After gender swapping, my best friend and I hardcore BL (Boys' Love) became top influencers.

The real test will only begin after the fan meeting ends.

The studio, packed with 101 people, feels like it just happened yesterday.

At this moment, only the last twenty trainees remained standing alone in the huge studio.

If they had spread out a little more, the cameraman wouldn't have had a good chance of getting a wide shot.

It was like the prelude to a grand finale.

Now, only PD Kang and the three mentors can still stand here with the relaxed feeling that their work is about to end and they are about to pack up and run away.

"The final is in ten days."

PD Kang ruthlessly announced this devastating news to the trainees.

"Next, you will be divided into three groups to prepare for the live broadcast of the final night."

Now that the draft has reached this stage, there's no need to keep it a secret any longer.

The production team had the staff play the demos of the three songs briefly, and then the trainees chose their songs according to the ranking order announced in the third round.

The first song is called "Fireworks". The arrangement of this song incorporates a bit of orchestral feel, so it sounds very powerful and also puts a lot of singing skills to the test.

If it's accompanied by dancing, it's almost impossible for the live broadcast stage to avoid a mishap.

The second song is "Puppy Love," an energetic and sweet light pop song with a particularly refreshing and clean melody.

The last song is the boldest of the three. It's called "7/24," also known as "7:03," and it has a sad yet particularly lingering ambiguous tone, creating a very atmospheric feel.

Ling Tinglan and Jiao Wangshu were ranked in the middle among these twenty people, neither high nor low.

When it was their turn to make a choice, all three songs had already been chosen, and there were still spots available for each song in their group.

Ling Tinglan looked up and glanced at it:

"Fireworks" has a very high difficulty level, and Ji Yan has chosen "Puppy Love" again this time.

Ling Tinglan was so angry that she pouted and dragged Jiao Wangshu towards the third group.

After all the trainees had made their choices, PD Kang looked at them and nodded in satisfaction.

"Then, everyone should focus on practicing on stage from now on."

She specifically reminded them, "You know, the final will be broadcast live on the day of the competition. Everyone will be able to see clearly who doesn't perform well."

Actually, PD Kang was just saying that to create a show effect and scare the trainees.

The live broadcast stage sounds impressive, but in reality, the production team conducts several rounds of rehearsals before the official broadcast to ensure that every segment of the day goes perfectly.

Moreover, on the night of the group's formation, all the fans' attention was focused on voting.

In this final stage of competing for popularity, even if the trainees sing a terrible song and then sneak off to eat hot pot, no one will care about them at that point.

Furthermore, the trainees' performance on stage had no impact on the voting results.

Even if there is a reckoning, it will only happen after the group is formed.

These trainees who misbehave on stage are likely to be dragged out by various marketing accounts, ridiculed, and then gain negative attention.

So if they don't want to be ridiculed afterward, it all depends on the trainees' own attitude.

Those who take the stage seriously will surely be rewarded by it.

The song that Ling Tinglan and Jiao Wangshu are currently in, "7/24," is not too difficult for them, even though it may seem challenging.

After all, they have all been tempered by the third round of performances and the mentor collaboration stage.

If you can successfully complete those two stages, then you will succeed in whatever you do afterward.

Ling Tinglan, whose entire being has been elevated and evolved, said this.

What worries many trainees even more than the stage is the imminent separation.

Twenty trainees have made it this far, but only eleven will debut.

Many trainees already knew they had no chance of debuting, and they were more worried about what they would do after leaving the training camp.

Should they go back to the company and continue to spend time in the practice room, waiting for a group to debut indefinitely? Or should they be lucky enough to ride the wave of popularity from this talent show, take on some work or business opportunities, and make some quick money?

Or, even better, they could simply switch careers: those who can create music could continue making music, and those who can act could become actors.

But what if all you want is the stage?

"I really love the stage."

In the practice room of the "Puppy Love" group, Xiang Xiaoyu sat blankly on the floor and suddenly looked at the sky outside the window and said this sentence.

"But even if I have a stage like this, I probably won't have one again in the future."

Hearing this, Lu Xiao wanted to comfort him, but didn't know how to start.

Yes, one talent show after another has already shown them the truth.

For trainees, the talent show is their peak.

Especially for trainees in the Chinese entertainment industry, even those who manage to debut as part of a group don't have many opportunities to perform on stage, let alone those who can't debut at all.

Because the Chinese entertainment industry originally lacked a stage, it was talent shows that provided these trainees with one.

In the Chinese entertainment industry, the traditional idol niche has actually been occupied by popular young male and female actors who star in idol dramas.

Film and television works are their "music albums," and one new drama after another that is currently airing is their comeback cycle.

Fans organizing online screenings and manipulating TV series viewership data are essentially the same as supporting their idols by ranking them on charts and buying their albums.

The most popular drama series at the same time featured one of them, and they received numerous invitations to sing and dance at various galas.

Even these actors, aside from their on-screen couple relationships, are not allowed to have any romantic rumors with fans, which is the same underlying logic as idols not being allowed to date.

Many people are criticizing why actors who are tone-deaf are always allowed to sing and dance at various galas and hold concerts, while proper idols have no stage.

The reason is that these popular actors in the Chinese entertainment industry are essentially "idols".

These feelings of confusion spread like a fog, leaving no way out and no destination.

They could only drift along with the tide, falling apart for their uncertain futures.