Chapter 109: Lian Baozhi Sheds Tears on the Spot, Wang Wang Launches a Heavy Punch: The Song Selection Battle of

Jin Li thought.

Qiguan Mingzhu did possess some degree of ability.

For instance, her "crow's beak" talent was truly formidable.

The two of them entered the makeup room.

At this moment, the room was empty; all the stars had already left.

Not to mention how tight the schedules of first-tier stars were; even popular second-tier stars were not necessarily any less busy.

How could they afford to be so leisurely, chatting and joking for an hour or two after attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony?

The key point was that no one was rushing them!

Only Jin Li and Qiguan Mingzhu, these two "retired cadres," were individuals the company dared neither pressure nor urge.

After running so many engagements, they still had to worry about their moods.

Inside the makeup room, the two had just taken out their phones.

Suddenly, the room's door opened, and a female star walked in.

Qiguan Mingzhu initially assumed it was a staff member; she lifted her gaze for a glance, then suddenly froze, poking Jin Li's shoulder with her phone.

Jin Li looked at her in confusion.

Qiguan Mingzhu tilted her head toward the doorway.

Jin Li looked over and couldn't help but stare in surprise.

It was Lian Baozhi!

Lian Baozhi had come on this trip specifically to find Jin Li.

There were gaps even among first-tier stars; take Lian Baozhi, for example, a typical case of immense popularity yet no one daring to invite her.

She had no upcoming engagements, so she had been staying here at Fangfei's place all along.

She had originally thought she would wait in vain, yet unexpectedly, she had waited until Jin Li arrived.

Lian Baozhi glanced at Qiguan Mingzhu, then said to Jin Li, "Could I speak with you alone for a few words?"

Before Jin Li could answer, Qiguan Mingzhu said, "Just pretend I don't exist; I won't say anything."

Jin Li nodded.

Lian Baozhi looked at the two of them, then suddenly gave a self-mocking smile.

"When recording 'PICK~Next Stop Diva,' I already felt you and Ji Qinglian had a very good relationship.

At that time, I thought the media reports claiming discord among your group members were fabricated.

Now it seems they truly were fabricated; it turns out that within your group, everyone gets along very well."

She took a deep breath. "Never mind; in any case, I am not afraid of you spreading the words I am about to say."

Lian Baozhi looked at Jin Li. "I came here to remind you to be cautious of Li Xunfang; her level is higher than mine, and she is even more scheming.

That I couldn't compete with you in 'PICK~Next Stop Diva' was due to my own lack of skill, but Li Xunfang is different from me; in terms of connections and ability, she is far stronger than I am."

Jin Li observed Lian Baozhi carefully and perceived her current emotions.

[Extremely nervous, wishing to seek reconciliation, increase allies, avoid offending anyone, completely sincere]

She then looked at Lian Baozhi's facial features.

It was still the countenance of "rising with the wind, ascending steadily to the clouds."

Jin Li pondered for a moment, then asked, "When you say her ability is strong, which aspect of ability are you referring to?"

Seeing Jin Li remain silent, Lian Baozhi grew increasingly uneasy.

Now that she had finally spoken, Lian Baozhi felt a wave of relief and immediately replied, "Variety show ability.

Your variety show resources are inferior to hers, and you are not as skilled as she is at seizing hot topics. My agent told me that you and Li Xunfang are currently competing to become Fangfei's spokesperson.

Your online popularity is roughly equal; your advantage lies in better public reputation than Li Xunfang, while Li Xunfang's advantage lies in having stronger connections and seniority than you; you two are evenly matched."

Jin Li listened with interest.

Indeed, there were no fools in the entertainment industry.

One only needed to observe carefully to know what engagements or resources they were recently fighting over.

She asked, "So what suggestion did Lu Shanjie give?"

Lian Baozhi paused slightly.

She did not even ask how Jin Li had guessed that this was a suggestion made by Lu Shanjie.

"Avoid her sharp edge; market yourself independently, and try your best not to appear in the same frame as Li Xunfang, otherwise you will be suppressed by the press releases she issues.

I saw you chatting with Li Xunfang today; if you don't believe me, you can search the marketing accounts later; they should publish some articles.

Those articles will all claim your styling is inferior to hers and your looks are inferior to hers."

As if recalling something, Lian Baozhi said with lingering fear, "With someone of Li Xunfang's deep seniority as a first-tier star, you never know what tricks she has hidden up her sleeve."

Qiguan Mingzhu suddenly chuckled lightly. "Listening to your words, it seems you have very deep personal feelings about this!"

Her remark broke the somewhat awkward atmosphere in the room.

Jin Li replied, "Thank you for telling me these things."

She then shifted her tone. "I have taken your advice to heart; so what about you? Why did you specifically come to tell me all this?"

Lian Baozhi frowned slightly, hesitating over whether to speak the truth.

But thinking that she had already lowered her dignity today to actively seek reconciliation, she simply steeled her resolve and laid out her purpose.

"Sister Shan said that rather than filling the entertainment industry with nothing but enemies, it is better to develop friends and cut losses promptly with those from the past with whom we had conflicts.

Previously, during 'PICK~Next Stop Diva,' I stole your camera time and lines, tried to make you look foolish, and deliberately delayed your rehearsal time.

All of this was my fault; I apologize to you for my immature past self, and I hope that, with your great magnanimity, you can forgive me."

At this, Jin Li was truly astonished.

"If I didn't know you were Lian Baozhi, I'd suspect you'd been replaced by someone else; how could your disposition have changed so drastically?"

Lian Baozhi let out a bitter laugh.

"I stayed in the police station for nearly a month; the first thing I did after coming out was look up at the sun in the sky."

I had never felt so grateful in that moment; the sunlight shone upon me, and perhaps it was from that moment on that I wanted to change something."

She looked at Jin Li and asked cautiously, "So you?"

Jin Li thought for a moment and said, "In 'PICK~Next Stop Diva,' every grudge you formed with me, I settled on the spot."

"One matter settled at a time; you owe me nothing and need not specially seek reconciliation with me."

"However, since you offered me advice, let me offer you some advice in return."

She paused, then said, "In my eyes, you are not without ability."

Lian Baozhi's pupils widened slightly.

She seemed somewhat unable to believe these words had come from Jin Li's mouth.

Jin Li said, "Although your ability is not strong, it is not weak either; more importantly, you possess powerful psychological resilience and a determination to keep climbing upward."

"Previously, you simply did not apply that determination to the right path; once you decide to reform and start anew, you will unleash another surge of formidable power."

She spoke with sincere intent: "I wish you soon find the direction that belongs to you."

Unknowingly, Lian Baozhi's eyes reddened.

Every step she had taken since leaving the police station had been a dangerous gamble.

Everyone told her to go all in, to bet everything.

With every engagement she attended, they would tell her it was likely her last chance.

For a time, she always felt as though she were walking a tightrope, daring not to sleep day or night, staring fixedly at the trending searches.

She feared that one day she would see news headlines like "Lian Baozhi banned across the entire internet."

No one had ever told her that she possessed ability, that as long as she walked the right path, she too could unleash formidable power.

Perhaps to Jin Li, this was merely an offhand remark.

But to Lian Baozhi, it was no less than a sliver of light rising from the darkness.

Her defenses crumbled.

She could not help but cry.

She felt she was crying so loudly!

Lian Baozhi said through sobs, "Actually, I have always envied you."

"You are so lucky; you exploded to fame early, the company you signed with thinks highly of you, and your profit-sharing ratio is high. You can simply scratch a card and obtain the code to traffic, reappearing before the public."

"When I saw you back then, I felt it was unfair."

"Why is it that when you scratch a card, the whole internet imitates you, while I, just to secure a better engagement, must humble myself and respectfully beg the upper management, only to be forced into signing several trash engagements shoved at me by those executives, making money for them?"

"I feel it's unfair, so incredibly unfair... boo-hoo, I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry, I'm sorry..."

Jin Li and Qiguan Mingzhu exchanged a glance.

Without speaking, they simultaneously chose to leave.

After going outside.

Qiguan Mingzhu not only hitched a ride in Jin Li's nanny van but also planned to stay at her apartment.

In any case, she had no engagements for the time being and was just waiting for the live-stream roast two days later.

Qiguan Mingzhu asked curiously, "Do you really think Lian Baozhi will become famous?"

Jin Li nodded: "Even pure gold isn't this genuine; she will indeed become famous in the future."

"Why?"

Qiguan Mingzhu could not understand; after experiencing the LP incident, it would already be quite good if Lian Baozhi could maintain her status without falling.

Could she still continue to be famous?

Was she perhaps planning to continue exposing secrets, becoming the "Discipline Inspector" of the entertainment industry?

Jin Li thought for a moment and said, "You know that human potential is immense, right?"

Qiguan Mingzhu nodded.

"Therefore, when a person makes up their mind to do something, as long as they are willing to work hard, they will absolutely reap rewards."

"Take me, for example; previously when I said I would take the college entrance examination, no one believed me."

"But now, I have already completed half of the first-year high school curriculum."

"By the same logic, I feel Lian Baozhi is in the same state; as long as she does not play petty tricks and focuses her entire mind on becoming famous, she can succeed."

In the entertainment industry, there are only two ways to become famous.

One is through ability.

The other is through luck.

Even with carefully planned marketing and hype, it still depends on whether luck grants it to you.

Lian Baozhi lacks luck, but she possesses a heart that strives upward.

As long as she wants to be famous, she will actively polish herself, this stubborn stone, into a diamond.

Therefore, Jin Li is optimistic about her future.

Physiognomy is merely an auxiliary method; if a person lacks a positive and upward-striving heart, even if they possess the facial features of Wang Quan Fugui, it is useless.

Meat pies do not fall from the sky on their own.

Returning to the apartment.

Jin Li first rested for a while, then called Sister Fang to discuss the matter of Li Xunfang.

Sui Lingfang's tone was somewhat grave: "I understand; the Public Relations Department will keep watch, and if Li Xunfang makes any move."

She paused, then said, "The company will also step in, publishing some articles to counter Li Xunfang's press release."

If she initiates the conflict, there's no reason for Chenxi Entertainment not to escalate it.

When it comes to gossip accounts, Chenxi Entertainment isn't without its own.

If worst comes to worst, we'll just throw money at the problem!

What Sui Lingfang worried about wasn't Li Xunfang, but Lian Baozhi.

She asked, "Is Lian Baozhi truly without issue?"

Jin Li thought for a moment before replying, "Probably. If she didn't want to negotiate a truce, she wouldn't have proactively discussed these matters with me."

Sui Lingfang sighed. "Originally, I felt Lian Baozhi got what she deserved. But thinking about it now, she's actually quite innocent."

Jin Li smiled. "Among the artists under LP, who isn't innocent?"

Sometimes, it's not that the artists wish to act maliciously.

Rather, in such a brutal environment, rising to the top leaves them no other choice.

One may blame heaven and earth, but cannot blame others.

After hanging up, Jin Li immediately started her study livestream.

Qiguan Mingzhu had intended to chat with her, but seeing Jin Li already immersed in her studies, she promptly held her tongue.

While Jin Li studied, so did she.

[First!!!]

[I just finished watching the livestream for Fangfei's new store opening. Figuring Jin Li must be back at her apartment by now, I opened Maozhua—and sure enough, there she was!]

[Huh? Why is there another hand beside Jin Li? Who's sitting next to her?]

Qiguan Mingzhu scrolled through her phone for a while, then specifically entered Jin Li's livestream room, discovering that netizens were highly curious about the hand beside Jin Li.

She glanced down at her own arm.

After pondering for a moment, Qiguan Mingzhu adjusted the tablet camera for Jin Li.

Before long, she too appeared within the livestream frame.

Qiguan Mingzhu smiled at the camera and waved, but said nothing.

After interacting for a few seconds, she lowered her head, stopped looking at her phone, and instead took out the manga she had prepared, beginning to read with focused attention.

[Qiguan Mingzhu! It's actually Pearl!]

[Is she planning to study alongside Jin Li?]

[Looking at the manga in her hands, I can't bring myself to call that studying...]

[But... it looks exactly like me sitting in front of this screen _(:3」∠)_]

[Same here...]

[Good heavens! I thought everyone was studying diligently, but it turns out so many are lurking and slacking off?]

[If you weren't slacking off, where would you find the time to post comments? Just look at the frequency of danmu in this livestream; it proves there are plenty of slackers!]

This reverse maneuver by Qiguan Mingzhu instead sent the livestream's popularity soaring.

The gimmick of the two appearing together was already powerful enough.

One studying diligently while the other played seriously created an extreme contrast that, once netizens entered, made them unwilling to leave.

The sudden spike in data from Jin Li's study room was immediately reported to Zhong Wenkun by the specialist.

Zhong Wenkun asked curiously, "Compared to usual figures, how is the study room's popularity?"

The programmer calculated roughly and said, "Approximately two to three times higher."

Zhong Wenkun pondered for a moment, then decisively ordered, "Push Jin Li's livestream room to the ad distribution team. Within half an hour, I want advertisements from the ad alliance to flood every corner of Maozhua!"

In less than half an hour, the intensity of ad placements for the Maozhua livestream room surged once again.

This phenomenon immediately caught Wang Wang's attention.

Upon seeing Maozhua's promotional ads, Qian Shenglie's eyelid twitched.

Jin Li is Maozhua's public welfare ambassador; using her image for advertising is acceptable. But what about Qiguan Mingzhu?

Did they pay licensing fees for using her image? Did they sign a contract?

After much deliberation, Qian Shenglie devised a plan and called his assistant.

"Find the phone number for Qiguan Mingzhu's agency for me. I'll call them personally to explain the situation and demand that Maozhua pay them a substantial licensing fee."

After instructing his assistant, Qian Shenglie called his own president and began to lament:

"Boss, Maozhua has dragged the Pink Girl Group into another publicity stunt. Have we finalized the contract with March Sky yet? I can't hold on much longer!"

Meanwhile, at March Sky's location.

They had just concluded a brand endorsement event.

Originally, they had planned to go to Fangfei today to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new store opening.

However, they received a last-minute notification yesterday that Amaze was also holding an event. Since they are Amaze's brand ambassadors, after comprehensive consideration, they decided to come here instead.

As soon as everyone boarded the van, they heard Guang Ge speaking on the phone with someone.

Guang Ge opened with, "It's not that I don't want to help you, but this price is simply non-negotiable."

"Bringing in top-tier stars is no child's play. Their individual fan sites generate daily traffic equivalent to half of Wang Wang. What kind of offer do you think it takes to get them to join?"

Hearing this, Yan Xingdong immediately nudged Chen Lin, signaling him to lower the game sound effects.

After Luo Yi and Gu Cheng boarded the vehicle, they closed their eyes to rest.

Guang Ge continued, "If you're willing to offer equity shares... if not, then there's no deal. They have no reason to tie themselves permanently to your warship. You cite Maozhua as an example, but they only invited Jin Li, not the entire group!"

Guang Ge listened intently.

After ten-plus seconds, he continued, "How about this? Follow Maozhua's model: directly invite one person to serve as a public welfare charity ambassador. You can choose any of the four."

"I'll say it again: if you want the entire group to join, you must offer a much higher price."

Shortly after, Guangge hung up the phone.

He told his assistant to start the car first, then turned to discuss the call with March Sky.

"That was the person in charge of Wang Wang calling. They want your whole group to join Wang Wang, and I'm still negotiating the price with them."

Luo Yi opened his eyes and asked, "If he can't afford the price, does that mean we can only pick one person to join?"

Guangge smiled faintly and said, "If he's smart enough, he'll know that signing all of you is the best option."

"You are different from the Pink Girl Group. That group has already disbanded; reuniting them would be very difficult, not to mention that each member has long since pursued solo careers."

"You are still a collective. If Wang Wang signs you now, the cost won't be too high—at most, twice the market rate."

Here, he paused.

"But if you disband later, Wang Wang will realize that inviting your entire group to join would have been their most successful investment."

Fans got to know them through the team.

They are both individual fans and group fans.

Once the team disbands, the past image of the group will become the white moonlight in fans' hearts—the forever unattainable cinnabar mole.

Just like the current Pink Girl Group.

Relying on past glory, how much popularity have all the members of the Pink Girl Group ridden on?

By the time of disbandment, Wang Wang would become the only platform where March Sky could reunite as a full group.

The massive fan traffic would absolutely overwhelm the Wang Wang platform.

However, for now, Zhang Guang could not leak this information.

That March Sky would eventually disband was a consensus reached only within the company's upper management; no one dared to speak of it publicly, fearing unnecessary trouble.

Chen Lin searched for Wang Wang's recent moves.

He felt that Wang Wang wouldn't invite them to join without reason.

Wang Wang had sent invitations before, but never with such urgency as now.

Before long, Chen Lin found the scoop.

Beaming with excitement, he said, "So Cat Paw has made another move! No wonder... Wang Wang is panicking!"

He shared the gossip exposed by the marketing account into the group chat.

Gu Cheng clicked to read it.

This marketing account was clearly written by an industry insider, very likely an internal employee of either Cat Paw or Wang Wang, which explained why they were so clear about the companies' movements.

[Cat Paw unleashes a deadly weapon, using the reunion of Qiguan Mingzhu and Jin Li as a hotspot to drive traffic and promote. It is said they didn't even consult Qiguan Mingzhu beforehand.]

[After learning of this, Wang Wang immediately contacted Qiguan Mingzhu's company. Soon after, Pearl's company proactively contacted Cat Paw to question them and bleed them dry.]

[To be fair, Cat Paw was generous with money and quickly reached an agreement with Qiguan Mingzhu's company.]

[But according to insider analysis, Qiguan Mingzhu didn't charge much for the copyright fees, likely doing so out of regard for Jin Li.]

[Sighing daily: What the hell kind of divine team friendship is this!!]

After finishing reading, Gu Cheng opened Jin Li's livestream room.

As expected, Qiguan Mingzhu was also on camera, each doing their own thing.

One was studying, the other reading comics; they coexisted in perfect harmony.

[Came to Jin Li's livestream and suddenly realized that slacking off and the king of overworking can coexist harmoniously—just look at these two.]

[You study yours, I watch mine. You grind yours, I play mine.]

Gu Cheng casually scanned the comments, then looked more closely at the problems Jin Li was solving.

With just a moment's thought, he knew the difficulties of the knowledge point she was learning and where the traps lay.

Gu Cheng integrated the thoughts in his mind, formulated a problem, and tapped his phone screen.

Before long, Jin Li received his message.

Jin Li was focused on studying and didn't notice; instead, Qiguan Mingzhu spotted it.

Thinking it might be important news, she checked it for Jin Li.

The message popped up in a screen frame without privacy settings, so she could see it at a glance.

Seeing that long string of numbers, Qiguan Mingzhu fell silent.

She thought with deep feeling: So this is how Gu Cheng and Jin Li communicate; no wonder he doesn't look urgent at all.

In a world unnoticed by either of them,

these two had gone straight to exchanging the core of their thoughts!

Truly doing what ordinary people cannot... Qiguan Mingzhu glanced at Jin Li, then at the person who pursues someone difficult to catch.

Time flew by.

It was time again for the recording of the roasting livestream for "Leisurely Slow Life."

This time, they were recording the second half of the first episode, with the location set at Tianding Entertainment.

Jin Li and Qiguan Mingzhu went to Tianding in the afternoon.

They were used to being leisurely; there was no need to rush or wait until evening to arrive.

At the same time, they brought along a burden—Xi Mengze.

She had gone to play again, and again, and again!

Of course, Xi Mengze had a legitimate reason for going to Tianding Entertainment this time.

Sui Lingfang had discussed with Zhang Guang in advance to borrow Tianding Entertainment's recording studio for Xi Mengze's trial singing recording.

As one of the few major companies in the industry, and one specializing in music, Tianding Entertainment possessed the most complete recording equipment in the field.

When the company's artists weren't rushing to release albums, Tianding would occasionally rent out its recording studios.

Relying on its top-tier recording studio, it gained a wave of goodwill from first-tier singers.

Therefore, a company's ability to thrive is also related to its operations.

Why is it that the further LP Entertainment goes, the fiercer its internal struggles become, while Tianding Entertainment thrives even more?

There is a significant difference between their operational development paths.

This time, March Sky rarely got a day off.

Apart from the live-stream complaint segment, there were no other scheduled activities.

But by tomorrow, they would have to immediately throw themselves into filming the second episode of "Leisurely Slow Life."

This time, the four of them sat in the lobby again, waiting for the sisters to arrive.

And this time, the girl responsible for reception wore a smile, brimming with confidence.

She ran through the advertising script in her mind, which she had memorized backwards and forwards.

She was confident that during the time it took to ride the elevator to the conference room after Jin Li and the others arrived, she could inform them about some of Tianding's internal situations.

They did not wait long before Jin Li and the others arrived.

March Sky called out to welcome them enthusiastically.

"Welcome, welcome!"

"Welcome everyone from Pink Girl Group to Tianding Entertainment; if you need anything, just let us know!"

"You've traveled far and must be tired; would you like to experience our internal soothing spa treatment?"

As soon as the three entered, not only did March Sky surround them, but many staff members also gathered around.

Jin Li thought that apart from the lack of confetti and streamers, how was this scene so similar to when Chenxi Entertainment welcomed March Sky before?

Could Tianding Entertainment have thought the effect was good and simply copied it directly?

Chen Lin already began teasing, "How come I didn't know our company had added a soothing spa department?"

Yan Xingdong joked, "Maybe it's a limited edition exclusively for the Pink Girl Group."

Jin Li, Qiguan Mingzhu, and Xi Mengze all couldn't help but laugh.

Their group chatted and laughed as they took the elevator directly to the recording studio.

Meanwhile, the girl responsible for reception tried to speak several times, but Chen Lin always spoke first.

Defeated before even beginning!

The girl had envisioned many scenarios, believing she could handle any of them perfectly.

But she never expected there would be such a scenario.

—One where she simply could not get a word in.

The group went to the recording studio on the seventh floor.

Tianding Entertainment was very supportive; the sound engineer was already in position.

However, Xi Mengze encountered a problem instead.

She did not know which song she should sing.

Regarding singing, Yan Xingdong was quite interested and asked several questions in succession.

He had never imagined that he could appear on "I Am a Singer."

For idol-type song-and-dance singers like them, participating in a variety show established specifically for vocal powerhouses meant going there just to be scolded.

Fans might watch you jump and dance, being considerate of your rapid breathing.

But this type of professional competition variety show would not.

That is a hall coveted by every singer.

Countless music critics and music enthusiasts sit below, evaluating your performance under a strict scoring system.

Votes are counted live on site; the production team cannot rig the results, nor dare they.

After listening to Xi Mengze's request, Yan Xingdong pondered and said, "So your idea is to pick a song that isn't very popular or appealing, just to get by, aiming for a one-round exit?"

Xi Mengze nodded seriously: "Yes."

Chen Lin asked, "Why aim for a one-round exit? The popularity of this variety show is very high!"

Jin Li and Qiguan Mingzhu, on the other hand, could understand Xi Mengze's thinking.

It was not merely a matter of wanting to go on vacation.

Jin Li said, "The show follows a long-term format; once recording begins, it lasts three or four months, and this is only the first round of challenger singers.

If you don't exit after one round but succeed in challenging, it will bring many tests.

For instance, team coordination is a difficulty, and song selection is another. At least, given the scale of Chenxi Entertainment, it cannot cope with such a test."

Qiguan Mingzhu added, "Not only that, but more importantly, under the cruel elimination system, singers easily break down.

I have a friend who participated in the previous season of 'I Am a Singer'; she recorded two episodes in total. The first episode she went prepared, so she was fine.

But by the second episode, troubles came one after another. Not every singer can prepare a trump card for every episode while maintaining excellent condition.

She was not fully prepared for the second episode, so she gave up and was eliminated directly.

But after that, she faced furious scolding from netizens; her mood was terrible during that period, and it took a month before she finally moved past it."

While they were selecting a song for Xi Mengze.

Online, the production team of "The Ideal Husband" also announced a major piece of news.

"The Ideal Husband" Production Team: [Surprise landing on major video platforms tomorrow, premiering promptly at 8 PM!]

This news immediately shot into the top twenty trending searches.

Netizens gave a very enthusiastic response.

[There you go! We've been waiting just for your show!]

[We've seen your marketing every day for the past few weeks; we felt it would be online soon, and indeed it is!]

Waiting to see Qiu Qiwen's acting skills!

Actually, I want to wait and see Jin Li's acting; I watched her clips and they felt pretty good, but I heard Princess Liu Ci will turn dark, and I can't imagine what she looks like when she turns dark.

Jin Li... better not have any expectations; if you don't expect, you won't get hurt.

She comes from a girl group idol background; you want her to compete with others in acting? Are you making things difficult for them or for her?

She previously attended the roadshow at the Nancheng station, and actually, the director said Jin Li's acting is passable.

But Jin Li also said the director kept letting her improvise; do you think she could improvise that well?

Over on Jin Li's side, she still didn't know that netizens were specifically discussing her acting skills, enough to create a trending search term.

The tag #JinLiActing had decent heat, squeezing into the top fifty.

A bunch of netizens flooded the comments, all advising people to lower their expectations.

Especially Jin Li's fans.

In the past, they could go against their conscience and say Jin Li's professional capabilities met the standard.

But when it came to acting, they wouldn't dare go against their conscience to say Jin Li was a little genius of performance.

Inside the Tianding Entertainment recording studio.

Everyone had finally narrowed it down to a range.

Jin Li skewered a piece of Hami melon with a toothpick and voiced her thoughts.

"First, we can't choose a song that's too obscure; otherwise, not just netizens, but even fans will think you're being too perfunctory."

Qiguan Mingzhu immediately skewered a piece of watermelon: "But we also can't choose a song that's too popular; once you pick an overly mainstream pop track, it might trigger audience empathy, which isn't safe."

Chen Lin thought for a moment, grabbed a handful of melon seeds: "Then remove your own songs too; the moment your songs come out, just selling nostalgia would absolutely guarantee advancement."

Yan Xingdong slapped Chen Lin's hand, snatched the melon seeds away, and warned: "Do you still want your throat? Every time you eat melon seeds, your throat hurts the next day."

He looked at Xi Mengze: "How about this: choose a song that the general public can still tolerate, but one that holds no advantage in a competition?"

Luo Yi took the melon seeds handed over by Yan Xingdong and cracked one open.

"Then it absolutely has to be a love song; petty romances always feel too trivial for the stage; for a large-scale competitive stage like this, the artistic conception of the chosen song needs to be broader."

Gu Cheng took the last handful of melon seeds; he didn't eat them, throwing them all back into the fruit platter.

"Love songs are divided into those that cater to the audience and those that don't; let's pick the type that doesn't cater to the audience, sing a pure love song, and moreover, it can't be a classic; it has to be a song released in recent years."

Xi Mengze asked with a serious expression: "So, do you already have an answer?"

Everyone looked down at the filtered song list.

The next second, they all said in unison: "It's this one, the legendary 'Simp's Song'!"

Xi Mengze looked over, feeling a strange sensation in her heart.

"Are you sure?" she said very hesitantly, "I'm not speaking recklessly, but I'm amazing at singing love songs; netizens say listening to them makes their hearts feel like they're shattering."

"But this song will only make people feel frustrated by someone's lack of ambition, right?" Jin Li said.

Qiguan Mingzhu nodded in agreement, "It's too much of a simp; it feels unworthy of being used in a competition."

The members of March Sky collectively said: "But it won't make people feel like we're being perfunctory."

Xi Mengze made her decision: "Alright, it's this song; I'll record a demo and send it over first."

She thought with extreme optimism: "I feel like the production team might not even think I'm good enough!"

An invitation list is one thing.

Being officially invited to appear on the show is a completely different matter.

What Xi Mengze received was an invitation list; if she wanted to get on the show, she still had to go through a round of selection.

Just as she went into the recording studio to record.

She didn't notice her phone flash with a WeChat message.

Sister Xiang: [Just received an urgent notice from 'I Am a Singer'; the second round of competition will adopt a live broadcast format, giving singers no chance to re-record, and no pitch correction will be applied.]