Chapter 114 

“What preparations have you made for the world’s first holographic stage?”

Nine hours before the live broadcast of “Over the Starry Sea,” Sheng Quan’s loyal supporter, “Riding a Little Donkey,” initiated this topic on Weibo.

Responses flooded in.

“I carefully selected and tasted various instant noodles, bought eggs and ham sausages, prepared cola, and had them chilling in the fridge. I was just waiting for ‘Over the Starry Sea’ to be the perfect mealtime companion.”

“I’ve already gathered with friends, but why wait until we’re on stage to go holographic? We both have our helmets ready.”

“What else is good for everyday holographic viewing? After all, we’ve just developed holographic technology. I heard that the holographic stage, which can synchronize the performance on at least one side, costs at least a few billion. That’s just for one stage. How much money would it take to complete the entire program?”

“Agreed. Having a holographic stage to watch is already satisfying enough!”

Riding a Little Donkey timely replied under these comments:

“Just as holographic stages are beginning, they can synchronize to the polar regions when the stage starts, allowing everyone to enjoy the ultimate experience without spending a penny. This is already amazing, and there should be room for improvement in future holographic entertainment experiences.”

His controlled comment quickly sparked a wave of laughter below:

“Haha, Little Donkey is here to control comments.”

“Hahaha, it’s clear that Little Donkey is Sheng Dong’s number one supporter.”

“Sheng’s influence is powerful!”

“In fact, Little Donkey doesn’t need to explain. We’re just chatting. Being able to enjoy holographic experiences at this age is already cool and satisfying!”

Indeed, at an age where they could still enjoy entertainment, experiencing the holographic world was a joyous and satisfying adventure. Many people, even those who weren’t interested in idol stars, were here solely for the holographic stage.

Essentially, it was all about pleasing their eyes.

Therefore, most of these people didn’t mind chasing “Over the Starry Sea” before the holographic stage officially started.

Before the official broadcast, the number of viewers who had pre-booked had already exceeded 150 million.

Certainly, there were likely repeated bookings, but even with that considered, the numbers were still astonishing.

This wasn’t the official viewing figure; it was just the pre-booking number. Among all the talent shows in Huaxia, none had received such treatment.

No, forget about Huaxia; even in a country like P, where talent shows were as common as eating and drinking, the top few shows didn’t have as many viewers for their official broadcasts.

At this moment, some foreign stage contestants who thought Huaxia was too far or weren’t very optimistic about Huaxia’s talent shows were starting to regret it.

How did they forget that, while Huaxia might have had fewer stages before, it had a large audience?

And some foreign contestants who had already participated and earned the chance to stay were now grateful for their decision to come to Huaxia.

“150 million; it’s hard to imagine so many people watching our show.”

Out of nearly 100,000 contestants, three hundred male and female contestants each remained after the selection.

These six hundred contestants were then divided into thirty buses and queued up to enter the venue.

On the bus that Tu Zhu was assigned to, there was a foreign contestant with silver hair, speaking enthusiastically in broken Huaxia to their fellow passengers.

“I’m sure there will be even more people once the official broadcast starts. The most-watched show I’ve participated in had only 70 million views. Ah, too bad they don’t let us use our phones. I really want to see the viewer count after the broadcast starts.”

This contestant, around twenty years old, wasn’t the youngest among the three hundred contestants, but he was very talkative, chatting incessantly.

After expressing his excitement and longing for the viewer count, the enthusiastic contestant excitedly touched the clothes he was wearing, provided by the program: a uniform with obvious attention to detail and a well-thought-out design.

“This outfit fits so well; it looks much better than my own clothes.”

His red-haired Huaxia teammate appeared somewhat arrogant but had a good temper towards his companion. He also acknowledged, “My size is just right. It seems they made it specifically based on our measurements.”

The red-haired teammate also felt the fabric of his sleeves, showing some unexpected surprise: “This outfit is probably expensive. Starlight is indeed impressive; even the starting clothes are well-prepared.”

Some contestants on the bus, still in a nervous state, overheard their conversation and couldn’t help but look down at the clothes they were wearing.

Only now did they realize that the details and comfort of the clothes were unexpectedly good. Even Tu Zhu, who had participated in “I Love to Fly,” where uniforms were provided for contestants, was surprised by the meticulous design of the clothes.

However, those uniforms were just for appearance, and the details were not to be scrutinized. The sizes were definitely not custom-fitted.

Custom-fitted? What a beautiful dream!

Which program budget would spend a fortune customizing clothes for so many people, especially when, at the beginning, most contestants were quickly eliminated in large numbers?

Even experienced contestants like Tu Zhu, some of whom brought needles and thread in their luggage, were prepared to sew up any loose threads or missing buttons on their own without delaying the camera. At crucial moments, they could even make minor adjustments to the details of their clothes to better fit their body shapes.

The contestant next to Tu Zhu was one such person who brought their own needle and thread. After carefully examining the visible details of their clothes, he sighed with relief and smiled, revealing a pair of pointed canine teeth, making him look even more adorable.

“This is amazing! Senior artists I know told me that we might need to alter the clothes ourselves. I didn’t expect us to be so lucky! They actually gave us such good clothes!”

After enjoying the compliment, the contestant with the pointed teeth went to introduce himself to Tu Zhu, who was sitting nearby. “Hello, I’m Tian Yuan; that’s my stage name.”

Taken aback by the sudden conversation, Tu Zhu looked at the cheerful contestant, around seventeen or eighteen years old, who was smiling with curved eyebrows, and replied slowly, “I’m Tu Zhu.”

“I know you! I watched ‘I Love to Fly,’ and your performance in it was amazing! I didn’t expect us to be in the same group. It’s so lucky!”

Overwhelmed by the unexpected praise, Tu Zhu didn’t know how to react. The last time he saw such a cheerful smile was years ago.

But Tian Yuan didn’t mind how Tu Zhu would respond. After warmly expressing himself, his attention was quickly drawn to the front:

“Ah! Is this the program? So big!”

The bus slowly entered the automatically opened gate, driving into an extraordinarily spacious “mansion.”

Tian Yuan could only describe it as a mansion because, in the Magic Capital, besides these two words, he didn’t know how to describe these beautiful and vast buildings.

Many contestants, young and old, with excellent features and body shapes, tried to get closer to the window to catch a glimpse of the outside scenery.

“We haven’t been on the road for long, have we? It hasn’t been more than three hours.”

“The program has a big budget, filming directly in the Magic Capital. Rent must be quite a sum.”

“Just this location must cost a lot. Ah, filming a show in the Magic Capital, I can brag again after I leave the group!”

The fact that the bus could travel smoothly within the program compound indicated the size of the place.

Whether male or female, with or without previous competition experience, young or old, these contestants inside the bus were all amazed as they eagerly tried to see the outside scenery.

Until the bus stopped.

They were brought to the front of the largest building on the premises.

It was so beautiful and so large that, among the six hundred people present, many had seen stages before, live concert venues, and performances.

Yet, this building looked more magnificent and splendid than the commonly used concert venues.

The large door slowly opened, and under the drone’s recording above, the six hundred contestants, with complex emotions of nervousness and excitement, entered in batches.

They thought that this surprise was enough.

Until the first contestant entered the venue, I saw the mentor seats and the guests on the stage turning around one by one.

“Ah—”

This contestant was shocked and thrilled, standing there dumbfounded.

In the live broadcast that had already started when they entered the “mansion,” the barrage suddenly exploded with a massive amount of comments.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah, Jin Jiu!”

“Red Bean, Red Bean is a mentor!!! My Red Bean!”

“Oh my God, am I blind today? I actually saw Jiang Zhen in the guest seat!! Ah ah ah ah Jiang Ge, I haven’t seen you in months, and you’re still killing me!”

“This is P Country’s Jin Ke! Ah, ah, ah, the program actually invited him!”

“Even Mei Jie, the industry’s top star! Ah ah ah ah!”

“Even Director Xu Man is here!!! Ah ah ah ah ah, Director Xu, your ‘Regretful Green’ is really good. I cried watching the whole thing, sob sob sob!”

“Is that Hua Qing? Hua Qing actually came too. What kind of lineup is this, ah ah ah?”

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, who is this? Yan Hui!”

One familiar name after another was called out, and these names might not have been known to the public a few years ago, but now they have become synonymous with popularity and hot topics.

As their fame grew, their workload naturally increased, and they wouldn’t even consider participating in talent show-style variety programs.

No one expected them to come.

But they came.

And not a single one missed it.

“My jaw is about to drop. Ahhh, is there a live ticket? I want to go live, or can we start a holographic viewing of mentors and guests now?”

The mentor and guest seats often represented the pinnacle that the talent show could achieve.

Because, basically, each mentor or guest appearing here indicated their willingness to use their own influence and resources to support the contestants they favored or believed would win.

Moreover, their presence here meant that their fans were about to flood in, and everyone could imagine the massive upcoming hype.

“Damn, I’m suddenly jealous of this group of contestants.”

“What a divine start! Ahhh, why isn’t my brother so lucky?”

“Haha, I saw that contestant on the far right getting so excited that his face is turning as red as a monkey’s butt.”

“I searched for a long time just to find the monkey’s butt. Even though he looks so handsome, he looks even better when blushing. Can we describe it as a monkey’s butt?”

“Oh my God, the resources for this season are exploding! Any resources given by any guest can reach the concept of divine intervention.”

“Wait! The middle guest seat hasn’t turned around yet. Who could it be? Who could it be?”

“Some of Starlight’s most powerful figures are here. Internationally renowned mentors are also here. There’s only one answer.”

“This is the most important position. I guess it’s right!”

“It can’t be what I’m thinking, right? Really! I’m overjoyed!”

“Ahhh, please, please let it be true!”

The six hundred contestants entered one after another. As everyone walked in and the doors closed, the bright lights illuminated the entire venue.

Suspense was at its peak. The camera swept across the faces of the excited and tense contestants one by one until it finally settled on the guest seats.

The chair in the middle of the guest seats, which had been facing away from the contestants, finally turned around.

Smiling and holding a juice glass, Mr. Sheng appeared on camera.

While the contestants had some speculation, they couldn’t be sure: “!!!!”

The audience, who had been frantically spamming the barrage, exclaimed, “Wait!”

Ahhh, it’s true! It’s true!!

“Mr. Sheng!!!”

The resources for this show! They’re skyrocketing!!