Boy Band Idol Contest: I Stew Starlight in an Iron Pot

What? Top-tier mentors joining the show? A cross-border platform collaboration? The entire competition livestreamed?

The first boy-group survival show in seven years is back, and it's coming in hot!

The highest-quality, best-looking contestants and a mentor lineup unlike any before or since. Popularity, buzz, and acclaim: they're taking it all!

Starting from the bottom, they go from being hated across the internet to winning everyone over, bringing their friends, roommates, and teammates with them as they debut together.

Chu He says: Of course I'd do it, if it means getting closer to my idol and successfully debuting!

So how did things get more and more off track?

Before their debut: talking through the night and working through their emotional baggage. One is broken, the other comforts him. Netizens cry, “I'm shipping them!”

On debut night: one claps for him, one hugs him and another. They embrace and weep, and the group hug turns into a huge cuddle pile. Three hundred fanfic writers across the internet join the fandom, and fan works flood the web.

After their debut: What happened to being the group with the strongest team spirit? Who are these twelve brats, constantly bickering and fighting for attention?

Chu He: ambitious survival-show contestant, S-rank talent, always strategizing, overflowing with sweet tea vibes, yet a loving, saintly dad.

VS

Yun Qinke: naive little white rabbit version of a spoiled young master, naturally talented, a scruffy puppy with a sweet bean-paste center.

Also known as: I joined a survival show and ended up debuting with my longtime friends and my idol's younger brother.

Every dream we hold on to will shine brightly on stage.

Survival-show ensemble, inspirational and career-focused, every important character is a hard worker.

The main and supporting characters aren't perfect and have their own flaws.

The protagonist actively plays up CP pairings. The romance is subtle and comes later.

The format is roughly 80% based on the Produce-style competition.