My agency went bankrupt before I even got on stage.

Not only Lin Fan, but also the vote counts of Zhuo Yuanquan, Lu Bingyang, and several other trainees who ranked in the top ten after the first ranking announcement all exuded a disgusting sense of behind-the-scenes manipulation.

The team that ultimately won the most votes was Li Yingqi's team, and he also received the most individual votes, while Zhuo Yuanquan only received the reward of being the first team in his group.

In the first ranking, Zhuo Yuanquan lost to Li Yingqi. Now, he has lost to Li Yingqi again. Even someone as strong as Zhuo Yuanquan almost lost control of his facial expressions.

The mentors noticed the trainees' inner weariness but their forced perfunctory attitude, so they quickly sped up the process, completed the entire procedure, announced all the trainees' votes, and then left with the words, "The second ranking will be released tomorrow."

The mentors weren't worried that the trainees would do anything irrational or hold grudges, since these things were all orchestrated by the production team and had nothing to do with the mentors. But the mentors themselves were getting fed up with it!

While the power of talent agencies is a hidden asset for trainees in talent shows, everyone tacitly accepts the existence of an unspoken agreement that agencies can help trainees debut. So, why resort to such underhanded tactics when you can go all out and even back down if you can't win head-on?

The trainees didn't sleep well that night, and neither did the fans who watched the live stream, because they were all furious with the production team!

[You're giving me the middle finger: It's a rigged game, absolutely a rigged game! Zhuo Yuanquan isn't even in first place! What's so great about that Li Yingqi? His fans are almost all zombie fans, how could they possibly vote him in first place?]

[I'm your ancestor: Fan Ge lost to Tu Jingyi, I'm laughing! What does Tu Jingyi have? Singing skills? Looks? Don't make me laugh, okay?]

[Your education must be prenatal education: Come on, let's see some of Tu Jingyi's fans come out of the live stream. I believe you have fans, but you need to convince me that you have more than us ordinary folks!]

……

The live stream was filled with insults, even leading to various melees. The royal family members were being verbally abused to the extreme, and fans from all sides were furious, feeling that all their hard work over the years had been played by the production team. They quickly rushed to the Weibo account of the "Morning Star" production team to hurl insults.

【You're so ugly: I know you have royalty, but you still need to have a fig leaf, right? With so many rankings right there, are you blind or are we?】

[Even a trash can can't hold you: Come on, I'm putting this on paper, those royal family fans, come out here, let's have a one-on-one fight and see how many real fans will speak up for them! Paid trolls, get out!]

[The most cost-effective way to express unrequited love: Some royal family performances, do you dare to remove the sound card, do you dare to remove the million-dollar audio editor, do you dare to sing live? Do you dare to sing a cappella with accompaniment? Our Zhuo Yuanquan's live stream with full live vocals and no sound card, please have the production team review this!]

……

Amidst a chorus of criticism, the "Morning Star" production team remained unmoved, seemingly oblivious to the accusations from the fans.

Since the production team didn't respond, fans turned their anger towards the "royal family members" and their management companies. Emotions need an outlet, otherwise problems will arise. The production team is shameless, but people don't believe the "royal family members" are necessarily shameless either. Fans from different groups are using all sorts of methods to produce various pieces of evidence to refute their claims.

Soon, online trolls came out to defend the show. The production team could ignore it, but the management company couldn't. Their artists wanted to debut, and they still had to save face.

The online trolls and fans from various groups were locked in a fierce battle, making Weibo incredibly lively. Several shows even trended on social media, though their rankings weren't high, likely due to pressure from their respective agencies. However, these trainees whose data was being suppressed also had agencies, and although they weren't as powerful as the "royal family's" agencies, their combined strength was not to be underestimated.

So, back and forth, you push the trending topics up, I push them down, the battle was truly something else.

In fact, this is exactly the result the production team wanted. As long as there is conflict, there will be buzz, and thus, profit. If everything goes smoothly, with those who should win first place winning and those who should be eliminated being eliminated, the show will lack both entertainment value and topicality.

However, amidst this fierce online battle, a refreshing force emerged: a group of "freeloaders." These fans acted as bystanders, wandering around the various battlefields and occasionally uttering inappropriate remarks.

[I'm Just So Cute: Everyone, calm down, calm down, it's terribly hot today, let's eat some melon seeds! Look at our Fan-ge, so nonchalant! So what if he debuted? He still can't find a girlfriend, can't have a relationship. We, his female fans, are so worried, but in the end, we still can't become his beloved concubine, can we?]

[A passerby commented: "Our Fan-ge also had his votes suppressed, but we're not complaining. After all, our Fan-ge's dream is not to debut, while our dream is for him to keep performing. As long as he's not last place, as long as he's not eliminated, we'll suppress his votes however we want, everything is negotiable!"]

[Tremble, mortals: My lords, even royalty has a face! Slapping them so hard is just bullying! Take our advice, stop hitting them so hard. After their debut, look at their popularity—won't you feel a sense of relief, like they've been turned into hopeless idiots? Yes, that's what you call a complete flop!]

……

These people, who were just there to make a living, were talking about things that were completely unrelated to the topic, which gave many of the trainees' fans reason to suspect that they were just trying to ride the wave of popularity, and doing so openly and honestly. Not only did they do it, but they also created a persona for themselves.

Why don't you want to debut?

Why don't you like to argue with people?

Why do you need to be in a relationship?

It's not just a persona yet. If you're so capable, why don't you withdraw from the competition now?

The dry rice man's answer to this was even more self-righteous.

[Born Entertainment Reporter Wang: Brother Fan also wants to withdraw from the competition, but he doesn't have the money to pay the penalty for breach of contract!]

[Sa_Sa: The donations in the live stream haven't reached the settlement period yet. Apparently, their contract stipulates that payment can only be requested a month after elimination! Yeah, I feel like even eating will be a problem for our Fan-ge after he leaves the island.]

[Auntie's Unrestrained Remarks: No, Brother Fan does have some special skills. For example, his hairstyling skills are amazing. If Brother Fan became a stylist after leaving the island, I feel like quite a few fans would be willing to support him!]

[Cute Rabbit: No, he doesn't need to be a designer. I'd be happy to support him if he just sat there quietly!]

……

Chaobo's chaotic battle was instantly squeezed into a mudslide. The fans of other trainees felt a little confused, but they also couldn't help but laugh. What kind of weird fans and what kind of weird idols are these? Why is such a bizarre combination so popular? Is it because diligence and hard work are no longer popular in the fan circle?

A trainee who doesn't want to debut, an idol who keeps saying he wants to find a partner, and a student who wants to open a bed and breakfast that only caters to single women.

Along with a group of fans who force their idols to perform.

Are we following a fake celebrity?