Chapter 89
"Haha, it's just two videos, they can't kill me with all that editing!"
Just then, her phone started ringing; it was an excited friend in the group chat tagging her.
--The official Flash Dance team suddenly released a teaser trailer for the second episode?
Xu Ling couldn't wait to open the official website. The cover of the second issue featured Chu Yuanqing sitting in his seat, his expression calm yet slightly bewildered, his gaze fixed on the cute picture next to him.
At first glance, the timeline likely dates back to shortly after the vote for the Center position ended.
Could it be... a fight?!
Xu Ling was both excited and worried, but in the end, her desire to watch the drama unfold overwhelmed her, and she almost broke the mouse keys with her fingers.
Thus, this video, which is only two and a half minutes long but contains an enormous amount of information, unfolds like an epic, primordial battle in a dazzling display of colors.
Everything seemed normal at first.
The pairing of Tang Liuli and Chu Wangshu highlights their harmlessness, which is only cute and not dangerous. When these two approach Chu Yuanqing and ask him all sorts of questions, it only creates a warm and harmonious atmosphere, and also has a healing feeling like small animals whispering secrets to each other.
But after Xie Qingxuan followed her in, took the initiative to speak, invited her to train together, and offered her guidance, her fans in the live chat all flocked to Bengbu.
"Xiao Xie, wake up! This is an opponent, a competitor. No matter how tempting it is, you can't do this! What's the difference between this and aiding the enemy?!"
"With no woman in his heart, his sword is naturally divine when drawn! You despicable Chu Yuanqing, so this is the stage you've dulled for my Great Demon King?!"
"Damn it, two people have already gotten close! Qingxuan, you're supposed to be a cool and aloof Great Demon King, you can't actually act like Golden Haired Doggy???"
Almost immediately, Xu Ling also stopped in Bengbu.
Because of the Little Sakura she pushed, it was as if they had heard the war horn and rushed to the battlefield. Not only did they rush there, but they also used a few words that were full of gunpowder, creating a subtle atmosphere that was as hot as a raging fire and as cold as frozen ice.
During this time, Kiriwake Yayoi, with a smile, effortlessly subdued a certain Green Eyed Cat with a single glance, revealing her true colors as a wicked woman, prompting a flood of real-time comments:
"Holy crap, there are four people already! What kind of terrifying chaotic scene is this?"
"What kind of succubus is Chu Yuanqing? She's absolutely horrifying."
"Little Sakura seems to have turned evil in her quest to steal my wife, it's outrageous!"
"Hilarious! How can Liuli be so cowardly? She hid behind Yue Bao the moment she saw her. Is she Social Anxiety Cat? All she can do is bully others by pretending to be tough???"
"Why does the Great Demon King seem unexpectedly weak-willed? It's so cute, everyone."
"Checking Qing Bao's status, it seems she completely misunderstands the current situation???"
Soon after, the confrontation between the Great Demon King and Little Sakura produced a classic quote that would soon go viral online.
--The Great Demon King used the phrase "We are roommates" as a veil to conceal his true intentions.
Little Sakura, however, pulled off a stunning comeback with the line, "Xiao Qing voted for me."
They fought fiercely, showing no mercy whatsoever.
Xu Ling was greatly shocked. She was almost the person in China who knew Kiriwake Yayoi the most, but she had never seen her display such an attitude in public before. It was full of aggression and a desire to compete.
Holy crap, could Yayoi actually be falling for him?
Could it be that the pairing I randomly put together is actually made by the creator?
Although the group is full of fanfiction and erotic stories, and members often go crazy and throw around cheesy jokes, habitually playing with the "girl-copper" meme and obsessively shipping the two, this is just because there are many Yuri) activities in girl groups, so it's normal to ship these kinds of couples for fun.
Just as playing with abstract memes doesn't mean the person is abstract, shipping female-male/male couples doesn't mean you actually think they are female-male/male.
Most people are just creating their own fantasies and having fun. Apart from a few die-hard fans, they usually don't take it seriously, let alone make a scene in front of the actual celebrities.
Of course, there are exceptions, such as when the shippers do things that go beyond the scope of business and are not beneficial to them, or even harmful.
In the fan community, this situation is often referred to as "falling for real."
Little Sakura's current performance almost perfectly fits this definition.
Even if they weren't neodymium-bearing, they were still very close friends, close enough to develop a possessive streak; otherwise, they wouldn't have engaged in such childish conversations.
The problem is that Little Sakura is real, and Xie Qingxuan and Tang Liuli, who are both A-Class, are also real.
Holy crap, Qing Bao, just how alluring are you?!
However, the hilarious moments in this behind-the-scenes video were far from over. A-Class contestant, who previously had almost no connection with Chu Yuanqing but had a large number of loyal fans who shipped them as a couple, entered the scene with an extremely calm demeanor and uttered domineering words:
"For the sake of Chu Yuanqing's future, please make way."
The visitor was none other than Ji Shuzhu, a renowned Genius Choreographer in the industry.
The live chat exploded, and fans from all sides were completely stunned:
"Holy crap, Ji Shuzhu? What's she doing here too?"
"Damn it, there are six A-Class individuals in total, and five of them have made it here. What kind of chaotic battlefield is this?"
"Huh? Isn't Ji Shuzhu's CP Chen Yining? Why is she coming to steal Chu Yuanqing and offering to help him? What kind of cuckold behavior is this?"
"A true fan of Ji Shuzhu, please correct me. Shu Zhu and Chen Yining were never paired together, okay? They're just good friends. Stop shipping them like that."
"I've heard rumors in the industry that Ji Shuzhu's goal in participating in <Flash Dance> isn't to debut, but rather to be interested in trainees with [Flow State], supposedly to stimulate her inspiration in choreography. Now it seems that might be true."
Netizens were abuzz with discussion, feeling that the relationships between the contestants were a complete mess, and the one who caused all of this was still sitting in his chair, completely oblivious to the chaotic situation, which was extremely ridiculous.
At this crucial juncture, the video abruptly cut to a wide shot, focusing on Liang Xiaoxiao who was consistently looking in this direction. After a three-second pause, the behind-the-scenes footage abruptly ended, turning into a black screen that slowly revealed the smiling logo of Dream Weaver Rabbit.
The screen was flooded with question marks from netizens, who were furious at this professional-level tactless behavior.
"Damn it, what's the meaning of the last shot? Is Liang Xiaoxiao going to join the battle too?"
"It shouldn't be that bad. Xiaoxiao is clearly aware of her own limitations and is staying there to avoid being accused of leeching off others. She only dares to look from afar. How pathetic."
"Forget it, it's one thing for others not to want to be accused of piggybacking, but Liang Xiaoxiao's recent behavior clearly shows that she's actively and frantically trying to get closer to this side. Apart from her own roommates, almost every other contestant with a bit of popularity has been quietly brought into her social circle."
"That's how it is for low-rated contestants. If they don't have the skills, they can only find another way to survive. After all, being eliminated is no joke. I actually admire her social skills. I guess she's a comedian after all?"
"Right now, all I care about is the final outcome of this six-person chaotic situation."
"This behind-the-scenes footage is absolutely explosive even in the entire talent show world! Damn it, so who really won?!"
The online discussion intensified.
The underground base in the distance remained peaceful, unaware of the turmoil happening outside.
At midnight, the official Flash Dance team released another announcement, stating that the second episode would officially air the following day.
Volume 1: Chapter 97. Episode 2, The Suicide Calamity Species. (5K2 votes needed!)
The next day.
Early morning.
Chu Yuanqing rubbed her eyes and got out of bed. She slipped on her slippers and walked to the end of the dormitory. She pulled back the curtains and looked down. There were Light Band that moved like mayflies, like stars illuminating the night sky, illuminating the entire giant underground cavity.
Those Light Band are devices that purify the air and simulate real light. Combined with Virtual Projection technology, they can completely disguise this underground cavity as if it were in the outside world.
It's a bit early to get up now; if I opened the curtains any later, real sunlight would stream into the room.
And now, the view is magnificent.
In a daze, it looked just like a shelter underground in the main city.
The girl took a deep breath and regained some of her senses.
Perhaps because Magic Replenishment yesterday, my physical condition today is much better than I expected.
Thinking of this, Chu Yuanqing glanced at the Green Eyed Cat was still fast asleep on the bed, but seemed to be having a nightmare. With a subtle feeling, she walked to the bedside, smoothed the child's slightly furrowed eyebrows with her fingertips, and then pinched her collagen-rich cheeks.
Ever since she was tricked into kissing him, she realized that the other person's sexual orientation was not right. After being pinned to the bed, she was even more certain that the child was 99% female.
As for why this happened, and why the person he likes is himself.
After reviewing the other person's work, Chu Yuanqing had already figured out the reason behind it.
Even though Tang's mother treated Liuli only as a work of art to fulfill her ideals from beginning to end, and inflicted irreparable shadows and harm upon her, she was still the only family member who allowed Tang Liuli to experience the feeling of being loved.
Tang Liuli's attitude towards her mother is a complex mix of love and hate, a very twisted and complicated emotion. This experience, coupled with her father's indifference, domestic violence, and selfish exploitation, would naturally influence her sexual orientation.
Chu Yuanqing had no intention of correcting this orientation; she respected other people's values.
Therefore, the next task is to remove yourself from the other person's criteria for choosing a partner.
This is not difficult.
After all, he had only happened to be there and accidentally entered Tang Liuli's psychological defenses; it was essentially just a short-term transference phenomenon.
Objectively and rationally speaking, I do not meet the other person's criteria for choosing a partner.
Chu Yuanqing was quite confident about this.
Just kidding. Two weeks ago, I was a middle-aged corporate slave, so how could I possibly have any maternal instincts? It's just Little Liuli's wishful thinking. This misunderstanding will be cleared up soon.
"It's so hot."
Chu Yuanqing frowned slightly. She muttered to herself, feeling the white, sticky fabric slick with sweat, stretching the fabric so much that it almost ripped open. It was a bit stuffy, and she couldn't help but pinch the slightly tight collar with her fingertips.
The girl's delicate features were tinged with melancholy. The faint but persistent rejection symptoms from last night had left her underwear and short-sleeved shirts soaked with sweat and emitting a faint scent of white tea.
The strange trait of this Magical Girl meant that the smell wasn't a big problem, but the soft, smooth skin in the middle of her chest felt a bit sticky and stuffy when pressed against her, which was rather uncomfortable.
And... have your breasts gotten bigger?
That shouldn't be the case. Is this body still in puberty?
"You're still young, you'll grow up eventually."
At this moment, Xie Qingxuan's words echoed in his ears like a nightmare.
Chu Yuanqing subconsciously glanced at the still-sleepy Golden Haired Doggy on the bed, his pupils dilating in shock.
Well, it can't get that big... right?
The girl imagined it for a moment, then quickly suppressed the image in her mind by telling herself she only had six months to live. She went to the closet to get new underwear, then went into the bathroom to shower and change.
On the other side, the central hub of the underground base.
The prison, resembling a giant Rubik's Cube, is hidden deep beneath Zhelong Town. Dozens of cells, each made of precious metals such as mercury and gold, are slowly being implanted into the outer shell by nanobots, which wriggle and create a gap for entry.
"Magic Threshold is stable."
"The index is normal."
"Ether detection is secure."
"Initiate the transfer."
The Dream Weaver Rabbit switched to the personality of Super AI, like a god hanging high in the sky, swallowing up all kinds of information. With the help of the Aether Satellite - Fuxi - it temporarily summoned and condensed a ring of Ether particles, which guarded the outside of the entire prison, slowly rotating and intersecting.
This cautious approach eliminates all possibilities of unexpected events.
Subsequently, dozens of robotic arms, having 99% of their activity removed and rendered inactive, were thrown into these seemingly empty cavities after the Calamity Species.
In the next instant, the nanorobots successfully closed the gap within a second.
At the same time, the air inside was transparent, and the Calamity Species, which seemed not to exist, was like a lion king that had been provoked, struggling angrily, ignoring its own weakness, growing writhing flesh and blood, roaring angrily and greedily. The dozens of prisons were like burning fire, with a continuous crackling sound.
However, gold, mercury, silver, and even metals imbued with mythical significance in history and culture, silently swallowed up the initial impact, and the subsequent energy fluctuations were all blocked by the outer layers of defense.
For a long, long time.
Silence returned to the Rubik's Cube prison.
The ether ring also collapsed and disappeared.
The people in the central control room were discussing animatedly:
"No surprises, the results are the same as previous experiments."
"When Calamity Species of the same level exhibit distinct differences in strength, they will devour and kill each other. The ultimate victor will then self-devour, completing a cycle of life evolution and reaching the next level."
"Such an environment is enough to accelerate the process of [Flower Bloom]."
Conservatives remain opposed.
"I acknowledge that the threat of the Disaster Tide is imminent, but <Flash Dance> is only in its early stages. Isn't this a bit like forcing growth?"
"Especially the Sea Capital Division, where our Donghuang Federation's treasure— Chu Yuanqing —is located!"
"With this person in the competition area, we absolutely cannot add any unnecessary risks, not to mention that it would increase the spawn rate of [Calamity Shell]."
Radicals, however, believe this is making a mountain out of a molehill.
"All bases in the <Flash Dance> competition area have multiple security lines, so even if a B-Class Calamity Species successfully hatches, there is a 90% probability that the contestant's life will be guaranteed."
"Even if F-Class Calamity Species consumes one of its own level, it will at most reach E-Class, Minister Chen! Excessive conservatism will only allow the crisis to fester for longer. We must not allow the Disaster Tide to truly materialize!"