This director lacks vision.

Chapter 337 Facts speak louder than words
Rewind two hours, to the backstage lounge of the venue.

Jiang Yifeng helped Meng Ziyi wash her face.

Meng Ziyi said coquettishly, "Cousin, you're so naughty! You deliberately got it all over my face and clothes. How am I supposed to go out like this!"

Jiang Yifeng shrugged and said with a smile, "This isn't my fault, you insisted on it."

Meng Ziyi and Jiang Yifeng met at the finale of the first season of Produce 101.

Now that the second season finale is being held in the same venue, she really wants to commemorate it there.

Jiang Yifeng readily agreed and secretly tried it out.

Meng Ziyi carefully tidied himself up with a damp towel before quietly leaving the lounge and heading to the VIP area on the left front of the venue.

Chen Yao was sitting in the VIP area feeling uneasy, because she was surrounded by Tian Qianwei, Gao Yuanyuan, Jiang Peiyao, and others.

She wasn't familiar with these celebrities and didn't dare to strike up conversations with them randomly.

Seeing Meng Ziyi return, Chen Yao breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Why did it take you so long to go to the bathroom?"

Meng Ziyi rubbed his stomach and said with a smile, "It's probably because the air conditioning was too low, I have a bit of an upset stomach."

Meng Ziyi and Chen Yao were both students in the 2013 class of Beijing Film Academy. They met during the entrance exams and exchanged contact information.

Yesterday was the first day of school at Beijing Film Academy, and the two were assigned to the same dormitory again, bringing them even closer.

In order to improve his relationship with his classmates and also to show off a little, Meng Ziyi invited Chen Yao to watch the finale of Produce 101.

Actually, this ticket belongs to Jing Tian.

Jing Tian was filming Pacific Rim Season 4, and she didn't want to watch that show-off, so she didn't come.

Having an extra ticket would be a waste if it wasn't used, so Meng Ziyi brought Chen Yao over.

Chen Yao looked at Meng Ziyi, whose face was rosy, sniffed the air, and asked, "Why do you have a strange smell?"

Meng Ziyi nervously fiddled with his hair, trying to cover it up, saying, "I probably stayed in the bathroom for a bit too long."

Hearing this explanation, Chen Yao didn't think much of it.

She doesn't have that kind of wild imagination.

Instead, Gao Yuanyuan gave Meng Ziyi a meaningful look.

With Meng Ziyi's introduction, Chen Yao greeted Gao Yuanyuan and the others, and they got to know each other.

Jiang Peiyao was also from Beijing Film Academy. They were classmates and about the same age, so they got to know each other quickly.

However, Chen Yao didn't say much after the show started.

She was captivated by the show's effects and the atmosphere of the competition, completely immersed in it, and shouted along with the audience.

When Chen Yao saw that Chen Duling had given up on debuting, leaving only one debut spot, she became extremely nervous.

She couldn't help but grasp Meng Ziyi's hand.

Feeling Chen Yao's strength, Meng Ziyi looked surprised and asked, "Are you so nervous? Who are you supporting?"

Chen Yao cleared his throat and said, "I support Bai Mengyan!"

"I thought you supported Zhou Ye. You look a bit like her, both of you have a rather aloof vibe."

“I like humorous people. Bai Mengyan is very funny. I voted for her before.”

Currently, Bai Mengyan has the most supporters, and among the remaining contestants, she also has the highest number of popularity votes.

However, the finals depend entirely on the individual performance of the players.

Aside from orchestrating Chen Duling's persona to win over the audience's votes, Jiang Yifeng did not cause any other disruptions.

The production team simply sets the rules and then lets the contestants perform.

Bai Mengyan is indeed good at being funny, but her singing and dancing skills are lacking, and she is relatively old, so her potential score is relatively low.

She ultimately lost to Zhou Ye and was unfortunately eliminated.

Seeing Bai Mengyan trying to force a smile while crying, many fans at the scene were moved to tears.

Chen Yao also burst into tears.

But few people questioned the result.

On the one hand, Jiang Yifeng and Fengxing Media have a very good reputation, and on the other hand, tonight's final was indeed very fair and the competition was very exciting.

Zhou Ye's performance was also very good, and there shouldn't be any problem with her debuting.

After the final round of competition, the members of the second generation of the 101 girl group were determined.

There are a total of 7 people: Yang Chaoyue, Cheng Xiao, Wang Churen, Zhou Ye, Zhou Jieqiong, Zhang Ruonan, and Hanikezi.

Because Chen Duling, who received the most votes, gave up her debut qualification, Yang Chaoyue, who received the second most votes, took her place and became the center of the second season of Produce 101.

Wang Sicong was very excited and satisfied with the result.

After all, Yang Chaoyue was a player promoted by Panda TV.

Her ability to reach the finals and debut as the center was a huge surprise and unexpected moment for Wang Sicong, and it also brought a lot of exposure to Panda TV.

Wang Sicong not only posted several Weibo posts praising Yang Chaoyue and the Produce 101 program, but also sent a text message to Jiang Yifeng to thank Uncle Jiang for his support.

In Wang Sicong's opinion, Yang Chaoyue was able to win the championship because Jiang Yifeng gave him face.

He recommended four contestants; Bae Joo-hyun joined Crown Girls and Yang Chaoyue debuted as the center.

This cannot be explained by fairness or luck; it can only be attributed to Uncle Jiang's care for him.

Thinking of this, Xiao Wang felt a warmth in his heart.

Jiang Yifeng had no idea what Xiao Wang was thinking; he hadn't even seen the text message.

After the final debut lineup was announced, as is customary, Jiang Yifeng went on stage to perform. In the first season, Jiang Yifeng sang "Wake" with the Crown group, which became the debut song for the first generation of the 101 girl group.

In the second season, Jiang Yifeng performed with the first generation of the 101 group, and this song will also be one of the debut songs of the second generation group.

Everyone thought Jiang Yifeng would still perform a dynamic and upbeat song.

Unexpectedly, he sang a sentimental ballad called "Stay With Me".

This English song won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, swept numerous mainstream European and American music awards, and is also a slow rock song that Jiang Yifeng himself really likes.

Jiang Yifeng changed some of the lyrics and performed them on the 101 final stage, and the effect was unexpectedly good.

Singing "Stay With Me" at this time is not only a way to remember and bid farewell to the first generation of the 101 girl group, but also a way to comfort and encourage those who failed, and a way to give back to the fans for their support.

Jiang Yifeng's modifications transformed the song into one that expresses aspirations for pursuing dreams and gratitude for fans' support.

Oh, won't you stay with me?

'Cause you're all I need'
This isn't love; it's clear to see.

But darling, stay with me.

As Jiang Yifeng sang, the big screen showed images of contestants being eliminated and fans supporting their girl group idols.

This instantly elevated the significance of the entire finals.

All the audience members raised their glow sticks and swayed rhythmically to Jiang Yifeng's singing.

The venue was transformed into a sea of ​​fluorescent light, creating a very romantic atmosphere.

The chorus of the song "Stay With Me" is very simple; everyone can hum along after just one listen.

When Jiang Yifeng sang it for the second time, many audience members started singing along.

As soon as Jiang Yifeng took the stage, he turned the finals into a concert, creating a lively and harmonious atmosphere.

The viewers in the live stream were all spamming "Stay With Me".

This ability to control the situation is unparalleled.

After the performance, the seven girls who debuted tonight took to the stage again, where Jiang Yifeng presented them with an award, officially announcing the formation of the second generation of Produce 101.

Finally, the entire audience sang "Stay With Me" together again.

Jiang Yifeng called Chen Duling, Bai Mengyan, and others onto the stage.

The second season of Produce 101 came to a close with the song "Stay With Me".

This final match set numerous records.

The peak number of concurrent viewers in the live stream reached 677 million, setting a new Guinness World Record.
Chen Duling received a total of 1384 million votes in the final (each viewer can cast a maximum of 10 votes), which is also an astonishing number.

Throughout the live stream, viewers sent a total of 31 bullet comments, setting a new record.

After the finals, the discussion surrounding the topic exploded, and Fengxing Media also cooperated in the publicity and marketing.

The songs "Puppet Show" and "Stay With Me" quickly topped the charts on major music platforms.

Video clips related to the competition have spread across the entire internet, with each clip garnering a significant number of views.

Jiang Yifeng originally thought that the video of Chen Duling announcing her decision to give up her chance to debut would be the one with the highest number of views.

However, netizens still focus on those with high popularity.

Among the clips related to the finals, the most viewed video was Jiang Yifeng's performance of Stay With Me. This video even garnered over ten million views on YouTube in just one day.

Jiang Yifeng performed the song so well, and the audience was very cooperative, making for a truly beautiful performance.

Some foreigners even went to learn about the show "Produce 101" because of the amazing live performance of this English song.

The second most viewed video clip was the silk-pulling performance by the first generation of the 101 group.

This performance was a blend of traditional and modern styles, and it also marked the gradual departure of a generation of troupes from the stage. Many audience members were moved to tears after watching it.

Following these two video clips are the segments featuring Chen Duling and Yang Chaoyue.

The finale of Produce 101 not only attracted a large number of viewers and generated a lot of buzz, but also received excellent reviews.

Whether it was Chen Duling's statement that she didn't want to be a celebrity but a scientist, or the various competition scenes in the finals, or the various wonderful stage performances, all of them won everyone's praise.

The second season of Produce 101 was quite controversial at first, but after the finale, the controversy subsided a lot, and the show's ratings soared.

Seeing the broadcast results of the Produce 101 finale, even Hunan TV next door is envious.

This year they put on Super Boy 2013, with Hai Qing singing "You Are My God" and Chen Kun throwing headphones at Xie Tingfeng on stage, desperately trying to create buzz, but it still didn't get much attention.

Influenced by Fengxing Media, there have been many group talent shows in recent years.

Master Hua Chenyu participated in the "Youthful Heroes" competition co-organized by Dragon TV and iQiyi in 2011, thus debuting ahead of schedule.

The Super Boy competition has lost another "tiger general," and its popularity and buzz have been completely overshadowed by Produce 101.

Besides the program content, the stage design for the 101 finale also attracted considerable attention, especially the 3D image of the seven girls in mid-air.

This is the first time AR technology has been used in China, and many viewers found it novel and gave it positive reviews.

Some members of the Spring Festival Gala production team initially had reservations about Jiang Yifeng's decision to use AR technology, given its high cost and significant risks.

After watching the finale of Produce 101, the dissenting voices diminished considerably.

Everyone has seen the effects of AR visual enhancement technology; facts speak louder than words.

This is also the effect Jiang Yifeng wanted: to first show off his skills on the final stage of Produce 101 and demonstrate the advantages of AR technology.

The Spring Festival Gala production team reached a consensus to implement the AR visual effects solution as soon as possible, and began to work and prepare in this direction.

(End of this chapter)