You're already divorced, why are you so anxious about him becoming a succubus?

Soothing music was playing in the car. Xiaowei was holding the steering wheel with one hand when her phone, which was on the center console, suddenly vibrated several times.

She glanced at the screen while driving straight, then unlocked her phone and handed it to Lu Ci, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

"Boss Lu, Xinghan has sent over the copyright song list. Which songs would you like to choose?"

Lu Ci took the phone, opened the file, and quickly swiped his finger across the screen.

After browsing for a moment, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "This music library is quite comprehensive, even including many foreign songs?"

Xiao Wei explained, "Starlight Media is one of the top established music companies in China. They have a large number of performance rights for popular songs; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to support such a large-scale music festival."

This is definitely good news for Lu Ci.

To truly energize an outdoor music festival with tens of thousands of attendees and evoke emotional resonance, the choice of songs is crucial.

Especially during the opening, if a slow, lullaby is chosen, the already sparsely populated venue will definitely become ice-cold.

Lu Ci pondered for a moment and quickly picked out five songs from the music library.

After marking the form, he put his phone back on the center console.

"I've made my choice."

Xiao Wei glanced at Lu Ci, her cheeks suddenly flushing slightly. She lowered her voice, a hint of gossip in her voice, and asked, "Hey, Boss Lu, did you see clearly the girl who ran out of the bedroom in the suite just now?"

Lu Ci looked out the window at the receding river scenery and nodded slightly. "I saw a rough face. What's wrong?"

"My God! That's a member of a girl group that just debuted from a recent hit talent show!" Xiao Wei's tone was full of disbelief.

"She always portrayed herself on the show as someone who'd never even held a boy's hand, a super pure and adorable persona! She's become incredibly popular online lately, but I never expected her to be like this in private..."

Seeing Xiao Wei's worldview collapsing, Lu Ci remained completely unmoved.

He wasn't surprised by this.

"That's normal."

"In this industry, the so-called personas you see through the screen are nothing more than products packaged by capital. You can only see what they want you to see."

As for what they were really like...who knows? That's why celebrities need to maintain an air of mystery; the more active they are in the public eye, the more likely they are to be exposed.

……

The following evening, on the eve of the Jiangbei Music Festival opening ceremony.

According to industry practice, all participating singers and bands need to arrive at the venue a day in advance for rehearsals, go through the process, and familiarize themselves with the stage and equipment.

Xiao Wei drove her Porsche, with Lu Ci in the car, and sped all the way to Jiangbei New District.

This area is currently undergoing intensive development. In addition to the seaside resort left by Gu Mingxuan, the huge open space where the music festival is located is also a new landmark in the city's planning.

The surrounding paved roads and supporting commercial facilities are basically complete, and even the bus line leading to the city center has been opened. It is clear that in the future, it will be built into a base for Jiangcheng to hold large-scale outdoor events.

This music festival, organized by Xinghan Media, marks the first time this venue has been used.

As soon as the car approached the outer perimeter, Lu Ci was stunned by the scene before him.

Although there was still a whole day before the official start of the show, hundreds of enthusiastic fans had already gathered densely outside the venue's railings.

They held up various brightly colored light sticks, banners, and large portraits of celebrities.

The largest and most numerous of them was undoubtedly the fan club of Zhang Yuan.

What surprised Lu Ci even more was that among the enthusiastic fans standing in the front row, there were several girls dressed in white wedding dresses, shouting Zhang Yuan's name at the top of their lungs.

"Are all fans these days... this hardcore?" Lu Ci looked out the car window and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

Using his status as a performer, the Porsche successfully drove into the backstage area.

The so-called backstage area consisted of rows of simple white tents temporarily erected on a large open space.

The female secretary from Xinghan Media came out in high heels and led the two to a tent in the far corner, lifting the curtain and going inside.

The tent was extremely basic, with a few chairs, and a dozen unopened boxes of mineral water and a pile of messy spare cables scattered on the ground.

"Gentlemen, this is your temporary rest area," the female secretary said expressionlessly. "The stage manager will come to inform you when it's your turn to rehearse on stage. I have other celebrities to meet, so please excuse me."

After saying that, she turned and left.

Looking at the dilapidated tent that resembled a warehouse, Xiaowei kicked a cardboard box next to her in anger: "These people are going too far! They don't even have a single staff member! Do they think we're security guards?"

Lu Ci bent down, opened a case of water from the ground, took out two bottles, and handed them to Xiao Wei, smiling as he reassured her, "Since we're here, let's make the best of it. Come on, don't be sullen here. Anyway, nobody knows us here, let's go out and wander around, check out the stage effects."

Upon hearing that she could join the fun in the stage area, Xiao Wei immediately forgot her earlier displeasure and nodded excitedly, "Okay! Let's go!"

This was also her first time attending such a large music festival as a performer's assistant, and she was full of curiosity about everything backstage.

The two stepped out of the tent and followed the backstage passage. Before they even reached the front of the main stage, they heard a deafening accompaniment booming from the huge sound system.

The two walked around to the front of the stage.

Under the spotlight, a young man dressed in a ripped denim jacket and trendy Korean style was singing on stage, holding a microphone.

The young man was indeed strikingly handsome, with exquisite makeup.

The fans who were kept at a distance on the perimeter erupted in hysterical screams.

Xiao Wei tiptoed to take a look, then leaned close to Lu Ci's ear and said loudly, "Boss Lu, that's Zhang Yuan on stage."

Lu Ci nodded, his gaze fixed on the stage, listening intently to the voices emanating from the speakers.

After listening for less than half a minute, Lu Ci's expression became somewhat puzzled: "Xiao Wei, listen to this sound... Is there a problem with the on-site sound recording equipment, or is there a problem with the in-ear monitor?"

Xiao Wei covered her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter, and leaned closer to whisper, "Boss, are you trying to say... he sang terribly, completely off-key?"

"Not only is he off-key, but his breath control is completely weak, and he relies solely on dry howling to reach high notes."

Xiao Wei curled her lip, looking completely unsurprised: "In this era of internet traffic, as long as there's big capital behind it willing to spend money on packaging, even if you bring a dog up there, you can turn it into a national idol."

Just as the two were arguing, a strange thing happened on stage.

When Zhang Yuanzheng sang the most difficult high note in the chorus, his voice cracked in an extremely comical way.

His expression changed, and without warning, he slammed the expensive custom-made microphone in his hand onto the stage floor.

A muffled "bang" was heard.

A piercing electrical hum came from the speakers.

"What kind of junk equipment is this!" Zhang Yuan cursed on stage, ripped out his in-ear monitor, and stormed down the steps in a huff.

Upon seeing this unexpected scene, the dozen or so staff members waiting in the audience swarmed around him, surrounding him like a star being fawned over.

"Teacher Zhang, calm down! We'll adjust the equipment right away! Right away!"

Zhang Yuan ignored the crowd's forced smiles with a dark expression. He impatiently took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and looked down.

This single act of smoking instantly put the surrounding staff on high alert.

A dozen or so staff members formed an impenetrable human wall around Zhang Yuan.

They used their bodies to block the view of fans on the outer perimeter, afraid of being photographed.

Lu Ci, who was watching the scene unfold from a short distance away, was completely bewildered.

Xiao Wei whispered, "He debuted in a boy band when he was very young, and the labels that the capital put on him are youthful and innocent."

If his fans see him smoking, or if paparazzi take photos and post them online, his public image will completely collapse, and he'll lose fans and endorsements!