The news of Ye Lan’s injury didn’t just alarm Young Master Cao.
It also stirred up quite a few foreign company bosses.
After spending a whole month cleaning up the public opinion, finally managing to turn the tide, now something happened to one of the Eight Golden Maidens.
Was all that effort for nothing?
Everyone knew just how strong Ye Lan was.
If she had to withdraw due to injury and leave a spot open, it would be like handing an opportunity right to their rivals.
This...
Was definitely not good!
So, almost without any consultation, companies from various countries issued official statements.
The content was more or less the same.
Filled with praise and compliments.
They also expressed concern for Ye Lan’s condition.
In short, they elevated Ye Lan to a high pedestal, making it difficult for her side to simply announce a withdrawal over a “minor injury.”
This was also a way to shape public opinion.
International public opinion, no less.
So many people were rooting for her, so many fans from overseas were supporting her, so many were eagerly awaiting her performance... how could she just quit?
No withdrawals allowed.
Even if she was crippled, even if she had to sit in a wheelchair, she had to compete.
That was true sportsmanship.
Don’t forget, this was an idol training reality show—not just about dancing and singing, but also about showcasing the spirit of the girls, even the spirit of a nation’s youth...
And so, the matter slowly began to ferment.
Fans both at home and abroad learned about it and rallied behind Ye Lan, cheering her on!
For a while, Ye Lan’s fanbase and popularity surged once again.
There were very few haters.
After all, the show hadn’t ended yet; the groups hadn’t debuted; no scandals had broken out.
Besides,
Viewers and fans who had watched the show generally didn’t harbor any ill feelings toward the Eight Golden Maidens.
Only after the show ended and the groups debuted did the haters gradually appear—these haters were mostly people who hadn’t watched the show, at best only some clips.
It was like...
A dream.
There was a certain Kun Ge.
This pigeon... had massive traffic.
And even more haters.
All kinds of memes were played to death.
But whether male or female fans, those who had watched Idol Producer from the start and witnessed his gradual debut basically didn’t develop any animosity.
...
As the situation intensified,
Cao Cheng quickly treated Ye Lan’s injury.
The swelling visibly went down.
The sharp pain disappeared as well.
Finally, a smile appeared on Ye Lan’s face.
Removing the stitches.
Cao Cheng said, “All done.”
“Thank you, Young Master...” Ye Lan cried tears of joy.
The few girls nearby also beamed with happiness.
Cameras were recording everything.
Cao Cheng spoke up: “Don’t be too happy just yet. Your injury isn’t light. No rehearsals or training from now on—just rest and recovery. Save your strength for the final stage. It should be fine.”
“Mm...” Ye Lan obediently nodded.
Cao Cheng glanced at the other girls nearby: “You all too—balance work and rest. I respect each of your dreams, and I know how hard you all work and struggle, but... when it’s time to rest, rest; when it’s time to have fun, have fun.”
...
After a little scolding, Cao Cheng left with the Fourth Sister.
Then, he posted a message:
“As for Ye Lan’s injury, it’s nothing serious at the moment. Well, that’s just luck—she happened to meet a boss like me who knows a bit about bone-setting and acupuncture. Fixed her up in no time.”
“Sigh, I really am amazing!”
“……”
“……”
“Just your usual daily dose of narcissism, huh?”
“Honey, you’re incredible, ah~~”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Honey, can you do acupuncture?”
“No idea, but I do know that your husband is definitely a blowhard, tsk!”
“So Ye Lan is fine now? That’s great! My Lan Bao can finally make it to the final stage. She’s been working hard for half a year. If she had to quit because of injury now, that would be just cruel fate.”
“Go Lan Bao!”
“The best Lan Bao, champion debut!”
“……”
……
After posting the update, Cao Cheng and Lao Si didn’t rush off right away. They took a stroll around the small town.
Cao Cheng also took the chance to check out the fans and reporters gathered on the outskirts.
He answered a few questions.
Announced that Ye Lan’s injury was nothing serious.
After chatting for about half an hour, everyone was satisfied.
Lots of group photos.
As for autographs, forget it—Cao Cheng wasn’t a celebrity, and his signature wasn’t worth anything.
After saying goodbye to fans and reporters, Cao Cheng and Lao Si headed back into the town.
They found a milk tea shop run by the production team.
It was also sponsored advertising.
They ordered a free cup of milk tea…
Once the show started, Lao Si came by a few times.
But Cao Cheng showed up only rarely.
Instead, he found himself somewhat fascinated by this small town.
Though he had visited many times before filming began,
that time there was hardly any buzz.
Not like now!
Now the place was buzzing with energy and star power.
It felt completely different.
In the future, this would become a must-visit spot for fans from all over the world!
“Now everything’s falling into place…”
“The top eight debuting without a hitch.”
Lao Si said, “What about the ninth person? Who do you think it’ll be?”
Cao Cheng countered, “What do you think?”
Sitting on a bench outside the shop, sipping milk tea, chatting.
Lao Si didn’t hold back—she had her eye on a girl from the small western team.
Cute.
Easy to debut.
And her ranking wasn’t low either. In the recent eliminations, whether from 101 to 55 or 55 to 36, this western girl consistently ranked high, once reaching as high as fifth place!
Later her ranking slipped a bit but hovered just outside the top ten.
She could break through anytime.
The outcome was still up in the air; anyone could be the dark horse.
Of course,
Lao Si wasn’t just talking about her; others were strong too, but she favored this western girl because she was cute and harmless.
“What do you think?” Lao Si looked at Cao Cheng.
Suddenly, Cao Cheng pointed into the distance: “I think that’s the ninth person.”
“……”
Lao Si followed Cao Cheng’s finger and saw a girl running.
She wore the training camp uniform, full of youthful energy.
Running while glancing back at her companions, she shouted, “Hurry up, or there won’t be any seats left in the cafeteria!”
Her companions muttered something, but it was too far to catch the words. From their expressions, it was clear they were annoyed.
Lao Si naturally knew who Cao Cheng was pointing at.
It had to be the girl who always rushed for food.
She knew her well.
And quite intimately.
In the first half-year, she was steady and low-key, crying all the time.
But in the latter half, once the elimination rounds began, she exploded.
At one point, she even outperformed the top eight, reaching second place.
Now she was probably ranked eleventh…
“Yang Chaoyue?” Lao Si chuckled.
Cao Cheng raised an eyebrow.
The situation on Blue Star was different from the Earth in the dream.
The timelines didn’t quite match up either.
But this girl... she was truly a luck magnet.
Good fortune really seemed to follow her.
Sometimes...
Destiny is just inexplicable.
Someone who’s good at nothing, debuted in the bottom three, with the whole group flopping, yet she still managed to maintain a decent level of fame.
She got invited to all the good variety shows.
A whole bunch of dramas were lined up for her to shoot.
But if you talk about talent, it’s just two words: none whatsoever!
Even after six months of hard training, she made great progress, but compared to the others who hadn’t been eliminated yet—
Ugh!
Even compared to those already out—
Her singing and dancing skills were still at the very bottom.
Given all that, with just over twenty people left, she was still ranked eleventh.
Only six foreign girls remained.
Besides that,
This “lucky koi” had quite a few fans on foreign websites. Many thought she was cute and beautiful.
Especially considering she hadn’t had plastic surgery.
Just that alone made her super popular over at Xiaoxi Ba and Xiba Ga.
Although plastic surgery was rampant there, and Xiba fans didn’t mind it, when there’s a natural beauty, who would still want silicone?
Even if some men didn’t say it out loud, deep down, they preferred natural looks.
So,
It wasn’t just this lucky koi—this applied to all the Eight Golden Maidens as well.
...
The fourth guy pulled out his phone and glanced at it, saying, “This Yang Chaoyue, currently ranked eleventh, are you sure she still has a chance to break into the top nine?”
Once someone dropped from as high as second place, it was really hard to climb back up.
That was the case for everyone else.
Cao Cheng nodded. “She’s got a chance. She’s an exception. To be honest, with her level of skill, making it this far among the last twenty-plus is already a miracle. So... who knows if this miracle will continue?”
The fourth guy said, “But she’s progressing too slowly. Even if fans like her, they wouldn’t really push her to debut, right?”
“Heh, you’re seriously underestimating the fans. These people just love drama.”
“Especially…”
Cao Cheng paused and pointed toward the other girls heading to the cafeteria.
“This last batch, they’re all skilled and strong, but... their training shows. Even our Eight Golden Maidens started dancing from a young age and then went through two and a half years of polishing.”
“That kind of deliberate grace, every move perfectly beautiful—it’s not truly natural.”
“Only this lucky koi, I think the fans might actually vote her in.”
“That’s what I call true public participation.”
“If it was just backstage deals, and voting was merely a formality, what’s the point?”
“To have fans personally create an idol—this feeling, I bet no one can resist.”
After hearing this,
The fourth guy didn’t say anything more.
Suddenly, Cao Cheng asked, “Wanna bet?”
“...”
The fourth guy almost laughed in disbelief.
You really don’t let anything go, huh?
Addicted to betting now?
He kicked Cao Cheng’s foot under the table and rolled his eyes, “I’m not betting with you. Go play by yourself.”
Cao Cheng tempted him, “This time I’m not so sure I’ll win, especially if we don’t cheat. Your favorite Xiaoxi Ba is ranked tenth, and mine’s eleventh.”
“No one knows how this will end right now.”
“Your chances of winning are definitely better than mine.”
“Whether to bet or not is up to you. Either way, you’re guaranteed to lose the title of top idol. But this is a golden opportunity to turn things around.”
Hearing this,
Old Fourth actually felt a bit tempted.
Indeed.
Without cheating, no one knows the final rankings yet.
There’s even uncertainty about whether all eight finalists will debut together.
It’s not a sure win.
Let’s bet~
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
