This program is called Star-Making Training Camp. It is a boy-group youth growth show jointly launched by Blueberry TV and iQIYI Video.
The program has gathered 101 contestants. Through missions, training, and assessments, the contestants grow continuously under the guidance of celebrity mentors. Through successive public performance stages and competitions, six contestants will ultimately be selected to form a brand-new idol group and debut.
And Jiang Chenxing is one of these 101 contestants.
Before the auditions officially began, the program’s initiator and also its host, top domestic entertainment idol Xu Hao, first gave a brief introduction to the four mentors present.
Actually, there was no real need for introductions; they were all familiar faces in the entertainment industry.
Zhai Xiaochen, a top-tier idol. At fifteen, he went alone to Country H to become a trainee; at seventeen, he debuted as center. In just one year, he exploded across Asia. At twenty-three, he returned to China, landing luxury brand endorsements one after another. Recently, he became hugely popular due to a xianxia drama, successfully transforming his image and leaping into the ranks of powerful idols who possess both acting ability and traffic.
His momentum was fierce.
Compared to him, the remaining three had much weaker fan bases,
Yan Xicun: a powerhouse singer from the Hong Kong region. He just turned thirty this year, handsome and refined, a true gentleman. He has a good reputation in the mainland, but his popularity is average.
Su Mo: 28 years old, a pop singer. Their looks fall into the cool, aloof, elegant type, and they are also a powerhouse. Known for their highly versatile vocal style, they are hailed as “the number one god in the guofeng circle.” Young, yet already holding an impressive status.
Hang Yuewei: 21 years old, long hair, a hot figure. They returned to China to develop not long ago. Because of their sweet looks, fair skin, and long legs, they were called “Real-Life Barbie.”
These four, together with initiator Xu Hao, standing together were a bona fide traffic-harvesting machine.
There was no need to worry about ratings or attention.
Even Han Heng said, “This season of Star-Making really went all out.”
However, there was another layer of concern he didn’t voice…
When something deviates from the norm, there must be a reason. Blueberry TV and iQIYI Video suddenly raising the configuration this high meant one of two things: either they wanted to rake in money, or they wanted to promote someone.
If it was the former, that was fine, businessmen pursue profit, and wanting to earn more was understandable.
What was scary was the latter…
If they intended to use this program to promote their own newcomers, then the other contestants would inevitably become cannon fodder.
Soon, the contestants took the stage, and the performances began.
The four mentors would assign classes on the spot based on each contestant’s performance. From high to low, there were four classes: A, B, C, and F.
Of the first seven to go on stage, only one received a B; all the rest were C.
Under such circumstances, everyone’s expectations for the first A were raised even higher.
Han Ke said, “Which number is Chenxing going on? There are a hundred people here, after everyone finishes performing, who knows what year or month it’ll be…”
Han Heng’s mouth twitched. “Don’t you know what editing is?”
Some performances that weren’t outstanding enough, or were simply painful to watch, had long been cut cleanly in post-production.
“Don’t worry. The production team won’t be stupid enough to let the audience watch all one hundred performances.”
“Tsk… then according to you, Chenxing won’t get cut out too, right?”
Uh!
That really was hard to say, but…
“Our Chenxing is, at the very least, a traffic internet celebrity, the pillar of the mukbang world. Add to that his looks, figure, and temperament, so long as the production team isn’t blind, they won’t miss this topic. So they’ll give him screen time, more or less.”
“Besides, isn’t there me? If they dare not give our Chenxing screen time, I’ll go to Blueberry TV tomorrow and find the person in charge of the program.”
Han Ke glanced at him and snorted lightly. “Suddenly realized you’re somewhat useful…”
Han Heng: “?” The h*ll?
Finally, at the tenth minute after the program started, the first A-class member was born.
It was a boy with a baby face, tall, long-legged, who relied on an original rap to make all four mentors’ eyes light up.
Next came the second A, the third A…
The old master was nearly frantic. “It’s already been forty minutes, why hasn’t Chenxing appeared yet?”
Han Shen said, “And when the camera cuts to the contestants below the stage, it hasn’t swept past him either. What’s going on, Old Three?”
Han Heng’s expression was no longer as relaxed as before.
Insiders all knew that whether it was a program or a film or television work, there was no such thing as a random shot.
Who got shots, how many, and how long, these were all matters of calculation.
For example, the faces the camera frequently swept over were those contestants who already had some popularity, as well as singing-and-dancing idols who had already debuted. Because they weren’t popular enough, they came here to accumulate popularity, hoping to soar to the top and become top-tier stars.
Usually, such contestants had backing; the companies they belonged to mostly had good relationships with the organizers and investors.
They might even be the very artists that the organizers and investors wanted to promote.
“Hey, ” Han Ke suddenly pressed pause. The video froze. “Look, isn’t that Chenxing in the upper right corner?”
“It’s a bit blurry… but judging by the outline, it should be right!”
“Why did this kid sit in the corner?” Han Heng frowned. “No wonder they didn’t give him screen time…”
Jiang Fuyue wasn’t surprised. “He’s shy by nature.”
Although over the past two years, under her intentional cultivation and training, Jiang Chenxing was no longer as timid as before, personality wasn’t something that could be changed overnight. He had already grown accustomed to being reserved and low-key.
Even after becoming wildly popular through livestreams and turning into a top-tier internet celebrity, he had never shown any arrogant airs.
Jiang Fuyue actually felt this was quite good. Being low-key didn’t mean lacking aggressiveness, and being reserved didn’t mean being easy to bully.
If someone was dazzling from the very start, then later, even dimming just a little would greatly disappoint others.
But if someone was inconspicuous at the beginning and then gradually began to shine, wouldn’t that bring even greater surprise and anticipation?
Another twenty minutes passed. Suddenly, the old master straightened his back, his eyes lighting up. “It’s Chenxing!”
The whole family instantly held their breath and looked toward the screen.
Compared to the elaborate outfits of the other contestants, Jiang Chenxing wore a yellow pullover, paired with beige casual pants, a pair of skate shoes on his feet, and a baseball cap on his head.
The yellow top alone was eye-catching enough, but his excellent body proportions were even more attention-grabbing than the clothes.
Tall, elegant, with a kind of youthful aura rarely seen in the industry.
Especially in the past year, he had grown quite a bit taller. He had now surpassed Jiang Fuyue. His long legs were straight, shoulders slim, skin very fair. When a pair of peach-blossom eyes looked toward the camera, they were clear and innocent, evoking images of boundless ice and snow, pure and untainted, brimming with spirit.
Han Ke looked at the boy on the screen and gestured with his hand. “Just one month, why does it feel like Chenxing has shot up another big stretch?”
Han Qishan said, “As the saying goes, a half-grown boy eats his old man poor. Our Chenxing is in a growth spurt. Weren’t you the same back then? Shoes had to be changed every half month.”
Han Ke said, “Really? Why don’t I remember?”
The old master shot him a look of disdain. “The older you get, the stupider you become…”
Han Ke: “……”
Han Heng looked at the young and handsome little nephew on the screen and suddenly felt a trace of late-life melancholy. “The brat’s quite photogenic…”
Han Shen shot him a glare. “Speak properly. Calling him ‘brat’ every other word, don’t shout nonsense.”
“It’s not that… Big Brother, you’re being way too double-standard. What about when you call Ah Ting ‘brat’?”
Han Shen said, “Ah Ting is fine. Chenxing isn’t.”
Han Heng: “……” You really are a biological father!
At this moment, in the program.
Yan Xicun spoke first, letting out a wow. “Very handsome young man. Not bad.”
Jiang Chenxing pressed his lips slightly, picked up the microphone, and bowed sincerely toward him. “Thank you, teacher.”
Su Mo said, “Your vocal conditions are also quite good.”
As soon as she spoke, the venue fell into several seconds of dead silence.
You have to know, among the dozens of contestants who had already performed, there were quite a few promising talents who had been placed into Class A, yet not once had this aloof, fairy-like mentor praised anyone, not even with a single word.
As the program initiator and host, Xu Hao had repeatedly tried to pass the conversation to her, or directly called on her to comment on the contestants.
The result was that throughout the entire time, the woman wore an iceberg-like expression. When she did give evaluations, they were extremely harsh, almost entirely fault-finding, scaring the contestants so badly they hardly dared to breathe.
Yet one had to admit that the problems she pointed out did indeed exist.
But no one ever imagined that Su Mo would actually praise someone?!
And it was praise about vocal quality, her professional field, the domain of a top vocal!
At this moment, the camera swept across the contestants below the stage, capturing everyone’s reactions clearly.
Eyes widened, mouths agape, and some people froze mid-motion with their hands still halfway to their chests.
As the camera pulled back, the seating area looked like a flock of stunned chickens.
“My god! Teacher Su Mo actually praised someone? Is there something wrong with my ears?”
“Then my ears must be broken too.”
“Which agency is this trainee from?”
“Seems like it’s called… Xingyue Talent Agency.”
“Huh? Is there such an agency? Why have I never heard of it…”
“I haven’t heard of it either.”
“Feels like he’s going to be amazing.”
“If Teacher Su Mo says he’s good, then he definitely won’t be bad.”
“Don’t be so sure, whether he’s a mule or a horse, you’ve got to take him out for a run to know.”
“If his voice is good, he’s probably a vocal role.”
“But I feel like his body would look even better dancing.”
“Uh… actually, being a rapper wouldn’t be bad either.”
“…”
The contestants below the stage whispered among themselves, while on stage, Zhai Xiaochen glanced at Jiang Chenxing and couldn’t help nodding. “His visual conditions are indeed excellent.”
Hang Yuewei propped her chin up and smoothly followed up, “It’s just hard to say what his actual skill level is. Come on, please begin your performance.”
Having been praised by several people in a row, Jiang Chenxing felt a little uncomfortable. Hearing this, he gently let out a breath. “Okay.”
Then he took a deep breath and turned his back to the audience. The stage lights dimmed accordingly.
After preparing himself, he nodded to the music teacher beside him.
Boom!
The heavy bass struck first, and the stage lights flared on.
Jiang Chenxing, who had been facing away, suddenly raised both hands, while his forearms drooped down like a dummy doll, mechanically twitching twice. The music accompaniment cooperated, producing creaking, squeaking sounds.
Then he spun around swiftly, stopping with extreme stability, and began moving in sync, hands and feet together, like a marionette pulled by strings.
Just these few seemingly simple movements made the contestants below the stage suck in sharp breaths.
“He’s not singing, he’s dancing?!”
“And it’s Popping!”
POPPING, also known as mechanical dance, is a type of street dance.
By controlling the muscles of different parts of the body, relaxing and tightening them, it creates “vibrations/hits,” using body movement and footwork to express musical rhythm.
It often incorporates a large number of different styles and techniques such as Robot, Wave, and Slide.
“His freezes are so stable, there’s already that Mannequin flavor.”
Mannequin originally means a “display dummy model,” but here it refers to a style.
On stage, Jiang Chenxing suddenly stopped with a Tick, then moved only specific parts of his body, as if controlled by a computer program, his movements stiff and standardized, like a cold machine in operation.
Then with a Collapse, he deflated like a punctured tire, or like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The lights cooperated, dimming all the way to pitch black.
After three seconds of silence, the next musical climax hit. The stage suddenly lit up, and the tall, slender figure of the youth stood with his back turned, once again becoming the way he was at the beginning.
Immediately after, an invisible force passed through his entire body, starting from the head, through the palms and arms, then the whole body, finally stopping at the feet.
The audience below had already gone crazy:
“Wow! This is the most standard Waving I’ve ever seen!” an already Class-A trainee couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Absolutely insane, when he’s still, he’s a youth; when he moves, he’s a demon king!” Another person from the same group, also in Class A, nodded.
“His timing is precise, the cool vibe is maxed out, and his body coordination is insanely high. I’m jealous.”
“Oh no, oh no, I feel like my spot as the strongest dance lead is about to be stolen.”
“Pfft, tone it down, the cameras are filming. Don’t let your brainless confidence and bragging get exposed to the whole nation.”
“Tch! Mind your own business!”
“You’re already in Class F and still talking about strongest dance lead… wake up, will you?”
These two were from the same agency and had been given the “bickering frenemies” script. Whether it was genuine or acted, they successfully drew the camera’s attention.
At the same time, their indirect praise and affirmation of Jiang Chenxing was inevitably conveyed to the audience.
This worked far better than direct compliments.
In the end, Jiang Chenxing finished with a forty-five-degree tilted hat-removal move, then bowed and exited. The entire venue fell silent.
The mentors’ seats seemed momentarily frozen, while the other trainees below the stage remained in shock, unable to react for a long while.
A forty-five-degree tilt… that was a classic move of the legendary King of Dance, MJ. And classic things are the hardest to imitate, let alone surpass, yet he really dared to do it!
At that moment, Jiang Chenxing stood on stage, blinking in confusion as he looked at the suddenly quiet crowd.
Then…
Thunderous applause! Cheers erupted!
“Holy cr*p, thought MJ had come back to life. He danced with so much style!”
“Anyone can practice the moves, but not everyone has that feeling.”
“His body is perfect for Popping, lean, long, and flexible.”
“Wait, don’t you guys think he looks kind of familiar? Like we’ve seen him somewhere before…”
“No way? With that kind of figure, if you’d seen him before, you’d definitely remember.”
“But just looking at his face, he really does look familiar!”
“…”
In the end, relying on that stunning dance, Jiang Chenxing successfully secured a ticket into Class A.
Although there were still standout performers among the contestants who came on afterward, with such a dazzling performance before them, none could surpass Jiang Chenxing.
When the 101st contestant finished performing and the class assignments were finalized, the first episode came to an end.
But this was only the beginning. The upcoming explosion of public opinion was the key stage for the contestants to accumulate popularity.
Very quickly, the trending searches exploded,
#Star-Making Camp#
#Jiang Chenxing#
【Oh my god! It’s our baby!】
【Chenxing went to Star-Making Camp?!】
【Heavens! Why wasn’t there any news at all? As a universe-invincible, strongest mom-fan, my precious son went to a talent show and I didn’t even know!】
【Baby seems to have grown taller again!】
【Wuwu… is the treasure boy I stan finally going to be known by everyone?】
【Little brother, fly bravely, big sister will always follow!】
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