CHAPTER 90: UNITED FANDOM

"You sure about that?" Luther looked at Joshua with a teasing smile.

Joshua pushed him back into his seat. "Don’t underestimate me."

With that, he slipped his hands under Luther’s arms, trying to pull him up the same way Luther always did to him.

But reality soon proved that Luther’s doubt wasn’t unfounded.

Joshua strained with all his might, only to make Luther sway a little. "What the hell do you eat to get this heavy? We train the same amount—it’s not fair!"

Luther couldn’t help but laugh. He stood abruptly, flexing his arm; today’s outfit conveniently exposed one side.

Then he clenched his fist, bent his arm, and directly trapped Joshua’s face between his bicep.

"See, Joshua? See the difference now? How does it feel to be caught between my muscles?"

William, watching the whole scene from the side, muttered, "What a bunch of immature kids." But even he couldn’t resist checking his own arm afterwards.

Joshua’s soft cheek was pressed against Luther’s bicep.

Joshua huffed coldly, pushing against him, "I’ll have muscles too."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Luther quickly followed after him. "No, you’re perfect the way you are! Besides, you have muscles—come on, everyone’s got muscles, right?"

[No magazine release yet, but we already have behind-the-scenes footage? Is Shining Path finally learning how to cater to audience tastes?]

[Oh my god, Luther and Joshua are glued together like conjoined twins, hahaha!]

On screen, Luther was playfully pretending to mess with Joshua’s hair. Ultimately, he accidentally brushed it, knocking off a small Tweedia flower from Joshua’s head.

Before Joshua even noticed, Luther—panic written all over his face—hurriedly picked up the flower and placed it back, apologizing nonstop. Joshua, however, didn’t seem too bothered; perhaps he was just used to it by now.

The production team even edited a glowing "peace" emoji over Joshua’s head, radiating a soft angelic light.

[Holy hell, why does everyone in this shoot look so damn mlem mlem!]

[Joshua is a fairy!]

[Who the hell designed Luther’s outfit with one sleeve torn off? That bicep does not match his face!]

[Princess—but make it muscular.]

The video continued, showing Joshua and Leonard posing together for a shot.

Joshua looked awkward, so Leonard casually slung an arm over his shoulder. In the end, William came over, loudly directing them—though he couldn’t resist adding, "Why are you two so stiff? It’s not like you’re a newlywed couple!"

[First time hearing William say something that actually sounds nice.]

[So it’s official, huh? Foby is real!!!]

[They’re forcing me to raise the Foby flag high!]

[Has anyone clipped that scene yet? Honestly, if two people act relaxed together, they’re just friends—but if they’re all awkward like that, there’s definitely something going on!]

[No need to be so obvious about it, hahaha. Bunch of delusional fans. At least Luther and Joshua actually look close.]

The video rolled on toward the end. Joshua tried pulling Luther up from the ground, but Luther didn’t budge an inch.

[I’m deeply suspicious that Luther did that on purpose!]

[Obviously, he was using his strength to pull Joshua closer—the only one who didn’t realise it was Joshua!]

[Even so, Joshua could never lift Luther the way Luther lifts him.]

[If he spends too much time around these giants, Joshua will start thinking he’s tiny.]

[What nonsense—he’s clearly three meters tall!]

The camera zoomed in on the shot of Luther trapping Joshua’s face between his arm muscles, and the comment section exploded!

[Aaaaaa I can’t tell if I’m jealous of Joshua or Luther right now!]

[Oh my god, those soft cheeks—let me bite one, please!]

[Remember when Leonard used to call Joshua "Little Bun"? Hahaha, that name fits too well!]

[He looks so soft and delicious.]

[Luther, please choke me next!]

[Anyway, Luther’s the one who ended up chasing after him to apologize—what a sweetheart.]

[You can tell what’s real and fake from watching these vlogs. Those delusional fans only see what they want to see.]

[Cut it out—if your ship isn’t confirmed, they’re all identical. Every CP is fake! Fan-only forever!]

The short vlog quickly revealed the idols’ new looks, and the fans’ excitement for the September issue of V Magazine skyrocketed—promising record-breaking sales.

And finally, the time for the showdown had arrived.

The grand finale—the last performance for the contestants of Shining Path.

Up to five thousand people will attend this event in person! And that’s not even counting the live broadcast viewers. Every year, without fail, the finale always drew the highest ratings and the most enormous audience explosion—showcasing the immense pull of Shining Path and its trainees season after season.

Unlike the voting system in previous rounds, during the final, the audience would cast their votes live on-site, and the results would be announced that night. Who would debut, and who would have to leave?

Of course, most people cared about who made the debut lineup, and who would take the center position.

[The Wolf Doesn’t Eat Meat]: Everyone, stay focused! The final battle is upon us! Let’s give it everything we’ve got—Joshua must take the center position!

Not only the Wolf, but other foremost fan site masters also began rallying the fandom’s strength.

At this point, there were noticeably fewer fan quarrels than usual.

[Andy]: I’ll take plenty of great pictures for everyone, so please support our Joshua!

Andy didn’t actually think he liked Joshua all that much. So many fans had praised how good his photos of Joshua looked, so he wanted Joshua to shine as brightly as possible on stage, in the best position possible!

Meanwhile, Joshua was staring intently at his new mission panel.

A day had passed since he wore Luther’s shirt outside, yet the system still hadn’t confirmed the mission’s completion. Just as Joshua began to think maybe it was supposed to be a t-shirt, the mission bar appeared again.

[You have received immense expectations from countless sincere hearts!

A mission entrusted to you—don’t let those who support you down.

Mission: Debut as the Center!

Time Limit: The Final Stage of Shining Path!]

This time, there was no reward or punishment—it didn’t even feel like a side mission, but rather something even simpler than that.

Joshua stared at the glowing lines of text.

He... had received immense expectations from countless sincere hearts?

Everyone... don’t worry. No matter what happens, I’ll give it my all.

Joshua didn’t know what the outcome would be. He aimed for the goal he wanted to reach.

Please watch over me... all of you who love and support me.

Under Joshua’s post from yesterday, countless new comments appeared—most of them were words of encouragement.

[Don’t feel pressured, Joshua! It’s time for all your moms to show our true power!]

[I’ve never known what it feels like to be broke.]

[Anyway, good luck!!!]

[You focus on performing—leave taking the #1 spot and the center position to us!]

Joshua skimmed through the comments and couldn’t help but laugh, finally leaving behind a bit of muscle emoji 💪.

He just hoped his fans wouldn’t stress themselves out too much.

But Joshua clearly didn’t understand fans—no one else makes fans feel pressured; they’re the ones who put that pressure on themselves.

[The Wolf Doesn’t Eat Meat]: The first money I earn after getting kicked out of my house will be for Joshua. So no matter how much or how little, whether you’re rich or broke, even one free vote contributes to a huge result! Let’s show our love through action!

[Love is X]: Spending all your money on Joshua—maybe that’s why your roommate kicked you out, Wolf!

[Simp Joshua]: That speech was so moving—I’ll do my best too!