CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol-Chapter 301 - 294 Starting External Affairs
Xiao Du also received the link.
After reading it, his thoughts were the same as Li Ke’s.
This so-called "big gathering" is just a way to rake in money.
In reality, it’s completely useless for the small idols. If they can’t make their debut, everything will be for nothing.
Even a lower-ranked debut is a failure because the rank determines the corresponding resources.
Of course, Xiao Du and Li Ke both think alike—if someone wants to go, they wouldn’t stop them. Moreover, as a major fan, Xiao Du feels it’s his duty to organize this cheer support event.
What surprised Xiao Du immensely was that the show’s production team actually reached out to him and sent him 15 tickets, telling him they also arranged for a fan bus to deliver gifts with one dedicated slot.
The fans could send bouquets for their "favorite" as support, and could also pack gifts in boxes that the trainees could open backstage.
"Seems like the production team isn’t entirely greedy; they know how to give back a little," Xiao Du said, sipping his coffee.
"This can also be seen as giving the top 11 trainees an extra opportunity to showcase themselves," Mu Yunchu nodded in agreement.
"So, who’s going to take the spot?" Mu Yunchu asked Xiao Du, his eyes carrying an unspoken emotion.
"You go!" Xiao Du replied without hesitation.
"Me? Won’t the other major fans have opinions?" Mu Yunchu was surprised by Xiao Du’s response.
"Why should they? You’ve spent the most money and done the most work."
"Don’t you want to go?"
"Of course I do, but if I go, those people will feel unbalanced. This time, I’ll stay outside to lead the cheer. Let’s give the 15 tickets to the top 15 voters."
Xiao Du chuckled, placing his coffee cup on the table.
"Alright then, we better start preparing the gifts," Mu Yunchu smiled.
"Let’s let everyone pitch in for gifts. Whatever they bring, we’ll send."
"I think we should include some expensive gifts; there will definitely be comparisons later."
"...Alright, can’t lose face. If we’re going to play this game, let’s play it big."
Confidence shone brightly in Xiao Du’s eyes.
Beep beep!
Li Ke picked up his phone—it was a call from Shou Shou.
Ever since he learned Shou Shou sold his house to help Lv Fangxin counter hate online, Li Ke’s attitude toward him had taken a complete 180. After all, it wasn’t that Shou Shou wasn’t willing to act—it was just that he had no money.
"Brother Li, I received 12 tickets from the production team. Yes, I’ll have someone from my company deliver them. Just ask him for the tickets when the time comes."
Hearing Shou Shou’s words, Li Ke felt extremely happy. Not only could he get free tickets this time, but he could also interact closely with his idol.
Just as Li Ke was celebrating, someone sent him another link.
The production team had pulled another bizarre move. Originally, the top 11 girls were supposed to go, but now suddenly they added Wang Na.
The reason was that her fans had voted her in.
Li Ke had absolutely no fondness for Wang Na—the entire internet was saturated with her marketing content now.
Yet, since this was how the production team chose to play it, there wasn’t much to say.
Still, when it came to whether Wang Na truly had so many fans voting for her, Li Ke absolutely had his doubts.
The next day
The sunset was dreamlike; the red sun was descending.
Ye Yuwei stood before a mirror. Her face—almost comparable to a masterpiece painting—reflected back at her.
Many people say a person’s inner qualities are what truly matter, but when choices are really presented, most people still opt for looks. After taking a deep breath, she prepared to head out.
Lv Fangxin stood in front of Chen Yinghan, appearing somewhat at a loss.
"The production team is so annoying; can’t they just let all of us go?"
"Haha! This is meant as a perk for you—to help you gain fans."
"I don’t want to gain fans. If possible, I’d rather you go instead of me."
Li Shihan stood nearby, watching them with envy. The relationship between Fangxin and Xinhan wasn’t just a beautiful symbol among fans—it was admired within the training base as well.
"Zixuan, my little princess, are you ready?"
Looking at Meng Meixuan’s slightly mocking smile, Wu Zixuan couldn’t help but smirk coldly.
Slowly walking to Meng Meixuan’s side, Zixuan leaned close to her ear: "Your popularity isn’t as strong as Lv Fangxin’s, and your skills don’t surpass Ye Yuwei’s. We both know how we really got here."
Meng Meixuan’s face instantly darkened, her eyes filled with intense hatred and malice.
With a faint smile, Wu Zixuan turned and walked out.
Qiang Yueting was nervously adjusting her outfit at the moment.
Though she stated during the qualifiers that she’d face everything with courage, in reality, the thought of stepping out in front of an audience filled her with fear.
She feared someone might shout for her to get off the stage while she was singing and dancing. She feared people calling her ugly—mocking her. Her inner conflict was overwhelming; she wanted to go, yet she was terrified.
"Yueting, no need to be so nervous. No matter what, we have to face this. Chances are, we all have more haters than actual supporters," Fu Xiaoyu walked over and patted her teammate’s shoulder.
"I’ll be brave—I’m scared!" Qiang Yueting smiled gratefully.
But when it came to this friend of hers, Yueting couldn’t help but feel conflicted too.
She didn’t know who the company was ultimately betting their chances on.
Li Zimeng and Zhang Zijing were helping each other adjust their outfits—both equally nervous about the upcoming meet-and-greet. However, they managed to keep their composure.
Comparatively, Gao Ziyi and Wang Na were absolutely brimming with excitement.
They were eager and ready; for them, meeting the fans was the perfect opportunity to gain more supporters.
Among all, Wang Na was the most excited. She had been rising in fame recently, and she couldn’t wait for countless cheers to erupt for her.
Yang Ni, on the other hand, was deeply nervous.
She still hadn’t recovered from the traumatic aftermath of her previous experience. Though she seemed cheerful on the outside, deep down she remained haunted by fears and anxiety.
If today at this so-called fan meeting, everyone threw their support behind others and only hurled insults at her, what then? If someone threw something at her, what then?
When she stepped outside, Yang Ni noticed an equally worried Qiang Yueting, but she didn’t have the courage to approach her. She feared misunderstandings. Silently, she walked onto the bus and sat in the very back.
Ye Yuwei observed everyone closely—she knew each person’s thoughts.
Although she appeared outwardly confident, her biggest worry was the show’s production team banning her fans from entering the venue. Moreover, she hadn’t had any commercial endorsements or side gigs recently.
Ever since she had twice confronted the production team directly, Ye Yuwei felt the other trainees were gradually distancing themselves from her. She felt as though she was a lone wolf walking across a frozen tundra.
It seemed she had been abandoned by the entire world.
The business van started moving, and the interior was engulfed in an eerie silence. Nobody wanted to talk.
Resting their heads back, their eyes were filled with troubled thoughts.
The director filming their journey was baffled by their mood.
In her mind, these girls should be buzzing with excitement—especially after being cooped up in the base for so long. They finally had a chance to go out and meet fans.
She thought about lighting up the atmosphere but was stopped by Sun Miao, who was disguised as a regular staff member.
Sun Miao understood that forcing a lively dynamic would ruin the production team’s core philosophy: "no scripts."
She could imagine exactly what was weighing so heavily on these trainees.
Three months of grueling training and competition, constant emotional highs and lows, and the unprecedented allure of fame and fortune.
The fact that they had managed to hold onto even a semblance of their true selves was already remarkable.
