Bullet comments quickly filled the top of the screen.
【Can’t she just stay in school? Trying to rake in money this early.】
【Typical rich young lady, is “Radiance” something you can just touch? So arrogant, it’s disgusting. She ruined the song.】
【”Radiance”?? Wen Shike has some nerve.】
【WTF? It’s actually not bad?】
【The RAP was modified.】
【You call this “not bad”? This is excellent. Look at the ones before her; Wen Shike isn’t even initial Rank A. I’m curious how strong Rank A is.】
【Shit, sister’s gaze, she’s killing me!】
【Who said she was a talentless vase? Come out!】
Within the span of one song, the tone of the comments shifted completely. People admire the strong, and currently, Wen Shike was indeed flawless.
Wen Shike’s lips curled slightly.
“You can relax now,” Lu Jingwei said.
【Oh my god, she wrote the lyrics? Holy crap.】
【Third place in the Gaokao, a top student from University A studying Philosophy, AND the lyricist for “Radiance.” I don’t know what to say.】
【Sorry, I’m a Yuan-fan (Fan of Fu Chenyuan). I shouldn’t have cursed you before. Who knew we were actually family? I’ll vote for you every day from now on.】
【Sister is truly strong.】
【She’s only nineteen, call her ‘little sister’.】
【Is Ding Qing targeting her? What kind of question was that?】
【I feel the same way. But Ding Qing, that old woman, really dislikes contestants from wealthy backgrounds. There’s a compilation online; go check it out.】
【B? This is a B? Is Ding Qing’s brain broken? Dammit!】
【To avoid suspicion, Yaya and Sister Xi didn’t dare speak up for the heiress. ‘Imperial Family’? Truly ‘Imperial Family’? My god, even if you hate Wen Shike, you’d find a ‘B’ rank ridiculous.】
【”Radiance” consumed so much energy, is it a problem to sing a slow song? And I think it sounded great, it touched my heart. What do you mean ‘shallow lyrics’? My past three years were exactly like that.】
After Wen Shike was announced as Rank B, the bullet comments exploded. Naturally, after Wen Shike said, “I’m looking forward to the performances of the trainees who entered Rank A,” the comments exploded even further.
【Little sister is so wild, I love it.】
【LMAO, I’ve been annoyed with that pretentious old hag Ding Qing for a long time.】
【At first, I thought it might be a script, but seeing it’s Ding Qing… yeah.】
Wen Shike’s performance was right in the middle. The strict evaluations were before her, and the lenient ones were after. By adjusting the order this way, everyone forgot that many people before her were also judged strictly, they only remembered Wen Shike’s Rank B, which amplified the effect of Ding Qing targeting her.
When the effect began to weaken, Lu Jingwei was brought out, leading to another wave of “pity for the beauty” in the comments.
Wen Shike knew this was a bit of “malicious editing,” but she wasn’t a saint. She didn’t feel the slightest bit of sympathy for Ding Qing. Even if the order hadn’t been swapped, once people started digging, they would have discovered Ding Qing’s double standards anyway, this editing just made it more obvious.
In fact, you didn’t even need to dig deep, as Ding Qing’s treatment of Lu Jingwei seemed completely irrational.
Wen Shike glanced at the comments and turned to Lu Jingwei: “Going up?”
“Yes.”
“And me!” Ming Wangxue immediately stood up and followed behind them.
After the first episode of “Dream Chaser 101” finished airing, many related terms hit the trending searches.
Only one was directly related to Wen Shike: 【Wen Shike Rank B】. However, another related one was 【Dream Chaser Ding Qing】.
A “compilation of Ding Qing targeting contestants” trended. At the time, Ding Qing might have been praised for “not fearing capital,” but looking at them all together now, it looked incredibly strange.
Fu Chenyuan, never one to miss out on the drama, posted a Weibo tagging both #WenShikeRankB and #DreamChaserDingQing.
【Fu Chenyuan V: Is my level also not good enough? After all, I asked Wen Shike to write lyrics, and I thought they were quite good. I want to ask her again next time. #WenShikeRankB# #DreamChaserDingQing】
Fu Chenyuan stood at the pinnacle of domestic female idols. Having debuted solo, she had won many prestigious music awards. Although she asked Wen Shike to write lyrics, she was capable of doing it herself, she was just lazy.
Ding Qing had returned from abroad and debuted early. She had been popular before, but even at her peak, she was nowhere near Fu Chenyuan’s level.
When Qiu Yu saw Fu Chenyuan’s Weibo, she knew the other’s manager was likely going to have another headache.
After the first episode finished, Shu Shu checked the forums again. Sure enough, the posts on the front page looked much better. There was even a new dedicated thread for Wen Shike. Clicking in, the anti-fans were much fewer this time, and most were new fans.
【1L: New fan checking in. I just like those with talent. As long as she doesn’t have any deal-breaking scandals, I can be a fan.】
【2L: New fan checking in. That gaze killed me. Look at my GIF. [Image]】
【5L: Even though this is a dedicated thread, I still want to ‘Dream’ about a collaboration between the two. If Wen Shike doesn’t flop later, I feel like a new top-tier star is about to emerge.】
【6L: It depends on her ability to attract fans. Her current professional level is indeed good. Plus, being a fan of the ‘Heiress’ seems pretty fun; she clearly doesn’t lack resources.】
【8L: Remember to vote, everyone! Too bad we can’t see the vote count until next week.】
【10L: No wonder she was initial Center. So going in at 10:30 AM and leaving at 9:00 PM is likely because she learns too fast?】
Shu Shu smiled, took a screenshot, and sent it to Wen Shike. Remembering that Wen Shike couldn’t reply, she sighed and then laughed again.
When the few of them returned, An Ya was sitting in the classroom memorizing lyrics. Zhou Yueran was sitting ten thousand miles away from An Ya, also looking at lyrics.
The classroom was very quiet.
The atmosphere became awkward once again. An Ya looked up and smiled. Wen Shike didn’t look at her, pulled out her MP3, and went to a corner. The others gave brief greetings, not being as obvious as Wen Shike.
An Ya glanced at Wen Shike, bit her lip, and silently moved toward the corner as well.
The others frowned.
Out of the corner of her eye, Wen Shike noticed An Ya. She really didn’t understand why some people always wanted to make a fuss around her.
“I’m telling you clearly, these suggestive little moves won’t make it into the final cut. They won’t even be in the daily behind the scenes clips. So be normal and put your mind toward improving yourself.” Wen Shike’s voice was flat. She paused and glanced at her. “I assume you want to have a long-term career in the entertainment industry, right?”
Wen Shike’s tone wasn’t fast. She had an aunt who was a female CEO, and she had picked up that same intimidating manner of speaking. She really couldn’t hold it back anymore; if you’re filming a show, just film the show, why always try to cause trouble?
The expression on An Ya’s face froze for a few seconds. The others peeked at them and exchanged looks.
“I… I didn’t mean it the way you think.”
“Whether you did or didn’t, you know best in your heart.” Wen Shike curled her lip. “The people here aren’t fools. I’ve seen more ‘Green Teas’ (manipulative women) than you’ve drunk. Before I completely despise you, I suggest you act a bit more normal.”
Ming Wangxue silently clapped twice.
An Ya stopped talking. Wen Shike lowered her head and hummed along with the sound in her earphones. Soon, the sounds of singing filled the classroom as everyone went about their own tasks.
Wen Shike had heard this song before and was familiar with the general melody, so she only needed to refine the details and memorize all the lyrics. She didn’t even need to refine them herself, there would be vocal lessons, and since Xi Mingxuan was the teacher, she wouldn’t cause trouble for her.
After an hour, Wen Shike had smoothed out the whole song. She took the production team’s laptop to the mirror and started learning the dance by herself.
“You’re too fast…” Ming Wangxue watched, feeling somewhat impressed.
“I’ve heard it before.” Wen Shike threw her jacket to the side and patted Ming Wangxue’s shoulder as she passed. “You’re quite fast at learning songs, no need to be nervous.”
Ming Wangxue: …
Today, Wen Shike still left at 9:30 PM, and Lu Jingwei followed her.
“Can’t stand staying there?” Wen Shike wore her hat with her hands in her pockets.
“A bit,” Lu Jingwei didn’t deny it.
“Wen Shike! Wen Shike!”
Wen Shike paused and turned her head. She saw people standing outside the fence holding phones with flashlights on and was stunned for a moment. They were lined up, probably fansites. She thought for a moment and walked over. Lu Jingwei didn’t follow.
When she reached the fence, the girls were a bit surprised that she actually came over, they probably only intended to say hello.
“It really is you. I knew it, only you would wear so much clothing.” The girl who had called Wen Shike laughed.
Wen Shike: …
“Are you taking pictures of me?” Wen Shike asked.
“Not originally, but I just watched the first episode and decided to open another fansite for you.”
“Thank you.” Wen Shike was slightly surprised and smiled politely. “That must be exhausting.”
“And I think photographing you is great, you start late and finish early,” the girl next to her added.
Wen Shike: …
“Next time I call you, you don’t have to come over,” the girl continued. “Go back quickly, it’s cold outside.”
Wen Shike kept her hands in her pockets and glanced at the jacket the girl was wearing. “Then you all should wear more too. Young people shouldn’t disregard their health.”
Girls: …
Wen Shike strolled back and walked toward the dormitory with Lu Jingwei.
“My god, is she actually like this?”
“She looks a bit cold, but apparently she’s not that cold at all, actually a bit dorky.”
“Is the heiress really this health conscious? I thought all rich second-gen kids were…”
“Hehe, look at the photo I just took.”
“She looks so silly. Watch out, she might assassinate you.”
“I won’t post it, I’m keeping it for myself.”
The fansite girl who spoke with Wen Shike quickly posted a Weibo.
【Lululu: Saw the heiress leaving work and couldn’t help calling out. I just wanted to say hi, but who knew she’d actually come over (probably never encountered this before). She was bundled in so many clothes, truly a lot, so she’s definitely afraid of the cold, it’s not a persona. When she spoke to us, her hands never left her pockets. She looks a bit cold in person, but she’s actually quite easy to talk to (otherwise she wouldn’t have come over) and a bit dorky. I caught a dorky expression package, but I’m not posting it for now. I’m keeping it for myself. I’ve decided to start a personal site for her. PS: Even though it was dark, the heiress’s visuals are incredibly strong, a hundred times better than in the video!!! PPS: She told us to take care of our health and told me ‘young people should wear more.’ I’m twenty-three this year, four years older than her.】
Wen Shike felt like she was saved only after moving from the outdoors to the indoors. Although it didn’t show on her face, Lu Jingwei could tell her mood had significantly improved.
“The temperature will rise in a few days, it’ll be more comfortable then.”
Lu Jingwei looked at the shivering Wen Shike and reached out to tidy her messy hair.
“That’s good.” Wen Shike breathed a sigh of relief. “At least the classroom is warm.”
The two parted ways at the dormitory door.
When Wen Shike returned to the room, she was surprised to find someone there. Usually at this time, the room was empty, and she remembered that the song Sun Yuexi chose wasn’t easy. Given that girl’s level of effort, she should still be in the classroom.
“Sun Yuexi?” Wen Shike’s footsteps faltered, then she immediately walked over. Her intuition told her something was wrong with Sun Yuexi. She instinctively wanted to tap her but held back.
The other girl was slumped over the desk, motionless.
“Sun Yuexi? Do you want to go to bed?” Wen Shike asked again, her voice much louder. She finally reached out and shook the other’s shoulder. “Sun Yuexi!”
Sun Yuexi had no reaction. Wen Shike felt Sun Yuexi’s wrist and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt a pulse.
At least she was alive.
She had read too many novels, which often led her to overthink.
Wen Shike didn’t hesitate. She walked straight to the camera and tapped the lens. “Someone fainted, send someone here immediately.”
The staff arrived quickly. Wen Shike thought for a few seconds, if other roommates were there, she might not have gone, but since they weren’t, out of human decency, she went along. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to grab a scarf for herself.
Perhaps people fainting happened during every recording, so the production staff looked exceptionally calm. When the ambulance arrived, Wen Shike was stunned for a few seconds, it was her first time seeing such a scene.
Since it was almost 10:00 PM, there were fewer people on the road, and the group reached the hospital without obstruction. The emergency room was crowded.
While Sun Yuexi was being examined, Wen Shike sat outside waiting. Since she didn’t have her phone, she was incredibly bored. The girl sitting next to her was holding a registration slip and looking at her phone. The audio was playing through the speakers the volume was low, but Wen Shike could still hear it.
“Hello mentors, hello Dream Initiator…”
Wen Shike couldn’t help but peek at the girl’s phone: Why does that voice sound so familiar?
“I am Wen Shike from Yinxing Entertainment.”
Wen Shike immediately turned her head back: …
Then, she heard the girl next to her give a very disdainful, cold snort.
The sound stopped. Wen Shike couldn’t help but glance again. The other party had opened the bullet comment input bar and was tapping away a line of text, not stopping for a long time. If there wasn’t a character limit, Wen Shike suspected this person would write an entire essay right there.
Wen Shike looked around. Unfortunately, there were no other seats, or she really would have found somewhere else to sit. The intro to “Radiance” played and then stopped. She glanced over…great, the girl was typing again. Perhaps typing wasn’t satisfying enough, because a few dozen seconds later, she heard the girl start recording a voice message.
“I’m watching ‘Dream Chaser.’ My god, she actually dared to choose ‘Radiance.’ What was she thinking? If she ruins my ‘Radiance,’ I’ll be an anti-fan for life.”