Chapter 10
8:00 PM.
Tonight was the first live broadcast of [Boy Group Training Camp], and the production team was paying close attention.
Sun Hongfei stood at the director’s station, watching the screens displaying various live rooms while listening to the staff reporting the data.
Compared to the first season, the viewership numbers were quite low.
The highest-viewed room so far only had a bit over 20,000 viewers.
But that was to be expected; in the first season, the live broadcasts had started mid-season when the trainees already had fan bases. Now, most of them were unknown, so naturally, the numbers couldn’t compare.
A staff member continued, “Currently, the hottest live rooms belong to Jinyou Entertainment’s Lin Dao’en and Planet Century. Based on our estimates, viewership could increase, and the peak might reach around 50,000.”
Sun Hongfei nodded.
This was about what they had projected.
Then he suddenly thought of something and asked, “What about LeShi’s live room?”
The staff immediately switched the screen.
The viewer count was pitifully low; even after half an hour of streaming, it hadn’t broken a hundred.
However, the two of them didn’t feel discouraged and kept dancing earnestly.
When he saw the live room’s low viewer count, Sun Hongfei was stunned.
He even asked the staff to double-check, confirming that there was no error with the data.
He couldn’t figure it out.
It didn’t make sense!
President Gu joined the talent show specifically to prove himself, didn’t he?
After all, popularity is crucial in talent shows; no matter how good the performance, without popularity, it’s all in vain.
Yet here they were, with LeShi’s two trainees at the bottom in terms of popularity. Shouldn’t President Gu be doing something about it?
Sun Hongfei was utterly baffled.
Just then, Jiang Mo arrived.
After a brief greeting with Sun Hongfei, he eagerly asked, “Supervisor Sun, how’s the data looking?”
Sun Hongfei assumed he was asking about his company’s trainees and replied with a smile, “Currently, the most popular live room is Lin Dao’en from your company, Jinyou Entertainment. Of course, the other trainees are doing well too.”
Jiang Mo wasn’t surprised.
He had put a lot of effort into promoting them, so this result was only natural. However, he didn’t come here just for his trainees, so he casually asked, “What about the others’ live rooms?”
Sun Hongfei: “?”
Jiang Mo: “Like LeShi’s live room—what’s their data like?”
Sun Hongfei found it odd but answered honestly, “Their live room data is quite poor, currently among the lowest.”
Jiang Mo immediately felt relieved.
Just as he’d expected, an unknown trainee couldn’t stir up much interest.
With things going this way, they’d likely be eliminated soon, and once that happened, if they wanted to come back to him, he’d make sure they understood their place.
While Jiang Mo was imagining how to teach Meng Yuansheng a lesson, a staff member suddenly let out a startled yelp.
Sun Hongfei was immediately drawn over. “What happened?”
The staff member was frantically typing on the keyboard. “There was a sudden spike in data in one of the live rooms, and the bandwidth is struggling. I’m adjusting it now…”
On the screen, the live room viewer count was skyrocketing, breaking through 100,000 viewers in no time.
Sun Hongfei was shocked. “Wh-which room is this?”
“It’s LeShi’s live room,” the staff member replied.
“Whoa! It’s still going up!”
“300,000…”
“500,000… and climbing! I just increased the bandwidth!”
“Oh my gosh! One million!!!”
Under the stunned gaze of the staff, the viewer count for LeShi’s live room soared to a million within minutes, nearly crashing the server.
The numbers were now steady at a million, with slight increases.
LeShi’s live room was now leagues ahead, leaving everyone else far behind.
The production team was floored by the unprecedented data.
Even compared to the first season’s peak—where a trainee’s personal live room might reach just over half a million—this was the very first episode, and LeShi’s numbers had already surpassed last season’s record.
This was unbelievable traffic!
Jiang Mo’s eyes widened in disbelief, his tone sharp: “That’s impossible!”
His outburst drew everyone’s attention. Sun Hongfei, still in shock, reflexively asked, “How do you know it’s impossible?”
Jiang Mo gritted his teeth in frustration but masked it with feigned concern. “These numbers are suspicious. Even established groups would struggle to hit this. If they truly had such traffic, they wouldn’t need a talent show; they could debut directly. I’m worried… they might be using some kind of trick.”
“We worked hard to build this show’s reputation; we can’t let a few bad apples ruin it.”
Sun Hongfei immediately grew serious.
Jiang Mo had a point. If the numbers were real, such a high level of popularity would suggest a well-known group, and he would surely know about them.
But the problem was, before Gu Xingshi came to him, he’d never heard of these two at all—they were completely unknown.
It was impossible that they’d draw in over a million viewers without some kind of manipulation!
Furious, Sun Hongfei immediately ordered a thorough investigation.
A look of satisfaction appeared on Jiang Mo’s face.
With Sun Hongfei taking it seriously, once they confirmed any foul play, not only would their scores be canceled, but the two might even be disqualified altogether.
Meng Yuansheng thinking he could escape his grasp? In his dreams!
However, not long after, a staff member came over. “Supervisor, the data checks out.”
Jiang Mo was incredulous. “How can that be?! Did you even check properly?”
Annoyed by his accusation, the staff member placed a tablet in front of them. “Supervisor, we found the reason for the surge in LeShi’s live room. Take a look.”
Sun Hongfei glanced at the screen in confusion, reading a Weibo post titled Gossip System…10086.
Jiang Mo couldn’t wait and scrolled down to the bottom.
Both men were left speechless.
“They can do that?!”
*
An hour earlier, Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin had anxiously started their live broadcast.
As expected, there wasn’t a single viewer.
The two felt a bit disappointed, though it wasn’t surprising.
With the show yet to air and both of them complete unknowns, it would be strange if they had any fans.
After a brief moment of letdown, they quickly lifted their spirits and began practicing their debut dance in the live room.
Finally, after some anticipation, they gained one viewer.
It seemed the viewer had just stumbled into the room, but the two, thrilled to have even one audience member, gave it their all to keep them entertained.
The viewer was indeed drawn in and quickly became a fan of their live stream.
Comments:
[Wow, your dancing is amazing! Are you guys streamers?]
[You’re both so handsome! Do you have girlfriends?]
Cheng Xin was about to answer when Meng Yuansheng quickly held him back.
He knew how blunt Cheng Xin could be.
With only one precious viewer, he didn’t want to scare them away.
He patiently and kindly answered the fan’s questions.
When the fan learned that they were trainees on [Boy Group Training Camp], they became excited.
[You’re so handsome and dance so well! You’re definitely going to be famous!]
[Trust me, I have a great eye for talent!]
[Wait! I’m going to message all my friends so they can come support you!]
This fan was a woman of action, and soon enough, two or three more people joined the stream.
Excited, Meng Yuansheng turned to Cheng Xin. “A Xin! We now have five people in the live room!!”
He counted the viewers again, smiling with satisfaction.
But then, the viewership suddenly shot up.
Meng Yuansheng’s eyes widened. “O-one hundred!!!”
Cheng Xin calmly replied, “It’s more than a hundred; now it’s over a thousand, and by this trend, it could reach ten thousand!”
Meng Yuansheng’s expression twisted for a moment. “A Xin, stay calm!”
Cheng Xin replied, “I am calm.”
Meng Yuansheng: “…Then can you let go of my arm?”
Cheng Xin looked down and realized he’d been gripping Meng Yuansheng’s arm tightly enough to bruise.
But Meng Yuansheng couldn’t care less about the pain, his gaze fixed intently on the viewer count.
The number kept climbing rapidly, like it had a mind of its own.
It soon broke the 100,000 mark.
A hundred thousand!!!
That was a number they’d never even dared to imagine.
The fans were equally stunned.
[I thought I’d invested in a hidden gem, but it’s gone skyrocketing overnight!!]
[Who else understands this feeling?]
After about fifteen minutes, the skyrocketing number finally began to stabilize.
Meng Yuansheng gulped, trembling as he extended a finger to count the digits, double-checking several times just to be sure.
1,000,000!!!
A wave of dizziness hit them both, and they clutched their hearts.
Then, Meng Yuansheng suddenly recalled that before the broadcast, Gu Xingshi had rushed in, saying he’d find a way and that they shouldn’t worry.
So it hadn’t just been to comfort them—he really did something!
Having worked under Jiang Mo for years, Meng Yuansheng understood just how hard it was to gain such traffic.
It required not just money but also connections, resources, energy, and more.
Even for top artists, companies weren’t always willing to make this kind of investment.
And yet, here he was, still an unproven trainee, unable to generate any revenue for the company.
But President Gu had still done this for them.
And he hadn’t even told them how much he’d put into it, instead simply encouraging them to do their best.
What had he done to deserve such an incredible manager and boss?
A hint of anxiety surfaced in Meng Yuansheng’s heart.
But a moment later, admiration and gratitude for Gu Xingshi overwhelmed that worry.
Since President Gu chose him and gave him this golden opportunity, he would bring out every bit of his potential and never let down Gu Xingshi’s faith.
A fierce resolve flared in his eyes.
Like gold forged in fire, all his insecurities melted away, and he shone with a unique brilliance.
Hahaha Meng Yuansheng must be protected!