Chapter 18: Chu Yuanqing Looks Cute When She’s Lost in Thought

The audience in the live stream continued to hit the keyboard.

"Ah, she’s so cool, I love her so much."

"Haha, I want to be like her, I’m a thousand times cooler than her."

"I can only say, Great Devil has always been like this, her strength is not inferior to Xie Qingyu who received the Purple Microstar back then."

"Not really, since Xie Qingyu debuted with Carry Center, their group’s streaming views are close to reaching 6 billion, Great Devil is still a bit behind her sister’s level back in the day."

"It’s really hard to judge at the same time, these sisters are truly born idols."

"Yes, otherwise why would she be called Great Devil? Even without her star background, just based on her skill, she might not even be surpassed by Ji Shuzhu in battle mechanisms, let alone in other aspects."

"When Xie Qingxuan announced her participation, it was like securing a debut spot."

As the dust settled at Carry Center, the competition in the upper circle also reached its conclusion. In a total of 97 minutes of waiting, all 101 seats in the venue were filled.

Most of the audience in the live stream room also began to feel something was not right at this moment.

"If the show ’Dazzling Stage’ agreed to let contestants withdraw freely, why are the prepared seats fixed at 101?"

"Is this a test? Only allowing the first 101 players who entered to participate?"

"Oh no, I suddenly remembered Chu Yuanqing’s reaction earlier, when she entered, she circled around all the seats, then sighed that there were only 101 seats."

"Oh dear, could there be a trap?"

The mentors are entering the current arena one after another, with a lineup that is strong as expected.

The newcomer actress Luo Siling, the well-known singer-songwriter Zhao Dapan, the rap star Jiang Chi, and the award-winning choreographer Chen Baijiu are on stage.

The trainees are sitting in their seats, discussing animatedly, but like the audience, they feel that the lineup of mentors lacks a bit of excitement.

The previous actions of "Dazzling Stage" were too explosive, raising the expectations too high, which made the luxurious lineup of mentors that would be impressive in a regular talent show seem very ordinary now.

Quickly, a bright rainbow light descended onto the mentor’s seat, giving everyone a big surprise.

Suddenly, Dream Weaver Rabbit appeared again, wearing a little suit, smiling and bowing to everyone. Then, opening its arms, it said:

"Welcome, contestants, to the ’Dazzling Stage.’ I am the chief mentor and project leader, Dream Weaver Rabbit."

"To avoid any misunderstandings, I’d like to clarify that the super AI, Dreamweaver, developed jointly by the Donghong Federation and the Sacred United Country, is in charge here."

"Only the top leaders of the various countries, who lead the project, have the authority to directly influence my decisions and votes on the stage."

"So, statistically speaking, I will be more fair to all the contestants on the stage than any other mentor."

Dream Weaver Rabbit smiled, revealing the significant news, then floated in the air, overlooking the seats on the stage, and continued:

"Now, it’s time for the highly anticipated stage segment that the audience in the studio has been waiting for."

"Of course, before that, I need to address some small questions that the audience might be curious about."

The words fell silent.

With futuristic technology, thousands of live streaming bullet comments were displayed in a three-dimensional form in the sky, creating a wonderful and peculiar sight.

Dream Weaver Rabbit, surrounded by bullet comments flowing like rivers, casually grabbed one and with crimson eyes squinted in delight, said:

"Oh, it seems that some attentive viewers have noticed that the program group originally prepared only 101 seats."

"Do you want to know why it wasn’t announced in advance?"

"The answer is - this is a test of courage and awareness."

"If the number of contestants was revealed to be only 101 beforehand, the initial hesitation of those who might have wanted to participate would be overshadowed by anxiety and urgency due to the possibility of missing out on the opportunity."

"And due to the herd mentality, some people would then choose to participate unnecessarily, becoming unwanted impurities in the show."

"Similarly, the limit of 101 seats is also to eliminate impurities."

"Only the top 101 players at the advanced level are eligible to appear on the live broadcast and the first episode of the show."

"As for the 67 players who chose to compete but were ranked outside the top 101, their desire to achieve their dreams and become idols was overshadowed by the other trainees present."

"As a punishment, they could only perform for the first evaluation on another stage that would not be shown to the public, and they clearly fell behind right from the start."

The sound of voices faded away.

The audience absorbed this huge amount of information, and the reactions it triggered - whether rebounds, doubts, angry outbursts, admiration, or disgust - materialized in physical form, transforming into a growing sea of bullet comments floating around Dream Weaver Rabbit as if to overwhelm it.

But it was meaningless.

Dream Weaver Rabbit seemed to be almost bored, effortlessly crushing the bullet comments into fine pieces of light rain that drifted down. It indifferently stated:

"There is a saying that is quite true, recklessness is closer to courage than cowardice."

"The program group doesn’t need all the trainees present to meet the selection criteria, as long as they reach the highest value in terms of mathematical probability."

At the same time, in the corner seat,

Chu Yuanqing’s cold and delicate face was filled with confusion, as if shocked by a terrifying message, her pupils unfocused and empty.

Strange, what is this red-eyed rabbit talking about?

Audience? What audience?

Isn’t this show supposed to go through recording, editing, review, and other complex processes before being uploaded online?

Haha, I get it, this is talking to the audience watching the show in the future!

Yes, that must be it!

The girl looked up at the shattered sea of light, her pupils like mirrors reflecting the fragmented bullet comments.

- [Ha, Chu Yuanqing looks cute when she’s daydreaming! I want...]

锛燂紒锛侊紒

Suddenly,

This retired hero, former middle-aged office worker, current magical girl, faced the heavy reality as if the sky was falling, and crashed.

Chu Yuanqing’s world collapsed, almost turning into a grayish-white character from an anime, about to self-destruct and disappear like ascending to the heavens, ignoring her daughter poking her shoulder in confusion, like a motionless doll.

(Translated by Gravity Tales 馃槧)

Dream Weaver Rabbit held a virtual microphone, with a bright smile, and continued:

"Similarly, with punishment comes reward."

"To enforce this mechanism, the performance order will be determined by the sequence in which the contestants enter."

"Now, the first contestant to perform is the first one to enter under pressure - Chu Yuanqing!"

The voice faded away.

In the livestream room with millions of people watching, and hundreds of players on the stage, completely ignoring Chu Yuanqing’s crazy urge to call the police, all eyes focused on seat number 101.