Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 109 Test Questions [Ten Updates Requested]

2:48.

Guo Chuanlin, who was smoking by the roadside, saw Zhang Yan walking towards him from the opposite side of the sidewalk and asked in surprise, "Where's your new car?"

Zhang Yan shrugged and said, "They smashed the window and just sent it to the repair shop."

"Haha, as expected, fame brings trouble—what's going on? Do you need any help?"

"No need, I can handle it myself."

"Alright, just let me know if you need any help."

As Guo Chuanlin spoke, he threw away his cigarette butt and stomped on it, saying, "Let's go, everyone should be here by now."

"No rush, the exam questions haven't arrived yet."

"Exam questions?"

Guo Chuanlin was a little confused, but seeing that Zhang Yan wanted to keep him in suspense, he didn't rush to ask. Instead, he talked to him about the production progress of "China Fire".

A few minutes later, Wang Luyao, wrapped in a wool coat, jogged over, bowing repeatedly and saying, "I'm sorry, Teacher Zhang, I encountered a little problem on the way, so..."

"It's alright, the timing is perfect."

Zhang Yan smiled and comforted her, then called to Guo Chuanlin, "Fourth Brother, let's go."

"Ok?"

Guo Chuanlin glanced at Wang Luyao suspiciously. He noticed that the girl's hands were empty, but there were two bulging lumps inside her wool coat, which didn't look like test questions at all.

So he asked, puzzled, "Didn't you say you were waiting for the exam questions?"

“Yes, Luyao is the test. You’ll find out in a little while.” Zhang Yan said, then asked Wang Luyao, “You should be fine performing on stage later, right?”

"no problem!"

Wang Luyao looked eager to try.

"Then let's walk."

As Zhang Yan spoke, he gestured for Guo Chuanlin to follow.

Guo Chuanlin was still completely confused, but it was indeed getting late, so he took the lead and walked into the side door of the karaoke bar.

Although the lighting inside was rather dim, the singers and artists who had been eagerly waiting quickly spotted the group of three.

As a result, the nicknames "Fourth Brother" and "Teacher Zhang" became common, and the average height in the karaoke bar instantly seemed to "shrink" by a few centimeters.

While Zhang Yan was still nodding in response with a beaming smile, Guo Chuanlin had already stepped onto the stage without looking to the side.

There was a band on stage playing a lyrical song, but when they saw Guo Chuanlin strutting up on stage, they quickly bowed and scraped as they left.

Zhang Yan usually interacted with Guo Chuanlin and was surrounded by people of similar status, so he hadn't noticed anything unusual. But now that Guo Chuanlin stood out from the crowd, he immediately realized that Guo was becoming more and more like a big shot.

If it were last summer, and I had met the current Guo Si Ge, I'm afraid I might not have been able to get close to him.

But then I thought again, if I were to meet Guo Chuanlin from last summer now, I probably wouldn't take him too seriously either.

Indeed, times have changed, and things are no longer the same.

After Guo Chuanlin went on stage, he adjusted the position of the microphone, said a few polite words, and then pointed to Zhang Yan and said: "You should all have heard of my brother Zhang Yan. The reason I have gathered everyone here is because Zhang Yan has partnered with Tianjin TV to start a record company."

Anyone who works as a gig promoter knows that the most important thing for commercial performances is the singer's fame. Countless people rack their brains to make their singers more famous, and countless people go to great lengths to curry favor with established singers.

My brother, backed by Tianjin TV, could easily make several singers famous—he could even get them advertised on TV and directly arrange commercial performances with the station!

As he spoke, he looked around before continuing, "So this interview isn't important to him; but it's very important to you!"

These words were spoken with an air of domineering arrogance, leaving the audience exchanging bewildered glances. Some were indignant but dared not openly refute them; others wanted to applaud but worried about being accused of flattery. Just as they were struggling with this dilemma, Zhang Yan, at Guo Chuanlin's signal, went up on stage and took over the microphone.

"Haha~"

He chuckled twice and said, "Fourth Brother is exaggerating a bit. I'm confident that I can make a few singers famous with the help of the TV station's resources, but a competent manager is still very important."

I won't waste any time. Let's watch a song and dance performance first. After that, I have a question for everyone, and I hope you'll all answer it enthusiastically.

As he spoke, he looked around and said, "Could a few people come up and clean up the area?"

Before he finished speaking, more than a dozen people rushed up, and it seemed like four people were carrying the guitar down.

Wang Jinghua did not participate. She stared at Zhang Yan with great interest, thinking to herself that this person should be about the same age as her, but she did not expect him to already be a well-known figure in the industry.

I don't know what questions he'll ask next.

Once the stage was mostly cleaned up, Zhang Yan asked Guo Chuanlin to help him change the accompaniment tape, and then asked the boss for a wireless microphone.

Although this thing started to become popular in the West in the 50s, it is still a rare item in China, especially the models with better sound quality.

Handing the wireless microphone to Wang Luyao, Zhang Yan encouraged her, "Relax a bit and show your style as much as possible."

Wang Luyao nodded solemnly, then took off her wool coat, revealing the dance costume commonly seen these days and her unforgettable curvaceous figure, and stepped lightly onto the stage.

She didn't introduce herself at all; she just waited for the background music to start and then began singing and dancing.

Although Zhang Yan told her to relax more, she actually danced more conservatively this time than last time, with significantly smaller movements. However, because her clothes were more form-fitting, the shaking effect was particularly noticeable.

If most of the people present today weren't there for their future careers, they probably would have been watching her intently and wouldn't have paid attention to what she was singing.

Wang Jinghua was, after all, a woman, and wouldn't be so easily distracted by those two lumps of flesh, but she still stared intently at Wang Luyao's chest, and then gradually frowned.

If it's just for a short performance, the shaking effect is definitely a plus, but if it's for appearing on television...

Is this really going to be broadcast on TV?
But if you remove the dance moves, the singer's skill level is actually just average, and she lacks enough distinctiveness—after all, Wang Jinghua graduated from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts and is considered a semi-expert in vocal music.

That is to say...

This girl's greatest strength is also her greatest weakness.

How should we praise this?
Thinking about this, Wang Jinghua suddenly understood that this was probably the question Zhang Yan wanted to ask.

So she unconsciously began to think about how to solve the problem, completely forgetting that she was actually there to spy on the enemy and didn't need to answer any questions.

The dance ended.

Zhang Yan delivered the wool coat to the stage. After Wang Luyao put on the coat and came off the stage, he cleared his throat and said into the microphone: "Ladies and gentlemen, after watching the performance, I have a question I would like to ask you. Suppose I do my best, I can only get that singer on TV twice, and it can't be a major holiday gala."

So, what methods should I use to make the most of these two opportunities to promote her?

That was indeed the problem!
To be able to appear on TV twice with this level of exposure, this "Little Wang Shuo" really has some influence—even a big star like Fei Xiang only had his upper body shown after dancing a disco routine.

Upon hearing this question, the audience immediately began to discuss it.

Some people, like Wang Jinghua, have realized the problem of Wang Luyao being "too outstanding"; but there are also quite a few ignorant fools who think Zhang Yanming is overrated.

They claimed to have the backing of Tianjin TV, but all they could get were two TV appearances, and not even major holiday galas. How could they possibly become famous with that?!
"Everyone."

Zhang Yan raised his voice to suppress the noise from below the stage, then pointed to the stairwell: "Next, I will be waiting for everyone's answers in the private room on the second floor—if anyone wants to answer questions in person, they can tell Fourth Brother and then go upstairs alone."

After saying that, Zhang Yan whispered a few more words to Guo Chuanlin before going upstairs to a private room.

After he left, the whispering and complaining grew louder, but no one volunteered to answer the questions.

Guo Chuanlin wasn't in a hurry. He called over a few familiar singers, moved the instruments back onto the stage, and started leading a group of young people in their own entertainment.

(End of this chapter)