If I Can’t Be a Fanboy, I Can Only Debut

Fate always seems to like surprising us when we least expect it.

When Luo Xin was lucky enough to join a strong team, fate gave them a song that didn't require much skill.

However, no matter how much they hated the unfairness of fate, they couldn't do anything about it during the competition. They still had to encourage themselves to do their best because time waits for no one, and the program's camera was waiting for them to do something to edit into the show.

With Shang Lin included, their team actually had three dance leaders, which could be considered quite luxurious.

But using a choreography like a health exercise in the program was a bit of a waste, considering even Luo Xin could follow the dance's difficulty by self-learning. So, compared to others, their preparation time was too abundant.

So a few idle people got together and spent a whole morning deciding on their group's C position.

A whole morning.

They said they were competing for the C position, but there were not many serious competitors.

Not wanting to be in the C position is different from not wanting to compete for it. After all, no one is a player who will give up easily, and ultimately it is decided by their abilities. There is no real pushing and shoving, treating the C position as a hot potato.

Luo Xin doesn't have any ambition for the C position this time. He has a good sense of self-awareness. Although he is eager to stand out, it's not a good time now. So he just watched his teammates from the sidelines and observed their moves.

As expected of dance leaders, He Xin and Qi Bowen both chose to show off their cool street dance moves. One did a 360-degree turn, while the other casually showed off his abs during a one-handed handstand. If there were fans present, the cheers could have brought down the roof.

Rapper Xun Xiao is very low-key. Although he often has no expression, based on the previous programs that Luoxin has watched, he is probably just habitually quiet.

As for Shang Lin, he is diligent and honest, not playing any crooked tricks. He may have a hard time getting on variety shows if he becomes popular in the future.

Everyone was showcasing their talents, but the focus was on communication and there was no tension, so the atmosphere was good. Unlike the young people in the next team, who were almost arguing over the C position, Luo Xin looked enviously at them, at least they had something to look forward to.

It's not like their team, who were just playing in the first round.

However, it's not entirely harmonious either.

Luo Xin's gaze fell on Hua Liang, who was always cooperating and reacting at the level of variety shows.

To be honest, Luo Xin can't quite figure him out.

Because it wasn't until they formed the team that he saw this player, who seemed unremarkable before.

And although Hua Liang's reactions were always big and often produced some effects, like someone who is good at variety shows, Luo Xin always felt a faint sense of incongruity about him.

After watching for a while, Hua Liang seemed to notice his gaze and even winked at Luo Xin, "Do you also think I'm suitable to be the C position in our team, Luo Xin?" Then he joked about himself.

It can be said that half of the lively atmosphere in their team was created by Hua Liang.

However, although Hua Liang seemed to be actively participating, he was actually quite persistent about the C position.

After everyone had finished joking, Hua Liang picked a good time and made a serious statement, "Well, after all the laughter, I also want to share my thoughts with you all."

"I used to be in the F class, but I never got promoted."

When he said this, Hua Liang had a helpless smile on his face.

The others gradually became serious and listened carefully to what he had to say.

Hua Liang continued, "To be honest, I debuted before, but I guess none of you have heard of me."

"I have also accepted my fate. Maybe I was just not meant to be popular, so..." He scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed. "I really want to compete for the C position."

"If it were a more intense style of song, I probably wouldn't even try to compete. Everyone on our team is more capable and qualified than me."

"But since this song doesn't seem to fit anyone's style perfectly, maybe I can give it a try?"

"I saw the rankings from the first round, and I was third from the bottom."

"Maybe I'll be eliminated in the first elimination round, so I cherish this stage and opportunity very much."

"Please, everyone, give me a chance."

Hua Liang's speech was heartfelt, and Luo Xin listened attentively.

As he listened, he finally understood why he found Hua Liang so strange before.

He knew Hua Liang.

Or rather, Hua Haoyan.

Yes, among the countless short-lived crushes that Luo Xin had, there were many small beans that he couldn't even remember.

He saw Hua Haoyan on a mixed talent show of some kind. At the time, Luo Xin was purely there to see his middle-aged idol, the judge Zhu Geshen.

But among all the strange contestants, he spotted this very shy-looking young man who seemed a bit clueless and awkward during his interview with the host, taking a long time to answer.

At the time, Luo Xin was on a break, so he became a fan of this kid.

And because the competition was held not far from his home, he made a banner and a poster and went to the event to experience it, and even got the kid's autograph.

Hua Haoyan was singing at the time, and the song was not easy, but his outstanding talent got him to the semifinals.

Unfortunately, he lost to a team of middle-aged women doing square dancing in the end. 

Since then, Luo Xin gradually lost track of him, only hearing that he signed with a company and released a single, but it didn't sell very well.

Later, Luo Xin moved on to new things because of his new interests, and quickly forgot about this little idol.

When they met again, Luo Xin was surprised to find that he had changed his name and his image.

Watching Hua Liang talk confidently and remembering how he always did various showy effects before, Luo Xin couldn't help but reflect on how terrifying the entertainment industry can be.

What has become of that innocent kid?

Anyway, because of their previous interactions and good relationships with their teammates, as well as his willingness to do whatever it takes, Hua Liang's position as the C position is almost guaranteed.

Others are also considering giving him a chance to fulfill his C-position dream, since they don't really care about it this time, and Hua Liang seems to be the most suitable person for this song, being more lively than the rest of them.

You should know that the C-position in the choreography has way more cute and pouty expressions than the others, even a specific move where you poke your face with both index fingers, which will definitely have a close-up shot.

Just thinking about it gives some of the cool boys the shivers and makes them shake in broad daylight.

Luo Xin doesn't want to let him have it so easily, so he speaks very bluntly before the final vote: "Since everyone has spoken, I will say a few words too."

"Please remember, we are here to compete."

"The final performance is about everyone's results, not something that can be given away. I hope everyone can think about the competition and not vote impulsively."

As for fighting for screen time, who doesn't know how to do it?

And doesn't Hua Liang know that the audience doesn't buy into cuteness anymore?

Nowadays, people love characters that are ruthless, straightforward, and scheming.

If you can't even write a script, no wonder you're not famous yet. You haven't reached the right level yet.

Luo Xin feels sorry for him, but he strikes quickly and precisely.

Of course, if he doesn't vote for Hua Liang in the end, he may need to be more persuasive.

But even if he is interviewed later, he still maintains his character: "I only consider the competition, and indeed he is the only one in our team who is most suitable for this song."

The contrasting character is really attractive!

As the contestants nervously prepare for their first stage performance, public opinion outside the venue finally begins to ferment.

Although there was a lot of discussion during the promotion before the first episode was broadcast, the embarrassing thing is that the viewing and popularity of the first episode did not meet everyone's expectations.

Compared to other shows airing at the same time, it is certainly competitive, but it is far from reaching the level of those previously popular talent shows.

So the production team is still unwilling, especially the director, Zhuang Jian.

He went to great lengths to find a group of previously debuted contestants and fought with the TV station executives to regain the director's rights. He didn't do all this just to make an ordinary good show. Without the word "explosive," he would not be worthy of his efforts.

Naturally, he had to start working outside the competition and find various angles for marketing and hype.

The first marketing point was the most talked-about topic, Shao Xiangchen.

As luck would have it, before joining the show, Shao Xiangchen was mocked by everyone and was known only as the "ex-girlfriend of the heavenly king's current dating partner" without even a name.

But now, he held a hot single, with the title of singer-songwriter, which immediately attracted many fans. Combined with his good looks and various past performances on stage, his popularity gradually increased, making it seem like he would become a guarantee for the show's ratings.

Actually, this is not surprising.

Even negative news is better than no news in the entertainment industry. Moreover, Shao Xiangchen's situation cannot be considered strict black material. By releasing some true and false information, it can actually help solidify his fan base, attract new fans, and revive his career.

In short, the program successfully hyped up the show's popularity through Shao Xiangchen, which also helped to boost his own popularity and achieved a win-win situation with his agency.

The other major selling point of the show is its variety show effect.

Due to China's unique circumstances, many talent shows are not as high-minded and geared towards fulfilling dreams as they advertise, but rather lean towards the variety show aspect with humor, conflicts, and drama. The sharper the emotions, the higher the ratings and topic discussions.

Therefore, in the end, "Super Idol 001" also chose the variety show route.

Of course, it may also be because it's difficult to turn a competition among a group of guys into a palace intrigue drama, and the audience may not necessarily buy it, so they can only stick to the variety show route.

Anyway, just a few days after the show aired, many marketing accounts released a highlights reel of the first episode.

To maintain suspense, only half of the preliminary auditions were shown in the first episode.

The parts chosen by the editing team for promotion were all highly effective for a variety show.

For example, the terrified faces of the bking dance team and the rappers as they were forced to sing high notes and repeatedly tested the limits of their vocal range, or the strange and sinister power plays between the judges.

It attracted the attention of some variety show enthusiasts and the first episode's views kept rising.

By the second episode, the number of views had actually doubled compared to the first episode, and there was much more discussion. It was starting to approach the explosive level.

The ordinary netizen "Runaway Tail" was attracted to the program by the hilarious highlight reel.

The pressures of work and daily life were so great that she found it difficult to think about deeper things or be moved by things like dreams. Her daily routine consisted of scrolling through video apps, and she happened to come across a funny clip carefully crafted by the production team.

She fell in love with it at first sight.

Unfortunately, the clip was very short, so she went to find the full episode to watch, feeling unsatisfied.

Even though she knew that the full episodes wouldn't be as interesting as the highlights, she still decided to watch them on her rare day off, just to pass the time.

However, before she knew it, two hours had passed.

Yes, she had managed to binge-watch both episodes at once.

Runaway Tail had watched plenty of variety shows before, and even some talent competitions.

But she had to admit that none of them had been as entertaining as "Super Idol 001".

Yes, it was definitely interesting.

The program started with a contestant speaking in Sichuan dialect. It seemed like he hadn't been on stage for a long time. Looking at the stage, he exclaimed several times in a row, "Wow, this stage is so bright!" Then he turned to his friend beside him and said, "Could you help me open my bag and get my ladle?"

The friend was confused and replied in his own Northeastern accent, "Never mind that you changed your clothes, the company lent us these clothes and there's nothing in the pockets. Even if there was, why do you need a ladle right now?"

The contestant looked confused and said, "I'll hit you with it to see if it hurts."

The friend rolled his eyes at him.

Runaway Tail laughed out loud.

Apart from these interesting clips, the performances of the contestants in the show are actually very impressive.

A large proportion of the contestants in the show have either debuted before or have had multiple audition experiences. Although it is inevitable to encounter some awkward situations, experience sometimes represents strength and level.

It can be said that everyone who can step onto this stage has some talent, even those who have been relegated to the F class. Runaway Tail feels it's a pity to see them go.

Their performances were not bad at all, why do they look like this?

However, when Luo Xin appeared on stage, Runaway Tail's eyes suddenly lit up.

Luo Xin is not traditionally handsome, he doesn't have sharp eyebrows or starry eyes, nor does he have a striking appearance.

However, words like indifference and aloofness that were not specifically described were expressed on his face. This stirred Runaway Tail's heart, making her want to give him the best and generating a desire to vote for him.

And when Luo Xin sang, it was even more remarkable.

Under the lights, Luo Xin's teary-eyed singing was very moving. Although he didn't have much of an expression, when coupled with his temperament, Runaway Tail couldn't help but burst into tears.

The same thing happened in many places.

Even on certain forums, Luo Xin's photos were enlarged and sparked a frenzy of discussion.

Of course, Runaway Tail and others may not know that some people are naturally like this.

Because they are called "M" due to their name.

Anyway, unlike regular fans who are just fans of someone's looks or voice, there are suddenly many passionate fans in Luo Xin's fan base, and their goal is to make Luo Xin happy.

The last person with this kind of relationship was probably King Zhou of Shang and his concubine Bao Si.

Congratulations to Luo Xin.