Both boy groups were in the open, while their companies and fan support teams worked behind the scenes.
In reality, FALSE didn’t even deserve to be compared with Crown, having reached this stage solely through capital investment and bundled marketing strategies.
The Gem sisters, usually gentle and adorable in front of their idols, had now entered a warrior mode, teaching male fans a week in advance how to manipulate data and solicit votes across various channels.
This time, they aimed to not only dominate from the start but also to conceal some of their strength to prevent the opponent from surging ahead at the last minute. The goal was to perform even better than last year.
From the moment the voting channel opened, the only ones truly watching the performance were the casual viewers.
Meanwhile, the fans of FALSE were also tirelessly voting and charting, equally full of fighting spirit.
FALSE, which means fictitious or incorrect in English, symbolizes a bold and brash red cross.
Their fans, calling themselves “Masquerades”, followed their lead with all their might.
If they could pull Crown down from the pinnacle—if they could personally create a new legend, what a sense of achievement that would be!
Inside SPF, those with money contributed financially and others supported in different ways. The public relations department prepared dozens of press releases for various scenarios, ready to be deployed at any time, and the trending topics on social media had been heavily sponsored and arranged to appear no matter the situation.
Front desk and logistics staff, after finishing their shifts, didn’t leave. Instead, they delivered energy bars and coffee to the programmers, accompanying them in monitoring data flow and joining in the voting process on their phones.
The silent confrontation of the two big capitals turned the splendid performances on stage into something like war songs.
Their fifth album was titled “Role Play”, intended to break free from old labels and showcase the unique charm of each member from different angles.
Out of twelve songs, four were choreographed group dances, and three were story-driven dances.
The first round’s theme was “Against the Light”, perfectly encapsulating the main song “Moon Eater”, and the performance was spectacular.
@Is_Ah_Zhi_Also_A_Gem: Brothers!! This wild style!!! My hormones!!! I don’t want to vote anymore, just want to hug the TV screen and scream like crazy!! What’s with this show and its rankings, let me watch it a hundred times on TV—
@Big_Bluefish_x: This kind of sexual tension, bold eye contact and body language, I’m done, I’m dead, I can imagine a ten-thousand-word Ren-All!
@Did_You_Get_Crown_Concert_Tickets_Today: Who is the dance director?! Strong rhythm yet controlled, dancing in a spear-collar suit is practically a crime [Covering Face] [Covering Face] [Covering Face]
After the first dance, the Red team had a cumulative vote count of 7.61 million, while the Blue team was at 9.72 million.
During the album introduction segment, the Red team mostly talked about funny incidents while recording songs, playing cute, and sharing work photos.
The Blue team chose to show a segment of their preparation.
There were scenes of Xie Lianyun wearing headphones and Mei Shengyao immersed in writing and adjusting tunes, Bo Jue teaching Huo Ren to play piano melodies, and their combined singing rehearsals.
Mountains of reference books and CDs, instruments marked with fingerprints, and letters personally written to fans included in the album – each item was full of sincerity.
Before they even finished introducing, the Red team’s votes suddenly skyrocketed at an incredible rate, reaching just over 9 million in two or three minutes.
The Gem sisters actually breathed a sigh of relief.
Knew your side would flood the votes, couldn’t hold back after fifteen minutes?
“So, moving on to the second segment,” host Xiao You seemed to have not noticed the somewhat abnormal data, smilingly said: “Please spin the big wheel together.”
The pointer landed on the labels “Singing & Dancing” and “Creativity”.
“Oh, it looks like we’re testing real talent tonight,” the male host commented: “Singing and dancing separately aren’t too difficult.”
“But combining the two, maintaining smooth vocal quality and even hitting high notes during intense movement, is actually a serious test of the idols’ physical endurance.”
“So, what are the choices for the two teams?”
Chi Ji looked at Huo Ren, who gave a slight nod, and then stepped forward.
The Red team pushed forward a muscular man in a denim jacket, and the two briefly shook hands in front of the camera.
As both teams retreated to the resting area, Chi Ji and Yu Feng introduced themselves in turn.
“Hello everyone, I’m Noah, Chi Ji, happy New Year!”
“Hello everyone, I’m Yu Feng, wishing you a prosperous new year.”
The host Xiao You playfully teased Yu Feng about the contours of his chest muscles before turning back to Chi Ji.
“I heard that before your debut, Chi Ji, you were performing in musicals abroad, is that right?”
“Yes, mostly in the West End, and I’ve also done a few friendly performances on Broadway,” Chi Ji replied with a smile. “It’s been a while since I last went, I miss them.”
“Speaking of dancing, actually Chi Ji has a unique skill that he has never shown to everyone.” Xiao You suddenly lowered her voice, creating an air of mystery: “Do you want to know what it is?”
Huo Ren suddenly had a bad premonition.
This topic was never brought up during the rehearsals.
The audience, eager to participate, shouted, “Yes!!!”
“Actually… Chi Ji can also dance in high heels,” Xiao You said, smiling at Chi Ji, seemingly blinking in a friendly manner: “Let’s watch a VCR segment—”
The screen changed, showing a scene from many years ago when Chi Ji was performing in “Rock Barbie” abroad.
Unlike the harmonized version specially modified by Jiang Shu for his debut, the original stage show, meant to portray a person with gender dysphoria, featured men dressed as women, and the male lead wore golden curls and high heels, with his legs sheathed in sheer black stockings.
Western artists often eschew overly filtered, sugary aesthetics in favor of texture, soul expression, and a raw sense of reality.
Thus, Chi Ji on the screen, dressed in a seductive and sexy Barbie outfit, danced provocatively in high heels to the suggestive song “Sugar Daddy.”
Huo Ren instinctively stood up.
He felt an urge to go and protect Chi Ji.
“When I wear four-centimeter high heels, I even find it hard to jog,” Xiao You said with a smile: “Chi Ji is really amazing, being able to do this as a man.”
“The program team has also prepared high heels, can you dance for us again?”
Having spent these years in China, Chi Ji now found his past performance videos repellent and embarrassing.
He instinctively stepped back, softly saying, “Sorry, I didn’t prepare this performance.”
“But, surely the audience here and watching on TV would love to see it, right?” The host smiled as she turned the microphone towards the audience.
Some of the Gem fans, realizing something was off with Chi Ji’s expression, restrained themselves from egging him on.
However, another portion of the audience, particularly those not deeply involved in the fan community, were excitedly responding: “We want to see!”
Chi Ji maintained a polite smile, while Huo Ren, off-camera, had already started speaking.
“I can dance.” He smiled naturally and amiably. “This is also one of my little secrets.”
Some of the audience, not expecting the usually stoic team leader to have this skill, immediately shifted their attention.
“It seems Chi Ji doesn’t like me.” The female host sighed in feigned disappointment, trying to lighten the mood: “It’s okay, it’s okay…”
Chi Ji finally glanced at the score board, which was about to surpass Crown’s score.
“I’ll do it.”
“Eh?” Xiao You broke into a smile: “Really? Can you? Chi Ji is really spoiling his fans!”
Before she could say more, a staff member had already brought out a wig, high heels, and a denim skirt.
Jiang Shu in the audience had already changed his expression, but at this point, there was no way to pause the live broadcast of the show.
This was a trap.
No, this was all wrong; emergency PR had to be in place immediately.
He quickly took out his phone to contact the team outside, his back drenched in cold sweat.
Chi Ji, with his innocent nature, had no idea what this meant!
Chi Ji quietly changed into the outfit again.
Meanwhile, a stage scene from the rehearsal, which had never been before, was also set up, identical to the dance he performed in “Rookie King” at his debut.
The tall and elegant blonde youth in high heels stepped out.
“Let’s welcome with applause— the beautiful Chi Ji!”
The deep blue of a starry sky once again enveloped the stage, with a vintage Ford car surrounded by a sea of lilies.
Chi Ji, with hair cascading down his back like a Barbie doll, began dancing to rock jazz in the deepening twilight.
I love sweet things, like licorice and jelly rolls.
Hey, sugar daddy, my bowl is still missing some candies——
Dancing in high heels, Chi Ji swayed his hips seductively, his allure fully drawn out by the music, with his red lips, slender waist, and fair legs all on full display.
The spotlight, like a confusing drumbeat, highlighted his pert buttocks under the short skirt.
His masculine charm was entirely masked by the campy exaggerated makeup, with an innocent demeanor yet lascivious lyrics, and his high notes soared like a delicate nightingale spreading its wings.
But, as the selected clip from the past finished, the accompaniment didn’t stop. The golden-haired beauty looked somewhat bewildered at the audience and Huo Ren, forced to continue singing along with the music.
He couldn’t stop mid-performance against the wishes of the production team and the audience.
This song required an understanding and analysis of the original play’s storyline.
The more frivolous and indulgent the surface, the more torn and desolate the core.
Unable to explain, he could only continue singing.
“Bring me Versace blue jeans,
Remember to bring a pair of Versace jeans,
Black designer underwear~”
And a black designer underwear~
“Well, you buy me the dress, I’ll be more woman,”
As long as you’re willing to support me, I can give you more than even a woman can,
“Than a man like you can stand——”
A man like you will never understand——
His voice remained sweet and delicate, finishing with a fingertip on his lips, smiling at the camera.
His fair fingertips were stained with the tacky blood-red lipstick.
His team immediately came on stage, not waiting for the process, hugging Chi Ji and covering him with their large coats, hiding his overly exposed shoulders and legs.
“You did great, Chi Ji, really great…” Huo Ren spoke softly, ignoring the host’s calls and leading him towards the dressing room: “You danced exceptionally well, we all loved it.”
Chi Ji, still in women’s high heels, walked somewhat unsteadily.
Suddenly, he didn’t want Huo Ren to see him in such exaggerated makeup, covering his face in a bit of embarrassment.
“It’s okay, don’t worry, we’ve already scored much higher than them.”
“Really?”
“Really, I’m not lying to you.”
Chi Ji took the makeup remover pad and awkwardly wiped off the eyeshadow, finally freeing his clean face from the heavy makeup.
He had played many roles in the past, always distinguishing between his on-stage and off-stage personas.
He was never Hansel from the drama, the character with gender identity confusion, nor did he want to bear the lost and fearful persona associated with that role.
Huo Ren gently helped him remove the false eyelashes and lip color, his voice warm: “Relax, after we finish recording, let’s go eat hot pot together, okay?”
“Yeah!” The foodie finally smiled: “I’ll listen to Ren Ren!”
Translator’s Notes:
The bold words are in English while the italicized one underneath is the Chinese translation.
I hate it that Chi Ji has been practically brainwashed into hating his old performances. He’s an artist, why should he be embarrassed for giving his 100% in his job? They obviously keep attacking Chi Ji because he has the least backing. If they’re so brave, why don’t they go after Long Jia?
False as a word sounds good but the meaning isn’t so why the hell that company picked that to be a boy group’s name but I guess it truly reflect how falsified their career
chi ji 🙁
ah somehow i get it what president xu finds.. pls don’t tell me it’s about chi ji’s past…
don’t wanna jinxed myself but everytime they’re about to have a feast, something happens… hopefully not