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

Chapter 365 True Strength
Chen Silu returned the phone to the director, her eyes filled with disappointment and sadness.

I never expected Vice President Liu to say such a thing. It's really heartbreaking. I feel like I've been betrayed.

Sure enough, the entertainment industry has no dreams, only business.

When Chen Tao saw that trainee number 9 looked like a wilted eggplant, a smug look appeared on his face, as if to say: Why aren't you so arrogant now? Weren't you so awesome just now?

"Director Chen..."

At that moment, a voice came from the phone. Chen Tao held the phone to his ear and asked directly, "President Liu, we're all in the same industry. They don't understand, but you should know very well. I won't beat around the bush with you; I just want to ask what your attitude is?"

“Director Chen, I just gave Chen Silu a good talking-to. My attitude is very clear: now that they’re with you, you can do whatever you want with them,” Liu Haiyang replied.

In his view, today's incident is not just about whether Chen Silu and others can make money for the company, but also about the company's future cooperation with the video website.

As an entertainment company, Tianxi Media needs platforms to expose its artists, and video websites are undoubtedly the media platforms with the largest traffic at present.

Especially TV dramas and variety shows.

With the development of internet technology and changes in viewers' viewing habits, the market share and influence of online dramas and variety shows are constantly expanding, occupying a pivotal position in today's entertainment market.

How could he possibly offend a video streaming platform because of a few trainees? He'd be too busy seeking cooperation.

Moreover, this is also a compliance test.

If Chen Silu obeys the company's arrangements and does indeed show some potential, he wouldn't mind giving her more resources.

If Chen Silu doesn't listen, then he'll have to increase the intensity of her treatment.

"Great!" Chen Tao said loudly, "With your words of comfort, Mr. Liu, I'm relieved. You're welcome to visit our program in the future."

"Haha, I will definitely go," Liu Haiyang said with a smile.

The two chatted for a few more minutes before ending the call.

Chen Tao put away his phone, slightly raised his head, glanced arrogantly at trainee number 9 in front of him, and then said to the stage, "Everyone, take a break, adjust yourselves, or use the restroom. We'll continue in ten minutes."

Upon hearing the director's words, the trainees on stage immediately relaxed.

Seeing that there was nothing for her to do, Chen Silu turned and walked to the back row.

However, after taking only a few steps, the director's voice came from behind.

"Hey, did I say you could leave?"

Chen Tao frowned, his dissatisfaction written all over his face.

Chen Silu stopped, turned to look at the director, and asked expressionlessly, "What else do you want?"

Chen Tao walked up to trainee number 9 and lowered his voice, saying, "You've heard what President Liu said. What are your thoughts?"

Chen Silu's face immediately turned ugly. After hesitating for a moment, she finally gritted her teeth and said, "I can make my own decisions."

Upon hearing the reply, Chen Tao was taken aback, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

This trainee doesn't even listen to the company's vice president? Was that phone call just for nothing?

It seems they haven't experienced the harsh realities of the entertainment industry. If they had been through even one, they wouldn't be so ungrateful.

"So, you still stick to your original idea?" Chen Tao asked coldly.

"Yes." Chen Silu nodded.

"Fine, since you're so stubborn, don't blame me for being impolite." Chen Tao's voice was cold and chilling.

Chen Silu ignored the director and strode towards her companion.

"Xiao Lu, what did President Liu say to you on the phone?"

"Did Mr. Liu give you any trouble?"

Zhao Tong and the others asked impatiently, their eyes revealing tension and unease.

Offending the "Super Trainee" program team might mean being eliminated early, but offending Vice President Liu could mean forgetting about getting good resources in the future, and might even lead to being sidelined.

Chen Silu glanced at her companion, then sighed softly and briefly recounted the contents of the phone call.

"Mr. Liu told us to follow the program team's arrangements and even asked me to accompany the program director, otherwise he would make me sing in a bar."

"what?"

The other four were shocked to hear this, not expecting that President Liu would side with the production team. They were the company's employees, while the director and assistant director were clearly outsiders.

"Why?" Zhao Tong asked, puzzled.

"How could President Liu be such a person? I really misjudged him," Zhang Jiajia said angrily.

"Even if I have to go to a bar to sing, I absolutely refuse to accompany them," Cheng Sisi said through gritted teeth.

“Or…” Su Jin looked at her companion, “should we call Teacher Zhang and see if he has any ideas?”

"No." Chen Siyao shook her head and said firmly, "We have already troubled Teacher Zhang many times. We can't cause Teacher Zhang any more trouble. Besides, we need to take responsibility for ourselves in the current situation. Going to the teacher won't help."

“That’s right. We’ll deal with whatever comes our way. At worst, we can go sing in a bar. Maybe we’ll even get spotted by a talent scout,” Zhao Tong said.

"I really want to leave this show as soon as possible," Zhang Jiajia sighed.

“If it weren’t for Teacher Zhang, I would have even considered leaving the company,” Cheng Sisi said.

The five people sat in a circle, their former bravado long gone, replaced by confusion about the future.

……

The first episode of "Super Trainee" took three days to film.

Starting from the second episode, the competition officially entered the elimination stage.

In this process, one hundred trainees will be divided into groups to compete. The mentors will provide professional guidance and comments to the trainees in dance, vocal music, musical instruments, music arrangement, and choreography. Finally, the audience will vote to decide whether each trainee advances or is eliminated.

Of course, this is a public announcement, the purpose of which is to attract viewers who want to watch the show to become members on the video website. Then users can get recommendation votes by paying to watch, and cast their votes for their favorite trainees.

In reality, the production team had already 'set prices' and selected nine girl group members.

Next, the director will film according to the script, highlighting the nine girl group members while ignoring or belittling other trainees, in order to achieve the ultimate goal of eliminating them from the audience's view.

If this year's users rebel and the voting results differ from the script, it's okay. The production team will intervene directly and modify the vote count. After all, only the video website knows who got how many votes.

"I'll ask you one more time, have you still not changed your minds? This is your last chance." The assistant director looked at the five trainees who were about to go on stage for the elimination round.

Chen Silu and the others looked at each other, and finally answered in unison, "No."

When the assistant director saw this, he gritted his teeth so hard they made a grinding sound.

Despite targeting them for so many days, the five trainees still hadn't changed their minds. This was the first time he'd encountered such stubborn trainees, which made him both angry and helpless.

"Fine, you've got guts. Then I'll officially inform you that you can leave after filming today's segment," the assistant director said coldly, before turning and leaving. Zhao Tong: "Despicable!"

Zhang Jiajia: "Shameless!"

Chen Silu: "Vulgar!"

"The show hasn't even aired yet, and the users haven't voted, and he's already notifying us that we're eliminated. Looks like he's too lazy to even pretend anymore." Cheng Sisi curled her lip, her face full of disdain.

"Now that the results are in, shall we leave now?" Su Jin asked her companion.

"It's clearly stated in the agreement that you can't leave the show without permission, or you'll have to pay huge compensation. If you're not afraid of the compensation, you can leave now," Zhang Jiajia said.

If it weren't for this agreement, she would have left long ago and wouldn't be stuck here being targeted and scorned.

"In my opinion, since it's the last day anyway, let's give it our all and show the other trainees our skills. Let's give the director a good slap in the face with our actions, what do you think?" Zhao Tong asked.

"Yes, that's a good idea. Aren't they making fun of us? Let's make them stop laughing today," Cheng Sisi said.

"agree."

At that moment, the aura emanating from the five people suddenly changed, as if they were about to engage in a fight.

Cao Qing, who was not far away, saw this scene and a sneer appeared on his lips.

She has now returned to the second row, and the assistant director has promised that she can stand in the first row as soon as the second episode is recorded.

'What's with the pretense of high and mighty attitude? You're still going to be eliminated anyway, huh!'

Cao Qing rolled her eyes at Chen Silu and the others, straightened her clothes, and walked to the front of the group.

She's determined to make it all the way to the top nine and eventually become a member of the girl group, so she won't be associated with those who were eliminated.

A few minutes later, the recording of the program officially began.

Because it was an elimination round, every trainee looked very nervous and didn't want to be eliminated.

Even if they are destined to be eliminated, they hope to persevere for as long as possible. After all, the longer they persevere, the more opportunities they will have to show their faces. Even if they cannot enter the girl group as they wish, they can still become a familiar face.

The elimination rounds are divided into five groups, each led by a celebrity mentor, who will compete against each other.

As if wanting Zhao Tong, Zhang Jiajia, Cheng Sisi, Chen Silu, and Su Jin to get out of here as soon as possible, this group was the first to go on stage.

Director Chen Tao, standing below the stage, wore a cold smile.

Don't know what is good and what is bad!

As the music began, the twenty trainees were divided into two teams. They stood on the left and right sides of the stage, facing each other, and began their first competition.

Zhao Tong and others 'coincidentally' ended up in the same group.

Because of their long-term training together, the five of them moved in perfect unison, not only outshining their opponents but also outshining their own five teammates.

It doesn't feel like 10 against 10; it feels more like 5 against 15.

Soon, the dance ended, and the next segment was the mentors' comments.

Wang Shengjie looked at the members of her group and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Excluding objective factors, among these twenty trainees, trainees No. 1, No. 3, No. 7, No. 9, and No. 16 are the best dancers, even surpassing the other trainees by a large margin.

It's not very clear when there are 100 people, but it's crystal clear when there are 20 people.

If he had a choice, he would definitely prioritize advancing these five people.

The problem is that the assistant director had previously communicated with him, telling him that in today's elimination round, he must find fault with these five people as much as possible, and say the most hurtful things, so that these five people would be eliminated in the end.

I used to think it would be easy and no problem, but now...

Everyone's eyesight is good; anyone with eyes can tell who dances well and who dances poorly.

If he nitpicks, people who know the problem will think it's with the production team, but those who don't might think it's him who's the problem.

"Teacher Wang, why aren't you saying anything? It's your turn to give your comments."

Suddenly, director Chen Tao's voice rang out on set, urging them on.

“挑毛病，挑1号3号7号9号16号的毛病。”

"The more you say, the better."

"..."

After regaining her senses, Wang Shengjie was speechless, thinking: Director Chen, are you blind?!

The director was still urging them on, and Wang Shengjie had no choice but to, based on the principle of 'taking someone's money and doing their bidding,' finally grit her teeth and comment: "Numbers 76, 98, and 99 danced very well. Not only were their movements precise, but they also combined strength and grace. Their facial expressions and emotional delivery were both excellent..."

At this point, he suddenly changed the subject, looking at Zhao Tong and the others, and said, "On the contrary, numbers 1, 3, 7, 9, and 16's movements were stiff. Although they had a strong sense of rhythm, they looked emotionless and didn't seem to be putting their heart into it..."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was silence at the scene.

Before, everyone was watching, and it was obvious who was good and who was bad. How come Wang Shengjie's comments became so emotionless? Does she think everyone is blind?
The other eighty trainees, in particular, were all quite surprised.

Aren't these the five rotten fish the director was talking about? Why did they jump so well just now?

While watching, they even felt ashamed of their own shortcomings, and at the same time, a sense of crisis arose.

Also, does Wang Shengjie even know how to dance? How could she think these five trainees danced the worst?

It seems the nickname "Prince of Song and Dance" is too exaggerated. We can drop the "dance" and just call him the Prince of Song.

Some trainees were secretly relieved that they weren't in Wang Shengjie's team, otherwise they would have been wronged.

It seems I should keep my distance from this mentor in the future.

Wang Shengjie finished her comments with a dark expression. Fortunately, there were no audience members present during the recording, otherwise she would have been drowned in their spittle.

Sigh, money is hard to earn, and life is tough!
After the dance competition, the vocal competition will begin.

Zhao Tong didn't hold back, immediately letting out a high-pitched dolphin-like scream that instantly silenced the entire room.

Among the other trainees, there are others who can sing in the high register, but very few can sing that high and maintain such stable breath control.

At this moment, everyone's mind was filled with doubt.

why?
Why would someone who dances and sings so well still get scolded by the director?

Previously, because No. 1 was standing in the last row, no one could see No. 1's performance. But today, they could not only see it clearly, but also hear it clearly.

Is this the strength of the player ranked first in the selection competition?

It's so scary!
Mom, I want to go home!
……

(End of this chapter)