After participating in the program, aside from training and handling fan station data tasks, Luo Xin often ponders a question - how can he advance further? While watching a few shows before sleeping, he finally remembered the explosive videos from his memories, and found the golden rule for going viral - to push to the extreme.
Regardless of whether it's extreme visual effects, dazzling skills, funny and mistake-ridden, or even absurd off-key and broken live performance abilities, as long as you are extreme enough and coordinate with some promotion, you can always achieve good results.
Therefore, when choosing from various types of songs such as love songs, traditional Chinese music, and English, Luo Xin almost didn't think much and chose "Bloody Love Story".
The atmosphere of the song is gloomy, and the way the chorus is portrayed with almost no breathing time for large sections is also impressive.
As long as it's not tampered with, this song will definitely go viral.
However, because of the song's high difficulty and its relatively thin content compared to other songs with more highlights, not many people choose it.
Those who dare to choose it are probably confident.
For example, Huang Ze, who ranked higher than Luo Xin and ended up in the same position as him.
After Luo Xin chose his song, he walked to the back and saw Huang Ze standing alone in the crowd. His posture was excellent, even though he was standing there bored, his back was straight, and the curve of his neck was clean and neat, like a swan.
The song looks good but also a bit pitiful, because besides this one, all the other songs have at least two people standing.
When he finally saw someone in the queue, he didn't seem excited. Instead, he scanned Luo Xin up and down, then greeted him with a polite smile, "Hello."
So arrogant. Luo Xin thought to himself and nodded his chin reservedly, "Hello." Then he walked directly to the position of the song and continued to wait, without any intention of talking to Huang Ze.
Until everyone in the team was there, the two of them didn't say a word to each other.
To outsiders, the two of them seemed to be engaging in petty squabbles like little girls, almost rolling their eyes at each other.
But in reality, they both felt like it was no big deal. Huang Ze was always a quiet person and his noble demeanor seemed to say, "I'm a rich man who grew up drinking rainwater. Don't bother me with worldly matters."
As for Luo Xin...
Before we go any further, let me clarify that there were no "little idols" that he fawned over on his team this time.
This was because he rarely pursued pure vocalists, and even if he wanted to choose a new idol, he wouldn't choose Huang Ze.
Huang Ze has pride but not arrogance, as his pride comes from his own abilities.
Apart from this easily misunderstood trait, he exudes an innocence that comes from not being worldly-wise, as if he's always been a pampered child who has had everything arranged for him. He was born into a blissful family, enjoys a comfortable material life, has hobbies he is passionate about and excels in, and achieves excellent grades. He leads a perfect life without any shortcomings, and his only worry is whether to pursue further studies at a top-notch university in his own country or abroad.
Having never encountered a problem that hard work couldn't solve, he firmly believed that effort would always yield corresponding rewards.
Many people may appreciate this sense of perfection, but Luo Xin does not. Instead, it makes him want to keep his distance.
This is because people like Huang Ze find it difficult to understand the complexities of life. Moreover, they often have their own unique logic, making it difficult for them to express emotions beyond their understanding. In other words, even on stages that require extreme characteristics, they may not be able to deliver.
So when Huang Ze chose to perform "Bloody Love Story," it really gave Luo Xin a headache.
Compared to the other team members who had mediocre skills, it was causing him a headache.
After forming a team, the members gathered together for initial introductions and getting to know each other. After all, they had to work together for several days, and getting familiar with each other was necessary to start the work smoothly.
However, since Huang Ze and Luo Xin, who were ranked highest in terms of skills and abilities, seemed uninterested, the remaining three members conscientiously took it upon themselves to liven up the atmosphere. "Hahaha, it's fate that brought us together."
"Yeah, yeah, don't forget to take care of us, big shots."
Huang Ze stood with his arms crossed, remaining silent.
Luo Xin hung his head and remained silent, creating an awkward atmosphere. Fortunately, the other three members, though ranked lower, were naturally optimistic and managed to maintain a harmonious image in front of everyone by laughing strongly for a long time. It was both touching and moving.
After exchanging pleasantries, everyone prepared to head to their respective practice rooms to prepare for the most important ritual: selecting the C position.
Of course, the team's strength was evident, and the aloofness of both Luo Xin and Huang Ze made the remaining three members hesitant to speak. Therefore, it was destined that the C position would be chosen between these two.
The reason is simple: the vocal group naturally wins with their singing ability.
So the selection of the C position is also based on singing ability, with the judges being the other contestants.
Fair, just and open, Huang Ze has no objections.
In order, Huang Ze speaks first.
In fact, as stated earlier, Huang Ze has good singing ability, but he has not experienced much of the world and has little experience with the ups and downs of life. So his choice of this song is, to some extent, exposing his weaknesses.
The more anguished and ominous the song is sung, the better the effect.
Can Huang Ze be ferocious?
Of course not, his vocal range is broad and he has strong control, but that's about it.
Just like what Cheng Er said during the initial evaluation, "The technique is perfect, but there's no emotion."
At first glance, Luo Xin seems similar to Huang Ze.
The difference is that Luo Xin is usually composed. When he gets angry, the authority in his gaze is comparable to that of the stepmother in Disney. Everyone immediately shuts up when he stares.
However, when Luo Xin sings, he doesn't have this sense of detachment. His demeanor changes with the atmosphere of the song, not monotonous nor too sudden.
Therefore, even though the competition had not yet begun, everyone had already formed some fixed impressions.
Most people felt that Luo Xin should be able to compete for the C position.
That is, if there were no special circumstances.
"What do you mean?" During the selection process for the C position, Luo Xin was called aside by the staff. He thought it was for an interview, but it turned out that he was instructed to let Huang Ze take the C position.
Although "Good Idol" claims to be a competition, it is actually a program, and in order to achieve certain effects, the production team will still use some tactics. Luo Xin is well aware of the explicit and implicit rules of this kind of show.
Such as malicious editing, splicing, and differential treatment...
"Luo Xin thought he was mentally prepared, but he didn't expect things to be so brazen and disgusting.
Is your production team crazy?
He really wanted to speak up like this, but he knew he couldn't.
The production team holds the power of life and death, and it's not a good idea to get into a fight with them. But he just couldn't understand why they did this when Huang Ze didn't seem to care about rankings and the C position."
Luo Xin held his breath and forcibly held back his tears until his eyes turned red and physiological tears flowed down. Seeing this, the on-site staff who came to notify them couldn't bear to look away and comforted him, "Don't be too sad. We won't treat you unfairly in the future. The 'Bloody Love Story' group will still be a focus of our program..."
Shaking his head, Luo Xin didn't respond but instead asked with a persistent look, "Why exactly?"
When a strong-willed person cries, it's always more heartbreaking than others. In the end, the staff couldn't resist and whispered, "Huang Ze's family is relatively wealthy. His parents have invested a large sum of money with us, and they only want the C position for this stage, nothing else."
Luo Xin immediately held back his tears.
Monetary power?
When the selection for the C position resumed, everyone was relatively silent.
Except for Huang Ze, everyone else knew what was going on. The production team had called them out one by one, and they all naturally said the same thing. So the trio looked at Luo Xin with sympathy.
Just like how Luo Xin wouldn't confront the production team head-on, neither would they. It wasn't their turn for the C position anyway, so it seemed like there was no loss in whoever was chosen.
In order to avoid being discovered, the staff also called Huang Ze aside. They talked about some ordinary precautions, which left him puzzled. However, he didn't show any different behavior. He wasn't very familiar with the rules and objections of this kind of talent show, so it wasn't surprising that he found it strange.
Huang Ze's performance also convinced Luo Xin that he really knew nothing.
Finally, Luo Xin himself also understood how Huang Ze's innocent nature came about.
No one's life can completely escape all darkness. Huang Ze was able to grow up so simply because his family had arranged everything. He only had to strive towards his goals.
There was no large-scale vote-rigging or direct selection for a debut spot. They just wanted the C position for a duet song. Should Luo Xin be grateful to them?
"I just went to the bathroom and suddenly my throat wasn't feeling well. For the sake of the team, I voluntarily withdrew from the competition for the C position." After pretending to cough twice, Luo Xin continued in a calm tone, "But I would like to recommend myself as the team captain because I was a class monitor in elementary school and have quite a bit of experience."
It was a really ridiculous reason, but because they were accomplices, the three variety show members felt guilty and immediately agreed to his request.
And although Huang Ze found it a bit strange, he didn't suspect anything and went along with it."
So Huang Ze automatically got the C position in 'Bloody Love Story,' and everyone was happy about it.
But after a regular day of practice was over and everyone had gone home, Luo Xin quietly approached the person in charge on the contestants' side and said, "I heard you guys gave the C position to Huang Ze. It wouldn't be unreasonable to exchange something for it, would it?'
The person in charge had been through a lot and didn't change their expression. "You first.'"
But they were thinking, 'What if Luo Xin speaks up and gets him eliminated in the next round? He's popular now, but it's still easy to get rid of him before his fans start fundraising.'
Luo Xin naturally knows that making demands now will make them think more, but if they don't seize the opportunity while the program group still feels a little guilty, do they have to wait until the final? Moreover, he is not as willing as he appears on the outside. He has to retaliate in some way...
The next day before practice, team leader Luo Xin clapped his hands and called the team together: "I observed the progress and arrangements of the other teams yesterday and I feel that we are missing something. We can't change the song anymore, so let's think of something to add to our performance."
This is a common practice, just like if a team member can do the splits, there must be a split in the dance routine. Having an extra split can add two more shots, which benefits each team member.
Everyone had no objections, so they gathered together and discussed their fanciful ideas.
Although the variety show trio didn't rank very high, their personalities were lively. They may have lacked some fighting spirit, but they were like high school boys with a lot of crazy ideas.
One moment they suggested performing the "Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers" dance, the next moment they proposed doing a group dance to the theme of "Axe Gang." It was all very outlandish.
Huang Ze rarely experienced such a situation, and for a moment, he felt like he had opened his eyes to something new and gained more knowledge.
Just as everyone was considering their options with great enthusiasm, Luo Xin smirked and said, "Why don't we just perform a circus act?"
The trio immediately closed their mouths, straightened their backs, and placed their hands on their legs to form the word "obedient."
Huang Ze looked around for a few seconds, remained silent, and finally slowly raised his hands to join the "obedient" group, fitting in perfectly.
This scene, which was later broadcast and acclaimed as a world-famous painting, was called "Teacher and Baby", "Principal and Students", and even "Snow White and Stepmother"...
Without further ado, Luo Xin easily suppressed the team members. He pretended to be gentle, but the sarcastic tone in his words was evident to everyone. He continued, "Maybe everyone has forgotten that we are singing 'Bloody Love Story' and not 'Daddy and Mommy Go to Work, I Go to Kindergarten'."
After finishing his speech, he changed the subject and said, "I have a temporary idea over here, which is..."
------
In the blink of an eye, the time for the competition had arrived, and to avoid being eliminated, everyone started using their best skills.
Although the rehearsals were done separately, a lot could still be deduced from the usual practices and clothing styles.
For example, in the "Da Guo Song" group, all members wore modified Hanfu, which made them appear slender yet powerful. In the "Ascetic Monk" group, all members wore traditional Chinese jackets and cloth shoes, but the sticks they carried on their backs revealed some thoughtfulness. The other dance and love song groups also displayed their talents, putting in a lot of effort into their costumes and styles.
However, everyone's attention was still drawn to the "Bloody Love Story" group. Apart from Huangze who was wearing a Little Prince costume, the rest of the group had a black veil on their heads.
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