NOVPUBThe night passed, and the phrase "【Holographic Stage】" exploded across the entire internet.
Those who had seen it, those who hadn’t, fans of the contestants, fans of the mentors and guest judges—even casual viewers—were spreading the word everywhere.
For most people, the first message they saw upon waking up was:
"Have you watched the holographic stage yet?!!"
An ordinary netizen named 【Little Bird】, who didn’t pay much attention to entertainment news, woke up to a friend’s enthusiastic sharing but remained indifferent, dismissing it as idle chatter:
【Isn’t it always blowing up the internet?】
【Ever since this show started airing, every time I open Weibo, it’s guaranteed to be in the top three trending topics.】
This netizen, Little Bird, was what people called a "never-jump-on-the-bandwagon" type.
The so-called "anti-trend party" never watched popular dramas or variety shows when they were at their peak. While everyone else was passionately discussing them, they remained utterly indifferent. Only after a year or two, when the hype had completely died down, would they suddenly take an interest, watch it, and then be utterly amazed, frantically recommending it to everyone: "This is SO GOOD, you HAVE to watch it!!"
To which their friends, who had already recommended the same show years ago, could only respond: "..."
In any case, compared to her friend, who had long since "fallen" into becoming a die-hard fan of 【Guoxinghai】, Little Bird—who had never watched it—remained perfectly clear-headed.
【Sure, buying trending spots is common in the entertainment industry these days, but doing it every single day? That’s overkill.】
Friend: 【No, that’s not it!】
Little Bird: 【?】
Friend: 【When I say it’s blowing up the entire internet, I don’t mean just our country’s internet.】
Little Bird: 【??】
Friend: 【I mean the ENTIRE WORLD’S internet!!!!】
Little Bird: 【What do you mean… the entire world?】
Blowing up the entire internet was one thing, but the ENTIRE WORLD?
That was just absurd!
Half-doubting, she opened several of her social media platforms—only to be shocked to find that her friend was telling the truth.
—Last night’s holographic stage, held in the game "Polaris," seemed to have ignited the passion of the entire world overnight.
Country A’s authoritative media DIK reported: 【A stage for the ages—the door to a new era of entertainment has opened.】
Country B’s news agency reported: 【Massive crowds are flocking to holographic equipment stores in an attempt to purchase devices to watch the holographic stage, causing traffic congestion. Here’s the live footage…】
Country C’s national broadcaster: 【Last night, a Chinese talent show titled "Guoxinghai" became the first in the world to utilize a holographic stage. The breathtaking stage effects not only sparked excitement for the future of holographic entertainment but also turned the contestants who appeared on that stage into national idols. Reports indicate that flights to China are now completely sold out, with countless fans attempting to travel there to chase their stars—an unprecedented mass exodus of fans in Country C’s entertainment history…】
Then came reports from Country D, Country E, Country F… Virtually every major nation’s authoritative media was passionately and excitedly discussing this holographic stage from China.
Such a massive reaction from official media naturally meant that 【Guoxinghai】 had already taken over the internet in their respective countries.
After all, "Polaris" was already a global game. With the integration of holographic technology, its popularity had skyrocketed worldwide, making it the game with the highest number of players globally.
Every country, every ethnicity—wherever there was internet, there were Polaris players.
And now, these players from all over the world were gathered together, raving about last night’s holographic stage in 【Guoxinghai】.
【Absolutely stunning!!! It was like a miracle from God!!】
【Oh my god!! If I could, I’d spend my entire life savings just to experience it one more time!】
【Those were the most worthwhile four hours of my life!!!】
【From the very first performance, I was so shocked I couldn’t speak. I kept thinking, ‘How can they be this good right from the start? What’s left for the others?’ But Guoxinghai delivered—each performance was even more incredible than the last.】
【The later performances were so perfect it was unbelievable, especially that Chinese boy Tu Zhu’s act. There wasn’t a single flaw in him. I fell in love and voted for him without hesitation.】
From here, the praise gradually veered off track.
【Honestly, I was in a state of shock the entire time—it felt like I’d been transported to heaven. When we got the voting panel, I actually cried in real life, overwhelmed with gratitude that I got to experience this. I kept thanking the universe for everything I had, and then I voted for Lan He. Please pay attention to Lan He—she’s amazing.】
【I felt the same as this netizen, but I think Ge Ling was the best. Everyone, vote for Ge Ling! Here’s her photo, here’s a clip of her dancing—her beauty and moves could bring the dead back to life.】
【Miemie is the REAL star!! She made me feel true happiness in life!!!】
【Tu Zhu!!! His performance deserves to be watched on loop 24/7!!!】
Little Bird, who had snuck onto foreign websites to lurk: "...Foreign netizens are so dramatic."
Seriously, crying over a performance? Even if it was holographic, was it really THAT big a deal?
She muttered to herself, but her hands betrayed her curiosity as she kept scrolling, eventually stumbling upon clips of the contestants’ performances.
They were genuinely spectacular. Even without the holographic immersion and just watching on her phone, Little Bird found herself abandoning her "no hype-watching" policy.
Her favorite was Tu Zhu’s group performance.
The young man was simply dazzling on stage.
He had the appearance of a sweet, innocent puppy, yet when he moved, glimpses of well-defined abs could be faintly seen—never fully revealed, yet impossible to ignore.
His eyes, naturally dewy and soft, turned fierce under the intense BGM. Every dance move was executed with flawless precision, every spin felt like it was directed straight at the audience’s hearts.
He was… a completely different person on stage. Every motion was in perfect harmony, making it impossible to look away.
Strength and beauty—who knew someone could embody both so perfectly through dance?
Before this, Little Bird had only heard of Tu Zhu being mocked for his acting, dismissed as nothing more than a pretty face. But after watching his performance, she wanted to scream at the world:
YOU CALL THIS JUST A PRETTY FACE?!!!
What was Tu Zhu’s former company thinking?
His stage presence was THIS incredible, and they kept pushing him into acting?!
Anyone who saw this performance could tell—Tu Zhu was completely immersed in the stage, in love with it. That passion and skill radiated from him, filling the entire venue with his magnetism.
Little Bird had once come across an analysis claiming that most of Tu Zhu’s hardcore fans were early-stage performance enthusiasts, many of whom had attended live shows of 【I Love My Flight】. It was only after seeing him on stage that they became true believers.
At the time, she hadn’t understood—dancing? There were plenty of great dancers out there.
At this moment, she deeply understood why those stage fans had been following Tu Zhu so devotedly.
She thought, perhaps she could try being a fangirl too.
In the video, Tu Zhu stood with his teammates after a performance.
Breathing lightly, his peach-blossom eyes slightly reddened at the corners, he gazed across the venue with a bright sparkle in his eyes. Perhaps spotting a fan holding up his star-shaped signboard, he paused for a moment before suddenly breaking into a radiant smile.
What kind of smile was it? Little Bird couldn’t quite describe it, but just seeing it made her inexplicably happy.
And so, she happily began replaying the video.
After watching it seven or eight times, Little Bird quietly abandoned her self-proclaimed stance as a "casual observer" and decided to join the ranks of the Guoxinghai audience.
This show… was genuinely good.
And Tu Zhu was seriously so good-looking!! She absolutely had to vote for him!!!
Of course, she remained level-headed—good-looking was one thing, but crying over it? That was too much. After all, it was just a dance performance, not some tear-jerking drama.
Just as she was thinking this, Little Bird stumbled upon another video.
—This wasn’t one of the widely circulated performance recordings of the contestants on stage.
Instead, the video featured Sheng Quan.
She had been holding two glow sticks, presumably to cheer on the contestants.
The moment captured in the video was after all the performances had ended, while the venue lights were still dim.
A beam of light suddenly descended from nowhere, illuminating Sheng Quan.
She stood up, gently opening her hands—and the two short glow sticks instantly flew upward.
"Whoa!"
Amid the audience’s gasps and laughter—
—Whoosh!
The two tiny glow sticks burst open, releasing countless shimmering specks of light.
They cascaded down like a sky full of fireflies, not drifting aimlessly but purposefully flying toward every single audience member in the venue.
The number of spectators had already exceeded 90 million.
And don’t underestimate this 90 million—some countries don’t even have populations that large. Yet here, on this virtual stage, 90 million people from all over the world had gathered simultaneously.
Not a single speck of light was missed—each one landed right in front of one of those 90 million viewers.
Under the audience’s amazed and curious gazes, the lights danced joyfully, gradually expanding their glow until, in just over ten seconds, they transformed into voting panels edged with a soft white light.
Note: these voting panels were about half the size of a blackboard, displaying introductions for all the groups.
Through the perspective of the viewer who had uploaded this video, Little Bird marveled at the glowing voting panel, which not only featured group introductions but also, on the right side, a small recording of each group’s performance.
The viewer, clearly just as astonished, noticed the zoom-in icon and reached out with a sheep-like hoof (likely an avatar feature in the virtual space). With a gentle wave, the tiny recording expanded, appearing three-dimensional in the video.
The effect wasn’t fully captured on screen, but it was obvious to the naked eye—the recording floated mid-air in 3D. Though enlarged, it remained compact, making the performers look like ten tiny sprites singing and dancing.
"Holy sht!"
A classic Chinese expletive burst from the video—perfectly synchronized with Little Bird’s own involuntary "Holy sht!"
Little Bird: "...Well, now I know this viewer is Chinese."
All 90 million people now had their own personalized voting panels.
Because this was in a virtual environment, because this was using full-dive holographic technology, space constraints didn’t matter—they could unfold their panels freely without worrying about disturbing others.
No matter which group they selected, they could watch the 3D miniature recordings, ensuring they could carefully compare before making their choice.
They could even tap on individual contestants’ names, and the selected performer’s personal recording would instantly appear before them. These talented yet still-green contestants, no bigger than a palm, introduced themselves to the audience (or camera) with varying degrees of enthusiasm or shyness.
"Hello everyone! I’m Contestant No. 14 Qi Qi from Guoxinghai, 18 years old. My specialty is..."
"Hi, I’m Contestant No. 378 Wu Xiangwang from Guoxinghai, 19 years old. I’m super happy to be here—let me show you a magic trick..."
"Hello, I’m Contestant No. 456 from Guoxinghai..."
As the video’s viewer tapped through, these static images of contestants seemed to come alive on the voting panel, cheerfully standing on what had now transformed into a "stage," smiling and speaking.
Little Bird stared, dumbfounded.
Watching on a phone screen couldn’t possibly capture the full effect, but even so, she could feel her blood surging with excitement.
This voting format, this audience experience—it was even more thrilling than the spectacular stage performances themselves.
No wonder, no wonder every audience member who’d experienced the holographic stage was raving about it!
As a viewer, as someone about to dive into Guoxinghai, just imagining herself with such a voting panel—lying at home after watching an incredible performance, then getting to vote in such an immersive way...
Little Bird was practically itching to sprout wings and fly straight to last night’s holographic stage.
Just as that foreign netizen had said: "I cried real tears, overwhelmed that I got to experience this."
—The definition of a holographic stage was demonstrated here in its fullest glory.
In the end, Little Bird watched as the video’s viewer hesitated between several contestants before finally selecting Tu Zhu’s group and giving him a "like."
The tiny Tu Zhu smiled shyly, forming a little heart with his hands as he gazed at the camera and softly said, "Thank you."
Ah—
Little Bird felt utterly struck!
Meanwhile, on the other end of China, her friend was still bombarding her with messages.
[It’s been a whole day. You said you were just checking things out—where’d you go?]
[Hey!]
[Where are you???]
[Seriously, are you still watching??]
[Did you fall asleep?]
After sending the last message, the friend eagerly returned to browsing the countless holographic stage recordings circulating online.
But just as the website loaded, a notification popped up—Little Bird had finally replied:
[I’m buying a holographic helmet!!!]
Friend: [???]
Then came another message:
—[Just you wait!!!]
—[I’ll be at the next holographic stage for SURE!!!!]
It was clear to everyone: the entertainment industry was about to undergo a seismic shift because of this stage.
At this moment, China had become the world’s focal point.
The chairpersons of China’s major entertainment companies had naturally received the news.
Truth be told, they’d already been nursing headaches—both literal and figurative.
The application of holographic technology in entertainment has delivered a devastating blow to conventional forms of amusement. During last night's performance, while the industry executives maintained a composed facade, they had already discreetly scouted the venue, blending in as ordinary spectators to witness the entire show.
While watching, they were equally stunned: it was a visual feast for the eyes.
Afterward, their reaction was unanimous: Damn it! We're doomed!
It felt as though they were still in the Stone Age, painstakingly crafting primitive tools, while the neighboring cave had already invented cannons. How could they possibly compete?
If Xingmang (Star Edge) wished, within two years at most, they could render all these executives obsolete.
The executives spent the entire night tossing and turning in anxiety, their phones burning up from the flurry of calls they exchanged—more clingy than they'd ever been during their romantic phases.
But their frantic discussions were futile, serving only as mutual consolation. The only viable strategy they could devise was to seek Sheng Quan's favor, hoping to gain access to even a fraction of the holographic technology.
What? Try reaching out to other connections to acquire the tech?
They had already exhausted every possible avenue the moment holography was unveiled to the world—to no avail.
Of course, this situation also served as undeniable proof: Sheng Quan's influence reached the highest echelons of power.
So, even banding together to oppose Xingmang was out of the question.
After a night of relentless mental turmoil, the executives emerged the next day with matching dark circles under their eyes, scrambling to brainstorm countermeasures in emergency meetings.
Then, international news broke.
The entertainment industry leaders in China: Hmm...
Oh, right.
Xingmang wasn't just crushing them—it was dominating the entire world.
Since the global entertainment industry began its rapid expansion, the market had stabilized over the years, with the same top-tier companies reigning unchallenged for over a decade.
It wasn't that there were no rising stars in the industry—it was simply that the pie had already been divided. The market was rigid: the early birds got the meat, while latecomers could only hope to join the feast as minor players.
China's entertainment sector had grown rapidly in recent years, but everyone knew the market was mature. The global entertainment giants had already perfected every aspect of their operations.
Under these circumstances, no matter how hard newcomers tried, they couldn't dislodge the established players.
But then, Sheng Quan defied all expectations.
While others struggled to carve out a niche in the existing market, she bulldozed the old system and built an entirely new one.
Once audiences had tasted this exquisite new "cake," would they ever settle for stale leftovers again?
And whether those leftovers were from China or other countries—what difference did it make to the audience?
Suddenly, the executives found themselves calming down.
Though they were still being outclassed, the thought of those global industry titans being toppled alongside them inexplicably eased their anxiety.
"Look on the bright side," one executive said, running a hand through his thinning hair. "Even if traditional entertainment is obsolete, we can still adapt to the holographic era."
"Replicating the tech might be tough, but outright copying? That’s doable. If we pool our resources to compete with Xingmang’s projects, we can still take a bite out of their share."
"Exactly! No matter how powerful Xingmang is, if they push us to the brink, we won’t go down without a fight!"
"Sheng Quan may be rich, but combined, we’re no slouches either. And those other global giants will surely target Xingmang too. With all of us against them, Xingmang won’t have it easy."
Xie Wanzhao, chairwoman of Bluebird Company, was also present. Despite the industry-wide upheaval the night before, her hair remained impeccably styled, her gaze as sharp and resolute as ever.
"It might not be a bad thing," she said slowly.
"A new era brings new opportunities. A market reshuffle could be exactly what we need."
As she spoke, her phone buzzed on the table.
Seeing the caller ID, Xie Wanzhao smiled and answered.
"Chairman Sheng, I assume you’re calling with good news?"
Sheng Quan had just finished reviewing Gu Zhao’s new proposal and wrapped up an hour-long meeting. Now, standing on the balcony of the production building, she watered a row of sunlit potted plants.
Hearing Xie Wanzhao’s words, she chuckled.
"Good news might be overstating it. Consider it more of an invitation."
Xie Wanzhao: "Then it must be an important one."
Sheng Quan: "As you’ve no doubt realized, the holographic era has truly begun. From what I’ve gathered, global entertainment giants like CA have already reverse-engineered parts of the tech, and new projects are launching at breakneck speed."
Xie Wanzhao wasn’t surprised. "Innovation is hard—replication is another matter. Their foundations are still far stronger than ours."
"True. Which is why I don’t intend to wait for them to catch up."
Sheng Quan cut to the chase: "Xingmang will share a portion of its holographic technology with other Chinese entertainment companies."
Xie Wanzhao had already guessed as much, but hearing it confirmed still sent a jolt through her.
"Are you certain? Right now, those global players still need time to catch up. If Xingmang seizes this window, it could secure a dominant position worldwide."
"You’re willing to share such an advantage with us? You know even if we tried to compete, in the current landscape, we’d be no match for you."
The other executives, who had been eavesdropping intently, immediately perked up, crowding around Xie Wanzhao.
Their lips moved silently but urgently: "What? What did she say??"
"Share what??"
"What about Sheng Quan??"
But Xie Wanzhao paid them no mind. Her full attention was fixed on Sheng Quan’s voice.
"Only a portion, of course. The core tech stays with us."
Xie Wanzhao remained puzzled. "Just to turn competitors into allies?"
"Partly. As you know, I prefer win-win scenarios when they don’t compromise our interests."
"Xingmang could certainly leverage this head start to join the global elite."
The young woman’s voice softened, almost conversational:
"But in the end, it would still be the same as now—Xingmang would be renowned, our works might win awards, yet when people speak of China, it’d still be as an entertainment underdog. Even our own awards would only carry weight if validated abroad."
Her tone was light, but the words struck deep:
"Do you want to see a future where China is an entertainment powerhouse? I do. Sometimes, as leaders, clinging to our small circles only keeps us stagnant. But if we build a thriving ecosystem together, we can all go further. Don’t you agree?"
The simplicity of the words made Xie Wanzhao’s breath quicken slightly.
Sheng Quan continued: "I don’t believe you’ve limited your sights to just China, Chairwoman Xie."
Her conclusion was firm: "We’ve always been on the same side."
—Xie Wanzhao’s heart began to race.
Around them, a group of usually boastful CEOs were still exclaiming in confusion: "What??" "What on earth are you talking about??" "Let me hear! Let me hear!" "What? What is it??"
Then, they heard Chairman Xie—who was always composed and dignified—speak in a voice trembling slightly yet resolute:
"I agree."
She glanced at the CEOs beside her, who had just been rallying with cries of "Let’s unite to crush the evil forces of Xing Mang," but were now scrambling to lean closer to the phone, eager to listen.
"They’ll agree too."
The CEOs: "??? Us? Don’t make decisions for us!" They had principles, after all!
Xie Wanzhao: "Chairman Sheng is asking if you’d like to collaborate—a nationwide alliance of entertainment companies to expand into new global markets."
The CEOs: "!!!"
Good heavens, what a windfall!
If they could all profit together, who’d want to be enemies with Sheng Quan—a woman who was not only wealthy and formidable but also devilishly shrewd?
"Yes, what I just said was ‘I agree.’"
"Absolutely, we agree. Yes."
"We’ve been wanting to work with Chairman Sheng for ages. How about we all meet for a drink? Or tea—since we know Chairman Sheng prefers tea."
In an instant, the tension dissolved into warmth and camaraderie, as if they were all one big, happy family.
What?
Sabotage Xing Mang?
Never heard of it!
The entire entertainment industry of China stands firmly behind Xing Mang!
