Chapter 213

The dinner party ended; Wei Jin did not go to Jing Tian's place to spend the night, which even left the young girl feeling a bit resentful.

After instructing Zhu Wei to drive to Ceng Li's villa, Wei Jin realized he had been busy with post-production for a while and hadn't seen Li Jie in some time.

Opening the door, he saw Ceng Li wrapped in a bathrobe, leaning on the sofa watching television.

"You're back."

Hearing the commotion, Ceng Li stood up and walked to the entryway, taking Wei Jin's coat.

"Why did you drink so much? Sit for a while first; I made lotus seed and white fungus soup, it's still hot."

Without waiting for Wei Jin to answer, she walked straight toward the kitchen.

Wei Jin shook his head; getting along with Ceng Li was becoming more and more like an old married couple. Perhaps there wasn't as much syrupy sweetness, but there was a bit more of the plain and simple warmth of human life.

Before long, Ceng Li brought over the steaming white fungus soup.

"Drink it while it's hot, it'll help with the alcohol."

"Li Jie, you know my tolerance, this little bit..."

Wei Jin couldn't finish his sentence; Li Jie unleashed her "death stare," so he had no choice but to pick up the bowl and drink.

"Mmm, this is really good. Li Jie, your skills are no worse than a professional chef's."

Wei Jin gave a thumbs up in praise; among the women around him, Ceng Li was indeed the most virtuous, and she was very skilled at cooking.

"Why are you still watching this?"

Setting down the bowl, Wei Jin pulled Ceng Li into his arms and leaned back on the sofa to watch the television; at that moment, the show playing was a rebroadcast of the finale of *The Voice*.

This program had launched in mid-October and lasted for three months; by early January, the entire first season had concluded.

"I just happened to flip to it, so I'm watching it casually. And I have to say, it's quite interesting."

Ceng Li nestled in Wei Jin's arms, staring intently at the television.

Wei Jin nodded upon hearing this; the show's ratings were high, so Shanghai Television naturally wanted to continue reaping the benefits, and putting it in a late-night rebroadcast slot was only logical.

*The Voice* started with a 4.5 rating for its first episode and went on to create a ratings miracle, with its peak rating nearly breaking 10.

One must know that as the internet became more developed, the 11.65 ratings miracle of *Super Girl* had become impossible to replicate. Under such circumstances, it was simply incredible that *The Voice* could achieve such astonishing results.

"By the way, does your show have any behind-the-scenes manipulation?"

"The blind audition stage is completely fair."

Wei Jin's words were very firm; this show became popular precisely because of the blind audition stage, so this segment of the competition had to be kept absolutely fair.

In fact, there really were people who had crooked ideas. A financier who was "Not Short of Money" used connections at the television station to contact the variety department, hoping to pay for a coach to turn their chair for their son, even offering an exorbitant price—one million per chair turn.

The variety department was actually a bit tempted, but considering the show's revenue was often in the hundreds of millions, they ultimately refused for the sake of long-term gains.

"But the subsequent elimination rounds require comprehensive consideration. After all, if the chosen champion can't become popular, the show's appeal will be greatly reduced."

Wei Jin was telling the truth; this couldn't be called behind-the-scenes manipulation, as it was a problem that this type of variety show had to face.

Why was *Super Girl* so popular? Wasn't it because it produced several top-tier stars? If they had really chosen a few people the market didn't recognize, the show would have flopped long ago.

The coaches actually knew this in their hearts; Shanhe Media's approach had actually surprised them, as it at least guaranteed relative fairness.

"Mmm, that's true. It's just like admissions for art academies; you can't just look at appearance, but those with good appearances definitely have a stronger advantage."

Ceng Li's words basically explained the laws of the entertainment industry; this was the reason why the entertainment industry was full of handsome men and beautiful women. If your appearance wasn't good, you were basically eliminated at the first hurdle.

Unless you were truly gifted and talented, and also happened to meet a benefactor to promote you, it was only then possible to stand out in such extreme competition.

"Then who is the champion you chose?"

"Li Jie, have you not even paid attention to the first champion of *The Voice*?"

Wei Jin was left between laughter and tears upon hearing this; Ceng Li was being too detached, wasn't she? The show had become a massive hit, and it had even made the headlines a few days ago.

"You know, I rarely pay attention to these things now."

Wei Jin nodded upon hearing this. He didn't know if it was because she had become a teacher and often spent time with older professors, but Ceng Li's hobbies had become increasingly peculiar; she liked tasting tea and fiddling with antiques and ornaments, no different from an old man in Beijing.

Just in this villa, there were quite a few things Li Jie had scoured for herself; Wei Jin couldn't understand them, but Ceng Li treasured them dearly.

"Li Jie, how about you guess? If you guess right, I'll grant you one request; if you guess wrong, you grant me one request. How about it?"

Wei Jin proposed an idea; Ceng Li should be the most receptive to his absurd plans.

Ceng Li initially suspected Wei Jin was up to no good, but upon second thought, it seemed there were no more tricks to play, so she nodded and agreed.

"This Xu Song's singing skills are a bit lacking, it shouldn't be him. And that bald guy, Ping An, his appearance is a bit lacking. I guess it's most likely one of Liu Xijun or Yu Kewei."

Wei Jin looked at Ceng Li with some surprise; she really had some skill, worthy of being a professor at the Central Academy of Drama.

After pondering for a moment, Ceng Li gave her final answer.

"Liu Xijun, I think her conditions are the best." "Hehe, Li Jie, you really are amazing. You almost guessed it, but what a pity..."

"Then it's Yu Kewei? Why?"

"The coaches' opinions were that this girl had more potential, and Liu Xijun has already been in the industry for several years; there must be a reason why she isn't popular."

The music circle was relatively less focused on looks, and besides, the production team could accept any of the final four, so they simply respected the coaches' opinions.

"Then did you sign them?"

"Signed them, but their future development will depend on themselves."

To Wei Jin's surprise, the Yinyue Zhizuo Bu was actually more proactive than the artist management department regarding this signing; it turned out the Yinyue Zhizuo Bu was almost unable to make ends meet.

Over these years, Huang Bai hadn't released many albums, and Yao Beina mainly sang for soundtracks. Compared to the lucrative brother departments, the Yinyue Zhizuo Bu was struggling, so this time they were determined to grab some new recruits to increase revenue.

It was funny to think about; when signing, the few newcomers read the contracts over and over, fearing they would be cheated.

It wasn't their fault for being careful; a while ago, the controversy over the 2007 Super Boy champion terminating their contract with Tianyu had caused a huge uproar.

These management companies were truly ruthless; not only were the revenue-sharing contracts extremely low, but they also packed schedules full, squeezing the artists to death. If an artist wanted to terminate their contract, they had to pay an astronomical penalty, which made many outsiders realize the cruelty of the entertainment industry.

"Alright, Li Jie, a bet is a bet. Can I make my request now?"

Immediately, Wei Jin whispered his request into Ceng Li's ear.

"Fine, as long as you can convince her, I have no objections."

The Champion of *The Voice* and Another Nomination

Ceng Li's answer made Wei Jin overjoyed; as long as he could handle the other one next, sleeping together in one bed would no longer be a dream.

"Li Jie, you are so kind. Tonight, let me serve you, my lady."

Wei Jin scooped Ceng Li up by the waist and walked straight toward the bathroom.

For a moment, the wind began to howl again. After their intimacy, Wei Jin and Ceng Li fell asleep in each other's arms, but before they could drift off, the phone rang.

Wei Jin was a bit puzzled; normally, those who had his private number wouldn't call him at this hour.

He picked up the phone to look, and it turned out to be him, so Wei Jin answered the call.

"Wei, we've been shortlisted! Our film has been shortlisted!"

On the phone, Matt Damon's voice was extremely excited.

"Oh, God, Matt, don't you know about time zones? It's the middle of the night here."

Actually, when he saw it was Matt's call just now, Wei Jin already had an idea, but this guy was just too eager.

What Wei Jin didn't know was that Matt Damon had been following the news from Berlin these past few days; the temptation of being a Best Actor at one of the European Big Three was simply too great.

"Oh, sorry, Wei, I'm just too excited."

"Hey, relax, my friend. What you need to do now is prepare your acceptance speech."

"Really? Now that you say that, I'm even more excited. By the way, Wei, when are you arriving?"

"Hmm, it's not certain yet. You go with the crew; Hunter will make the arrangements."

"Alright then, I won't disturb your rest. Wei, see you in Berlin."

"See you."

After hanging up, Ceng Li snuggled up to him, wrapped her arms around Wei Jin's neck, and said, "Xiao Jin, congratulations on being shortlisted for Berlin again."

At this moment, Ceng Li's eyes were full of pride; she was reminded of *Buried* and their past together.

Feeling Ceng Li's affection, Wei Jin pulled the beauty into his arms and proposed:

"Li Jie, come with me to Berlin this time."

Wei Jin's words made Ceng Li feel tempted; ever since she became a teacher, she hadn't been on a trip in a long time.

However, thinking of the dates for the Berlin International Film Festival, Ceng Li shook her head and said with some regret:

"I can't this time. I'm the chief examiner for the Central Academy of Drama's art entrance exams; I can't get away."

Wei Jin didn't press the matter upon hearing this, though he was a bit surprised—was Li Jie's status at the Central Academy of Drama really that high? But on second thought, he felt it was normal; Ceng Li could completely be called the face of the Central Academy of Drama, so what was wrong with being a chief examiner? "Congratulations to Teacher Ceng on your promotion to chief examiner. Since it coincides with your student being shortlisted for Berlin, let's celebrate this double happiness."

As he spoke, Wei Jin's hands began to get restless again. "Xiao Jin, you are still young; you must know how to show restraint and take care of your health."

A woman in her thirties is most easily moved, but Ceng Li still restrained herself.

"Teacher Ceng, who was it that was begging for mercy from their student just now?"

Before Li Jie could retort, Wei Jin turned over and climbed on top.

That night, the moonlight was so enchanting. The second update for today; I humbly request all readers to provide subscriptions, follow-up reads, bookmarks, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes. Thank you, everyone! (End of chapter)