Chapter 33.1: First Performance (8)
He Ting explained, “That’s it. The edited version is just that short. If you want to watch the full version, you’ll have to wait until the show ends and you get your phones back to watch it on your own.”
In past talent shows, it was an unspoken rule that the editing would focus on whichever team had the most highlights, all for the sake of hype and viewership.
Shen Xiu’s team had been full of highlights from beginning to end, and even so, the footage left in the edited version was less than an hour. For other teams that didn’t have much going on, their screen time in the edit was even shorter.
From that perspective, He Ting completely understood why, in traditional talent shows, trainees often resorted to little tricks and petty drama just to stir controversy and get screen time.
The trainees were clearly dissatisfied with He Ting’s answer.
“Ahhh I still want to watch more!”
“+100000!”
“Too short, way too short! We protest!”
He Ting smiled, “Protests are invalid. After the viewing, you all have three minutes to discuss. After three minutes, we’ll play the behind-the-scenes edit of Zhuang Yi’s team in the practice room. You may discuss freely now.”
Since the production team had already said there was nothing more, the trainees, despite their complaints, could only accept it.
The footage from Shen Xiu’s team’s practice room, in every aspect, had such a strong impact on them that everyone had a lot they wanted to say after watching.
But with Shen Xiu standing right behind them, they instinctively kept their voices down.
In the practice room, the trainees, their expressions animated, whispered excitedly to the people next to them about their impressions.
“Who wouldn’t call him a god-tier captain after watching that?!”
Afraid of being misunderstood by viewers on camera, the trainee quickly added, “Ah, I’m not saying my own captain isn’t great—my captain’s amazing too—but Shen Xiu can’t even be described as just great. He’s literally god-level!”
“No wonder everyone in Shen Xiu’s team leveled up— with the way he trains, covering every detail so meticulously, if you still can’t improve, not only should you reflect on yourself, but you don’t even deserve to stay on this stage.”
“Now I get why every member of Shen Xiu’s team loves him—there’s a reason behind it all. If I had a god-tier captain like that, I’d love him too!”
“So this is the mindset of the truly strong, huh? No matter what they do, they aim for absolute perfection!”
“Who’s out here being jealous of the members of Shen Xiu’s team? Huh? Oh, it’s me. How tragic, boohoo!”
“These days, idols have to be this competitive? A trainee who can’t even draw isn’t a qualified idol anymore?”
“Craft class was insane!”
“But wasn’t the most amazing part the PowerPoint lesson?! That kind of thing would be mind-blowing on any talent show!”
“Who would’ve thought you could explain things with a PowerPoint? I was instantly transported back to the classroom! Boss Shen really lives up to the name—his way of thinking is just on another level!”
“Exactly! No one could’ve predicted his plan. Blood Romance was absolutely killer!”
“No, but isn’t the most impressive thing actually Shen Xiu himself?”
“Facts!”
“Facts!”
“Fa—”
“Are humans just parrots or what?!”
“Wait a sec…” one trainee whispered, “Why haven’t we heard Shen Xiu say anything? Ahhh, I really want to turn around and see what kind of expression he’s making, but I’m scared to make eye contact with him. That icy stare of his—it could freeze you on the spot. I’m too chicken.”
“Do you even need to look? You guys really don’t understand Shen Xiu, huh? Stuff like this is probably routine for him. He doesn’t even think twice about it—probably sees no need to say anything, and wouldn’t be showing any kind of happy or proud expression either.”
“I think… Shen Xiu would probably just be like this.” The trainee put on a cold, aloof expression: “That’s it?”
“Hahaha, with that comedy face of yours, you really shouldn’t try to imitate cool-guy Iceberg Shen. You’re not even close to capturing the essence.”
“For real though, if you were given the chance to sit next to Shen Xiu and talk to him up close… would you actually dare to do it?”
“Ahem… Yeah, nah, I think I’ll pass. That guy’s basically a walking ice machine, no joke. Haven’t you noticed that even though it’s supposed to be a free discussion right now, everyone’s speaking super quietly? Probably ‘cause they’re afraid Shen Xiu will overhear and think we’re making a big deal out of nothing.”
“Damn, this really feels like when the school principal would sit in on class, and the teacher told us to have a discussion, but none of us dared to speak above a whisper!”
At that moment—
Sitting in the very back corner of the room, Shen Xiu watched as everyone quietly whispered to each other after watching the video of his team. He felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, completely uncomfortable.
They’re all whispering so softly… are they laughing at how his team went way over the top for a debut stage? Or maybe at how chaotic they looked in the practice room?
Were they mocking the arts-and-crafts segment? Or the fact that he used a PowerPoint for explanations?
Or… did they think wearing full stage outfits and makeup during practice made them look like idiots?
God—could it be that they thought the way he drew lines on the floor looked straight-up deranged?
Damn it, he was too far from the front. There were three empty rows of seats between him and the rest—he couldn’t hear a word they were actually saying!
And the less he could hear, the more his imagination ran wild.
The more he thought, the harder it was to breathe, and the more guilty he felt toward his team members.
It was all his fault—he’d dragged them into this public humiliation!
Please, someone start the next video already—he was about to die of secondhand embarrassment!
Every second felt like a year as Shen Xiu silently prayed to the heavens.
The short three-minute discussion time flew by. Though the trainees still had more to say, they had no choice but to shut up and settle down to continue watching the next team’s practice room footage.
While the trainees moved on to the next video, some viewers were already unable to contain themselves and had started posting on the forums.
…
BaBa Forum
[Title: About my only orientation of using PPT to plan the overall situation of the stage!]
OP: What kind of god-tier captain is this?! What kind of multi-talented king?! Say no more—
I refuse to let anyone live without having seen this video — [link].
1F: Rushing to the front row to say—no need to even click. Seriously, don’t bother. I’d already studied that video the moment the show released it. All I can say is: Boss Shen, FOREVER LEGEND!
2F: My Boss Shen is the mythical god-tier captain! Damn it, why can’t I have someone like him in my life?!
3F: Totally get why the team members were tripping over each other to shower him with praise on stage after the first performance. If it were me, I’d be praising him to high heaven too!
4F: Decoded in one second—clearly X Boss!
5F: Ahem, get it right. It’s GOD-TIER CAPTAIN X!
6F: This kind of training method would be a show-stopper in any season of any survival show. Boss Shen might just be the first in survival show history to pull off something this wild!
7F: A boss like Shen, who can carry an entire team on his own, would be a hot commodity no matter where he is. Wuwuwu… Today is another day I dream of being carried by Boss Shen! I, your humble devotee, would trade ten pounds of flesh if the heavens would bless me with a divine Shen-led team!
8F: No wonder that during the final stage, every member of Shen Xiu’s team seemed to radiate magic—like they had merged completely with their costumes. Nothing felt out of place at all. So this is the result of Demon King Shen’s devil-style training!
9F: This description… sounds exactly like a support-class healer in a game, keeping the whole team alive in adversity and pushing straight to the enemy’s crystal?!
10F: New perspective from upstairs—stolen. 😂
11F: Ahem, need I remind everyone—out of all twelve groups, no one could match Shen Boss in stage presence. Did everyone already forget? Right after their first performance, Shen’s team basically took over the trending charts. Boom boom boom, one hot search after another. Clips from their debut stage flooded platforms—stuff like “Vampire Count x Me” CPs, “Elegant and Powerful Bloodthirsty Vampire Count x Gold-rimmed Spectacled Gentleman CEO” CPs, and so many more. That wasn’t just destroying the enemy’s crystal, okay? That was blowing up their entire fountain spawn!
12F: Ahem, before the behind-the-scenes video of Shen Xiu’s team got released, who was out here yelling that we were hyping him up with fake praise like we took out a loan to do it? Huh? Come out and take a few steps. Have the guts to show yourself now. Open your damn eyes and see clearly: our Boss Shen really did carry the whole team!
13F: Oh my god, I just remembered—after that performance aired, the entire internet was hunting for Boss Shen’s Weibo, desperate to follow him, but no one could find a single account all day. The hashtags #ShenXiuWeibo, #VampireCountWeibo, and #DidAnyoneFind BossShenToday were trending all day long, LOL.
14F: So… Boss Shen’s Weibo account? 👀
15F: So… the Vampire Count’s Weibo account?? 👀👀
16F: So… Demon King Shen’s Weibo account??? 👀👀👀
17F: The ancients never lied—human nature really does fast-forward straight to “repeater mode”! (Ahem… so anyway, cool-guy Shen’s Weibo??)
18F: I swear I’m gonna watch every single video where Demon King Shen leaves people speechless!
19F: This kind of momentum… I’ve only ever seen it with Brother M back in the day. Could Shen Xiu become the next M?
20F: EXCUSE ME, what kind of filthy comparison is that?! Get lost, shoo! Don’t taint my Bro Shen with that nonsense! Boss Shen has been a powerhouse from beginning to end, got it? He’s got nothing to do with that guy.
21F: Purify, purify—be gone, foul demons! Nothing pisses me off more than people comparing Boss Shen to that one guy who slacked off in the idol scene and flopped his way into acting.
22F: LMAO the shameless clout-chasing is real. Get a grip, okay?
…
After the release of Shen Xiu’s team’s behind-the-scenes training footage, BaBa Forum was flooded with passionate fans desperate to share their newfound treasure of an idol.
In less than half an hour, every post about Shen Xiu had a red hot tag next to it.
Clearly, the way Shen Xiu led his team through their debut stage rehearsals left countless survival show viewers in awe.
A certain fandom that tried to ride the hype wave was immediately torn apart by Shen Xiu’s stunned fans—utterly overwhelmed by his skills and charisma, the wannabe rival fans didn’t even dare fight back. All they could do was retreat to their own private group chats and complain.
Yet this time, those usually fiery super-topic groups, known for going to war over their idols, were shockingly silent once they realized exactly who their fans were trying to pick a fight with.
After chatting it up with fellow Shen Xiu fans in the posts, everyone came to a sudden realization: they still didn’t know Shen Xiu’s Weibo account.
#Behind-the-Scenes of “Blood Romance” Debut Performance Released
#PPT
#IfIDontFindBossShenWeiboTodayICry
#CraftClass
#TeamShenTrainingMethodBlewMyMind
#DemonKingShen’sBootcampFromHell
#WhoSaidShenDidn’tCarry?ComeHereAndSayThatAgain
#BossShenFeelsLikeThatScaryBossWatchingFromTheBackOfTheClassroom#
