The Sacrificial Royal in the Boy Group Survival Show

When Yue Zhaolin woke up, his gender had changed. A talent scout asked if he wanted to enter the entertainment industry and join a survival show — with his looks, he was guaranteed to get popular. Yue Zhaolin shook his head. “I can’t sing or dance.” The scout reasoned with him, “With a face like yours, the fastest way to make money is becoming a celebrity.” Yue Zhaolin still couldn’t imagine living and eating with a hundred other men. “Sorry.” “As long as you can stick around until the later stages — even if you don’t debut — you’ll play the ‘sacrificial royal’ role and get eliminated. The appearance fee is 500,000 yuan, after tax.” Yue Zhaolin: “…” Then again — who can say no to money? “Deal.” First appearance: Yue Zhaolin went viral on social media. First live event: Yue Zhaolin looked so good, he didn’t even seem like he belonged in the same world as his teammates. The extreme comparisons from netizens brought in a massive wave of popularity. Yue Zhaolin didn’t mind. Seeing the girls in the crowd holding banners with his name made his heart burn with warmth — he just wanted to give something back for all that passionate love. The show’s producers suddenly realized… this “sacrificial royal” character might be a little too hard to sacrifice? Idol looks as if chosen by fate, Stage presence that made teammates practically disappear, Peerless ability to charm fans, Natural-born magnet for explosive chemistry and ship wars, A walking buzz generator who could send haters, fans, and casual viewers into a frenzy with just one word or gesture… If they actually tried to eliminate him… Wouldn’t the whole show crash and burn?! [Notes for Readers] : 1. The protagonist initially joins for money, not passion or dreams. It’s the fans who move him and awaken his ambition. (If that premise bothers you, please proceed with caution.) This story has no romantic relationships (no CP). The main character will not develop feelings for anyone. There is no romance subplot — the focus is entirely on the survival show. 2. The talent show format is a hybrid of the international Produce 101 series and Chinese idol competitions. Some elements are fictionalized — you can treat the setting as a parallel universe. 3. This story includes a large number of forum-style segments, resembling live threads posted during the show’s broadcast. These are written in a fan-watching-the-show format.