Tokyo: The evil god doesn't want to be the top star

"You are quite insightful."

Xia Fan nodded in agreement.

When Yoshihide Higashino first asked him to participate in this program, he set the same "goal".

"Do you think my goal is too low?"

But Martin seemed to have misunderstood and smiled.

"You know, this is already the third 'international talent show' I've participated in. However, the first two were about hip-hop and rap, and the program platform and scale were not as big as 'Idol Birth Festival'."

"I used the two stage names 'Martin Luther King' and 'Martin Luther Iron' to compete before. Not only did the audience not remember my face, but even the production team didn't recognize it and thought I was just an ordinary trainee..."

"In the eyes of the people in District 11, non-locals probably look like lumps of ink of different shapes. We just want the audience to remember our faces, which is a hundred times more difficult than for local trainees..."

"If this continues, maybe I'll finish using up Martin Luther's Periodic Table and no one will remember me."

As the team moved forward, he told them his own bitter stories.

"By the way, no one remembers you. Could it be because you change your name so often..."

"If it's not easy, why do you insist on being in the entertainment industry?"

Xia Fan listened to the other party's difficult experience in amazement, and for the first time understood the plight of foreign artists.

"Of course it's because of my ancestral passion for hip-hop!"

"My dad originally performed in District 11 as a hip-hop singer. Later, he won over my mom with his talent and settled down there..."

"Since I was a kid, he has been committed to training me to become the first well-known non-Chinese HIPHOP artist in District 11!"

"Unfortunately, he smoked too much and died of lung cancer before that day came."

Martin crossed his arms over his chest and made a "V" sign.

"That's really not easy. Let's work hard together in this audition. Maybe we'll have a chance to go further."

Xia Fan patted Martin Luther's shoulder sincerely.

"Hey, brother... bang bang bang... With your encouragement, I have all the strength in my body... snap... The first stage in a while will become my territory..."

Seeing the cameraman holding the camera towards him, Martin smoothly switched to the "West Coast accent" and gave a sharp impromptu rap.

"Next time, show some reaction, don't be so wooden, just shake it a few times, you never know, you might hit the camera."

After the camera left, he returned to his lazy look and made some "improvement suggestions" to Xia Fan, who was still amazed by this terrifying "lens perception" ability.

"I really envy those gifted people who have a 'debut script' and can get the screen time without any effort."

Xia Fan was still marveling at the other party's skilled acting skills, and Martin secretly pointed to the "waiting area" backstage...

"Because the company arranged a separate makeup and hair stylist, and disdained to use the 'cheap stuff' arranged by the program team, so now I can socialize there leisurely and enjoy the camera..."

"After all, there will be a lot of cooperation stages in the later stages of the show, and it will do more harm than good for the strong to form alliances in advance."

At this moment, several trainees with bright clothes and exquisite makeup were gathering there.

Some of them were rehearsing for their first stage performance, while others were chatting with others with a relaxed look on their faces, calmly accepting the focus of the camera.

"The one with the golden middle-parted hair is Yuta Hirano. He has been trained overseas since he was young and has also made a short-term debut overseas. He has comprehensive abilities and a strong fan base..."

"The one with curly hair is Kishi Kiyoshi. He's a very good singer and he almost won the championship of "Gary Gai Qi" before."

"And in the corner, there's the short-haired athletic boy named Takahashi Yuu. I've met him in a street dance competition. He's a very strong competitor."

"I heard that Company A also sent in a new member named Kaito Nagase, who is from District 11 and grew up on the West Coast. He's also a great rapper, but I've never met him in person..."

Martin introduced to Xia Fan those few people with outstanding looks, who stood out among the trainees and exuded the "aura of strength".

"Martin, your intelligence is too strong. It would be a waste if you didn't become a paparazzi."

Xia Fan, who was not much different from "outsiders", could only nod his head as he listened.

"I've participated in so many shows that I've got some connections in the industry."

"However, this time, the most shocking thing is that the number of views of the personal interview videos of several 'prodigies' who were favored by the industry was actually far surpassed by a little-known trainee..."

"Right, the trainee with the most personal video views, Yayoi Tsuki's 'main recommendation', model and new actor, Xia Fan?"

Having said that, he looked at Xia Fan meaningfully and smiled with his shining white teeth.

"No, I was just lucky, I didn't mean to hype it up at all..."

Xia Fan waved his hands and explained.

This Martin had obviously done comprehensive research on the contestants' intelligence. He recognized me early on and deliberately lined up at the back to get to know me.

Although the opponent looked lazy, he was actually preparing for the game very seriously. In addition, he was bold and tactful in his dealings with others, so people could not resist him.

"You can't get 10 million views just by being lucky. In the entertainment industry, there is no such thing as 'luck'. An artist's popularity and traffic data are the embodiment of their strength..."

Martin obviously disagreed with Xia Fan's statement.

When the program team cut off the statistics, Xia Fan's personal interview video had been played 10 million times, which was twice as much as the second place, and a terrifying number that other trainees could not even dream of.

"Ok?"

As the two continued to gossip about the elite trainees in the "waiting area", Hirano Yuta, who was standing in the waiting area, looked over with a sense of something...

Chapter 209 Enemies meet on a narrow road

2024-07-13

"It's him……"

Hirano Yuta's sharp gaze fell on Xia Fan at the first moment.

There's no way around it. Even without makeup and wearing a white T-shirt, Xia Fan's looks and eyes are as dazzling as the sun among the long line of trainees.

Then, Hirano Yuta strode towards Xia Fan.

"Xia Fan, right? Nice to meet you. I'm Yuta Hirano, a trainee of J Club and a former member of the boy band "Anal Explosion Boys" Center..."

He looked down at Xia Fan and extended his hand generously.

"GTE Entertainment trainee, Xia Fan."

Xia Fan shook hands with the other party politely.

"Although seeking out seniors to hype and increase the number of views are the 'traditional skills' of the Burning Department, but they are going so fast before the show has officially started recording, be careful not to get hurt..."

The moment the two shook hands, Hirano Yuta had a disdainful smile on his face and whispered in Xia Fan's ear with gritted teeth.

Twenty-four hours before the statistical deadline, Xia Fan, who ranked first in personal video playback, had three million more playbacks than him who ranked second.

In the eyes of Hirano Yuta and his agency, it is impossible for Xia Fan's advertisement and TV drama to have such an effect. It is entirely caused by Yayoi Tsuki's shameless hype for the "burning junior" and Bethesda's daily increase in playback volume...

In terms of personal strength and popularity alone, Hirano Yuta, who has trained overseas for many years and made a short debut, can definitely crush Xia Fan.

Therefore, the agency spent a huge amount of money to get 3 million views for Hirano Yuta, which just caught up with Xia Fan's data...

I also specially reserved one million views, preparing to increase it in the last few hours before the statistics were closed, so as to completely overtake the first place.

Who would have thought that in the final period, Xia Fan's number of views suddenly soared by five million, and finally reached an exaggerated 10 million, which was more than twice that of Hirano Isami.

The pain of "trying to steal the tower but getting stolen instead" made him unable to sleep well for several days, as he had returned from overseas to develop in the entertainment industry in District 11 and was determined to make a big splash and become famous.

"Increasing the number of views? Did you misunderstand something..."

Xia Fan was stunned for a moment and wanted to explain but didn't know where to start.

The problem of the abnormally high number of views of his personal interview videos also troubled him for several days.

After confirming with Uncle Higashino and Bethesda that the company had not invested a penny in publicity and promotion or inflated the number of views, Xia Fan attributed it to the "hype effect" of Yayoi Tsuki and stopped worrying about it.

Anyway, the first stage is just the trainees' appearance, and the playback ranking and performance time have no decisive impact on the subsequent performance elimination stage.

"Hey, isn't this the second most viewed person, Mr. Hirano..."

"I'm curious. You've already debuted as a group, so can you still participate in this show as a trainee?"

Martin, who was behind Xia Fan, suddenly asked curiously in "business voice".

"You...what do you foreigners know?"

As if being asked about his sore spot, Hirano Yuta's face turned red and white, and his neat middle-parted bangs were a little messy.

"Overseas debut experience is not counted as 'industry experience' for this program. In District 11, I am a trainee who has never debuted."

At 183cm tall, he was slightly taller than Xia Fan, but he was not as tall as Martin, who was nearly m tall, and his aura instantly weakened.

"Hirano, the waiting area has started lining up..."

"An, what are you doing..."

"The camera is coming over here, please pay attention to your facial expressions."

At the same time, the curly-haired trainee named "Kishi Shiyao" walked over and hooked his hands around Hirano Yuta's neck.

"Sorry, Yuta has been abroad for too long, so he speaks more directly. Let me introduce myself. I'm Kishi Sho from S Company. My personal video is ranked third in terms of views..."

"Being an idol is different from being a model or an actress who can get by just on their good looks. What matters is the ability on stage..."

"I hope you won't be exposed on your first stage soon."

Kishi Ziyao narrowed his eyes and smiled, said a few words to Xia Fan, and dragged Hirano Yuta to the waiting area.

"As expected of a survival talent show, it's already full of tension before it even starts."

Watching the two people leaving, Xia Fan sighed.

Although these trainees, who are carefully trained by large companies, are about the same age as their schoolmates, they have long been influenced by the company and have had the instinct of "competition" engraved in their bones, just like Makoto Shibata.

"Although it's not necessary, thank you for helping me speak up."

Turning back, he thanked Martin again.

"I'm not speaking for you. This is just one of my 'bad tastes'. Anyway, no matter how sarcastic I am, as long as they think I'm a 'foreigner' who is difficult to communicate with and reason with, they won't mind..."

"If it weren't for your sudden rise, these two would be the first and second place. It's normal for them to have some complaints."

"I guess they have been working very hard these past two days to prove themselves on the first stage."

"So, I am also looking forward to Xia Jun's first stage performance."

Martin switched back to his fluent local dialect and winked at Xia Fan cunningly.

……

"Xia Fan... he actually participated in this program as well... it's really a narrow road for enemies to cross..."

Just as Xia Fan continued to listen to Martin chatting about "inside gossip", a gloomy gaze from the team behind him was staring at him.

"However, I have now mastered divine powers that surpass those of ordinary people. I am no longer on the same level as you..."

"This time, the championship of the "Idol Birth Festival" is within my grasp."

This person is none other than the trainee who was "substitute" for the competition, Makoto Shibata.

"I hope you can hold on until you face me head-on, and then accept defeat in despair."

Compared with the previous period, he had lost weight, and with a condescending sneer on his face, he looked at Xia Fan with disdain.

"Brother, what are you daydreaming about? There's a long empty space ahead, why don't you move quickly..."

"Oh, ok, sorry sorry."

Behind him, several trainees complained loudly, causing Shibata Makoto to put away his smile and walk forward with the team in panic.

……

"Dear producers, welcome to the second episode of "Idol Birth Festival". I am your representative producer, Kimura Goro..."

“Thanks to Mobile Game God O for sponsoring this program. The rays of light rise from the sky and the stars shine in the sky. We are traveling together on the Starry Continent and embarking on a new journey here…”

"Other sponsors I would like to thank include..."

While a group of trainees were lining up for their looks backstage, in the main studio that looked like an Edo Shrine, Goro Kimura was recording the "Thank You Speech to Sponsors" at the opening of the show with a fake smile on his face.

"It's ok, thank you for your hard work, Mr. Kimura..."

"Thank you for your hard work."

After reciting the difficult-to-read advertising slogan over and over again until his masseter muscles became weak and his tongue became numb, Goro Kimura finally finished the recording.

"Kimura... this way..."