Chapter 215

On the second day after returning, the list of the first batch of officials to be dealt with in South Korea was released. Minister Han of the Ministry of Culture and several top generals under him, including Park Dong-min, were prominently on the list.

The charges were numerous, including transactions involving money, power, and sex. The Ministry of Culture was the hardest hit, but there were many from other departments as well, with varying ranks.

However, President Wu did not show any mercy this time. Regardless of whether these involved officials had backers, they were all taken down without any regard for personal relationships.

Besides officials, many entertainment companies were also investigated and liquidated. SK Company was the most miserable; the chairman and the boss were all arrested, and their accounts were frozen.

Lawyer Zhang Wei also took this opportunity to demand that the prosecutor's office determine the legality of the contract between SK Company and Jiang Jiang Yuner.

Previously, they didn't dare to sue, partly out of fear of affecting Jiang Jiang Yuner's filming in China, and partly out of fear of not getting a fair trial, so they preferred to spend money to end the contract as quickly as possible.

But now it was different. Looking at President Wu's stance, he likely wouldn't show mercy. If they didn't take this opportunity to get those three billion won back, wouldn't it just be entering the South Korean treasury for nothing?

The final result was a happy ending for everyone: SK Company's unilateral renewal of Jiang Jiang Yuner's contract was indeed illegal, and the three billion won was considered illegal income and was returned to Luo Quan in full.

Seeing the recovered figures in the account, Luo Quan was left between laughter and tears.

So, she went to South Korea for a stroll, didn't spend any money, and got Jiang Jiang Yuner for free?

But regardless, this was a good thing. Jiang Jiang Yuner didn't say anything after finding out; she had already made up her mind to sell herself to Luo Quan. After everything that happened yesterday, if Luo Quan weren't a woman, she might have even considered offering herself in marriage.

Meanwhile, Luo Quan went to the Jiangnan Administration for Industry and Commerce to register a company, naming it "Springwater Entertainment." The materials had been submitted and were still under review.

When Wen Xia heard the name Luo Quan chose, she said the name was tacky to the point of exploding, just like her fashion sense—full of the vibe of a suburban town from the last century, leaving one speechless.

Luo Quan didn't care at all. Currently, it was just a shell company state; the legal representative, boss, and employee were all just Luo Quan herself. Jiang Jiang Yuner was still filming and couldn't sign yet, and the registered capital was a mere one yuan.

But in Luo Quan's words, the prospects for this company were still very good. Apart from the boss, the two artists about to be signed—Yanagi Junko and Jiang Jiang Yuner—both had promising futures. The three of them combined already formed the skeleton of an entertainment company.

As for making money, Luo Quan didn't really care. She had never touched money and wasn't interested in it.

To her, these were just a string of numbers. She had just paid the largest expense since her debut, and it came back in less than a day...

In short, Luo Quan didn't need to worry about money anymore. What she needed was how to make her simple, unadorned, and boring life become fulfilling and exciting.

In the past, she didn't understand why those rich people always liked to participate in extreme sports or court death.

Many people said this was pursuing the meaning of life and challenging the limits of humanity.

Luo Quan understood now: it was actually just because they were bored.

Because they were too rich, many things that ordinary people spent half their lives struggling to obtain, they could possess from a young age.

Take a high-spec computer, for example. Ordinary students would scrimp and save, work during winter and summer breaks, just to scrape together enough money to buy a decent graphics card, and they would have to research everywhere before buying, balancing performance and cost-effectiveness.

But those people didn't have such worries at all; they bought the most expensive one directly, without considering cost-effectiveness at all, because expensive things only have one drawback: they are expensive.

Rich people always easily experience all kinds of entertainment at a very young age, and once they get tired of ordinary entertainment, they naturally start seeking excitement.

Thus, skydiving, deep-sea diving, and mountaineering became synonymous with so-called challenging limits, as if life were incomplete without trying these things.

Luo Quan could understand the inner emptiness of people who mindlessly chase these sports, because she felt a little bit of it now.

But she definitely wouldn't try them.

These sports should only be played at noon, because sooner or later, something will happen.

A person only has one life. Luo Quan wouldn't risk her life to pursue excitement. If people said she was afraid of death, she wouldn't deny it.

With so many people in the world, how many aren't afraid of death?

Fortunately, she wasn't bored to the point of molding yet. There were still many things to do every day, just fewer entertainment options.

The second round of art exams for Shangyi began, and at the same time, the acting department of Shangyi also started its admissions exams.

The acting department at Shangyi was one of the best in the country. Every year, a huge number of people applied, but in the end, they only admitted thirty people at most.

Besides academic grades, they also looked at your image, temperament, and talent in acting.

Wen Xia applied for the acting department. After filming two TV series in a row and achieving good ratings and reviews, she discovered that her talent for acting was quite good, not to mention her image and temperament. The chance of being admitted could be said to be 99%.

And Luo Quan, who had to participate in the second exam, also flew to Shanghai with her.

Originally, she didn't need to go at all. The perfect score she achieved in the first exam had already made her the top student among this year's graduates, and the school had no reason to reject her.

But since she was idle anyway, taking the opportunity to stroll around Shangyi and familiarize herself with the environment wasn't bad.

In late April in Shanghai, the rain had gradually increased.

When Luo Quan came last time, the sun was shining brightly, the sky was clear, and the square at the school entrance was full of students showing their work to others.

Coming today, she didn't see many students; they were all candidates coming for the exams, and the weather was a bit gloomy.

Of course, once inside the school gate, there were still many students.

Looking up, one could see quite a few celebrities among the students.

As for Luo Quan and Wen Xia, both wore sunglasses, appearing so out of place among the candidates.

Although Shangyi students were used to this kind of attire, the candidates were basically young people still in their third year of high school, so they would still whisper and discuss when they saw this getup.

Luo Quan and Wen Xia didn't pay any attention. After strolling around the school for a while, they went to their respective exam rooms.

Luo Quan, entering the exam room, took off her sunglasses, and everyone's attention immediately focused on her, including the several examiners already sitting on the stage.

"It's Luo Quan!"

"She feels even prettier than last time."

"Her skin is so good, so fair and tender, I'm so envious~~"

"With both looks and talent, how can there be such a perfect girl?"

Compared to these fanboys and fangirls, Luo Quan wanted to see the boy who had been spouting nonsense last time; she didn't know if he had come this time.

Scanning the room, she didn't see him, and Luo Quan felt a bit disappointed.

"Candidates, please take your seats. The second exam is about to begin." On the stage, a female professor reminded them.

The number of candidates this time was more than half less than last time, as many had been weeded out. The lineup of examiners had also undergone major adjustments, with half of them being people Luo Quan hadn't seen before.

Of course, the chief examiner was still Dean Zheng of the Music Academy. As soon as Luo Quan entered, Dean Zheng kept a mysterious smile at her, and there was an old man next to him who was also smiling at her in a very cheesy way.

Noticing their smiles, Luo Quan immediately felt goosebumps all over. Hearing the female professor's words, she quickly found a corner and sat down.

The content of the second exam was similar to the first, also starting with a performance on stage.

But the level certainly couldn't be compared to the first exam.

The first exam was to showcase one's basic skills; it didn't have to be amazing, but it had to make the examiners feel that you had talent and a certain level of proficiency.

The second exam was about distinguishing yourself from others; it was the real moment to show your technique. At this time, you had to bring out your best hidden trump cards, and you had to perform them to the best of your ability, otherwise, you would be eliminated.

Compared to the first exam, the overall performance of the candidates had risen by a whole level. Many people's skills had reached the level of semi-professional singers, already surpassing many singing uploaders on Bilibili.

And candidates from other departments, such as piano or guitar, also showed their unique skills, and the entire exam process turned into a concert.

Interestingly, many candidates who chose the vocal department's popular singing major sang songs from Luo Quan's new album, most of them singing "Listen."

This was also recognized as a song that truly tested vocal skills. The candidates were keeping up with the times, and it took a lot of courage to sing this song in front of the original singer.

Of course, having courage was one thing, but having the skill was another.

Most candidates' handling of "Listen" could only be described as average—either the vocal runs were too few or not wide enough, or the quality of the high notes was too low, forcing them out with their throats, which sounded very uncomfortable.

It was fine to sing in an outdoor environment, but in a concert hall like this, the flaws in these voices were almost infinitely magnified, becoming a scene of public execution.

However, this was also because the song itself was too difficult, and the original singer had performed it too perfectly, making them appear to sing poorly.

If viewed from the perspective of a candidate, their performance was very outstanding; at the very least, in terms of pitch, no flaws could be found.

And when candidates chose to sing "Listen" one after another, the candidates off-stage would also turn their heads from time to time to observe Luo Quan's reaction.

Luo Quan listened with great interest, never stingy with her applause when it was time to clap, and her expression remained cheerful.

And when it was her turn to go on stage, the candidates became excited.

If the original singer also sang "Listen," the entertainment value would be too spectacular. Not only would all the candidates who sang this song before become jokes, but the candidates preparing to sing this song later would be forced to change their songs on the spot.

So, would Luo Quan be that villain? The answer was of course not; after all, she wasn't a devil.

She chose "Time to Say Goodbye," which almost no one would sing. This song contained a large amount of operatic vocal technique; unless one had studied orthodox opera and bel canto for several years, one wouldn't dare to touch it.

In addition, this song was basically all in Italian, and to sing it with that flavor, one had to learn Italian as well.

So Luo Quan felt that in the country, there wouldn't be many people who would cover this song in the short term, let alone these candidates.

And upon knowing that Luo Quan was going to sing "Time to Say Goodbye," both the examiners and the candidates felt a bit excited.

Recently, the most popular song was probably this "Time to Say Goodbye." Domestic and foreign media were all crazily hyping it, and the record sales were also rising steadily. In less than a week, it had sold a full four million copies, breaking various records.

From any angle, this song was a song that would go down in the history of pop music and was worth learning from for all those who came after.

And as the singer, Luo Quan currently only had a concert hall recording version and an optimized record sound quality version.

For pop music, most people get a better experience listening to the studio version.

But for songs like "Time to Say Goodbye," one must listen to it live to get the ultimate enjoyment.

Recently, Luo Quan's singing skills had been hyped to the heavens on the internet. Although her songs were all very difficult, they were studio products after all. Who knew how many modifications and adjustments they had gone through? In the hands of a million-dollar tuner, even a tone-deaf singer could become a talented star.

Everyone hadn't heard Luo Quan's live version. Last time, they heard her sing "Queen of the Night Aria," but coloratura soprano and pop music were two different things. Just because the former was sung well didn't mean the latter would be invincible.

And this time was the moment for Luo Quan to truly show her live singing power. Who knew how many people were quietly turning on their phone recording functions at this moment?

Standing before the stage, Luo Quan cleared her throat and introduced herself in a crisp voice.

Dean Zheng smiled, "You don't need to introduce yourself in the future. Your fame in China is already greater than all our students combined."

When the dean joked, no one dared not to laugh, and everyone from the examiners to the candidates laughed out loud.

Luo Quan also smiled slightly, "Dean, you flatter me. Among three people, there must be my teacher. I still have many places to learn, which is the reason I came to Shangyi."

Dean Zheng nodded in praise, "It's truly rare for you to have such awareness, and it's no wonder you've achieved success far beyond your peers. I hope you can always maintain this innocent heart and forge ahead!"

"I will definitely keep your teachings in mind," Luo Quan said.

After the pleasantries, Luo Quan began to sing a cappella.

Ps. Thanks to book friend Cangbai Cangbai Jiujiu for the book coin tip!

Also, tomorrow is the beginning of the month, so I'm taking a routine day off to rest and, by the way, organize the plot direction for the next part.

The talent show chapters will be appropriately reduced, and Luo Quan's Shangyi campus life will begin. Here, she will meet many new friends and new stories will happen.

Finally, shamelessly asking for recommendation votes and monthly tickets, ORZ...