[Settling Mission, Connecting to Subplot…]
[Mission Completion: 100%]
[Plot Completion: 0%]
System Brother has already grasped Chu Qianze’s habits. Without waiting for anyone to speak, he directly arranges the next segment.
[Preparing for transfer——]
When Chu Qianze came to his senses, he found himself sitting inside a sedan.
‘How come you’ve transported me directly? I wanted to take a break, watch a movie, play a game or something,’ he thought to himself.
[…]
Wasn’t it always like this before, coming straight over?
[I acted a bit too quickly this time.]
‘But it doesn’t really matter. It feels like now, the storyline is getting farther and farther away from me. In the past, I still needed to go through the motions, but later, it didn’t even need me,’ Chu Qianze teased in his mind.
[Host, don’t worry. In this world, you will have very profound exchanges. (Laughs)]
Chu Qianze sighed, suddenly having a bad premonition.
‘I mean, the current state is quite good. Please continue to maintain it.’
[It’s not something I can control.]
The electronic sound waves fluctuated wildly, an undisguised chuckle accompanying them.
‘Alright, as long as you’re happy.’
Since the mission is completed, there’s no need to worry too much about the rest.
He looked around, then cast his gaze upon himself.
A white shirt paired with a small tie, slim black trousers, and with the aid of the one-way glass nearby, he could probably see clearly that he was still sporting a student-style bowl cut, giving him an extremely well-behaved appearance.
Dazzled by the extreme cuteness of the outfit, Chu Qianze’s expression was momentarily indescribable.
Unable to comment, Chu Qianze simply chose to give up.
Taking advantage of the current lack of activity, he mentally poked the system, urging it to quickly send over the relevant information.
[Gathering information…]
[“Debut, Trainee!” – An idol competition reality show. The protagonist, Dou Xi, chooses to participate in the show to become famous. Along the way, he encounters Rong Jinghe, who is making a personal comeback, and develops hidden feelings for him.]
Seeing the words “hidden feelings” made Chu Qianze couldn’t help but make a strangled noise. ‘I’m almost unfamiliar with this term.’
[In summary, it’s an inspirational story of a group of trainees striving hard and fighting desperately to debut.]
Chu Qianze waited for a while, but there was no sign of new information.
‘Just this? Seriously?’
[Host, your identity is that of one of the trainees about to participate in the program. You have decent talent, good at singing and dancing. However, due to your introverted and shy personality, coupled with extremely poor mental resilience, you get nervous as soon as you go on stage, leading to crazy mistakes. Hence, you haven’t debuted until now.]
Breaking the silence from the front passenger seat, Wang Bailin spoke, “This talent show is a rare opportunity. Seize it well. According to the program’s arrangement, you’ll probably make an appearance at the beginning, and after a couple of episodes, you’ll be eliminated in the first round. Given your current situation, you’re mostly attracting antis, so it’s unlikely that people will vote for you. Our main goal is to increase exposure and make you familiar to the audience.”
[Unlocking Character: Wang Bailin, your manager. She has many artists under her, and you’re the only one who hasn’t debuted yet. Hehe.]
Ignoring the tone in Wang Bailin’s words, Chu Qianze refocused his thoughts and silently listened to her.
“You’re actually not bad at singing and dancing, so why do you always have issues on stage? Well, I don’t expect you to perform normally, but if you want to increase exposure, you can’t continue like this. You need to make some changes.” Wang Bailin paused, waiting for Chu Qianze’s response.
“What should I do?” Chu Qianze asked, cooperating with her.
“Rong Jinghe is also participating in this livestream show. He’ll definitely have a lot of camera focus. During the shoot, try to stand with Rong Jinghe as much as possible to increase exposure. I’ll also contact relevant personnel to continue boosting your CP popularity.” Wang Bailin picked up the documents in front and glanced at them, laying out her plan.
At this moment, the screen updated with new information.
[Mission One: Strive to increase personal exposure.]
‘The mission popping up at this time makes me feel like they want to encourage me to hype up a CP,’ Chu Qianze tugged at the corner of his mouth, propping his chin up with one hand. He looked out the window, his casually styled bangs covering his indifferent gaze.
“If you want to become famous, do as I say. Don’t feel bad about being criticized now. Being criticized means you have popularity. Many people want to be criticized, but no one pays attention to them!”
Wang Bailin, seeing Chu Qianze silently looking out the window, thought he was still thinking about online matters. She sighed and patiently continued to console.
“Being in the spotlight, whether it’s positive or negative, is still being in the spotlight. Now, focus on increasing your exposure. Later on, we can gradually improve your image. Don’t feel burdened. Creating CP is the norm now, and it’s like an unwritten rule in the industry. We satisfy the public’s demands, and in return, they give us attention. It’s fair enough.”
At this moment, the system provided a response.
[According to my calculations, what the manager said is one of the methods to complete the mission.]
Chuckling, Chu Qianze looked at his manager. “I don’t want to hype up CP.”
The manager frowned, not too pleased with the defiant words, but still controlled her tone to ask, “Then, what do you want?”
“According to the program’s flow, gain attention, capture the audience’s interest, and then secure a spot in the next round.” Chu Qianze ran his fingers through his hair, messing up the neatly arranged hairstyle, slightly satisfied with the result. Although he still looked youthful, it was much better than the just-now baby-faced image.
“I think I’m quite likable.”
Likable? Unable to utter half a word in front of the camera, shrinking back timidly—how could that be likable?
Wang Bailin found it amusing. “Are you serious?”
“I don’t lie,” Chu Qianze leaned back. Well, he was too lazy to play the role of the original character anyway.
[I hope the host’s character doesn’t break down too obviously; it will make my job difficult.] The system timely reminded.
‘Got it, I’ll try not to break down too quickly.’ Chu Qianze responded.
With a twitch at the corner of his mouth, Wang Bailin suspected that this person had been trolled online and was now a bit out of his mind.
“Anyway, hyping up a CP won’t harm you. Give it some serious thought.”
“No need to think about it. I don’t want to do that.”
Considering the original personality, Chu Qianze’s tone had toned down a bit. Otherwise, given his nature, he would probably have said he didn’t need publicity and could rely on his own abilities to secure the first place.
Personality, being such a malleable thing, could be adjusted slowly through the program, a natural transition. No rush for now.
Seeing Chu Qianze being unresponsive, Wang Bailin just burst into laughter.
‘You won’t listen to good advice, lack the ability, and your personality is a mess. Your face is the only thing you’ve got going for you, but is the entertainment industry lacking good-looking people? If you don’t want to engage in CP, then be prepared to fall into obscurity.’
She didn’t bother wasting more words, “Suit yourself.”
The words weren’t harsh, but she had already categorized him as unfit for the industry.
‘Overcoming psychological barriers? If it were that easy to overcome, how come you’re still just a trainee?’
Originally, she saw a video of Chu Qianze meeting Rong Jinghe in the cabin, and it inexplicably gained popularity, attracting some CP fans. Wang Bailin thought she could manipulate it a bit and gave him a chance.
But if the person himself doesn’t understand how to capitalize on it, it’s useless no matter what. If she hadn’t already signed a contract with the program, Wang Bailin would really consider giving this opportunity to someone else. Even if it’s left for a newcomer, it would be better than wasting it on Chu Qianze.
Feeling too exhausted to comment, Wang Bailin felt her throat a bit dry. She picked up the nearby water cup to take a drink, only to find it empty, making her even more annoyed.
Glancing to the side, Chu Qianze picked up an unopened bottle of mineral water from the basket and handed it over, saying, “Sister Wang, here’s one that hasn’t been opened yet.”
Wang Bailin was about to refuse, but when she turned around, she happened to meet his smile. In that instant, the word “school hunk” flashed through her mind, reminding her of the youthful flutterings of spring.
It was an infectious smile, and it managed to calm the inner turmoil she was feeling.
In a somewhat mystical manner, she took the water. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” Chu Qianze withdrew his hand, leaning back against the chair.
He took out his phone, looking at the lock screen. After hesitating for a moment, he pressed his finger on it.
Unlock.
Following the information he just learned from Wang Bailin, he opened a web browser, entered the three characters “Rong Jinghe.”
The first result was Rong Jinghe’s personal blog, where he mentioned participating in the show “Debut, Trainee!” and starting anew as a trainee.
Scrolling down, the next result explained the amicable termination of the contract with his original company.
Going back further, it was mostly about endorsements or news related to competitions and other performances.
Rong Jinghe became a trainee at the age of 14, debuted at 17 as a vocalist, and now, at the age of 22, terminated his contract with his original company.
The company he terminated the contract with had quite a few scandals and strange operations in its history, and Chu Qianze found it quite entertaining to watch.
Of course, it couldn’t have been an amicable termination. With Rong Jinghe as a cash cow, the company wouldn’t let go easily.
Last year, they organized a nationwide tour, and Rong Jinghe was busy throughout the entire year.
Chu Qianze lingered on the company’s name for a moment and then proceeded to search for information about himself.
The overwhelming amount of negative information, especially the language that exuded confident self-promotion, made Chu Qianze wonder if the original owner had actually done those things. It’s impressive how effective modern marketing strategies could be in brainwashing.
Browsing through the information related to himself and Rong Jinghe, the general theme was that the original owner had shamelessly used the other person to create a CP, riding on the popularity, and displayed a lack of integrity.
Chu Qianze couldn’t really argue against it because, given the current situation, the original owner was indeed hyping up a CP. Just moments ago, the manager even encouraged continuing to ride on the popularity.
After some thought, he decided to give a like to one of the more serious and analytical comments. The content was well-reasoned and logically clear, showing effort and unlike other marketing accounts that took things out of context for publicity.
Just as he finished these actions, the car came to a stop.
Chu Qianze glanced outside and saw a large logo of the program on the wall, quite prominent. Opening the car door and stepping out, at the moment he was about to close the door, Wang Bailin called out to him.
Perhaps not wanting to owe a favor for the water, facing Chu Qianze’s questioning gaze, Wang Bailin fell silent for a moment before saying, “Good luck.”
Chu Qianze’s eyes softened, “Thank you, I’ve got this.”
After saying goodbye, he followed the instructions to the designated area, arriving at the backstage resting area.
There were quite a few people here, all seeming to be going through the procedural motions. As for the high-profile contestants, they had their own exclusive lounges.
Before the start, the contestants confirmed that there were no issues with the music they would be performing. Then, the staff explained the general flow of the competition once again.
Chu Qianze belonged to the middle-front wave of contestants. Generally, those who perform at the very beginning or the very end leave the deepest impressions, and these slots are usually reserved for the most outstanding contestants.
For someone like him, going through the motions with a cannon fodder script, he was probably randomly sorted by the system.
It was tough not being allowed to use a phone during the recording. Fortunately, there was a large screen in the area that allowed people to watch the live situation.
Chu Qianze didn’t have this kind of worry. He was currently having the system play the song he would be using later, selecting a catchy and repetitive tune.
At the same time, he was keeping an eye on the live situation. As expected, except for the first few contestants, the others seemed to be just going through the motions, not taking the program seriously. Despite their modest performances, the judges were also holding back their evaluations, with the highest grade being surprisingly only a B.
“Chu Qianze—”
Hearing the announcement, Chu Qianze stood up and walked towards the door.
“It’s almost your turn. Get ready now,” the staff reminded him.
“Alright, thank you,” Chu Qianze nodded and followed the sign towards the front.
As he walked into the corridor, he noticed the presence of cameras.
He casually adjusted his angle as he approached.
Thanks to his previous study of cinematography, Chu Qianze had good control over the camera.
The most immediate impression he gave was that he knew how to work the camera.
Moving forward, there were several small platforms nearby, each with a few letters. Chu Qianze stepped forward and arrived at his designated area. He looked around, then pointed towards the platform in front of him, facing the camera. “It looks like I’ll be giving my own rating here.”
In his opinion, being among the first to perform was actually quite good. At least, there was still a path that hadn’t been walked by others.
Looking around, he slid his fingertips from A to F, then directly retraced his steps. Without hesitation, he picked up the A, sticking it onto himself.
He displayed the rating to the camera, lifting a pure and innocent smile. “My self-evaluation is an A.”
The kids are all too modest, so he won’t be polite.
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