Xie Ling and Cheng Yuan present didn’t understand what Xie Feiran was talking about, but they felt he was very motivated.
However, Ye Ansheng, the only one who knew the reference, was nearly drowning in embarrassment, almost digging out a Barbie Dream Castle with his toes.
But seeing how President Xie and Cheng Yuan seemed to appreciate Xie Feiran, maybe he should also say something like: This means we are the number one idol boy group!
Fortunately, Ye Ansheng wasn’t embarrassed for long.
Sitting nearby, Xie Ling spoke up, “I believe in you.”
After saying this, Xie Ling had Cheng Yuan arrange some matters related to the talent show, then let Xie Feiran and Ye Ansheng leave.
Once Xie Feiran and Ye Ansheng stepped out of the office, Cheng Yuan looked worriedly at Xie Ling and asked, “Neither of them have really practiced singing or dancing. Are we really going to let them participate?”
Cheng Yuan still thought Xie Ling was being a bit too reckless.
Ye Ansheng had some vocal and dance training, but Xie Feiran had only just joined a few days ago and hadn’t learned anything yet.
Sitting in his chair, Xie Ling scoffed, “Do you think the hottest current top star actually sings well?”
Cheng Yuan was silent for a moment — not really.
If such a person can be popular, it really is an insult to everyone with real talent.
“Tomorrow, take them to the Polar Bear Youth recording site,” Xie Ling said, then sent Cheng Yuan away.
Meanwhile, after leaving Xie Ling’s office, Xie Feiran was escorted back to the dorm by Ye Ansheng.
“Are you nervous about the talent show tomorrow?”
Ye Ansheng asked the handsome youth beside him.
Xie Feiran shook his head.
He had experienced being watched by millions of players before—what was there to fear about a talent show?
Still, there was one thing he was worried about.
So, looking at Ye Ansheng, Xie Feiran said, “Do you think President Xie is rich?”
Ye Ansheng gave him a strange look.
“You’re not trying to sleep your way to the top, are you?”
“You’re overthinking it,” Xie Feiran said, somewhat annoyed.
“I’m just wondering if President Xie has the means to spend money on us.”
After all, a game character’s base damage sets the lower limit, and the sponsor’s spending power determines the upper limit.
Xie Feiran was asking if Xie Ling would spare no expense to equip them with weapons and gear, while Ye Ansheng thought he was asking if President Xie would provide marketing and resources.
Patting Xie Feiran on the shoulder, Ye Ansheng reassured him, “Don’t worry. Although Xingyun was in decline before and their good artists were snatched up by Shenghua, now President Xie is running Xingyun. You might not trust Xingyun, but you can always trust the Hai City Xie Family.”
The Hai City Xie Family’s main industries are real estate and electronic technology, hardly involved in entertainment, but they are a first-class wealthy family in Hai City.
For Xie Ling, spending money to promote you two is like water.
Moreover, Ye Ansheng was certain Xie Ling would spare no expense to support them since he had a grudge against the boss of Shenghua Entertainment.
Xie Feiran looked at Ye Ansheng, “You seem to know a lot.”
Ye Ansheng laughed and placed his hand on Xie Feiran’s shoulder.
“Hey, I’m five years older than you. How could I dare enter the entertainment industry without knowing these things?”
Then he added, “Tomorrow’s the talent show. Want to pick out an instrument with me?”
After choosing instruments and finishing their meal, it was already afternoon.
Ye Ansheng was preparing to train. He glanced at Xie Feiran sitting on the dorm bed and asked, “Want to train with me?”
Xie Feiran shook his head and then pointed at the tablet in his hand.
“I want to listen to the most popular song right now.”
At the same time, he planned to import some data for himself—he couldn’t just keep playing hymns to the God of Light.
Ye Ansheng nodded, then picked up his ukulele. “Alright, I’ll practice alone then.”
After Ye Ansheng left, Xie Feiran put on his headphones, casually opened a music app, and played the number one song on the charts.
Ten seconds later, Xie Feiran removed the headphones expressionless.
How could anyone sing worse than the monsters on Tina Continent?
And this song was ranked number one?
Had human aesthetic standards really declined to this level?
Xie Feiran looked down at the singer’s name and memorized it: Song Qiusheng.
In the end, Xie Feiran dared not listen to any more pop music and directly imported all classical music into his memory.
***
July 1st was the day all talent shows started broadcasting.
Polar Bear had a live broadcast, while the other two platforms had their own traffic-drawing tricks.
Star Fruit Video invited the current top star Song Qiusheng as a guest mentor, while Seafood Video brought in the hottest Qiyu, Emperor Qi.
On social forums, discussions exploded because all three talent shows clashed on the same day.
[Three talent shows at once, three hundred handsome boys waiting for me to favor them.]
[All shows bring boys, that’s hilarious. Seventeen or eighteen-year-olds are “boys,” but twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-olds are just rehashes.]
[LOL, I heard Xingyun Entertainment’s trainee Jiang Ran is sleeping with rich women. He can’t come out now. I wonder who Xingyun will send. They’ll probably get crushed by Shenghua again.]
[Haha, Xingyun’s probably sending a bunch of trash again. Their trainees always give me endless entertainment. Feels less like a talent show and more like a comedy show.]
[Girls, Polar Bear’s live broadcast is starting. I’m going for the fun.]
At Polar Bear’s filming site, handsome guys of all styles came and went, filling the place.
The camera switched to a wide shot, capturing all the handsome boys in one frame.
The live comments immediately flooded in.
[Those wearing H-brand must be Shenghua’s, no wonder they’re rich.]
[H-brand is getting tackier, but only good-looking guys can pull it off.]
[Where are the Xingyun people?]
[Xingyun changed their participants last minute, no one knows who they are.]
While the comments were noisy, staff approached the trainees and began announcing the rules.
“Everyone can choose the order in which you enter the recording room to meet the mentors. After your self-introduction, you’ll perform a talent act. This performance affects your score and where you’ll stay tonight.”
Hearing this, everyone grew nervous, listening intently.
“Those who get an S rating can stay in a luxury suite, equipped with vocal and dance practice rooms, plus all kinds of gourmet food to satisfy your needs.”
“A rating allows a double room with dedicated vocal and dance rooms, open all day, but shared by two people.”
“B rating stays in a four-person room, with vocal and dance rooms limited to two hours per person.”
“C rating stays in a six-person room, sharing the vocal and dance rooms.”
“As for D rating, if you don’t work hard, you’ll be in an eight-person room.”
The mention of the eight-person room drew complaints in the comments.
[Eight-person rooms, worse than our school dorms.]
[If you don’t work hard, your living conditions will be worse than others.]
[If you get S, can you really ask for anything?]
[Dream on, to get S you need insane talent. I think the best here will be A.]
The staff member looked around and said, “If you don’t maintain your score in the next exam, points will be deducted. Dropping from S to A deducts ten points, to B fifteen, and so on.”
With those words, every trainee felt the heavy pressure.
No one wanted to be the black sheep.
At that moment, Xie Feiran stood up and said to the staff, “Can I go first?”
Everyone showed a slight look of surprise, and the cameraman immediately zoomed in on Xie Feiran.
The boy in the video had skin as white as snow, eyelids lightly lowered, with an indescribable beauty.
[Who is he? So handsome! I want all his info within ten minutes.]
[Handsome? That filter must be stacked layers deep, looks like a ghost.]
[I don’t know why, but he reminds me of someone.]
[Same here.]
[Remember the trending searches on Tina Continent?]
Comments heated up while Xie Feiran pushed open the door and entered the recording room.
Inside sat three mentors: Yu Xiutao, who had won every international music award and was a giant in the music scene.
Polar Bear had spent a lot to bring her here.
Next was Yun Ziyuan, a member of the first-generation boy group.
Although now behind the scenes, he was a hot idol back then, and his presence still evoked nostalgia.
The last was Film Queen Ning Chuyu, who had the credentials to surpass eighty percent of the entertainment industry.
Though unrelated to boy groups, she was here because of her sharp tongue, which added drama to the show.
Facing any one of these three was a huge psychological pressure for contestants, but Xie Feiran elegantly stood on stage and introduced himself.
His movements were smooth and natural, showing no signs of nervousness before these big shots. His demeanor carried the grace of a noble family.
[Not sure why, it’s a simple thing but he does it so elegantly, like an aristocrat.]
[Haha, what era are you living in, aristocrats?]
“I’m Xie Feiran, a contestant from Star Cloud Entertainment, seventeen years old.”
[So young! This show really has boys.]
The mentors in front of Xie Feiran couldn’t help but be slightly impressed by his looks.
Yun Ziyuan then asked, “Can you introduce your talents?”
Talents? Xie Feiran thought for a moment and replied, “Climbing and swordsmanship.”
As a Main Carry in the game, he had climbed every mountain on Tina Continent and used his sword to kill every monster blocking their way.
Yun Ziyuan could only smile wryly and remind him, “Not that kind.”
“I can cook a bit too,” Xie Feiran said quietly.
In the game, all the stamina, healing, and attack speed potions were dishes. He knew how to cook all of them.
The comments were already laughing out loud. Someone entering a talent show with cooking as their skill was hilarious.
The three mentors were confused, so Xie Feiran had to grit his teeth and mention his other talents.
“I’m good at blacksmithing, specialize in sewing, and decent at alchemy.”
Yun Ziyuan: …
“What’s your strongest skill compared to the others here?” the mentor asked.
Without hesitation, Xie Feiran answered, “Long legs, fast runner, good stamina.”
As a Main Carry, exploration of the big world depended on how much stamina you had and how fast you could run.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.