“Gu Yi’s attitude… isn’t that a little too rude?”

“Has the recent fame gone to his head?”

The preview for Battle of the Stars was full of drama bait—

In the “Tears of Farewell” group, Feng Yanbin wore a sincere expression:

“Gu Yi, I don’t think your voice blends well with the team. We need to…”

Since the show’s premiere, Feng Yanbin—seen as the big brother among contestants from his agency—had constantly mentioned his company mates and showed a caring attitude toward his teammates.

But Gu Yi’s reply?

“Sorry, I don’t think so.”

His eyes lifted ever so slightly, and in the eyes of viewers, the gesture looked downright mocking.

“What’s Gu Yi acting all arrogant for? His teammate was just giving feedback.”

“He’s popular, that’s why. Ranked sixth right now. Where’s Feng Yanbin again? In shows like this, no popularity means no voice.”

“Kind of feel bad for Feng Yanbin’s team. Gu Yi’s being too cocky.”

“Ugh, the way Feng Yanbin and Yan Qin looked—so heartbreaking. They’ve had it tough.”

Before the episode even aired, the Weibo discourse was already ablaze. Then, right before the broadcast, Feng Yanbin and Yan Qin’s agency—Chenxi Entertainment—dropped a sudden post:

【Chenxi Entertainment: “Your rankings may not be enough, but your efforts certainly are.”】

Contestants had their phones confiscated—only allowed to contact the outside world under the show’s supervision. Since the premiere, Chenxi became the first company to publicly take a stand for its own trainees.

“Heartbreaking! Feng Yanbin, your efforts are being seen!”

“Rankings don’t define you. You’re the best idols in our eyes!”

But thanks to the precedent set by Devil’s Heart, even though Gu Yi’s tone in the preview was a little sharp, many viewers decided to hold judgment.

What really irked Gu Yi’s fans, though, was Chenxi’s timing.

What was this comparison supposed to mean?

Chenxi’s official Weibo was filled with compilation edits and promos for Feng Yanbin and Chu Qin on Battle of the Stars. Meanwhile, Starshine Entertainment—Gu Yi’s agency—only made a single announcement when Gu Yi first joined the show. Since then? Not a single post.

“Gu Yi, please leave that trash agency!”

“+1 +1 +1—at this point it feels like Gu Yi is fighting all alone.”

…

Episode 3 kicked off with a similar structure: team matchups. The preview had already teased costumes and clips from the new performances. After the massive success of last week’s “Soul” and “Devil’s Heart,” anticipation was high. Could this round top the last?

Before contestants took the stage, the host announced the rules:

[After each group performance, the five group members will vote among themselves. The one with the most votes will advance to the next round.]

“Group self-voting??”

“That’s… really something.”

“This show’s producers are ruthless.”

It wasn’t just viewers who were stunned—contestants looked equally blindsided.

All week leading up to the competition, the staff hadn’t breathed a word of this rule.

At the moment the rule dropped, over in the “Tears of Farewell” group, Feng Yanbin and Yan Qin shared a look. Gu Yi, meanwhile, stood slightly apart, head down and physically separated from the others.

The cameras, of course, caught everything.

“Uhhh… I’m getting bad vibes from the ‘Tears of Farewell’ group.”

“Even the song title is cursed. ‘Tears of Farewell’? Feels like a spoiler.”

…

Regardless of what anyone thought, the livestream began a few minutes later.

First to perform: “Light Blue,” Yao Junyan’s group.

Before going onstage, Yue Miao jumped out of his own group to give Yao Junyan a big hug. Then came Ji Chi and Yi Shuo, each giving quick embraces.

When it was Gu Yi’s turn, Yao Junyan hugged him too—firmly patting him on the shoulder:

“Relax. Good luck!”

“I’m good. You go crush it,” Gu Yi replied, bumping fists with him.

Despite his weak singing skills, Yao Junyan had practiced his assigned lines in “Light Blue” endlessly, delivering them in peak form when it mattered.

“Light Blue” might not have been the strongest stage of the night—but it had the best version of Yao Junyan.

Later, Ji Chi, Yi Shuo, and Yue Miao all detoured on their way to stage just to stop by Gu Yi’s spot:

“Good luck!”

Gu Yi had seen a rehearsal of Ji Chi’s group’s “Lady Bird,” but the actual performance was far more dazzling.

“Ji Chi really goes all in,” Yue Miao said in awe. “Is there even a limit to this guy?”

Gu Yi nodded enthusiastically.

“Say something! Show me some respect,” Yue Miao laughed, looping his arm around Gu Yi’s neck. “Get up there and kill it later. Show them what you’ve got.”

Everyone had seen the episode preview. Outsiders might not know what was really going on in the “Tears of Farewell” group—but Yue Miao knew exactly.

What do they mean Gu Yi’s voice didn’t suit the song?

They just wanted to drag Gu Yi down to their level—and then beat him with experience.

“I will,” Gu Yi smiled faintly.

After “Lady Bird,” the “Tears of Farewell” team walked onto the stage to applause.

The moment Gu Yi stepped forward, the lights hit his face.

He took a deep breath—and slowly opened his eyes.

“!!!!!”

“This face… literally breathtaking.”

The stage design mirrored the song’s sorrowful tone—dreamlike and floating. All the boys were styled like princes, flowing costumes elongating their figures. The pale makeup against drifting snowflakes added to the melancholy.

“Huh…”

Orange Peel blinked in confusion.

She’d expected Gu Yi to be center. But judging from the formation, Feng Yanbin stood center stage, and Gu Yi was shoved far right—half-hidden in the shadows as soon as the lights shifted.

“Why is Feng Yanbin center?”

“Because Gu Yi’s voice doesn’t suit the song? That’s what the preview said, right?”

“But…”

Objectively speaking, among the remaining contestants, Feng Yanbin didn’t exactly rank high in the looks department. Visual appeal often drove fan votes—and true visuals usually had no trouble breaking the top twenty.

He was also the shortest in the group. If he had presence or skill, it could’ve worked. But placed dead center, the whole composition looked… off.

As center, his first line should’ve impressed.

But it didn’t.

It passed by flat and lukewarm—no strong emotion, no compelling delivery. It utterly failed to capture the heartbreak that “Tears of Farewell” was meant to evoke.

Then Gu Yi’s line came:

“In the snowy winter, in a season where no more dreams are made—”

The words exploded in the ears of the audience.

Clear as ice hanging off a rooftop.

Soft as wind soaked with tears.

Though they were singing the same song in the same group, Gu Yi had fully immersed himself in the emotion. He and Feng Yanbin were like opposite waves—rising where the other fell.

“Why isn’t Gu Yi center?”

By the time Yan Qin and Qi Ji finished their verses, the audience realized:

The soul of “Tears of Farewell” was completely missing.

Feng Yanbin’s crew delivered the song with the emotional resonance of lukewarm tap water. Just as the audience was starting to feel something during Gu Yi’s verse, they’d be abruptly yanked away to someone else’s—and the magic would break.

“Hard to even judge this.”

“Now I get why Feng Yanbin said Gu Yi’s voice didn’t fit—he meant it didn’t fit their mediocrity.”

“First time I’ve seen a chorus split up like this.”

“Didn’t the mentors give any feedback?”

“Gu Yi’s vocals have clearly improved since ‘Endless City,’ but this team gave him zero space to shine.”

After the performance, behind-the-scenes rehearsal clips rolled.

The viewers: “……”

“That center choice is ridiculous. Feng Yanbin and Yan Qin are from the same company. And Qi Ji’s basically Yan Qin’s bestie.”

“And they had the audacity to hype up Feng Yanbin while saying other members (cough Gu Yi cough) weren’t fit to be center.”

“Stupid show edit! I legit thought this was Gu Yi’s fault at first!”

“None of Gu Yi’s suggestions were accepted—not even the mentor’s! The second anyone disagreed, Feng Yanbin would suddenly harp on ‘teamwork!’”

“This is insane.”

In the last round, Feng Yanbin was just a background extra in his team. That group had strong players to keep him in check, so he came across as cheerful and generous.

But once he got power in a new team…

“Gu Yi is getting done dirty.”

“Why is he always the one getting screwed? Fight back, man!”

And then came the cherry on top: the episode’s format.

Each team had to vote internally for who performed best—only that person would automatically move on.

In the last few groups:

“Lady Bird” voted for Ji Chi.

Yi Shuo’s group voted for Yi Shuo.

Yao Junyan didn’t come in first, but his hard work earned him second-highest votes.

And “Tears of Farewell”?

Feng Yanbin got the most votes.

Gu Yi: 0.

When the camera panned to him, Gu Yi looked entirely unsurprised. He even smiled and waved to the audience.

“He probably didn’t vote for himself. Poor guy really thought he was #1, didn’t he?”

“I can’t—someone said, ‘As long as the team cooperates, we’ll win.’ WHAT?”

“I’m so mad I could scream!!!”