Chapter 298 - 240: Just What She Wanted

Chapter 298: Chapter 240: Just What She Wanted

At 10 PM, Xingchuan 001’s debut show officially ended.

The moment all the cameras were turned off, two of the girls plopped right down on the floor, their expressions a mask of fatigue and burnout.

It had been a full four hours. Although their daily physical training during the preliminary camp had far exceeded the demands of today’s live broadcast, the mental pressure of being on camera was a completely different story.

Especially in the latter half of the stream. When they realized that hundreds of thousands of pairs of eyes were watching them, the pressure felt crushing, as if they couldn’t catch their breath.

"Oh my god!"

"That was insane!"

"The first two hours, there were only a few thousand people in the stream!"

"But after that Prince Heng showed up, the viewer count exploded by over a hundred thousand in just a few minutes. It’s just unbelievable!"

Meng Peishan sat on the floor. Her normally pretty face was now a little pale, and her forehead was covered in a cold sweat.

"Qingge, you’re so lucky."

Huang Yaqin looked at Lin Qingge, her eyes glinting. "It’s our very first day broadcasting, and you’ve already caught the eye of a legendary figure like Prince Heng. Just from Prince Heng alone, you got 3 million votes today. If you count the Carnivals from everyone else, Qing Qing, your total votes for today must be over 5 million, right?"

Huang Yaqin was a dance performance major at the Ji Province Academy of Arts. She was two years older than Lin Qingge and currently a junior in college.

During the training camp, she and Lin Qingge were both in the top tier.

In terms of professional skill alone, with her formal dance training, she was even a cut above Lin Qingge. She had been full of anticipation for the group’s debut, planning to use the opportunity to completely overshadow Lin Qingge and secure the C position for good.

But she never imagined that from the moment the debut show began, Lin Qingge would leave her far behind. Then, after Prince Heng arrived, she was utterly crushed, ground into dust.

When she thought about how her own final vote count for the entire show didn’t even amount to a fraction of Lin Qingge’s, her heart filled with resentment and indignation.

They had all worked hard, standing here for over four hours. Their cut from the show’s gifts was only a few hundred, while Lin Qingge had earned tens of thousands—a gap of a hundredfold.

Who wouldn’t be envious?

Who wouldn’t be jealous?

Huang Yaqin’s words were like a hook, dredging up the emotions hidden in the other five girls’ hearts. The group’s previously harmonious atmosphere suddenly underwent a subtle shift.

Lin Qingge might have been young, but she was very smart.

She naturally understood the intent behind Huang Yaqin’s words—praise on the surface, but designed to sow discord underneath.

"It’s hard to say what the deal is with all the votes I got today."

Lin Qingge smiled. "Didn’t you notice how perfect Prince Heng’s timing was? Maybe he’s just a booster the company hired. The votes I received are probably just for promotion, and they’ll all have to be returned later."

At this, Lin Qingge blinked, putting on a slightly pitiful expression.

"If they really are just promotional votes, then I got all excited for nothing."

"When Prince Heng and his followers were spamming all those gifts, I couldn’t even pick up any votes from the smaller viewers. For all we know, after the company settles its accounts, I might end up with less than you all."

Prompted by Lin Qingge, the other girls thought back and realized that the timing of Prince Heng’s arrival really had been a little too perfect.

The thought that Lin Qingge’s votes might all be promotional was like a soothing balm to the resentful girls. Their moods instantly brightened.

As the girls were talking, Feng Ming, who had been standing behind the director’s console, walked onto the set. As he approached, he happened to overhear Lin Qingge’s words.

"Qingge has a point."

Feng Ming made no attempt to hide it, announcing clearly, "Prince Heng is indeed a booster hired by our group. In fact, his real identity is our very own Director, Gu Heng. Today’s debut broadcast for Xingchuan Entertainment was saved because Chairman Gu single-handedly turned the tide."

Just as Gu Heng and Chu Zhengxiong were about to leave, Feng Ming had proactively approached them to ask. Gu Heng had said his identity could be revealed internally, as long as it wasn’t widely publicized.

Many people in Zhonghai already knew about his identity as Prince Heng, so it was never a huge secret. It wouldn’t be a big deal if others found out.

This would also be a great boon to Gu Heng’s prestige within Xingchuan International Group. He wasn’t so noble that he would do a good deed and remain anonymous.

The moment Feng Ming announced the news, an uproar erupted throughout the studio. The revelation was simply too shocking.

"Holy shit!"

"Prince Heng is actually our group’s Director, Gu Heng!"

"For real?!"

"This news is insane!"

The floor manager, Zhou Shuo, stared with wide eyes, his face a mask of utter shock.

"No wonder Prince Heng suddenly dropped in!"

"And no wonder he used his exclusive TikTok gift, the ’Descent of the King,’ for the first time in our stream! Turns out Prince Heng was one of our own all along!"

The operations manager, Tao Yan, also wore a look of sudden realization as she muttered to herself.

"Huh?"

"Zhao Huai?"

"Why are you so calm?"