The main reason for choosing this program is that "singing patriotic songs" is a very prestigious starting point. With this experience, my daughter will have more confidence to secure mainstream opportunities when she debuts in the future.
"We were careless after all!" Ma Yuenan sighed, and decided to invite the station director to dinner again.
Actually, she quite liked Jiang Cancan. Apart from winning the championship, she wouldn't interfere with Jiang Cancan's ranking in any other way.
But first place is not acceptable.
She can't let her daughter be outshone by an ordinary person. Otherwise, when she debuts, this will become an indelible stain on her daughter's reputation. Her rivals can use this to launch smear campaigns, mocking her for having a Best Actress's daughter who can't even beat an ordinary person, and asking how she has the nerve to be in the entertainment industry.
"Sigh~ It seems I misunderstood the Best Actress; she's a good person!" Jiang Xiaoman felt a little ashamed as she looked at the vote count that had caught up overnight.
At that moment, he suddenly realized that his former political science teacher had said something particularly insightful: "The older you get, the dirtier your heart becomes! Sometimes it's not that you intentionally become dirty; it's that this bizarre and bewildering society has automatically stained you."
Look at himself! Just because the daughter of a TV Queen is also participating in the competition, he makes wild guesses and thinks that the other party must suppress them.
And what happened? Not only did Ma Yuenan not use her seniority to suppress them, but she actually helped them a lot!
If Ma Yuenan hadn't posted this on Weibo, their CanCan would probably still be struggling on the last page of the voting section.
Jiang Xiaoman has made up his mind! From now on, he's also a fan of Sister Ma Yuenan!
After the first live interview, the four (pre-selected) team leaders quickly developed a friendship typical of children, which was specifically demonstrated by—
Zhuo Siwei really brought several soup pots, woks, and frying pans from home to give to his friends who didn't have any pots at home;
Although Yan Ge didn't say anything yesterday, this cool boy came over carrying an even bigger package: "Minors can't donate money, but can I donate clothes or something? These are my store's inventory, don't be shy!"
The strict parents not only opened a street dance club, but also two children's clothing stores. His mother was there yesterday, and after returning home, the mother and son went through the store's inventory and found some out-of-season children's clothes that were originally going to be returned. They were all clothes for older children in grades 1 to 6, which were just right for the students of Langshan Elementary School.
Jian Ni handed Jiang Cancan empty-handed, with only a piece of paper in her hands, looking embarrassed: "I didn't donate any money! This was donated by my grandma!"
It was a shipping manifest! A whole truckload of instant noodles, eight-treasure porridge, self-heating rice, ham sausages, braised eggs, and other fast food! It was all sent directly to Langshan Elementary School, and it should be arriving soon.
"Wow! Ni Ni, does your family also run a convenience store?" Jiang Cancan was so happy to see so many food items on the list that she almost jumped for joy.
"What convenience store? My grandma owns a superstore! Do you know what a superstore is? A chain supermarket!" Jian Ni exclaimed angrily.
"Oh~" Jiang Cancan didn't know anything about the store and wasn't interested in it. Her dream was to take her grandmother and younger sister to town to open a small store and sell whatever they wanted to eat.
Jian Ni: "..."
Forget it! There's no point in talking to this country bumpkin who's never seen the world!
After the live interview ended, many netizens followed the directions given by the TV host to find the official account of Langshan Primary School, but after searching for a long time, they still couldn't find Jiang Cancan's personal account. When they went to ask, they learned that Jiang Cancan's family was struggling financially and still didn't have a telephone or a mobile phone. If she wanted to make a call, she had to walk to the nearest house to borrow a mobile phone...
Jiang Xiaoman quickly asked Fang Xingchen to produce a video to explain that since the students are still in school and are not allowed to bring their phones, those who want to see Jiang Cancan's daily life can follow the school's official account. This can also be considered as a way to drive traffic to the account.
Actually, it wouldn't be difficult for him to buy Jiang Cancan a phone right now, but considering that if Jiang Cancan really makes it into the top ten, she will definitely have to sign a contract with a brokerage company under the State Administration of Radio and Television, and the company will definitely have other arrangements, he, being an outsider, won't cause any trouble...
After all, there have been many news stories in the entertainment industry in recent years about celebrities whose personal dark history has been dug up and whose public image has been ruined. Jiang Xiaoman believes that the best way to avoid having one's dark history dug up is to resolutely not leave any dark history behind.
Besides, Jiang Xiaoman had recently browsed through many similar talent shows online, and he keenly realized that for ordinary people like Jiang Cancan, maintaining a degree of mystery was actually a way to preserve popularity. Otherwise, if all your past is exposed at once, netizens lose the fun of digging up old stories, and naturally, your attention will decrease.
"Just have them follow our school's account! Let's change the update frequency recently. I'll log in to the account this afternoon and post some of Can Can's daily life here. The evenings are yours." Jiang Xiaoman briefly assigned the tasks and then went back to doing her accounting.
What a disgrace! No, what a disgrace to his son! His father has been pushing him to study and take exams since he was a child, but he can't even do basic accounting. Now that the family is building a house, he has to call home every day to keep track of all the expenses and things that need to be purchased. That's how it is when you build a house in the countryside. The people you hire are only responsible for doing the work, and the homeowner is responsible for purchasing the building materials and other supplies.
Fortunately, there is still a week of practice time between the top 100 and the top 30. He has already asked the program team to help take care of Jiang Cancan for a few days. Tomorrow, he will go back to his hometown to take care of some trivial matters at home.
Oh, right, I also need to make a trip to Jiangwan Village to take the remaining batch of embroidered shoes that I ordered earlier to the county to pack and ship them out. Most importantly, I also need to go to the mountains to find Lao Shantou to buy some rock honey to give as gifts...
Jiang Xiaoman wished he could split himself into three pieces. He finally understood why people who had been through it all said that starting a business was much more tiring than working a regular job.
When you're working, you just need to do your job well, but starting a business is a whole different story!
Especially in a family like theirs, where there are only two people, his father knows nothing about what's happening down the mountain, so he has to handle almost all the external interactions.
However, no matter how tired she was, Jiang Xiaoman was happy.
Since he returned home, his father has visibly become radiant.
He can also help Uncle Baichuan take care of the children at the school and help the left-behind mothers sell some things to earn some pocket money. If he can also incubate several self-media accounts like Tang Xinlan, form a matrix, and create a cultural brand for Langshan, then just operating these accounts could create a lot of jobs for Langshan...
Perhaps the old shaman was half right. As long as the children in the mountains can leave the mountains, learn more knowledge outside, and broaden their horizons, whether it is him or others, those who have left Langshan and returned to build Langshan are the true hope of Langshan!
However, despite being so busy, Jiang Xiaoman felt uneasy, as if she had forgotten something, until she received a call from Jiang Xia—
"Jiang Xiaoman, you've really made something of yourself! Our Langshan girl is on a TV show, and I, the shaman, am the last to know!" Jiang Xia roared helplessly on the other end of the phone.
"No~ weren't you out chasing after your idol? How could I dare disturb you?" Jiang Xiaoman said innocently.
Besides, what era are we living in? Humans are already exploring the metaverse, how could Langshan still have shamanistic worship?
"You know nothing! Do you even know what time management is? Chasing after celebrities doesn't stop me from doing data work for our Langshan fans!" Jiang Xia urged on the phone. "Hurry up and get me some authorization. I need to set up Can Can's fan club and fan site, prepare the Baidu Encyclopedia entry, and the Tieba..."
"Wait a minute! Brother Xia, Can Can has only just made it into the top 100. She's still a long way from becoming a star, isn't she?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Didn't you see the Weibo post that Wei Sheng's agent just made? Wei Sheng himself even reposted it!"
What?
Jiang Xiaoman quickly turned off the calculator on his phone and opened Weibo. Luckily, he had previously followed Wei Sheng's account. When he scrolled in, he saw that the latest post was a repost from his own agent.
Agent: We've unexpectedly discovered a promising talent! (Image: Screenshot from Jiang Cancan's audition video)
Wei Sheng: (Forwarded) I'm already picking out a gift for my future junior sister! ヽ(°▽°)ノ?
Holy crap! When did this happen?
He'd heard of Wei Sheng's agent; he was incredibly powerful! Apparently, when J Province TV established its own talent agency, they poached him from outside with a hefty sum. Even the station director couldn't control him. He only managed those he personally favored, and since joining the group, he'd only managed four people. Besides Wei Sheng and another girl, the other two had already reached top-tier status…
Is he dreaming?
After washing her face in the bathroom, Jiang Xiaoman swiped her phone screen, found Wei Sheng's WeChat account, thought for a moment, then swiped down again and found his assistant, Xiao Bai—
"Brother Bai, did you see the Weibo post Brother Wei just made? What 'little junior sister'? It's not what I'm thinking, is it?"
They responded quickly.
"That's right, just what you thought! I was going to tell you the good news, but I didn't expect you to be so well-informed."
"The TV Queen wanted to sign your Can Can before she became famous, but our Brother Wei's agent snatched her away, haha~ Actually, it's not really snatching away. Why should an outsider benefit from a good talent we selected ourselves?" Xiao Bai laughed extremely arrogantly in the voice message.
This is another kind of happiness within the system.
Often, even if you're a TV queen, you still have to give face to the TV station.
After all, in this industry, who knows when their show will be broadcast on this TV station?
To get better time slots and stronger promotional campaigns, you need to cultivate good relationships with major TV stations.
Otherwise, someone might spend money to buy your show, hold it for two or three years, and then you'll have nowhere to cry, okay?
Okay, he's being narrow-minded.
Having figured out the reason, Jiang Xiaoman secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and the next instant, a surge of joy involuntarily welled up in her heart—
I've heard that Wei Sheng's agent is incredibly capable. With him in charge, it seems that Jiang Cancan's studies and future don't need to be a concern for us laymen.
Most importantly, he and Wei Sheng shared similar thoughts: the entertainment industry is a mixed bag, and instead of seeking other agencies for higher revenue sharing, it's better to rely on the powerful backing of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
At the very least, brokerage companies under state-owned enterprises like the State Administration of Radio and Television, while having many rules, have fewer shady dealings.
Even if Jiang Cancan is destined to work in the entertainment industry to make a living, Jiang Xiaoman still hopes that she can at least finish university.
Chapter 58
Jiang Cancan still stay at the TV station for a week of training and rehearsals. Jiang Xiaoman originally wanted to entrust her to the program team's life assistant, but unexpectedly, Jiang Xia volunteered to be the substitute parent.
"I am, after all, a priestess of Langshan..." Jiang Xia found a reason for himself.
“Speak like a human!” Jiang Xiaoman coldly interrupted him.
"You don't know, do you? Do you know who Wei Sheng's current agent's aunt is?"
"I don't even know his manager's name, how could I possibly know his aunt?"
"Forget it, let me tell you, his aunt is a partner in Jiang Yuan's studio! Our Can Can is really amazing, she became Wei Sheng's junior sister in no time, which is practically the same as our movie star's cousin!" Jiang Xia's voice was practically floating on the other end of the phone.
"If you ask me, the old man definitely miscalculated back then. Our Cancan is the chosen one of Langshan!"
“My aunt is a girl…” Jiang Xiaoman said quietly.
"Hehe~ That's a lucky charm fallen from the sky! Anyway, I've decided, I'll be your team's new media operator for free during the competition!" Jiang Xia hung up the phone immediately after saying that, showing with his actions that he would not accept Jiang Xiaoman's refusal!
"Never mind, family is always more reliable than outsiders." Jiang Xiaoman told Jiang Cancan about this and reminded her not to chat with Jiang Xia too often.
"Why?" Jiang Cancan looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Of course, I'm afraid you'll be led astray by that brainless fan of Jiang Xia!
However, Jiang Xiaoman still offered his aunt a scientific explanation: "Have you forgotten that Jiangxia is the shaman of Langshan? Their family's ancestral skills are feudal superstition! Do you remember what your principal father told you about breaking with feudal superstition?"
"Yes, yes! I definitely won't believe in feudal superstition!" Jiang Cancan was indeed more convinced by this scientific reason. As soon as she heard that Jiang Xia was into feudal superstition, she immediately distanced herself from him in her mind.
Before going home this time, Jiang Xiaoman made a special detour back to school to pick up her graduation certificate and the award certificate for outstanding graduate works.
The counselor also followed several of his video accounts. He heard that he was about to start a Zen retreat homestay business in his hometown and said with a smile that once the homestay opened, he would help introduce customers to him at the school.
After all, university teachers have relatively long winter and summer vacations and many holidays, so quite a few of them are willing to go out and have fun.
After leaving the counselor's office, Jiang Xiaoman went to the library again, bringing the librarians some homemade dried sweet potatoes, roasted peanuts from the sandy soil, and walnuts.
"Xiaoman, if you don't come soon, we're going to call you." Several aunties laughed as soon as they saw him.
Isn't that a coincidence?
A while ago, when the graduates were leaving school, they had just helped raise a batch of clothes, bedding, stationery, pens and paper, and were just about to call Jiang Xiaoman when he unexpectedly came over on his own.
"I can't just not come to collect my diploma after four years of university, can I?" Jiang Xiaoman thanked the aunties with a smile. However, he had too many things to carry back by himself, so he had to send them by postal parcel, which cost him a considerable amount of postage and made him very upset.
The dormitory was already vacated and locked. Jiang Xiaoman didn't want to spend another night's accommodation fee, so she simply bought a train ticket for the evening. When the train arrived in the county, she could find a 24-hour fast food restaurant near the station to rest for a while. The more than 100 yuan she would have spent on a hotel was enough to buy several kilograms of pork.
After such a long and arduous journey, it was already noon the next day when they finally got back to school. The school was bustling with activity today. Two days ago, Jian Ni's grandmother donated a whole truckload of various food, drinks, and supplies. Jiang Baichuan and two intern teachers spent two whole days sorting and organizing everything before they could properly categorize and put everything away.
Instant noodles, sausages, biscuits, and pickled vegetables that can be stored for a long time are left at the school for students to have as a snack or late-night treat. There are also some baby formula, oatmeal, potato chips, canned food, etc., which are distributed among the students according to the number of students, and they can also take some home for their families to enjoy.
Today is the day the school distributes its supplies, no wonder the students are so excited.
Some of them probably only drank breast milk during infancy. After weaning, let alone formula, even Jiang Xiaoman's family, which only has one child, couldn't afford to eat plain rice porridge every day.
Here, the limited and precious rice is eaten with sweet potatoes and potatoes, not to mention canned potato chips. How many potatoes would it take to afford a can of potato chips?
“It’s good that you’re back. This pile is for Can Can. Your two families live in the same direction. Could you make a trip for me this afternoon to take it to your aunt and check on how Can Can’s family is doing?” Jiang Baichuan pointed to a pile of things in the corner.