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

Luo Xin sat in the corner, feeling helpless and defeated. In the past, he would have been thrilled to see so many of his favorite idols gathered together, but ever since he became infatuated with Shao Xiangchen, he no longer cared about any other idols. Now, even the one person he cared about didn't seem to matter to him anymore, and he felt bored with his life as a fanboy.

He muttered to himself, "It doesn't matter anyway. I won't be able to attend the next competition, so I might as well just throw away all my merch when I get home. Nobody will want it."

Initially, he had hoped to confront Shao Xiangchen and demand answers, but now he realized it was pointless. Being a fan was not an equal relationship with the idol, and all his efforts were his own. When he had supported Shao Xiangchen by writing positive comments and essays, he had never asked for his opinion or approval. In the end, all his words and actions meant nothing to Shao Xiangchen.

In summary, being a fan was a one-sided relationship, and Luo Xin realized that he had been investing too much in it.

He didn't ask when he liked Shao Xiangchen -- so, now that he's giving up, he [SXC] shouldn't need it anymore, right?

Luo Xin is a straightforward fan who can let go easily.

Just as Luo Xin was mentally preparing himself to leave after the show and return to being a noble, ordinary fan among the masses, two contestants nearby began to gossip.

It seemed that they had finished their performance, as there was no tension on their faces and they seemed relaxed.

Luo Xin had chosen his seat carefully, as it was in a visual blind spot with a large piece of equipment blocking the view, and the stage was far away. It was the perfect place for someone to think and ponder alone.

Of course, it was also perfect for those who liked to complain.

For example, at this moment, the lead singer of the Flying Elephant Band, Sun Lian, and bassist Liu Ma.

"F*ck, I'm so tired. Is this show crazy?" Liu Ma crossed her legs and rolled her eyes. "What kind of broken segment is this? It's been around for hundreds of years and they're still doing this!"

Sun Lian patted her teammate's shoulder and said, "Alright, who asked our company to only have us as a decent option?"

Luo Xin nodded in agreement. That was true.

The Flying Elephant Band had just gained some popularity on this year's band program, even though their skills were average, and the members were put together at the last minute. However, they had a loyal fan base because they looked decent.

Since the band program was this year's, their popularity was still high, and their company probably wanted them to get a better ranking so they could do more marketing in the future. That's why they sent the contestants to this new program.

Although it was a bit rushed, it was a routine operation, and Luo Xin understood it well.

"But for this kind of program, how many times have they brought back the same old faces?" Liu Ma suddenly had a smug smile on her face as if she had thought of something. "I heard that Shao Xiangchen is here too!"

Sun Lian also smiled knowingly, "I don't know how he has the courage to come out. Isn't he embarrassed?"

"Well, he's been out of the spotlight for so long. It's only natural that he wants to seize this opportunity now that there's a bit of heat," Liu Ma said.

"Does he even have the right to take advantage of this little bit of heat? His name wasn't even mentioned in that hot search. It's so embarrassing!" Sun Lian added.

"Hahaha, he's just a little idol. There's nothing we can do about it," Liu Ma said.

Luo Xin, a straightforward fan, closed his eyes. He wasn't particularly upset because he had seen more discussions online before. When Shao Xiangchen was at his peak, the insults he received from his haters were countless.

What was the point of all this?

Since he had decided to leave the fandom, he had to really let go of Shao Xiangchen.

He didn't need to handle anti-fans anymore. With this in mind, he forced a smile on his face and said to himself, "I'm fine. It's okay if they talk behind my back. I won't lose anything."

"Didn't a reporter ask the Heavenly King about that hot search thing before? He just said 'What does it have to do with me?'" Liu Ma said.

"Why are you so gossipy! But that's so funny. I can't stop laughing just thinking about it," Sun Lian added.

"If it were me, I don't think I would have the courage to go out and face people. How could he take advantage of this hot search?" Liu Ma said.

"Hey, getting on the trending list every time after sleeping with the Heavenly King's ex-girlfriend isn't a bad deal..."

Hearing this, Luo Xin opened his eyes.

Dirty.

Disgusting.

Luo Xin clenched his fists. Not to mention Shao Xiangchen, who had at least been famous before, but what were these two people who he used to be a fan of? A few brainless fans praised them, and they thought they were something? They didn't even have a representative work, and relied on singing other people's songs to make money at various events. It was bad enough that they lip-synced, but they also pretended to play instruments. Did they really think they were legitimate artists just because they participated in a band program?

Luo Xin didn't even need to think about it and could easily list out seventeen or eighteen pieces of dirt on these two clowns in front of him.

Shao Xiangchen may be clueless, but it was not up to these two people to talk like this.

At this moment, Luo Xin hated that his phone had been confiscated by the program group. Otherwise, he would have torn them apart on the Elephant Square and the Super Topic to let the Elephant's fans know how powerful he was!

Although he was angry, Luo Xin knew that this was not the place to vent, so he suppressed his anger and listened to these two fools finish their idle chatter before slowly walking out. At that moment, he made a decision.

He would make Shao Xiangchen popular again!

As a fan, even if he had to leave the fandom, he wanted to do it spectacularly, not just run away.

---

One day passed, and the long "audition" finally came to an end.

Luo Xin had something on his mind as he maintained a poker face and stood in place, waiting for the results to be announced. He couldn't wait to get his phone back and start his revenge plan, which involved using his one hundred fake accounts to vote and boost Shao Xiangchen's rankings.

Wait and see, the king of the fan circle is about to return!

This time, he would disrupt the entertainment industry!

"... Number 77, Luo Xin..."

Huh? Did they just call his name? Was this the elimination list? Luo Xin's career aspirations had already spread to dominating the small idol circle, and he was ready to push Shao Xiangchen to the top of the powerhouse list. Suddenly hearing his name, he was confused.

"... Number 97, Tomorrow Group..."

Wasn't this the group that Shao Xiangchen's company had just created? Did Shao Xiangchen... get eliminated?

No worries, there are different ways to play elimination. He could change his previous strategy and revise his rainbow text, and isn't elimination and revival even more dramatic?

"Congratulations to the above contestants for successfully advancing!"

???

Although his poker face made him look calm and not at all like someone who had advanced, Luo Xin's heart had already erupted like a volcano. A hundred thousand meaningless words of exclamation rushed through his mind, and in the end, he had only one sentence left:

"I knew this flop show was unprofessional. Even someone like me can make it to the second round. How unprofessional!"

As he thought about it, he couldn't help but feel angry. He glared at Shao Xiangchen, who was not far behind him, and thought, "You didn't even pick a good program to participate in the audition. Are you worthy of the efforts your mother put in for you?"

"Brother, why is that person in front of us staring at you?" asked Xu Cang, the youngest member of the team, curiously.

Luo Xin's appearance was very eye-catching, especially his expression that was as still as a mountain and his aloof temperament that was quite different from others. Xu Cang had also been paying attention to him. So when Luo Xin stared at Shao Xiangchen for two minutes, he was discovered.

Shao Xiangchen didn't think too much about it and casually said, "He's probably staring at our group. After all, all the contestants around us are leaving."

This was not surprising.

After all, they had come prepared, with both their performances and costumes professionally prepared, which was much better than those of the pure amateurs.

But Shao Xiangchen still looked back at Luo Xin. His face was full of indifference, and his temperament was out of the ordinary, which made him very envious.

Having been in the entertainment industry for so long, he was no longer a newcomer, and he already understood what it meant to be different from others in the industry.

It meant that it was difficult for anyone to replace you.

How great that would be.

Shao Xiangchen smiled lightly. Most of his early fans had already left. He thought that "Different" would give him a new opportunity, but then the hot search happened...

Perhaps even his last few fans couldn't bear to watch anymore, and as he looked at his list of followers that was no longer updating, he didn't know what to say.

He decided to participate in the new program anyway.

He didn't have anything left to lose, so he might as well go for it.

What if...?

Shao Xiangchen knew that the program team had invited him for the sake of popularity, and the company had sent him to guide his teammates who were "more hopeful" than him.

But it didn't matter, he still had value. Whether it was the company or the program team, they would keep him going. So, he still had plenty of time and experiences that others didn't have...and faith.

After announcing the list of contestants who made it to the next round, the program team's staff quickly restored order and asked the eliminated contestants to leave.

Luo Xin crossed his arms and watched the scene coldly.

He was very unhappy now. After all, his "Shao Xiangchen's popularity plan" had been disrupted by the program team at the first step, which made him want to quit the competition.

However, after years of immersion in the entertainment industry, his mind was filled with marketing plans and various whimsical ideas, and another brilliant plan came to his mind! This plan is called the "Shao Xiangchen Blood Sucking Plan"!

As the name suggests, Luo Xin will take every opportunity in the program to promote CP with Shao Xiangchen. When the CP becomes popular, he will create a negative image of someone taking advantage of Shao Xiangchen to increase his own popularity. This will draw a large number of CP fans to Shao Xiangchen's side.

The moment he came up with this plan, Luo Xin felt like a genius!

In all talent shows throughout history, even in various variety shows, TV dramas, and movies, what can bring the most attention to a person? Or disgraced artists like Shao Xiangchen?

Of course, it's CP!

Luo Xin is a fan who understands what fans want to see the most. He takes matters into his own hands and thinks he can make this CP pairing popular. He's even come up with a name for them, "Constellation CP," 1 which has a double meaning to make people think of certain things.

What? Why is Luo Xin's name mentioned first?

Of course, it's to make it easier to develop the "Revenge Queen" setting for Shao Xiangchen later on!

Once Luo Xin has made his plan, he quickly feels better and even puts on a smile. He walks up to Shao Xiangchen and asks, "Are you sad?"

When Shao Xiangchen hears the sudden question, he's a bit confused. He looks at the person next to him, who seems to be saying 'stay away from me,' and can't be sure if he's being addressed. His eyes are full of fear.

Luo Xin doesn't get an answer, so he patiently asks again, "When you see the tears of those who leave, don't you think the entertainment industry is cruel?"

He thinks it's simple. Shao Xiangchen is also from a talent show background, so he should be able to empathize with those who leave. It's not a big deal to say a few words at this time, especially since he sees the camera pointing in their direction and the microphone is close by. He's put a lot of effort into creating a perfect first encounter for "Constellation CP."

Unfortunately, Shao Xiangchen is destined not to perceive Luo Xin's hard work.

He looked confused and exchanged a glance with his teammate, not really understanding why this person was asking such a "sharp" question. He added, "Um, I don't think they seem particularly sad?"

After Shao Xiangchen's reminder, Luo Xin carefully observed the eliminated contestants and suddenly fell silent.

Where did this idiot show come from? Why did they invite so many strange people, these energetic boys and extravagant aristocrats? 

All of these "eliminated contestants" had joyful smiles on their faces, and when they left, each of them took a red envelope from the staff at the door.

This broken show is a mess!

---

Footnotes

1. 星象 [Xīngxiàng] - from their first names. Refers to the configurations of the stars (used in navigation and astrology, formerly studied for their supposed influence on human affairs)