Chapter 121 1/2

Six hundred contestants stood on a stage large enough to accommodate all of them, gazing at everything below with almost shock.

At this moment, Sheng Quan was lying in the holographic cabin, enjoying the view of the star cards lighting up across the entire venue.

Written in beautiful fonts, the names of the contestants were dazzling, shining like the eternal stars in the starry sea.

In reality, the cost of such high-quality star cards was outrageously expensive.

But in the holographic world, their selling price was only one cent.

One cent might sound like very little, but if billions of people each spent one cent, not to mention that most people wouldn’t spend just one cent,

Game items were not like material costs; these star cards, each shining brightly, could be copied in the game.

Selling star cards was like Sheng Quan’s night of joyful harvest, offering a small but absolutely delightful cake.

Of course, she wasn’t just earning money with the sale of star cards.

At this moment, the player who had spent almost two yuan buying a bunch of star cards was in the audience… although the audience seats were completely invisible at the moment. This didn’t stop him from crinkling his nose and displaying star cards with “Lanhao” hung on them.

Two long, curled tusks had a sign hanging on each side, with “Songling” on the left and “Mie Mie” on the right.

His mouth never stopped shouting:

“Lanhao, you’re the best! Charge, charge, kill them all!”

“Songling, my god!! Woo woo woo!”

“Mie Mie, don’t be afraid! We’ll support you all the way!”

He even changed his voice.

It’s like a scene straight out of a split personality drama.

The good news is that he’s not alone; there are quite a few viewers in the audience who are equally split. After all, holographic devices can be linked to three people, and it’s normal for three people to take turns going online in such a large gathering.

Although the star cards were shining throughout the venue, to be honest, at least sixty percent of the viewers enthusiastically shouting with their star cards held high were just passersby.

Human nature is to love joining in on the fun, especially for internet-surfing netizens.

Even Sheng Quan, when joyfully playing the role of a silly internet user, would often encounter such situations. Accidentally clicking into a livestream where the host was earnestly broadcasting but had no audience, she would casually send a free heart. It wasn’t necessarily an act of kindness or intentional help; it was just an effortless gesture that wouldn’t cost her energy or money yet could slightly comfort the streamer.

just doing it on a whim.

During the livestream, the contestants’ nervousness appeared in the eyes of the audience. Since the star cards were only one cent, and the atmosphere on the stage made people want to join in with their beautiful star cards, they didn’t mind buying a star card to express their support.

“Buying star cards changes the situation,” Sheng Quan said, taking a sip of cola while chatting quietly with Yu Xiangwan.

Yes, having a holographic cabin was just that extravagant. She could drink cola in the game as easily as in real life, with ice, a straw, and a slice of lemon wedged at the cup’s mouth.

She wasn’t worried that her casual chat would be heard by anyone other than Yu Xiangwan because this was a game and private one-on-one chats were possible. She could even block the cheers and shouts from the entire venue at this moment.

Of course, Sheng Quan didn’t block them; she just lowered the volume.

“Most of the audience is just here for the excitement, but the connection between people sometimes only needs a simple bond.”

Even in the game, Yu Xiangwan still looked toward Sheng Quan. He smiled gently, refilling Sheng Quan’s emptied cup with cola. With just a slight touch, the cup would instantly be filled with cola.

“And you created bonds for them.”

***

“It’s my name! They’re calling me!”

Almost trembling with excitement, the contestant named Gan Su exclaimed

He was one of the less noticeable contestants in “Across the Starry Sea.” It wasn’t because he was mediocre; honestly, contestants selected for this show, overall, were not mediocre.

It’s just that he hadn’t debuted yet, and there was no information about him before entering the program. While he looked good from every angle, compared to the extraordinary contestants in “Across the Starry Sea,” he seemed a bit lacking.

He wasn’t as eye-catching as those big-shot players in terms of skills, didn’t have unique traits, couldn’t charm people with words like Player A, wasn’t as innocent and likable as Player B, and couldn’t speak as pointedly as Player C, creating countless entertaining memes.

Even a somewhat foolish sixteen-year-old contestant was cute in his own way, making Gan Su feel the urge to help him.

“In a talent show, besides skill, what matters most is the camera sense. When your skills are on par with others, it’s time to rely on audience appeal. As long as the audience likes you and votes for you to stay, you can stay for a few more rounds.”

This was the experience taught to him by a senior contestant he knew before joining the program.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to apply it.

Gan Su found it hard to say he had any camera sense. Compared to other contestants who were either talented or had previous achievements, he had to admit that, if he were an audience member, he would also prefer others over himself.

So, before going on stage, like other contestants, he was timid, afraid of seeing a silent audience.

But at this moment, Gan Su saw many people holding up his star cards and shouting his name.

“Gan Su!”

“Gan Su! Keep going!”

“Keep going, keep going! Strive for first place!”

Gan Su almost thought he was having a hallucination.

He felt so happy that his nose was tingling.

“They’re my fans! I have fans!”

This usually quiet young man showed such intense emotional fluctuations for the first time. He was almost dancing with joy, sharing his happiness with his companions.

The stage hadn’t officially started yet, but the holographic structure was enough to present all the contestants to the audience.

An audience member holding a “Gan Su” star card was shouting with the crowd. In fact, she hadn’t watched many livestreams. Some people liked daily routines, and some liked big scenes. She belonged to the latter.

The reason she brought the “Gan Su” star card was simply that she liked the design and the bright shine. Besides, with one cent clearly being an official gift, as someone who spent a few hundred yuan, she wouldn’t miss such a good opportunity.

Under the nickname “Laozi Shu Dao Shan,” she shouted a few times, wondering why it hadn’t started yet. Then she saw the young man on stage waving excitedly in her direction.

“Laozi Shu Dao Shan” was a bit slow to react.

Upon closer inspection… Oh! The contestant named Gan Su was really looking at her and interacting with her.

He was so enthusiastic, as if afraid that the people supporting him below wouldn’t see him. After waving for a while, he even went to bow to express his gratitude. The smile on his face was pure joy.

Before this, “Laozi Shu Dao Shan” didn’t have any impression of Gan Su. Shouting Gan Su’s name was just because she saw others doing it and she wanted to join in.

But at this moment, watching the dazzling stage and the contestant on her star card looking at her with eyes that were unbelieving and filled with pleasant surprise—

—Laozi Shu Dao Shan felt a strange sense of tenderness in her heart.

This feeling prompted her to raise her hands, which had fallen before, high again, and the shining star card flickered.

“Gan Su! You’re the best!”

At this moment, she admitted that Gan Su, the contestant she randomly chose, seemed really good.

Well, okay, let’s follow along a bit.

Many viewers shared a similar emotional journey with “Laozi Shu Dao Shan.”