How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 359 A Game of Praising Someone

Zhang Wen, Li Yuqi, and Cai Yaxuan arrived at the recording studio for the show.

The studio is over 4,000 square meters, which looks much larger than a typical theater.

Zhang Wen walked between Li Yuqi and Cai Yaxuan, and his appearance immediately attracted the attention of countless people.

It's worth noting that Li Yuqi and Cai Yaxuan are both famous female singers in the music industry. For these two to be willing to give up the center position, this man must be someone extraordinary.

Who is this person?

Which celebrity?

How come I've never seen this before?

Even director Chen Peng was completely bewildered at this moment.

Could he be a special guest invited by the production team?
No one notified him, the director.

"Teacher Li, Teacher Cai, who is this...?" Chen Peng couldn't help but step forward and ask.

If a director can't control the whole scene, what kind of director are they?
The people around also pricked up their ears and listened carefully.

"Director Chen, this is the famous songwriter Zhang Wen. He heard I was recording a program here, so he came to see me," Li Yuqi explained after hearing this.

This was the reason Zhang Wen came up with on the way here. He was mainly worried that if his true purpose was exposed, he would be kicked out by the production team. It would be different if he were a celebrity friend. Even if the production team didn't know who he was, they would still have to give the celebrity face.

"Oh."

Chen Peng nodded, thinking to himself: So it's someone from the music industry who came to visit the set.

Although he had never heard of the name 'Zhang Wen' before, since he was a friend of Li Yuqi and Cai Yaxuan, he still had to give him face.

"Hello, Teacher Zhang, it's a pleasure to meet you," Chen Peng said, taking the initiative to greet him.

As the old saying goes, "Having more friends means having more paths, while having more enemies means having more walls to block your way." Getting to know someone is never a bad thing.

"Hello Director Chen, did I disturb you?" Zhang Wen pretended to be embarrassed.

He had met Director Chen before when he led a team to participate in the selection competition, but at that time he was in the crowd while the other party was standing on the stage.

He saw the other person, but the other person didn't notice him.

"No, welcome to visit, Teacher Zhang," Chen Peng said warmly, then turned to the assistant director not far away and called out, "Xiao Liu, give Teacher Zhang a work pass."

Despite my enthusiasm, I was thinking: I must check on my phone later to see what works this Teacher Zhang has created.

The assistant director immediately came over and handed over a work pass. With it, you were considered one of our own and could move around the studio without being questioned by security.

To prevent fans from sneaking into the studio and leaking program content in advance, the security measures at the recording site are very strict, with dozens of security guards.

Without a work permit, you can hardly move around here unless you have staff with you at all times.

"Zhang Wen?"

Just then, a man in a black jacket walked over, his eyes filled with surprise. "You're Zhang Wen, the lyricist and composer of 'New Life'?"

“It’s me,” Zhang Wen replied.

"Hello, Teacher Zhang, I'm Peng Jie. I hope we'll have the opportunity to work together in the future." The man quickly extended his hand, appearing extremely excited.

“Yes, there will be opportunities,” Zhang Wen said.

"Super Trainee" is China's first idol girl group competition and training reality show. It not only brings together outstanding trainees from major entertainment companies in China, but also invites five popular artists to serve as mentors.

In addition to Liu Yifei, the national producer who appeared on the last day of the selection competition, there were four celebrity mentors.

They are Li Yuqi, the music prodigy; Cai Yaxuan, the pop diva; Wang Shengjie, the prince of song and dance; and Peng Jie, the genius singer.

Actually, the five mentors were present during the selection competition; they were judges. However, Zhang Wen's attention was entirely focused on the trainees, and he didn't pay attention to the mentors.

A hint of surprise flashed in Chen Peng's eyes. It seemed that this Teacher Zhang was quite famous in the music industry, otherwise Peng Jie would not have taken the initiative to come over and say hello.

Next, Li Yuqi and Cai Yaxuan went to the dressing room to put on makeup, while the others made their final preparations for the upcoming show, leaving Zhang Wen alone.

To be honest, Zhang Wen didn't want anyone following him, especially celebrities. It would be too conspicuous and make it difficult for him to observe the trainees.

Now that Li Yuqi and Cai Yaxuan are gone, and he has a work pass, he can move around freely as long as it doesn't interfere with the show's recording.

Following the signs, Zhang Wen arrived backstage. The aisle was filled with trainees, all wearing uniforms with number tags around their necks and light makeup. Apart from their hairstyles, they were all quite similar.

Perhaps because the competition was about to begin, every trainee looked very nervous. They kept adjusting their clothes, hoping to alleviate their anxiety.

One trainee even faced the wall and gently bumped his head against it, trying to calm himself down in this way.

Zhang Wen quickly found Zhang Jiajia and others among the many trainees.

The six of them stood in a circle, forming a small group.

Zhang Jiajia and the others saw Teacher Zhang at this moment, their faces filled with joy, knowing that Teacher Zhang would definitely have a way to get in.

Just as they were about to wave and greet him, they saw Teacher Zhang shake his head slightly. They immediately understood and suppressed their urge to say hello.

"Everyone, be quiet."

The assistant director, Liu, who had previously given Zhang Wen his work pass, also arrived at some point and loudly announced to the trainees in the corridor, "The recording of the show is about to begin. All trainees, please line up according to your numbers and wait to enter."

As soon as the voice fell, all the trainees immediately sprang into action and quickly lined up.

And standing in the first place is Zhao Tong.

Zhang Wenzheng was worried about not being able to find his target, but now that everyone was standing in a row, it couldn't be easier to find someone.

他记得九位获得特写镜头的练习生号码分别是8号、9号，11号、13号、15号、31号、36号、51号和72号。

Chen Silu, number 9, is his student. He had already met number 31 at the entrance of the park. Now there are seven people left.

His gaze swept past Zhao Tong and looked behind him, quickly locking onto trainee number 8.

Jiang Lanqing, Skills: Vocal Performance 55, Guitar 53, Classical Dance 43...

After looking at the skill panel, Zhang Wen couldn't help but nod to himself.

This person is quite capable; no wonder he's ranked number 8. His skill level is outstanding even in the training department.

There's no problem with someone like that getting close-up shots.

Next up is the 11th.

Fan Jingjing, Skills: Vocal Performance 53, Ballet 41, Piano 37...

Zhang Wen frowned slightly. Although his vocal skills were at a professional level, his other skills were only average.

However, another possibility cannot be ruled out. The selection test consisted of singing and dancing. This person has a good voice and is also passable in ballet. Perhaps they performed exceptionally well and could have ranked 11th.

Next up, number 13.

Xu Meiting, Skills: Classical Dance 48, Vocal Performance 45, Piano 33...

Zhang Wen narrowed his eyes. This skill stat was rather weak, even inferior to He Jiaying, number 31, whom he had seen before. As for her appearance, she had the currently popular "internet celebrity" face: big eyes, a high nose, and a pointed chin. While she did give a good impression, she looked like someone who was all about technology and ruthless skills.

If it were a contest of online celebrities, Zhang Wen would definitely vote for number 13, but now that they're choosing a girl group member, this face really isn't suitable.

Not to mention skills, none of them have reached a professional level.

There's definitely something wrong with number 13.

Zhang Wen continued walking down the corridor towards the back of the line. When he saw number 15, he was stunned. The real person looked very different from the one in the promotional video.

Although he never judges people by their appearance, the other person's looks would definitely rank near the bottom among 100 trainees.

Moreover, his figure is incomparable to that of other trainees. The beautiful uniform looks loose and baggy on him. If you put a sack over his head, you wouldn't even be able to tell the front from the back.

Is he a powerhouse of talent?

With this question in mind, Zhang Wen looked at the other party's skill panel.

Lu Yuchang: Skills: Vocal Performance 44, Latin Dance 40, Guitar 32...

After reading it, three words immediately came to Zhang Wen's mind: "connections".

Such a skill level would be considered below average, not to mention in the highly competitive "Super Trainee" competition with its 100 participants, even in the training department of Tianxi Media.

Someone who can neither follow the idol route nor possess the ability of a talent contestant, how could such a person rank 15th in the selection process?

It's worth noting that Su Jin's vocal and folk dance skills both exceeded 50 points, yet she could only rank 16th in the selection competition.

Zhang Wen has reason to suspect that someone had already used connections to get into the "Super Trainee" program from the very beginning of the selection process.

How much sponsorship would it take to get a trainee of this caliber into the main competition, let alone prepare for forming a group?

But then I thought, if we can really form a group and debut through this show, given the current level of attention the show receives, I believe we can earn back the sponsorship fee in no time.

As Zhang Wen passed by Miss No. 31, with the existence of No. 13 and No. 15, he now found this Miss No. 31 much more pleasing to the eye, and even had the thought that 'this Miss No. 31 must have passed the selection competition on her own merit'.

After all, they're ranked 31st, not in the teens.

Zhang Wen looked at the skill panels of the remaining three trainees and felt that there was no worst, only worse.

How much bribe did these mentors receive during the selection process to give these three people high scores against their conscience?

Zhang Wen wanted to ask Li Yuqi, but felt it would be impolite. Mainly, their relationship wasn't close enough to discuss such matters, and he would need to learn more about the inside story through her in the future, so he eventually gave up the idea.

We shouldn't waste our goodwill on trivial matters.

"Girls!"

The assistant director's voice suddenly came from the front of the group.

"We're about to enter. Everyone, cheer up and show your best side to the camera. Be the brightest star. One minute countdown."

"Five, four, three, two, one, come on stage!"

The group moved forward quickly and soon disappeared into the background.

As the music started playing from the direction of the stage, the competition segment of "Super Trainee" officially began.

Although Zhang Wen had achieved his goal, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he went to the recording site and quietly watched the trainees' performance on stage.

He wanted to verify whether the values ​​on the skill panel were accurate.

One hundred beautiful female trainees stood on the stage, singing and dancing, creating a very pleasing scene.

Zhang Wen was initially worried about Zhang Jiajia and others' path to forming a group, but as he watched, that worry disappeared without a trace.

So beautiful!

They must have rehearsed during the previous closed training period. The trainees' dance was fairly synchronized. As for their singing, with a hundred people singing together, it's really hard to tell who sang well and who sang poorly.

Zhang Wen stood directly in front of the stage and watched for a while, feeling a surge of emotion within him.

No wonder everyone wants to be emperor; it's really cool to watch so many beautiful women dance together.

He secretly thought that he would never become emperor. If he could become the boss of an entertainment company in the future, he would definitely launch a girl group of 100 members. He had already thought of a name for it: "Three Palaces, Six Courtyards, and Seventy-Two Concubines".

Although it's a competition reality show, the filming was constantly being stopped and started for the sake of the show's effect.

It doesn't look like a competition; it looks more like a TV drama.

Zhang Wen even suspected that the competition was scripted, with who would advance and who would be eliminated already decided, and that it was just a formality to be filmed for netizens to see.

"pause!"

Director Chen Peng's voice came through the walkie-talkie again, the music on stage stopped abruptly, and the trainees on stage also stopped dancing, all looking in the direction of the director, their eyes filled with tension.

In contrast, the five mentors seemed quite calm, clearly unfazed by the situation.

There's a saying in the variety show industry: "If you take someone's money, you have to do what they say."

Once you've received your payment, you do whatever they tell you to do; everyone's happy.

disobedient?
Goodbye.

Three-legged toads are hard to find, but obedient entertainers are plentiful.

You're so noble, if you don't come, plenty of other artists would love to.

"Number 5, your position is wrong. Move a little more to the left, and you're blocking number 15 behind you. Let's do it again," Chen Peng said loudly.

"I'm sorry, director." Trainee number 5 immediately bowed and apologized.

"!"

Seeing this, Zhang Wen could only be described as astonished.

Should player number 5 make way for player number 15?

Has the bias become so blatant?
Zhang Wen turned to look in the director's direction. The previous pauses were all for the sake of the show's effect, but this time, it was for a person, and in his opinion, this pause was completely unnecessary.

Even if number 5 blocked number 15's view, there are 100 trainees on stage, so it's normal for the people in the back to be blocked by the people in front.
Furthermore, there were multiple cameras filming the stage from different angles on set, so during post-production, a high-altitude shot or a side shot could easily be inserted.

If it blocks the view from the front, it won't block the view from above or the sides, right?
'It seems Director Chen is eager to impress his sugar daddy.'

Zhang Wen thought to himself.

If the person behind trainee number 15 found out, wouldn't they be overjoyed and treat him to a meal or give him some gifts?

To succeed in the entertainment industry, talent is important, but to truly thrive, you must also know how to navigate social situations.

Otherwise, if you don't come when invited to dinner or don't do what is asked of you, which investor will continue to spend money on you?

It seems this is yet another game of capital promoting people.

……

(End of this chapter)