Esports world champion, debuted as the center of a talent show

The live broadcast camera was pointed directly at the main stage, and all the lights in the venue were dimmed, leaving only a spotlight shining directly on Yu Lan.

Ninety-seven trainees stood ramrod straight, their bodies tense, all their eyes fixed on Yu Lan.

The number of viewers in the live stream surged to its peak shortly after it started, with the barrage of comments so dense that the words were barely visible.

[I joined yesterday and I'm already being eliminated today, what kind of timing is this? Will Jiang Jiang get eliminated?]

[They're finally here! I've been waiting outside the live stream all morning!]

From this point on, a group of people will be eliminated after each performance. This is probably the last time they'll all be together...

[iGroupImage users are crying, please don't leave...]

What I least expected was that 36 people would be eliminated in the very first round, when there were only 97 people left!

This was the first large-scale live elimination broadcast of "Shining Project," and it was also the final battleground that determined the fate of many ordinary trainees.

After a round of performances, several days of intensive training, countless late-night rehearsals, and countless hours of meticulous stage work, all the sleepless nights and sweat shed will be converted into real rankings and eligibility for staying or leaving at this moment.

Yu Lan held the final ranking card in her hand, a professional yet composed smile on her face, her gaze sweeping over all the trainees.

"Every young person who stands on this stage has put in unseen efforts."

She spoke, her voice carrying throughout the venue through the microphone, getting straight to the point without any unnecessary sentimentality or fluff.

"Without further ado, let's begin the real-time ranking of overall popularity."

On one side of the stage, a trainee was quietly swallowing, his back tensing uncontrollably.

Yu Lan calmly raised her hand to signal the director to switch the camera: "First, let's announce the rankings of the trainees who are ranked 40th to 60th this time."

The large screen instantly displays the segmented ranking section, with no unnecessary special effects, clean and straightforward, and a row of ranking text pops up simultaneously.

The trainee ranked sixtieth is Yu Jin, whom Jiang Zhiyu mentioned in a previous interview as the visual representative, but that interview has not yet been released.

The moment Yu Jin saw his ranking, he breathed a huge sigh of relief. His back was instantly covered in cold sweat, and his legs were still a little weak when he stood up.

He bowed repeatedly to the camera, his voice visibly choked with emotion: "I thought I was leaving, but I never expected to stay and complete a second stage performance. Thank you all for voting for me. I will definitely work harder and live up to your expectations."

The rankings were released one after another, and the vote difference between those ranked 40th and below was not significant, meaning that trainees in this stage were all on the verge of elimination. Among the trainees in this range, there was joy at having passed the initial screening, and regret at their drop in ranking.

Shen Fengyu's gaze swept across the large screen, and he nervously clenched his teeth.

After the last trainee took his seat, Yu Lan smoothly continued the conversation, maintaining a perfect pace that was neither dragging on nor creating an awkward silence: "Now that the rankings from forty to sixty have been announced, we will continue to announce the rankings from twentieth to thirty-ninth."

This ranking has moved out of the elimination zone after the second or even third round, but it is still stuck in the middle, neither rising nor falling.

Jiang Zhiyu's teammates from the first performance, Liang Fang, Chen Tianyu, and Yan Yuze, were all in this ranking range and successfully advanced to the next round of performances.

Seeing that his name was still not listed, Shen Fengyu's expression grew increasingly grim. He clenched his hands, his heart filled with anxiety.

Surprisingly, Chen Yue's ranking plummeted from his debut position during the theme song evaluation to twenty-ninth place.

The moment he saw his ranking, his expression froze. He stood there for two seconds before managing a forced smile and standing up.

Chen Yue's remarks sounded somewhat reluctant, but he still maintained his composure: "There are indeed many areas where I haven't done well enough, and my stage presence is still lacking. I will work on improving my skills, and next time I will definitely strive to move forward in the rankings."

"You deserve it, you old bastard."

I still don't understand what he's thinking. At first, he had fans arguing with me, but now he's ruined his own career and is losing fans altogether.

[Too lazy to complain, moving on to the next one.]

After the 20th to 39th place were all decided, the atmosphere at the scene became even more tense.

If you can stay in the top 20, you've already got one foot in the finals preparation zone. Resources and screen time will be prioritized, doubling the prestige of your achievement.

Yu Lan paused for two seconds, deliberately slowing down her speech to heighten the audience's anticipation: "Next, we will announce the tenth to nineteenth place."

The nineteenth place was clearly written as Shen Fengyu.

"what!"

Shen Fengyu exclaimed in surprise, raising his hand to cover his mouth, his eyes brimming with delight.

It was a miracle that he rose from the elimination zone after the theme song rankings to nineteenth place. He knew in his heart that this was a miracle given to him by Jiang Zhiyu.

If he hadn't chosen Group A for "The Unopened Letter," and if Jiang Zhiyu hadn't been willing to change the center position to a rotating center for the sake of stage effect, he wouldn't have achieved the astonishing nineteenth place.

Amidst congratulations, Shen Fengyu walked through the crowd to Jiang Zhiyu's side, hugged him tightly, buried her head in his shoulder, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "Thank you, Brother Jiang."

Caught off guard by the hug, Jiang Zhiyu froze for a few seconds, his arms suspended in the air. Then, he carefully and gently patted the other's back, his voice soft: "This is the result of your own hard work."

Shen Fengyu's ranking has risen so quickly; no wonder he's riding on Jiang Zhiyu's coattails.

Stop being so sour. He's worked hard too; otherwise, no one could have saved him.

[Jiang Jiang's personal charm is amazing! How many times has this happened already!]

[I can really understand why they like Jiang Zhiyu. As a viewer, I feel that his personality is so charming it's almost blinding. It's perfectly natural for them, as insiders, to be attracted to him!]

Falling in love with Jiang Zhiyu is only natural!

The tenth-place finisher, just outside the debut positions, is a trainee named Fang Yuanwei. She secured the captain position during the first public performance based on her practice time, and her outstanding stage performance garnered her a large following of casual fans. After this part of the rankings was announced, everyone assumed the top nine would be revealed immediately.

Unexpectedly, Yu Lan changed the subject: "Before officially announcing the debut lineup, let's announce a special ranking separately—sixty-first in overall popularity."

The entire room fell silent for a moment, followed by hushed whispers.

Sixty-first place, just one spot away from elimination, was the last place among all the remaining contestants, a lucky one who barely managed to snatch back a chance.

The camera immediately and precisely cut to a corner, focusing on the slender trainee who had little presence throughout.

It's the boy who cried at the hot pot party yesterday; his name is written on the big screen: Qi Sixian.