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

Competitions are brutal, especially in talent shows where fan voting is the core.

What kind of idol is an idol without fan support? They only recorded a theme song once, and were barely seen in a wide shot, not even a blurry facial feature. Their vote count is pitifully low, some barely exceeding a hundred, suggesting they mobilized all their friends and family to campaign for votes.

The somber atmosphere made everyone feel a tightness in their chests, and some trainees even broke down in tears.

But the competition didn't stop because of these incidents. As the names of those eliminated went gray, the big screen lit up again.

This time, the rules for the first performance are being displayed.

Jiang Ruyao's serious gaze fell on each trainee. "After the first performance, we will continue with the elimination process. For those ranked 60th or below, it is with regret that your journey ends here."

Jiao Wangshu secretly calculated that after adding an extra round of theme song elimination, the number of people eliminated after the first round of performances decreased, but the total number of eliminations in the two rounds reached a full 41. In fact, the number of eliminations in this talent show was far greater than the elimination rate in previous programs.

So now, the trainees, especially those ranked 60th and below, look increasingly grim. Their hopes of advancing to the second round, which were once very high, are now fading. The trainees ranked 65th and below are even more pale.

Because voting requires real-name authentication and a dedicated voting page, the complicated voting process has already deterred some casual voters, meaning the majority of the votes for the show still go to the fans.

These lower-ranked contestants already had roughly equal popularity, with their votes very close, sometimes differing by only tens or hundreds of votes. If they couldn't improve their ranking by 5-10 places in the first round of performances, elimination would be their only fate.

But it's not like there's absolutely no chance.

Jiang Ruyao then spoke up, "This performance will be a group battle format. Trainees from the Chinese group and the international group will participate together. There will be a total of 7 songs, divided into two groups, A and B, with 4-7 contestants in each group. Groups that choose the same song will automatically become opposing groups."

"at the same time--"

Jiang Ruyao drew out her words, and the trainees perked up, knowing that the most important thing was about to happen.

"At the same time, each member of the winning group for each song will receive an additional 10,000 votes."

Ten thousand votes may not sound like a lot, but for trainees in the lower-middle ranks with little fan base, these ten thousand extra votes are undoubtedly a lifeline.

In an instant, all the trainees on the verge of getting a spot lit up.

If they're lucky enough to get a spot on a team with a top-tier player...

The large screen changed again.

"Now let's take a look at the setlist for the first performance."

The names of the seven tracks flashed by, and when the screen froze again, the demo began to play.

The first song was absolutely amazing.

"breaking Dawn".

The style of Dark Hip-hop + EDM (electronic dance music) is so powerful that it blows your mind and senses. This hard-hitting track is the perfect choice for powerful dancers and strong rappers.

Many talented dancers' eyes lit up with each listen, but Ling Tinglan and Jiao Wangshu were the first to eliminate this song.

Pass, pass, let's not bother with these two bodies that are simply not a good match in terms of hardware and software.

Then came the second song, with a melodious and gentle tune completely different from the first one. The trainees with keen ears had already recognized it. This song was "Echoes of Youth," an inspirational track that is played every June during the college entrance examination season.

It's such a classic that it's been covered countless times, even in many different languages ​​overseas. But the version that everyone has heard the most since childhood and has the highest popularity is still the one sung by a group of stars.

It was clearly a song by the lead singers, but the trainees who were good at vocals did not show a strong willingness to choose it.

After all, this song is too classic, with masterpieces preceding it. If it is not performed well, it is easy to be ridiculed by the public. Not everyone is so confident in their abilities.

This song was also rejected by both Jiao Wangshu and the other person.

The third song is "Extreme Waves".

This is an electronic rock song. Generally, songs of this style have almost no dance moves and don't require much dance skill, but they do require a lot of singing and performance ability. Rock music places great emphasis on the atmosphere of the live performance and can use instruments and arrangements to compensate for some shortcomings in vocal qualities, making it easy to create a great effect. This song is sure to be a really explosive live performance.

Jiao Wangshu's eyes lit up. This song was perfect for them right now. They could share the lyrics with their teammates and let them sing it, while she and Ling Tinglan could just blend in with the team as instruments and harmonies.

Unfortunately, before Ling Tinglan and Jiao Wangshu could celebrate for long, they heard Lev, a trainee from the Sakura Group, excitedly say, "I can sing this song!"

"This is my dad's favorite song!"

Lev, a contestant from Japan, is a handsome guy of mixed Japanese and Russian descent. As he spoke, he started humming along to the melody, leaving Jiao Wangshu and Ling Tinglan completely stunned.

Nothing more—it's a Russian song!

They can't learn your Slavic trilled 'r' sound!

The fourth song is called "Neon Confession," which has a very light and cheerful melody, but the rhythm is fast and the intensity of singing and dancing is still quite high.

Next up is the fifth song, "Forbidden Zone Game," a Dark Pop song. This song is also very famous, a classic battle song of a once-popular girl group. Because the lyrics and style of the original song are very sexy and ambiguous, it is an absolute "adult song." It is also quite difficult to perform, and it is easy for boy groups to become greasy when they perform girl group songs.

The sixth song, "Floating City," is a refreshing urban R&B track that seems to focus on vocal performance. Many lead singers who struggled with "Youth Echo" have set their sights on this song.

The last song, "No Man's Land," is even more remarkable. It's the title track from the debut album of VENIX, currently the hottest boy band. The core concept and stage design were tailor-made for them. If they sing it, their fans will tear them apart!

After all seven song demos were shown, the audience erupted in cheers.

"My God! Why is the production team doing this?"

Some trainees were already screaming and clutching their heads, "I feel like I'll get criticized no matter which song I choose. Are they serious about choosing the last song? I'm so curious how the production team managed to get the copyright!"

"They're all from the 'death squad.'"

One trainee looked utterly devastated, saying, "I left the agency and went back to my country because I just couldn't learn Korean. I'm proficient in four languages: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, and Russian... I came here to participate in an audition, not to compete in the 'Chinese Bridge' competition..."

"Which one should we choose?"

Yes, Ling Tinglan and Jiao Wangshu looked at each other in bewilderment.

Which one can they choose?