The Program Group seemed to have anticipated this situation.
As soon as the words fell, the entire Waiting Room was illuminated by projected three-dimensional images.
After only a few breaths, the Bullet Comments flooded the Live Broadcast Room's screen like billions of splashes blasted up by Tomahawk Missiles, rolling endlessly downward.
Because these were all negative news stories exposed in the Entertainment Industry in recent years.
They included, but were not limited to:
A certain female star acting as a pimp and organizing Body Transactions for the Female Artists under her management.
A top-tier male actor going clubbing during filming, then drugging and raping a minor.
A famous director selecting women like imperial concubines and openly recruiting through Under-the-table Rules within the industry.
A popular idol being exposed for kissing her lover on the street, as well as forming groups to take drugs and hold Silver Parties.
Talent Shows colluding with Entertainment Companies, prearranging Debut Spots, and fabricating false voting data.
These projected news clips took only half a minute to make people deeply understand just how filthy and chaotic the industry had become. They practically covered every kind of Gambling, Prostitution, Drugs.
Prostitution, drug use, Under-the-table Rules, false advertising, tax evasion, hit-and-run...
The trainees were utterly shocked and began discussing it among themselves.
"How could they dare? Is this really something they can show in public?"
"They probably won't include this in the actual episode, right? But this is seriously bold."
"Are they trying to create differentiated competition for the show? Build a Clean Stream Persona?"
Knowing the truth, the viewers in the Live Broadcast Room were even more shaken. The Bullet Comments exploded:
"Fuck, this is a livestream watched by millions. They're airing all this dirt— is Shining Stage trying to become Chinese Entertainment Industry's bomber?"
"This is insanely over the top, everyone. They're making us relive the entire history of collapse."
"Amazing, truly amazing. The Live Broadcast Room is hitting the hot search too now."
And just as the Bullet Comments mocked, this bombardment-style reveal of Black History stirred up the public's curiosity and gossiping impulses. The show had already occupied the top three hot search spots, and after this move, nearly every top-ranked position belonged to Shining Stage.
The number of viewers in the Live Broadcast Room shot upward like a rocket, while the Bullet Comments surged like a tsunami.
Some followed along by mocking and condemning the general environment, lamenting its failure to live up to expectations.
Some shared their own miserable history of collapse, while others were simply there for entertainment.
But no matter which kind they were, everyone had begun to realize that Shining Stage was really about to do something huge.
Because voluntarily releasing this information and provoking the audience's dissatisfaction and disgust toward the general environment could only hurt a Talent Show, never benefit it!
The Program Group gave the audience enough time to continue thinking.
The Virtual Projection removed the dirt, and soft light wove itself into threads. Amid Bullet Comments praising the black technology, an animal resembling a cartoon character appeared in the enormous Waiting Room.
Its fur was snow-white, its pupils crimson. It looked like both a rabbit and a fox, rendered in an adorable chibi style.
This was the mascot used as the logo and signature feature in Shining Stage's promotions: Dream Weaver Rabbit.
At that moment, the mascot wore a suit and served as the host, delivering an extremely provocative speech:
"Everyone has seen it. In recent years, chaos has repeatedly erupted within the Entertainment Industry. No matter how perfectly a public image is managed on the surface, Collapse and Outburst always remain possible."
"Doesn't that hurt you? Don't you regret it? Don't you hate this kind of atmosphere?"
"You must all be deeply dissatisfied with the current Entertainment Industry system, and surely you've grown tired of Idol Stars becoming more and more uneven in quality, haven't you?"
"But now, so that people around the world may see the public figures who truly deserve to stand on stage, the governments of more than a hundred countries—including the Donghuang Federation, the Holy United States, the Order Allied Nations, and many others—have jointly created the Global Project known as Shining Stage!"
"Just as the promotional slogan in the teaser PV declared, this program will stir up an unprecedented Entertainment Revolution! The history of the world's entire Entertainment Industry will use Shining Stage as its dividing line, creating completely different ecosystems on either side!"
"Yes, you heard correctly! This will be a great program that creates miracles! And you, the audience, will be the ones helping reshape the entire Entertainment Industry and transform the whole Artist World!"
The lights in the Waiting Room shifted, pounding music thundered through the room, and Dream Weaver Rabbit's voice grew more impassioned. Before the Live Broadcast Room viewers could even react, another depth charge-like piece of news came crashing down.
"Starting now, public figures around the world will undergo strict review."
"Many people you know will silently disappear from the big screen and may even face legal punishment."
At that moment, as if to make the claim more convincing, the projected images and audio synchronized. A Censorship List involving hundreds of Entertainment Companies was immediately revealed, along with several mosaicked Celebrity Meeting Photos.
The Bullet Comments in the Live Broadcast Room grew even crazier, while the viewer count skyrocketed every second.
But this still was not the end. The enormous flood of information continued to slam into everyone:
"And more importantly, the idol profession will be the first to undergo revolution, through the Grading System that will be introduced nationwide this year!"
"If nothing unexpected happens, the NPC Website has already pushed a detailed explanation of the relevant policy."
As soon as the words ended, an official website page was precisely projected before every trainee, displaying the so-called brand new system.
—County, city, province, nation, federation, world. —In short, there are six grades based on broad regional scope. —Only those who obtain qualifications at the corresponding grade may appear on the appropriate official TV Stations and channels.
Volume One: 11. You Can Never Be an Idol Again.
The Live Broadcast Room exploded.
After all, a massively popular girl group idol could earn her company at least tens of millions in profits. Add together the entire group's Commercial Performances, endorsements, business events, stage tickets, and other projects, and generating over a hundred million in annual profits would not be surprising.
But if the Grading System were truly implemented, some previously explosive phenomenon-level Girl Groups might directly collapse after being graded, have their activities restricted, lose their commercial value, and suffer incalculable losses.
Forget the global scale. In the Great Xia Nation alone, the chains of interests affected by this policy were tangled like hemp. From a practical standpoint, introducing it would bring a hundred harms and not a single benefit.
Even if it would benefit all consumers and viewers, it still felt surreal and absurd.
"Is this a joke? Are they just trying to create a show effect?"
"Fuck, I checked the official website. This policy really was introduced. A variety show promoted it faster than the government did. No joke, this is something else."
"They're serious? But there wasn't even the slightest hint beforehand. It really feels like I woke up in another world."
"This is ridiculous. Whether it's the Great Xia Nation or the entire Donghuang Federation, idols don't exactly hold high status in the industry, right? Why is the idol industry the first to face restrictions and grading?"
"I'm getting excited. I really believe Shining Stage is about to pull something huge."
"Why do I find this a little scary? Is the goal of such a massive coordinated project really that simple?"
Dream Weaver Rabbit's voice rose ever higher, nearly snapping the heartstrings of more than half the trainees present:
"Starting in October, all Active Idols will undergo reassessment."
"And Shining Stage will grant the victorious group of the first round fourth-grade—that is to say, National Level—idol qualifications!"
"Isn't that interesting, trainees? You will leap over the efforts your seniors once made, ignore the foundations they accumulated in the past, and stand on the same starting line as the idols who stirred up storms."
"Some of you may even use this chance to trample them all beneath your feet and become World Idols in one stroke!"
"But the price is this: once you are eliminated midway, you will permanently lose the qualification to be assessed for an idol grade. For the rest of your life, you will never have another chance to stand on stage!"
Dream Weaver Rabbit's words rang out powerfully, continuing to echo through the Waiting Room.
The Live Broadcast Room viewers were utterly stunned:
"Fuck, they're actually serious?"
"If you're eliminated, you can never go on stage again? You can never be an idol again?"
"Fuck fuck fuck, how am I supposed to support all those pretty girls in there without any burden now? Elimination means their dreams truly end!"
"This is killing me, this is killing me. Just imagining it makes my heart pound in fear."
"Damn it, someone get the girls I like out of there already. Debuting later is fine, but never being able to debut for the rest of their lives is the real problem."
"Shining Stage: Here's a little elimination shock for you."
"This show is fucking absurd, but why does it somehow make me feel fired up?"
"I'm already fired up. Isn't being willing to take this kind of risk and burn freely on stage what truly counts as chasing dreams?"
"BE Aesthetics enthusiasts are ecstatic."
The trainees looked at one another. Rather than tense or hesitant, their brains' CPUs had burned dry, leaving them completely bewildered.
The information was simply too massive, and too absurdly outrageous.
Especially the trainees from companies—none of them had received any warning from their agents at all.
If they had not known this show's scale was enormous, and if the underground-fortress-like Giant Base had not already delivered such a powerful shock beforehand, this outrageous declaration would have seemed like an april fool's joke, difficult to believe.
Dream Weaver Rabbit seemed to have anticipated this as well. It snapped its fingers, and a controllable Virtual Screen popped up before every trainee.
"You may use it to discuss matters with your families, friends, and companies. You may also freely go online to verify whether what I just said is true."
"Furthermore, the Program Group upholds an attitude of freedom and fairness. We will give everyone present four hours to make a decision."
"In the meantime, you may choose to withdraw from the program unconditionally, or you may choose to enter the competition venue directly and begin selecting seats."
"Of course, to avoid misunderstandings, I will first tell everyone here a piece of internal information."
"The Idol Grading System's assessments will involve comprehensive evaluation in many areas. Though strict and difficult, they will not carry the consequence of permanent disqualification after elimination like this program does."
"Only contestants who understand this and still choose to persist meet this program's participation requirements!"
"I truly look forward to seeing how many of the 374 trainees present are willing to gamble their lives and destinies!"
The words fell.
A phantom clock projection formed above the room, signifying the start of the countdown.
Dream Weaver Rabbit bowed respectfully, then vanished like Light Dust without caring in the slightest about the trainees inside or the Live Broadcast Room, whose viewer count was still rising. Only its somewhat malicious laughter remained, echoing through the room.
The Waiting Room quickly descended into chaos. After verifying the truth, some trainees barely gave it any thought before applying to leave, then departed directly under the staff's guidance.
That was the most normal decision.
Regardless of how many people participated, the Haido District's victorious group had only a single-digit number of spots. No one could guarantee that they would definitely fight their way to prominence. The most likely outcome of staying was becoming cannon fodder.
Becoming cannon fodder, however, came at the cost of losing the chance to stand on stage for the rest of one's life.
It was far too heavy, and far too insane.
In the end, those who chose to remain could mostly be divided into three categories: fools with lofty ambitions but paper-thin fates, gamblers with nothing left who were staking everything on one throw, and... powerful, confident, proud Ambitious People!
The first two were ultimately minorities. The final category would probably be surprisingly numerous.
In other words, even in just the Haido District, Shining Stage was far more competitive than an ordinary Talent Show!
Even if the people present had not grasped the situation immediately, they would understand it perfectly after discussing it with their agents. Therefore, whether to give up or continue was not such a difficult decision.
As a result, among the 374 trainees present, nearly a hundred chose to leave one after another within just ten minutes.
Half of them had self-awareness, while the other half had been forcibly sent back by their Entertainment Companies.
After experiencing the first wave of withdrawals, the Live Broadcast Room viewers grew increasingly tense and distressed. Some were even more agitated than the contestants:
"Why hasn't Lin Bao'er left yet? She isn't really going to compete, is she? Help!"
"Fuck, Yi Bao, calm down! Mom doesn't want you to compete!"
"Shining Stage is utterly evil! Isn't this Elimination Mechanism way too perverse? Do they really need to be this ruthless?"
"I'm really scared. The girl I support hasn't left yet. If she really competes and gets eliminated, What will she do afterward?"
"Though life offers many choices, ending a dream in this way still feels far too cruel."
PS1: The trial release starts next week, so I'll begin updating twice a day.
PS2: This newbie's first time writing a novel () and first time writing yuri! Leave more comments! Cast more votes!
Volume One: 12. Dream Weaver Rabbit, I Agree to Compete.
At this very moment.
The number of online viewers in the Live Broadcast Room had climbed into the tens of millions. Aside from trainees who came with their own initial fanbases, ordinary people with outstanding looks and Memorable Points had also drawn considerable attention.
Meanwhile, public opinion online continued to ferment.
The top hot search had changed from [Shining Stage Officially Begins Recording!] to [Is Shining Stage's Elimination Mechanism Reasonable?]