After Spectating Gossip, the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Big Shot – CH30

Translator Note:

Hi guys! Thank you for your support till now, I really appreciate it XD

Just a quick announcement, so starting from Chapter 30, the posting schedule will change from everyday posts to Wednesday, Friday and Saturday every week

For those who prefer not to wait, you can head over to my Ko-fi store and purchase the early-released chapters of the translated novel.

Thank you so much for your support and understanding, and I hope you enjoy the journey ahead!

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Chapter 30

The [Boy Group Training Camp] finale officially kicked off at 8 PM on Saturday night.

The production team had been building up hype for the past two weeks, though the season’s popularity had already been high, with plenty of gossip and memes spreading online. Even those uninterested in boy group talent shows couldn’t resist clicking in after seeing the promotions.

By the time the live broadcast channel opened, over a million viewers had already flooded in, and the numbers kept climbing.

Fans had already launched into a barrage of supportive comments:

[Baby Sheng’s mom loves you!!!]

[Brother Xin! Hubby! Just focus on performing tonight and talk less!]

[Yuan Ye, wild as the wind! You’ve got this!]

[Jingfei, cutie, go, go, go!!]

[Save Wu Ze! The kid’s been a trainee for five years. Handsome, dances, sings, raps, and yet he’s stuck on the verge of not debuting! Danger!]

[Go, Little Lu! We’ll make sure you debut!]

*

Backstage, Gu Xingshi and Yin Hefeng stood watching the crew make final adjustments onstage. Behind them, fans and audience members were filing into the venue one by one.

After two and a half months of hard work, everything would come down to tonight.

Gu Xingshi suddenly felt a surge of nerves he had never experienced before.

If he was feeling this way, he could only imagine what Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin must be going through.

To distract himself, he turned to Yin Hefeng. “Brother Yin, aren’t you nervous?”

Yin Hefeng chuckled, “How could I not be? Look at my palms—sweating buckets!”

Gu Xingshi glanced down and saw it was true, making him exclaim, “I thought you’d be used to this kind of event after mentoring so many trainee groups.”

“I thought the same my first time,” Yin Hefeng said, reminiscing. “But even now, I get nervous for every finale. I realized early on that as long as you’ve poured your heart into something, once you’ve built a connection with these trainees, worry and nerves come with the territory—it’s unavoidable.”

He pointed to Gu Xingshi’s collar. “Take you, for example. This is the first time I’ve seen you so absent-minded. You even put your tie on backward.”

Only then did Gu Xingshi notice. Distracted by thoughts of the trainees and their performances, he’d accidentally tied it wrong.

He adjusted it while saying, “I’ve had a feeling something was going to happen ever since I woke up with this twitch in my eye…”

Before he could finish, Yin Hefeng quickly cut him off, “Don’t jinx it! Knock on wood. Everything’s going to go smoothly tonight.”

Gu Xingshi: “…”

*

At 8 PM, the second season finale of [Boy Group Training Camp] officially began.

The finale had three rounds.

The first round featured the trainees performing the theme song alongside the “Senior Brother” group from the previous season.

The second round was a mentor-assisted performance, where each of the four mentors led a team of trainees in a head-to-head competition.

The third round was the trainees’ individual performances.

The Senior Brother group had debuted two years earlier and were clearly more polished than the current, unseasoned trainees. Their stage presence and performance were noticeably more refined.

During rehearsals, the trainees hadn’t fully realized this difference. But now, standing on stage, seeing the Senior Brothers’ ease and confidence, several of them felt a twinge of nervousness.

But Meng Yuansheng, who held the center position, showed no trace of fear. Performing alongside the previous season’s center, he didn’t get overshadowed at all. In fact, the balanced performance between the two created a fresh take on the theme song that fans had long grown used to.

Their final, high-difficulty move together ignited the first wave of frenzied screams from the audience.

Meng’s strong performance also inspired the other trainees.

They might lack the Senior Brothers’ polish, but they had their own advantages.

Two and a half months of hard work, every performance given their all.

No one loved this stage more than they did.

The raw passion of youth—even if a bit rough—was always the most moving.

With high-energy songs and dances on stage, the crowd’s cheers built into a deafening wave.

Gu Xingshi, feeling the enthusiasm surging behind him, found his eyes starting to mist.

After the theme song, the second round, the mentor-assisted performances, began.

Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin had chosen to be in Shen Yu’s team, and they were performing one of Shen Yu’s most popular songs.

Meng and Shen had done a transformative arrangement of the song.

The best part was that the rearrangement idea had come directly from Meng, who had pitched it himself. Shen Yu was so impressed with Meng’s vision that he agreed on the spot.

Gu Xingshi had been standing by, watching the confidence and radiance on Meng’s face.

Some trainees had initially questioned the change, but Meng had calmly explained each adjustment in detail until they were all convinced.

Seeing Meng like this was something Gu Xingshi could never have imagined just two months ago.

It felt as though he had rescued a withering flower, watching it take root, flourish, and finally bloom brightly once more.

In that moment, he began to understand the meaning behind Yin Hefeng’s words.

As long as you invest your heart and soul and form a bond with these trainees, worry and nerves are inevitable.

Just two and a half months ago, his mind had been filled with plans to simply make it through the year, sell the company and his properties, and achieve financial freedom.

But after witnessing the hard work and dedication of Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin, he felt his own outlook gradually shifting. At the very least, he now wanted to stay with them and help them rise to the top.

Shen Yu’s team was composed mainly of high-ranking contestants, and their surprising arrangement of the song ignited a frenzy of cheers in the venue, nearly bringing the roof down.

The live comment section was equally ecstatic:

[This is incredible! Their teamwork with the mentor is perfect!]

[I’m not even a fan of Meng Yuansheng, but I have to admit, he’s absolutely radiant. I can barely notice anyone else when he’s on stage!]

[Hot take! This team could debut right now!]

[Too short! I want them to perform it again!]

[I declare this the best performance of the night!]

*

In the audience, Bai Ran clapped with enthusiasm, barely containing her excitement.

Her main bias and side crush performing together—what could be more thrilling?

Her camera was practically overheating from snapping pictures non-stop.

Even after their performance ended, she still felt like she hadn’t gotten enough.

Just then, she spotted a familiar figure in the crowd: it was Gu Xingshi.

Maybe because it was the finale, his attire was more formal than usual.

He wore a crisp white shirt and black pants, his waist accentuated and giving his lower body a lean, graceful shape.

He stood with his hands clasped together, seemingly in silent prayer for the performers on stage.

Despite standing in the shadows, his white shirt made him glow, giving him an almost ethereal, saintly appearance.

Without fully realizing it, Bai Ran instinctively raised her camera and captured the moment.

Originally, she’d intended to greet him before the next act started, but then she saw him take a call. His expression abruptly changed, and he hurried off backstage.

A pang of worry struck Bai Ran.

Could something have gone wrong?

*

Suppressing his anger, Gu Xingshi quickly made his way backstage.

Before him was a costume, now completely ruined with smears of stage paint.

Meng Yuansheng stood with his fists clenched, his expression icy as he glared at a fellow trainee across from him.

Gu Xingshi instantly recognized the trainee as Chang Jiajun, an artist from Luming Entertainment.

Chang’s expression was uneasy, though he stubbornly lifted his chin. “I swear it was an accident.”

He kept glancing toward the end of the hallway, where Luming’s manager and Sun Hongfei were both rushing over.

Sun Hongfei looked exasperated.

With a live-streamed show like this, the last thing anyone wanted was an accident.

He’d practically been praying for smooth sailing all night.

The first two rounds had gone off without a hitch, and he’d thought the night would go smoothly.

But just as he was letting his guard down, trouble struck.

And, of all people, it had to involve Gu Xingshi’s contestant.

Wasn’t this just complicating his career?!

Putting on a stern expression, he turned to Chang. “Chang Jiajun, what’s going on? You’d better explain yourself.”

Luming’s manager immediately bristled. “Mr. Sun, what’s that supposed to mean? I know you’re close with Mr. Gu, but you can’t just jump to conclusions and accuse our artist without reason. Jiajun already said it was an accident. And besides, if Meng Yuansheng’s costume was so important, he should’ve taken better care of it. Doesn’t he share some responsibility?”

Hearing this twisted attempt at deflecting blame, Gu Xingshi almost laughed in exasperation.

Stepping in front of Meng Yuansheng, he looked squarely at Luming’s manager. “If I’m not mistaken, Chang Jiajun’s performance doesn’t involve any stage paint, and this isn’t even his dressing room. Yet he took ‘unneeded’ stage paint into a room that ‘wasn’t his’ and somehow managed to spill it precisely onto Meng Yuansheng’s costume. Just how much of an ‘accident’ would it take to make that happen?”

Luming’s manager’s face froze. “The backstage area is chaotic. It’s not impossible that he entered the wrong room by mistake.”

Not bothering to engage with such nonsensical excuses, Gu Xingshi’s gaze locked onto another figure in the crowd. “Wen Mingfeng, your teammate has done all this on your behalf. Don’t you have anything to say?”

The trainee he called out had been trying to feign disinterest, but now his expression shifted slightly.

Luming had sent four trainees to the show this season, two of whom had already been eliminated, leaving only Chang Jiajun and Wen Mingfeng.

Unlike Chang, who had barely scraped into the finale, Wen Mingfeng had steadily held a position to debut, and just before the finale, his popularity suddenly surged, even coming close to overtaking Meng Yuansheng.

It was around this time that Gu Xingshi learned about the voting tactics big companies employed. Holding back votes early on allowed them to stockpile points and unleash them at the final moment.

There had been previous talent shows where a seemingly secure C-rank candidate was ousted at the last minute due to this tactic.

Wen Mingfeng was clearly banking on this strategy. Fortunately, Meng Yuansheng’s fans had responded vigorously, maintaining his lead.

But failing with the votes, they had apparently resorted to more underhanded tactics.

Gu Xingshi recalled what he’d heard from the system on his way over:

[This is Luming’s strategy of sacrificing the weaker player to protect the stronger one. With Chang Jiajun’s low popularity, he has no chance of debuting, so why not make a gamble and push Wen Mingfeng into the C position? Even if they face backlash or criticism, the exposure and fame are worth it. Controversy only fuels more fan devotion—it’s a foolproof win for them!]

[Originally, Chang Jiajun wasn’t willing to do it. But his family’s poor, and his mother needs surgery. Wen Mingfeng, who’s from a wealthy family, offered him 500,000 yuan to pull this stunt, and he agreed.]

Gu Xingshi looked at Chang Jiajun, who was trying to hide behind the manager.

Despite his unfortunate circumstances, Chang wasn’t worthy of sympathy.

Gu Xingshi’s voice turned icy. “Chang Jiajun, does that five hundred thousand burn in your pocket?”

Chang’s head jerked up, and he looked at Gu Xingshi as if he had seen a ghost.

Beside him, both the manager and Wen Mingfeng’s faces darkened.

Sun Hongfei quickly picked up on the implications from their reactions and immediately chimed in, “Don’t worry, Mr. Gu. We’ll get to the bottom of this and ensure justice is served!”

The manager from Luming Entertainment clenched his teeth. He didn’t know how Gu Xingshi had uncovered this information, but this was no time for a confrontation. Muttering something about knowing nothing, he grabbed Wen Mingfeng and tried to make a quick exit.

“Stop right there!”

Gu Xingshi’s voice cut through the air, halting them in their tracks. For some reason, the manager found himself intimidated by this young man, and he forced himself to ask, “Mr. Gu, do you have something else to say?”

Gu Xingshi smiled faintly.

Honestly, he had only wanted to peacefully watch his trainees compete in the finale.

But they had pushed him to this point, leaving him no choice but to bring out the heavy artillery.

In a calm, unhurried tone, he said, “Manager Lu, your oversight is indeed remarkable. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have allowed Wen Mingfeng to bring his girlfriend to the venue.”

Manager Lu: “!!!”

Wen Mingfeng: “!!!”

Onlookers: “!!!”

Manager Lu shot a sharp glare at Wen Mingfeng before protesting, “That’s absurd!”

Gu Xingshi raised an eyebrow. “Manager Lu, it’s probably too late to text someone to have her removed, don’t you think?”

Manager Lu’s fingers froze over his phone, and he looked at Gu Xingshi with a terrified expression.

With an innocent smile, Gu Xingshi added softly, “Actually, there are two of them. And coincidentally, the other one happens to be Wen Mingfeng’s future mother-in-law. Quite the family affair, don’t you think?”

Everyone: “!!!!”

Mother and daughter sharing a boyfriend?!

Explosive!!

Scandalous!!

Wen Mingfeng, who had been trying to maintain a composed expression, looked at Gu Xingshi in horror.

Impossible!!

He’d been so careful—how could Gu Xingshi possibly know about this?

He wanted to explain himself, but his mind went blank, and no words would come out.

Manager Lu’s face had turned an alarming shade of red. He had known about Wen Mingfeng’s relationships, but since idols in the domestic entertainment industry weren’t strictly policed for dating, and since Wen Mingfeng had always seemed discreet, he hadn’t thought much of it.

Who could have imagined!!

Not only had Wen Mingfeng kept so much hidden, but he’d also managed to make such a massive blunder!

All around them, trainees and crew members stood listening with rapt attention, some even sneaking out their phones to record the scene.

This was a complete disaster!

Manager Lu stared at Gu Xingshi, filled with regret. Why had he ever thought meddling like this was a good idea?

If this scandal broke out, forget about aiming for the center position—Wen Mingfeng might not even be able to debut.

With trembling fingers, he couldn’t bring himself to point an accusing finger at Gu Xingshi. Finally, he slinked away in humiliation.

As soon as he left, the murmurs of excitement and gossip grew louder.

Even the trainees set to go on next were reluctant to leave, caught up in the drama.

Some quick-fingered fans had already uploaded videos online.

Within moments, this explosive scandal hit the trending searches, giving [Boy Group Training Camp] yet another boost in popularity.

Though some questioned the authenticity of the rumor, new footage soon surfaced. Shot from inside the audience, it showed two women in the main seating area breaking out into a full-on fight.

The lighting was dim, but it was clear one woman was youthful and pretty, while the other was glamorous and mature. Faintly, the younger woman’s voice could be heard shouting, “… You shameless woman! Stealing your daughter’s boyfriend?!”

Whether people believed it or not was up to them, but it wasn’t long before Wen Mingfeng’s fan club dissolved, and many fans reportedly contacted the show’s producers, demanding a refund on their votes.

However, all the chaos outside had little impact on the backstage atmosphere.

Yin Hefeng and the others were stunned.

Their impression of Gu Xingshi had always been of someone polite and easygoing. This was the first time they had seen him so angry.

No one dared meet his gaze.

Everyone was silently wondering if they’d ever unintentionally offended him before.

Sun Hongfei, meanwhile, was utterly speechless.

Gu Xingshi had gone on a rampage!

For a brief moment, his cold, stern expression had been eerily similar to Wen Yue’s, exerting such a powerful aura that Sun had felt almost suffocated.

Now, even with Gu Xingshi back to his usual calm demeanor, Sun was still too intimidated to approach him.

With his anger vented, Gu Xingshi’s head started to clear, and he remembered the more pressing issue: fixing Meng Yuansheng’s costume.

He walked over to Meng, and the crowd instinctively parted to let him through.

Meng stood there with his lips pressed together, though his expression wasn’t as downcast as Gu Xingshi had expected. In fact, there was a hint of sparkle in his eyes.

Gu Xingshi asked carefully, “Are you okay?”

After working so hard for two and a half months, to have his costume sabotaged right before the most important performance was surely a blow to Meng Yuansheng. Gu Xingshi patted him on the shoulder, wondering how to console him.

But Meng Yuansheng whispered, “Mr. Gu, you looked so cool just now!”

Gu Xingshi was momentarily stunned, a mental question mark forming over his head.

Seeing Gu Xingshi’s fierce demeanor dissolve into a blank, slightly dazed look, Meng Yuansheng couldn’t help but laugh. “Mr. Gu, thank you for protecting me. But I’m not who I used to be.”

Calmly and confidently, he added, “Even if I’m just in street clothes, I’m sure I can conquer the stage.”

Beside him, Cheng Xin gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder and declared, “I’ll go out in street clothes with you!”

Gu Xingshi was momentarily stunned, watching as Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin, arm-in-arm, were about to head off to find a stylist to alter their makeup. He quickly called out, “Stop! What do you two think you’re doing?”

He couldn’t help but laugh, a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Who said you’re out of costumes?”

Meng and Cheng looked at him in surprise. “???”

Before the competition, Gu Xingshi had painstakingly reviewed countless domestic and international talent shows, anticipating every possible mishap. He’d even squeezed some extra funds from the company budget to have backup outfits made for the two of them.

He hadn’t mentioned it to avoid adding pressure on them.

Who could have guessed that it would actually come in handy!

As Gu Xingshi took out the spare performance outfits, Meng and Cheng stared at him with wide-eyed awe, like Cinderella gazing at her fairy godmother.

The way they looked at him made Gu Xingshi’s skin crawl with goosebumps. He quickly handed the costumes to Meng Yuansheng. “Go get ready; it’s almost time for your turn on stage.”

After seeing Meng Yuansheng and Cheng Xin head onstage, Gu Xingshi rejoined Yin Hefeng, taking a spot just offstage.

Was it just his imagination, or did Meng Yuansheng seem to be performing even better than ever?

Unsurprisingly, Meng secured the top spot in popularity.

Standing at center stage, microphone in hand, he gazed at the countless light-up signs bearing his name in the audience. His throat tightened with emotion.

This was the scene he had dreamed about countless times.

And now, it was real.

A whirlwind of emotions overwhelmed him.

The speech he had prepared suddenly seemed inadequate.

With sincerity, he thanked his fans, mentors, teammates, and the production crew. Finally, he looked over to where Gu Xingshi was standing, but he fell silent.

Though he hadn’t spoken yet, those fans who had followed him through everything already knew what he wanted to say.

Someone started it, and soon the livestream comments were flooded with messages:

[Thank you, Mr. Gu!]

[Please continue to watch over him, Mr. Gu!]

[Waaah, baby Sheng and Mr. Gu, please stay happy together!]

Meng Yuansheng thought back to the first time he’d met Gu Xingshi.

Gu Xingshi’s eyes had sparkled with sincerity and enthusiasm as he asked to sign him.

From that moment, the wheels of fate had started to turn.

Gu Xingshi had guided him onto a path he’d only ever dreamed of.

Somehow, tears had already streaked down Meng’s face.

In the end, all of his gratitude condensed into one simple phrase.

“Thank you, Mr. Gu. You gave me a new life.”

Just then, the camera rolls to Gu Xingshi’s face on the big screen.

Even in the shadows offstage, it seemed like the light itself clung to him, illuminating every perfect line of his face and the soft glimmer in his eyes.

The emotional livestream comments suddenly shifted in tone.

 [OMG!! Which trainee is this??]

 [I just found out he’s Meng Yuansheng’s agent!!! Alright, I’m applying to work at LeShi first thing tomorrow!]

 [Umm…what’s the process for becoming a fan of an agent?]

*

Wen Yue had just finished a transcontinental conference when he remembered something and asked his assistant, Tang Ling, “The [Boy Group Training Camp] finale is tonight, isn’t it?”

Tang checked his watch. “Yes, sir. They should be announcing the final rankings right about now.”

Wen Yue asked, “Any issues?”

Tang immediately recounted the incident with Wen Mingfeng in detail.

Wen Yue’s brow furrowed slightly.

This season of [Boy Group Training Camp] had been eventful, to say the least.

But considering that the show was critical to the foundation of his entertainment empire, Wen Yue had kept a closer eye on it. “Let’s take a look.”

Tang quickly opened the app, casting the screen onto the monitor as he updated Wen Yue on the contestants who had already been ranked.

Just as the livestream is loaded, the camera rolls to Gu Xingshi’s face.

The young man stood straight, with soft, tousled light brown hair. His bright, puppy-like eyes gazed into the camera, appearing innocent and a bit teary.

Moved by the scene, he pressed his lips tightly together, his cheeks slightly round and his lip point softly pouted.

Anyone watching couldn’t help but want to give him everything, just to see him smile again.

For a fleeting moment, Wen Yue’s heart—typically stoic and untouched by sentiment—seemed to waver.

And then he noticed a comment flashing across the screen:

[Ahhh!! Wifey!!! My destined wifey!!!]

Wen Yue fell silent for a moment. “Fans these days… do they all have such a lack of restraint?”