How to become an ACE of a top boy group

"This time, we're introducing ILitter, who has escaped the cursed abyss of evil and arrived at Summer Coast Academy during graduation season!"

Holding her host card, Yang Hui, dressed in a breathable school uniform shirt and with her high ponytail tied in a mint-colored bunny knot, smiled professionally and gently, directing the camera to the boy band members behind her, "Let's meet ILitter, who are making a comeback with 'The Answer Sheet'!"

"Following my candle! Hello everyone, we are ILitterer!"

Luo Xi, Song Chuchu, Lu Yun, Li Longxuan, and Gu Minxing immediately greeted the camera. The male host, Mo Yi, wearing a mint-colored sailor hat, clapped and said, "Welcome ILitterer!"

"It's great to see you all!" Another male host, Qianli Shu, followed up: "Seeing Eun-hee, we have to mention the recently popular 'light blonde hair challenge.' Since light blonde hair color is so in line with the summer concept, how does the 'light blonde hair challenge' feel? Seeing that your light blonde hair color has led this summer's hair coloring trend, what do you have to say?"

The host was talking about what had happened in the last few days. After her comeback, Luo Xi posted a set of selfies every few days as usual. Perhaps it was because the lighting was too good, or perhaps it was because her fans were so good at praising her, but they said that her "light blonde hair color has a sunny feel to it." At that time, many people in the comments section said that it was perfect for summer and that they wanted to dye their hair that color too. Luo Xi went along with it and liked the post, saying that she wanted to see it. A day later, four or five people posted their results in the comments section. The successful ones were very successful, while the unsuccessful ones were too golden and looked like non-mainstream hair colors. Everyone was joking and asking for help in the comments section. Luo Xi then asked her makeup artist for the brand and dosage of hair dye. As a result, it turned into a challenge for her fans to correctly dye their hair light blonde. The comments became more and more numerous, and the post was shared more and more often.

Many non-fans and outsiders joined in, and it inexplicably became popular. Many popular beauty bloggers followed suit and launched the Summer Light Blonde Hair Dye Challenge, which has become a hair dyeing trend in the past few days.

Luo Xi smiled and said, "I'm really grateful that everyone likes this new hair color and that it's so lucky to be so popular! Getting a refreshing new hair color to welcome summer can improve your mood, which is why so many people participated in the hair coloring challenge. However, you should also pay attention to protecting your hair while coloring it. Friends who want to color their hair should take good care of it and choose the right formula according to their hair type!"

Qianli Shu nodded: "Even I want to dye my hair light blonde! I want to get as many likes as Enxi!"

Yang Hui: "I also noticed that each of the ILitterer members had a blue dove plushie hanging on their belt, which really gives off a summery vibe! This comeback must be full of summer atmosphere!"

Gu Minxing said, "That's right, the new stage we're performing on today is for the song 'Answer Sheet,' which is full of summer and graduation vibes! July is graduation season as we enter summer, and this song is also an encouragement to everyone who is feeling lost about their future. I hope everyone can follow the rhythm of this song and step into the next season in a refreshing and joyful way."

Mo Yi: "It is said that the hip-hop style of the choreography of 'The Answer Sheet' is a style that the members really like. So, could our Chu Chu show us the choreography? And also teach the audience watching Music Online the choreography of the killing part?"

Song Chuchu: "Okay. First, make an 'L' shape with your left hand, like this. Move your hand to the middle and place it horizontally in front of your chest. Then, turn your left hand over and make a writing motion with your outstretched right hand. At the same time, swing your arms in coordination with the four beats of your legs moving forward, backward, left, and right. After that, make a '?' shape with both hands, raise them upward, and swing them twice from your chest to your face, making the amplitude larger, coordinating with the movements of your legs and waist. Like this, that's it. Did you learn it? Music~"

As the song "Answer Sheet" played, the five of them, led by Song Chuchu, performed a cool choreography for this part.

The three hosts also joined in the dance, and then applauded with smiles: "Thank you, ILitter! Did the viewers on Music Online learn it too? Let's look forward to ILitter's performance!"

After the pre-interview recording was completed, Luo Xi and her teammates bowed as they walked off the interview stage. The members of the girl group Silver Lake Dream, who were recording the next group, came over. They were wearing sparkling ethnic costumes and had serene smiles on their faces.

There were a total of thirteen music groups participating in "Music Online" this week, but only ILitterer and Silver Lake Dream can be considered top-tier groups. This is largely because Pink Sugar's comeback song "Apple Blushes" from the end of June is still dominating the charts, having already won ten number one spots. Groups that were originally scheduled to make comebacks, such as Mickey and Jewelbul, have postponed their comeback dates.

ILetter's title track "Answer Sheet" rose from ninth place to second, while "Apple Blushes" remained firmly in first place, indicating that it was hard to say whether they could take first place this time. After all, music streaming programs place the most emphasis on online music sales, which account for 60% of the final score.

Walking back into the stuffy stairwell behind the show, everyone quickened their pace.

Lu Yun kept talking, "Last time we debuted and the music show was freezing cold, this time the comeback is scorching hot, we've really had a lot of bad luck! And Treasure Boy, it's such a shame that their music show ended so easily! I was originally planning to run into them, but this time I'm going to go all out and mock them, and make them laugh at them viciously!"

"Don't worry, they've been getting a lot of flak these past few days," Luo Xi said.

Treasure? Boy's comeback last week was a complete failure, as their title track "Breaking the Cocoon" was of such poor quality that even with marketing, it couldn't beat the chart-topping "Apple Blushing." The song dropped off the charts on the same day, and they only made it to two music show appearances before ending their activities to salvage their reputation.

However, they failed to salvage their reputation. Their comeback was far too "similar" to ILetter's, from the overall concept, style, and song selection to the details of the MV shooting locations, costumes, and choreography. They were practically identical, with Treasure? Boy making only minor changes. However, the cheap production resulted in a very rough and poorly made appearance. While they did avoid the pitfalls of copying "Apple's Blushing," ILetter's comeback felt like the original. Although their loyal fans tried to salvage the situation with "common elements," Treasure? Boy inevitably faced backlash in the past few days. They were exposed for plagiarizing arrangements by foreign musicians, criticized for marketing and low-quality music, and even their company, Shengshi Entertainment, was criticized as a small-scale operation and a marketing company.

Lu Yun said angrily, "They deserved it! I'll personally curse them for what's mine. They stole our grades, smeared us, and plagiarized our content. I've written it all down!"

Song Chuchu chimed in, "Wow, now that you mention it, I remember! It was all because of them that I got so badly scolded back then! Those awful guys!"

Gu Minxing also said, "However, I do have some doubts about whether our company's documents could have been leaked..."

Finally, we made it back to the cool lounge, and everyone immediately found a place to sit. We arrived here at 5 a.m. this morning for rehearsals and pre-recording of our music show performances, which lasted until noon. After lunch, we recorded a lot of challenge dance videos with other groups, followed by rehearsals and pre-interviews... Now we finally have some time to rest.

Lee Yong-hyun and Song Chu-chu lay back on the sofa, each on one side, and started to sleep. Gu Min-xing was replying to her manager's messages. Lu Yun stood by the air conditioner vent, also holding a fan. Luo Xi propped her chin on her hand in a chair, seemingly lost in thought, but actually observing her own attributes.

【Luo Xi】(Age 18, Height 177.2cm, Weight 54.1kg)

Dance 67 (+7) / 100

Singing ability 70 (+7) / 100

rap ability 40/100

Charm 73 (+14)/100

Creation 41/100

Expressiveness 28.56 (+0-55) / 100

[A capable guy is really cool... (Expand)]

As soon as she earned points, Luo Xi immediately converted them into attribute values, striving to achieve the highest average attribute in the entire group. This translates to an average of 74 in singing, dancing, and rapping, which requires 8 points. Currently, it's an event period, and she receives numerous points daily for perfect photoshoots. Combined with random tasks given to her by 041, such as "achieving the first number one spot" and "appearing on a minor trending topic," which can sometimes be completed, and assuming an average daily point income of 2, she should be able to reach and complete the "highest average attribute in the entire group" goal in three months. If she can further improve her attributes through practice, this timeframe will be even shorter.

They didn't have much time to rest before being notified to go on stage. This was their last live music show performance, and once it was over, they could go home. Luo Xi and the others touched up their makeup and tidied their clothes—today's outfits were the summer school uniforms from the music video: short-sleeved white shirts and black pants, blue and white striped bow ties, blue dove plush toys they endorsed hanging from their belts, and white mesh sneakers.

Rosie liked the clean, simple clothes that allowed for easy movement. She was ready to meet the Candlelights!

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On stage, the five dancers changed their moves, spreading out and regrouping according to the movement, preparing for the grand finale of the chorus. As the song reached its climax, the guitar and bass accompaniment were turned up to the maximum, performing smooth and fluid choreography, and the five sang together:

You know that.

The fans in the stands cheered loudly: "I know!"

"I am writing the answer sheet of my life—"

"A future as thin as a cicada's wing: a letter on a test-and-determined path"

The fans in the stands cheered loudly: "The Future!" "Letter!"

"My Life's Answer Sheet—"

The fans in the audience cheered loudly: "The answer sheet of life!"

"Luo Enxi! Song Chuchu! Lu Yun! Li Longxuan! Gu Minxing!"

"A perfect answer sheet! ILitter!"

The candles and light sticks waving in unison sounded like professionally trained, perfectly synchronized cheers. With the powerful support of the candles, ILitterer had no reason not to complete this perfect performance.

When it was time for Luo Xi to leave the stage after finishing her routine, she was still very reluctant to go. She went back to the dressing room to watch all the other groups' performances. When she went back on stage, it was time to announce a winner. As the host gave the formulaic closing remarks, Luo Xi happily interacted with the fans in the audience, making heart gestures and scattering rice.

There's no one I dislike (Luo Xi is referring to Treasure? Boy), everyone is someone I like, so I'm happy. Luo Xi thought, thankfully Treasure? Boy's comeback was so bad that it was criticized by the entire internet, otherwise, I really don't know what would have happened.

But then a question suddenly occurred to her: they clearly could and were capable of doing better, so why did they choose to do it so badly?

041, who had been flying alongside Luo Xi, thoughtfully replied: "[Because their style is completely incompatible with this summer coast campus theme. They themselves aren't suited to the concept and haven't fully grasped it. The company forced them to complete it. This has been discussed online for a long time these past few days. 041 showed it to Luo Xi.]"

[Then I understand even less why they insist on imitating us. Wouldn't it be better to just create a high-quality piece that suits their own tastes?]

The main purpose of Treasure Boy's comeback is not to achieve success, but to reduce people's attention and surprise at ILitter's return, which has similar elements, by "copying" it. This would cause ILitter's brand to lose its "uniqueness," become homogenized, and thus reduce its competitiveness.

041 reads aloud all the information obtained from the entire internet search to Luo Xi:

An anonymous comment stated that this is Shengshi Entertainment's usual tactic: copying other groups, whatever's popular, making their content homogenized, diluting their image, and then launching their own new groups. ZONE defeated NEW Time, a group from Mexico and Japan at the same time, in this way. Shengshi then launched two limited-time boy groups to compete, successfully diluting NEW Time's popularity...

Rosie sighed helplessly. [Isn't this just making all the works worse? What's the point?]

If successful, Shengshi could monopolize the market, allowing its idol groups to maintain a dominant position at the top.

[Isn't that a bit too insidious?]

041 said: [But they failed, just like now! Treasure Boy is being criticized across the internet, while ILitterer has successfully returned! We broke through the encirclement with our own quality! As for Treasure Boy, there are rumors online that they will soon be disbanded by Shengshi Entertainment! Yay!]

Luo Xi felt both angry and somewhat saddened. Ultimately, Treasure? Boys were also victims; they had become casualties of the company's power struggle and were now being condemned online, just like when ILitterer debuted.

"Congratulations to ILetter for winning the championship of this week's online music competition with 'The Answer Sheet'!"

While Luo Xi was deep in thought, the trophy with the crystal radio wave note from Music Online was directly handed to her by Mo Yi.

She turned to look at her teammates, whose faces also showed varying degrees of surprise. The confetti suddenly shot up, startling Song Chuchu. Lu Yun snatched the trophy and held it high in his hands.

Although Rosie had expected them to get the reserve spot, she never thought they could surpass Pink Sugar so quickly!

She glanced at the big screen on the stage. The audio of "Apple Blushes" was better than that of "Answer Sheet," but when the live score and sales scores were added, "Answer Sheet" actually had a total score that was more than a hundred points higher.

It's at full capacity; sales are truly at full capacity.

"This should be ILitterer's first number one, right? To win number one on the online music stage for the first time, is there anything you want to say?" Yang Hui asked with a smile, handing over the microphone.

"It was so sudden. We all thought we wouldn't get it this time, but we didn't expect..." Gu Minxing took the microphone, "The people I want to thank the most are the Candlelight fans. It's because of your continued belief and support that we've always been there for us. No matter how bad our situation was, you always said some comforting words. You've been here with us since the early hours of this morning, constantly cheering us on, as if you never get tired... How could ILetter exist without the Candlelight fans..."

As he spoke, he began to choke up and cried, "Waaah... We will definitely win more awards for you in the future!"

Song Chuchu was also crying, trying her best to explain: "Thank you, fans! Thank you for your love! You've given me so much love... Anyway, just like Gu Minxing said, we'll win many awards in the future and become idols that you can be proud of. Just wait and see!"

Taking the microphone, Luo Xi was still a little stunned. Perhaps she should have cried, but because it was so unexpected, she couldn't cry at all. Instead, she smiled at the fans and the camera: "Candlelight fans, do you see this? Our first trophy."

"Candlelight fans, did you see that?! We did it! We did it!" Lu Yun jumped and danced like a madman, tossing the trophy high into the air and almost missing it. Only Li Longxuan remained calm and unchanged.

Everyone left, leaving time for an encore on the ILitter champion stage. Two people were still wiping away tears when Rosie, directing the candlesticks of the fans, picked up the microphone and loudly sang: "Emergency/Emergency Situation!"

Lu Yun yelled in response, "Oh, my gosh—"

"I/am/facing/an exam" "It's a letter!"

"No signature/no information/just appeared abruptly in my hands." "On both my hands!"

……