On July 13th, the results of the Path to Actor top 20 to top 10 competition would be announced in the evening. The four groups of contestants had already recorded their performances.
Chi Yan and his teammates were sitting together in Rest Room No. 4, watching TV.
The television screen in the rest room was quite large, and the staff had already switched it to Xiyou TV.
That night, the competition would be broadcast simultaneously on the Xiyou Live App and Xiyou TV.
The contestants had no way of knowing the results in advance and could only see the same footage as the audience.
At exactly 9:00 PM, the live broadcast officially began.
The host first appeared on stage, briefly introducing the competition rules before inviting the four directors onto the stage.
This time, he didn’t waste any time and got straight to the point, asking everyone to start watching the performances.
On the large screen in the studio, the first group’s work, directed by Li Wei, was played.
Viewers began discussing it in the live chat.
“I knew Xiyou wouldn’t be so kind. Chi Yan and Ye Jiawen were put in the fourth slot :)”
“Those two are basically the ace combo of Path to Actor now. They’re both super popular, and last week’s gg effect was great too.”
“This is Li Wei’s group’s spotlight. If you want to talk about other contestants, wait until their turn. Show some respect.”
The messages calling for respect were posted by the fans of Qi Kerong and Han Feifei. They believed that in their idols’ spotlight moment, others shouldn’t steal the show. So, under the organization of fan leaders, they started controlling the narrative.
Qi Kerong and Han Feifei were the most popular contestants in Li Wei’s group. Han Feifei aside, Qi Kerong herself was quite interesting.
Viewers who had watched Path to Actor’s live broadcasts knew that Qi Kerong was an exceptionally reserved and quiet girl, but the moment she delivered her lines, she gave off a completely different vibe. She was also visually appealing, and many viewers found this contrast charming, which earned her a solid fan base.
The screens for the contestants did not display live chat messages since the production team was concerned that these young actors might be influenced.
As a result, the contestants were all watching Li Wei’s group’s performance attentively.
Chi Yan and his team had already seen Director Yu’s final cut yesterday. Compared to the first group, they suddenly felt more confident.
“I don’t think we’ll be last place,” Xu Yi said.
Lin Shan agreed. “You’re right. Their character development isn’t as detailed as ours, and their group focused entirely on Han Feifei and Qi Kerong. The other contestants barely got any screen time.”
“Li Wei is sacrificing the pawns to protect the queen,” Ye Jiawen commented. “Good thing we ended up in Director Yu’s group.”
“Their script is actually decent, but just relying on Han Feifei and Qi Kerong…” Cheng Yu trailed off as Li Wei’s group’s performance came to an end. He was worried about appearing in the live broadcast.
Chi Yan remarked, “Qi Kerong and Han Feifei have completely different styles, but their dual-female-lead performance was solid. They should be able to advance.”
Sure enough, when Luo Fangyan, Wang Di, and Yu Jingming critiqued Li Wei’s group, they focused their praise on Han Feifei and Qi Kerong’s acting.
“They carried the whole piece. The only problem is that I couldn’t feel the presence of anyone else,” Yu Jingming pointed out.
Li Wei chuckled. “That’s true. The script was written around the two female leads, so the other roles were somewhat minimal.”
Luo Fangyan stepped in to mediate. “We all know that Director Li likes to shoot personal growth-focused stories. This one still carries his signature style.”
Next up was Luo Fangyan’s group. Their piece was centered around a surgical procedure.
Chi Yan focused intently on Xue Yi, who played the son of a critically ill ICU patient. She had initially been worried, but seeing Xue Yi’s performance, she gradually felt relieved—his role, though not the main one, had depth.
Compared to Li Wei’s group, Luo Fangyan’s team had a more evenly distributed performance. Every contestant had their moments, and each had one or two strengths that could be pointed out. However, the lead actress, You Shan, failed to stand out and came across as rather average.
After the judges finished their critiques, the host announced the gg break, allowing Chi Yan’s group to relax a little.
“I was afraid to move just now, but at least Xue Yi did well—better than You Shan,” Xu Yi said.
“Director Luo chose the perfect role for him,” Chi Yan agreed. “Hopefully, he gets picked by Luo Fangyan.”
The contestants had barely started to unwind when the host reappeared on the screen—gg was over.
Cheng Yu couldn’t believe it. “Whenever I watch variety shows and dramas at home, Xiyou’s gg breaks always feel ridiculously long. Why did it end so fast today? Did they cut it short?”
As soon as he said that, the entire rest room burst into laughter.
“When you’re an outsider, you find it fun and engaging, so when the show suddenly cuts off, it’s frustrating. But now that you’re a contestant and full of nerves, of course, you’d think time flew by,” Ye Jiawen shook his head.
The commotion in their room caught the production team’s attention.
The chief director immediately said, “Edit the footage from Rest Room No. 4 into a highlight reel and post it on the official account.”
He quickly reconsidered. “Wait, actually, edit clips from all four rest rooms. Their popularity is through the roof now.”
The host stood on stage, briefly reviewing the performances of the previous two groups. Then, he announced the release of Director Wang Di’s team’s production.
Wang Di was known for his expertise in ensemble dramas, and everyone was eagerly anticipating his work.
Earlier, Director Wang had praised Luo Fangyan for his excellent character portrayal, to which Luo Fangyan humbly responded, “I wouldn’t dare show off in front of you. I’m really looking forward to your team’s work.”
Wang Di’s film depicted a group of wealthy heirs facing life-and-death decisions, with each character having a unique personality and a well-developed life trajectory.
Duan Jing and the others performed decently, but unfortunately, their acting remained superficial, lacking deeper emotional layers.
Take Yang Yueyi’s crying scene as an example—you could see that she was crying, but her tears failed to evoke any emotion in the audience.
As expected, after praising Director Wang’s script, the other three directors began critiquing the actors.
Li Wei remarked, “Duan Jing has been acting since childhood, so I believe her level shouldn’t be like this. If she were a newcomer, I’d say it was okay, but for her, it’s not acceptable.”
Luo Fangyan added, “The actress playing the jewelry tycoon’s daughter didn’t convey genuine emotions. A truly moving performance should make the audience cry along with you.”
Director Wang agreed, saying, “Yang Yueyi, the actress Luo just mentioned, indeed didn’t quite deliver.”
In Resting Room No. 3, upon hearing this evaluation, Yang Yueyi clenched her fists in frustration, silently praying that Chi Yan would also make a mistake.
However, things did not go as she wished. Not only did Chi Yan not falter, but he performed so well that he became the new “National Idol.”
Director Yu’s film opened in complete darkness. Slowly, a magnificent galaxy emerged on the screen.
Then, an alien spaceship navigated through space before finally landing on Earth.
The moment Ye Jiawen, playing the alien queen, appeared, the comment section exploded.
Ye Jiawen’s fans flooded the screen: “Behold the queen’s beauty!!!”
Other viewers commented: “If I hadn’t seen Ye Jiawen in real life, I would’ve thought he was a woman in disguise.”
Thanks to his cross-dressing role, Ye Jiawen quickly trended on social media, with the discussion filled with screenshots of his portrayal. Many fans obsessed with good looks flocked to the comment sections, gushing over him.
The film continued. Though the story was fictional, it felt incredibly real.
As the aliens arrived, Earth fell into a state of panic. Some were terrified, while others swore to resist.
When Chi Yan, playing the diplomat, made a passionate plea to negotiate with the alien queen, many viewers found it exhilarating.
One person commented: “People say there’s no ‘number one’ in writing, but today, I declare—there’s no debate, the diplomat is NUMBER ONE.”
The audience started spamming the diplomat’s iconic line: “I am willing to sacrifice myself to protect my planet.”
Chi Yan’s fans, the “Yanhuo” (Smoke & Fire), proudly declared: “I never expected our idol to be this cool! Nothing beats a spirited young hero!”
A major fan account quickly clipped Chi Yan’s scenes and uploaded them to Weibo, launching him into the trending topics.
A visual aesthetics blogger posted a side-by-side comparison of Chi Yan and Ye Jiawen’s scenes, captioning it: “No matter how you look at them, they’re a perfect match!”
Chi Yan and Ye Jiawen’s CP (couple) fandom started gaining traction.
Of course, there were also viewers who were simply captivated by the story itself.
“I thought this was just another alien invasion story, but I wasn’t expecting such a complex backstory!”
“Director Yu is a genius—he managed to tell such a deep story in just half an hour, and the editing was phenomenal.”
“The queen is the definition of a tragic beauty—powerful, but suffering.”
In the final scene, Earth and the alien civilization reached a peace agreement.
The diplomat said to the queen, “I hope you can resolve your planet’s crisis soon. You’re always welcome to visit us again.”
The queen gave a formal bow and responded, “We are grateful for Earth’s assistance. The planet Alvit will forever remember this kindness.”
Li Wei remarked, “I expected Jingming to create a film with a strong technological focus. I’m not really used to watching sci-fi, but surprisingly, the emphasis wasn’t on the technology itself.”
Luo Fangyan was still in deep thought. “Alvit is actually a parallel version of Earth, right? That plot twist was incredible.”
Wang Di gave his approval. “The message you’re conveying is excellent. You’ve got real talent.”
Yu Jingming smiled as he accepted the praise. He said, “It’s also thanks to my team’s strong performances. Without them, I wouldn’t have been sure how it would turn out. The main goal of this story is to remind everyone to protect the environment—we don’t want Earth to become another Alvit.”
With all four films reviewed and critiqued, the host announced that it was time to count the votes.
After each film was shown, the audience had cast their votes, but the results were being announced together.
“The results are coming,” Chi Yan said calmly. “I think we should be first.”
Ye Jiawen chuckled, “I think so too.”
Everyone’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
As expected, Yu Jingming’s team won first place, while Li Wei’s team ranked last.
After announcing the results, the host turned to Yu Jingming and said, “Director Yu, it’s time for you to choose the two contestants who will advance.”
Yu Jingming picked up the microphone and said, “Every single one of them performed excellently. In my heart, they are all the best.”
He paused before continuing, “However, this is a competition, and eliminations are inevitable. We have two spots for advancement, and I’ve decided to give them to the most outstanding performer, Chi Yan, and the most hardworking contestant, Lin Shan.”
The announcement shocked everyone. The host voiced the question on everyone’s mind:
“Why didn’t you choose Ye Jiawen?”
