This comment sparked endless discussion among netizens.
[Hahahahaha does this netizen have no shame?]
[This variety show itself is already morally bankrupt; netizens are just piling on and making it worse (shrug)]
[For a moment I didn't even know how to choose the celebrity I hate most. They're all so annoying it's dazzling and hard to decide.]
[Wait... why is Xu Ze in sixth place? His online votes were clearly ranked in the teens. I didn't even notice him in the first round. How did he end up on this list too?]
[The person above doesn't know. In the industry insider votes, Xu Ze's vote count simply left everyone else in the dust. The final list is sorted according to a combined ratio of netizen + industry insider votes, so he ranked sixth.]
[Got it. Xu Ze is the sucker (doge).]
[Even among these six people, the one I hate most is still Shang Lu. Prediction: someone is definitely going to look much cuter in comparison to her.]
[+1 to above.]
[The first episode starts filming this Friday! Fully livestreamed! I'm already looking forward to it!]
As the most popular idol drama young actor of the past two years, Xu Ze had high popularity and a legion of fangirls. The number of his anti-fans was merely at the level befitting an ordinary traffic star.
But just as the netizens explained, Xu Ze's becoming a guest on this variety show relied mainly on votes from industry staff. To put it bluntly, these industry staff were mostly marketing accounts and paparazzi. Those with any real power wouldn't cast such offensive votes.
And these marketing accounts and paparazzi didn't actually dislike celebrities with bad tempers who threw their weight around, because as long as these celebrities were willing to talk, they could quote them out of context and write nonsense to gain traffic.
It was people like Xu Ze who ignored them that were the most headache-inducing and annoying, because they couldn't dig up any dirt at all.
And right now, Xu Ze's side wasn't having a very pleasant conversation with his manager about appearing on this variety show.
He sat expressionlessly on the sofa while his manager was so anxious his hair was nearly shooting sparks.
The manager completely couldn't understand Xu Ze's absurd behavior and asked, "Everyone knows you were chosen quite unjustly. We could clearly refuse to record this show and no one would say anything. This program has high buzz, but ancestor, it's also very dangerous! And it's this livestream format—if something goes wrong, it can't be edited out!"
Although this show's popularity was indeed high, not everyone could swallow this fatty meat. As they say, one man's meat is another man's poison!
The assistant was so frightened he was wiping cold sweat, while Xu Ze still didn't speak. He simply handed the script in his hand to his manager.
The manager took it and only saw that Xu Ze had circled two words on the script—
Normal.
The manager's originally dark face instantly eased somewhat, and he immediately said, "Got it. I'll go make arrangements right now."
It was getting late. The assistant followed the manager out, still strangely asking him how he had suddenly relented and agreed.
The manager, as if he had mastered the art of face-changing, was already grinning from ear to ear. "I was narrow-minded; I didn't think it through just now. What is this program lacking most? Normal people! Our Xu Ze is like a lotus that emerges unsullied from the mud and is bathed in clear ripples without being seductive! Compared to them, this so-called problem is nothing at all! What's wrong with not talking? Not talking is his greatest advantage!"
The assistant also praised repeatedly, "Brilliant!"
The reason other people's teams were willing to take this variety show boiled down to just two reasons—
One: this variety show was too popular, and they were paying too much.
Two: among the other guests, there would always be those more hated by netizens, right? Maybe their own artist could ride the wave and get whitewashed!
*
Under the netizens' anticipation, the first episode's filming officially began.
Early Friday morning, netizens were already waiting in the livestream room.
[Hahahahaha I've waited so long, finally today has come!!!]
[God knows how much I'm looking forward to this. I didn't even set an alarm to watch my own idol's variety show livestream.]
[+1 to above. I can spend money voting for the star I like, but I'll only get up early for this variety show.]
[I'm ready, I'm ready! I'm going to be the first person to curse at Shang Lu when she appears!]
[So funny. Shang Lu actually has the guts to come on this variety show. So shameless.]
[...Didn't expect that in this livestream, Shang Lu's popularity would break away from the pack in this manner.]
[After all, Shang Lu is the people's chosen top 1. Second and third place combined don't have as many votes as her.]
At this moment, there was one comment that seemed somewhat out of place.
[If you hate Shang Lu but still get up early specifically to watch her variety show, are you masochists?]
Of course, this questioning bullet comment was still drowned out by the numerous comments dissatisfied with Shang Lu.
And Shang Lu did not live up to the bullet comments' "expectations," becoming the first artist to arrive on set.
The main source of Shang Lu's anti-fans actually came from Jiang Yi and Ning Lin's CP fans.
Although Jiang Yi was a wealthy young master, he wasn't content to just stay in his family company. He explored various fields and naturally would attend events like product launches.
Because of his handsome looks, Jiang Yi also had quite a batch of fans on the internet and was acclaimed as a male lead who walked out of a novel.
And a jewelry brand under the Jiang family had invited Ning Lin to be its spokesperson. At an offline promotional event, Jiang Yi personally put a ring on Ning Lin's finger. The tenderness in his eyes was obvious to anyone who wasn't blind—they had an unusual relationship.
So the CP fans went crazy shipping them, and then dug up quite a lot of things.
For example, in Ning Lin's two consecutive new dramas, the media company under the Jiang Group was an investor, and Jiang Yi visited the set multiple times.
Another example: after Ning Lin attended a celebration banquet once, a mysterious luxury car took her home. Soon someone discovered the owner of that luxury car was Jiang Yi.
This was the legendary CEO-and-actress love story straight out of a novel, right? Ning Lin herself was also the fastest-rising traffic flowerette of the past two years, so the two of them had garnered a large batch of CP fans. This kind of hot CP between an industry star and a half-outsider was considered a rare "clear stream" in the entertainment circle.
The CP fans wanted to ship and eat sugar. They didn't know that Shang Lu was Jiang Yi's legitimate fiancée, so after discovering that Shang Lu and Jiang Yi also had quite a few connections, they attacked her en masse, treating her as a thorn in their eyes and a barb in their flesh.
In these CP fans' view, Jiang Yi and Ning Lin were a match made in heaven. As for Shang Lu, she was a third wheel trying to pry her way in.
Adding to that, Shang Lu's face was truly beautiful, ranking at the top even among the entertainment industry's female stars. Quite a few male stars had pursued her, and there had been some rumors. This perfectly earned her the hat of "shameless," making her already poor public relations increasingly worse.
Shang Lu didn't care about these things to begin with. After pulling her suitcase into the living room, she happily waved and greeted the camera.
And the bullet comments immediately split into two groups.
[The day I see Shang Lu starts with bad luck.]
[Sure enough, even if it's for other artists I like, seeing Shang Lu still annoys me.]
[How to put it? Only the moment I see Shang Lu does my brain recall this variety show's full name.]
As for the other group, they leaned more toward fence-sitters and casual spectators.
These people wouldn't deliberately target any particular guest because they purely loved watching the spectacle grow. At this moment, quite a few were already conquered by Shang Lu's beauty.
[To be honest, Shang Lu's face can carry her for another ten years.]
[Whenever I watch Shang Lu's terrible movies, I forgive her because of this face. Today is no different.]
[The person above really confuses me. If you all know what this variety show is called, why are you here looking for suffering?]
[Perhaps this is the legendary "antis are more devoted than fans, hate lasts longer than love."]
The bullet comments were discussing animatedly, while Shang Lu waited for the others to arrive.
Soon, the door was pushed open, and the second guest entered.
Ye Lu, the lead vocalist of a top-tier idol group, was very young—only nineteen this year.
He wasn't called a top-tier idol, but rather the lead vocalist in a top-tier idol group.
Because his teammate, main dancer Xia Yuan, was a top-tier idol, but he wasn't quite there yet.
Actually, Ye Lu's popularity wasn't low either, but in front of his teammate whose popularity could rank at the top of the entire entertainment industry, he really couldn't compare.
And the reason Ye Lu came to this variety show as the male lead was partly because his temper wasn't great and he had many anti-fans, and partly thanks to his teammate's fans.
The reason teammate fans hated Ye Lu was also simple. In their view, their gege was the true top-tier idol, but every time a new song came out, Ye Lu got the most lines. What right did he have?
Because teammate fans hated Ye Lu, they voted for him even harder than they voted for their own idol, successfully securing his stable seat as the male lead.
When Ye Lu entered, his expression wasn't very good. Clearly, he wasn't here voluntarily; he had most likely been tricked by his team into coming.
Then he sat in the seat farthest from Shang Lu. The two of them were at opposite ends of two sofas, with what seemed like a galaxy between them.
The bullet comments were immediately amused.
[Hahahahaha Ye Lu finally got his comeuppance!]
[Let us thank Xia Yuan's fans! Without their hard work voting, there would be no today for Ye Lu.]
[The little tyrant must be so mad to be on this kind of show hahaha. So heartbroken—I must say—
Serves him right. He should've thought about today when he stole his teammate's parts and acted like royalty.]
But apart from anti-fans, Ye Lu still had quite a few fans.
This group of fans immediately started defending Ye Lu in the bullet comments, and the bullets quickly devolved into an argument.
Of course, what remained on set for Shang Lu and Ye Lu was only a stretch of silence.
Because neither of them were particularly polite people, the usual variety show greeting process was directly skipped.
But at this moment, Shang Lu was staring at Ye Lu with a curious gaze.
Ye Lu wasn't the shy type either. After realizing Shang Lu was looking at him, he immediately looked back.
Shang Lu widened her eyes.
Ye Lu glared even wider.
The two of them were like they were competing.
The bullet comments were silent for a moment.
[Even though the two of them didn't say a word, my brain already has a voice playing.]
[I know what the person above means! "What you lookin' at?" "What if I am?" right?]
[Have to say, the #1 most hated male and female celebrities sitting together—this scene is somehow indescribably funny.]
[My head is full of "evil people have their own evil nemeses!" Karma comes around hahahaha.]
Ye Lu had an impatient temper. He quickly lost the staring contest and directly asked, "If you have something to say, say it. What are you looking at me for?"
Shang Lu withdrew her gaze and calmly answered, "Your buttons are wrong."
She had originally doubted whether she saw wrong, but the moment Ye Lu turned to look at her, she was completely certain.
Ye Lu: "...?"
Bullet comments: "???"
[Holy shit, his buttons were wrong.]
[Thanks, I'm digging a hole with my toes for Ye Lu.]
[Little Tyrant Ye looked ready to look down at Shang Lu with his chin, but was caught off guard by this one sentence hahaha.]
Ye Lu was somewhat awkward, really.
But as a male celebrity, he needed to make himself look calmer. He walked to the corner, avoiding the camera, and redid his buttons.
The bullet comments weren't too satisfied either.
[Ye Lu's muscles look great. Now you're treating us like outsiders!]
By the time Ye Lu walked back, all the buttons on his shirt were correctly fastened.
Of course, this time he didn't quite dare to look at Shang Lu again.
Inexplicably guilty.
And very soon, the third guest made her entrance.
The bullet comments were equally very "welcoming" of her arrival.
[Lin Yanyan! It's Lin Yanyan!]
[Shang Lu vs. Lin Yanyan! Annoying-person showdown! This scene is going to be good.]
[The princess syndrome is here! This variety show's guests are truly a gathering of hidden dragons and crouching tigers (thumbs up).]
The third to arrive was the female guest, the celebrity Lin Yanyan, who was famous in the industry for her princess syndrome.
Like Shang Lu, Lin Yanyan was a wealthy young lady chasing her dream in the entertainment industry, but the Lin family only had this one daughter in the entire generation, so she was spoiled beyond reason.
This also caused a defect in Lin Yanyan's personality. She was a severe princess syndrome drama queen.
Lin Yanyan and Shang Lu had known of each other for a long time. Given their family backgrounds, their social circles naturally overlapped, but it was merely a relationship of knowing each other's names—they weren't familiar at all.
At this moment, Lin Yanyan walked in carrying one suitcase, sat down next to Shang Lu very dramatically, and breathed heavily. She immediately complained, "This building is too high, right? I still have three suitcases I haven't moved."
Shang Lu looked at Lin Yanyan strangely and asked, "Why bring so much luggage?"
Lin Yanyan answered seriously, "One suitcase for skincare and cosmetics, one for supplements and massagers, one for clothes and shoes, and another suitcase containing the puppy, bear, and bunny that sleep with me."
Shang Lu: "..."
She didn't understand, but she was greatly shocked.
And Ye Lu didn't understand at all. He directly asked, "This show allows pets? What kind of bear can fit in a suitcase?"
The smile on Lin Yanyan's face stiffened.
Shang Lu was also working hard to suppress the urge for her lip corners to twitch.
The bullet comments went like this.
[Hahahaha Ye Lu you fucking straight man? Lin Yanyan was talking about stuffed toys!]
[Looking at Ye Lu's serious question-asking face I'm laughing my ass off.]
[I suddenly feel a bit sorry for Lin Yanyan hahaha.]
Faced with Ye Lu's reaction, Lin Yanyan gave up on expression management out of speechlessness and directly rolled her eyes.
Her initial impression of Ye Lu directly dropped to zero, because she felt this person was an idiot.
"They're my plush toys. They've accompanied me for many years." Lin Yanyan looked at Ye Lu as if looking at an idiot, then directly got up and walked outward. She said to them in a commanding tone, "Hey, you two. There are still three suitcases. If each of us carries one it'll be just right. Hurry up."
Lin Yanyan left.
And although Ye Lu's temper wasn't great, he had at least basic gentlemanly manners. Instinctively he got up and walked outward, wanting to help Lin Yanyan move the suitcases.
However, he quickly retreated back, looked at Shang Lu, and asked, "You're not going?"
Shang Lu put on the same expression Lin Yanyan had used on Ye Lu, then played dumb and asked, "Why should I go? Did she call my name? Wasn't she talking to other staff members?"
If Lin Yanyan had said something like "sorry to trouble you" or "please," this small favor wasn't something Shang Lu couldn't help with.
But with that taken-for-granted tone, then forget about it.
Ye Lu thought for a few seconds, then was convinced by Shang Lu.
He didn't go downstairs but directly sat down next to Shang Lu.
The bullet comments were also amused by their reactions.
[Lin Yanyan's princess syndrome is acting up, but this time she's facing another princess and a prince hahaha.]
[You two are the lying-flat duo, right? I see through you!]
Some people were also dissatisfied with Shang Lu's attitude.
[Isn't Shang Lu too much? What's wrong with helping? Lin Yanyan has to make so many trips alone.]
But this time, most viewers still had eyes and stood on Shang Lu's side.
[Shang Lu isn't wrong. Was that how Lin Yanyan asks for help? Does she think everyone is her mother and has to indulge her?]
[This is the first time in my life Shang Lu looks so pleasing to the eye.]
[+1 to above, I even think she's a bit cute.]
And Lin Yanyan quickly came up carrying one suitcase. Following behind her was this episode's third male guest, Xu Ze. He had no expression, but in each hand he carried one of Lin Yanyan's suitcases.
Xu Ze didn't actually have many extreme anti-fans, so when he appeared, the bullet comments were rarely like a normal variety show—all fans screaming and cheering.
And because of Xu Ze's behavior in helping Lin Yanyan, he appeared more "gentlemanly" in contrast to Shang Lu and Ye Lu. The plan to get whitewashed by comparison was proceeding smoothly just as his manager had predicted.
Lin Yanyan was holding a suitcase at this moment, feeling very hard-working and wronged. The moment she set it down she looked at Shang Lu and Ye Lu sitting on the sofa and demanded, "Why didn't you two come down? If Xu Ze hadn't helped me, how tired would I have been alone!"
Faced with Lin Yanyan's taken-for-granted accusations, Shang Lu answered even more righteously, "Because I have no manners. Otherwise, the production team wouldn't have invited me."
The livestream room was lively at this moment.
[Hahahahaha Shang Lu I'm dying laughing how can she be so shockingly witty.]
[Shang Lu really has mastered the art of language, cursing without dirty words. She's clearly implying that Lin Yanyan has no manners, right?]
[Whether Shang Lu is roasting herself or implying Lin Yanyan has no manners, I've gotten her humor hahaha.]
[In other variety shows, guests are afraid of causing controversy and getting scolded so they don't dare say anything. But Shang Lu is already the #1 most hated female celebrity on the entire internet. She has nothing to fear (doge).]
[Shang Lu—stealing the haters' playbook, leaving them with no moves left.]
[From today on I'm Sister Lu's speech fan. Sister Lu is really interesting when she talks! Sister Lu fly bravely! If something happens, carry it yourself!!!]