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

Chapter 400 Arrival in Shenzhen
Before we knew it, it was the 18th.

Zhang Wen got up early and arrived at the art exam training center, preparing to go to Shenzhen with Zhao Tong and others to attend Jiang Li's solo concert to be held on the 20th.

The TV series "Perfect Days" is about to wrap up filming, and the filming work is not as busy as before, which gives him time to accompany five students to Shenzhen.

Good morning, Teacher Zhang.

"Teacher Zhang, have you eaten? We bought you milk and a sandwich."

When Zhao Tong and the others saw Zhang Wen, they greeted him respectfully. Chen Silu even handed him a plastic bag containing breakfast she had just bought from the bakery, as a way of thanking Teacher Zhang for sheltering them from the wind and rain.

Without Teacher Zhang's protection, they wouldn't have been able to concentrate on rehearsing the show these past few days.

Zhang Wen didn't stand on ceremony with the students. He took the bag, pulled out a sandwich, and asked while eating, "Have you packed your luggage?"

"It's packed."

The five women spoke in unison, then looked at the suitcases placed to the side. There weren't many; one for each of them. In addition to two sets of clothes for everyday wear, there were also two sets of performance costumes.

"Are you sure you didn't leave anything behind?" Zhang Wen asked, a little uneasy.

"Don't worry, Teacher Zhang, we've already checked it," Zhao Tong said.

Zhang Wen nodded. As a man, it wasn't appropriate for him to check the female students' luggage, so he chose to trust these people and waved his hand towards the door: "Let's go."

"Yes!"

Zhao Tong and the others were overjoyed, their eyes brimming with excitement, and they grabbed their suitcases and chased after them.

The car was a seven-seater van that Zhang Wen borrowed from the company, which could fit all six of them. However, the trunk space for the suitcases was a bit small, so they had to squeeze in and put the suitcases in the aisle between the seats.

It took an hour to get from the training school to the airport.

When Zhang Wen, Zhao Tong, and others appeared at the airport, they immediately attracted a lot of attention.

A handsome young man with five beautiful young women—it's hard not to attract attention. Many men look at Zhang Wen with envy and jealousy, wishing they could trade ten years of their lives for him.

Perhaps it was the popularity of the music video, or perhaps it was their frequent appearances on television recently, but people quickly recognized Zhao Tong and others.

"Look, it's the Future Girls group."

"So beautiful, and she has such a great figure."

"Isn't that Chen Silu walking in the middle? She's even more beautiful than on TV."

"Zhao Tong is so cool, Su Jin is so sweet..."

Someone took out their phone and started filming the five members of the future girl group.

Listening to the discussions around them, Zhao Tong and the others showed no expression on their faces, but they were secretly delighted.

Finally, someone recognized them.

I remember a while ago we went to Hunan Province to record a variety show. We weren't recognized when we went there, and we weren't recognized when we came back either. We were all quite disappointed for a while because of this.

As artists, especially those who have just debuted, everyone hopes to be recognized when they go out, so as to demonstrate their popularity.

Not being recognized means being unknown or uncared for, which is not a good thing for an artist.

At that moment, a girl mustered up her courage and walked over, asking expectantly, "I'm a fan of yours, can I take a picture with you?"

Zhao Tong and the others immediately looked at Teacher Zhang, who was walking at the front. Seeing Teacher Zhang nod, they smiled and said, "Sure."

The girl's eyes lit up instantly, and she took out her phone and switched to selfie mode.

In the shot, the girl is surrounded by five members of the Future Girls group, like a star being the moon.

"Click"

As the girl pressed the shutter button, the image froze at that moment.

"Thank you, I will always support you," the girl said happily, raising her clenched fist to cheer the group on.

"Thank you," Zhao Tong said with a smile.

The girl looked at the photos on her phone and smiled as if she had won the lottery. She skipped and hopped back to share them with her friends.

Once there was a first, there was a second and a third, and soon a group of people surrounded them until they had to check in for their flights, at which point the photo session ended.

Zhang Wen led the five women into the VIP security checkpoint and then into the VIP lounge after checking in.

"How does it feel to be recognized?" Zhang Wen asked Zhao Tong and the others.

Upon hearing this, the five people immediately showed a hint of joy on their faces.

"It's great," Su Jin said happily, feeling a little bit of what it's like to be a star.

"I'm very happy to meet fans, and I'm also very happy to be liked by people," Cheng Sisi said.

“Me too,” Zhang Jiajia nodded in agreement.

The first time a fan asked them for a photo was a form of recognition and encouragement, letting them know that all their hard work was worthwhile.

"Remember those faces," Zhang Wen said. "From now on, everything you do is not only for yourselves, but also for the fans who love you. Don't let your efforts go to waste, and don't let your fans down, understand?"

"understand!"

Seeing the students' serious expressions, Zhang Wen nodded in satisfaction, then fell silent and waited quietly to board the plane.

Less than twenty minutes later, an announcement came over the loudspeaker in the lounge.

Zhang Wen stood up, led Zhao Tong and the others out of the lounge, and boarded the plane with the flight attendants.

After a flight of more than three hours, the plane arrived at Shenzhen Airport.

The temperature in Shenzhen is higher than in Beijing. Zhang Wen is fine because he is physically fit and wears less clothing, but Zhao Tong and the others are not so lucky. They are so hot that they can't wait to take off their coats.

"Teacher Zhang!"

Suddenly a voice rang out at the exit.

Zhang Wen looked in the direction of the voice and saw Jiang Li's assistant, Zheng Jie, holding up an A4 sheet of paper with the words "Teacher Zhang" printed on it.

"Assistant Zheng, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Zhang Wen said as he walked over.

"No, I just arrived too," Zheng Jie said politely, then glanced at the people standing behind Teacher Zhang, "Teacher Zhang, is everyone here?"

"We're all here, just the six of us," Zhang Wen said.

"Oh, let's go now. The car is outside, please follow me." Zheng Jie finished speaking, put away the A4 paper, and walked ahead to lead the way.

Zhang Wen quickly followed behind, signaling Zhao Tong and the others to catch up.

It must be said that Jiang Li is very thoughtful. Knowing that there were many people, she sent a minibus. This time, not only were there seats for people, but also seats for luggage. Even so, there were still three or four empty seats.

This was Zhang Wen's first time in Shenzhen, and he spent the whole trip admiring the scenery.
Perhaps due to its proximity to the sea, the city is very clean and full of greenery, which, together with modern high-rise buildings, creates a unique urban landscape where nature and technology blend seamlessly.

Zhang Wen was so engrossed in watching that he didn't notice the time until the car stopped in front of the hotel, at which point he realized that half an hour had passed.

The group entered the hotel, took the elevator to the 23rd floor, and soon saw Jiang Li in a room.

"Sister Li, you're so busy, it's a lot of trouble for you to send someone to pick me up," Zhang Wen said upon seeing her. "Don't be so polite, we're not strangers. I'm overjoyed that you could come to my concert," Jiang Li said with a smile as she stepped forward, opening her arms for a warm hug as if she were meeting an old friend.

He then turned his gaze to the back, scrutinizing the girls as he looked them over, his heart filled with emotion.

I remember when Zhang Wen recommended this group to her, the five girls were still newcomers. But in just one month, Future Girls' fame swept the entire music industry. They not only became popular on the internet, but also frequently appeared on various variety shows. It's true that fortunes change, and you should never underestimate a young person's potential.

However, compared to the five girls' sudden rise to fame, she was more concerned about Zhang Wen's methods. By piecing together several trainees who had been eliminated from variety shows, he was able to make the group popular in just one month, which was simply turning the impossible into the possible.

In two words, it's simply awesome.

She admires Zhang Wen more and more now.

If she could be ten years younger, she would definitely win him over.

Zhao Tong, Zhang Jiajia, Cheng Sisi, Chen Silu, and Su Jin felt Jiang Li's gaze and immediately bowed and greeted her.

"Hello, Sister Li."

The sounds were clear, crisp, and pleasant, bringing a sense of comfort to the listener.

Seeing the five people's respectful demeanor, Jiang Li nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile, "Hello, how are the performance preparations going?"

"I've rehearsed many times and am ready, but I'm a little nervous facing so many people for the first time," Zhao Tong said honestly.

"It's okay. The audience will be completely dark, and you won't be able to see anything except the support lights. There's no need to be nervous," Jiang Li comforted them, completely understanding how these younger artists felt.

She also went through that time. She remembers that when she held her first concert, she was so excited that she couldn't sleep all night. Even when she was on stage, she was so nervous that she kept wanting to go to the bathroom.

Of course, you can't say these things to these younger people in front of you, otherwise they'll laugh at you.

"Sister Li, where is the venue? I'll take the five of them to check it out later," Zhang Wen said to Jiang Li.

“I’m going to the rehearsal later, why don’t you come with me?” Jiang Li said.

"Okay, then I'll trouble you, Sister Li."

"Don't mention it. Go back to your rooms and unpack your luggage first. Come to my place in half an hour, and we'll go together."

"it is good."

Zhang Wen took the room key and went to the room. He casually put his suitcase into the closet. There were only a few changes of clothes in the suitcase, and there was nothing else to pack.

He took out his phone and sent WeChat messages to Gao Yue and Bai Lu to let them know he was safe, then turned his gaze to a large stadium not far away.

If he's not mistaken, Sister Li's concert should be held there.

When singers hold concerts, they usually book hotels near the venue. This is more convenient, as they don't have to worry about traffic jams and can have more time to rest.

Half an hour later.

Zhang Wen walked out of the room and called Zhao Tong and others who lived next door to meet up with Jiang Li. Then the group left the hotel in a large group.

Less than ten minutes later, the minibus drove into the underground parking lot of a stadium.

Just as Zhang Wen had guessed, it was indeed the stadium he had seen in the room.

The stage was already set up, and some staff members were testing the sound effects, while others stood in front of the stage, chatting and laughing, not like they were there to work.

Zhang Wen glanced around and spotted some familiar faces in the crowd. These were trainees from the training department, numbering about a dozen.

This is…..
Zhang Wen understood instantly.

These people must be here to be Jiang Li's backup dancers.

Singers need anywhere from a few dozen to hundreds of backup dancers for their concerts.

For some important backup dancers, the singer will bring them from the company. They can be on call whenever the singer trains at the company. For some less important backup dancers, the singer will usually hire a dance troupe from the concert venue, which is both convenient and cost-effective.

As Zhang Wen and Jiang Li approached, the people gradually stopped chatting, straightened their backs, and stood up straight.

"Hello, Sister Li."

"Hello, Teacher Zhang."

Everyone greeted Jiang Li, while the trainees in the training department added "Teacher Zhang" to their greetings.

Jiang Li nodded, then turned to Zhang Wen and asked, "Does your show need backup dancers?"

"Yes, I need to." Zhang Wen answered without hesitation.

Having backup dancers makes the scene seem grander and also helps to liven up the atmosphere.

Zhang Wen originally had no such idea and didn't want to cause trouble for Jiang Li, but after seeing the trainees in the training department, he changed his mind.

It's worth noting that the popularity of teenage dance on short video platforms owes much to the trainees in the training department.

After Li Yuetong produced the dance instruction videos, the first group of people to learn them were the trainees in the training department.

After learning the dance, the trainees responded to his call and uploaded their own dance videos, which, along with videos of celebrities dancing, quickly made the dance popular.

These trainees can be used as backup dancers without even needing to be taught; they can be used directly because everyone knows how to do it.

"How many people do we need?" Jiang Li asked.

“Our company’s trainees are enough,” Zhang Wen said.

"Okay, I'll rehearse first, and you can discuss it yourselves later."

"Okay, Sister Li."

Because the concert is the day after tomorrow, Jiang Li attaches great importance to this rehearsal. She simulates the opening, and she does a lot of serious work on every song, every dance, and every segment.

More than an hour later, it was finally time for the guest performers to appear.

Jiang Li called Zhao Tong and the others onto the stage and began communicating with the five of them about how to enter the stage, what topics to discuss, how to create a lively atmosphere, and each person's role during the chorus...

These all need to be arranged clearly to avoid any unexpected situations.

The 8-minute performance took a full half hour to discuss before it ended.

Zhao Tong and the others walked down from the stage, and everyone looked very excited. They even hopped and skipped as they walked, like a group of cute rabbits.

"How does it feel to be on stage?" Zhang Wen asked with a smile.

“Great, I can’t wait!” Chen Silu said excitedly.

"Teacher Zhang, do you think we'll have a chance to hold a concert in the future?" Zhang Jiajia asked. The others looked over, their faces showing anticipation.

“There will definitely be a chance, believe me,” Zhang Wen said.

He thought to himself: Concerts are so profitable, of course I should hold one if I have the means.

Not only should we hold more shows, but we should hold more of them. Ideally, we should do a national tour or a global tour; that would be truly satisfying.

……

(End of this chapter)