I desperately want to win on the peninsula

At this point, the viewers who had been watching the program on television realized that he might not have been exaggerating, but actually had the ability.

This performance was arguably the most outstanding rap in the entire episode, perfectly combining technique with the flow and style.

Some people couldn't help but start searching for this person who had suddenly appeared, wanting to know who he really was.

"I hereby declare the champion has been determined!"

"It's too early to say that, but anyone with ears can tell how strong this person is. Kyo, right? I'll remember that."

"First of all, Kyo was questioned from the beginning because of his outstanding appearance. As a fan who has followed him all the way, I always believed that he would turn the situation around, and then... as expected, he did it."

"The person upstairs is right. Even as a complete bystander, I can see that Kyo was being targeted by the production team. If they had shown his audition footage from the beginning, this situation would never have happened. The TV station really doesn't care about the contestants when it comes to ratings; they're just after negative publicity. However, I've definitely become a fan of this young man. He has both talent and good looks, it's really hard not to be a fan."

"But where did this person come from? Why is there so little information about him?"

"I heard it's an idol from a small, unknown company. There's not much specific information available; it's mostly news released by Starship Entertainment."

"If there's someone like him among idol rappers, I feel like everyone else is in danger. The production team won't let this opportunity pass them by."

"It really changed my opinion of idol rappers."

"But it seems like other idols are different. Their skills vary too much. If they were all like Kyo, I would have nothing to say, but those who are just there to make up the numbers are not good enough."

"Seriously... the idols next door should learn from them. Those self-indulgent performances, I won't name names, were so embarrassing to watch."

"..."

As soon as the broadcast of "SMTM" ended, Lin Qianqiao's name was pushed to the top of Naver's trending searches, and the entire Peninsula hip-hop forum began to discuss him.

What's amazing is that the previous posts full of curses disappeared at a visible speed, replaced by leaked photos and discussions of his appearance on the show.

Even some veterans in the hip-hop scene have begun to express their appreciation for him.

Naver's entries started appearing at the top of the list:

1# SMTM

#2 Champion Candidate Kyo

3#Dark horse rapper Kyo

Three of the top ten trending topics are related to Lin Qianqiao, which shows how popular he is right now.

CLC Dormitory.

"Oh my god!" Zhang Chengyan, who was sprawled on his bed scrolling through his phone, suddenly opened his mouth wide and let out an exaggerated exclamation that was particularly loud in the quiet dormitory.

"Hey! Zhang Chengyan! Stop howling so late at night!" Choi Yoojin, who was leaning against the headboard and watching videos, was startled by the scream and almost dropped her phone. She glared at her angrily.

"Yoojin! Come look! Come look!" Zhang Chengyan took a deep breath, sprang up from under the covers like a spring, and then, with a somersault, tumbled and crawled onto Choi Yoojin's bed, pressing himself down under the covers. He shoved his phone screen almost in Choi Yoojin's face, the screen's light illuminating their faces. "It's your guy! He's trending! Amazing!"

"What?! My man! Don't... talk nonsense!" Choi Yoo-jin was jolted by her momentum, her cheeks slightly flushed. She reached out and slapped Jang Seung-yeon's pert buttocks, which were wriggling excitedly. "Behave yourself!"

"Wow!" Zhang Chengyan exclaimed exaggeratedly, but still eagerly shoved the phone at him, "See for yourself!"

With a mix of helplessness and a curiosity she herself didn't realize, Choi Yoo-jin leaned closer to look at the glaring screen.

She was stunned at first glance.

The incredibly familiar name is prominently displayed at the top of the trending searches, with the app even thoughtfully adding a "hot" label.

"Kyo?"

Choi Yoo-jin was taken aback for a moment, and Jang Seong-yeon replied with a smile, "Yes, I'm not mistaken, it's your man, right?"

"Hey! I told you not to talk nonsense. We're not even ordinary friends. We've only met a few times on the show." Choi Yoo-jin did have some feelings for him, but not to the extent that Zhang Chengyan went too far, making it sound like a fact when nothing had even happened yet.

"That's how it is for now~ I understand!" Zhang Chengyan seemed to be possessed by the God of Love, raising his eyebrows and teasingly replying.

Choi Yoo-jin looked at the face that was filled with "gossip" and "I'm totally shipping you," and a surge of embarrassment and anger instantly welled up inside her.

Without saying a word, she stretched out her two "devilish claws" and precisely pinched the soft flesh on Zhang Chengyan's cheeks, beginning to knead and ravage it mercilessly.

"Oh my god, I won't say anymore, please let me go." Zhang Chengyan immediately grimaced as he was being pinched, desperately begging for mercy.

"Serves you right for talking nonsense. You know you were wrong now." Choi Yoo-jin was still angry and rubbed her hands a couple more times before letting go.

Zhang Chengyan rubbed his flushed cheeks. "Okay, thank you for letting me off the hook!"

"Hey! Jang Seung-yeon!" Choi Yoo-jin pretended to pounce on him again.

Another round of playful fighting ensued, with pillows flying everywhere, blankets tangling, screams, laughter, and shouts. It took a while before the two finally stopped, panting.

Choi Yoo-jin felt that the strap of her pajamas, which had slipped off during their playful fight, was still hanging on her arm, exposing a large area of ​​her fair and delicate skin to the cool air.

She was slightly out of breath as she sat up and gently pulled the slender bra strap that had slipped down to her arm back into place, instantly covering that alluring expanse of skin with the soft fabric once again.

After calming her breathing, Choi Yoo-jin picked up her phone from her bedside table, unlocked the screen, and with mixed feelings, clicked on the trending search term associated with that familiar name.

Her fingertips swiped rapidly across the screen, news articles, screenshots, and discussions flashing by. She finally understood why Lin Qianqiao had suddenly become a trending topic.

If Zhang Chengyan hadn't made such a fuss about it, she might still be in the dark.

"Hehe... I look pretty cool like this."

Meanwhile, an apartment near Cheongdam-dong.

After returning to her dorm from recording "Sixteen", Sana Minatozaki lay on her bed to relieve her fatigue. While waiting for her roommates to wash up, she pulled out her phone from under her pillow.

The girl tapped the screen and found the official channel for "Sixteen". Since participating in the audition program, Sana Minatozaki has been looking at the comments from fans about her.

The comments were mixed, but seeing the praise for her made me chuckle.

Upon seeing the negative comments, the girl pursed her lips, feeling both wronged and annoyed, and fiercely tapped the screen. The crisp "tap tap" sound made it seem as if she was hitting someone on the head.

After scrolling through the entire channel, feeling somewhat unsatisfied, she returned to the main YouTube page.

A video cover on the homepage instantly caught Sana Minatozaki's attention.

This face is both familiar and unfamiliar...

Isn't that the person I met in the elevator at the TV station a few days ago?

Sana Minatozaki blinked, and the video's view count in the bottom left corner reached 10, and it had been posted for less than an hour.

An incredible idea suddenly arose in her mind, and unable to suppress her curiosity, she clicked to play the video.

"..." After watching the video without missing a single second, Minatozaki Sana's mouth was slightly open, and her eyes were full of surprise, because she really did not expect it to be a rap video.

Even if she didn't understand this kind of knowledge, she could still tell that his rap style was very pleasant and had a very sophisticated feel.

My first impression of him from the elevator last time was that, judging from his clothes, he seemed like a bright and comfortable person, which was hard to associate with hip-hop.

Sana Minatozaki pursed her lips and couldn't help but smile. This strange contrast amused her, and she couldn't resist sharing it with her roommate:

"MOMO-chan..."

"What?" Momo, who was lying in bed scrolling through her phone, looked up at Sana Minatozaki and asked in confusion.

Momo, who was originally eliminated, is still in the trainee dormitory because the company kept her. They didn't say anything specific, but the inexplicable meaning still made her think.

After all, it's a major life event, and we have to wait for the outcome. Besides, she's completely free now, and no one can control her.

"Didn't you want to know who that senior was last time? SMTM broadcast starts today!"

"Ahhhh!! Oh right, I want to watch the show."

……

Even the production team was a bit stunned two days later, because the ratings for "SMTM" came out, averaging around 1.8%.

The ratings increased by 0.8% compared to the third season's ratings of around 1%, and when Lin Qianqiao appeared on screen, the ratings instantly surged to a peak of 2%.

This single-digit viewership rating may seem low, but it's actually incredibly good.

MENT TV is a cable television station, and its coverage is nowhere near that of the three major terrestrial television stations. In some cases, its coverage of dramas has even fallen below 1%.

Here's an interesting example: nowadays, most TV dramas have ratings agreements, which are little Easter eggs designed to encourage their fans to watch the show.

Other terrestrial television stations would usually fulfill their promises and do some interesting interactions with fans when the ratings are in the teens to twenties, such as having male actors wear traditional clothing to stroll around Guanghuamen, or having them dance to girl group songs or dress up as women.

When it comes to the ratings agreement of Ment TV, it will probably only require a rating of 3 or higher... so you can see the difference in ratings requirements between TV stations.

Moreover, hip-hop is a niche genre that is difficult to mainstream, which already filters out a portion of the audience.

Not to mention that since the rise of streaming media, fewer and fewer viewers are willing to sit in front of the TV, and young people prefer to watch videos on their phones, making it impossible to provide real and effective viewership ratings.

It's been a long time since a variety show on Mentality TV has broken the 3% viewership mark; the last one was back in 2010.

Now, SMTM has given the production team hope.

So when the ratings came out, many producers of SMTM started cheering and clapping in celebration.

Lee Sang-geun carefully examined the viewership ratings report that the staff had just handed him, his eyes occasionally flashing with a sharp light, as if he wanted to find the secret to SMTM's popularity.

"Please call a meeting with all the producers for me; I need to discuss something with them."

"Yes, Director."

......

Daylight had broken, but the sun had not yet fully risen above the horizon, and the world was shrouded in a clear, thin veil of blue.

The tree-lined path leading to the company is flanked by plane trees with newly sprouted tender yellow buds, their intertwined branches casting long, swaying, pale shadows on the clean cement road.

The air was stuffy and humid, carrying the scents of grass, earth, and faint flowers.

There were few pedestrians on the road, only a few hurried commuters.

As usual, Lin Qianqiao first went to a coffee shop near the company to buy a cup of coffee to refresh herself, and also bought two breakfast wraps. After buying them, she slowly walked towards the Starship.

Good morning, Takumi Inui!

Lin Qianqiao looked up at the sound of her voice. The girl who greeted him was wearing a blue and white shirt jacket over a sports vest, revealing her slender, fair neck. She paired it with sports pants and sneakers, and her high ponytail bounced, exuding youthful energy.

However, upon closer inspection, her features are soft and cool, with smooth contours. The slightly mature charm cleverly balances her youthful innocence, creating a unique temperament.

She stood before me, greeting me as if I were a friend, a bright smile on her face, poised and graceful.

Lin Qianqiao replied with a smile, "What a coincidence, Xue'e-xi."

"Yes! I came a little early because I have a dance class later." Xue'e smiled sweetly.

For some reason, when Lin Qianqiao saw Xue'e smile, Cui Youzhen's image suddenly popped into his mind. Both of them looked quite beautiful when they smiled, with their eyebrows and eyes curved, making them look gentle and sweet.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile and invited the girl in front of him, "Oh, is that so... If it's on our way, let's go back to the company together."

"Okay." Xue'e chuckled in agreement, then walked briskly alongside him, steadily heading towards the company.

"I watched SMTM last night. Inui's performance was really amazing. I saw a lot of people praising you." Xue'e's black ponytail swayed lightly behind her shoulders with her steps, and a few unruly strands of hair were blown by the morning breeze on her smooth forehead and slightly flushed cheeks.

"It's alright. Some people praise me... but quite a few criticize me too. Don't take it too seriously." Lin Qianqiao shrugged, deliberately slowing his pace to keep a distance from the girl.

"Hehe, anyway, I didn't see any swear words, I only saw praise."

Xue'e glanced around every now and then, then quickly looked away, her gaze settling on the swaying shadows of the trees ahead. A barely perceptible smile played at the corners of her lips, a smile born of her early rising and a certain anticipation.

Upon hearing this, Lin Qianqiao seemed to realize something, chuckled, and tilted her head to say softly, "Xue'e, I think you should take the preschool teacher certification exam."

"Huh? Why?" Her attention was drawn to these words, her tone became cheerful, and a smile naturally bloomed, revealing her white and even little teeth. The blush on her cheeks seemed to deepen. The morning light fell precisely on her upturned face, making her smile exceptionally infectious.

"Because you're good at sweet-talking people, the kindergarten kids must really like Teacher Xue'e..." Lin Qianqiao said with a light laugh.

"Oh my~ It's not as good as you say..." Xue'e's ears seemed to turn a little red, and her voice was even lower.

"Ha ha……"

The morning light, like freshly opened lemon-yellow paint, splashed freely across the winding path. A crisp, unique coolness, characteristic of the early morning, floated in the air; inhaling it made one feel as awake as if a minty breeze had been applied to the temples.

The two footsteps made light, rhythmic tapping sounds on the asphalt road. Their rhythms weren't perfectly synchronized, yet they strangely wove together to form a simple melody.

Looking at the two figures in the distance, like figures from a painting, Nam Da-won couldn't help but lean closer to EXY and ask, "So, that's why unnie wouldn't let me go say hello?"