training camp to daily life—was livestreamed 24/7.

Shen Xiu was just a college student majoring in film and cultural studies. His classes were all about film analysis, classical Chinese, and modern literature.

In short, he was about as far removed from “singing and dancing”—the core skills of boy group idols—as you could get.

The only reason he was even in the dorms of a boy group survival show was because they offered free room and board. He was exhausted from juggling multiple part-time jobs and had come here hoping to freeload a bit and treat it like a vacation.

Who knew he’d die and end up bound to some kind of system?

And now the system wanted him to stand out among a hundred contestants and debut as the group’s center?

Shen Xiu: This… is hard to comment on.

“System, you’ve got quite the imagination.”

System: [Death…]

For the sake of survival, Shen Xiu immediately dropped to his knees like it was second nature: “I’ll start working hard right now!”

He shot up from the chair, opened the wardrobe, and picked out a T-shirt and shorts to change into in the bathroom.

The rest of the clothes in the wardrobe were almost identical to the ones in his hands—so similar that aside from how worn they looked, there wasn’t even a nitpicky difference to be found.

A qualified boy group idol didn’t just need to sing and dance well—their personal image was just as important.

Youth Unstoppable’s initial evaluation not only involves showcasing personal talents in singing and dancing but also includes a scoring system for each contestant’s image during their first performance on stage.

They are now in the stage of evaluating personal image for the first performance. Other contestants had already applied their makeup and prepared their styling early, leaving the dorms to head backstage and wait for their turn to perform. During this time, the audience would vote, and their votes would be counted as part of the initial evaluation score.

Looking at Shen Xiu, who was casually strolling around with his hair slicked back to reveal his smooth forehead, dressed simply in a T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers in sporty attire.

System: [This is how you’re going to participate in the personal image evaluation?]

Shen Xiu: “What else should I do?”

System: [Makeup and styling, got it?]

Shen Xiu: “Do I look like someone who can afford fashionable items or trendy clothes?”

If he could afford them, he wouldn’t have ended up here in a boy group survival show, trying to freeload for free food and accommodation, only to die from exhaustion.

The system fell silent.

Shen Xiu’s parents had died in a car accident, leaving him with a mountain of debt and nothing else.

Shen Xiu glanced up at the clock on the dorm wall. In the personal image voting for the first stage, the contestants were divided into groups of ten, and there were only three minutes left before it would be their turn to perform. He took large steps and left the dorm.

—

Backstage.

The other contestants who were in the same group as Shen Xiu, ready to step onto the stage for the audience’s image evaluation, watched as Shen Xiu walked toward them with relaxed and confident strides.

Youth Unstoppable was heavily invested in, and even backstage, the lighting was just as impressive as the stage in front.

The overhead lights cast shadows on his superior nose bridge and eyelashes, and his flawless skin glowed with a translucent quality.

Jiang Yuheng: “So, this is the ‘Shen Xiu slacking off in the dorms’ you guys were talking about?”

His temporary roommate, Luo Yuan, was also dumbfounded: “What kind of foundation did Shen Xiu use? There’s not a trace of powdery finish, and his skin looks so translucent.”

Another roommate, Xiang Yueting, sighed: “I knew it. He didn’t want to reveal his makeup secrets in front of us. He purposely waited until we left before starting to get ready. Now, looking at him, I was right.”

“His face—he’s the visual center of our entire group of a hundred, right? He must have intentionally dressed like this, to let his face stand out. His clothes can’t overpower his looks, a typical case of ‘the person wearing the clothes, not the clothes wearing the person.’ Did he take any makeup courses before joining the show?”

Contestant #67, Lu Qian, stroked his chin: “Black hair, no exaggerated earrings, rings, or necklaces, subtle eye makeup, foundation that matches his skin tone—‘natural makeup,’ and the clothes are a perfect complement to his entire look. I’ve learned something!”

Shen Xiu walked in front of the nine others, and they immediately fell silent.

Lu Qian greeted him: “Hey, you’re here.”

The others followed with their own greetings.

Shen Xiu raised his hand, forcing out a stiff smile that showed all eight of his teeth: “Hey.”

They were all so stylish.

After greeting, Shen Xiu sat down in the chair marked with #66 and fell into silence.

He had briefly scanned his surroundings earlier—his roommates and group members were all decked out in trendy brands.

Some wore backwards caps, others had cool headbands, sparkling metal rings on their fingers, sunglasses clipped to their collars. Even the socks, from color to length, screamed “cool.”

In short, the contestants were all stylish from head to toe—so fashionable it was overwhelming.

And here he was, like a rural dog who had wandered into a group of trendsetters.

Shen Xiu: Fear of Fashionable People activated.

He thought about how, unable to afford styling products, he had just wet his hair and slicked it back, wearing a T-shirt that cost a mere 110 yuan for a pack of ten, sitting among all these stylish people. Shen Xiu shifted uncomfortably, afraid to speak.

Shen Xiu: [Awkward.jpg]

Of course, summer clothes bought in summer don’t cost that much. As someone skilled in frugality, Shen Xiu naturally chose to buy off-season—summer clothes in winter, winter clothes in summer. That way, he could stock up for the entire season in one go at wholesale prices. It was cheap and practical.

Life wasn’t easy, Shen Xiu sighed.

Dressed like this for the initial stage image evaluation, he was sure he’d be reduced to nothing in an instant. But this was the best he could do; he had really tried his best.

Since Shen Xiu arrived, the atmosphere had somehow become tense. The silence made it feel like no one dared speak.

A few who had arrived earlier exchanged glances.

Jiang Yuheng: “Is your roommate the aloof cool guy?”

Xiang Yueting shrugged: “Who’s to say he’s not?”

Lu Qian nodded in agreement. Since checking into the training camp yesterday, aside from a brief greeting, Shen Xiu had hardly spoken to them. He was as cold as an air conditioner on full blast.

Sitting awkwardly, Shen Xiu kept his back straight, his toes digging into the ground.

This was so awkward. Why wasn’t anyone talking? Should he say something?

But based on their conversations from yesterday, it was all about the latest songs, dances, and trendy brands—things he didn’t know anything about.

Shen Xiu realized: Great, I’m completely out of the loop. I can’t talk about any of this.

Well, better just stay awkward and silent.

Just as Shen Xiu was feeling so uncomfortable that he might literally scrape the paint off the floor with his toes, the voice of the host finally rang out from the front of the stage: “The fifth group’s voting has finished, and now, let’s welcome the contestants from group seven!”

Shen Xiu: “!”

Finally, it was their turn. If he stayed in the backstage silence any longer, he was sure to suffocate.

At this moment, to Shen Xiu, the host = a good person.

As the host finished speaking, the ten contestants waiting backstage stood up. They then walked out from backstage in the order of their numbers, stepping into the audience’s view.

After going through the intense selection process of a boy group survival show with tens of thousands of contestants, only a hundred remained at this stage. The contestants on stage, whether in terms of looks, appearance, or height, were all top-tier.

To get high votes in the initial stage image evaluation, it wasn’t just about extraordinary looks and body proportions. It also required a makeup and style that would truly impress the audience.

The ten contestants from the seventh group stood in a row, nervously awaiting their turn. On the outside, they tried to appear calm, but inside they were all anxious about the results.

Facing the 2,000 audience members, Shen Xiu thought about how many eyes would be scrutinizing him while wearing cheap clothes.

His mind went blank.

He felt numb.

If his score for the initial stage image evaluation wasn’t high, he’d likely be severely judged in the next talent performance evaluation.

How much longer could he hold on?

The live vote statistics screen was displayed behind the contestants. They could only see the expressions of the audience members as they voted; their own vote count would be revealed later, leaving all of them anxiously waiting for the results.

As the audience’s eyes scanned the line-up of contestants, each with their overly flashy and overdone makeup, they couldn’t help but be drawn to contestant #66’s simple, elegant style.

A perfectly fitted white T-shirt and comfortable-looking sports shorts highlighted his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs, showcasing an ideal body proportion. His hair was slicked back to reveal his smooth forehead, with a few casual strands of hair falling loosely. His sharp eyebrows and bright eyes gave him a handsome face.

On stage, he kept his lips slightly pursed, his deep eyes calm and unfazed. His expression and styling exuded a cool, rebellious aura despite their simplicity.

Whether it was his face, aura, or styling, he immediately captured the audience’s attention.

[Contestant #66’s outfit shows off his figure so well. Which high-end brand is it from? I need to know all the details in the next three minutes and get the same outfit.]

[Ah, ah, those calf muscles are amazing, and his chest looks so well-developed! He’d definitely look great in a suit. #66 must be one of those guys who takes body management seriously, probably works with a personal trainer. I love disciplined people like that. I’m voting for him!]

[This survival show is different from the usual ones. None of the contestants are showing which entertainment company they’re signed to. Does this suggest the program is really fair and transparent? No backstage manipulation—just talent deciding the group?]

[His outfit might seem plain at first glance, but there’s a hidden twist. The gold metallic chain on his shorts catches the light, making it impossible to look away from him.]

[Ahem, is it not #66’s face that’s just so captivating?]

All contestants in the show were previously undisclosed trainees from various companies or personal studios. “Youth Unstoppable” focuses on fairness, transparency, and openness, rejecting any behind-the-scenes manipulation.

Therefore, no contestant’s company or family information would be revealed.

All voting was absolutely fair, based purely on audience preference, selecting contestants who matched both audience aesthetics and had excellent singing and dancing abilities to debut in the final group.

The audience only had three minutes to vote, and the time quickly ran out.

Host He Ting looked at the voting numbers on the big screen and, with an excited voice, announced: “Let’s congratulate contestant #66, Shen Xiu, for receiving the highest score in the initial stage image evaluation of Group Six!”

Shen Xiu: Hm?

Had his ears malfunctioned?

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