Huayu: Starting with binding the front desk

The following day, the crew of "Cry Me a Sad River" arrived.

Wang Zhe, holding the cold drink Guo Xiaosi had given him, found Zhang Ruonan resting nearby.

He himself would never drink what that shorty gave him; it was perfect for building up his favorability.

"Sister Ruonan, here you go." He handed her the cold drink directly.

Zhang Ruonan took it, her eyes crinkling into a smile: "Thank you, little brother."

Wang Zhe sat down next to her and casually asked, "By the way, do you speak Min Dong dialect? Teach me a few phrases."

"No, why are you asking that?"

"Aren't you from Wenzhou?"

Zhang Ruonan nodded: "It is Wenzhou, but the dialect spoken in my hometown is Ou dialect."

"Alright then." Seeing that his goal had not been achieved, Wang Zhe patted his pants and prepared to get up and leave.

Zhang Ruonan then reached out and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back into the chair: "Let's chat a little longer~"

You still haven't told me why I need to learn the Min Dong dialect.

"Let's chat for another fifty cents then." Wang Zhe sat down again and explained, "I have to sing a song on the next episode of 'The Coming One,' and there's a part in the Min Dong dialect."

"Oh, I see. How about I find a teacher online and learn from them?"

"No need, I can speak Hokkien too, I happen to know a little bit."

As Wang Zhe spoke, he glanced at the system panel; Zhang Ruonan's favorability rating was already 52.

It seems this is the last I can watch. By the time I return to the set, Zhang Ruonan will have already finished filming.

……

On the afternoon of August 11, Qinghe Entertainment.

Zhang Jingyi has officially signed with Qinghe, becoming the fifth artist under their management.

This was the first time Xu Ying had met her.

The girl in front of her didn't give her the same impression as Tian Xiwei, who had a youthful and sweet face, nor as bright and flamboyant as Wang Churan. She sat there quietly, her eyes calm and reserved, carrying a sense of story unique to art films.

Zhang Jingyi felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by Xu Ying.

She knew that the person in front of her was not only Qinghe's boss, but also Wang Zhe's mother.

"Mom, why are you staring at her like that? Is there something on her face?" Wang Zhe noticed her embarrassment and chimed in.

  

Xu Ying turned and glared at him, saying in an unfriendly tone, "Go practice your singing. I need to see what kind of image suits her best."

"What's so interesting about this? She's just a typical angst-filled romance novel heroine! Look at her face, it tells a whole story."

Wang Zhe spoke casually, directly stating the comments netizens had made about Zhang Jingyi in his previous life.

"Didn't I tell you to go practice singing?" Xu Ying snorted coldly, thinking to herself: You little brat, are you afraid I'll eat your little girlfriend up?

Wang Zhe pursed his lips, got up and walked towards the door. As soon as he opened the door, Yang Yangjin walked in carrying a stack of documents.

As Yang Yangjin entered, he smiled at Zhang Jingyi and placed the list in his hand on Xu Ying's desk: "President Xu, these are thirteen outstanding students from the classes of 16 and 15 recommended by various universities."

Xu Ying put the list aside for now and pointed to the sofa next to her: "Please sit down first."

She then turned to Zhang Jingyi, her tone softening slightly: "Jingyi, don't be nervous. Just treat me like an elder, just like Xiaotian and Cheran do."

Looking at the face in front of her that was so similar to Wang Zhe's, Zhang Jingyi felt a natural sense of closeness.

Xu Ying's strong presence when she wasn't smiling made her nervous, after all, she was Wang Zhe's mother.

She nodded slightly, her voice soft: "Okay, Mr. Xu."

Xu Ying smiled, the curve of her eyes exactly the same as Wang Zhe's: "You and Wang Zhe are classmates, so just call me Auntie."

"Okay, Auntie." Zhang Jingyi readily agreed.

She's not stupid; she called her aunt first and then her mother.

Xu Ying cut to the chase: "Do you want to act now? Or do you want to focus on building a solid foundation in your major while still in school?"

Zhang Jingyi thought for a moment and replied seriously, "Auntie, I haven't received any systematic acting training yet. I want to spend a year at school building a solid foundation."

Hearing this answer, Xu Ying's eyes showed a hint of satisfaction. She was a down-to-earth kid who hadn't become arrogant just because she signed with a company.

"Then focus on your studies at school first, but you can try taking on some supporting roles to get a feel for the atmosphere on set."

Zhang Jingyi nodded obediently: "I'll listen to Auntie."

When Xu Ying first saw her, she had already decided on a role for her in her mind.

She turned to Yang Yangjin and asked, "What's the name of the script that Director Wang Xiaoshuai handed over?"

"They wanted to cast Wang Zhe as the son of the male lead in 'So Long, My Son.'" Yang Yangjin thought for a moment and then said directly, "It's an award-contending film, which doesn't fit with our plans for Wang Zhe, so we've already declined."

"Isn't there a younger version of the female apprentice who's the male lead in the movie? Let Jingyi give it a try."

Yang Yangjin glanced at Zhang Jingyi and nodded: "Okay, I'll contact the director."

Xu Ying added, "The salary doesn't matter; Qinghe can invest."

Yang Yangjin was genuinely a little shocked this time.

The chances of an award-winning film being profitable are extremely slim, all for a supporting role with only a small amount of screen time.

How much does Xu Ying think highly of Zhang Jingyi? Or is there another reason?

"Okay, I understand."

Xu Ying turned to Zhang Jingyi and said gently, "If you get the role, then act it well."

"Alright, you can go take a look around the company first, or you can go see Wang Zhe."

Zhang Jingyi smiled and nodded, then got up and left the office.

Yang Yangjin continued talking about work: "President Xu, Wang Zhe wants to make an English EP."

"He told me about this. I contacted his dad later. Once we find an overseas distribution company, you can then discuss the specific details with them."

Xu Ying picked up the list of outstanding students on the table, flipped through a few pages, and pointed to a list, saying, "Also, among this batch of new students, contact this student from the Beijing Dance Academy, and I'll take a look at the others first..."

……

The next day, as soon as the live broadcast of "The Coming One" started, the screen was flooded with comments.

[A cover-up!!!]

[Damn it! Refund!!!]

If it weren't for Wang Zhe, who would watch your lousy show?

[I came for Mao Mao]

……

Immediately afterwards, the fans of the three star promoters started chanting support slogans in unison.

Little Bee: [For Yang Mi]

Huo Huo: [For Hua Hua]

Qianyou: [For Qianqian]

This clearly shows that the production team intervened, anticipating the incident and coordinating with the celebrity mentors to require their fans to control the online comments.

Seeing this, the "Zheergen" fans stopped posting the "black box" and instead flooded the screen with messages like "For the younger brother" and "For Wang Zhe".

Sometimes, fans can be easily swayed by their emotions.

She couldn't bear to see her brother suffer even the slightest injustice, and she was even more unwilling to be outdone by other fans.

This episode is the first elimination round after the nine major labels were determined, and the rules have been changed to have the least popular label go first.

Because Wang Zhe has overwhelming popularity, no one dares to choose him, and Mao Buyi is also no longer chosen because of his high-scoring performances in two consecutive matches.

So the two faced off again, marking their third PK.

Standing in the center of the stage, Zhang Doudou announced in his sticky, disgusting tone, "Let's welcome today's last group of contestants—Wang Zhe and superstar Mao Buyi."

Because Mao Mao's popularity is temporarily lagging behind, she will perform first.

Mao Buyi brought the legendary song "A Mountain Road" that would later become a hit, which is also Wang Zhe's favorite among his works.

But for Wang Zhe at this moment, it is still only a half-finished product.

During the commentary segment, Xue Zhiqian and his friend Zhao Yingjun engaged in a classic exchange of insults and playful teasing, including pulling each other's hair.

Wang Zhe watched the two bickering, and the corners of his mouth also curved up.

As he laughed, he suddenly remembered Zhao Yingjun's experience of fighting cancer alone, and then he thought of his own grandmother.

My eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

He lowered his eyes, suppressing the bitterness in his eyes.

Having been reborn, he not only wants to become a top star, but also to make up for some regrets.

In the audience, Zhang Jingyi and Wang Churan sat in the front row, where they could clearly see Wang Zhe.

"Chiran, do you see Wang Zhe crying?" Zhang Jingyi tugged at Wang Chiran beside her.

Wang Churan followed the gaze and saw Wang Zhe with his head down, and he even raised his hand to touch his eyes.

"No, I don't think so. Maybe you're just sleepy."

Zhang Jingyi took out her phone and started taking pictures of Wang Zhe, zooming in so that Wang Zhe could see them clearly.

"She cried!"