Entertainment Era: Starting with Teaching Sister Meng to Sing

Every time I go out for an all-nighter, I curse myself for coming back like a dog. Only veteran players understand the feeling of being cold, hungry, and empty.

I plan to take a minibus home this afternoon instead of riding Huang Mao's bicycle. Meng Ziyi's home isn't far, so I'll walk there.

When I entered, Meng Ziyi was still busy in the small kitchen by the door. It was clear that her cooking skills were not very good. Although her face was not covered in black and gray, the pungent smell in the room indicated that it was chili paste.

After welcoming Wang Xiaozhou into the house, Meng Ziyi was in a daze for a moment before greeting him.

"You're here! I thought you'd be a while longer. Come in and have a seat."

Wow, this guy seems to have changed. He's more of a rascal than before, but he gives off a more comfortable vibe.

Wang Xiaozhou hadn't originally planned to help, but as he walked inside, he carefully examined Meng Ziyi's rented room.

The bedroom is small and simply furnished, with only a bed, a desk and a TV, but the little room is tidy.

The natural wood floor was spotless, and the desk contained only a diary and a fountain pen, keeping everything neat and tidy.

The cut signal cable showed that the TV hadn't been turned on for a long time, but the LCD screen was still black and free of dust.

The midday sun shone brightly on the light-colored sheets, creating a fresh and girlish scent.

Wang Xiaozhou had been with countless women in his previous life, and he knew that it was actually very difficult for young women to stay in such a clean room.

Most women who can manage their homes well are mature women between the ages of thirty and fifty. Younger women lack life experience, while older women tend to become lazy due to health reasons.

So you can tell from this room that Xiao Meng really loves life.

With two sharp, scraping sounds of a spatula scraping against a wok, Meng Ziyi called out from the doorway, "The food's ready! Come and get your rice, eat it while it's hot!"

Before he could even settle into his seat, Wang Xiaozhou got up and went to the dining table, sitting down opposite Meng Ziyi.

"I used to just eat whatever was available, so the food I cooked might not have been very good."

Meng Ziyi shrank her neck, looking adorable.

Wang Xiaozhou picked up a piece of stir-fried pork. Well, Meng Ziyi wasn't being modest; the food really wasn't very good.

Why is it necessary to apply to the Beijing Film Academy?

Without looking up, Wang Xiaozhou asked, "Meng Ziyi scooped a piece of steamed egg custard for him with a spoon. It was quite tender and must be one of her specialties."

"Sister Juan said she wanted to see me leave Northeast China by taking the college entrance exam. I can't let her down. Also, my art grades are really good."

According to Meng Ziyi's previous life records, she was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy in 2013, so she certainly has the right to say that she has excellent artistic achievements.

Seeing that Wang Xiaozhou did not respond, Meng Ziyi began to ask the questions she was concerned about.

"You said the day before yesterday that you could help me take another path, what method would you use?"

It's not that I don't trust you, I just feel... we're both high school seniors, and apart from being a little more famous, you're not much different from me, are you?

Objectively speaking, the two of them only met for the first time the day before yesterday. The fact that Meng Ziyi sent him that message already showed that her words from that day had worked. Now that they want to cooperate more deeply, it's normal for Meng Ziyi to want to find out more details.

Wang Xiaozhou turned on his phone to check the time. He figured his actions from yesterday should have taken effect by now, so instead of directly answering Meng Ziyi, he said:

"Haven't you visited my aunt since you came back from the hospital the day before yesterday?"

Meng Ziyi didn't understand why he asked that, but she still nodded: "I had art class yesterday, so I didn't go to the hospital."

Wang Xiaozhou tapped his phone: "Call my third aunt and say hello."

The system showed that Meng Ziyi's favorability rating dropped by 1 point, probably because she was somewhat annoyed by Wang Xiaozhou's suspenseful behavior. However, the lingering influence of their first encounter was still there, so Meng Ziyi took out her phone and called Zhang Juan.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, then Meng Ziyi made two startled "á" sounds, hung up the phone, and looked at Wang Xiaozhou with surprise.

Did you arrange for Sister Juan to have a private hospital room?

She added that the head of the oncology department had just left, and when he came to check on the patients, he was very kind, telling them to contact him if they had any problems, and even asking if they could ask him to lend a hand, implying that she knew what to do.

It seems that nothing went wrong. Director Zhang has very sensibly imagined himself as a high-energy person.

Wang Xiaozhou put down his chopsticks, looked at Meng Ziyi and said, "When you made the call, that director should have been gone for no more than ten minutes. If it weren't for my arrangement, you would have been the one to get the firsthand information."

"Wow."

Meng Ziyi didn't know what to say, but her eyes were filled with admiration as she looked at Wang Xiaozhou, and her previously low favorability rating immediately increased by 3 points.

"Don't tell my third uncle and aunt about this. I'll give you two minutes to thank me and calm down before we continue talking."

Wang Xiaozhou's words were so straightforward that Meng Ziyi was caught off guard, and after moving his mouth for a long time, he couldn't utter any words of thanks.

Wang Xiaozhou kept raising his hand upon seeing this:

"Alright, if you can't figure it out, then don't say anything. This matter actually has nothing to do with me bringing you into the entertainment industry."

This is to temporarily alleviate your concerns, and also to increase your trust in me.

"Trust level?" Meng Ziyi asked, somewhat puzzled.

Wang Xiaozhou nodded seriously: "Yes, trust, because the other path I want to take you into the entertainment industry is... singing."

"Sing!?"

Meng Ziyi blushed without warning. She was no longer the nightingale of the entertainment industry who dared to showcase her singing voice on variety shows in later years. At present, she only felt ashamed of her tone-deafness.

"I can't sing. I tried in art class, but the teachers all said I'm tone-deaf. Even I can hear that I'm singing off-key."

She has such a clear understanding of herself now...

Wang Xiaozhou sighed inwardly, unable to bring up the matter of the power fruit with her, so he could only maintain his awkward tone as a domineering CEO and speak.

"This is not something you need to worry about. I will arrange everything. I gave you time to consider it the day before yesterday. Now you just need to answer me whether you can sing or not."

Think of the worried look in my mother's eyes before she left.

Think of Sister Juan lying in her hospital bed.

Think about the terrifying future that Wang Xiaozhou described that day.

Without much hesitation, Meng Ziyi nodded firmly: "I can sing!"

Wang Xiaozhou relaxed his tightly clenched toes inside his slippers.

However, Meng Ziyi immediately followed up with, "But I have one last question: why did you help me?"

Having achieved his goal, Wang Xiaozhou no longer needed to maintain his composure and casually opened his mouth while reclining on the back of his chair.

"The least important reason is that your sister Juan is my third aunt, so helping you is the same as helping her."

A moderate reason: you're good-looking.

The most important reason is that before I teach you to sing, we need to sign a contract. The profits will be split 90/10, with me getting 90%, and you have to make money for me.

Meng Ziyi ignored the first and last points and replied with a blush:

"I'm not in the mood for dating right now. If you want to find someone, you'll have to wait until I go to college."