Chapter 121: 0121

Chapter 121

Today was the final stage of "21 Heartbeats of Youth," and contrary to online rumors, the five members of Timetrain didn't make a surprise appearance but instead watched the broadcast like other viewers.

However, only Pei Luming was actually watching the show; the others were either on their phones or practicing dance moves.

In the practice room, Gao Xiayu lay on the couch with his phone, scrolling once for each vocabulary word he memorized. Ye Xing sat beside him working on exercises on his iPad, while Yao Shuo and Chi Qiao stood in front of the mirror perfecting their dance moves.

Pei Luming watched the iPad intently, occasionally checking the voting rankings on his phone.

Unlike during their competition, the female trainees' voting period had no closing deadline, meaning rankings could change at any hour of any day. This system greatly tested fans' determination and strengthened their unity.

The side effect was that it increased their fighting spirit, making them even more combative than the male trainees' fans. The fan circles had become like battlefields with daily conflicts.

Even the most argumentative fans had to wonder how they managed to find so many things to fight about.

During the male competition, while there were many solo fans, group fans dominated the scene. Solo fans would even sometimes yield to group fans to avoid friction during voting periods.

For the female trainees, there were only two types: solo fans and casual viewers, with most casual viewers supporting Pei Zhiping's group of four.

So while the competition was fierce, it was almost certain these four would debut - the only question was how many debut positions would be announced tonight.

Pei Luming checked the voting interface. Currently, the [7-member group] option led, followed by the [9-member group], with the [6-member group] in third place.

"It's fascinating that the nine-member group is in second place," Pei Luming remarked after checking the rankings.

The debut group size options ranged from four to nine members. When he first saw this system, he assumed the nine-member option would win, since more positions meant more chances for favorites to debut.

But the viewers weren't indiscriminate - after following the show for months, they had their preferred candidates, and those who hadn't won their hearts couldn't claim those debut spots.

The trainee popularity rankings updated every ten minutes with new positions and vote counts. Pei Zhiping had maintained first place consistently throughout.

Han Lemi and Xia Simiao competed for second place, frequently swapping positions. Ji Wensu and Si Yanyu held fourth and fifth places, occasionally trading spots, while Yu Dan fought her way up to sixth.

While the competition performances were exciting, the strategic maneuvering of various fan voting groups proved even more captivating.

Casual viewers lamented not having enough devices to follow all the developments simultaneously.

Ten minutes before the final live broadcast began, the fan bases of Pei Zhiping, Han Lemi, Si Yanyu, and Yu Dan, along with group fans and CP fans - twenty-seven fan bases in total - released a joint announcement:

"27 Fanbase Joint '4ever' Plan Announcement"

"Hello everyone, Throughout this show, the four-member group has received much praise from both mentors and the public. For their future development and the reputation of their future works, we are joining forces with the fanbases of the other three trainees, group fans, and CP fans for coordinated voting."

"The four will debut together! And only these four should debut!"

"Thank you for your support these past months. See you on tonight's battlefield!"

"[Listed in no particular order]"

The joint announcement from twenty-seven fan bases immediately overshadowed Random Entertainment, breaking through restrictions to trend on social media.

"This is intense! Who's joining forces with whom?"

"Wow... is this really our Domestic Entertainment Industry?"

"Holy cow!!"

"This would be explosive in any entertainment industry!"

"Sharing codes, I'll contribute 500,000 votes."

"Hubby! I'm your lost love from the bread family!"

"Pei family, I'm in!"

"What's with all the shouting? Don't you have your own idols?"

After the announcement, data teams quickly created chat groups, with solo fans and group fans joining. This caused some confusion as many had previously blocked each other, preventing them from joining groups or liking and commenting.

The atmosphere in the groups became more jovial, with no mention of previous conflicts. Group fans and CP fans lurked in the chats, amazed by the unprecedented scene.

Just yesterday, some fan leaders had been cursing each other's entire families, but today their terms of address had completely changed. It was as remarkable as seeing the sun rise in the west and draw a heart in the sky - absolutely extraordinary.

It was already certain that Pei Zhiping's group of four would debut. An hour and a half into the broadcast, they occupied the top four positions, gradually widening the gap with those below.

However, the [4-member group] option had only risen two places, let alone challenge the towering obstacle of the [9-member group] option ahead.

The audience watching the show was caught up in the atmosphere on Weibo, frequently checking the trending topics to see what was happening with them.

Even the stage performance had lost some of its appeal.

Jiang Juyou, who was present at the venue, kept a close eye on the ranking changes. She only knew that Yu Dan and Si Yanyu had suddenly surged up in rankings but didn't know why.

During the commercial break, a staff member came over and quietly informed her about the situation.

"The group of four?" Jiang Juyou raised an eyebrow, taking the phone to look at the trending topic on social media.

As she scrolled through, she discovered they had even created a super topic dedicated to tonight's voting. Besides fans of each contestant, there were also many actor fans who had joined to watch the excitement.

Jiang Juyou returned the phone and asked, "How are the group rankings now?"

"Currently, the nine-member group is first, seven-member group second, and four-member group third," the staff member replied.

Jiang Juyou glanced at the ending commercial and nodded, "Alright, I understand."

Tonight's final performance had reached its closing stages, with only three full-group stages remaining before the ranking announcement.

Aliali: 673eba99c4f3f33ac4ee9836It was uncertain whether they could achieve their goal in the remaining hour.

The trainees preparing backstage were unaware of what was happening outside; they were focused on making the most of their final opportunity tonight.

Pei Zhiping stood by the stairs, taking a deep breath. Xia Simiao, who was behind her, patted her shoulder and encouraged her, "You can do it."

She turned around with a bitter smile, "...You too." She squeezed Xia Simiao's arm to boost her morale.

Their fierce competition was evident to outsiders, but after competing together for so long, their feelings toward each other had changed significantly from the beginning.

If possible, they all hoped for as many debut positions as possible.

Fans of the four-member group: Family, we're gaining momentum!

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There will be another update before midnight.

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