Chapter 56: Unlocking a New Ability (Please keep reading!)

I have to say, the world of "grind-dogs" is too silent.

Chen Lin lowered his head, picked up the PSP to play for a few minutes, and suddenly put it down again.

Can't play, can't play at all!

No, he had to study too—no, he had to work too!

Chen Lin was so anxious he scratched his head. He couldn't write lyrics, couldn't compose music, and had no interest in high school knowledge. What should he do?

Did he have to silently learn dance on the spot?

Suddenly, Chen Lin caught sight of an electronic keyboard in the corner, his eyes lighting up.

He walked over, unplugged the cable, and started playing silently.

Practicing sheet music was fine, right!

Time ticked by, and the editors found several scenes that were difficult to handle, deciding to call Jin Li over for re-recording.

"Teacher Jin Li said she's waiting in the public lounge. Help me call her over; we need to re-record about three or four shots, it'll take ten minutes."

"Okay!"

The employee who went to call her pushed open the lounge door, saw the scene inside, paused, and backed out again.

He looked up at the sign on the door. It was the public lounge, alright. Why did he see San Yue Tian as soon as he entered?

Chen Lin noticed him outside the door and waved.

The employee walked in.

Walking closer, he realized Teacher Jin Li was also inside, just sitting further away, seriously doing problems.

Beside her, Gu Cheng was also lowering his head, doing problems.

The others also lowered their heads, not even looking at him, writing and drawing on paper.

The employee was immediately filled with awe.

The Pink Girls and San Yue Tian boy band, they really were the two hottest groups in the industry!

Look at their study attitude; they didn't even relax during breaks.

Hardworking, truly too hardworking!

The employee walked to Jin Li's side and said respectfully: "Teacher Jin Li, we need to re-record a few shots."

Jin Li nodded and took off her earphones: "Okay, I'll go."

Gu Cheng reached out, and Jin Li gave him the earphones.

These earphones were Gu Cheng's. She had been afraid that playing audio on her phone would be too noisy, so Gu Cheng gave her one; it was just right, one for each, listening to the lecture together.

As soon as Jin Li left, Chen Lin was the first to exhale, taking a few long, deep breaths.

"This atmosphere is too suffocating. When have I ever been this quiet? My god, I've practiced sheet music for a whole hour!"

Yan Xingdong put down the sheet music and said with interest: "If I'd known Teacher Jin Li could cure you, I should have thrown you to her. I spent so much effort trying to get you to practice piano before."

Luo Yi stared at the lyrics in his hand and said thoughtfully: "Don't you guys feel that our concentration was especially high just now? I suddenly had a flash of inspiration and wrote down a segment of our new song."

Yan Xingdong walked over: "Let me see."

Chen Lin: ...

No way, you guys just rested for a while, and you're starting to grind again?

Chen Lin thought for a moment and moved to Gu Cheng's side.

Gu Cheng wasn't doing problems; he drank some water and took out his phone to look for something.

Chen Lin caught a glimpse of his interface, his mouth twitching.

"Are you serious? You're going to buy study materials again? No way, you really want to get a master's degree in economics in China?"

Gu Cheng lifted his eyelids to look at him and said lazily: "No, I want to study a different major in China."

Chen Lin asked: "What do you want to study?"

Gu Cheng: "Haven't decided yet."

Chen Lin: "The degree from your school is recognized by domestic universities, can't you just apply directly?"

Gu Cheng looked up at him and suddenly smiled.

He said slowly: "Your vision is too short-sighted. Applying without any sense of achievement is not as good as taking the exam yourself."

Chen Lin muttered: "Saying it so nicely, I think you just want to accompany Teacher Jin Li to take the college entrance exam."

Gu Cheng lowered his head again to scroll through his phone, saying nonchalantly: "Studying is quite interesting too. Gradually mastering knowledge and skills gives a feeling of leveling up."

Chen Lin muttered in his heart: Only a freak like you would have the pleasure of leveling up. Everyone else finds the sea of learning to be a bitter boat.

Jin Li arrived at the classroom.

The trainees were all there. They seemed to have stayed here, waiting for re-recording at any time, without going to rest.

She glanced over, her eyes flickering slightly, and found that the short-haired trainee Pang Lijia was no longer there.

Jin Li shook her head gently.

After all, she was too young. In a recorded show like this, how could she compete for screen time? It depended on whether the production team gave it to you.

Even if she wanted to compete, she should have chosen a live show.

It was said to be re-recording a few shots, and it really was just a few shots.

Jin Li posed in different angles, said a few words, and the recording ended.

The whole process only took 15 minutes; adjusting the camera angles took more time.

After re-recording, the trainees wanted to chat with Jin Li, but Jin Li just nodded at them and walked away quickly.

The trainees couldn't leave yet; they had to stay there and wait for re-recording at any time.

A trainee whispered: "Teacher Jin Li doesn't seem as easygoing as San Yue Tian. They came over to encourage us a few times before."

Gong Jiajia heard this and immediately retorted: "Maybe she has important things to do?"

"Forget it, Teacher Jin Li thinks highly of you, so you must think she's good. Pang Lijia lost her chance because of you. Are you satisfied now?"

Gong Jiajia opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.

How was she to know that just by complaining to the producer, Pang Lijia would lose her screen time!

If she had known it would turn out like this, she wouldn't have gone to the producer.

Jin Li hurried back to the lounge.

She didn't know about the trainees' secret conflict, and even if she did, she wouldn't care.

The big deals in the trainees' eyes were nothing. Once they truly entered the entertainment industry, they would find that stealing others' opportunities and having their own stolen was too common.

After returning, she greeted the others.

She had promised netizens that she would try to live stream her studies every day. Now that she was in good condition, Jin Li wanted to start a live stream and ask for the others' opinions.

"It's fine, go ahead. I'm on the other side, the camera won't catch me." The San Yue Tian boy band had no objections.

Jin Li looked at Gu Cheng. Gu Cheng said: "I'm doing problems beside you, will it affect your live stream?"

Jin Li thought for a moment and shook her head: "No, the phone camera's angle is very narrow, it probably won't catch you, but just in case, I'm worried you'll get into the frame."

Her original intention was to have Gu Cheng move further away.

Who knew Gu Cheng would say: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter if I'm in the frame or not."

Jin Li paused: "You don't care?"

Gu Cheng smiled, his cold expression softened by his gentle brows, diluting the indifference he had when not smiling.

"What's there to care about? We're all studying. You can study, so why can't I? Are you worried that if I get into the frame, I'll ask you for a performance fee?"

Jin Li actually thought about it seriously: "As long as the price is right, it's not impossible."

Gu Cheng shook his head hurriedly: "I might not even dare to ask if you dared to give it. Hurry up and study, sister."

Jin Li actually wanted to discuss it in detail; it wasn't impossible to pay San Yue Tian to be guests on her live stream, but seeing Gu Cheng didn't take it seriously, she didn't ask again.

Jin Li adjusted the phone camera and started the live stream.

[The Jin Li live stream you follow has started!]

Today was a workday, and the afternoon was also a time for study and work.

As soon as Jin Li started the stream, the idle fans hadn't arrived yet, but the civil service exam candidates who were idle at home arrived quickly.

[I heard that studying in this study streamer's room makes you especially focused, so I came to take a look.]

[I heard the streamer is a celebrity. Are celebrities also this hardworking?]

[This study streamer is so beautiful~ Studying with her makes me feel bright!]

Jin Li glanced at the comments and ignored them, splitting the screen to watch the teaching video.

Studying with Gu Cheng was mainly about doing problems; studying while live streaming was mainly about watching videos.

This allocation was mainly because if she watched videos, the netizens who wanted to learn could learn with her.

But doing problems was hard to lead in a live stream.

Not long after, fans arrived and found that Jin Li's live stream background had changed.

[Is this studying while working?]

[Didn't Jin Li join the third episode of "PICK~ Next Station Diva"? Is she live streaming from inside?]

Fans posted many comments, but no one could give a definite answer. Gradually, they stopped posting and silently followed the streamer to watch the video.

On the other side, the re-recording finally ended.

After the trainees dispersed, the staff cleaned up props, organized tables and chairs, and picked up trash on the ground. Suddenly, someone asked about Jin Li.

"I heard Teacher Jin Li wants to take the college entrance exam and has been live streaming her studies. Where does she live stream, and what's the name of the room?"

"I know this. It's on Maozhua, and the room name is her name."

The person who asked immediately took out his phone and downloaded Maozhua. He had been using Wangwang Live before.

Others saw him searching and asked curiously: "Why, are you interested in live streaming?"

"No, I'm interested in Teacher Jin Li. No, no, not that kind of interest, just admiration." The man replied: "You don't know the scene when I went to call her for re-recording just now; everyone was studying."

"I used to call the San Yue Tian boy band for re-recording, and they would rest for a while, but as soon as Teacher Jin Li came, San Yue Tian started grinding too."

"I happen to need to learn something recently, so I'll enter Teacher Jin Li's room and see if I can settle down. It's fine for ordinary people to slack off, but seeing celebrities work so hard, I can't slack off anymore."

In the evening, before ending the stream, Jin Li shared today's study notes.

According to her previous promise, she randomly picked three sets of notes from the comment section.

The first two sets of notes were very ordinary, with sloppy handwriting and unclear logic, but the last set of notes had neat handwriting that was eye-catching.

[This one is beautiful!]

[It seems there are masters among us!]

[Comparable to a top student's notes from my high school days. I even specifically went to photocopy those notes.]

Jin Li asked these three users to private message her their addresses, and she would send them a stack of scratch-off tickets.

After ending the stream.

She looked at the last set of notes and suddenly turned to look at Gu Cheng, who was packing up his workbooks.

Jin Li picked up the notebook he left on the table, flipped it open, and sure enough, it was written by him.

"I said why this handwriting looked so familiar. You're really bold, not afraid of netizens recognizing it at all."

Gu Cheng said calmly: "I used a small account!" He added: "You don't need to send me that stack of scratch-off tickets; bring them to me next time we meet."

"Okay, I happen to be out of stock, I need to ask the company to purchase some."

Jin Li calculated: "I seem to owe you several stacks. You've taught me twice, plus this time, that's three stacks."

Gu Cheng: "Take your time, I'm not in a hurry."

Jin Li gave him an "OK" sign.

Back at the hotel.

Jin Li went to pray at the Mazu Temple next door as usual, felt a long-lasting divine power infusion, and went to rest feeling light and refreshed.

But it couldn't be called rest.

When she was free, she didn't know what to do. After thinking left and right, she still had to do problems.

Her foundation was really too poor!

If high school knowledge wasn't so disconnected from junior high knowledge, Jin Li felt she would have to redo junior high.

But according to the current progress, while learning deep knowledge, it wasn't impossible to understand some shallow junior high knowledge along the way.

Whether for the sake of college or her own health, she couldn't let go of doing problems.

She also live-streamed while doing problems.

[Grind, it's really a grind.]

[Grind-dog silently sheds tears. Teacher Jin Li, why do you look so free? Stop doing problems, okay?]

[For the scratch-off tickets, I'm going all out!]

[To the person above, there's no lottery when doing problems, only when listening to lectures.]

[Heart-piercing?]

This problem-solving session lasted for two hours, and the phone made a ding-dong sound, forcing her state to be interrupted.

Jin Li saw it wasn't early, so she simply exited the live stream and opened it, finding it was a message from the Pink Girls group chat.

Lotus: [Amazing, truly amazing. You guys would never guess what Lian Baozhi would do to secure a powerful agent!]

Pearl: [Tell me in detail!]

Koi: [+1]

Lotus: [I just heard the news. It's said that during the meeting this afternoon, she faced the higher-ups in the conference room, crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself—comparable to a palace drama!]

Koi: [So did she secure it?]

Lotus: [Shrugs, first-tier stars aren't everywhere. LP has a total of 35 first-tier stars, 20 of whom are female. Since Lian Baozhi has lowered herself to beg, the company will naturally help.]

Lotus: [Many stars are quite arrogant after becoming first-tier, tending to have a cooperative relationship with the company. But Lian Baozhi is different. She begs the company. Just for the sake of creating a first-tier puppet who listens to the company, the company will try its best to satisfy her.]

Koi: [Is her new agent very powerful?]

Lotus: [Very powerful. Under him, there are five kings and queens, and one film queen. He often has access to big productions, but...]

NANA: [Smelled gossip and came over. But what?]

Lotus: [But I always feel that the artists under this agent don't live up to their names. Except for their good looks, their acting and ability are quite average among first-tier stars.]

[I can only say this agent's resources are really good. If it were any other agent, they wouldn't be able to turn an average first-tier star into a top-tier one.]

Dream: [I know which one you're talking about, Liu Xuan, right? The resources of the artists under him are indeed very good, but it always feels a bit strange.]

There are also watersheds for first-tier stars.

Like Lian Baozhi, who has no representative works and relies purely on hype, she can only be a resident on variety shows.

She doesn't have much strength!

But top-tier first-tier stars basically have extraordinary strength.

Super high popularity is matched by super high ability.

After all, fans aren't stupid. There's no reason to be a fan of a mediocre person, right?

After eating the gossip, Jin Li saw that Sui Lingfang hadn't returned yet and sent her a message saying she was going to rest first.

A good night's sleep.

Waking up the next day, Jin Li felt her body was truly different; there was a sense of heaviness.

This sense of heaviness was a grounded, solid feeling, unlike before when her body was too weak and she felt light and airy when walking.

As usual, she went for a morning run, prayed at the Mazu Temple, and brought breakfast back to the hotel, where she met Sui Lingfang, who had just arrived.

Jin Li was just about to say hello when she suddenly paused. Why was Sister Fang's face...

"Did you put blush on your forehead?" she asked.

Sui Lingfang touched her forehead and then her face: "No, I came out in a hurry. I didn't even put on foundation, so how could I have blush? Am I running a fever? But I feel quite good."

Jin Li stared at her a few more times, probably confirmed something, and shook her head: "No, I saw wrong."

She chatted with Sister Fang while observing her complexion, and then looked at the faces of the waiters passing by, concluding:

She didn't see wrong, it was just that this red mark was only visible to her.

Sister Fang's "red phoenix star" was moving!

She had the ability to read faces when she was a koi spirit; it should be said that every god had it.

It was just that when gods looked, they could see more information, but she could only see a rough outline now, and didn't react for a moment.

Jin Li also associated it with the energy in her body when she woke up this morning. Perhaps her body had improved again?

Heaven is pitiful; had her efforts finally moved the heavens?

It really wasn't easy!

Her own agent's red phoenix star was moving, and Jin Li didn't ask. Although she looked tired, she was full of spirit; maybe she was also enjoying it.

Jin Li lived a regular life for a few more days.

Waking up during the day, she would first run a lap and pray to a god, then run to the production team and study with Gu Cheng, who was free.

Although Gu Cheng couldn't be called a master, he called himself a beneficial friend who could progress with Jin Li, and Jin Li was happy to have such a good friend.

Returning to the hotel at night, she would first pray to Mazu, continue to live stream her studies, and then sleep.

Time flew by, and it was Saturday.

The second part of the second episode of "PICK~ Next Station Diva" started airing, and at the same time, Jin Li had to participate in the recording of the third episode today.

Starting from the second episode, the elimination round began.

Jin Li didn't participate in this part of the recording, so she didn't know how many trainees would be eliminated.

But according to recording experience, in order to ensure that the rankings were accurate in real-time, the production team wouldn't let the trainees leave until the last moment of the show's broadcast.

In other words, only after the second episode was fully broadcast, and another five days passed, when the ranking time ended, would they know which trainee was eliminated.

So recording the third episode today meant all trainees had to participate, and they all had their own stages.

But if they were eliminated later, all their footage would be cut from the third episode.

I have to say, it was a bit sad.

Putting in effort didn't necessarily mean getting results.

But if you didn't put in effort, you definitely wouldn't get results.

The third episode recording started in the afternoon.

Jin Li went to do her styling in the morning, still in a fresh and elegant outfit.

She wasn't a mentor and didn't need to perform on stage; she just needed to sit on the side and could remain silent throughout.

But the production team sent word that if a trainee had an emotional breakdown on stage, they wanted her to say a few words to soothe them.

That was a bit bad.

Jin Li really had no experience in comforting people.

Her health was poor before, and she only had the part of being comforted by others.

So after finishing her styling, she squatted in the public lounge, searching for some soul quotes, trying to embrace Buddha's feet at the last minute.

After eating at noon.

Jin Li was still holding her phone and looking, Sui Lingfang accompanied her, silently opening her tablet to watch the second half of the second episode.

Seeing Jin Li finally put down her phone halfway, Sui Lingfang handed over the tablet: "It just happened to play the part where you encouraged Gong Jiajia to grab the C position. Take a look."

Jin Li pulled the progress bar forward and watched Gong Jiajia's stage once.

The production team's editing wasn't bad. On this stage, Gong Jiajia's strength was still the most eye-catching, pulling away from the other members.

Jin Li said: "I have the same thought now; she has this strength."

Sui Lingfang asked: "So you hope she debuts in the group?"

Jin Li thought for a moment: "Gong Jiajia's popularity is relatively low, right."

"It is relatively low, but now it's just a popularity vote. The production team hasn't announced the elimination rules. Maybe with your support, she can turn things around."

Jin Li shook her head and said honestly: "But she's not suitable for a girl group."

"Huh?" Sui Lingfang was surprised, "I thought you thought highly of her."

Jin Li: "I do think highly of her, but I don't think highly of her in a girl group. Her ability is too prominent in a girl group. One person can AOE the whole stage, so what are the other members supposed to do? A team needs complementarity, not one person's stage."

Sui Lingfang didn't quite understand.

Chenxi Entertainment hadn't launched a girl group and had no experience in this area.

"You mean, it's not good if the team's ability is too prominent?"

Jin Li smiled, smiling very sweetly, her brows carrying a bit of arrogance.

"Of course not. Look at the San Yue Tian boy band. Every one of them has prominent ability. Even the youngest, Chen Lin, is excellent at singing and dancing, but their group is very complementary."

"Gong Jiajia isn't unable to be in a girl group, but compared to a team that needs mutual coordination, her personality and ability are more suitable for solo debut."

She changed the subject: "But for a real solo debut, Gong Jiajia's ability is still a bit lacking. Singing and dancing, one must have the upper hand. According to the current market, it would be better for Gong Jiajia to debut as an independent singer."

Sui Lingfang kept these words in her heart.

Jin Li continued to look down at the chicken soup on her phone, while Sui Lingfang watched Gong Jiajia's stage again.

To be honest, she didn't think highly of Gong Jiajia debuting either. Her appearance was okay compared to ordinary people, but her fierce momentum wasn't suitable for the soft and cute girl group style.

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

The mentors were all in their places. This time, Jin Li had a separate seat, sitting on the left hand side of the San Yue Tian boy band.

On the right hand side of San Yue Tian were Ji Qinglian and Lian Baozhi, two female stars sitting next to each other.

The show would record in a few minutes, and the teachers chatted with each other.

Jin Li glanced at Lian Baozhi.

After rehearsing for so many days, this was the first time she had seen Lian Baozhi. She didn't know if it was a coincidence or what.

Lian Baozhi noticed her gaze, turned her head slightly to look at her, and said with a smile: "Teacher Jin Li, long time no see."

Jin Li was stunned and saw a trace of faint black energy in Lian Baozhi's brows.

Oh, interesting.

Jin Li's voice was clear and sweet, her face full of smiles: "Teacher Lian Baozhi, long time no see. How is your agent Lu Shanjie?"

Lian Baozhi's smile faded a bit: "Teacher Jin Li remembered wrong. Lu Shanjie hasn't been my agent for a long time. My agent is Liu Xuan."

Speaking of Liu Xuan, her tone was a bit proud.

Jin Li laughed out loud.

"I heard your new agent is quite powerful, really good." She was full of admiration, "It's just that I don't know how much Teacher Lian Baozhi can get from him, since he has several artists under him." ===== CHAPTER 57 =====