Who taught you to be a celebrity like this?

"Because the list of singers still needs to be kept confidential, we cannot clarify the online opinions immediately. I am very sorry for the trouble caused to you, but I want to make it clear that it is not the production team's intention to create hype."

Jiang Tao initially thought Li Ye was dissatisfied with the online public opinion, and after a moment of panic, he sincerely apologized.

He then calmly looked at Li Ye, a confidence that came with his status.

After all, he is not only a director who has created phenomenal variety shows, but also holds an important position at Xingcheng TV, making him a big shot in the industry.

Which celebrity would dare not give him face?

Li Ye dared to do it.

"When I came in, I saw people taking pictures with professional cameras."

Seeing Jiang Tao's calm expression, Li Ye put down the menu and said seriously, "Director Jiang, if we can't feel sincerity and respect, I don't think we need to continue this meal."

After experiencing what happened with Liu Chun, he understood one thing more clearly—if you feel uncomfortable, you should speak up on the spot.

Otherwise, he will only drift further and further away from his friend and eventually lose him.

Moreover, this was only the first time he and Jiang Tao had met.

"You're exaggerating, A-Ye, this is really a misunderstanding..."

Jiang Tao never expected that Li Ye would be so clueless about basic social etiquette, acting like a complete airhead. Seeing that Li Ye was actually planning to get up, Jiang Tao quickly changed his mind: "Okay, the people taking pictures outside are my people."

"So your main purpose in coming here this time is to provide me with more substantial evidence to participate in 'Singer,' thereby sparking discussion among netizens?" Li Ye asked with curiosity.

"That's definitely on our minds, because ever since you sang live on Sunday, netizens have been really looking forward to you joining our show."

"However, I swear, that's not the main purpose. I really sincerely want to invite you to participate in 'Singer.' In my heart, you can be ranked in the top three singers I most want to invite!" Jiang Tao said half-jokingly, trying to persuade him, realizing that he was more responsive to persuasion than force.

"Let's order first."

Li Ye didn't say anything more. After finishing his meal, he put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a tissue he carried with him, and said bluntly, "Director Jiang, I hope the photos taken today won't be released."

"No problem, I apologize for this, and I sincerely invite you again."

Jiang Tao said meaningfully, "You may not know, but Kong Lingxiao will also be participating in this season of 'Singer.' As two singer-songwriters with outstanding singing skills and high popularity, you two will naturally be compared."

"You must have seen the arguments between your fans online, right?"

Li Ye nodded. This Kong Lingxiao was the artist from Starry Sky Entertainment that Lin Boran had mentioned before because the director had changed the song at the last minute on Sunday.

As Jiang Tao said, as his fame grows, he inevitably gets compared to other celebrities by netizens, with Kong Lingxiao being a frequent name mentioned.

Despite his immense popularity, having yet to release an album, he is naturally at a disadvantage compared to Kong Lingxiao, who has numerous works and awards to his name.

Good to know. It seems Li Ye isn't completely indifferent after all... Jiang Tao made his judgment with self-righteousness.

Young people in their twenties, even if they don't care about profits, are at a stage where they care about saving face.

"If you can defeat Kong Lingxiao head-on on the 'Singer' stage, it will be a chance to overtake him."

At this point, Jiang Tao suddenly stopped talking, waiting for Li Ye to speak first.

The next second, Li Ye did indeed speak.

He stood up and said politely, "Director Jiang, I'll be leaving now."

The joy of defeating other singers on the show is not even as great as the perfect amount of toothpaste he squeezes out when brushing his teeth in the morning.

Moreover, whether a singer is good or not cannot be determined by a variety show.

Jiang Tao was completely dumbfounded when he saw Li Ye actually get up and start putting on a hat and mask.

Before he could finish speaking, he quickly interjected, "No, Ah Ye, this is truly a great opportunity for you. As long as you participate in the show, I guarantee you'll make it all the way to the semi-finals..."

"Director Jiang, I really have no interest. Thank you for your invitation." With that, Li Ye, wearing a hat and mask, walked out of the private room without hesitation.

"This..." The assistant looked completely bewildered.

Jiang Tao was equally puzzled, with more confusion than anger—you've already made such a decisive decision, why are you still willing to stay for this meal?

He sighed helplessly and asked his assistant to settle the bill first. He then learned that Li Ye had already settled the bill when he went out earlier.

"You're talking about this..." Jiang Tao blushed.

Another assistant, who had been waiting in the car for a long time, immediately showed Jiang Tao the photos he had imported to the computer when he got in.

"Delete them all... Wait, is this the Accord Li Ye drives?" Jiang Tao glanced at a photo that looked like Li Ye closing the car door and wondered if it was just the angle.

The assistant taking the photos was equally surprised, but stated with certainty, "Yes, I didn't expect Li Ye to be driving an Accord at first either..."

Otherwise, he wouldn't have waited until Li Ye had closed the car door before taking the photo.

Jiang Tao's thoughts were in turmoil, but he was increasingly eager to invite Li Ye to participate in his program, this time simply because of Li Ye himself.

......

Li Ye didn't care what Jiang Tao thought at all, nor was he affected by the matter in the slightest. He felt that he had done everything he was supposed to do.

On his way home, he received a call from Zhang Hai, whom he had only seen for two days.

"Ah Ye, are you interested in the Qiantang River Surfing Carnival?"

"Qiantang River? Surfing?"

"That's right, I'll send you the information, you can read it and then we can talk."

Upon hearing the news, Li Ye found a place to park and began looking at the information Zhang Hai had sent him.

It turned out he hadn't misheard; the Qiantang River really was the Qiantang River he knew.

Furthermore, the Qiantang River not only hosts surfing carnivals, but also top-level professional competitions, though these events were suspended for many years for various reasons.

However, this restart will not feature any professional matches; it will be held as an exhibition match.

Li Ye had no intention of participating in the competition; he was just excited at the thought of being able to surf the Qiantang River legally and compliantly.

"The 18th day of the eighth lunar month, which is October in the Gregorian calendar." He estimated that as long as he worked hard, he should be able to finish filming the music video.

"Can I really participate? How do I register?"

Li Ye immediately called Zhang Hai back.

"Haha, I knew you'd be interested. You don't need to register. I know people in the organizers. They were already planning to invite you. But if you want to participate in the exhibition, you might need to be assessed on your surfing skills. I think if you get used to it beforehand, there shouldn't be any problem."

This makes time seem even tighter.

Originally planning to go home, Li Ye immediately started his old Accord and made a turn on the road.

Zhang Xiaoqi, who was still in the recording studio organizing the musicians' recording, was surprised to see Li Ye had returned and asked, "Did you forget something?"

Li Ye replied enthusiastically, "Overtime!"