Huayu98: Starting with mentoring pop divas

Li Shuo was completely bewildered!

Looking inward into my mind, information began to appear beside the suddenly appearing dark gold scales.

[The Crowned King System of Shanyuan Entertainment...Activated]

[Host: Li Shuo] (This system aims to help the host achieve the status of a king through the benefits of forming good relationships with female celebrities!)

[Rank: Unknown] (Rank will be upgraded based on the host's reputation level. Upgrading increases the number of female friends you can befriend. The higher the rank, the greater the rewards from befriending female celebrities.)

[Currently available female celebrities with good relationships: 0/3] (The beneficial benefits gained from helping female celebrities with good relationships will be randomly distributed to the host as a tangible reward from the female celebrity based on the host's rank after the system weighs the options.)

Does his rebirth come with some kind of cheat code?!

Recalling some of the things that happened in his previous life, Li Shuo still felt somewhat apprehensive.

The appearance of this system... suddenly gave me a sense of security!

In ancient China, a balance scale was also called a scale. So, this means that the system will weigh how many female celebrities I can help to build good relationships and then give me a reward...

But what does this tangible reward mean...?

"Click".

Li Shuo froze!

The door to the music room was pushed open.

"Stefanie, are you in there?"

A slightly stiff Mandarin female voice with a Cantonese accent suddenly appeared.

That sound...at this moment...

A stylishly dressed woman with exquisite makeup and short, neat hair peeked in.

Her gaze swept across the room and she saw a boy staring at her in astonishment, his pants half-pushed down in front of the mirror, his hand instinctively covering his private parts.

Their eyes met, and the woman raised her delicate eyebrows—that was awkward…

Realizing that the English name she called out was "Looking for Shei," Li Shuo calmly pulled up his pants.

"Ah, you're looking for Sun Yanzi, right? Well... she should be in the music room next door."

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry to bother you... Please continue! Continue!"

The door closed... Both sides tacitly ignored what had just happened.

It was as if nothing had happened.

"I'll continue... I'll continue!"

Li Shuo, feeling he must have been taken advantage of, was complaining...

【Ding! 】

A line of small print appeared before my eyes.

[A female celebrity who could potentially become a confidante has been identified; should a partnership be formed?]

Li Shuo was stunned... So this is a target!

That makes sense, though; the person who just barged in definitely fits the bill!

He was also one of the benefactors who discovered Sun Yanzi.

She is none other than Cheng Sau-man, the last diva of Hong Kong's music scene!

Seeing the piano room quiet down again, Li Shuo didn't rush to chase after them to confirm their connection.

Instead, he rushed behind the curtains and eagerly rummaged through his backpack to pull out a silver-gray Nokia 6110, his movements a mix of disdain and excitement, albeit clumsy.

His fingers trembled slightly as he pressed the number etched in his childhood memories, a number he rarely dialed.

A mix of tension and anticipation filled the air. After a few busy tones, as if caught in a "bullet time" sequence, the call connected amidst a noisy background.

"Hey, isn't this our young master Li? What's wrong with you today? Didn't you say you didn't want to talk to me because you wanted to save a pittance on international call fees?"

His voice was cheerful and tinged with laughter.

"So, what have you set your sights on this time?"

Hearing this voice that he could only hear in his dreams countless times, Li Shuo's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and his throat tightened...

A single word stuck in his chest; he took a deep breath before squeezing out a choked, trembling sound.

"……dad!"

On the other end of the phone, Li Mingyao, who was sitting down with his business partner, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

"Sorry guys, my little darling's international call signal is bad, I'll go outside to answer it."

He strode out of the private room, his tone immediately changing, his voice low but filled with barely suppressed anxiety: "You little brat! What trouble have you gotten into?! Are you alright?!"

Hearing his father's familiar voice and the tension in it, Li Shuo felt both warm and wanted to smile.

"I didn't cause any trouble! I just missed you, Dad."

To his surprise, the other side became even more enraged: "Don't scare me, kid! How long has it been since you properly called me 'Dad'?! Wait, I'll contact your aunt right now and buy the plane tickets!"

"No, no! Dad, Mr. Li, Chairman Li! It's really alright!"

Li Shuo quickly called out to stop him, adding in his mind: Even if there is such a thing, it's not too late to change it now.

"Don't be nervous, it's just... I dreamed about you recently, and it reminded me of some things. I realized I used to be pretty irresponsible."

"Hey, so what's so great about being abroad? You miss your dad and you're still dreaming... cough cough... are you really okay?"

"I'm really fine! But..."

"Well, something still needs to be done!"

"...Could you please let me finish?" Li Shuo was both amused and exasperated...

Next, he spoke of the decision he made immediately after hearing the voice of his father, who had supposedly passed away in his previous life, and considering his rebirth and the system.

"Dad, I don't want to go abroad anymore. I want to go home. Didn't you mention before that Grandpa has students in the Arts Department? I want to take the college entrance exam and apply to a performing arts college in China to study acting properly. You know I'm not worried about my academic subjects, it's just that I'm too old...?"

There was a sudden silence on the other end.

"dad?!?"

"Ah... I'm here... You... You didn't trick your old man, did you?" Li Mingyao's voice was filled with a surprised disbelief.

"Are you really willing to go home? Can you really focus on your studies?"

"Really! Even better than those you hid... I opened every single bottle to sneak a sip so I wouldn't be discovered!"

"Hey! You little rascal... but I still have to come over in person!" The laughter and scolding on the other end of the phone regained its cheerful tone.

"You'd better stay put. I'll make arrangements to pick you up in Singapore right away! We'll talk about the specifics of your schooling when we meet."

"Hmm... okay then. By the way... Dad, please drink less when you're out socializing."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone, followed by a suppressed laugh, the kind that sounded gratified.

"Alright! That's it... I'll leave it at that."

After the call ended, the busy tone rang. Li Shuo held his phone, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

The thick, hot winds of Singapore seemed to carry a hint of dry, cool air from the north.

Just as I stepped out of the secluded area where the music room was located and into the long corridor connecting the main building, a suppressed but excited Cantonese conversation faintly came from around the corner ahead.

"Brother Jin, the Malaysia concert! That venue... it was teeming with bugs after the storm! I'm terrified of bugs! And there was an eight-minute power outage! Something almost happened on set... the company's arrangements this year were really inadequate!"

Is that Zheng Xiuwen's voice?

"The budget is limited, Sammi! That's how it is in overseas markets. The company's strategy needs to be adjusted this year, and even though you're very popular right now, sometimes... you'll need to cooperate a little."

The man called "Brother Jin" tried to calm her down...

"Strategy adjustment? Me cooperate?" Sammi Cheng was somewhat incredulous, recalling the rumors circulating among some Warner Music staff recently.

"Brother Jin, are you... hiding something from me about the company?"

There was a brief silence during the conversation.

Li Shuo, who was eavesdropping around the corner, sneered inwardly.

Haha... Don't even mention Warner Bros. hiding something from you, your agent has also kept a huge secret from you!

The man spoke again, but his tone was somewhat stiff.

"Don't overthink it. Focus on your current task and prepare for recording the new song in the studio these next few days. I have to go now, Warner Music's newly appointed president for Greater China, Zhou Jianhui, is arriving soon."

Upon hearing footsteps, Li Shuo quickly took two steps back, pretending to have just passed by.

However, she had already silently confirmed in her heart that the system had bound her to Zheng Xiuwen.

In her mind, on one side of the dark gold scale, a human-shaped weight of Zheng Xiuwen appeared, and the scale pressed down.

The empty weighing pan on the other side was raised high, as if waiting for something to be placed on it.

[Currently available female celebrities who can be linked to: 1/3]

[The system will now assess the effectiveness of any positive interactions the host makes with Zheng Xiuwen and determine the rewards accordingly...]

As Li Shuo watched the other person's departing figure, vague memories from his previous life, such as Warner Music's internal adjustments and new talent development strategies, the suppression of Zheng Xiuwen this year, and her being passively involved in the scandal of her manager embezzling public funds, suddenly became clear.

Whether it was due to rebirth or the system, he found his brain to be exceptionally sharp. His already good memory now felt like he had the legendary hyperthymesia, yet he didn't experience any unpleasant side effects.

1998 was indeed a very unfriendly year for this Hong Kong diva...

While I was pondering, a prompt appeared in my consciousness!?

[First successful connection to a positive relationship target; host receives newbie rewards]

[New Player Reward: 10 copies of the Zheng Xiuwen image (first draw has a hidden luck bonus)]

[Start drawing rewards: Confirm/No]

Li Shuo looked around... there shouldn't be much noise, right?

confirm!

Um... there's absolutely no sound!

After a few breaths, the result appears in consciousness.

[Host Rank: "Nameless" - Randomly draw 10 tangible rewards from the benevolent target Zheng Xiuwen.]

[Three ropes resembling a hanging rope (from the movie "Love on a Diet")]

[Two Guan Sunliu knives (from the movie "Love on a Diet")]

Four freshly baked egg tarts (from "The Lucky Guy")

[Jung Soo-wen's singing skills are superb (from the "Listen to Mi Birthday Gig Concert")]

[The male lead's fee was HK$2000 (from "Needing You...")]

Um… Li Shuo rubbed his temples…

System... where is the first-time luck bonus you mentioned in parentheses?

Could it be that the male lead, alone with his girlfriend, has such a paltry amount of money?! ...Are you even being polite?!

Clutching the HKD 2000 I'd taken from the system, I tried to collect it, but then I realized I couldn't take it back!

I can only silently put it in my pocket; it seems that once system items are taken out, they can't be put back...

Li Shuo felt a tingling sensation in his heart, lungs, and throat, as if they were being readjusted. His memories were also filled with a wealth of experience and methods, such as her openness in high notes, smoothness in mid-range notes, and stability in low notes.

Even during live concerts, she can maintain steady breathing and physical fitness while performing high-intensity dance routines, thanks to her experience.

Once the sensations had fully merged, Li Shuo exhaled a long, deep breath.

But to be fair, the Sammi Cheng singer who was drawn is quite talented...

But what are all these other things?!

But now that I know how and where to get these rewards... I'm really looking forward to it!

What would it be like if he were to rise in rank in the future?