Não me chame de ídolo, sou artista

The so-called “cultivation-type” idols are mostly trained from ordinary people. Their singing and acting skills are immature at first and gradually improve over time, and fans are invited to participate in and witness their growth. After the explosive rise of TF-boys, many companies imitated the Times Fengjun model. Add to that the wild popularity of shows like “Idol Producer” and “Produce Camp,” and suddenly, everyone wanted a piece of the action.

As the wind turned, everyone rushed to get on board—even those who’d never been in the business before wanted a taste of the profits. Shen Yan’s company was just one of those. The boss was a man in his fifties from Taiwan, whose previous job had been selling shoes. When his shoe factory went bankrupt, he pivoted to the idol business, starting a new company and signing up a group of young, hopeful trainees, all dreaming of becoming the next Cai Xukun or Yang Chaoyue.

Shen Yan wasn’t bad—mainly, he was good-looking. He and three peers gave up their studies to become trainees. After three years of relentless practice, they finally debuted as a cultivation-type idol group. They bought their way onto a few trending topics, and gained some initial attention. The four-person team was called Dream-boys.

Then, scandals broke out about the other three: smoking, drinking, fighting, even early romances. They collapsed the moment they debuted! The company initially wanted to lay low and let Shen Yan join a talent show to recoup their three-year investment. But in the wake of endless industry scandals, a single official do