Chapter 36: The Coronation of Emperor Yue
Private cinema, large VIP room.
The room was decorated in a popular modern Chinese style — understated wooden tones, reds, and golds, a blend of solemnity and subtle luxury.
It was Xu Mingmei and Peng Tao’s first time in such a place, and their eyes were filled with curiosity.
Zhou Shengfang ordered some tea and a fruit platter, telling everyone to sit down, have some tea, and chat for a bit.
Xu Mingmei eagerly brought up a topic: “I search Zhaolin’s name on Bilibili every day — and every time, there’s something new. I don’t even have enough coins to give anymore.”
During the daytime, the homepage was filled with things like “Top-notch Beat Sync”, “The Only Idol in C-ent with Game-Level Modeling”, and “Uncut Stage Performance”-type videos;
At night, it would turn into “Sexual Tension”, “Dangerous Hormones” — from BGM to editing style, everything seemed tailor-made for midnight viewing.
Xu Mingmei watched until she was blushing and giggling like a villain under her covers in the middle of the night.
As soon as the topic came up, everyone from Tide at the table nodded vigorously in agreement.
Zhou Shengfang said, “I suddenly had an idea — and I think it’s pretty feasible… So I thought I’d just say it out loud and discuss it with everyone.”
“What idea? Tell us, Sister Zhou.”
Zhou Shengfang said, “I’ve been watching reaction videos on Bilibili, both domestic and international. And overall, the ones from overseas get higher views.”
“One, because foreigners tend to be more expressive, so the entertainment value is higher. Two, when there are more people, the vibe is just better.”
“So now that we’re all gathered here, what if we filmed a reaction video too? It could help promote Zhaolin.”
“It would be filmed from behind, only showing our backs and voices — no faces on camera.”
Zhou Shengfang immediately said, “I completely respect everyone’s personal choice — I’m only asking to see if anyone’s interested.” It wasn’t mandatory.
The first to nod was a woman slightly older than Zhou Shengfang. “I’m fine with it.”
“Me too.”
“It’s okay if we’re not showing our faces.” Several others chimed in one after another.
Xu Mingmei also nodded excitedly — being able to do something for her idol, especially together with fellow fans, gave her a strange sense of fulfillment.
Zhou Shengfang was quick to act, managing to rent a camera and have it express-delivered before the show began.
Meanwhile, on Goose Group, a livestream discussion thread that had been opened just an hour ago had already reached over a hundred floors.
[Goose Gossip Group | Highlights | ‘Starlight’ Episode 1 (Re-edited Version) Livestream Thread]
[Main Post]
RT.
Starlight is airing episodes one and two of the official cut tonight. Dropping a livestream thread here.
One more time — no derogatory nicknames, no mentioning unrelated people. Violators will be blocked and muted, no exceptions.
[4F] I’m here.
[21F] OP, try to monitor the thread in real time. Lately too many “outsiders” have been sneaking in — you can tell by the way they speak, definitely not how Goose regulars talk.
[35F] Emperor Yue hasn’t even officially debuted in variety shows yet, but he’s already racked up hate points from other fandoms. (lol)
[42F] Don’t bring that up again or the thread’s going to go off-topic.
Although no one seems to care, the Starlight official site’s first-round voting page now only lists 100 people. Who dropped out? Is there tea to spill?
[59F] No one in our group cares. What the Geese really want to uncover is what exactly that legendary film/TV opportunity was — the one even resource hogs are jealous of.
[74F] Don’t you all think this was just a fake rumor deliberately released by capital to boost his market value?
[88F] My gut says no.
After the show was re-edited, the Geese developed an inexplicable confidence in Emperor Yue: with him, no matter how absurd it sounds, anything might actually be true.
[93F] Replying to Floor 68: Judging by the number of likes on that post, you really can’t blame Emperor Yue antis for calling Goose Group “Xing Group” — the Geese are truly in love.
[118F] According to Emperor Yue’s antis, Douyin is “Xingyin,” Goose Group is “Xing Group,” Bilibili is “Xingzhan,” and Weibo is “Xingbo”…
There are only so many platforms for following idols, and they’ve basically written off all of them.
[122F] Basically, they’re just mad that their voices across all platforms can’t beat Tide’s — so they cope by lumping everything together under one name.
[135F] Oh man, the Geese’s comments earlier were savage… but the antis do look kinda pitiful. #FeltSoSorryWatching#
[149F] Shaking my leg, waiting~~ing
[234F] It’s on, it’s on!!
[259F] Wasn’t the original first episode three hours long? They cut a whole hour — finally, a more reasonable runtime.
[276F] OMG — aside from Li Ying’s opening monologue staying the same, Emperor Yue is the first trainee to appear, and it’s a full front-facing shot!
[292F] The subtitles said he was running a fever. There was no makeup on his face, a cooling patch stuck to his forehead, eyebrows furrowed as he curled up on the sofa without saying a word — and just like that, the “tragically beautiful and strong” image was set. This clip is prime fan-edit material. I can already feel another Bilibili bloodbath coming…
[301F] As soon as the camera landed on his face, it was like a beauty filter had been turned on. And the shot was so close — it felt like we were lying on the same bed as Emperor Yue. It was kind of… intimate.
[320F] This shot is straight out of an idol drama. Please, Emperor Yue, have mercy on our desperate little romance drama hearts…
[334F] Emperor Yue spoke — but is the mic quality too good or something? I could hear everything.
His voice was even hoarser than during the initial evaluation, and even his breathing sounded heated. I was hit with flashbacks to when I had the flu.
Fever above 38°C, mouth and nose dry enough to breathe fire, even the lungs hurt.
[342F] The symptoms are intense — the fan-angst moment has arrived.
[377F] The opening narration ended and was followed by a short animated demo of the voting process. The only chibi big-head character in the demo was Emperor Yue, who ranked first. The icon even had a blinking animation… Starlight, please, don’t love him this much.
[381F] The trainees have started entering. The editing pace is way better now — especially with fewer random reaction shots from that monkey-like trainee who always looked confused.
[405F] Now that Yue Zhaolin isn’t on screen, the speed of the bullet comments has dropped again — and most of them are people asking, “Where’s Yue Zhaolin?”
They’re spamming the screen every now and then. Honestly, the viewing experience is getting a bit rough. Can Tide please take a refresher course on bullet comment etiquette?
[435F] Has anyone considered… it might not be Tide, but actually my cousin? Because I saw her post one of those bullet comments with my own eyes (lol).
My cousin’s not in any fandom — she watches all kinds of dramas and variety shows, but never follows any bullet comment etiquette. She just posts whatever she feels like.
[478F] “Not in the fandom” = total chaos.
Whenever I watch variety shows or dramas, those IQ-lowering bullet comments that randomly piss me off usually come from people like that.
[537F] Actually, this kind of viewer represents part of the broader “lower-tier market.” From a macro perspective, it’s a good thing — because you can’t rely on hardcore fans alone to carry the view count.
Just look at past mainstream talent shows in China — they always used terms like “grassroots” and “down-to-earth” to resonate with the masses.
Although Starlight is a bit of a special case, since it’s an idol survival show, not a singer-king type of show…
[523F] Still don’t get why people like that would be interested in idol survival shows.
[552F] Replying to Floor 523: Tide, can you stop pretending to be clueless? You just want someone to say, “Wow, Yue Zhaolin has great public appeal,” don’t you?
[This post has been removed.]
[599F] Replying to Floor 552: Which part of what I said hit your nerve? Trying to label me as a fake fan now, miss? One look at your profile and the mystery’s solved.
You’re a Li Ying stan. Oh wow, isn’t that strange? Li Ying and Yue Zhaolin haven’t had any conflict — so why are you so triggered?
[This post has been removed.]
[627F] Calling the OP! Calling the OP!
[651F] OP: I’m here!
…
[735F] Ahem, back on topic. Is it just me, or does it seem like — among everyone who’s appeared so far — the two trainees who were CP-ed with Emperor Yue are standing out more?
There’s Cen Chi from “Chi Yue Eternal” and Meng Yu from “Yue Yu Yun Mu”, plus Chu Li from the dance group.
[757F] What is “Yue Yu Yun Mu”?
[811F] When that iconic “God Gazes Back” group photo dropped, a fan site also posted a pic and mentioned in the caption that they were shipping Yue Zhaolin x Meng Yu.
“Yue Yu Yun Mu” is their CP name. It got kinda popular for a while, but they didn’t really have much chemistry, right? Maybe the fan site was just investing in him before the show?
[837F] I checked — “Yue Yu Yun Mu” is now only posting about Meng Yu? That’s so weird?
[857F] …Using CP fans to gain traction, then purifying the fandom?
[919F] Replying to Floor 857: That’s actually the most logical explanation so far. If you look at when “Yue Yu Yun Mu” popped up, it all feels very manufactured.
Based on Goose Group’s gossip instincts, judging from who benefitted in the end, Meng was definitely the mastermind here.
[935F] What the hell — no way, I thought Meng Yu seemed really honest! I even voted for him?!
[983F] This reminds me of certain C-ent artists who rise to fame on CP hype, only to turn around and deny it, then after “purifying” their fandom, start trash-talking the CP fans who supported them.
So gross.
[1024F] Like leeches sucking the popularity off a top idol — will Meng Yu surpass Cen Chi and become Tide’s most hated trainee?
[1132F] Emperor Yue’s back again!
[1266F] His segment is so much richer this time — not only did they replay the viral festival performance, they also showed a side-by-side of his first time entering the practice room and his company evaluation.
OMG… He really only trained for three months…
What kind of speedrun idol is this?!
[1315F] Is this even real?!
[1323F] Just look at how fast this thread is moving — even die-hard idol fans can’t comprehend this level of talent…
[1367F] Seriously though — are the other trainees just that bad, or is Emperor Yue literally born with the sacred idol physique?
[1493F] Yue Zhaolin is such a glitch character. It feels like Earth is an online simulation, and he’s some higher-dimensional being sent down to save the idol industry — a literal Purple Star.
[1509F] Crown Prince Ying is so abstract — his face just screams “Emperor Yue’s face, my pride.”
[1523F] They aired that scene again where Cen Chi travels across mountains to find Emperor Yue — but this time, they added a line from Crown Prince Ying in the middle:
“Yue Zhaolin has a fever, his throat’s swollen. If there’s something to say, can it wait?”
…Wait, that tone?
[1551F] Can’t believe the production team actually edited that in — looks like they’re trying to revive “ZhaoXun” to compete with “ChiYue Eternal.”
[1573F] There’s no hand-holding or shoulder-grabbing fanservice, but it’s still kinda delicious…
[1579F] While Tide isn’t here — let me just scream: All of Emperor Yue’s CPs are top-tier shippable! It’s that aloof, untouchable vibe of his — absolutely intoxicating!
[2353F] It’s time for Emperor Yue’s initial evaluation again.
Just how much did Starlight hide?! I mean, why was Li Ying’s comment about Emperor Yue’s “breathing being sexy” considered something that needed to be cut, seriously?!
[2365F]
……
I have a ridiculous theory — what if Starlight never actually intended to suppress Emperor Yue in the first place?
[2472F] Just rewatched the initial evaluation. First “A” rank. Absolutely deserved.
Never thought I’d find myself saying that…
[2786F] Checked the progress bar — without realizing it, we’re already at the end of Episode 1.
……
[3105F] WHAT — I was about to close the tab, and Starlight hit me with a bombshell!!
Emperor Yue collapsed after his performance!?
[3221F] ?! Did Starlight choose this scene as the ending because they’re airing Episode 2 right after, so they’re not afraid of Tide storming the place?
[3359F] In the dense crowd, Emperor Yue was surrounded, eyes tightly shut, lips pale — he looked seriously ill. God, I’m feeling so soft right now.
Thank goodness they rushed him to the hospital that night.
[3451F] His initial evaluation wrapped around 2 a.m., right? The “God Gazes Back” photo was taken around that time too — but there were no photos of him being taken to the hospital.
Which means… even while that sick, he went to the hospital, came back, and kept filming until 2–3 a.m., then said nothing about it.
He didn’t want to worry anyone — even told his fan site masters not to wait in the cold and to go home early.
[3567F] Wait a minute — why did Starlight, Xingqiong, and even Yue Zhaolin himself all stay completely silent about this? When he greeted fansite masters and accidentally revealed the IV mark on the back of his hand, marketing accounts and trending searches picked it up immediately. Wasn’t that a perfect opportunity for pre-release hype?
[3569F] I just got chills…
On instinct, I really want to stan an idol like this. But rationally, I’m also scared to — because when you can actually feel an idol’s sincerity, it’s kind of terrifying.
Because it’s addicting.
That old saying “genuine feelings for genuine feelings” — it’s real.
[3683F] An idol’s sincerity…
[3891F] Did Xingqiong plan this whole “suppress before the rise” arc from the start? That’s some master-level scheming.
[3899F] I’ve said before — Yue Zhaolin’s always felt a bit off. Whether it’s his looks or personality. And now it’s all being confirmed again.
[3911F] It’s over. Sister Tide, already a toxic solo stan, is about to fully evolve into an ultimate ride-or-die.
[4088F] My scalp is tingling. Can we just rename these two episodes “The Coronation of Emperor Yue”?
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**TN
Xing Group – “狌” (xīng) is a mocking or distorted character netizens use in place of “星” (xīng), which means “star” (as in “celebrity”) in Chinese.
