Chapter 100: Forum (3)
[3125F] I still remember the hot search back then, it said he cried when he saw the fan support. I thought that was the end of it, how come there’s still a follow-up…
[3162F] With this kind of “after-sales service,” who wouldn’t be utterly devoted?
[3185F] This round of fan support was really worth it. Who would’ve thought, a month has passed and there’s still a call back.
[3201F] So, did he do this to repay the fans’ support?
[3237F] Isn’t his “rookie beauty” phase lasting a bit too long?
[3276F] An idol usually only has that rookie glow when they’ve just debuted or are still pre-debut—
that hunger for the stage, that burning ambition for the future, that worry and insecurity about not being liked. That sensitivity is the most precious.
So why does he still have it…
[3291F] And his sense of self-worth should be pretty high, right? I mean, most good-looking people don’t exactly lack love and admirers growing up.
[3305F] “Sense of self-worth” might not be the most precise word, but I get what upstairs means.
[3328F] Act your whole life, Emperor Yue. As long as you don’t turn from an “idol” into just a “man,” your fans will guarantee you lifelong glory and wealth.
[3349F] I’ve toured across dozens of male idols in both domestic and international industries, and 99% of their endgames are the same—
they all become just “men”: tattoos, smoking, and a wife—the standard trio.
[3375F] If he ever falls from grace, Weibo will collapse.
[3389F] On this point, everyone seems unanimously pessimistic. Do we all think that day is bound to come?
[3413F] Makes sense. How many seasons of survival shows have we had? Not a single one has had a “good ending.” They always collapse—politics collapse, character collapse, law collapse. Collapse after collapse.
[3442F] One of my former bias’s big fan-accounts deleted her account and ran off to stan a girl idol.
I chatted with her about Yue Zhaolin recently. She said the biggest reason stopping her from falling for Yue Zhaolin is—his gender
[3473F] I suggest Tide sisters preserve Yue Zhaolin of this era as a specimen.
At least in this moment, we can confirm he genuinely loves his fans. In this moment, Tide is happy too.
…
[3516F] That three-part backbend is seriously hard.
[3531F] He practiced so many times, even my waist hurts just watching.
[3549F] Did he lose weight?
[3562F] You can tell he’s really exhausted. During makeup testing he couldn’t even keep his eyes open, just sitting there drowsy, letting people move him around.
[3587F] When the makeup artist adjusted his head, it really looked like painting makeup on a life-sized BJD doll.
[3598F] This makeup has a kind of mixed-race vibe. I wonder what Western girls’ reactions were?
[3623F] Mostly praise. A small part went crazy. Classic line:
“You’re a Chinese person, please don’t wear makeup to look like a Westerner. You should just be yourself. Hope this helps you.”
[3645F] …Totally something a Westerner would say. The tone is so overbearing—just roll your eyes and move on.
[3671F] I originally thought this “doll makeup” would hit Western girls’ aesthetic points harder, but surprisingly, Japanese girls also love it. They’re even calling him “Prince.”
[3621F] Judging by Japanese girls’ usual aesthetic, they’re the most into gentle and pure styles. But with a face that pretty, everything else can be overlooked.
[3659F] His face had no color, expressionless from exhaustion. Looked like he could faint any second.
[3674F] The camera focusing on him just comes off as milking sympathy.
[3685F] Ah.
[3697F] So the last scene of the previous episode was actually from Li Ying’s POV (the camera behind him).
[3712F] And literally the next second, Li Ying said he wanted to switch to center.
Who gets my sense of humor here.
[3739F] Oh, so the opening center was Li Ying’s part? Then it had nothing to do with Yue Zhaolin or the other trainees, right?
Li Ying went back to ask his group—it was just a token “asking for opinions,” but really just informing them. Why are people still upset about that?
[3752F] “So that means Zhaolin gets one center at the beginning and another at the end, huh.”
Stage-panic bro, if you’re unhappy just say it directly. Acting all passive-aggressive and shady only makes you look low.
Such an old “tea” routine.
[3768F] Fans said: “No ill intent,” “just joking with a friend,” “you’re all looking at it with tinted glasses.”
[3775F] This kind of vague editing is most likely just the show team pushing for more votes.
But how many fans does Rong Ruizhe even have? What’s the point of pushing?
[3792F] Sis, your roasting has no limits.
[3824F] Yue Zhaolin is really “independent”—not the kind of “alone” where he isolates himself from everyone, but independent as in self-reliant. And it feels… solid (?
He always gives me the same kind of reassurance as tucking thermal underwear into your waistband in winter.
[3851F] ……
[3870F] A bizarre but fitting metaphor.
[3885F] It’s here, it’s here.
[3892F] Aaaaah, the stage!
[3923F] One moment I was admiring Emperor Yue’s face, and the next second a transition preview dropped—who cried like a horse neighing?
[3904F] Stage-panic bro.
[3923F] If it were a beautiful person crying with pear-blossom tears, maybe I could forgive it. But I will never forgive a horse (lol).
[3952F] The production team isn’t even pretending anymore, huh? We all know the third performance was re-recorded, so they just went ahead and dropped flashy previews.
[3981F] Is capital really determined to protect this horse?
[4012F] He’s on stage!!!
[4027F] Hissss—
[4031F] That little tear mole, absolute stroke of genius.
[4057F] This base makeup is flawless. He doesn’t blink, just smiles at the camera with that unrealistically beautiful face—you can’t help but keep staring.
And the hook at the corner of his eye…
No wonder even without saying a word, the Tide sisters in the audience already lost their minds.
[4072F] Zombie siege.
[4093F] If that face showed up on the big screen, I really would go “Waaah—”
[4121F] Did his expressions this time also match the styling? Especially the blinking—it instantly set him apart from normal people (like Crown Prince Ying next door).
That close-up shot nearly knocked me out with beauty.
Were the first two performances like this too?
…
[4372F] Giving the opening center to Yue Zhaolin was the right choice.
[4395F] Holy sh*t.
[4410F] That opening where he uses threads to control a smaller version of himself—his fingers moved so stiffly, with that jerky, unsmooth feeling, and it was so satisfying to watch.
[4451F] I think I get the design of this opening now: the puppet “comes alive,” learns how humans control puppets, but then human desire makes him want more?
And his gaze wasn’t awkward at all, it felt so natural.
[4470F] …I’ve always known Yue Zhaolin’s facial expressions and control are good, but the third performance feels completely different.
[4489F] That innocent-yet-greedy micro-expression—I’ve never even seen it in costume dramas.
Just from this part alone, Yue Zhaolin’s acting already beats 90% of young actors in C-ent. Pack it up, he could go straight into filming dramas.
[4501F] And if he really did, you’d be unhappy again.
[4523F] …That’s true. Idols, don’t just go filming at the drop of a hat! Give me singing and dancing on stage!
[4538F] My bottom line is half a year. Yue Zhaolin has to stay with the group for at least six months before leaving, wuwuwu.
[4541F] Hoh—
[4567F] That part where Li Ying controlled him to raise his head—
I can’t even describe it. That smile of his, so derangedly delicate ahhhhhh.
[4582F] A legendary moment in survival show history…
[4597F] The instant I saw it, my heart dropped like I’d missed a step on the stairs.
[4610F] Ah.
[4617F] Why did it stop?
[4631F] Wait, the third performance was re-recorded? Turns out Chen Wu went off-beat first?!
[4652F] Compared with the rehearsal, he actually entered too slowly.
[4672F] Why do I feel like the production team is avoiding the bigger issue and focusing on the smaller one? Sure, Chen Wu messed up, but he managed to fix it later. This constant replay comparison just makes his mistake look worse.
Besides, okay, Chen Wu was wrong—but wasn’t Rong Ruizhe just standing on stage like he was window shopping also wrong?
[4691F] No ability to handle things on the spot at all. Didn’t he hear Yue Zhaolin was already covering? At the very least, if you can’t sing, you could’ve just danced on the side…
[4724F] That dude just stood there frozen on stage. What, didn’t have the skills but still wanted to cosplay as the Invisible Man?
[4751F] Watching this filled me with a nameless rage.
[4763F] Live comments:
“Rong Ruizhe’s injustice has been redressed.”
“I knew you before the rumors.”
“He never had panic issues before. I said it—why would it suddenly happen in the third performance? It was because of Chen Wu dragging him down. That guy not only harms himself but harms others too.”
“Be more tolerant toward patients.”
“Why demand a perfect victim? Rong Ruizhe didn’t do it on purpose!”
“Doesn’t anyone think Yue Zhaolin deliberately stole the spotlight? Rong Ruizhe only missed half a line, and he jumped in to grab the part.”
[4685F] Yue Zhaolin stealing the spotlight? Ha… stealing the spotlight, hahaha [facepalm, bitter laugh].
[4995F] …
This isn’t fandom quarrels anymore—it’s imposters invading normal people’s world.
[4701F] Why not just go ahead and say Yue Zhaolin dr*gged Rong Ruizhe before going on stage so he’d get panic attacks? Tide, hurry up and stab these imposters dead!
[4714F] Chen Wu’s fans blew up too.
Yes, Chen Wu entered off-beat, he was at fault, but he fixed it later, and the second half was completely fine. Meanwhile, Rong Ruizhe was still frozen stiff?
You can’t just throw the blame like that.
[4740F] Trash show, stirring up fights and pushing for votes again.
[4761F] That line “caught a chill on stage”—wasn’t it Tide who said it? How was the audio so clear, and the production team even aired it!
Hahaha, are they still protecting their “royal” or not?
[4780F] Starting from the last episode, it’s like the production team got lost in their own editing “art” and couldn’t pull themselves out.
[4796F] Production team logic: “If we evil-cut every trainee, then it’s like none of them were evil-cut.”
[4812F] Originally, I thought this group being forced to re-record would be super dramatic, but instead of blaming Chen Wu or Rong Ruizhe, they just immediately discussed countermeasures.
That atmosphere kind of touched me.
[4836F] These six people all prefer doing over talking. Crown Prince Ying only counts as half.
[4851F] So Yue Zhaolin is that “one and a half,” right?
[4872F] I used to be skeptical about the re-recording too, but after watching the first half—if I were there, I would’ve demanded a re-record as well, otherwise it would’ve been such a waste.
And this had nothing to do with Yue Zhaolin. He was even trying to save the stage—and he succeeded. Isn’t that his highlight moment?
If the production team really wanted to prop him up, there’d be no need to call a stop.
[4889F] They wanted to protect Rong Ruizhe, but using panic disorder as the excuse to protect him? I don’t get it.
[4915F] Capital still hasn’t given up? Don’t tell me this guy is going to debut alongside Emperor Yue?
[4931F] If he actually makes it into the top nine in the finals, I’d be shouting “quit the group” if I were there (lol).
…
[5321F] Encore!!!
[5340F] Nervous.
[5345F] This stage is really high in watchability, the makeup and musical style are a perfect match.
Though the choreography took some shortcuts, it doesn’t feel out of place here. (I’ve practiced street dance for a few years, personally I think most of the moves don’t hold up to close scrutiny.)
[5361F] Yue Zhaolin’s dance technique can’t compare to Li Ying’s, but the moment the camera cuts to his face, my eyes just automatically lock onto him.
It’s not only because he’s good-looking.
[5378F] Did he get some kind of higher-level performance expression training or something? He really knows how to use his face.
[5390F] This stage of his… how do I put it?
Maybe because he’s too exhausted, on stage it’s like he’s gambling everything in one last desperate move, his emotions are especially invested—like a drowning man grabbing the only piece of driftwood on the sea’s surface.
[5402F] Exquisite makeup, but singing about rebellion, freedom, breaking the chains.
[5424F] That part where the hollow wooden chest cavity grows a heart—I got goosebumps.
[4057F] He’s gotten thinner, which actually adds to this stage. Good thing he did—more pronounced finger joints and a sharp, thin jawline, it’s exactly the vibe.
[4068F] The stage design is godly…
Who designed that cage of lights, and those red LED joints…
[4091F] The choreography too, the soul breaking free from the shell of the body—it’s so exhilarating it makes my scalp tingle.
[4103F] Close-up!!!
[4125F] ……
[4247F] Holy sh*t.
[4271F] I’ve seen that three-part backbend in the practice room countless times, but from this angle it feels completely different.
[4280F] Wasn’t the angle of his bend way too extreme?
[4295F] Every beat of the drum, he sank a little lower—hair falling down, eyes unfocused, a thin layer of sweat on his face, breathing desperately held back.
Wow.
[4329F] That last move, he just smashed onto the ground, like a discarded doll…
[4356F] At a loss for words.
[4381F] ……
[4402F] Like from a pile of decaying leaves, a butterfly stitched together from dead leaves broke out, flying toward the sky without hesitation.
[4435F] I’m feeling dizzy watching this.
[4461F] Me too, it’s like I chugged a bottle of RIO Strong—hits hard after the fact.
[4485F] Big news, everyone, wake up—just one minute ago, the program team officially announced two major updates.
[4471F] What?
[4489F] The reopening time for the paid-vote channel, and the ticketing platform & time for the finale night.
[4520F] ?!
[4539F] Normally I’d go check out the drama, but after watching this stage, it feels like my brain’s activating some kind of self-protection mechanism—I just can’t get hyped.
Like I’m back to reality… but not really.
[4560F] I knew it. The editing these past two episodes has been totally unhinged, they’re definitely plotting something.
[4562F] Sponsors have started giving away tickets too—some by lucky draw, some by picking the top 3 most reposted Weibo posts. No need to act anymore, this is basically just making fans do their data work for free.
[4581F] Tsk, already used to it.
[4601F] …Has everyone checked the channel yet?
The final-round voting opens right after the third-round eliminations air, but you can already see that last round’s votes weren’t cleared.
First place is still Yue Zhaolin, with votes in the hundreds of millions.
Second is Tan Shen, with votes in the tens of millions.
[4625F] ……
[4651F] Even if you drag in all the fans from the entire domestic idol scene to vote for Tan Shen, there’s no way to bridge that data gap.
[4668F] So Tide is just cruising to an easy win?
[4717F] How can chasing an idol through a survival show be so effortless for someone… I’m seriously jealous.
[4750F] Their fave is the only top-tier on the show, their fave’s company isn’t some rinky-dink setup, and their fandom’s spending power is leagues ahead.
Is Tide here to stan, or just to enjoy the good life? Honestly, they should tone it down.
