CH 68

Chapter 68: Public Voting

The short vacation quickly passed, and before the contestants returned to the show, the official announcement of the selected participants for the top 44 in "pick eleven" would be made by the program team. Only the top 26 contestants would have the opportunity to compete for the final eleven spots in the debut night.

Similar to the previous two public performances, the deadline for public voting was set on the last day of the break. This was to allow fans from all fandoms enough time to make their final contributions for their idols. Whether they would advance or be eliminated, it all depended on the performance of the fans during these few days of the break.

"Come on, Little Sister! The Crystal Throne is waiting for everyone!"

"Hold on, Daidai! Secure your first place and enter the finals!"

"Ah! I'm so excited! It's the debut night, and I really want to see Daidai leading in the vote count!"

In addition to determining the finalists, the voting results would also decide the most popular contestant who would receive the opportunity to perform on a separate stage sponsored by Beidao. This additional performance would serve as the opening act for the debut night and was bound to attract a lot of attention. As a result, once the news was released, it immediately drew the interest of many people.

The organizers deliberately extended the voting deadline to prolong the competition, engaging fans from various fandoms in a tug-of-war. Some people showed their support and cast votes for their idols every day on social media, stirring up a lot of discussion. Even though the finals had not yet begun, the popularity of "Pick eleven" had already reached unprecedented heights.

At the same time, during the intense voting competition among fandoms, the smaller agencies also secretly joined in. After all, a few days allowed the various management companies to employ various tactics and strategies, which was more effective than just a few hours of voting time.

In terms of agency management, the shortcomings of Coco's small company gradually became apparent. Although Qiao Dai's vote count had skyrocketed and left others far behind at the end of the public performances, as the contestants entered the break, trainees from other economic companies quickly caught up. In just a few days, the vote counts of the top contestants became deadlocked, while Qiao Dai's ranking fluctuated. Although she consistently remained in the top positions, it still worried her fans.

In addition to Qiao Dai, the other Coco participants faced the same issue. Although their vote counts should have been sufficient for advancement, their rankings remained uncertain. Especially for Lan Zhen, who was also a popular contestant on the show, her ranking dropped to the seventh or eighth position, much to the dismay of her fans.

"What's happening with Coco? They had such a good momentum this year, and they were doing a good job managing the Little Sisters. How did they fall behind so quickly?!"

"What's wrong with Coco? Do we really need to talk about the difference between being in the center and a regular debut? What is your company thinking? Don't they have the money to secure Daidai’s ranking?"

"Everyone, let's calm down. There's no need to attack the sisters' company. Coco has been trying their best to secure resources for them! We're a small company, and it's not easy for us to come this far. Let's all stay calm."

The fans saw the situation clearly and were anxious at heart.

Just by looking at the vote counts of the other contestants, they understood that there were economic companies behind them, putting in efforts. The program team extended the voting time to give these companies a chance to boost the show's ratings. This was understandable, but for Coco, a relatively new company in the industry, they were certainly at a disadvantage compared to entertainment companies with significant capital backing.

Although Qiao Dai's talent was evident to all,the companies with big capital wouldn't simply back down and give the first place crown to a deserving contestant. Each company used various methods to boost the popularity of their trainees, showing a strong determination to win the championship.

Even so, fans were also working hard to rally support for Qiao Dai. Some joined forces, determined to secure her first-place position and give her the opportunity to perform on a separate stage.

"Is there something wrong with the increase in Qiao Dai's vote count?"

Although fans were criticizing Coco's efforts, Ling Na and her team had been closely monitoring Qiao Dai's vote count since the start of the voting.

Coco was confident that there was something happening because the competing companies were well-known industry giants. Coco firmly believed that their data had been manipulated. However, after analyzing the data, Ling Na discovered a certain degree of lag in Qiao Dai's vote count. In other words, Qiao Dai's votes were being suppressed.

"Has the program team gone mad? Qiao Dai is the show's popular representative. It's one thing for the program team to help create buzz, but why suppress her votes?"

The new assistant was shocked. She was a dedicated fan of Qiao Dai and couldn't believe that the program team was intentionally suppressing Qiao Dai's vote count. She angrily exclaimed, "Qiao Dai is a top-tier idol! How can a show suppress the popularity of its own top idol? What are they thinking?"

The assistant couldn't understand the program team's actions. Even if the group debuted, it would be the center member who could truly handle the spotlight. So why would any group limit their popular top members and suppress their popularity to support others? What exactly were they trying to do?

However, Ling Na shook her head. Though her expression wasn't entirely happy, she didn't seem overly worried. She replied with some helplessness, "No, the program team isn't crazy. They have their reasons."

Upon hearing Ling Na's words, the assistant furrowed her brows and instinctively asked, "Ling Jie, what does that mean?"

Ling Na looked at the new assistant, as if she were teaching her something, and gestured for her to go and look at the abnormal data they had discovered. She explained, "Do you see it now? This is a regular vote suppression. The program team is averaging Qiao Dai's vote count, allowing our votes to slowly rise. But as soon as someone overtakes her, the program team suppresses Qiao Dai's votes again in the next period. However, they won't let Qiao Dai's vote count soar far ahead, as some companies would back down in that case. Instead, they just let Qiao Dai's votes increase slowly, making it seem less remarkable, triggering a sense of competition among the other contestants. This way, the program team can sit back and enjoy the benefits, as each company and their fans contribute to the show's popularity."

The assistant listened to Ling Na's words, taking a while to process it all, stunned by what she heard.

In other words, these companies representing the contestants were just being manipulated by the organizers!

The organizers wanted to see fierce competition among the top contestants, as it would yield the highest attention and profits. They didn't want Qiao Dai's votes to skyrocket, as some companies would back off. Instead, they wanted to create a slow increase in her votes, making it look less extraordinary, which would ignite a sense of rivalry among the contestants. The program team would then reap the benefits by watching companies and fans contribute to the show's popularity.

Ling Na felt some anger, but she was also helpless. These were the commonly used tactics in the industry. Even if their companies noticed, what could they do? They had no choice but to compete according to the organizers' wishes, without expecting anyone to join forces and stop the excessive competition.

However, the organizers hadn't gone to the extent of forcefully promoting or suppressing any particular contestant. They only made the contestants who were already in the top positions invest more time and money. There was no plan to change the order of the contestants. Despite the frustration, most people were already convinced that Qiao Dai would still be the champion in terms of popularity.

"The program team is really unscrupulous."

"Fortunately, we have Daidai, who deserves to win and can prove herself with her talent."

"I understand that the program team needs attention, but do they have to hurt the contestants and fans like this? It's heartbreaking considering their talent."

Even the less observant fans noticed the program team's manipulations during the voting support. They held back their urge to complain, but suddenly, someone excitedly ran over and asked everyone to check the contestants' Weibo accounts.

They saw that many contestants had posted a photo on their Weibo accounts. It was a picture of Qiao Dai surrounded by everyone, celebrating and playing around. Although it appeared to be an ordinary daily photo, attentive fans quickly found the highlight in the comments left by the contestants.

"Song Yiqi: Celebrating for our little Daidai~"

【Luan Zhen: Isn't it a bit early?】

【Lu Ying: Huh? I thought you all knew [shocked]】

【Lin Xiaoxiao: Shh, let's keep it a secret】

【Shi Qing: Let's talk offline】

As the contestants bantered with each other, fans also noticed that the fiercely competitive voting data was gradually slowing down. Even the top-ranked contestants boldly predicted their rankings on their social media accounts. Fans were initially taken aback but soon became excited.

Qiao Dai posted a Weibo thanking her fans and wishing them a good night's sleep. She attached a cute expression pack made by a fan to help them have sweet dreams. This instantly melted the hearts of fans who were frustrated with the program team. In the comments, they bid each other goodnight, creating a peaceful and beautiful atmosphere.

"Daidai is so sweet."

"I declare that I am now a Pick Eleven’s fan. The friendship among the girls is so beautiful!"

"Wow! This is the first time I've seen a girl group making a pact to vote for each other. What a beautiful friendship!"

Not only did the fans not expect the top-ranking contestants to make peace with each other, but even the various entertainment companies were also surprised by the deep bond between these trainees. They couldn't believe that they would go so far as to agree on vote boosting to resist the program team's malicious competition. It was truly bewildering.

After witnessing the contestants' constant vigilance toward each other on talent shows, seeing a group of trainees willingly sacrificing their own votes to support their teammates and fans broke through their defenses.

#PickElevenGirlsSoul#

The related hashtag quickly trended, and numerous netizens became fans after witnessing the affectionate interaction among the girls. They passionately supported their friendship.

#PickElevenGirlsDebutInTheSameSpot#

#IWillAlwaysLoveThePickElevenGirls#

#PickElevenGirls, please become popular quickly!#

Amidst the escalating excitement, the voting for the second performance came to an end, and now it was time for the thrilling announcement of the rankings!