Chapter 5

When Qin Ran saw that single word, she couldn’t help laughing. She replied with a sticker, then stuffed her phone into her pocket and went straight to class.

Not long after filming the personal introductions, it was time to begin recording the first episode. This was also an elimination round. Only fifty people would remain and continue on to the later recordings.

Yu Shuman and the company both sent Qin Ran invitations to watch the recording live. Yu Shuman’s invitation was probably given to her by her agent, asking her to invite some classmates and friends over to cheer her on and build up the atmosphere. Yu Shuman did not hesitate much before sending one to Qin Ran, and she even told Qin Ran that she absolutely had to come and see her looking dazzling beneath the stars.

The seat the company arranged for Qin Ran was clearly much better, obviously one reserved internally.

Qin Ran accepted Yu Shuman’s invitation without the slightest hesitation and rejected the company’s. Because she was going to watch the recording, Qin Ran even skipped class directly. After meeting up with Yu Shuman’s roommates, she took a taxi with them to the recording base.

Yu Shuman definitely had no way to receive them personally, but as the big boss, Qin Ran had already made arrangements with the company. The company not only gave these classmates and friends of Yu Shuman support goods, but also prepared milk tea, snacks, and small gifts for them.

When Sister Li, who had an imposing aura, saw Qin Ran in the crowd, she reined in her presence and became like a kind, approachable older sister from next door. While welcoming them over to cheer for Yu Shuman, she arranged all sorts of things for them and even had an assistant lead them to their seats so they would not have to find their own places.

Recently, Ninety-Nine Interactive Entertainment had stirred up a huge splash within the industry. Its origins were a mystery, no one even knew the boss’s name, and it had only just been established. Yet this very company was so well-funded that people could not help taking notice.

In just over a month, it had already turned the industry upside down. It had even torn a deep chunk of flesh from the hands of several major companies and poached quite a number of celebrities and artists.

This company’s money seemed as though it had fallen from the sky. When it poached people, it even helped pay their breach-of-contract penalties, and the treatment it offered those it poached was so good that the other companies in the industry were left with their jaws on the floor.

Damn it, damn it! Where exactly did this company’s money come from?! Who did business like this?!

The four words “loaded with money” were practically carved onto Ninety-Nine Interactive Entertainment’s face. Other read the original at bailiantales.comartists were all waiting for it to come like a peerless hero, stepping on rainbow-colored clouds to take them home.

However, after Ninety-Nine Interactive Entertainment poached a dozen or so people in a row, it began recuperating and stopped actively causing trouble.

Putting everything else aside, there was one thing the other companies had guessed correctly: Ninety-Nine Interactive Entertainment’s money really had come from the heavens.

Qin Ran had even found a reason for her poaching behavior: a company definitely could not have only Yu Shuman as its sole artist. Poaching these people over would not only provide cover for Yu Shuman, but with seniors from the same company out in the industry, Yu Shuman’s future path would also become smoother.

The system did not hesitate at all in response to her application reason. The words “funds transferred” were practically stamped right onto Qin Ran’s face.

During this period, she had spent so much that Qin Ran had also accumulated quite a sizable private treasury. And because her spending had reached a certain level, the cashback ratio had improved greatly, going from the original 100:1 to 50:1.

Leaving those things aside, because of Ninety-Nine Interactive Entertainment, this group of Yu Shuman’s relatives and friends now received quite decent treatment.

One of Yu Shuman’s roommates tugged Qin Ran along, somewhat incredulous. “Is this the usual treatment for watching a live recording? This treatment is way too good!”

But she soon discovered that not everyone received the same treatment as they did.

Those artists backed by major companies were still all right. Although their treatment was not as good as theirs, it was not too far off either. The miserable ones were the artists from small companies. They were assigned very few seats, and after entering the filming venue, no one would give preferential treatment to the employees or support groups from these small artists’ companies.

The world had always been cold and harsh. People fawned on those above them and trampled those below them. It was not necessarily that the staff were bad people; it was just that work had long since worn away their sharp edges. How could they still go and fight for benefits for others?

Without Qin Ran, most likely, the smiling seniors in front of her would have been just like those people. They would not have been given many seats. Those who were close to Yu Shuman would have stayed up all night fighting for tickets, only barely managing to squeeze their way in. Yet among the fan groups of others, they would not even dare lift the support signs they had made themselves.

From small details, one could see the bigger picture. Yu Shuman would not have received Read on BaiLianTales very good treatment either.

Qin Ran sighed. She was someone who feared trouble, but there were still some things she wanted to do.

Qin Ran took out her phone and sent Sister Li a message.

After Sister Li received it, she lifted her eyes and glanced in Qin Ran’s direction. Then she sighed, rose resignedly without complaint, and instructed her company’s assistant to go handle it.

A while later, the assistant returned with people in tow, bringing quite a few chilled drinks. They handed them out to the staff and the people from those small companies, saying as they did so that everyone had worked hard and that everyone had it difficult.

Very quickly, the staff and the people from the small companies who received the drinks showed some gratitude on their faces.

They were not thanking them for one bottle of water. How much could a bottle of drink cost? Who could not afford one?

They were grateful because the other party was a major company, yet still saw them, still treated them as equals.

The entertainment industry was the most realistic of all. One only ever saw the poor and struggling curry favor with the rich and powerful. One almost never saw the rich lowering their heads to show a little kindness to the poor. Even when such scenes did happen, they were usually nothing more than an act.

But now, outside the glare of the spotlights, someone had truly thought of them. Naturally, they would respond with gratitude.

Small favors seemed insignificant and ignored, but if enough were done, they could always improve someone else’s situation a little.

After Qin Ran saw the employees of Ninety-Nine Interactive Entertainment distributing the drinks, she withdrew her gaze and focused on watching the artists perform onstage.

She did not only have to watch Yu Shuman. She also had to watch the female lead, then see whether there were any other read the original at bailiantales.compromising seedlings and consider finding some talent for the company as well.

A single flower blooming alone did not make spring; only when a hundred flowers bloomed together would spring fill the garden.

Qin Ran did not want Yu Shuman to stand out too sharply from the forest, nor did she want Yu Shuman to notice the company’s special treatment toward her. Hiding her within a sea of flowers, making her the one branch that stood out without blooming alone, was the true protection for Yu Shuman.

The first episode was a little like an open audition. After it was edited into an official program, each person would not have much screen time. But in the audience, they had to watch each of them finish performing.

One song counted as four minutes. If fifty people were selected, that alone would be two hundred minutes. The actual number of contestants was far more than the number selected. Qin Ran had read the internal materials and knew that the total number of artists sent by various companies, along with those who had signed up on their own, was one hundred and fifty people.

One out of three would advance, which meant one hundred people had to be eliminated.

At minimum, watching one hundred and fifty people would take six hundred minutes, which was ten hours of stage performances. Adding in the breaks in between, there was no way it could be finished in less than twelve hours.

The most pitiful ones were the audience members like them.

Fortunately, they had not come too early. Yu Shuman’s performance had been arranged for two in the afternoon. After watching it, they could leave directly.

At noon, Sister Li took their whole group, along with the company employees, to a nearby restaurant for lunch. There were actually not many places to eat near the recording base, but because quite a few celebrities came and went, there were several high-end restaurants.

Sister Li chose the most expensive one without hesitation.

What a joke. With the boss right there, did she still need to worry about whether she could get reimbursed?!

Along the way, she also brought Yu Shuman, who was waiting backstage, out to eat with them.

When Yu Shuman arrived, she was still wearing a plain dance practice skirt. There was only light makeup on her face, but her hair had already been styled. Her wavy curls made her look even more charming. Seeing that she was actually able to come out, her roommates all found it unbelievable.

Yu Shuman thanked Sister Li in front of everyone, and Sister Li waved her hand and said there was no need. Only then did everyone realize that Yu Shuman had been able to come out thanks to Sister Li.

After everyone sat down, Sister Li ordered quite a number of signature dishes without holding back at all. Yu Shuman’s classmates, friends, and the staff filled an entire large private room. Just ordering the dishes alone cost more than ten thousand yuan, but Sister Li did not feel pained in the slightest.

Everyone ate until their bellies were full from this meal. Only Yu Shuman ate a little less because she still had to compete that afternoon.

The people who came were all Yu Shuman’s roommates, classmates, and friends. They all knew one another. Only Qin Ran, sitting there alone, looked somewhat lonely and out of place.

Yu Shuman noticed this and directly sat beside Qin Ran. From time to time, she even picked up food for her and told her not to be polite, since the company would reimburse everything.

…The company would, of course, reimburse it.

And it would be coming to Qin Ran for the reimbursement.

Still, Yu Shuman sitting beside her the whole time did make Qin Ran feel much better. The only thing that made Qin Ran feel awkward was Sister Li’s probing gaze sweeping over her from time to time.

The fact that Qin Ran was the boss behind the scenes could be hidden from many people, but it could not be hidden from the CEO and Sister Li. One was the person actually running the company, and the other was Yu Shuman’s agent. If Qin Ran wanted to interfere in Yu Shuman’s actual work, she had to go through Sister Li, so she could only be honest with Sister Li.

Sister Li was someone who knew how to read the room, so naturally, she would not reveal Qin Ran’s identity. But it was hard for her to conceal her curiosity, and she could not help looking in Qin Ran’s direction again and again.

After Yu Shuman ate a few bites, she stopped moving her chopsticks. She thought Sister Li was looking at her. As [bailiantales.com]an artist, she ought to have at least some self-awareness and could not eat too much.

When the time was about right, Yu Shuman left the table first to go back and prepare.

Before leaving, she even said to Qin Ran, “Junior, just wait. Today, I’m definitely going to slay the entire stage!”

She clenched her hand into a fist and waved it at Qin Ran.

Qin Ran found it somewhat funny and replied, “We’ll all be waiting to watch.”

Yu Shuman strode away with her head held high, full of heroic confidence, leaving them behind to continue eating. Once they had eaten about enough, Sister Li paid the bill and led everyone back to the audience seats.

The artists performing in the afternoon were generally much stronger than those in the morning, which was why the production team had arranged the afternoon time slot for them. They had ample time to prepare.

Doing stage makeup was not something that could be completed without several hours. The artists who went onstage first had to get up before dawn. How could those artists backed by major companies be willing to go through that kind of torment? Only those without backgrounds had to suffer like that.

At two in the afternoon, after waiting for a long time, Qin Ran finally saw Yu Shuman appear.

On the stage without any stage design, Yu Shuman stood there prettily in a black sequined dance outfit. After chatting briefly with the judges, she smiled in their direction.