"So that's exactly what we want! We want the audience to never expect them to become friends! Whether it's a love-hate relationship or a gradual development of feelings, that's up to the screenwriter to figure out~"
Screenwriter: "..." What does this have to do with me?
The two men couldn't convince each other, and their argument eventually reached the station director. The director, holding two completely different proposals, considered for a moment and made his decision: separate them! And be careful when grouping them; separate those from families with better financial situations from those with worse ones. This time, let's have a grand urban-rural celebration theme! Aim to make the audience cry their eyes out during the finals!
Director & Producer: "..."
Has the station director gone mad?
The three top leaders turned their attention to the screenwriter who had been coerced by the producer.
Screenwriter: o(╥﹏╥)o
The next day, the preliminary selection officially began. Because there were too many people, all contestants entered in batches according to the number plates they were randomly selected. Jiang Cancan drew number 96, which was neither early nor late. Moreover, the preliminary selection did not require makeup or styling. Seeing that there was still time, Jiang Xiaoman made the most of it and went back to her room to skillfully open the live broadcast room.
This time, he didn't attach fake flowers to the phone stand.
However, after last night's training, Jiang Cancan is no longer as afraid of the camera as before, but she is still a little reserved.
"Can Can, if you think of it this way, just treat this camera like potatoes in the field!" Jiang Xiaoman teased her from the side.
Jiang Cancan chuckled, and when she looked at the phone camera again, she tried to imagine the phone as a potato at home, and sure enough, she felt much more relaxed.
The fans in the live stream: "..."
Okay, so that my sister can adapt to the competition environment as soon as possible, let's just be potatoes then.
Fortunately, they were practicing via live stream. Soon after, a kind person in the live stream reminded them that it's okay to warm up their voices before a competition, but it's best not to sing continuously, otherwise they might run out of stamina during the actual competition...
Seeing the comments reminding them to take a break, Jiang Xiaoman was startled and quickly told Jiang Cancan to stop.
"Looks like I still need to find an experienced teacher." Jiang Xiaoman said with lingering fear. No wonder people say that studying music, art, and dance are expensive majors. Not to mention the various instruments and dance costumes, self-study is basically impossible. The tuition for these special classes is also ridiculously expensive. If Jiang Cancan's musical journey doesn't get a free admission spot this time, it will probably end here.
Finding a teacher is impossible, and he can't afford it. How many potatoes would he have to sell to make up for the cost of one of the teacher's lessons?
After resting for a while, staff members came to urge them to go to the waiting area.
The studio of J Province TV station has a huge dome, and the lights on it, I don't know what kind of lights they use, create a starry sky effect, which is very beautiful! After handing Jiang Cancan over to the staff to wait backstage, Jiang Xiaoman found the family area. Zhou Yinuo had already arrived and had even saved a seat for him next to her.
"You didn't even tell me you were coming?" Jiang Xiaoman looked at her old classmate speechlessly.
"Hehe~ I saw on my e-ticket that the entry time was 9:00 AM, so I came right on time, hoping to spend more time with my goddess!"
"You and your goddess are three rows apart, does that count as being together?"
"What do you know? A fan went to the goddess's birthday party and even brought back a lot of air from the venue to sell on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace). A bottle of air that the goddess breathed was 99 yuan! I couldn't even get one!"
"Luckily you didn't manage to snag one; I think that's just a waste of money."
Zhou Yinuo glanced at him, silently took out a row of empty bottles from her backpack, and began to collect "the same air as the goddess" from the goddess's guest seats.
He's already set up a Xianyu (a Chinese online marketplace for secondhand goods) account, how could he possibly let go of this opportunity to profit from fellow fans? Wouldn't it be better to make money and then snag tickets to his idol's concert?
Jiang Xiaoman: "..."
Jiang Xiaoman really didn't want to sit with this brainless fan, but there was nothing he could do. There were already few seats in the family area, and there were all sorts of people who used connections to sneak in and get seats to chase after their idols (like his silly classmate). Since there were no extra seats available, Jiang Xiaoman could only focus his attention on the stage.
Now it's number 89's turn, a handsome young boy who played the guitar and sang a folk song. He played the guitar quite well, but unfortunately, he was probably using a voice changer, which affected his voice, and he was eliminated on the spot. Seeing the boy's suddenly reddened eyes, Jiang Xiaoman's heart tightened, and she couldn't help but clench her fists.
Each contestant had five minutes to prepare, and soon it was Jiang Cancan's turn to go on stage.
Jiang Cancan didn't buy any new clothes this year. The only two new outfits she had were the "school uniforms" that the school had purchased for her. He had originally planned to take her to buy a more expensive performance outfit when they got to the provincial capital, but Wei Sheng stopped him: "Just wear the school uniform she usually wears at school. This is her unique persona, understand?"
Jiang Xiaoman understood Wei Sheng's words, but she still felt uneasy.
He knew, of course, that the impoverished yet incredibly talented girl from the mountains would make Jiang Cancan unforgettable from the moment she appeared on stage, thanks to the striking contrast in her appearance. But if he had a choice, he still wouldn't want Jiang Cancan to appear on this glamorous and dreamlike stage in such a humble manner... Even a true swan would feel inferior for having once been an ugly duckling.
Fortunately, the adults' sentimentality does not affect the children's happiness in the slightest.
Thinking back to what she'd heard backstage about the 500,000 yuan dream fund for the first prize, young Jiang Cancan was filled with ambition. Even before stepping onto the preliminary stage, she had already meticulously planned how to use the 500,000 yuan: she would spend 100,000 yuan to build a house for her family, give another 100,000 yuan to the principal to renovate the classrooms and cafeteria! The remaining money would be left for her grandmother's retirement and her younger sister's schooling…
Seeing Jiang Cancan standing confidently on the stage, Jiang Xiaoman secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he found himself a little amused. He was always afraid that Jiang Cancan would feel inferior because of her background, but he forgot that his "little aunt" was only nine years old this year. What did she know about feeling inferior?
Just sing it and that's it, right?
Sure enough, with the huge motivation of "500,000," Jiang Cancan's first words shocked the entire audience, and the mentors and guest mentors all involuntarily sat up straight...
At the same moment, in the show's official live stream, many longtime fans who had followed the series since the first season couldn't help but feel excited—
"Holy crap! That voice! It gave me goosebumps!"
"Jiang Cancan, number 96! Remember this name! She will definitely be on the top 30 list!"
"Top 30? If they can't even make it into the top 10 with these conditions, I can only say that the production team must have rigged the show."
"OMG~ She's so steady! When she hits those high notes, my eardrums almost shattered!"
It took Jiang Cancan three and a half minutes to complete her preliminary performance. The remaining minute and a half was spent with the mentors and guest mentors vying to ask her all sorts of questions.
Who taught you vocal music? Which school are you currently studying at?
"Langshan Primary School? No vocal music teacher? You taught yourself?"
"Your dad is the school principal? Is your dad the school principal?"
...
These questions were actually all in the script. The director originally wanted to stir things up with Jiang Cancan's background, and the script had already listed the questions to be asked. The mentors and guests were initially just going through the motions, but as soon as Jiang Cancan opened her mouth, everyone changed their minds.
"Jiang, I am a teacher at the Beijing Conservatory of Music. Have you ever considered studying in Beijing? On behalf of the school, I welcome such a talented student like you to join us!"
"Teacher Dong, you can't fool this young girl. The Beijing Conservatory of Music is too far away. Jiang is still so young, she definitely can't be too far from home. How about coming to our university-affiliated primary school in J Province? We offer direct admission from primary to junior high and high school. Our music specialty class is also famous throughout the country."
The mentors who participated in the show were actually representing their schools to "select promising talents." Although there are many children studying music these days, truly talented individuals are highly sought after, especially Jiang Cancan, who is only nine years old! She possesses such exceptional musical talent; her timbre and pitch are simply the kind of genius bestowed by God. The mentors haven't yet fought tooth and nail over her, mainly because the preliminary selection is still being broadcast live, and everyone is concerned about saving face. However, I suspect they'll be taking turns going to the TV station to recruit her after the show...
Jiang Cancan was still in a daze when she was led off the stage, but the "unanimous approval" result made her feel the attention of the other contestants as soon as she stepped off the stage.
"Great job! Now we don't have to go on a three-day trip to J province!" Jiang Xiaoman was so excited when she saw the mentors holding up their signs that she almost clapped her hands until they turned red.
"Our little aunt is amazing! Could she be the next pop diva? No way, I have to get her autograph!" Zhou Yinuo was also stunned.
He initially thought it was just his old classmate's kid participating in the competition for fun, but he didn't expect Jiang Cancan to be so amazing. After singing one song, several big shots on the judging panel almost got into a fight over her.
My little aunt is amazing!
"Who's your little aunt? That's my aunt! Hurry up and set up the celebration banquet, haha~" Jiang Xiaoman hinted to a certain brainless fan who came to freeload in the family section that it was time to pay the ticket fee.
“No problem! Let’s invite some old classmates tonight and go eat roast whole lamb! Afterwards, I’ll take my aunt to buy her two new dresses.” As she spoke, Zhou Yinuo gave him a disdainful look. “Look how stingy you are! Is this your aunt’s first time participating in a competition? You can’t even buy her a dress. Look at other little girls, they all wear princess dresses on stage, okay?”
Chapter 55
However, we're definitely not going to get to eat roast whole lamb tonight.
In the afternoon, Jiang Xiaoman and Zhou Yinuo were shopping for clothes with Jiang Cancan when they received a call from their assistant, Xiaobai—
"Brother Xiaoman, great news! During today's preliminary live stream, Cancan was incredibly popular. Data shows that 39% of the comments were related to Jiang Cancan, everyone is really curious about her!"
"The production team plans to do a live stream tonight, where several of the top-ranked contestants will be interviewed. It won't be long, just over ten minutes for each person. Hurry back, Brother Wei has called his personal stylist over to do a special look for Can Can!"
"Okay, okay, we'll be right back!" Jiang Xiaoman was also quite excited.
With such a high level of attention garnered in the preliminary rounds, even if they don't win the championship, their chances of making it into the top ten have greatly increased.
With a celebrity stylist like David Beckham, why would you need to buy any dresses?
Zhou Yinuo personally drove them back to the hotel.
"Hurry up! Our teacher Hua Hua charges by the hour." Assistant Xiao Bai hurriedly led them to a dressing room on the ninth floor. As soon as they entered, Wei Sheng came over with a stylist.
Upon seeing the stylist, Jiang Xiaoman was startled. He'd heard Xiaobai mention "Teacher Hua Hua" and assumed it was a beautiful woman, but it turned out to be a muscular man easily 180cm tall! His massive biceps were covered in large tattoos of thorns and roses; he didn't look like a stylist at all, but rather like a nightclub extortionist…
"Hua Hua, you understand what I just said, right? Our producer is trying to stir things up again by using the contestant's background. Playing the victim is fine, but it can't be too tragic. What I mean is, play the victim where it's appropriate, and when it's appropriate to be beautiful, you must show off this girl's natural beauty..." Wei Sheng pressed Jiang Cancan down in her usual makeup spot and patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"Shut up!" Teacher Hua rolled her eyes and kicked them all out.
"Just wait! He doesn't like people standing next to him and giving him pointers when he's creating." Wei Sheng led Jiang Xiaoman to his office.
"This stylist must be expensive, right? Thank you so much, Brother Wei. We definitely can't afford to pay you, so we can only take advantage of you~ I'll send you some rock honey and walnuts from my hometown later. The rock honey is even better than the honey from our own beehives, and the walnuts from our hometown are delicious too." Jiang Xiaoman thanked him earnestly.
Although he wasn't in the entertainment industry, he knew that stylists who served celebrities were extremely expensive, reportedly costing tens of thousands of yuan for a single makeup session. If Wei Sheng hadn't intervened, ordinary families like theirs probably wouldn't have been able to find a way even if they had the money.
"Okay~ then I won't stand on ceremony with you. And those pickled green beans and pickled peppers you made, cough~ make some for me too. Can I get an annual membership?"
"No!" Assistant Xiaobai's expression changed drastically, and she grabbed Wei Sheng's hand as he was about to transfer the money. "Brother~ are you trying to kill me? One dish of kimchi costs three bowls of rice! If you get fat, how am I supposed to survive? Brother Zhou will kill me with his own hands!"
"Fine! You just wait! I'll retire once I've earned a hundred million! Anyway, I have a government job, so I won't have to worry about not having money after retirement." Wei Sheng angrily put away his phone.
If he weren't so afraid of being poor, he wouldn't want to be a celebrity. He can't eat or drink properly, and he even has to practice walking, greeting, and smiling with a teacher repeatedly... With such high standards, why doesn't the entertainment industry just make a bunch of robots to meet those standards?
"It's okay, Brother Wei. I'll pickle some honey lemons for you later. You can drink that like water, right? As for the kimchi, there's no way I can make it. But my family's home will probably open a guesthouse next year. You can come to my place for your holidays then, and I'll cover your food and lodging!"
“That’s great! Anyway, our broadcasting group gives us five days of paid annual leave every year.” Wei Sheng happily booked a room with Jiang Xiaoman.
Xiao Bai rolled her eyes.
Annual leave is indeed a benefit for ordinary people, but for a big star like Wei Sheng with a seven-figure appearance fee, five days of annual leave would mean a loss of at least several million. If it were him, he would work himself to the bone to earn that money, right?
More than an hour later, Teacher Hua called and asked them to come and "inspect the results".
"Holy crap!" Jiang Xiaoman's mouth dropped open slightly when she saw Jiang Cancan after her makeover, and she was completely stunned.
My aunt was still the same aunt, wearing a linen knee-length dress without any decorations, only a matching short-sleeved shirt over it, making her look simple and unpretentious.
Her hair was still tied in a simple ponytail, with her bangs combed up, revealing her smooth and full forehead.
Hua Hua didn't add any concealer or foundation to Jiang Cancan's face. It still had the familiar, sun-tanned, slightly dark complexion of a child from the mountains. But upon closer inspection, her eyebrows, eyes, and nose looked quite different from usual. Her eyes were bigger and brighter, her eyebrows were more defined, her small nose was upturned, and her rosy lips weren't covered in lipstick. At first glance, it looked like she wasn't wearing any makeup at all. Yet, no matter how you looked at her, you could tell that this child was naturally beautiful. It was just that because she was born deep in the poor mountains, she was a bit rougher than children from the city, but she had a more natural, unadorned beauty, like a wildflower.
A few years ago, the beauty world was all about "battle-damaged makeup," but Jiang Cancan's look is probably more like "poverty makeup," right? She looks poor, but her beauty is undeniable!
"As expected of our Teacher Hua Hua!" Wei Sheng looked her over with satisfaction, then squatted down next to Jiang Cancan, took out his phone and took several pictures, planning to share them in the fan group after the second round of voting began so that everyone could help vote.
He's definitely going to take this student!
Since they are my students, I must teach them what I'm supposed to teach them.
Wei Sheng first had his assistant, Xiao Bai, take the stylist home, then took Jiang Cancan aside and began to teach her some tips for dealing with reporters' interviews—
"When you encounter a question you don't want to answer or don't know how to answer, just smile at the other person, or say you're thirsty and want a drink, put down your cup, and casually ask them a completely unrelated question in return. Treat it as a conversation and dodge the question from the previous one!"
“Our own station’s programs shouldn’t make things difficult for the contestants, but I heard that this time they’re going to use your family situation to play the victim. Can Can, remember, never cry in front of the camera or say anything bad about your family. Just tell everyone that your family is doing well, and then just tell the reporters about your family’s daily life.”
"Don't cry! Tell the truth! Don't say anything bad about home or school! Remember these three things, can you do them?"
Jiang Cancan opened her eyes wide, tried to process the three points Wei Sheng had mentioned, nodded firmly, and didn't forget to retort, "My family is already very well-off! My principal father is also very well-off!"