Huayu: Starting with living with a girl from Taiwan

Lin Mo was taken aback upon hearing this.

It's not that I'm surprised that Zeng Peici, who was originally scheduled to participate in the second season of "Super Star Avenue," was suddenly invited to challenge the contestants.

This was indeed part of his plan.

He had previously recorded demos of several songs with Zeng Peici, and even sent one of the demos to the program team in Zeng Peici's name.

This was to give her a chance to be noticed by the production team.

The sooner you become famous, the sooner you can harvest your crops.

Lin Mo was surprised that the final twelve had already been scheduled for a challenge match featuring the "Great Demon King".

I think it should be in the top ten.

It seems that the show's rhythm was disrupted because of this butterfly.

"Really?" Lin Mo said. "That's great, the opportunity has arrived."

"But I'm a little nervous..." Zeng Peici said softly.

"They said the challengers are all established or very talented singers, but I... I'm just a college student, is that really okay?"

"You can do it," Lin Mo replied with absolute certainty.

Zeng Peici's voice is quite good. Although she hasn't received systematic training, she has improved her singing skills a lot by practicing with him during this time.

And if your singing skills aren't great, you can make up for it with your songs.

"Um... Ah Mo, when are you coming back? I miss you."

"It's almost here, already on its way."

"Okay, dinner's ready. I'll watch TV while I wait for you."

Lin Mo hung up the phone, but before he could put it in his pocket, it rang again.

The caller ID showed Jam Hsiao.

Lin Mo answered the phone and, before the other party could speak, asked directly:

"Are you going to tell me that you're going to participate in the 'Super Star Avenue' challenger competition next week?"

Jam Hsiao on the other end of the phone was clearly stunned:

How did you know?

"But not next week. They've scheduled eight contestants for next week, and I'm not one of them. They told me it would be the week after next..."

"Wait, I meant if you want to practice singing together! My folk song restaurant owner found out I was going to participate in the challenge competition, so he gave me a super luxurious recording studio to practice singing."

Lin Mo immediately understood.

The general trend of history has not changed.

Jam Hsiao will still make a surprise appearance in the later part of the first season as the "Challenger King". His three performances have made him a legend, attracting countless fans and earning him the title of "nuclear-level newcomer" from the media.

"Tomorrow afternoon is fine," Lin Mo said. "I have something to do tomorrow morning, and I need to go see Coach Liu the day after tomorrow to report to the 'Kung Fu Dunk' crew."

"Wow! A movie crew!" Jam Hsiao exclaimed excitedly. "I want to go too! Can I come along?"

"You can talk to Coach Liu yourself," Lin Mo smiled. "If he says it's OK, then you can come with me."

"Okay! I'll call him right now!"

Lin Mo had just breathed a sigh of relief after hanging up with Xiao Jingteng when his phone rang again.

"..."

Lin Mo was speechless.

What's wrong with me today?

Did they stir up trouble?

The person who made the call was Chai Zhiping.

I need to answer this call.

"Hey, Mr. Chai."

"What 'General Manager Chai'? Call her Sister Chai."

Angie Chai's voice was tinged with laughter, "Lin Mo, you're such a busy person, it's so hard to get through on the phone."

After the joke, Angie Chai quickly got to the point:

"I have a new play here, would you like to act in it?"

Lin Mo didn't answer directly, but said:

"Sister Chai, have you forgotten something?"

"Huh?" Chai Zhiping on the other end of the phone was a little confused, her mind not quite processing it for a moment.

"Did you forget to give me my payment for filming 'The Ultimate Family' last time?" Lin Mo reminded him seriously.

"Didn't they send it to you?" Angie Chai was even more confused. "The finance department clearly stated it on the day filming wrapped..."

She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, her tone becoming somewhat awkward:

"Well... I'll check it later. Maybe the finance department made a mistake in the rush."

That's just how the world is. On the surface, big companies may look glamorous, but they're actually just huge makeshift operations.

At present, Angie Chai is basically the only one in charge of Comic Productions.

She has to manage production, talent management, negotiations, and sometimes even appear on TV shows.

There are simply too many things to take care of.

This also gave those below them room to exploit loopholes.

For example, the accounts are sometimes a complete mess.

"Sister Chai," Lin Mo sighed, "you should manage your subordinates better. I don't want this kind of internal strife to happen after we start working together."

Although his words were direct, they were also from the heart.

If we're going to cooperate, we need to lay a solid foundation first.

Otherwise, if you miss out on payment today, you might miss out on something even more important tomorrow.

Angie Chai was silent for a few seconds, then let out a sigh:

"You're right, I'll handle this. Thanks for reminding me."

Lin Mo also knew that some things were best left unsaid.

He steered the conversation back on track:

"By the way, Sister Chai, what show were you talking about earlier?"

Upon hearing this, Angie Chai's tone relaxed again:

"Don't you like playing basketball? This drama stars Jerry Yan and Show Lo; it's an idol drama with basketball as its theme..."

Before she could finish speaking, the name of the drama came to Lin Mo's mind.

Watching the NBA is just for fun; to learn skills, you still need to watch...

Basketball Fire.

That's right.

It's that surreal basketball idol drama.

Jerry Yan plays Dongfang Xiang, and Show Lo plays Yuan Daying...

The show was later criticized for its exaggerated special effects and plot.

But it's undeniable that it was quite popular at the time.

This also further boosted the popularity of the lead actors.

Moreover, even in 2026, Lin Mo could still frequently come across short videos with the background music of "Basketball Fire".

"Don't sleep here. Why are you making that face? It's because you can't tell the difference between me and you..."

It's incredibly catchy and addictive.

As Lin Mo was thinking, Chai Zhiping's voice continued from the other end of the phone:

"The production cost isn't low, it's planned at NT$6000 million. The special effects will be very good. Are you interested?"

She continued with a smile, "How was it?"

Lin Mo thought for a moment.

He needs exposure now. Although idol dramas like "Hot Shot" have exaggerated plots, their ratings won't be low.

Moreover, being able to collaborate with Jerry Yan and Show Lo allows him to benefit from their fame.

"I'm interested," Lin Mo said, "but the payment needs to be agreed upon beforehand."

Chai Zhiping chuckled and said:

"Okay, come to the company tomorrow morning, and we'll discuss the studio matter together."

"I've read the script, and there's one role I think would be quite suitable for you."

"Don't worry about the pay, you won't be shortchanged. Once the role is finalized and the contract is signed, we'll send it to you directly."

"Okay, see you tomorrow morning." After hanging up the phone, Lin Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Tonight, I've been answering more phone calls than recording a TV show.

But the gains were also considerable.

Zeng Peici and Xiao Jingteng are going to be on the show, which is great news.

The offer of a role in "Hot Shot" was also a pleasant surprise.

Lin Mo returned to the rented room and pushed open the door.

The aroma of food wafted through the house.

But strangely, Zeng Peici was nowhere to be seen.

At this time of day, she would usually pounce on him like a kangaroo and cling to him.

However, Lin Mo's ears twitched, and he heard a strange sound coming from the bedroom.

He walked over and gently pushed open the door.