Idol Chapter 57

This time, there are quite a few familiar faces on the show.

During the rehearsal, the guests basically bumped into each other. Goddess Feng and Tiwi, the two big shots, arrived on the thirteenth and quickly went through the stage in the afternoon, just to test the microphone.

In addition to several A-list celebrities, the rookie group Ceko, whom they had met at the New Year’s Eve concert, also came to promote their new song. They happened to cross paths with the Corona’s six in the conference hall.

“Sen… seniors!” The members of Ceko bowed nervously and said with a wry smile, “We feel so much pressure when seniors are here.”

Huo Ren smiled and comforted them, then glanced at the name tags on the nearby seats.

Baichuan Studio, along with several other capital investors, recently opened a new entertainment company and signed many new artists, including Ceko.

The star industry is becoming increasingly popular, and if the TV station can effectively leverage its resources, the investment returns are likely to be considerable.

Fortunately, they were used to performing songs like this multiple times.

They had personally crafted every word of the song and had listened to it hundreds of times during composition and recording. They wouldn’t forget the lyrics even in their dreams.

With their performances during the New Year’s Eve concert and the Spring Festival Gala, they were already accustomed to performing alongside their seniors.

“Do your best and go with the flow.” Uncle Jiang straightened their suits and ties as he sent them off to the stage, his voice deep, “Remain humble and modest on stage, don’t be ostentatious.”

“Yes, thank you, Uncle Jiang.”

The director counted down 5-4-3-2-1. The entire audience was packed, and the atmosphere was already buzzing before the show even began.

No signs or hand banners were allowed here to obstruct the view. All the Corona fans held fluorescent gold light sticks in their hands, creating a ripple of golden light and shadows in the dimmed lights. The entire venue was filled with a light and ethereal atmosphere.

“This is ‘Musi’s Strongest Chart’—”

The three hosts stepped onto the elevated host area and said in unison, “What’s our slogan?”

The audience raised their hands to their mouths and shouted together, “Witness the legendary moment, forge the strongest stage!”

The first round was a draw for the fifteen artists to perform singing and dancing.

Huo Ren went up on behalf of the team and drew the seventh spot, a position neither too early nor too late.

Ceko, on the other hand, drew the second spot, and their leader, Cheng Liu, nervously said “Good morning” instead of their usual greeting.

What followed was an extremely disastrous scene.

The in-ear monitors were fine, and the band was fine, but one of the members started singing off-key, and then the entire group followed suit, singing off-key to the point where it became a parody. They turned the trendy new song into a weird tune reminiscent of a children’s lullaby.

At first, the director quickly switched the camera to the audience and the band, but later even the band members were playing their instruments with embarrassment. The audience, who had been enthusiastically clapping along just moments ago, silently withdrew their hands.

Then they had to listen to the horrendous singing on stage while desperately resisting the urge to cover their ears.

—-Who said that being a fan attending a recording of a variety show is a great job!!

I can sing better than them even in a KTV room, what the heck is this off-key performance!!!

Cheng Liu led the entire team to complete the program forcibly, putting on a brave smile during the remote conversation with the hosts.

“Now, let’s welcome the next group of contestants…” The hosts didn’t offer much consolation and continued to introduce the next set of guests.

When the results for the first group came out, Corona ranked second with their song “Nightfire,” just behind the veteran singer Feng Yi.

On the other hand, Ceko ranked last, receiving only thirty votes from an audience of eight hundred.

Each artist had only a minute to say their goodbyes, but this time the director cut too quickly, and Cheng Liu’s microphone went silent before he could finish expressing his gratitude.

The boys smiled reluctantly, bowed with their teammates once again, and waved goodbye as they left the stage alongside the other eliminated contestants.

When they entered, there were still a few scattered neon green light bracelets shining in the crowd.

However, their performance was so terrible that some fans felt embarrassed and discreetly took off their light bracelets and put them back in their bags.

By the time they left, there were only three or four spots of green light left, barely visible unless you looked closely.

The second segment required a random selection of a music style for an unplugged performance, followed by a match-up and the elimination of four contestants.

This time, Long Jia drew the style card for “jazz,” naturally accompanied by piano music.

After pondering for a moment, Huo Ren decided to let Mei Shengyao go up and perform.

They needed to compete on the same stage as Goddess Feng, whether they won or lost, they had to maintain their dignity.

Bo Jue, who had a background in instrumental performance, rushing to compete with the diva seemed too impatient.

Mei Shengyao’s identity and abilities were relatively safe. Even if he made a mistake, he could still handle it gracefully.

“Brother, let me do it!” The boy’s eyes gleamed, “Coincidentally, I composed that lyrical jazz piece~”

Chi Ji adjusted his earpiece for him and encouraged, “Yao Yao, you can do it!”

When the boy appeared alone on the cloud platform to the east, the audience below instantly ignited.

“It’s Yao Yao!”

“Yao Yao has grown up! Now he looks like a high school student!!”

“He looks so much like his mother~~ His eyes are so beautiful!”

On the cloud platform to the west, Feng Yi sighed, nodded, and sat at the piano to sing a jazz song from one of her previous albums.

She truly hadn’t expected to draw this genre today—-it had been so many years since she last sang jazz. What bad luck.

Half of the stage was dimmed, while the other half was bathed in the glow of a red moon.

Her voice sounded hoarse and languid, and the piano danced and swayed, but it wasn’t particularly outstanding.

She hadn’t practiced this song in many years and accidentally played two wrong notes.

After Feng Yi finished her performance, the half of the stage where she was located returned to darkness, while a gentle blue light illuminated Mei Shengyao’s side.

Huo Ren leaned against the wall, looking up at the composed and calm young man, suddenly feeling a sense of gratification as an older brother.

As part of their second album, “Nonsense,” they included a classical poem as a lyrical piece. When Shakespeare’s sonnet was released, Xie Lianyun had a face that said, “What are you guys doing?” But unexpectedly, the downloads and popularity of “Sonnet” were quite good, appealing to the taste of today’s artistic youth.

For this performance of “I Wish,” Mei Shengyao composed and recorded the entire song, displaying a level of maturity that didn’t seem to come from a sixteen-year-old’s hands.

“I wish to live with you, in a small town,” the young man played the pure black piano, his ten nimble fingers dancing and his voice as clear and refreshing as orange juice with ice cubes swaying in it. “To share endless twilight and the continuous tolling of bells.”

His left hand played a steady bass line, while his right hand traversed lively melodies, exuding the contented sway of jazz.

Several people harmonized in vocals, and he leaned closer to the microphone again as if describing fantasies to his loved one.

“The sound of a flute comes from a room on the rooftop, the flutist leaning against the window, and there are large tulips at the window.”

His ten fingers extended and folded back again, crisp notes jumping forward as if children were chasing and playing on a small path.

“If at this moment you don’t love me,” his voice paused, and he lowered his gaze with a helpless smile, “I won’t mind.”

The last four words were softly sung in the style of soul music, gentle and husky as if whispering next to the listener’s chest.

“I won’t mind…”

The girls in the audience all felt like they were the ones being confessed to, blushing as they swayed along, holding their voting devices as if holding the roses he had given them.

“He’s grown up,” Xie Lianyun scratched his chin. “Quite charming.”

“He’s only sixteen,” Bo Jue replied coolly. “Stop talking nonsense.”

When the results were announced, Corona received 386 votes, while Feng Yi received 342 votes. A few people couldn’t let go of their loyalty to the old favorite and chose to abstain.

Feng Yi stood on the western side, smiling helplessly and waving to congratulate them.

The hosts skillfully helped maintain the atmosphere, aware that the senior had lost face and couldn’t be too polite about it.

But this was a common occurrence on the Musi chart.

Veterans stumbled, dark horses emerged, generations replaced one another, and the program became even more captivating.

“Let’s congratulate Mei Shengyao and Corona for currently taking the top spot on the chart!!”

Huo Ren immediately led the others to the revolving staircase to meet Mei Shengyao, smiling and embracing him, patting his back.

“Brother, how did I play?”

“Xie-ge says you’re particularly charming,” Huo Ren chuckled and ruffled his hair. “You’re our reliable right-hand man now.”

Mei Shengyao smiled with narrowed eyes and winked at Xie Lianyun.

While the audience waved their hands and cheered on the surface, deep inside their hearts, they lamented why their phones weren’t allowed past the security check.

The treatment here was worse than that of the audience outside! Let me check Weibo, ahhhhh!!!

The pink fans and the official forum’s live thread were flooded with four to five hundred replies in an instant, causing an uproar.

Listening to the songs was definitely enjoyable!

Listening to the songs while going crazy over CP was even more enjoyable!

“Did you see the head-rubbing?! The captain rubbed his head so skillfully and even cued Genius Xie for him! What kind of all-encompassing and loving domineering persona is this?!”

“Everyone, let’s go crazy for Huo-Yun-Yao!! Huo-Yun-Yao is the real deal!!”

“Ahhh, the young boy finished singing a love song and even winked at his mentor—-can you be any more obvious?!”

“Don’t even talk about the six members’ combinations, I can handle them all!!!”

The eight groups of artists took turns performing, and the final four groups were eliminated.

“According to real-time voting results from inside and outside the venue,” the host quickly announced, “the second place goes to the three-member boy group Tiwi, third place to Wu Yiwun, and fourth place to the Rose Girl Group!”

“And the special stage that the top four will challenge today is—”

The edge of the central dazzling crystal platform slowly descended, revealing a new transparent glass platform that began to rotate and rise.

“A rotating circular stage!!”

“This stage will rotate at different speeds to further showcase the artists’ spatial awareness and overall abilities!”

“Damn it…” Bo Jue, standing towards the back, took a deep breath. “How am I supposed to remember my positions…”

“Watch me,” Huo Ren said quickly. “I won’t make a mistake.”

Mei Shengyao and Chi Ji had plenty of experience in dancing, so the chances of them making a mistake were small, and they happened to stand in a triangular formation with him.

He would serve as a reference point for the remaining three.

Before they took the stage, all six of them stacked their palms together and said in a solemn voice, “Let’s do our best!”

When they were all in position, the LED columns began synchronizing their total vote counts in real time.

The highest record was 6.72 million votes for the old group Black Universe. Huo Ren glanced at it during the musical interlude, and their vote count was approaching saturation around 5.8 million, with the rate of increase becoming very slow.

Suddenly, the entire venue was bathed in the dim twilight color, creating a sense of oppression.

Their title track was about to begin.

The six of them stood back to back, looking into the distance like six-pointed stars, as the stage beneath their feet silently revolved.

Chi Ji placed his hands on his chest, his voice clear and gentle.

“I once fell into chaos.”

“Silence, foolishness, hesitation.”

The five of them glanced at each other, exchanging positions like the intersecting trails of stars, and their singing sounded like a desolate sigh: “They can’t hear my voice.”

“The spotlight belongs to the victors,” Huo Ren raised his hand, leading the dance, his gaze determined and his aura steady. “People celebrate and become fascinated by them.”

“While I sit in the audience,” Mei Shengyao chuckled softly, matching Huo Ren as the team underwent a second formation change amidst the rotation. “Don’t shy away from those glamorous back figures.”

All the instruments suddenly raised their tone, and the suppressed atmosphere accumulated hidden anger.

“In the nameless moment,”

Long Jia and Bo Jue turned around to face each other, their voices intertwining with highs and lows. “When I have exhausted all my aspirations.”

“In the nameless moment,”

Xie Lianyun and Chi Ji faced away as they sang, their beats were precise and accurate. “Reduced to insignificance, unable to meet any expectations.”

All voices and lights came to a sudden halt, and the entire world plunged into a dark and silent apocalypse.

Then, the powerful sound of a heartbeat emerged in Dolby surround sound.

Pause. Undulate.

“But I still have boundless sweat, and a heart forged with steel.”

Pause. Undulate.

“They will bloom resolutely in the next wind—-radiantly!”

The exhilarating music suddenly erupted, with the drums leading like a storm, the bass guitar and keyboards sounding like soaring white eagles breaking free from iron shackles. The atmosphere in the entire venue instantly reignited, as if set ablaze once again!

The six handsome boys danced and sang on the rotating stage, their arms raised, their waist strength swift and precise. Even in the ever-changing positions, they revealed an even greater enjoyment with their wild smiles, completely conquering the scorching air in the entire venue!

“The fallen darkness transforms into radiance, from humble to confident breakthrough—”

“Does anyone still remember my destitute appearance back then?!”

At this moment, their souls were almost connected in one place. Their legs lifted, their waists bent, their dance swayed like wild serpents, and their overlapping low, medium, and high voices grew more and more intense and scorching. The blood of everyone in the entire venue boiled with excitement.

The audience didn’t even realize they had already stood up, and the scores on both sides of the columns were skyrocketing.

“I, in the nameless moment, curled up in a dirty alley.”

“I, in the present moment, become your faith—”

In the split second when they suddenly paused, silver mist sprayed from all sides, elevating the stage effect to an even more frenzied level.

As fast as a hurricane, as swift as lightning.

The gorgeously extravagant crimson Dragon Fang flowers bloomed beneath their feet, laser lights dividing the space into black and white, and the projection of the kaleidoscope shattered mountains and peaks. Everyone was shouting their names in the soaring high notes—

“Co!! Ro!! Na!!!”

At the end of the final second, the vote count reached one million and thirty-two thousand votes.

In just four minutes of performance, the number of Corona’s fans on all platforms skyrocketed, album sales both online and offline soared, and even SPF Company’s predicted stock price was rising along with them!

“One, one million and thirty-two thousand votes?!” The female host in the center couldn’t control her tone, exclaiming almost in a scream, “Corona’s final vote count is one million and thirty-two thousand votes!”

“They broke the historical record of the Musi Strongest Chart!”

“And they received a perfect score live—-it’s a perfect 800 votes!!” The male host next to her was on the verge of straining his voice, “They achieved a double win in the data live performance!!! It can be foreseen that they will dominate the charts for a long time to come!!!”

Huo Ren, as if waking from a dream, held the hands of Mei Shengyao and Chi Ji beside him. The six of them bowed repeatedly in all four directions, while the people below shouted their names at the top of their lungs—

“Corona!! Corona!!”

“Corona!! I love you guys!!!”

“First place, you’re the first!!”

“This is absolutely the best birthday gift I’ve ever received,” Mei Shengyao whispered, “I’ll never forget this in my life.”

“Still one day to go,” Long Jia chuckled. “Brother, I’ll treat you to tiramisu, let’s get a nine-inch one and enjoy it.”

Xie Lianyun sighed, tilting his head upward. “I need to control my sugar intake, I need to control my sugar…”

The three hosts hurriedly approached them, overflowing with excitement.

“In a few more hours, it will be Jia Jia and Yao Yao’s birthdays—-wishing you an early happy birthday and wishing Corona more glorious achievements!!”

None of them had ever encountered such data and results before. The hosts were vying to offer their blessings and hugs to each one of them.

After the recording of the show ended, Uncle Jiang was waiting for them backstage.

As soon as Huo Ren saw him, he couldn’t contain his smile.

“Look at you, so smug.” Uncle Jiang patted their heads. “We’re taking a red-eye flight tonight, hurry up and leave. Tomorrow, you have a brand endorsement Valentine’s Day event to attend.”

“Aren’t you happy, Uncle Jiang?!” Mei Shengyao exclaimed, “We got one million votes!!”

“No,” Uncle Jiang said with a stern face, “Go and remove your makeup quickly.”

The assistant manager, Wang Shu, next to him smirked, “He was so happy he even jumped on the coffee table just now, right? I’ve never seen him this happy in my entire life.”

“Shut your damn mouth!! I said no, so it’s no!!”

As they left the TV building once again, the cheering flower wall had already been covered in a blanket of white snow.

Hundreds of fans were still waiting there, their excited faces flushed with excitement.

They all held up their phones to show the teenagers the top three trending topics.

“You won both crowns!! Corona is always amazing!!!”

“You guys are so strong, I love you!!!”

Before leaving, Long Jia wrapped his scarf around Bo Jue’s thin neck and spread his hands like a trumpet. “Go home early—”

Hundreds of boys and girls shouted back at him, “I love you guys!”

Bo Yue followed up with a loud voice, “Remember to drink Banlangen!” (Note: Banlangen is a Chinese herbal remedy commonly used for colds and flu.)

Everyone burst into laughter and shouted back together, “We love you guys so much!”

Huo Ren, along with all the members, signed autographs once again, constantly saying thank you. He noticed that many fans had bought new down jackets, hats, and scarves while waiting outside.

“This color suits you well, you look good in camel.” He smiled.

The fans didn’t expect him to actually remember. They covered their faces and started screaming again, “Ah, ah, ah, Huo God really knows!!! How do you know everything?!!”

They bid farewell to the fans in Baichuan City and hurried back.

Huo Ren had gotten used to having his sleep completely fragmented like this.

The sleep patterns of urban professionals and students were all different, but most of them managed to get a continuous five to ten hours of sleep.

However, during their non-training and non-shooting time, their sleep was always interrupted during travel.

On the plane, on the airport expressway, in the gaps of the dressing room, in the back-and-forth nanny car.

During the waiting time for magazine interviews and the brief two-hour break before having dinner with endorsement clients.

Intermittently sleeping for three hours in the early morning, grabbing short fragments of sleep for three hours during the day, and possibly staying in the photo studio for the idol photobook until late at night. They could squeeze in another hour of sleep during the break.

“We’ll be arriving on the 14th as soon as we get off the plane.” Uncle Jiang also remembered this. “We still need to celebrate and have a birthday banquet. I’ll treat you guys for lunch, pick whatever you want.”

The boys cheered and put on their earphones and eye masks, curling up in the soft chairs and falling asleep in seconds. The tiny beads of sweat on the sides of their necks couldn’t even be wiped away.

The flight attendants discreetly glanced at them with some regret, holding their autograph books. They had thoughtfully prepared hot beverages for them, ready to be served at any time.

When they disembarked from the plane, Uncle Jiang led them out of the corridor in a hurry, holding up his phone impatiently. “What’s with all these phone calls in just two hours? Are they collecting debts or asking for money?”

Huo Ren remembered that it was too cold outside and signaled for the assistant to bring over the windproof jackets they always kept ready. He draped another layer over Chi Ji.

They reached the edge of the arrival gate, and the area near the VIP lane was also crowded with fans.

“What… What did you say?!!”

“Say it again?!!”

Huo Ren raised his head at the sound and noticed that not only were there a large number of fans beyond his imagination but there were also an overwhelming number of reporters outside the railing.

And there were hordes of journalists running frantically from outside, as if afraid of missing this opportunity.

Something was wrong.

Uncle Jiang’s face turned pale suddenly, and instinctively, he rushed over to find Mei Shengyao.

But it was already too late.

The journalists aimed their cameras, big and small, at the still drowsy teenager, snapping pictures furiously while holding up their microphones to ask sharp questions. “Mei Shengyao, what do you think about your mother, Wen Feng, having an affair with a male celebrity abroad?!”

Mei Shengyao’s face turned pale, and his pupils contracted. “What did you say?”

Standing in a prominent position, a male reporter with a smug look on his face shouted loudly, “Your mom cheated on your dad—”

Some people even started laughing.

Huo Ren swiftly stepped in front of the young boy, giving the reporter a piercingly fierce glare, and quickly pressed Yao Yao’s shoulder, leading him away from this place.

Chi Ji sneezed and took off his coat, completely blocking Mei Shengyao’s blank expression. The other three brothers stood on the outer side of the corridor, gesturing for them to hurry and leave with Uncle Jiang.

“Mei Shengyao, what did your dad say to you when he called you after getting off the plane?!”

“There have been rumors that Wen Feng had contact with that actor ten years ago. Have they been together for a long time already? What did you see when you were a child?!”

“Fuck your mother!” Uncle Jiang roared back in anger. “Are you even human, asking these kinds of questions to a minor?!”

Instead, he was met with a sea of raised cameras and lenses. The journalists were eagerly waiting to capture more footage of his outburst, clearly hoping that Uncle Jiang would curse some more.

Uncle Jiang took off his coat and blocked the side. “Quickly, let’s go. Don’t listen to their voices.”

The bodyguards and airport security personnel were all extending their hands to stop the out-of-control reporters from climbing over the railing. The clamor of questioning and interrogation grew louder, completely drowning out the voices of the fans.

“Mei Shengyao, is it true that you’re not your parents’ biological child?!”

“Is it true that your mother and father divorced a long time ago?!”

The five of them unconsciously quickened their pace together, while the young boy desperately tried to keep up with them but stumbled, nearly falling.

Huo Ren firmly grasped his wrist, while his other hand, along with Chi Ji, covered his ears, but the voices from outside grew louder and louder.

The six of them sped up as they moved toward the exit, with the paparazzi reporters converging like a swarm of bloodthirsty mosquitoes, buzzing after them.

“Mei Shengyao! Answer our questions!”

“Speak up, Mei Shengyao—”