Chapter 88: The Third Ranking Announcement (2)
Li Xu drifted onto the stage in a daze, like he was sleepwalking.
It was obvious he was trying to maintain his self-styled “cool tough guy” image, but his stammering advancement speech was hard to take seriously.
“Thank you, Starseekers. I never thought I’d get such a high ranking… uh… well, I did think about it, but only like a dream, never thought it would really happen… thank you for recognizing me, um… every small step forward is actually a big step forward… right, I’ll keep working hard.”
[Bro, listen to what you’re even saying, lol 233]
[I thought Li Xu would, like last time, just coolly drop a line like: ‘I deserve this ranking.’]
[He kinda was trying to say that though.]
[Sounds totally improvised.]
[Me, when my professor asks something in my thesis defense I didn’t prepare for: ]
Watching his roommate walk toward the advancement area, Lai Yudong felt like he was seeing his old self. In the earlier stages, every time rankings and votes were announced, his brain would go completely blank in shock.
But by comparison, his first stage performance and first ranking had been even more nerve-wracking, so the fact that he could now manage to deliver a speech with complete logic showed just how hard-won it was.
Before revealing the debut spots, by tradition they first announced the trainees who advanced by filling the open slots.
The moment Jin Xiheng’s face appeared on the big screen, Lai Yudong let out a long sigh of relief. False alarm—he had almost thought dorm 706 would be left with only Su Junzhe.
Though the process had its ups and downs, all his friends had boarded this bus bound for the finals. They would still be able to share this last stretch together for the same dream.
This was also the one and only ranking announcement where none of his friends were eliminated.
Thank goodness.
“Next, we’ll announce the top seven.” Fu Hanyu glanced at the cue card and dropped a line that made hearts skip a beat: “There’s been a big shake-up in the upper ranks.”
“Seventh place.”
“This trainee is recognized as the main vocal of Stardom, who already had immense popularity even before the competition began. Taking the stage is the continuation of a romantic promise between him and his fans.”
[Is it Zhao Yifeng?]
[They mentioned a ‘promise,’ it must be Zhao Yifeng.]
[But ‘continuation’ seems to point to Xu An though?]
[Zhao Yifeng also makes sense.]
[Didn’t they say the upper ranks changed a lot? Zhao Yifeng was seventh last time.]
[But they didn’t say every ranking changed.]
“Congratulations, Xu An.”
The venue erupted in uproar.
“Xu An??”
“How is he only seventh? Wasn’t he third last time?”
“Maybe it’s because of the voting limits…”
Only the person himself rose calmly to his feet. No matter what ranking he received, he never showed joy or disappointment.
Lai Yudong couldn’t believe his ears. Even if Xu An’s popularity had been trending downward, he never imagined Xu An would barely scrape into the top seven at the third ranking.
From second place, down to third, and now all the way to seventh—the drop was far too steep.
[? Xu An that low??]
[The production definitely suppressed his votes, right???]
[Why are Xu An’s fans always lost in the delusion that he’s more popular than he really is…]
[It’s normal, everyone’s fighting with limited votes in the third round.]
[Good thing the vote limits started now in the third ranking. If they’d only imposed them in the finals, Xu An’s fans would be screaming about rigging, lol 233.]
[But Anmu’s popularity isn’t that low, right? He even got to attend a fansign.]
[Open your eyes and look at his offline ticket sales.]
[Lol, that fansign only gave out free spots, almost no dedicated fans actually went in person. Want tickets? Sure. Want to spend money? Nope.]
The barrage of comments kept flying nonstop.
On the advancement seats, Li Xu—who had been waiting by the steps—went up to hug Xu An. From the waiting seats, Lai Yudong watched the two with complicated feelings, wishing he could leap across the stage to join them right away.
He had never imagined an outcome where Xu An couldn’t debut, and had even fantasized about the three of them debuting together.
As expected, until the very last moment, everything remained uncertain.
And the changes weren’t over yet.
“Sixth place.”
“This trainee was the center position in the third group performance, and earned triple-digit on-site votes. He’s become more and more relaxed on stage, proving to the Starseekers again and again that he has lived up to their love.”
[Who got triple digits as center?]
[Little Su? Dropping from first to sixth really is a huge change, lol 233]
[Pretty obvious it’s Qu Xincheng.]
[Though, uh… Qu ranked sixth in the second round too.]
[That would be kind of scary.]
Fu Hanyu put down the cue card, and in the tension-thick air that seemed frozen solid, he turned his gaze toward the Grotesque team.
“Congratulations, Miura Yuki.”
The camera cut to Lai Yudong, who had just finished steadying his emotions.
On the big screen, he sat quietly, looking straight ahead without the slightest flicker of surprise at his lowered ranking. When the camera landed on him the next second, he lifted his lips into a faint, appropriate smile.
—As expected, he had dropped.
[Yuzu only sixth????]
[Wow, other than his basically useless pre-show popularity, isn’t this the lowest Yuzu has ever ranked?]
[These past few days, Yuzu’s fans have been bragging everywhere, I almost thought Miura Yuki was going to take the crown.]
[Relax—just look at the limited fansign photocards on resell sites. Even at five digits they can’t get scooped up, and they’re still the most expensive among the top seven. Anyone with eyes can tell how strong Yuzu’s popularity really is.]
[Doesn’t matter, I just know my fave has been part of every battlefield.]
[707 consecutive rankings?]
[Feels like déjà vu from the pre-show rankings…]
[No, seriously, can’t you line up 5–6–7 instead? Why 6–7–8!]
[I’m so scared all three of them will drop out in the finals.]
[Tch, tch, don’t jinx it.]
Even as his rank fell, Lai Yudong’s mood was as steady as if Xu An’s spirit had taken over him—calm, without the slightest ripple.
After consecutively winning center position in the third group performance, first place in on-site votes for that stage, and second place at the fansign, he had faintly sensed a drop was coming. Added to that, when he saw the sea of primrose yellow at the fansign and heard the gentle reminders from his fans, he had already braced himself mentally.
Honestly, this was higher than he had expected.
The fans’ worried faces back then had made him imagine the worst—falling out of debut range altogether.
In that light, sixth place actually felt pretty high.
Rising to fifth, dropping to fourth, then down to sixth—it wasn’t much of a difference, up or down.
Maybe it was because things had been steadily moving in a good direction that the pressure arose—that his ranking must keep climbing. But considering he started all the way at fifty-fifth, sixth was still very high, and even within debut range.
In truth, whether sixth place or sixteenth, behind every rank were fans who worked tirelessly day and night to vote.
It was the fruit of their effort on his behalf.
“I’ll go wait for you in the advancement area.” Lai Yudong spread his arms and hugged the worried-looking Zhao Yifeng back, saying lightly, “Hopefully your name won’t be announced right after mine.”
Zhao Yifeng relaxed a little. “Sitting next to you wouldn’t be so bad.”
“Still, a higher rank would be even better.”
Lai Yudong walked onto the stage. He stood at the standing mic on the podium, accompanied by Fu Hanyu’s question.
“Ever since your ending pose went viral, your ranking has skyrocketed and then steadily continued to rise. You’ve always been considered a strong contender for the top three, but this time your rank dropped. How are you feeling at this moment?”
Lai Yudong adjusted the microphone and answered calmly, neither humble nor arrogant:
“The first time I did a post-stage interview, the staff asked me to predict my final ranking. My answer was 80th place—that’s a number that means elimination in the very first round.”
“At that time, I couldn’t even imagine… even if you removed a zero from my prediction, it still wouldn’t match the real ranking I had. Being able to make it all the way to the third stage and still maintain such a high ranking—I already feel very lucky.”
“No matter what my ranking is, I’m always full of gratitude. It’s only because of the Starseekers’ choice that I have the qualification to stand here.”
“Thank you, everyone. I look forward to seeing you in the finals.”
After speaking, he gave the camera a bright smile, as clear and open as a cloudless sky, lifting people’s moods just by looking at him.
[Yuzu’s smile is so radiant, it makes my heart ache even more.]
[Commemorating my baby’s first time not bawling during a ranking announcement… but I’m about to cry to death instead (blank stare).]
[I admit I’m kind of being emotionally wrecked…]
[Help, don’t tell me Yuzu thinks he won’t debut T T]
[If I don’t vote Dong-baby’s rank up, I won’t rest in peace.]
[I said all along Yuzu wasn’t that stable. It’s fine to brag in his fan group, but you had to go waving banners around in public? Look what happened now. Yuzu didn’t cry, but did you cry?]
[Some delusional Yuzu fans hyped him up blindly, and now both Yuzu and the fandom are paying the price. I swear I hate you guys so much.]
[So this is the power of the third ranking’s “fan torture” arc, huh?]
Lai Yudong: ?
Wait, how did this turn into “torturing the fans”?
He truly wanted to reassure everyone—he wasn’t nearly as devastated as they imagined—but somehow, it seemed to have had the opposite effect?
W-was that considered saying the wrong thing?
Forget it. What’s said is said; there’s no taking it back. And it’s not like he could just stay at the podium and respond to the barrage of comments one by one.
Besides, it really was how he felt.
As long as he could debut, he would already be satisfied.
Lai Yudong sat down in the single armchair for sixth place, and the rankings continued to be announced.
Just as Fu Hanyu had said, there was a lot of movement within the debut spots—not just the former top-ranked trainees dropping to sixth and seventh.
When some fall, others naturally rise.
“Fifth place.”
“This trainee has entered the debut lineup for the first time. He’s a dual-positioner in dance and rap…”
“Congratulations, Bai Xuanhe.”
[Holy, how did Brother Bai climb so fast?]
[Herthes only have eyes for the rankings.]
[Our fandom is all about being heartless—don’t care about any chart but this one.]
[Careful, if you’re heartless even toward your own fave, will the final ranking be heartless toward you too?]
“Fourth place.”
“This trainee has broken past stereotypes and proved his stage charisma through an outstanding performance in the third group stage…”
“Congratulations, Qu Xincheng.”
[The company really put in effort, lol 233]
[He’s riding the current wave of momentum; no way the company would sabotage itself now.]
[Qu Xincheng is like some neglected prince raised with no care from either parent.]
[Xiao Qu placed fourth in on-site votes during the third stage—well deserved.]
[Miura was first in on-site votes, and he’s only sixth.]
“Third place.”
“This trainee added a splash of color to the third stage with his singing. This time, he’s finally regained the popularity he had before the competition…”
“Congratulations, Zhao Yifeng.”
[The Feng fans went all in this round.]
[I love those OP votes.]
[Teacher Zhao finally climbed back up!]
Lai Yudong felt like a hotel greeter, standing up, sitting down, and standing up again.
Since the trainees ranked higher than him this time included many close friends, his welcome had to be especially enthusiastic.
He couldn’t just stay rooted in his armchair like a potted plant.
Just as he had when leaving the waiting area, Lai Yudong gave Zhao Yifeng a big hug as he entered the advancement seats. “Congrats—you didn’t end up sitting next to me.”
“But our spots are still pretty close,” Zhao Yifeng said with a smile. “If next time we end up side by side, that’d be even better—though since odd and even numbers are on different sides, maybe with just one person between us would be ideal?”
It took Lai Yudong a second to realize he was talking about final center positions. “You’re thinking a bit far ahead.”
“Not really—there are only a few days left.”
Once Zhao Yifeng sat down, only the top two spots remained.
The scene was identical to the second round.
Su Junzhe and Mo Li once again stood on the stage, vying for first place. On the big screen, their faces showed seemingly relaxed smiles, but anyone standing there could not possibly be free of nerves—
Unless it was someone like Xu An, who had already weathered truly massive stages before.
But the outcome this time was entirely different from the second round.
“Congratulations, Mo Li.”
[Yes!! Mo Li’s back to number one!]
[Li fans really came through this time.]
[I thought first place would go to Su Junzhe.]
[Now it’s impossible to guess who will be final center—it really could be either of them.]
[The race between these two is so tight.]
Speeches, farewells, departures.
And with that, the third ranking announcement came to an end, and all votes from this stage were cleared.
Next would be the final stage that decided the debut lineup.
The road to the finals had officially opened.
