Chapter 55: The Same World, Different Us

Jin Li looked at this female trainee, her expression pausing slightly.

It wasn't her first time encountering someone trying to steal the spotlight, but every time she saw it, the feeling was subtle.

Jin Li noticed that while this short-haired trainee looked calm, her body was actually trembling, and her voice grew more shaky as she spoke.

Clearly, she was also very nervous.

Jin Li thought for a moment and said: "It's not difficult. Let me use a song as an example. Our group has a song called 'None Are As Good As You,' which has a feeling of having seen through the vanity of the world and suddenly waking up."

She turned around and lightly tapped a few piano keys, playing a beautiful and moving melody.

Behind her, some trainees looked at Gong Jiajia and then at the short-haired trainee, Pang Lijia, feeling awkward and not knowing what to do.

Gong Jiajia couldn't control her expression and glared fiercely at Pang Lijia beside her!

She wasn't close to Pang Lijia at all. Today, Pang Lijia had suddenly insisted on sitting next to her, acting familiar, which she had found strange.

So that was the plan!

As for Pang Lijia, she just stared straight at Jin Li, not sparing a glance for anyone else.

No one knew that her heart was beating extremely fast at that moment; she had practiced that seemingly calm dialogue countless times in secret.

On a talent show, screen time is very important; it relates to the distribution of popularity.

She was only ranked thirtieth, barely making it into the top tier. If she didn't fight for screen time now, when would she?

If she couldn't debut this year, the company would give up on her.

But she had been a trainee for a full ten years!

From the age of 16, when she resolutely decided to become a trainee, to now at 26, she had spent ten whole years working only for the sake of debuting.

Practicing dance so desperately, spending day and night in the practice room, Pang Lijia didn't feel she was worse than anyone else.

She just lacked an opportunity!

Suddenly, Jin Li's voice came, intentionally lowered to make the tone sound deeper.

"I've been to a place, filled with the four seasons."

"I've seen a place, surrounded by smiling faces."

"I want to love you well~"

"I know your name, I understand your emotions."

"I've tasted your grievances, the tears you've shed."

"I want to love you well~"

One of the Pink Girls' main songs, "None Are As Good As You," is a slow song. The melody gradually progresses but isn't intense.

This song is less of a love song and more of an inspirational one.

A song for oneself.

The lyric "I want to love you well" isn't said to others, but to oneself—you must love yourself well.

The overall meaning of the lyrics is about a girl living a very tired life, under great pressure, always working overtime, unable to travel.

When she encounters frustration at work, she has to silently wash her face with tears, swallowing it all, not daring to vent.

So the lyrics of this song are a letter to herself.

—Hoping you can find a good time to see the distinct seasons, happy people, and embrace all your imperfections.

"I've climbed high mountains, fallen to the bottom of the sea."

"I didn't dare to imagine, the world would look like this."

"So much scenery, yet it doesn't compare to the faint smile in your eyes..."

From the initial lyrics about being bitter about everything, to Jin Li singing this part, there was already an added layer of relief.

Only after walking through many landscapes and experiencing many things will you realize that your own happiness is the most important.

Instead of making things difficult for yourself, it's better to choose to let go.

Smile, and you will find the world brightens up.

Jin Li pressed the last piano key, ending the sound.

She didn't sing the whole thing, probably about 1/3, just enough to express the emotion.

Jin Li turned to look at the trainees: "In the first part of this song, to highlight the feeling of suppression, you can make your voices deeper, intentionally pausing on specific words to emphasize that sense of regret, while carrying a trace of longing."

The next second, she suddenly pointed to a trainee: "Gong Jiajia."

Gong Jiajia was stunned: "Ah?"

Jin Li said: "Just listening to me, I don't know how much you understand. You come and sing it once for me to hear."

Gong Jiajia: "Ah, me?"

Jin Li smiled: "Come on, no need to be shy."

She turned around and played the piano again. The other trainees also gave Gong Jiajia encouraging expressions.

Gong Jiajia took a deep breath and started singing!

She sang haltingly, but Jin Li patiently gave her guidance. Slowly, the song was almost finished.

When Jin Li stood up, her face was slightly pale; even with blush, it couldn't hide the lack of vitality.

Seeing this, Sui Lingfang immediately urged the staff to finish the filming.

So Jin Li spent just a few minutes quickly finishing the recording and hurried away with Sister Fang.

Sui Lingfang asked anxiously: "How are you? Is something wrong with your body?"

Jin Li smiled weakly at Sister Fang: "I... am hungry."

Sui Lingfang: ...

Jin Li blinked: "I'm really not lying to you. I'm a bit hungry. The recording time was half an hour later than I imagined. I felt hungry while teaching Gong Jiajia to sing. I didn't expect this office visit to look simple but actually consume so much energy."

Sui Lingfang: "If it weren't for—"

As they spoke, a trainee called out from behind: "Teacher Jin Li, wait a moment!"

Jin Li and Sui Lingfang paused and turned to look.

It was Pang Lijia who had chased after them.

She said breathlessly: "Teacher Jin Li, there's something I want to apologize to you for. It's about me stealing Gong Jiajia's screen time just now. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, but I really needed this opportunity so much, I..."

By the end, her voice was choked with sobs.

Jin Li and Sui Lingfang exchanged a look; it was their first time encountering such a situation, someone stealing someone else's screen time and then running over to apologize.

Jin Li pondered for a moment and probably understood what Pang Lijia was worried about.

She said: "You don't need to be so nervous. I won't do anything to you. I just think highly of Gong Jiajia, but the show doesn't run according to my will just because I think highly of someone."

"Also," Jin Li paused, "the person you should apologize to isn't me. You know who I'm talking about. I sang 'None Are As Good As You' for everyone, but also for you. Do you know the MV background of this song?"

Pang Lijia was stunned, tears still hanging on her face, looking blank.

Jin Li said: "At that time, the creator gave us three stories to choose from, and in the end, we all unanimously chose the background of work pressure."

"The heroine of this song is an office worker who has been given high hopes by her parents since she was a child, hoping she would leave the poor and backward village."

"But the heroine isn't happy. Although she was born poor, she was also born free, familiar with every blade of grass and tree in nature. The steel beasts in the city don't suit her."

"She has been living very hard to survive in the big city. Later, she chose to let go, no longer forcing herself, and returned to the village to live the life she wanted."

"So, do you understand now?" Jin Li asked.

Pang Lijia's eyelashes fluttered, her eyes drifted, she lowered her head, bit her lip tightly, and said nothing.

But Jin Li had pierced through her fantasy.

"You might as well go out and see. There are many types of artists; you don't have to be limited to singing and dancing. Forcing yourself too much is just hurting yourself."

After saying this, Jin Li was truly tired and had to lean on Sui Lingfang to rest for a moment.

Sui Lingfang said anxiously: "Let's go, let's go, let's get something to eat first." She half-dragged and half-carried Jin Li, hurrying toward the canteen.

Arriving at the end of the corridor, Jin Li turned and looked behind her; Pang Lijia's figure had already disappeared.

"Ding-dong!" The elevator door opened, and the San Yue Tian boy band was also in this elevator.

Both sides met and thought it was a coincidence.

Sui Lingfang dragged Jin Li in and asked: "Are you guys rehearsing in this building today?"

Yan Xingdong replied: "The rehearsal isn't in this building, but the practice room is. We came over to practice. But what's wrong with Teacher Jin Li?"

The four tall young men looked at Jin Li with some concern; she looked like she could faint at any moment.

Jin Li said embarrassedly: "I'm a bit hungry. I didn't expect the recording to be so energy-consuming. I should have eaten more in the morning. I'm fine, just hungry."

The others looked at each other; she didn't look like someone who was just hungry.

"Ding-dong!"

The elevator reached the first floor. Just as Sui Lingfang was about to help Jin Li out, Gu Cheng said: "How about I carry you to the hospital?"

Chen Lin came to his senses: "Yes, yes, yes, let Orange carry you to the hospital, walk faster."

Jin Li shook her head and said firmly: "No need, I'll just eat something."

Gu Cheng said: "Then I'll carry you to the canteen; you're walking too slowly."

This time, without waiting for Jin Li to speak, Sui Lingfang agreed: "Okay!"

Jin Li looked at Sui Lingfang with confusion. Hadn't she always been very concerned about her contact with male celebrities?

Sui Lingfang seemed to see through her thoughts and said irritably: "You hurry up and eat your food! I'm worried just looking at your face! If you haven't recovered after eating, we're going to the hospital."

Gu Cheng immediately carried Jin Li on his back and rushed toward the canteen.

The other boy band members and Sui Lingfang protected them on both sides. Some staff members saw this and thought something had happened to Jin Li.

"Is Jin Li's health really that bad?"

"Yeah, I heard she's always been sickly; she even vomited blood during a live stream a few years ago!"

"Ah? Then she doesn't look that weak coming to record our show."

"Well, we should be grateful for the grace of her not fainting or vomiting blood."

Hurrying to the canteen, Jin Li quickly shoveled a few mouthfuls of food. Feeling the food enter her stomach and be quickly digested, a warm heat spread, and she felt comfortable from body to soul.

She was about to take a few more bites when she suddenly felt several burning gazes. She couldn't help but pause and look up: "You guys..."

Sui Lingfang and the others immediately lowered their heads, pretending to eat, only to realize that none of them had actually ordered food; they were just staring at Jin Li eating.

Several people stood up awkwardly and went back to the window to order.

Jin Li shook her head and sighed: "They're all so worrying!"

At noon.

The official blog of "PICK~ Next Station Diva" and Jin Li's personal account both posted messages simultaneously.

"PICK~ Next Station Diva": [Warmly welcome Teacher Jin Li to join the third episode of the show. This time, she will meet all the trainees as a psychological counselor. Let's look forward to her arrival!

A little whisper: there will be Teacher Jin Li's individual teaching session, so stay tuned! (Jin Li psychological counselor beautiful photo.jpg)]

Jin Li: [Invited to become a psychological counselor for "PICK~ Next Station Diva." I will fulfill my duties well, help the members solve their problems, and follow the show every Saturday! (Official beautiful photo.jpg)]

As soon as these two blog posts were released, just as Sui Lingfang expected, they linked up with Duomi Cosmetics.

#Jin Li joins the third episode#

#Jin Li psychological counselor#

#Jin Li Duomi Cosmetics spokesperson#

Three trending searches, the first one squeezed into the top 5, the second into the top 10, and the third into the top 20.

Although the rankings were scattered, Jin Li's popularity was unquestionable, and her recent heat had suddenly surpassed the resident top-ranked San Yue Tian boy band.

But this couldn't be compared.

The two seemed to have overlapping professions—one a current boy band, one a former girl group member—but they were on different tracks.

To quote a netizen: [Who can hate a sweet girl? If you put it another way, who can hate a koi? Put it another way, who can hate the God of Wealth?]

So, with Jin Li's recent big moves, fueled by high popularity, she created a situation where her momentum was unmatched for a time.

Inside LP Entertainment.

Lian Baozhi scrolled through the comments, her face growing uglier.

[The production team didn't consider Lian Baozhi at all. Won't it be awkward to be in the same frame as Jin Li?]

[Lian Baozhi's strength is lacking; she doesn't sing as well as Jin Li, her stage presence is awkward and stiff, and she doesn't suit cute looks.]

[Holy crap, big gossip! Lian Baozhi was exposed for singing off-key!]

Lian Baozhi scrolled to this comment, her expression stunned. She suddenly remembered that during the recording, Jin Li had even praised her for singing well.

She quickly clicked on the video to watch. Netizens were analyzing frame by frame where she sang off-key!

If Lian Baozhi hadn't bought various articles before—"Lian Baozhi outshines Jin Li," "Lian Baozhi's strength is comparable to a girl group," "Lian Baozhi is the number one goddess"—maybe netizens wouldn't have caught her.

She had first posted articles saying she was better than Jin Li, but now?

Between someone who sings off-key and someone who performs excellently, who has more strength is clear to everyone.

[If I were Lian Baozhi, I wouldn't participate in the third episode; it's too awkward.]

Lian Baozhi gritted her teeth and threw her phone on the table.

She didn't want to participate, but "PICK~ Next Station Diva" had such huge traffic that for the sake of exposure, she had no choice.

Besides, if she really didn't go, wouldn't it look like she was afraid of Jin Li?

She stood up and walked to the conference room. This time, she must secure an agent with extensive connections.

Jin Li trending, some were happy, some were sad, and others wanted to pick up the scraps.

"How about we agree to Jin Li's conditions?"

At the Maozhua Live Streaming company, the higher-ups saw Jin Li's trending search and called some people for an emergency meeting to discuss the feasibility of the endorsement.

"No, if we really agree to Jin Li's request, that's losing money to make noise!"

Another person spoke: "Exactly. When we wanted to invite Jin Li to be our spokesperson, wasn't it because we valued her traffic? We could even sell courses together in cooperation with the study website!"

Others said: "But according to Jin Li's requirements, if she really doesn't want an endorsement fee and puts it all into the courses, if this news gets out, it will help Maozhua's reputation."

"I vote for Jin Li. There are many ways to play in the live streaming industry. We can sell goods; there's no need to sell courses. In terms of public welfare reputation, we can even suppress Wangwang!"

"That sounds nice, but the self-study website has to agree too!"

"Then how do you know they won't agree?"

Seeing that everyone was about to argue, the boss spoke: "Alright, enough!"

The boss pondered: "Now is a critical period for live streaming platform competition. Either we maintain our leading position, or we get pulled down by other platforms. We are not only competitors with Wangwang, but the emerging Kuwo Live is also very strong."

"If we don't want to keep burning money on promotion, we have to find other ways to publicize. I think the plan Jin Li proposed is very interesting. A live streaming website with a public welfare nature sounds like a good publicity point."

"Like this, agree to Jin Li's conditions, and the website will open a few more public welfare topics and support a few poverty alleviation projects."

"Many competitors are eyeing us, so Maozhua must not only do things but do them well, and make them look beautiful! Don't any of you slack off!"

With the boss's order, the employees ran their legs off.

The liaison went to contact, the field staff went to the field, and the clerks were busy printing.

Jin Li, on the other hand, didn't know that a pie was about to fall into her hands.

After eating, everyone found that her complexion was much better, so they didn't force her to go to the hospital.

Originally, Jin Li wanted to leave in the afternoon, but the staff stopped her temporarily, saying that the footage of her office visit was already being edited and they might need to re-record some shots at any time.

Hearing this, Jin Li cooperated and said: "Then I'll stay with the production team this afternoon. If you need to re-record, you can find me anytime."

The San Yue Tian boy band rehearsed in the morning and practiced in the afternoon, with nothing to do.

They were much freer than Jin Li; they could go out if they wanted and stay if they wanted, and the production team didn't care about them at all.

The reason they stayed in the dormitory and didn't go out was just to comply with the confidentiality agreement.

But if they really went out, the production team wouldn't be dissatisfied with them over such a small matter.

Chen Lin suggested: "How about we go visit the Mazu Temple this afternoon? I've heard Sister Jin Li mention it so many times, and she brought us souvenirs from the Mazu Temple, so I want to go off the island and see it too."

Gu Cheng stood up, took his satchel from the locker, took out a few workbooks, and ran out.

Luo Yi couldn't help but ask: "Gu Cheng, where are you running to?"

Gu Cheng said without looking back: "To study with Sister Jin Li."

Luo Yi and Yan Xingdong looked at each other.

Luo Yi: "Are you going?"

Yan Xingdong pondered: "No."

Luo Yi said "Oh" and stood up: "Then I'll follow and see."

The next second, Yan Xingdong also stood up and said with a smile: "Seeing you go, I want to go too."

Chen Lin was confused. What riddles were these two brothers playing?

So he followed them too.

Because they might need to re-record at any time, Jin Li didn't stay in the dressing room but went to the public lounge.

There were no mentor rehearsals in the afternoon, so the public lounge was quiet and empty.

She was just about to take out her phone to start a live stream, listen to lectures, and do some problems, when a knock on the door suddenly sounded.

"Sister Lizi, do you want to study and practice together?"

Jin Li's mind stirred, and she immediately responded: "Okay, open the door and come in!"

As soon as Gu Cheng entered, Jin Li noticed the "Five Years of College Entrance Exam, Three Years of Simulation" in his hand and was amused.

"You told me you bought a few copies, and I didn't quite believe it. Now that I see you brought them, I really believe it."

Jin Li couldn't resist her curiosity and flipped through his exercises, finding that he had actually done them all, without any signs of modification, and all the answers were correct.

She admired Gu Cheng's neat handwriting for a few seconds, continued flipping, and found that the rest were blank.

"You didn't have time to do them or?"

Gu Cheng: "No time to do them, and also haven't learned that far yet."

He added: "I watch your live stream to study together. You haven't learned it, and I haven't either."

Jin Li: "...You learned it by watching my live stream?"

Gu Cheng: "Yeah."

Jin Li looked down at his answers again, feeling a bit hit.

The same live stream, the same teacher, the same workbook.

Eating the same food, participating in the same show, both being artists.

Why is the gap between people so big??

Seeing Gu Cheng about to flip open her "Five-Three," Jin Li hurriedly stopped him: "Don't flip!"

However, it was too late.

Gu Cheng had already seen it all.

That red, densely modified area, compared to Gu Cheng's book, the gap was too obvious.

Jin Li felt a bit guilty: "This..."

Gu Cheng looked at her problem-solving process and analyzed seriously: "I think your foundation is still too weak. How about I teach you some basics first? For lectures, I recommend a teacher's course; he teaches quite well."

Seeing that he didn't bring up anything else, Jin Li put away her sad mood and sat up straight to listen.

Outside the public lounge, Chen Lin saw Yan Xingdong and Luo Yi standing at the door without entering and couldn't help but say: "What are you guys doing standing here?"

Both of them turned and glared at him.

This kid Chen Lin had no other merits, but he had one good point: he was loud, but he was also quick-mouthed and spoke without thinking, so he always ruined things.

For example, this time, the two were about to leave, but they were forced to go to the lounge because of this kid's shout.

Jin Li heard Chen Lin's voice, looked up, and saw Yan Xingdong and the others.

Yan Xingdong said without changing his expression: "We wanted to come over and hang out with you guys, but we found that you and Gu Cheng were studying seriously, so we didn't come in for a moment."

Jin Li smiled: "It's okay, the lounge is open to the public. You can come over and chat; it doesn't matter."

So the three of them sat down.

Although Jin Li said they could play as they pleased, the others weren't lacking in emotional intelligence. Seeing her and Gu Cheng studying seriously, they all lowered their voices, not wanting to disturb them.

Gradually, Yan Xingdong and Luo Yi found things they could do and became focused, while Chen Lin simply took out his PSP and started playing games.

Time flew by.

By the time he finished this round, an hour had passed.

Chen Lin rotated his neck, stretched his body, and muttered: "This real-time strategy game is hard to play. The summoned races still need time to develop."

Chen Lin looked left and right, wanting to pull someone to go buy water, but at this sight, he couldn't help but fall silent.

The two sitting opposite.

They had been watching videos and listening to lectures, each with one earphone, occasionally lowering their heads to do problems, one teaching and one asking, the study atmosphere was excellent.

The two sitting beside him—

Yan Xingdong on the left found a piece of paper from somewhere, reciting melodies, occasionally shaking his legs and clapping his hands; one look and you knew he was composing music.

Luo Yi on the right also took out a piece of paper, spinning his pen quickly, humming a song softly, his body swaying with the song.

Fine, this one was writing lyrics!

Chen Lin looked down at the PSP in his hand and suddenly felt a bit bored.

So suffocating.

Is this what inferiority feels like?

He was guilty; with such a great time, why wasn't he working hard??? ===== CHAPTER 56 =====