“I brought it! But didn’t you say we couldn’t let Xiaobai and the other people at the TV station find out? I’ve hidden it in our room. Give me your house key later, and I’ll sneak it in when no one’s home.”
As a lowly employee at the TV station, unlike other top celebrities, Wei Sheng lived in an apartment rented for him by the station, just across the street from the TV station. It was very convenient to have him come to work overtime anytime. *cough*
“I don’t have a key. My house has a fingerprint lock. I’ll send you a visitor password later… By the way, don’t put it in the kitchen or the guest room. Xiaobai will check those places frequently. I’m telling you, just put it under the TV cabinet opposite my bed in my bedroom. That’s where my safe is. Xiaobai doesn’t usually touch that cabinet,” Wei Sheng quickly reminded him.
"Brother, you're amazing! You've got so much money you've stored it all in a safe!" Jiang Xiaoman was extremely envious. Her family didn't have much money left after building their house.
"What unrealistic dreams are you having? That's all contracts! Contracts!" Wei Sheng couldn't help but burst into tears.
If he really had that much money, he would have retired from the entertainment industry long ago and gone to work in the technical department of a TV station.
Money is easy to make in the entertainment industry, but there are also many unspeakable troubles, especially some people online who may not even know you, but just because they saw some negative articles about you or heard a few things, they follow the trend to curse you and give you all sorts of nasty nicknames, such as "sanitary napkin" or "system dog"... It's heartbreaking to think about.
"Pfft~ It's okay! Brother, if you think about it this way, maybe they dislike you because you're handsome and lucky? After all, it's so hard for college graduates to find jobs these days. Look at me, I was unemployed right after graduating from college, unlike you, who got a job at a TV station at such a young age. If you keep working for another ten years or so, you'll definitely become a 'virtuous and talented senior'. By then, who will remember your dark history?" Jiang Xiaoman comforted him.
"Who are you saying has a dark past? What's wrong with me?" Wei Sheng felt a little better after hearing what he said, but when he heard the words "dark past," he became unhappy again.
"Hehe~ Slip of the tongue! Slip of the tongue!"
After chatting for a while, Xiaobai returned with two glasses of honey lemon water.
This honey was a gift from Jiang Xiaoman to Wei Sheng.
"Why isn't it sweet at all?" Wei Sheng took a sip and couldn't help but frown.
"Brother, you have to record the station's 'International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking' gala on Thursday, so you need to cut out salt and sugar starting today," Xiaobai kindly reminded him. "And there's a program on Saturday, and you have to audition for it on Sunday..."
"Alright, alright, I got it!" Wei Sheng sullenly gulped down a large mouthful of lemon water with almost no honey added.
Jiang Xiaoman couldn't help but give her a sympathetic look, and then took a sip of lemonade. Wow! So sweet!
It seems that Xiaobai added the honey that was supposed to be for Wei Sheng to his cup instead?
Today is Jiang Cancan's competition to advance from the top 100 to the top 30. Jiang Xiaoman is even more nervous than she is. Wei Sheng saw him wandering around like a headless fly outside the arena, so he grabbed him and poured a large glass of lemon honey water down his throat, which finally calmed him down.
"It's almost time, let's go in." Wei Sheng raised his wristwatch and glanced at the time.
"Brother Wei, you absolutely have to win over our Can Can!" Jiang Xiaoman grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously.
"Don't worry, the other three teachers also have people they want to promote. I've asked the station, and they support my choice of Cancan."
What Wei Sheng was embarrassed to tell Jiang Xiaoman was that the station leader's original words were: "Jiang Cancan is now the biggest gimmick of our program's 'poverty alleviation' campaign. Such a good representative of positive energy must be personally mentored by our own people. We can't let outsiders benefit from her!"
Looking around, the other three guests weren't one of our own, so we decided to go with Wei Sheng!
Xiao Wei is truly a valuable asset within the system; he's always there to be moved wherever needed!
However, with Jiang Cancan as a "positive energy representative," their chances of the show passing the review have greatly increased. The station is very satisfied with her, and it seems that as long as her performance on stage doesn't falter, she will definitely make it to the finals.
As for the rankings, let's not think about that for now. That's a game between different capital groups, and it's not something the station can decide on its own.
Jiang Cancan not only avoided any mishaps, but when she was among the top 100 and making it into the top 30, her rendition of the classic old song "Mother in the Candlelight" brought tears to the eyes of all four mentors and guests.
Even the chief director, Chen Shu, couldn't help but shed tears like a tough guy on the control panel.
This child's singing is so moving!
In fact, Jiang Cancan herself sang the song with tears in her eyes.
She first heard this song on the school's loudspeaker. It was her first day of school. During lunch break, the children from the village would run to the door, waiting for their parents to bring them treats. The school food was so-so that parents who lived nearby worried that their children weren't eating enough, so they would often bring them roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes during lunch break.
She and the others who lived in the mountains naturally didn't have anyone bring them food. That noon, Jiang Cancan squatted under the eaves, listening to the song "Mother in the Candlelight" playing from the loudspeaker. As she listened, tears welled up in her eyes.
She thought, if her mother were still alive, she would definitely bring her delicious food, right?
These past few days, Jiang Xiaoman had some business to attend to, so she entrusted her to her brother Jiang Xia. Jiang Xia really knows a lot about the entertainment industry, and with him around, she's doing much better on the show. But the more he does, the more she misses her mother. Sometimes, lying in bed alone, she can't help but think that if her mother had come with her to the competition, she definitely wouldn't have slept on the sofa outside, but would have slept in bed with her, holding her, and maybe even singing to her and lulling her to sleep... Although she doesn't remember whether her mother can sing or not.
Because she was thinking about her mother, when the program team asked her to choose a song for the competition, Jiang Cancan chose "Mother in the Candlelight" without hesitation.
What she didn't expect was that after singing one song, she moved most of the audience to tears, and the remaining few also had red eyes and held back their tears. The audience applauded thunderously, and many people stood up from the audience to applaud her.
Jiang Cancan bowed somewhat awkwardly, then looked up and saw Jiang Xiaoman and Jiang Xia in the family section. Her anxious heart immediately calmed down.
"Xiao Wei, I suddenly changed my mind. How about we switch places? You can give me Can Can?" Singer Xu Ying wiped away her tears and joked with Wei Sheng.
The team captains for the four guests were pretty much decided beforehand, but at this moment, Xu Ying truly regretted it.
As a professional singer, she knew better than anyone else present that for a song to move the audience, technique was secondary; the most important thing was the singer's control over emotions.
In this respect alone, Jiang Cancan is definitely one of the few genius-level contestants she has seen in the past decade!
Chapter 64
"I already have two stinky boys, and my wife and I dream of having a daughter. How about I take care of Can Can?" Even Jackie Chan, the eldest brother, couldn't help but join the competition.
"I can braid hair! I'm also super good at video games! I think Cancan might like me?" Qi Feier joined in the fun, but she was smart and directly gave the choice to Jiang Cancan.
Actually, she didn't really like the "junior" that the company wanted her to promote. She wished Jiang Cancan would choose her instead, then she could naturally kick that annoying "junior" aside.
However, if Jiang Cancan didn't choose her, she wouldn't lose out, and she wouldn't offend the company or the TV station. Qi Feier silently calculated in her mind and immediately joined the army of people vying for her.
While the competition among the guests might have had an element of performance, the other four teachers on stage, from various music academies, were genuinely battling it out on the spot regarding their schools' recruitment incentives.
Jiang Cancan looked at Jiang Xia in the family section with a somewhat helpless expression.
Jiang Xia stretched out her finger and quietly pointed in Wei Sheng's direction.
He had already discussed it with Wei Sheng: first select the guests, then decide on the mentors. After all, the mentors were all invited by the TV station, and no one knew better than someone from the TV station itself which academy was more suitable for Jiang Cancan.
"Wait! Jiang Cancan, before you make a decision, can you listen to what your aunt has to say?" Xu Ying suddenly picked up the microphone.
Jiang Cancan blinked her big eyes and looked over obediently.
Xu Ying felt a pang of sadness. Back when she first entered the entertainment industry, she was just like Jiang Cancan now, knowing nothing and offending many people as a result. She was pushed along by fate to where she is now, stumbling and falling, suffering countless losses and taking countless detours.
She didn't want Jiang Cancan to go through the same hardships she had endured.
After all, society is always much harsher on girls. Even if you come from a poor family and have to make a living in the entertainment industry, there will still be people who criticize you for being vain.
You are ambitious and hardworking, but people say that because you come from a poor family, you are short-sighted and always want to compete for and grab everything you see.
If you are timid and cowardly, others will bully and humiliate you even more. Seeing that you are easy to bully, they will want to trample you under their feet and crush you!
Wei Sheng does have the backing of the TV station, and few people dare to risk offending the TV station to touch him, after all, he is part of the system. But precisely because of this, Xu Ying felt that he was not suitable to take care of Jiang Cancan.
If Jiang Cancan were just an average rural girl, then handing her over to Wei Sheng would be the best opportunity for her to change her fate by getting a job in the system.
The problem is that Jiang Cancan's talent is just too amazing—her timbre, pitch, and control over the emotions in the song...
To put it simply, such a promising talent should be sent to the very top of the Chinese music industry's resource pool, allowing her to compete against the best of her peers! She should be honed in real-world experience to become a top superstar for the next twenty years!
Instead of following Wei Sheng and working within the system, where you'd only retire as a tenured "singer," and if you're lucky, maybe even become a professor at a music academy... that would be such a waste!
Xu Ying explained her considerations to Jiang Cancan in a way that a child could understand, and the other music teachers present immediately showed expressions that were hard to describe.
Therefore, it's absolutely reasonable that people from the academic school dislike Xu Ying!
This woman is so annoying. Not only does she not follow the unspoken rules of this industry, but she also wants to "break the rules" at the drop of a hat.
What's most infuriating is that she actually succeeded! Now she's trying to steal away the promising young talents that the academics have their eyes on. Does this woman have a grudge against the academics?
Yes! They don't make much money in academia, but can art be measured by a few measly coins?
Several music academy teachers silently rolled up their sleeves; today they were going to fight Xu Ying to the death!
"Thank you, Ms. Xu Ying! I know what to do!" Jiang Cancan lowered her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up and started calculating on her fingers—
“I’m nine years old this year. I heard that you have to graduate from high school to take the entrance exam for the music academy. Can I choose Brother Wei Sheng first? Because I already promised to choose him! Principal Dad said that you can’t break your promise.”
"Moreover, I can study music with Brother Wei Sheng while attending school, and then I can take the entrance exam for a music academy when I take the college entrance exam... Um, my math grades aren't very good, I don't know if I can get in. Brother Jiang Xia said that the four major music academies in China are very difficult to get into now."
"If I get accepted, I'll go to university! Grandma said that girls must go to university so they can have a bright future and won't suffer."
"Teacher Xu Ying, after I graduate from university, can I work for you? Brother Jiang Xia said that if I work with you, Teacher Xu Ying, all I need to do is sing well. Your studio is amazing!"
Xu Ying: "..."
I'm really impressive, didn't you see those old men next to me wanting to eat me up?
However, this little girl is quite interesting. At such a young age, she can manage her life so well. Although it sounds a bit naive, upon closer inspection, she hasn't offended anyone. She really is just a child!
Xu Ying also has a daughter, who is like a thorn in her side. She will rush up and argue with anyone she doesn't like. Unlike Jiang Cancan, who probably didn't have many people who cared about her growing up, she can't bear to disappoint anyone who is good to her.
Because there were many contestants waiting to compete, the teachers couldn't really keep bothering Jiang Cancan. However, what was really frustrating was that during the intermission, several music academy teachers "coincidentally" ran into Jiang Cancan backstage and subtly tried to add her on WeChat.
After all, these music academies all have affiliated primary and secondary schools. Who says you have to go to university to become their student? They can easily snag them first and then nurture them gradually.
Unfortunately, Jiang Cancan is still a primary school student and doesn't have the right to use a mobile phone yet. The teachers could only regretfully add the "guardian," Jiang Xiaoman, on WeChat. They saw that he had opened a WeChat store and even placed a few orders with him...
"Tch~ Who wouldn't want to pick up a freebie? Don't get too emotional. With Cancan's talent, she was born to make a living in music. No matter which school she goes to, she'll just be handing them trophies for nothing." Jiang Xia said bluntly as she watched the mentors return to the stage.
As a long-time fan of the Best Actor, he knows better than anyone how snobbish the entertainment industry is.
If Jiang Cancan had the same qualifications as the average contestant, believe it or not, these people wouldn't even give her a second glance when they met.
Just like every year during the college entrance examination, the top scorers from each province are so eager to get into Tsinghua and Peking Universities that they're practically fighting over them. When have you ever seen them vying for students who didn't get in?
"You can't say that. After all, he's a university professor. You don't know how hard it is to get into art schools these days, especially when a famous professor personally mentors you. That's such a rare opportunity."
Jiang Xiaoman is a typical pragmatist. In his view, a person's "usefulness" is also a manifestation of social value.
If a person can't even find any value to be used in the world, wouldn't that be too miserable?
"So you brought Can Can along, all eager to be the lamb to the slaughter?" Jiang Xia rolled her eyes at him, then, after thinking for a moment, couldn't help but point out a couple of things, since they were from the same hometown. "Why is it called the entertainment industry? It's a big circle with smaller circles inside. Don't be fooled by the fact that they're all in music; there are many factions involved."
"Putting aside other things, take Xu Ying for example. She's strong enough and has amazing talent, right? Just because she didn't come from one of the four major academies, she's been criticized ever since her debut. Moreover, people from the four major academies don't even associate with Xu Ying and her group, looking down on them because they're all self-taught!"
"Anyway, you guys need to think it through yourselves. Do you want to follow the conventional academic path and become a university teacher, or take the civil service exam like Wei Sheng, or do you want to follow Xu Ying and make money first?"
"I'm not very familiar with the academic circle, but I've heard that seniority is a very serious factor in this industry. No matter how capable a newcomer is, they still have to work their way up step by step and have to be mindful of their mentors' opinions."
"I did ask around about Xu Ying. Although she doesn't have a good reputation in the industry—many people say she's ungrateful and doesn't support her own parents—those are obviously paid articles from rivals. You've seen her professional abilities; I heard J Province TV went to great lengths to get her here. For a girl from the mountains to have reached this position, and with such a bad temper, there's only one reason..."
"She's too strong!" Jiang Xiaoman's eyes lit up.
“Yes, for someone to establish themselves in a circle, emotional intelligence, social skills, and even the exchange of benefits are all secondary. Only absolute strength is the foundation for a person to stand firm!” Jiang Xia smiled coldly.
"As long as the songs you make are good and the people like them, why bother with so many different factions? They keep shouting that they are the only orthodox ones, but after all these years, I haven't seen them write any hit songs that the people sing along to."
"Hehe~ I know that! To see if a song is popular, just go to the square and listen to what the square dancing aunties are playing lately, right?" Jiang Xiaoman chuckled. "And short videos too. To see if a new song is popular, just watch some short videos. When that song 'Nightingale' became popular a while ago, I watched videos and eight out of ten people were using it as background music."
"Yeah, whether music is popular or not, chart rankings don't matter! People vote with their ears." Jiang Xia couldn't help but purse her lips, seemingly thinking of something. "Our movie star's new film wants Xu Ying to sing the theme song, but they still haven't scheduled it. I don't know which big shot J Province TV station got involved, but they seem to have more influence than our movie star, humph~"
Because of Jiang Xia's words, Jiang Xiaoman stayed up all night making a huge spreadsheet!