The “Big Miss” and the First Elimination
Wen Shike truly didn’t know what to say. Usually, her mind was sharp, but perhaps due to the long period without sleep, her brain seemed to be going on strike. She blinked and lowered the microphone.
With 87 votes for second place and 79 for third, she had won by a landslide. The gap was so large that she didn’t even suspect fraud after all, no one would fake a result to look that fake.
“Big Miss, you’re amazing!” “Let me cling to your golden thighs!”
Through the first public performance, Wen Shike earned an additional 15,000 bonus votes. By the time filming ended, she was still a bit dazed. Although these votes had little to do with the external total, she felt a slight sense of relief. At least she wouldn’t be eliminated in the first round.
“You thought you’d be a ‘one round traveler’?” Lu Jingwei asked, slightly surprised. “The program crew wouldn’t let you leave anyway.”
Wen Shike frowned. “I signed a contract when I came. If they manipulate my votes, I’ll sue them.”
However, absolute fairness rarely exists. Most of her initial stage performance was kept in the edit, while others had half their footage cut or their extra segments deleted entirely.
“Sometimes I feel quite hypocritical,” Wen Shike whispered.
Lu Jingwei laughed. “Everyone is like that. There’s no need to drill into a dead end and torture yourself.”
Wen Shike waved to the fans outside the railing calling her name. “It feels like there are many more people than before.”
“Wen Shike! Are you cold? If you’re cold, wear more clothes! It won’t look bad!”
Wen Shike: “…” The joke about her wearing too many layers was never going to die. She pointed to the sky and gestured “17” to indicate it was 17 degrees Celsius. The crowd laughed harder. She took a deep breath and turned to leave.
The “Idol Burden”
Lu Jingwei wanted to laugh but held it back for the sake of the “Big Miss’s” dignity. After spending time together, she realized Wen Shike had a heavy “idol burden.” Even when exhausted, she refused to slump or close her eyes in public. While others napped in their chairs, Wen Shike remained elegant, maintaining the noble aura of a wealthy family.
Back at the dorm, Wen Shike won a four way game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, earning the right to shower first. Afterward, she approached Sun Yuexi and whispered, “Do you have a phone?”
“You don’t?” Sun Yuexi blinked.
Wen Shike realized she was the only “idiot” who followed the rules. Growing up, she never took a phone to school because it wasn’t allowed.
“Wait a second, I brought five,” Sun Yuexi whispered, pulling one wrapped in a towel. “You can borrow this one. My Weibo alt account is already logged in.”
Surfing the Web
Wen Shike had never experienced the “joy” of hiding under blankets to look at a phone. She immediately woke up. Searching herself on Weibo, she found she had over 5 million followers. Most of the artists from her company, Yinxing Entertainment, had followed her.
She checked her “Super Topic” (fan forum). The top posts were beauty shots and voting tutorials. She also saw a viral meme of herself.
The Post: A GIF of Class B students shaking her hand and hugging her before a test for good luck.
The Trend: Fans were treating her like a lucky charm. “May the Big Miss bless me to pass my exams,” or “May the Big Miss bless me to lose 10 pounds.”
She also found a long, touching essay from a fan who admitted to having prejudices about “useless rich second generations” but changed their mind after seeing Wen Shike’s academic awards in math, physics, and English.
Reading these messages, Wen Shike fell asleep and dreamed a sweet dream.
The Ranking Ceremony
The next day, Wen Shike slept until 11:00 AM. Since it was a rest morning, she barely made it to the cafeteria for a warm meal before the filming of the first ranking began.
The atmosphere was tense. Nearly half the contestants, dropping from 100 down to 60, would be eliminated. While others were crying or praying, Wen Shike sat in the Class A section, sipping a carton of milk, looking sleepy again.
As the rankings were announced from 59th upwards, many girls who had been tutored by Wen Shike came over to hug her. She was surprised by how popular she had become.
27th Place: Sheng Ling. She hugged Wen Shike tightly, hiding a sigh of disappointment behind a smile for the cameras.
26th Place: Lu Jingwei.
Lu Jingwei seemed purely surprised. Wen Shike asked politely, “Do you want a hug?”
Remembering Wen Shike’s awkward “Can I touch you?” from before, Lu Jingwei shivered. Without a word, she leaned in and hugged Wen Shike with a bit of “vengeful” force.
“Don’t ask anymore,” Lu Jingwei whispered, patting her back before heading to the stage. Her speech was classic Lu Jingwei, long-winded but containing almost no personal information, though she did make sure to thank Wen Shike.