Chapter 183
After praying for about ten minutes, the girl continued folding origami cranes. Her slender fingers gleamed like jade in the lamplight, the colors of her flesh and blood standing out vividly, as if she were infusing her warmth into the colored paper, imbuing the origami cranes with her devout heart.
Xiao Qing, please get well soon.
Time flies, and a new day is about to begin.
The official website for "Flash Dance" announced early in the morning that the fourth episode would officially air at 8 PM that evening.
After months of development, the program has become a household name in Great Xia, and its announcement quickly generated a huge buzz online.
Although the recent live broadcast essentially spoiled the results of the fourth episode, the stage itself has become the biggest highlight of "Flash Dance," thanks to its cutting-edge virtual reality technology, the endless stream of "Flow State" moments, the trainees' average quality that far surpasses that of previous talent shows, and many other important elements.
It can be said that while "Flash Dance" was fiercely competitive, it did give the audience what a talent show should look like, igniting a frenzy among Chinese Entertainment Industry. It also attracted many viewers who were not originally interested in the stage, making the show like a raging fire, receiving increasingly intense attention.
The same phenomenon, radiating from the two behemoths Donghuang Federation and the Holy United States, continues to spread to hundreds of competition zones around the world, creating a golden age of idols under the guidance of various countries.
8 PM that evening.
Inside the underground base in Zhelong Town, 165 trainees are still training, while the fourth episode of the Sea Capital competition was released as scheduled on various platforms, attracting a large number of eager fans who clicked on the more than two-hour program.
Volume 1: 176. Episode 4 aired, [Pool] level magic. (5K)
Sea Capital, an apartment.
Xu Ling, clutching her slightly worn little dinosaur, nestled on the soft sofa, watching the fourth episode of "Flash Dance" with anticipation.
The third episode aired half of the teammate competition segment, and the fourth episode should air the remaining part, continuing from the live broadcast two days ago Dream Weaver Rabbit eliminated three contestants.
It's fair to say that after numerous "spoilers," the fourth episode didn't quite live up to the audience's expectations. However, talent shows are easy to get hooked on if you watch them carefully. Just the fact that your favorite Little Idol are in the show is enough to keep you watching every episode without missing a single one, not to mention the exceptionally high quality of the <Flash Dance> stage performance.
Therefore, the number of viewers has been steadily increasing. The two shows, "Flash Dance" and "Capital Sea Capital," have accumulated billions of views in the first few episodes, gradually climbing to the point that even casual viewers and market vendors have heard of them.
"Ling Bao, is your idol really that good-looking? I'm in a hurry to catch up on the new anime series."
Pei Xiaotong sat next to Xu Ling. She was wearing a cool summer sailor uniform and had a rather cute appearance with a slightly chubby baby face.
The little girl was kicking her little leather shoes listlessly on the floor, looking very energetic and youthful. She was grumbling with a pained expression, clearly someone who had been dragged over to be introduced to anime and manga.
Xu Ling didn't even look at the other person, casually pinched her soft cheek, and complained:
"You have no manners! Call me 'cousin'!"
"Your mom said you have to listen to me for the next few weeks you stay here. And didn't you want to buy that dress from Conomi and look for a summer job? Come help me edit videos, and I'll buy it for you. Consider this a good opportunity to get familiar with the job."
Upon hearing this, Pei Xiaotong's crying face immediately vanished. Her eyes sparkled, and like a small animal, she leaned closer to the female college student. After confirming that the other woman wasn't lying, she cheered:
"Really? I knew you were the best, sister!"
Xu Ling said in a very serious tone:
"Of course, why would I lie to you? You just need to help me for a week. If you take on half of my workload this week, I'll clear out three dresses from your shopping cart."
Pei Xiaotong was somewhat suspicious.
Is this for real? When has my cousin ever had it so easy?
The girl thought for a moment, then decided there was nothing to be afraid of. What was so difficult about editing videos? Her cousin's video was probably just a quick, amateur, fan-oriented edit; it probably wouldn't be of very high quality, right?
Pei Xiaotong hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of the little skirt and agreed:
"Fine! Liars will have to swallow a thousand needles!"
Xu Ling smiled and eagerly grabbed her cousin's hand, making a pinky promise. She was overjoyed; she had long wanted to find a black slave to help her edit videos!
Heaven knows where I got so much creative urge after becoming a fan of Qing Bao. I spend 24 hours a day either managing the super topic, organizing the CP group, or editing videos.
The key point is that, as a Mom Fan, she also likes to be impartial and can't bear to show favoritism to any of the Little Idol. She has to edit both Qing Bao's and Little Sakura's personal videos. As the standard-bearer of "Wu Zhong Jian Qing", she even has to edit a CP video.
It's fair to say that ever since she became a fan of Chu Yuanqing, she's been working herself to the bone every day!
But it doesn't matter. For Qing Bao's bright future, for Yayoi's happy life, what does it matter how hard or tiring it is?
Tong Bao, just sacrifice your hair and join me in the glorious cause of praising Qing Bao and celebrating the cherry blossoms!
Pei Xiaotong was completely unaware of how terrifying it was to share half of her cousin's workload. She sat up straight, adopted a work attitude, and looked at the fourth episode of "Flash Dance" that was being broadcast on TV.
This program lasted a total of 151 minutes, about two and a half hours, which is longer than before. A group of viewers who watched the live broadcast sent "spoilers" in the comments at the beginning:
"Hehehe, I'm looking forward to seeing the Great Demon King, all arrogant and domineering, suppressing dozens of contestants, only to lose to Qing Bao and then ask her for her adorable, clingy appearance???"
"Hey, the camera angles on the show are definitely different from the live broadcast, so we'll definitely see even cuter scenes of Xie Bao!!!"
"Waaaaah, I care more about my favorite ship! That heartless woman Ji Shuzhu, after losing the battle, which team did she switch to???"
"I'm crying my eyes out! My [Ri Yi Yue Shu], my [Ri Yi Yue Shu]???!"
"The stage performance was certainly spectacular, but I also really want to see some of Qing Bao's daily life. She's improved so quickly and performed so well; I wonder if she's always pushing herself to train at such a high intensity? I'm so worried!"
"Indeed, but the good news is that Qing Bao has successfully advanced to the second Public Performance. With the quality of her team, they definitely won't be eliminated in this round."
"Qing Bao's advertisement is on TV! Although I can't buy a wedding dress yet because it's not my wedding day, I ordered the same necklace and guitar. She's practically Little Idol now, I'm so happy!!!"
Pei Xiaotong saw this comment, glanced at the guitar case next to the TV cabinet, and commented:
"Ling Bao, you didn't buy that guitar that Chu Yuanqing endorsed, did you? That's so expensive, almost four thousand yuan! You clearly can't play it at all, what a waste!"
Xu Ling gave a confident, cold laugh and retorted:
"Nonsense, just because I can't play now doesn't mean I won't be able to play in the future."
"Besides, aren't your figurines useless and ridiculously expensive?"
"And the latest batch of this guitar model will randomly include 500 autographed photos handwritten by Qing Bao! You'd be crazy not to try your luck."
The little girl thought for a moment, then asked curiously:
"Did you get it?"
The female college student was momentarily speechless. She looked away and stubbornly said:
"Of course! I'm incredibly lucky! I even got tickets to the first Public Performance, how could I not get an autographed photo?"
Although... although I didn't win, when I have the chance to meet Qing Bao someday, asking her for an autographed photo would definitely be much more valuable than any free gift!
Pei Xiaotong looked at the little dinosaur doll in her cousin's arms, whose neck was almost being strangled, shrank back, and shut up in fear, deciding not to provoke this scary woman any further and to just watch the show.
At first, she found it quite boring, since she hadn't watched the previous episodes and didn't recognize many of the contestants.
Fortunately, my cousin acted as a commentator, often pausing suddenly to explain the contestants' abilities, backgrounds, personalities, and even their relationships with others in just a few words. So after watching for half an hour, I gradually got into the flow and started to find it interesting.
Pei Xiaotong couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:
"Wow, what an amazing Great Demon King! Is she using that [Flow State] technique? Doesn't she get tired after fighting so many stage battles?"
"Wow, so this is what it feels like to watch your idols perform on stage! It's like your emotions are completely under my control. You can't take your eyes off their dazzling figures. It's so amazing, it's almost surreal! No wonder so many people love watching them!"
Then, the show featured Xie Qingxuan fainting on stage. Even though many people knew beforehand, they couldn't help but worry because she had just left the stage.
Of course, there were also passersby like Pei Xiaotong who were directly frightened.
After her older sister explained that Xie Qingxuan was alright, the little girl excitedly complained:
"I get it, <Flashdance> is actually a real-life version of Revue Starlight! This kind of hot-blooded plot from an idol anime, it's bound to be adapted into a manga like AKB48 next door, right?"
Xu Ling thought for a moment and replied:
"That's certainly possible. The <FlashDance> project was originally designed to build an IP, and it's likely that each region that meets the popularity criteria will hire a dedicated team to plan these aspects."
As the female college student spoke, she became somewhat excited. Given Qing Bao and Yayoi's popularity, ranking in the top ten of the entire Great Xia's "Flash Dance," if there were to be any spin-off works, it would be impossible to avoid mentioning them, right?
In other words, your three-dimensional daughter might become your two-dimensional wife! What incredible double the happiness!
As a fan of anime and manga, Pei Xiaotong immediately grasped the appeal of the story. Her eyes sparkled as she watched with even greater excitement, imagining what the Little Idol would look like in anime and manga.
The characteristics of the Great Demon King are very obvious: a cold and arrogant (questionable), powerful, and stunningly beautiful blonde with large breasts. The script for this character is very appealing.
Yes, in the early stages, she was responsible for suppressing the main characters and setting up plot twists and goals. In the middle stages, she was redeemed and weakened before joining the main characters. In the later stages, she was moved by love, changed her mindset, and underwent ultimate evolution, becoming an indispensable member of the group.
Little Sakura? According to my cousin, she's a classic shonen (main character) protagonist.
Tang Liuli, a former child prodigy, made a comeback in <Flash Dance> after many years of silence. At first glance, she seems to have many unknown shadows and secrets, belonging to the classic SSR characters waiting for the protagonist to redeem her.
On the contrary, the Little Idol who was being frantically called "Qing God" or "Qing Bao" by the barrage comments seems to have a rather chaotic positioning. He seems to be invincible with everything going smoothly, but in reality, he has a big knife hidden in his body. If he were in a comic book, he would either have his dream shattered or die, and then become everyone's White Moonlight.
Pei Xiaotong watched and imagined the story unfold, thoroughly enjoying the two-hour program. She let out a long sigh, feeling a sense of disappointment that it wasn't quite over yet.
"How are you feeling?" Xu Ling asked.
The little girl looked up at the sky, utterly awestruck.
"It feels like a whole new world has opened up for me; I've never seen such an outrageous stage before."
"Ling Bao, does this mean that from now on, when idols unleash their ultimate abilities, they'll all have illusions built into them? I had no idea being an idol was such a magical profession!"
Xu Ling retorted confidently and blatantly:
"That makes perfect sense. Don't you know Mika Nakashima, who lowered the suicide rate in Island Nation to a historic low with a single song, and Justin Bieber, who reduced the suicide rate among American teenagers by 32% with his song 'Believe'? There are many similar examples."
"Although they're not exactly idols, they're still entertainers."
"You see, the reach of an idol's stage performances isn't as wide as simply listening to their songs. As a balance, it's reasonable to give them a higher emotional value, right?"
Pei Xiaotong felt something was off. After racking her brains for a long time but still couldn't figure it out, she simply gave up and agreed:
"You're right. And after experiencing Qing Bao's [Flow State] stage performance, I feel that her performances can not only reduce the suicide rate but also cure depression. It's no wonder she's so popular. Maybe she'll be even more amazing than those people you mentioned in the future."
The little girl said this with some regret:
"It's such a pity, though. I saw in the comments that the stage in the live stream was much more amazing than the stage in the show. [Flow State] It's amazing how the medium is the same, but whether it's live or not can affect the viewing experience. I can't even imagine how amazing it must be live."
"Ling Bao, do you think if we could edit out those few minutes of the actual stage performance and include them in the show with minimal compromise, we could send them to the psychiatric ward of a hospital and save on medication?"
Xu Ling thought for a moment, glanced at the official website interface on her phone, and said:
"Although it's fantastical and outrageous, what you're saying actually seems quite possible?"
"After all, Dream Weaver Rabbit mentioned in the first episode that Flash Dance has gathered a bunch of high-tech companies from around the world as sponsors. Considering the existence of the [Flow State] development studio, the Program Group might have initially intended to develop in this direction."
"Moreover, even the official website of <Flashdance> states that out of the 5,000 live tickets, 100 will be randomly selected from audience members with a history of depression. Doesn't that seem like an 'experiment' with the live performance?"
Xu Ling spoke, she herself felt that the world was beginning to become somewhat magical.
But this isn't necessarily a bad thing; it gives her even more reasons to be a fan of these Little Idol.
If this continues, sooner or later they'll become parents who dislike the Entertainment Industry, and even show a relieved expression when they hear their child is a fan of Chu Yuanqing, indicating that their child is making the right choice.
Well, now we can be perfectly justified in idolizing celebrities.
Fans on various platforms found the official lottery rules utterly surreal, sparking a flurry of discussions and debates.
"If the [Flow State] stage can achieve 50% of the effect of live performance and 90% of the effect of live streaming through technology, then its application in medicine will no longer be a pipe dream."
"To be honest, if that's the case, it involves far more than just medicine; it involves a spiritual transformation of human society, and it's a major event with far-reaching consequences."
Indeed, the progress of humankind's spiritual development is far slower than the progress of science and technology, just like the popularization of compulsory education, the eradication of feudal superstition, the construction of a civilized and courteous society, and the gradual reduction of crime rates in the past.
"Suppose that depending on the dance music and the idol's different personality, [Flow State] can produce different effects. To put it more mysteriously, if we amplify righteous songs and some positive and uplifting ones, wouldn't the suicide and crime rates drop sharply? It could even directly ignite the joy and hope in life, and accelerate the overall development of society."
Netizens' imaginations are incredibly vivid, and the authorities seem to have made no attempt to control it. It's as if there's an unseen force pushing the public to gradually accept the increasingly surreal profession of idol and give it a new definition unique to this era.
Many people believe that these Little Idol, who possess the potential to benefit society, are the ones who deserve the exorbitant salaries that were once so outrageous in the Chinese Entertainment Industry.
Flash Dance has thus broken through barriers and expanded its audience once again, successfully attracting a large number of new viewers.
However, since there are fewer [Flow State] holders in Capital, the [Flash Dance] in the Sea Capital region has become the biggest beneficiary, and the trainees there have also accelerated their fan base growth, making it a thriving scene.
Time flies, and another week has passed in the blink of an eye.
The fourth episode's influence continued to expand, and setting aside the much-discussed question of "how to apply [Flow State]," the dazzling stage performances, each more spectacular than the last, were the real reason for the mainstream audience's applause.
As for other gossip and couple rivalries, there are quite a few.
For example, can the broken mirror be mended by the Ri Yi Yue Shu "?
The orthodox "Wu Zhong Jian Qing" was exploited by despicable outsiders.
The sacred "Qing Cheng Qing Guo" will use pure love to severely punish the cunning Sakura Girl.
The pitiful, helpless, and weak "Qing Ci Li Qu" is gathering her strength with a bruised and swollen face, trying her best to stay on the edge of the battlefield.
On the other hand, all the tickets for the live performance on the official website of <Flash Dance> have been sold out. The rules are the same as the last Public Performance, and they cannot be transferred. This makes the smug faces of the lucky winners on social media particularly hateful.
On the same day.
Chu Yuanqing sat alone in the bathroom, revealing her true form with white hair and golden eyes. Even her Magic Armor, resembling a formal dress, clung to her slender figure, outlining curves that were either delicate or full, making her appear solemn and the atmosphere dignified.