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

The next day, in the studio.

One night was not enough time for Jiao Wangshu's cold to be cured, but a short rest did have an effect; at least he looked much better today.

So early in the morning, Ling Tinglan enthusiastically started "fussing" him again, not only giving Jiao Wangshu a fake no-makeup makeup look, but also styling his hair.

The heat made the originally messy hair more layered, and the fluffy, slightly curled waves made the whole hairstyle look lighter, like a kitten that had just taken a bath and had its fur fluffy in the sun, making the whole person look incredibly soft.

It wasn't just Jiao Wangshu; it's clear that many trainees got their hair and makeup done today.

Given the show's stingy nature, aside from stage makeup and styling, it's impossible to provide trainees with dedicated makeup artists on a daily basis. And since idols are the group that needs the most image management, the trainees all have some level of makeup skills.

Today, everyone put in their best effort and used every means possible, especially when everyone was wearing the same uniform and had no fashion advantage. Everyone hoped to stand out.

"I believe everyone understands what we're going to do today."

Jiang Ruyao feigned mystery, but the eagerness in her tone made the trainees understand her intentions.

"Got it—"

"First performance assignment!"

A jumble of noises mingled together, and some impatient trainees shouted out loud, making the atmosphere even more heated.

"That's right, it's the first performance assignment. But..."

Jiang Ruyao's tone suddenly turned indifferent, and she also announced some bad news to everyone, "But not all trainees will have the opportunity to perform this time."

"It's very regrettable that we have to say goodbye before announcing our first performance."

As soon as these words were spoken, the voices below grew louder and louder. All the trainees were surprised because, according to the usual practice of this talent show, the first elimination should have occurred after the first performance.

In other words, no matter what, all trainees will have at least one opportunity to participate in the first performance stage.

In other talent shows, the first elimination usually occurs after the theme song challenge, which means many trainees don't even get a chance to perform on the official stage. At the same time, the style of the theme song doesn't fully showcase the trainees' personalities and charm.

The stage is the lifeblood of an idol.

Lighting, music, makeup, atmosphere, large-screen focus, and the vitality flowing in dynamic moments... all these combined create an idol with ultimate charm.

No matter what, "Super Star" will give all trainees a stage opportunity and a chance to be seen, which is the most admirable aspect of the show.

However, this time, no one expected the competition format to change, and the initial elimination came so quickly. For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat somber, and everyone's expressions were rather grim.

"Do you think... we'll be able to go home soon?"

Ling Tinglan whispered to Jiao Wangshu that among these people, probably only the two of them could be genuinely happy to hear the word "elimination".

"I doubt it...?"

Jiao Wangshu hesitated, "Our sales are going pretty well so far. Given the current popularity, we shouldn't be going home now, right?"

As she spoke, Jiao Wangshu paused for a moment, "But it should be soon. Remember to choose an easier piece of music, so as not to hold others back too much."

"I know everyone is very worried about their votes and rankings right now."

The most painful thing is to cut flesh with a dull knife. The sudden change in the competition system had already made things difficult for the contestants, which meant that the first elimination time was brought up earlier than expected. So Jiang Ruyao didn't keep them in suspense any longer.

"Please look at the big screen."

Names flashed across the big screen, and the numbers representing the votes that followed kept changing and jumping.

The voting method for the talent show "Super Star" is simple and straightforward. There is a dedicated section in the video app where you can vote for the show.

Each account must be verified with real name before voting. In the first stage, each person can cast 11 votes per day, and each contestant can only be voted once. Opening a VIP account will give you double the number of votes, meaning you can cast two votes for the same contestant; opening an SVIP account will give you triple the number of votes.

This model blatantly tells everyone that either you can break out of your niche and get a huge number of casual viewers, or you have to rely on fans spending money. But if genuine casual viewers actually open the page and cast one or two votes, that's already pretty good; 99.9% of talent shows still rely entirely on fans spending money.

The production team is well aware of this principle. In addition to online voting, they have also launched offline merchandise sales and ticket giveaways. You can even get a certain number of free tickets by purchasing products from different sponsors of the production team.

Various money-making schemes are bound to empty the fans' wallets, so it's no wonder that fans of groups formed through talent shows sometimes fight tooth and nail. These debut spots are truly bought with real money, and anyone who dares to not allocate parts or resources according to rankings will be in deep trouble.

The constantly fluctuating names and numbers eventually settled at a stable value.

The rankings for the Chinese group and the international group were still separate in the first stage. As expected, Ji Yan was first in the Chinese group, followed closely by Su Xingran. The most surprising result was that Jiao Wangshu ranked third and Ling Tinglan ranked fourth.

They're not just unlikely to be eliminated; they're already in the very top tier of the debut positions.

Ling Tinglan didn't show it on her face, but in reality, her other hand was already almost tearing Jiao Wangshu's sleeve to shreds. "I'm not seeing things, am I?"

At this moment, Jiao Wangshu was also in shock. He had underestimated the value of the phrase "ascending to immortality through selling pornography".

He had a feeling that his and Ling Tinglan's rankings wouldn't be too low. As complete novices, it would be great to be in the top twenty. But he never expected to be so shocked.

They made it into the debut positions in the first real-time vote! Could they actually debut in the end? Please, production team, do something right and eliminate them as soon as possible, following the script.

On the other hand, the rankings of the international group are also very interesting. Han Yushuo is currently ranked first, while the international group's initial center, Byun Hamin, is surprisingly only ranked fifth.

But now everyone's attention is focused on the two groups of contestants who are ranked in the bottom 10—these trainees who are about to leave.