At 3 a.m., the landmines in front of the station

In the Mosse qualifiers, apart from rival teams who can wait for each other offstage, other teams are not allowed to enter the arena to watch the matches.

This is equivalent to the preliminary rounds being an exam, and the judges being the teachers responsible for scoring the teams.

At this moment, in the small theater of several hundred square meters, five judges sat solemnly on the judging panel, some male and some female. The chief examiner in the middle was a beautiful woman over 40 years old, with elegant makeup and a composed demeanor.

In the vicinity, numerous video cameras had already been set up.

The lighting technicians and stage designers upstairs are also on standby at any time.

The mixing team consists of more than one person, and their on-site adjustments are meticulous. Musicians can simply come on stage to begin the sound test.

"As expected of a competition organized by Mosse, it's so comprehensive."

Su Che looked at the several high-end tube speakers, each worth hundreds of thousands of yuan, on the stage and secretly admired them.

"Team One, 'Seven Colors'. Ready to go on stage for testing."

Soon, the staff sent a notification to Su Che and the others.

"Ok."

Su Che didn't have time to observe any further. Although he felt as if all eyes had swept over him the moment he entered the room, it was probably just a hallucination caused by not sleeping well.

He tightened the piano strap on his shoulder and led his team up the steps to the stage.

"The audition is not the actual performance, but rather a rehearsal. After setting up the equipment, we will go through the pieces that will be used in the evening's competition. During this time, our staff will record the contestants' performances for editing and broadcast in the later public program. Please be aware of this."

"Huh? Are we going to broadcast it again?"

"Yes, although many teams will not be able to break through and will not be broadcast, the semi-finals and the finals will be broadcast on TV. Our editors will also release behind-the-scenes footage before the PK, so all the materials need to be prepared in advance."

The staff explained it very clearly.

Su Che and the others roughly understood.

This means that teams that are eliminated early on will be edited into a rapid-fire, shoddy production, much like in talent shows...

The team that fights its way to the end will be edited into a hero who goes against the tide, creating buzz and trending topics.

And those teams with stronger abilities will probably be edited into the BOSS team to enhance the show's entertainment value.

In other words, the current audition is equivalent to performing in front of a camera for their team, and they cannot afford to be careless.

"understood."

Su Che nodded and looked back at his teammates.

The girls all seemed to be in good condition. Yuan Xiao had a good sleep and had just received a mood boost in the shower. Now she was standing on the stage, intently adjusting the effects pedals, her little face full of seriousness.

An Qing moved her body, while making bubbling sounds in her throat, and the warm-up of her vocal cords was basically complete.

Gu Zhi connected the cable, stood in her usual left rear position, and twisted her waist to be level with herself;

Yu tide tossed her long hair, sat down behind the keyboard stand that had been prepared in advance on the stage, and gradually disappeared into the light;

Finally, it's Xiaoxiao's turn. Xiaoxiao is different today.

Because it involved recording, she actually wore it.

Su Che was very pleased and turned around with peace of mind. He turned on his effects matrix and turned the volume knob to the maximum.

The harp I brought today is the ultimate version of Noblebird, the most precious one in my collection of artifacts.

It is entirely cherry white, with a perfectly curved neck and a feel as smooth as a young girl's skin. It can be glided from the headstock to the high positions in an instant, making it a top-notch instrument.

Facing the match, Su Che would no longer hold back any of his strength, after all, "Seven Colors" had no room for error.

The defeat shattered my long-held dream, unlike other teams that can fight again next year after a loss.

Although preparations have reached this point, everything isn't quite perfect yet, everyone has done their best. I've also done my utmost to cultivate their teamwork. As for the outcome, I'll leave it to fate.

Su Che took a deep breath and tried to cheer himself up.

The staff below the stage all took their positions, and the next second, with a click, the spotlight shone on An Qing on the stage—

"There will be a 4-beat metronome countdown in the monitor. After the countdown ends, the singer will start singing, and we will record and record simultaneously. If there are any problems during the process, do not stop the recording. Wait until the song is finished before communicating with the sound engineer."

"OK."

Upon hearing this, An Qing gave a gesture of acceptance, and the group's performance was about to begin.

...

...

hum-

As her phone vibrated, at three in the afternoon, the head maid stopped making tea in the castle and turned her gaze to her phone screen.

On the screen, the words "Tangtang" were prominently displayed.

She grabbed her phone and pressed the answer button.

"Hey?"

"Miss Bai Qiao, where do you live? I followed the navigation, but I'm lost. Apart from this huge converted castle manor, the surrounding area is all like a village of houses, right? You don't... live in a slum, do you...?"

A rather refreshing voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Of course not. I'm right here in this manor. Come in, I'll meet you at the gate."

"?!"

After receiving the answer, the other person fell silent, as if their neck was being choked, clearly wanting to say something but holding back.

Bai Qiao hung up the phone, straightened her skirt, and headed straight for the main entrance of the lobby.

On one side, a maid who was wiping the floor asked cautiously, "Head Maid, are there any guests coming to visit today?"

"Ah."

"But we haven't received any such notification...we don't know what to do..."

"No need to prepare, just continue with your own things."

Bai Qiao waved her hand, signaling the maids to move around freely.

Today was the day she invited "Want to Defeat the Great Demon King Yari," the second-ranked illustrator in Tianhai City, to her place to discuss matters related to merchandise design.

This is a private meeting, and Su Che is not a direct guest, so the etiquette is fine as it is.

At that moment, she pushed open the door and stood in the middle of the stone steps in front of the main entrance, looking down.

A few dozen meters away, a woman who was about 1.65 meters tall appeared at the gate of the house, carrying a drawing board and a bag, looking quite nervous.

Bai Qiao narrowed her eyes, observing briefly.

It was clear that the other person had long hair that reached her hips, and her figure was the kind that was soft and supple after working out and shaping, with curves that were not exaggerated and pleasing to the eye.

Clearly, being able to train to this level demonstrates a high level of self-discipline and patience.

Bai Qiao had asked the other party before and learned that her real surname was Tang.

She can be called "Tangtang" by nickname. She is around 26 years old and has just returned from studying animation in Japan.

The reason she calls herself "Want to Defeat the Great Demon King Ari" on the commissioning platform is because she has been regularly posting her latest designs there for the past 5 years, and every time she posts an image, she consistently ranks second...

In terms of popularity, likes, and comments, it's a whole level below Bari...

What angered her even more was that others saw Ari as a goddess...

in fact……

She knows him in real life.

She was the daughter of Teacher Hua, the owner of the art studio where she used to work.

……

-

"Wow! Miss Bai Qiao, you...you...you really are a maid!!"

When I came to my senses, the familiar voice was already drifting over.

"Last time you just showed me a maid outfit design sketch and didn't say you were actually a maid! If I had known this, I would have pounced on you right away!"

Upon seeing the graceful head maid waiting beautifully on the steps, Tang Tang practically ran towards her... completely lacking the poise and composure befitting the "second greatest painter of Tianhai"...

It's clear that she's a typical maid-obsessed person.

"Take your time, Miss Tang. I have many more smart maid outfits that can move around in my home. Don't rush, I'll show you around slowly."

"Ahhh...that's great! By the way, how come you live in such a big house? Are there some high-ranking officials or something living there...? If I'm not invited, can I come in? Will I disturb them...??"

Tang Tang was a little nervous.

After all, this was her first time visiting such an expensive place, and if she wasn't mistaken, the flowers and plants in the courtyard were all rare varieties, and the exterior design of the main building was obviously very expensive... She was afraid that there was some serious person living inside, which would make her appearance very awkward.

"It's alright, the master isn't home today. Come with me."

Bai Qiao calmly turned around, pushed open the double doors, and led the way for her.

Tang Tang tiptoed in, her footsteps very light, glancing left and right as she walked, afraid of missing any crucial details.

"It's all source material, all of it can be used in my work! My God, Ms. Bai, you practically live in the source material library of my dreams!"

Seeing maids walking by from time to time, cleaning or tidying up the house, Tang Tang stared wide-eyed.

To be honest, she had longed for such an environment since she was a child, and she had always had a secret goal in her heart: one day, if possible, she would like to become a professional maid.

The reasons are that maids earn high salaries, dress beautifully, don't have to do hard labor, and can enjoy the environment of high society...

This kind of work is much more comfortable than spending years studying and training, then pulling all-nighters to draw for others...

"Miss Bai Qiao, may I ask how you became a maid here... oh no, head maid? Is there some insider information?"

The two had only just met, and before they could even discuss business, Tang Tang started asking about personal matters.

"Um……"

Bai Qiao pondered how to answer.

According to intelligence, she knew that Tang Tang's family was not well-off, and that her family had to sell a house to support her studies in Japan in order to raise the tuition fees.

During this process, Tang Tang herself seemed to be working multiple jobs and taking on commissions for artwork online, she just kept going...

Unlike Ms. Ari's manuscripts, which often cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, she takes a budget-friendly, cost-effective approach.