First Ranking Announcement

Happy times always passed quickly.

The rest day ended, and the next day, recording returned to normal.

At eight in the morning, the trainees were having breakfast when the livestream quietly began.

The comments immediately flooded the screen:

[First!]

[I'm here, I'm here! I'm first!]

[Snatching first place!]

[Ha, a bunch of idiots fighting for first. I won't fight you for it—I'm second.]

[I'm number six~~~]

[I really don't understand what the production team is thinking. The livestream was going perfectly fine, so why stop it on the rest day? Even if they weren't practicing, I'd be happy just watching the handsome guys eat, drink, and have fun!]

[The production team has no heart. Do you know how I got through this whole day?! [Fuming][Fuming][Fuming]]

[Huo Xiao Huo Xiao Huo Xiao! Go, Huo Xiao!]

[Here to see my precious Di]

For the fans, one day apart felt like three years.

The camera swept over the trainees eating. Whoever it landed on had their name flash across the screen for a while.

Nine o'clock sharp.

All the trainees arrived at the recording hall.

After a brief exchange of whispers, Qin Wei appeared.

As the PD, Qin Wei naturally carried an imposing presence. The moment he showed up, the noisy boys immediately stood straight and politely called out, "Hello, PD!"

Qin Wei nodded and walked to the center of the hall. Looking at the trainees on both sides, he asked in an elegant voice, "Did you rest well yesterday?"

"Yes!"

Everyone answered in unison.

It had been a rare day off. Who didn't enjoy being carefree and happy?

Qin Wei raised an eyebrow. "Good. Since you're all well-rested, I believe you can show an even more perfect version of yourselves in the next challenge."

A new mission had arrived!

For trainees in the middle of a competition, this was undoubtedly exciting.

Facing everyone's expectant gazes, Qin Wei spoke slowly and methodically. "The theme song evaluation from a few days ago allowed the idol producers watching beyond the camera to see your individual learning abilities, as well as the attitude you displayed during high-intensity training."

"Now, it's time for you to unleash your true energy."

His voice was not loud.

Yet it was firm and powerful.

Qin Wei took a cue card from the pocket of his brown wool coat and continued, "Now that the theme song evaluation is complete, the second mission I'm announcing is the group battle."

"One hundred trainees will be divided into twelve groups and perform six songs. Groups that choose the same song will become PK opponents, and five hundred idol producers present at the venue will vote to determine the winners."

The venue erupted!

Yu Ning wrapped an arm around Si Di's and said excitedly, "There's an audience! This time, there's a real audience! Di, we're going to perform on stage in front of an audience!"

During the previous initial stage and theme song evaluation, only the mentors and other trainees had been present.

This time, there would be a genuine audience.

For trainees who had trained for years without making their debut, this was a new breakthrough.

They had taken another step closer to their dreams!

They could finally have a stage of their own!

The venue was in chaos.

Qin Wei watched quietly.

He had always been well-mannered. Even though he had never been a trainee and had never experienced the waiting and anticipation they had endured, even though he was a mentor and essentially an elder to the trainees present—

He still understood respect.

Only after the trainees had quieted down did he continue, "Your first public performance will be a brand-new departure for you. A live performance will allow everyone to see you more directly, but at the same time, it will also be a dangerous challenge."

"Even the slightest mistake in your performance will be seen by the idol producers at the venue. Live performances will magnify your flaws!"

"Furthermore, after this public performance, half of you will be eliminated according to your popularity rankings."

Unlike the excited cheers from before.

After those words, the venue fell silent.

The trainees looked at one another. Those lacking confidence had already begun feeling anxious and dejected.

"Now, let's take a look at the current rankings."

After saying that, Qin Wei stepped aside.

The large screen at the front of the recording hall lit up, displaying the names of trainees ranked fifty-first to one hundredth.

This was the danger zone.

If nothing changed after the first public performance, everyone in this range would be eliminated.

The venue was silent.

Those whose names appeared looked grim, while those whose names did not appear let out relieved breaths.

The image flashed, revealing ranks twenty-six through fifty.

The trainees in this range were visibly more relaxed.

Little cutie Yu Ning happened to be ranked twenty-sixth.

Seeing his name at the very top, he patted his chest and said, "I thought I'd be somewhere in the seventies or eighties. Thank goodness, thank goodness. Twenty-sixth place—if nothing else, at least I'm ranked first in this section."

He was actually a little happy?

Si Di frowned in dissatisfaction.

Even if Yu Ning couldn't dance, he sang so well and worked so hard. How had he ended up twenty-sixth?

Forget the top ten—he shouldn't have fallen out of the top fifteen at the very least!

The image flashed again, this time displaying ranks eight through twenty-five.

There were one hundred people.

The top twenty-five already counted as above average.

Si Di felt that he should be somewhere in this range. He searched carefully, but surprisingly, he couldn't find his own name.

His brows furrowed slightly.

That shouldn't be right!

Even if he had performed well, he shouldn't have made the top seven either!

The top seven were the debut spots. It wasn't that he didn't want one—it just seemed strange.

Given his bitter rivalry with Qin Wei, Qin Wei's fans definitely wouldn't support him, would they?

Under all heaven, nothing was beyond the king's domain.

There were only two hundred million fans in the fandom, and Qin Wei alone had claimed one hundred eighty million of them.

Could it be that Qin Wei's fans had abandoned the dark for the light and switched to supporting him?

The image on the big screen flickered again.

This time, it displayed the top seven.

It was arranged in the shape of a pyramid. At the top was the center position, with second and third place on the row beneath it. The remaining four spots were on the bottom row.

The profile pictures of the top three had prominent crowns above them.

The center position had a gold crown, second place had a silver one, and third place had a bronze one.

First place was Huo Xiao.

The photo chosen for his profile had already looked cool and domineering. With a glittering golden crown on his head, he looked even more imposing.

Everyone's eyes always went first to the one at the very top.

In an instant, everyone looked toward Huo Xiao with envy.

Like a confident king, he calmly accepted everyone's attention. His expression was composed and proud, as though he had known the outcome all along.

The next second, everyone turned to look at Si Di.

Yu Ning excitedly shook his arm and said, "Di, Di, you're second! Did you see that? You're in second place!"

Si Di was staring at the big screen.

On the second row of the pyramid directly beneath Huo Xiao, his profile picture wore a dazzling silver crown!