Chapter 98: Forum
[Goose Gossip Group丨Highlight丨Starlight Episode 10 Live Thread]
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[Original Post]
RT.
Thread rules, floor-watching, you all know the drill.
[2F] It’s already the 3rd?
Running out of holiday time, I’m so anxious…
[5F] Sincere recommendation: the “Starlight Trainees Peacock Display Compilation” on Bilibili.
Guaranteed to put you in a good mood after watching.
Everyone was posing as if determined to make an iconic photo—almost killed me laughing.
[9F] Peak “unintentional” flexing: jawline, Adam’s apple, collarbone, breathy voice, pretending not to notice the camera, switching through like eight hundred poses in a second.
One trainee even secretly tensed his biceps on purpose.
[12F] I know who that muscle-flexer was.
It’s Chen Wu, lol. He had an account on Douyin before, posting street dance competitions and fitness training.
When comments asked to see abs, he filmed them. Said it’d be a waste not to show off.
[16F] In that compilation, the ones doing check-ins at the support screens, “coincidentally” running into fans—of course everyone knows they’re acting, fanservicing.
But it doesn’t trigger disgust.
The vibe is: “As long as he’s willing to put in effort for me, it’s fine.” Isn’t chasing idols just about emotional value anyway?
[21F] Loved it. Hope they can keep this energy after debut.
[25F] How come no one mentioned Emperor Yue?
His livestream last night was pure over-the-top fanservice.
[29F] This one’s straight out of the judges’ seats.
[31F] Yue Zhaolin… he gives me the illusion that he wants to spend his whole life with his fans.
[34F] Whispering here, but he looks like he has zero interest in the opposite sex (and, well, not the same sex either).
It’s hard to describe, but his stage does carry sexual tension.
[39F] Asexual?
[42F] Is he playing that kind of persona?
If it collapses, the dream girls will trample him to death.
[47F] Not sure if it’ll collapse or not.
But I don’t recommend him indulging fans too much—if they get spoiled, the moment he does something that doesn’t meet their expectations, backlash will follow.
[55F] True.
But Xingqiong should guide the fandom, right?
[58F] Definitely. Xingqiong has pushed so many artists, and Yue Zhaolin’s treatment is top-tier. Even the real crown prince has to step aside.
Fu Xunying’s fans have been protesting under Xingqiong’s official Weibo for ages—#GiveFuXunyingTheRoyalTreatmentHeDeserves#. Had me laughing so hard my face hurt.
[63F] Honestly, his resources are insane. It’s foreseeable that he’ll skyrocket right at debut.
He auditioned for Palace Chronicles. Rumor says one very important male role wasn’t given to anyone—directly reserved for Yue Zhaolin.
[67F] What role?
[71F] The main plot of Palace Chronicles is palace intrigue. Not many male characters: the emperor, eunuchs, princes… oh, and guards and ministers of the former dynasty.
The female lead is already confirmed as a triple Best Actress winner. The emperor is the male lead, so he can’t play that. Eunuch, erm… odds are higher it’ll be a prince or a guard.
[78F] I really want to see it. Even if he acts like trash, I’d still watch.
[81F] Before, they were using endless promises to raise Yue Zhaolin like a gu insect. Now it’s reversed—they’re using Yue Zhaolin to gild the promises.
Variety show guest slots, movie cameos, brand conferences—all “tentatively inviting Yue Zhaolin.” The most ridiculous one was a dating show observation-room guest.
[86F] Forget everything else, just talking about the songs he sang on livestream—several original singers actually posted on Douyin to thank him.
[91F] So realistic—at the end of the day, a celebrity still has to be popular.
[101F] Xiufen Super Topic is already betting on debut lineup and group name, but after debut it’ll just be one person carrying the whole group. Whether the group can last long is the real question.
[101F] In the older talent-show groups, contracts were two years. Group activities usually only lasted half a year. After that, someone’s missing, another one’s absent—you just get used to it.
[109F] Let’s see how GreenFruit manages things.
…
[602F] Here we go.
[607F] Sunflower seeds, soda, instant noodles.
[619F] For the third round song selection, the biggest drama will be verse rejecting Yue Zhaolin right on the spot—lmao.
[623F] If Starlight doesn’t kick this guy out, that’d be abnormal. He exposed his peers one by one during livestream. Could make half a deck of judgment slips just from what he said.
[628F] That rap variety show “Blue Pants” was supposed to premiere at the end of the month. Now it’s in jeopardy. If a show can’t air because of an artist, the artist’s side has to pay the penalty fee. His buddy might lose everything covering it—how could he not hate him?
[631F] Rap-circle history book entry: The Zhang Wei Incident.
[638F] So few people in the third round. Half were eliminated last time, the venue looks empty now.
[642F] Is this a mass-layoff move? Exactly like the second round. The program team loves to mess with people’s hearts. This kind of rule is especially unfriendly to the mid-to-low ranks.
…
[756F] Here’s a summary for everyone:
Vocal – Jia Ge, “Red Velvet and Rings,” yandere-style electronic music.
Dance #1 – Shao Meng, “Five Senses and Six Perceptions,” a trippy, intense knife group dance.
Dance #2 – Xu You, “AI,” the awakening of a sci-fi android.
Rap – one song “Playing with Ambiguity,” the anthem of a scumbag; another song “Relaxation.”
[761F] After listening to all six songs, “Playing with Ambiguity” really does feel fresh among the dance tracks. What a pity though—anyone made an AI cover of it with Yue Zhaolin’s voice yet?
[772F] Emperor Yue’s been busy lately, huh. Not only does he get his face swapped into every period drama with AI, now people want AI covers too. Another form of “the capable do more work.”
[779F] The entertainment industry has long suffered from ugly people.
[782F] C-ent is just full of misplacement.
Actors always have a stage dream—at galas they have to sing and dance. Idols always dream of acting—once they debut, they run straight into drama sets, leaving singing and dancing as side jobs.
[791F] And honestly, none of them do that well at either (pardon the harsh words).
…
[905F] When it came to team-picking, literally everyone was trying to guess which song Yue Zhaolin would choose. Is this the centripetal force of a true top?
[912F] So in demand.
[917F] He picked “Puppet on Strings.” The moment a few top-ranked ones joined Five Senses and Six Perceptions, everyone turned to look—only to see Yue Zhaolin wasn’t there either.
Turned back again, and—he’s with “Playing with Ambiguity.”
The sky just fell.
[921F] Over on “Puppet on Strings,” it’s wails and despair, while Tan Shen is grinning ear to ear. The contrast is brutal.
[927F] Don’t worry—give it a bit and he won’t be smiling anymore.
[942F] ……
[958F] ……
[972F] We already knew verse was brain-dead, but didn’t realize this brain-dead.
[979F] …Someone needs to uninstall Tomato Novel from his phone, stat.
[986F] Ah, damn.
[1002F] Crooked mouth, hand wave, shoulder shrug—the fake-relaxed three-piece set, huh? Watching that gave me the creeps. Toes curling into the floor. Seriously, bro, stop acting. It’s unsettling.
“Straight Talk,” “Marshmallow Boy,” “Playing House”—he dares to say it, but I don’t dare to listen.
[1010F] I’ve developed an illness where I just want to laugh whenever I see an ugly guy pretending to be cool.
[1017F] The barrage is half insults, half question marks.
[1023F] What’s this guy even trying to achieve?
[1043F] He’s definitely doing it on purpose—look at his expression.
As a mentor, clinging to that tiny bit of power to pick contestants in the third round, and then publicly making things hard for a trainee… what a show of authority. That’s gonna stick with him for life.
[1063F] The hip-hop circle has already revoked his membership. Total embarrassment.
[1075F] The seat-cutting came late, but it came.
[1109F] This could go down as one of the great spectacles in talent show history. Yue Zhaolin really got hit by a stray bullet.
[1124F] I think… is he maybe hoping Yue Zhaolin will pick him again?
Like, if Yue Zhaolin said, “I really like this song, I hope the teacher can give me another chance,” then he could act all conflicted, raising his own value.
Otherwise, why’s he staring at Yue Zhaolin with that expectant look? I don’t get it.
[1151F] !
[1167F] That interpretation… actually makes sense?
[1167F] Raise his value? More like inflating pork prices.
[1198F] His most popular track has been used by hundreds of thousands on Douyin. If he didn’t act up, maybe he couldn’t match a celebrity’s 2.08 million a day, but 28k a day would be guaranteed.
“Money that doesn’t match your level of awareness will return to the world in other ways—sometimes even with interest.” He’s living proof of that saying.
[1223F] Maybe it’s even more than 28k. Plenty of internet celebs went down because they floated too high.
[1335F] The production team must be grinning ear to ear. Too much drama—free publicity delivered right to their door.
[1447F] If the money-spending channel hadn’t been closed, poor Tide would probably have pulled in another huge chunk by now.
[1463F] Heard a rumor—the channel’s about to reopen.
[1475F] ? Any word on when?
[1503F] Not confirmed yet.
[1521F] Yue Zhaolin might not care, but in Tide’s eyes, he was wronged. Put harshly, isn’t this just a mentor targeting and b*llying him?
Took a gig on an idol talent show, and suddenly he’s probing the essence of rap—with Yue Zhaolin of all people?
What a joke.
[1540F] If it were me in the same situation—me, a certified crybaby—I’d already be bawling pathetically.
[1561F] But Yue Zhaolin’s reaction here feels off. His expression… hmm, way too calm.
[1572F] Script?
[1604F] Camera cuts, and suddenly Keep it Real-bro isn’t acting tough anymore.
[1661F] The trainees’ formation changed.
[1678F] Tan Shen: not hehe.
[1702F] I’ll bet a pack of chicken tendons the production team didn’t expect this guy to go off the rails, so they paused recording. Otherwise, why would the formation suddenly change?
[1725F] So was it scripted or not?
[1768F] Judging by the outcome, at least this Keep it Real-bro wasn’t acting—he really lost it live and dragged others down with him. But Yue Zhaolin’s reaction… now that is thought-provoking.
[1794F] He gives me the feeling of, “Instead of wasting time tangling with this kind of person, better to just move on to another target.” A very efficient way to handle it.
But he was way too calm.
[1812F] Has he been put on the spot by people like this before? More than once, even—that’s why he handled it so smoothly.
[1842F] Huh? If you follow that line of thought, then the “tragic yet powerful” persona basically writes itself. Tide could mine this for endless material.
[1861F] At my school there are people like that too—dorm managers, security guards, counselors.
Within their limited bit of power, they go all out making life hard for others. It’s disgusting.
But honestly, guys have it way easier than girls. Rarely run into this kind of situation.
[1895F] So true…
[1912F] Back in school, as long as you were male, life was way smoother.
Yue Zhaolin probably wasn’t b*llied. He’s got that cold, self-serving kind of personality—never lets emotions drive his actions.
[1945F] He went to “Puppet on Strings”!
[1989F] Li Ying is grinning ear to ear.
[2015F] The livestream comments are already shipping the two of them.
[2048F] Bullet comments really have no limits. Didn’t Tide and Li Ying’s fan “Raccoon” just have a spat earlier?
[2089F] Yeah—back when the third round got re-recorded, the public was overwhelmingly bashing Yue Zhaolin. Tide said, “It wasn’t Yue Zhaolin who asked for the re-record, it was Li Ying.”
Raccoon argued it had nothing to do with Li Ying, and accused Tide of dumping the blame.
That’s how the feud started.
[2123F] Raccoon said Yue Zhaolin has to bow to Li Ying whenever he sees him, making his fans lose face for their idol. Tide fired back that Raccoon was just pulling rank and being unreasonable.
[2208F] Raccoon in the chat said that Yue Zhaolin is just a “loss-making resale product.” Li Ying only took him in out of kindness…
[2249F] ? Gross. Is this a disguised anti?
[2275F] Words like “loss-making product” and “foot-washing maid” are way too harsh, they make me physically uncomfortable.
[2312F] Reasonable suspicion this is Li Ying’s rival fanbase at work.
[2367F] Oh damn.
[2401F] Li Ying: “I discussed possible collab stages with the mentors earlier. Everyone wanted to pick Zhaolin. Not kidding, everyone sees him as one of their five biggest competitors.”
Background audio: “So after Teacher Zhang Wei rejected Yue Zhaolin, what did you think?”
Li Ying: “That I got to pick up a bargain.”
Post-performance interview with the PD.
[2457F] (:з」∠)
[2494F] Background audio: “Teacher Xu, you also wanted to choose Yue Zhaolin?”
Xu You: “Who wouldn’t want Zhaolin as a teammate? If I can’t get him, then I’ll deal with it.”
[2512F] The hottest trainee will always be fought over by the mentors, but wow, Old Xu is way too blunt—he made it sound like there’s real gunpowder between the mentors.
[2567F] Raccoon went silent.
[2589F] Li Ying is hilarious. What the hell is “picking up a bargain” hahaha. Raccoon must’ve heard this. Now we’ve got official confirmation straight from the source—Zhaolin was the first choice.
[2621F] Just wait, the moment the “enemy” gets along with their idol, there’ll definitely be fans dropping out / bots submitting exposé posts.
[2675F] Honestly, this whole thing wasn’t that big a deal. Fans just projected their own feelings into it. Once the idol himself is seen “making peace” with the enemy, that’s when fans turn around and leave nasty parting shots.
[2698F] The song selection is over, but I’m guessing this episode won’t be showing Puppet on Strings.
[2714F] For sure.
Knowing this show’s style, they’ll just throw in a teaser at the end and air it next episode.
[2745F] The first group is Relaxation.
[2783F] They’ve started vocal practice.
[2794F] Watching this makes me so uncomfortable… This bunch of trainees gives me the feeling they’re just fooling around, not really showing respect to Nana. Why does their tone automatically turn all giggly when they talk to her?
Is it because Nana looks cute and her accent doesn’t carry any authority?
[2823F] That Zhu Zhu guy from Zhihu is laughing the loudest.
[2856F] Execute them all!!!!
[2897F] You’re here to practice, not to star in a dating show—take it seriously!
…
[3212F] Awful.
[3278F] Can these guys stop using vocal fry already? What, do they have a motorcycle stuck in their throats?! The song’s called Relaxation, not Greasy!
[3301F] Execute them all!
…
[3538F] The group doing “Playing with Ambiguity” didn’t even get any mentor screentime, the editing team is so pitiful.
[3556F] Wait, we’re already at the stage? The stage editing is trash too, wasn’t there a re-record?
[3559F] If you only look at Tan Shen’s part, the stage effect is surprisingly decent…
[3601F] Tan Shen’s rap is solid. He’ll probably ride along into debut, but it’s not like he’s useless—boy groups these days can’t do without rap. Compared to those monotone “white-voice scripture-chanting” types, at least Tan Shen doesn’t make your ears bleed.
[3625F] Hold up, bottom right corner seems to have some text: “Due to schedule adjustments, an extra update will be released tomorrow night.” …What does that mean?!
[3665F] Holy sh*t—
[3667F] Emperor Yue’s doll makeup look.