This top-tier academic genius

Qin Zhengyan stared blankly at Lin Yan on the stage, never expecting that this student, besides being good at math, could also sing so well. No wonder he was able to make it in the entertainment industry before.

The other students were both surprised and excited. They had thought that Lin Yan was just joining in the fun on a whim, but they didn't expect that he actually had real skills.

Seriously? Ah Yan, are you serious?!

On stage, Han Dong looked at Lin Yan's face, which was perfectly suited for the entertainment industry, and felt very satisfied. He not only had good looks, but also excellent singing skills.

He asked, "You just said that the song 'My Deskmate' that you sang was your original composition?"

"Yes, it's genuine, and the copyright can be verified."

Lin Yan dared to say this with such confidence because he had actually checked the copyright, and it showed that the creator's name was his own.

The system is actually quite good; it directly helped me with the copyright issue.

Han Dong was even more satisfied after confirming that the song he had just heard was indeed composed by Lin Yan himself.

This player is good; they should advance!

Suddenly, he felt that the name Lin Yan sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. Then he remembered something and asked again:

"The name Lin Yan sounds familiar. Did you debut before?"

"That's right, I used to be in the Time Boys group."

Upon hearing this, Pan Rui and He Yunting were surprised again. They hadn't expected that this contestant had actually debuted before and was a former boy band member.

The two secretly took out their phones and searched for information, and roughly understood what was going on.

Han Dong thought to himself, "Just as I expected."

Next comes the judging process. Based on Lin Yan's performance just now, he will definitely pass. However, the fact that the other party is a former idol group member who had a failed career makes people a little hesitant.

To be precise, the concern wasn't about Lin Yan's past experiences, but rather about Kunle Entertainment and Shengkun Group, one of the three major capital groups in the entertainment industry behind it.

Pan Rui and He Yunting both looked at Han Dong, because he was the one who truly held the power here.

After seemingly considering it for a while, Han Dong was the first to raise the "pass" sign.

Immediately afterwards, the other two judges also raised their "pass" signs.

Thus, Lin Yan successfully passed the preliminary selection with her perfect performance.

As he stepped off the stage, staff members found Lin Yan, took his registration form, confirmed how they could contact him, and informed him of the upcoming competition schedule.

After the preliminary rounds, the regional competitions will begin, which will take place in about two weeks. There are a total of eight competition regions nationwide, and eight contestants from each region will advance to the main competition.

The main competition requires recording at the TV station, and that's when it will be shown on TV. The footage from the preliminary rounds and regional competitions will only be edited into highlights and broadcast online.

In other words, if Lin Yan wants to gain enough exposure, she needs to find a way to get into the top 64.

Afterwards, Li Jia and the others obviously did not pass the audition; they were just there for the fun of it and wanted to get some screen time.

Lin Yan's performance on stage just now impressed everyone.

Wang Mingchao walked up to Lin Yan and kept praising him, "Senior, you're really amazing. You sing so well. You'll definitely be a star in the future."

"Of course! He's already advanced, so we'll be able to see him on TV then," Li Jia said with envy.

Even Zhou Yuelin, who is usually not very talkative, surprisingly said, "He is quite impressive."

For these high-achieving but tone-deaf students, being able to sing well is definitely an enviable ability.

Qin Zhengyan was the only one who was worried, fearing that Lin Yan would go to participate in the competition and abandon her studies.

"It seems I need to find an opportunity to have a serious talk with him," Qin Zhengyan thought to himself.

After the audition interlude, everyone went to a bar together.

When the students discovered that the bar was different from what they had seen in the movies, they were inevitably a little disappointed. There was no lively dance floor, no exciting performances, and it was not much different from a bubble tea shop.

Alcohol was out of the question, so Qin Zhengyan ordered a glass of juice for everyone.

This money couldn't be reimbursed, of course. He couldn't very well say he took the students to a bar for entertainment, so Qin Zhengyan had to pay for it himself.

Everyone stayed at the bar for only a short time, had a drink, and then left. After having dinner together, they all returned to the hotel.

After returning to the hotel, Qin Zhengyan called Lin Yan to his room alone, intending to have a serious talk with him.

"Lin Yan, do you know? You have a great talent for mathematics, something many people can't catch up to even after years of hard work. You have a clear mind and extremely high comprehension. I hope you won't waste this talent and will settle down and study hard. You could even become a mathematician in the future."

"I know you might love singing and want to enter the entertainment industry. But mathematics is sacred; it's something you can learn for a lifetime."

Listening to Qin Zhengyan's words of persuasion, Lin Yan understood. He was afraid that Lin Yan would give up mathematics and devote himself to the entertainment industry.

He organized his thoughts and said seriously, "Teacher Qin, I understand what you mean. I never said I wanted to give up math, nor did I say I wanted to give up my studies. I will enter the entertainment industry, but I will still not give up my studies. Don't worry, even if I participate in the talent show, I will definitely not neglect my studies. I still need to go to the CMO position."

"However, a person's energy is limited."

"Trust me, I can do it."

Lin Yan thought to himself, "Of course I can do it. I'm a man with cheat codes."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade the other party, Qin Zhengyan stopped talking.

Meanwhile, Han Dong, who had just finished the preliminary selection process, was reporting the day's selection results to his superiors via video link from his hotel room.

"Director Li, I've sent the information of the contestants who advanced from today's auditions to your email. You can take a look. There's a contestant named Lin Yan who's quite good; he has a built-in audience. I think we could try to get him involved."

In the video, the professional woman in her forties with a neat hairstyle is Li Xia, the chief director and chief planner of the "The Voice of China" program.

"The Voice of China" is now Ningjiang TV's flagship program with soaring ratings, and this program was created by Li Xia.

"This Lin Yan not only has a good image and a stable temperament, but also has excellent singing skills and original songwriting ability. Most importantly, he was previously an artist under Kunle Entertainment's Time Boys group. After his image collapsed, he was boycotted by fans and criticized by official media, and Kunle Entertainment quickly terminated his contract."

"I specifically checked, and the official channels haven't banned him. In fact, his reputation seems to have improved recently. I think if he advances to the main competition, he can bring a lot of viewership to the show. It's just that Kunle Entertainment might..."

In the video, after listening, Li Xia nodded and praised, "Han Dong, your idea is very good. As for Kunle Entertainment, we don't need to worry about them. We are a TV station, and even Shengkun behind them can't do anything to us."

She continued, "I think we might as well add fuel to the fire. Let's keep Lin Yan's advancement a secret for now. I'll have someone contact Kunle Entertainment and invite the members of the Time Youth Group to participate. They'll be directly guaranteed a spot in the main competition, and then they can compete in the PK battles."

"Director Lai's insight is brilliant!"

"Okay, that's all for now. Feel free to contact me anytime."

After hanging up the video call, Han Dong leaned back on the sofa, feeling even more admiration for Director Li.

No wonder they can be directors and chief planners; their ability to generate buzz and create topics is amazing. A competition between former and current members, with a little hype, will definitely bring good ratings to the show.