Chapter 18

After Lin Zhinan fell asleep, Zhao Yu tiptoed out and gently closed the door behind her. Back in her own room, she pulled out her phone and scrolled through the online comments.

The internet was already in an uproar.

Fans who’d stayed glued to their screens waiting for their idols’ debut stage had barely been able to see what their idols were even wearing by the end of the performance.

Lin Zhinan had debuted in fifth place—the least popular member of the group—but that didn’t mean her fans were pushovers. They were going after the organizers, the director, demanding answers from the company. They were giving it their all, fighting for fairness for their idol.

Zhao Yu saw that her own fans were also raising hell.

As the center, she was supposed to get the most screen time and resources. But in their debut performance, her screen time was nearly identical to Lin Xiuxi’s and Kristen’s, who’d placed second and third. If you didn’t know the group, you’d never guess she was the undisputed center.

The Yu Meiren fans, who’d been happily watching the stream, were absolutely furious.

– We spent day and night pouring money and votes to send Yu Yu to debut as center, so she could stand in the highest, brightest spot—and now you’re giving us THIS? Is this it? Then what’s the difference between the center and second or third place? Might as well not have picked a winner! Might as well not have promised a shining center position!

– Just the usual H-industry BS. It’s only three years—I can wait. When our girl’s contract ends and she comes back, we’ll give her a real, one-of-a-kind spotlight!

– The director is inhuman!!! Are you that desperate to show everyone how biased you are toward LXX?! Even during the main dancer’s solo part, you cut to LXX for an eye close-up??? I’m about to spew flowers of profanity, f*ck your mother!

…

Groups that came out of survival shows tended to have fewer group fans than individual stans. Zhao Yu’s fans going after the screen time naturally sparked resentment from fans of other members. The member fan wars had already begun.

– The camera naturally goes to whoever’s the prettiest and most popular. If your bias can’t pull her weight, don’t blame Xiuxi. Pretty hilarious, honestly.

– If she can’t handle the center’s presence, don’t blame the director for not giving her the shot, okay? I’m so done.

– LXX fans have some nerve, don’t they? Since when does second place get to challenge the center’s popularity???

– Funniest joke of the year—Zhao Yu can’t handle center presence??? Go f*ck yourself. If you don’t need your eyes, donate them to someone who does.

– Zhao Yu is the GOAT!!! Popularity center! Main dancer and visual! I’d advise some members’ fans not to start trouble—focus on your own bias!

– And she dares to claim a C-rank voted by both Chinese and Korean fans? Without the Chinese votes, could Zhao Yu have been center? Just looking at Korean popularity alone, Lin Xiuxi is more famous. This is a K-pop concert—the audience is Korean. They should give more screen time to the more popular member. If you’re so upset, get them to perform at a Chinese event.

– What kind of nonsense is that? Zhao Yu isn’t more popular than Lin Xiuxi in Korea? Take a look at the artist data and solo video views. My sister goes to Seoul National and never stans anyone. The day before yesterday she called me to buy Zhao Yu merch.

– Shining Stars was supposed to be a Sino-Korean girl group. LXX couldn’t crack the Chinese market, and now you’re proud of that?

– Zhao Yu is famous across Asia! Zhao Yu is famous across Asia! Zhao Yu is famous across Asia!

– Her journey is to the stars and the sea. We don’t need to argue with people with limited vision.

…

If even INS was this chaotic, the fan war on domestic Weibo must have been a bloodbath. Zhao Yu rubbed the bridge of her nose, turned off her phone and the bedside lamp, lay back in bed, stared into the silent darkness, and let out a long sigh.

Still, as messy as the fan fights were, the buzz around Shining Five kept climbing. Their live stage from last night had been uploaded to several major YouTube video platforms and was ranking near the top in views.

The next morning, Lin Zhinan showed no trace of the previous night’s turmoil.

She was back to her usual cheerful, determined self and even made Chinese-style breakfast for the members. Zhao Yu hadn’t had proper fried dough sticks in ages. She lost control and ate three, then immediately regretted it thinking about the calories.

Regardless, their debut stage last night was a perfect success. Shining Five had officially made their mark and proven their abilities. From now on, both performance and endorsement offers would come much more easily.

The company only gave them the morning off. After lunch, the agent picked them up and took them to the company to do demo recordings for their first full album.

This album had been in preparation even before the competition ended. After the five debuted, the production team adjusted the musical style to fit each member’s individual flair. All ten tracks were basically finalized—after the demo recordings, they’d move into full studio recording and music video shoots.

Right after the meeting came a magazine shoot.

Shining Five hadn’t broken into the fashion world yet, and the company had only secured them an interior spread in a mid-tier publication. Still, for a rookie group, everyone was happy just to get that.

When they arrived at the studio, everything was already set up. The five changed into their outfits, and the magazine’s makeup artists came over to do their styling.

Fashion magazine styling emphasized a high-end aesthetic. Zhao Yu had excellent bone structure, so no matter what the stylists did, she could pull it off.

When they walked over to the photo area, the photographer was adjusting equipment. He casually snapped a few test shots as they approached to check the lighting and composition.

Print photos were the truest test of visual appeal.

With features frozen in a 2D image and the loss of three-dimensional depth, every flaw gets magnified. In those few casual test shots, the five girls’ poses and expressions weren’t great.

But Zhao Yu still photographed beautifully.

After the equipment was set, they shot group photos first, then individual ones. When it was Zhao Yu’s turn, the photographer kept shooting from every angle, unable to stop.

The studio was filled with a constant chorus of clicks. Zhao Yu was getting tired of holding poses, but the photographer’s eyes were still gleaming. “Shooting you is such a pleasure.”

In the end, they’d taken too many photos but could only select one, leaving the photographer agonizing over the choice. After getting Zhao Yu’s consent, he saved all the rest for himself.

As they were leaving, he told her, “You have no idea how important that ‘pleasure’ factor is for a photographer. If I get the chance, I’ll definitely work with you again.”

Only after they left the studio did the agent remark with some surprise, “That senior photographer is usually very picky. Today he was surprisingly easy to please.”

Kristen happily tugged at Zhao Yu’s arm. “With a senior photographer vouching for you, Yu Yu might get a magazine cover soon!”

Zhao Yu’s long-dormant vanity started creeping back up.

Lin Xiuxi, walking ahead, suddenly turned around. “Hey, Zhang Huiying—don’t you like sitting in the window seat by the back? Aren’t you getting in the car? Or do I have to come down and make room for you again?”

The smile slowly faded from Kristen’s face. She quickened her pace and got into the car without a word.

Zhao Yu frowned and called out to Lin Xiuxi, who was turning to leave. “Captain.”

Lin Xiuxi looked back. “What is it?”

Zhao Yu stepped closer. “Tingting doesn’t like people calling her by her real name. Could you not call her that from now on?”

Lin Xiuxi smiled at her. “A name is given by one’s parents. How could anyone dislike the name their parents gave them? Whatever your parents gave you is what you are—like your name, like your identity. What’s the point of pretending?”

Zhao Yu had thought they just weren’t close. But after they’d formed the group, she gradually realized Lin Xiuxi actually disliked Kristen.

She disliked Kristen’s gentle, soft, fragile demeanor. She disliked that Kristen came from a poor family yet was packaged as a princess. She disliked Kristen’s doll-like delicate features, and she disliked that netizens called her “Princess.”

And she especially disliked that—even though she herself had debuted in second place—Kristen’s popularity was catching up day by day.

A fake princess, trying to surpass a true heiress?

Privately, Lin Xiuxi never hid her contempt for Kristen.

And Kristen never did anything but stay silent and avoid conflict.

Maybe it had been that way for a long time—even back when they’d trained at the same company.

They’d grown up in different environments and with different values. Zhao Yu could say whatever she wanted, but she wouldn’t change anything. Still, she couldn’t help but warn her, a little annoyed: “No audience likes a group that’s at odds with itself. Captain, you’d better tone it down.”

Lin Xiuxi waved it off with a smile and patted her shoulder. “Don’t be mad.”

Zhao Yu didn’t want to make things tense either, so she smiled back. “I’m not mad. I just don’t want people saying Shining Five has internal conflict.”

Lin Xiuxi nodded thoughtfully.

As she turned to walk toward the van, she stopped after two steps, as if something had suddenly occurred to her. She looked back with a smile and said, “I’ve actually always wondered why you’d be friends with her.” The amusement in her eyes carried an ambiguous edge. “That’s not a good thing, you know.”

Zhao Yu kept smiling.

Lin Zhinan, who’d been the last to come out after using the restroom, saw them standing outside the van and walked over curiously. “What are you guys talking about?”

Zhao Yu smiled. “Nothing. Let’s get in.”

No matter what happened behind the scenes, to the audience and fans, Shining Five remained a bright, passionate, warm-hearted group.

After the K-pop Concert, performance invitations flooded in.

Touring from show to show was exhausting, but it was a path every rookie group had to walk.

One gig after another, city after city—planes, trains, buses. Sometimes they’d get off the bus and have to go straight to rehearsal without even a bite to eat.

And as soon as the performance ended, they’d rush off to the next city.

With high-profile senior groups ahead and new groups debuting behind them, they couldn’t afford to stop or slow down. Showcases, road performances, new song rehearsals, music video shoots, fan showcases…

The pressure was immense. They were drained.

For the first time, Zhao Yu realized with absolute clarity just how hard it was to become famous.

How hard the road to him really was.

The seasons shifted from summer to autumn, and the chill of winter began to set in.

After months of staying active in the public eye and steadily growing their popularity, Shining Five finally landed their first high-profile national variety show: Hi Fight.

When the agent told them the news, Zhao Yu and Lin Zhinan didn’t react much, but Lin Xiuxi and Heya both looked thrilled. “Really?! Hi Fight?!”

Kristen, who usually stayed quiet whenever Lin Xiuxi was around, also showed surprise and joy on her face.

The agent smiled. “Really. Prepare well. You’ve been building up for a long time—it’s time to get big.”

After asking around, Zhao Yu finally learned that Hi Fight was one of Korea’s top three variety shows—an outdoor reality format with massive national viewership. Every group that had appeared on it had ended up hitting it big, earning it the nickname “the lucky variety show” in the industry.

Shining Five’s skills and popularity had already built up to a solid level within their current limits. All they needed now was a breakthrough.

And it seemed the company believed Hi Fight was that breakthrough.