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

But the result is already obvious: Team A of "Neon Confession" won decisively.

Next up is tonight's main event—"No Man's Land".

VV Video is incredibly shrewd. They used the most controversial song, along with the past between Ji Yan and VENIX, and the production team must have bought countless marketing accounts to rehash it countless times. They not only whetted the appetites of gossip lovers but also indirectly challenged Ji Yan's fans and stirred up a wave of VENIX group fans to generate buzz. Then, they happily put this song as the finale.

The live recording lasted for five hours. The fans present were probably exhausted by now, but when they heard that "No Man's Land" was about to start, they did sit-ups to keep going.

The sound of hard leather and rubber materials stepping on the floor came from the entrance tunnel.

As the camera zooms out, the first thing you see is a row of long legs.

Ji Yan's red hair was still very eye-catching, just like his name, burning recklessly.

In fact, the stage design for talent show performances is usually not very elaborate. This is partly due to the limited budget of the production team, and partly to ensure relative fairness in the competition. After all, it is a performance stage, and the focus is on the contestants' singing, dancing, and stage presence. The stage design will not add too much charm to the performance.

However, it is obvious that this stage has been carefully designed.

Accompanied by a low prelude, a distorted spoken word comes through the mechanical beats: "Wasteland... No signal... No rule... Only us..." If you listen carefully, you can also hear the sparse sound of sand and dust flying around.

At the same time, smoke billowed up, the images on the large electronic screen flickered and changed, the camera panned up, and only a pair of eyes could be seen, their sharp gaze piercing through the darkness.

A perfect intro.

Ji Yan's makeup and styling today were also very distinctive. Since the entire stage was set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, he wore work pants in the same color scheme. His upper body was wrapped in bandages and metal chains. The most striking thing was that he wore a mesh hood, and the red scars on his face were faintly visible under the hood.

This is a stark contrast to his usual sunny, boyish image; he is both broken and resolute, exuding a tragic yet beautiful charm.

Ji Yan's charisma on stage was amplified to the fullest extent, and even fans from other groups had to admit that if they had to choose an idol to stand out from the crowd, this person would be the only choice.

As the emotions intensified, the music became increasingly intense, and with another camera cut, Kim Min appeared in the center of the stage with a large slide.

Kim Min truly lives up to his reputation as a top dancer. This dance break was a perfect fit for him. Although he isn't particularly tall, his 1.78-meter height and extremely stable lower body make him a natural fit for dancing. Moreover, he started learning to dance at the age of five, and his basic skills are so solid they could cut through the earth. This kind of expansive and large-scale dance style is very comfortable to watch.

The formation changed again, and we arrived at the chorus.

"Reborn from the ruins, the soul burns away the chaotic twilight, becoming one's own god—"

With the vocal powerhouse delivering a powerful three-part high note, Chung Chun brought the stage to a climax, and the synchronized dance in this segment was truly impressive.

The camera zooms out to a wide-angle shot, showing seven people standing in a fan-shaped arc, all lined up neatly, even the pitcher's angle is as precise as if cut with a knife.

Then the music gradually slowed down, the people on stage began to change formation again, and that mechanical whisper appeared once more, "We don't need a saving grace. This is our place..."

"A new world has arrived."

The audience erupted in cheers and screams as soon as the performance ended. "No Man's Land" is a song that is widely recognized as extremely difficult to perform, but Group A sang, danced, and performed so well that it's hard to understand why they lost.

It was precisely because of the enthusiastic atmosphere and the perfect performance of Group A that when Group B of "No Man's Land" took the stage, the entire Group B was under immense pressure, which is why they performed so poorly compared to Group A.

All the performances have ended tonight, but the voting is not over yet.

In addition to selecting the winning group in the group battle, the performance also needs to select the first place in each group.

The names of all the contestants from Groups A and B for each song reappeared on the big screen, and the fans in the audience pressed the voting buttons again to cast their votes. The difference this time was that the voting results would not be announced live; instead, the suspense would be maintained until the first elimination round.

For many fans, this may very well be the last time they can see their idols at a live performance, especially for many fans in the lower ranks, so they cherish the time they can still spend together.

Surprisingly, the production team was humane in this regard, arranging a farewell ceremony for the contestants after the show, which was essentially a small and short fan meeting.

At the long exit, the trainees stood in a neat row, divided into groups.

Meeting up close feels different from being on stage. Without the stage lighting and the camera's ability to capture makeup, everyone's makeup looks very heavy, like they're wearing a mask.

Especially after intense singing and dancing and long recording sessions, their makeup became soaked and patchy with sweat. The production team used cheap mascara and eyebrow pencils that weren't waterproof. Some people with sweaty skin even seemed to have been tricked by "anti-fans," as their hairline powder mixed with foundation dripped down...

The fans, who were originally teary-eyed, were forced to hold back their tears when they saw their favorite idols all looking like this.

It's really hard to feel sad about this...

But not everyone is in such a terrible state. At least Ling Tinglan and Jiao Wangshu are not like that. Even if their eye makeup is ruined, some people's eyes are so smudged that they can't even see their eyes, while others look like they've applied a little smoky eye makeup.

I don't know what kind of constitution they have now, their skin is in such good condition that they can even withstand this kind of thick and non-plump foundation. Their deep-set eyes, high nose bridges, and natural bone shadows divide their faces into clear lines of light and shadow, like ancient Greek sculptures or medieval oil paintings.

Everyone says the show gave Ling Tinglan and Jiao Wangshu a special filter, but once you see them in person, you'll know what true "difference between immortals and beasts" really means.

Then a very strange scene unfolded. Faced with hands reaching out from all directions, the fans walked faster and faster until they reached Ling Tinglan and Jiao Wangshu. Then they started to feel pain in their backs and legs and moved at a "snail's pace," their eyes wide open, afraid that if they blinked even once they would miss a glance.

Ling Tinglan and Jiao Wangshu don't yet feel any sense of being handsome; they just feel that the fans' gazes are strange, making them feel uneasy.

In short, with a very nervous feeling, the first round of performances has finally come to a real end.