Chapter 75: Sales Explode, A Battle for Talent, This Terrifying Sense of Crisis

It wasn't until the second dance ended.

After the March Sky boy group returned to the backstage area to remove their makeup and conclude this engagement, Yan Xingdong still remained deeply bothered by what Gu Cheng had said earlier.

Taking advantage of Gu Cheng's trip to the restroom, Yan Xingdong couldn't help but vent to his teammates.

"Five hundred jin of babagan citrus! What madness possessed him to buy so much? Could one person possibly finish all that?"

Luo Yi chuckled: "That's precisely why he placed the order at your place—so we could all share some."

Yan Xingdong replied: "Even the four of us couldn't finish five hundred jin."

This time, Chen Lin showed unusual sharpness: "Then I know why Cheng ordered them to your place; your home is closest to the company, making it convenient to bring the babagan citrus there to distribute."

Yan Xingdong: ...

He spoke with earnest gravity: "Little Lin, you fail to be sharp when you should be, yet you're painfully astute when you shouldn't."

Luo Yi patted Yan Xingdong on the shoulder: "Cut him some slack; Gu Cheng is still in his adolescent years."

"Besides, every man has those few days each month when he acts irrationally."

Yan Xingdong retorted: "You're not that many years older than him; why do you speak as if you've seen it all?"

Luo Yi shrugged and sighed: "Watching Gu Cheng and the youngest member, I already feel old; I don't have their energy for such antics."

Meanwhile, on Jin Li's side.

The livestream was still ongoing.

This broadcast had begun at 3:20 PM; Cat Paw no longer dared to let Jin Li stream for extended periods.

Every hour, they would send someone over to urge her to rest for ten or twenty minutes.

If Jin Li refused to rest, Cat Paw would employ the art of persuasion.

Several staff members took turns urging her to rest, and even Sister Fang joined the fray—not to persuade, but specifically to act as the comedic foil.

A staff member whispered softly: "Jin Li, Jin Li, it's time for you to rest."

Sister Fang shouted loudly: "Exactly right!"

The staff member whispered softly: "Jin Li, health is the capital of struggle."

Sister Fang shouted loudly: "Absolutely!"

The staff member whispered softly: "Jin Li, resting is for the sake of the long-term future."

Sister Fang shouted loudly: "So true!"

Jin Li: ...

She helplessly pressed her forehead; fine, she would rest, she would rest, wasn't that enough?

She simply felt capable of lasting two hours before needing a break, without rushing to stop every single hour.

They were all too nervous!

Although it was called a break, Jin Li certainly wouldn't sit idle doing nothing.

Rather than closing her eyes to slowly recover her energy, she might as well take out her 'Five-Year Gaokao, Three-Year Simulation' workbook to solve problems; this way, her energy recovered faster.

While working through problems, Jin Li ran out of water, so she picked up her cup to get a refill.

The livestream studio layout was simple, with the water dispenser located just outside the restroom.

She arrived at the door but hadn't yet entered when she overheard some artists discussing.

"All the livestream popularity has been absorbed by Jin Li; even though I'm streaming simultaneously, my viewership doesn't compare to a small streamer. Participating in this engagement is pointless."

"Indeed, seeing so few people here today, I thought we might share some of the traffic, but who expected Jin Li to show up? We're merely serving as green leaves to her flower."

"Say less; originally, this kind of public welfare project isn't popular anyway; having any viewers at all is good enough."

"It's just too exhausting; the appearance fee is so low, yet there's so much work to do. If Jin Li wants to grind, that's her choice, but why must we grind along with her? It seems the entire Chenxi Entertainment has to play supporting roles to Jin Li!"

"Sister Jin Li." He Yixuan walked down the corridor, holding a water cup to get a refill as well.

As she approached, she happened to hear that last sentence and looked anxiously toward Jin Li.

Jin Li silently filled her water cup, tightened the lid, and walked into the restroom.

Those artists were focused on touching up their makeup and didn't spare a glance.

One wouldn't know until entering.

Once inside, Jin Li saw several babagan citrus fruits thrown onto the floor as if in a fit of rage, resembling soft, rotten, dilapidated pits.

The anger in Jin Li's heart could no longer be suppressed.

"If you have grievances against me, you can speak to the company or to your managers; from now on, do not participate in any engagements I secure, and do not share the stage with me."

Her voice suddenly rang out; everyone stopped their movements, somewhat panicked.

How could Jin Li be here?

Had she heard all their recent discussions?

Jin Li squatted down and picked up those smashed babagan citrus fruits.

"If you don't want to eat the fruit, you don't have to take it, but once taken, do not waste it. 'Cherish food' is taught starting from kindergarten; are you all even worse than those with nine educational gaps?"

These artists all belonged to Chenxi Entertainment.

When meeting Jin Li within the company, they usually greeted her politely; having seen some of these artists frequently, Jin Li could even remember their faces.

They didn't dare to talk back to Jin Li.

While Jin Li was scolding them, they all kept their heads lowered, unable to see Jin Li's expression, just as Jin Li couldn't see theirs.

The atmosphere fell into silence.

Jin Li furrowed her brow, tossed the already rotten babagan citrus in her hand into the trash bin, and left without looking back.

An argument requires someone to argue back.

She wasn't a dean of students; reminding them this much was sufficient. What they chose to do afterward was their own affair.

After Jin Li left, those artists finally let out several sighs of relief.

Someone nudged another person: "Why didn't you speak up just now?"

That person replied, "My popularity is poor; the company might not even renew my contract next year, so there's no need to curry favor with Jin Li."

"I originally intended to talk back, but for some reason, the moment I saw her get angry, I felt a bit afraid, as if a noble person was losing their temper."

"Hey, I had that same feeling; Jin Li's presence is just too overwhelming!"

He Yixuan walked in.

A few artists inside had a decent relationship with her and were usually very kind, yet unexpectedly, they had also participated in the discussion.

She did not continue Jin Li's line of thought, but instead said, "You should discuss this less; this is just work. Since you accepted the job, do it properly and stop complaining. Besides, the price Chenxi offered us isn't low."

He Yixuan paused. "You probably don't know this, but Sister Jin Li is participating in this live-stream sales event for free; she isn't taking any appearance fee."

The others gasped in surprise.

"For free?"

"Is she crazy? Working this hard for nothing!"

No one doubted He Yixuan's words; after all, they shared the same manager, so it was normal for her to know such information.

However, someone sneered, "He Yixuan, don't be so quick to criticize us. Aren't you the one who most wants to see Jin Li fall?"

He Yixuan frowned: "I am just discussing work with you. Since you accepted it, do it well. Those people who have to get up at four or five in the morning to sweep the streets are working diligently; we are just selling goods via live stream, which is far less exhausting than what they do."

"Fine, fine, fine, so you are the noble one, the one who doesn't complain, the one who fights for nothing."

"Those who don't know better might think you have a great relationship with Jin Li."

"But aren't you still eyeing those mediocre appearance fees in her hands, trying to ask Sui Lingfang for them, only to get severely scolded by Sui Lingfang?"

The other artists feared Jin Li, but they did not fear He Yixuan.

In the past, they might not have dared to argue with He Yixuan.

But now things were different.

"He Yixuan, if Jin Li criticizes us, we accept it; she has the qualification. But what qualification do you have to lecture us?"

"Don't forget, the reason you made it to the second tier is because the high-quality appearance fees we could have gotten were all allocated to you by the company!"

"We all signed with the company in the same batch; just because you know how to act obediently in front of the manager, you rose to prominence quickly."

"Others can criticize us, but you cannot. Your rise to the second tier wouldn't have happened without the appearance fees from every single one of us here!"

The artist whose contract might be terminated next year had no fear of He Yixuan at all, their mouth firing words like a machine gun.

"You are so devoted to Jin Li, but does Jin Li know? How come we never see Jin Li promoting you?"

He Yixuan was also provoked into anger; she clenched her fists secretly and retorted sarcastically, "What does it have to do with you? Besides, even if she promoted you, you wouldn't be able to see it!"

She turned around and quickly left the restroom.

If they continued arguing, it felt like they might come to blows.

Today's live-stream sales event has concluded successfully!

Jin Li guessed correctly; today's sales volume was three times that of yesterday.

Although these two days of live streaming did not completely clear out the inventory of Baba citrus, very little remained, and it could easily be sold out online.

As soon as she got into the car, Sui Lingfang handed her a towel.

"Wipe off the sweat; I noticed you were sweating continuously toward the end, but since your body can't tolerate air conditioning for long periods, I turned off the AC in your area. Can you still handle it?"

Jin Li took the towel, first wiping her neck, then smiled upon hearing this: "Sister Fang, with my treatment akin to an earthbound emperor, who wouldn't be able to handle it?"

"It's one thing for Mao Zhua to worry about me fainting again, but why are you joining in too, urging me to rest after just one hour of broadcasting?"

"You know very well that even while recording 'PICK~Next Diva,' I basically only took a break after every two hours of recording; my body can withstand it."

Sui Lingfang shook her head seriously: "The work intensity is different; variety shows don't require you to speak so much."

Seeing that Jin Li's condition was still good, she put her worries aside and continued, "However, since you brought up variety shows, there is something I need to tell you."

"After you explicitly refused to film the fifth episode of 'PICK~Next Diva,' other platforms producing talent selection shows have been sending you invitations to appear as a guest mentor."

Jin Li shook her head: "Those talent shows are already halfway through filming; forget about making a guest appearance."

Sui Lingfang nodded: "That's what I thought too; moreover, refusing Penguin and then immediately joining another talent show would look bad."

"So those platforms came up with a new idea; they want to invite you to be a mentor for next year's talent selection show."

"Next year?" Jin Li asked in surprise.

"It's only April; has the battle to snatch talent already begun?"

Sui Lingfang said helplessly, "Seeing that Penguin succeeded, they are coveting that huge traffic. You haven't been following the aftermath of 'PICK~Next Diva,' have you?"

"I only searched for relevant information because those platforms kept inviting you, even shouting about reserving you as a mentor for next year, and discovered that for Penguin's variety show, the fan fundraising and voting behind the contestants has already reached over ten million!"

"Over ten million? All from fans pooling money to vote?" Jin Li was a bit stunned.

She found it absurd, but upon careful thought, this is indeed the model idols follow.

Otherwise, why would so many companies refuse to give up on grooming top-tier idols?

Once an idol gains momentum, their ability to harvest money is like a raging wind sweeping through, leaving nothing standing.

"It was only four million during the fourth episode, and now in the fifth, it has reached over ten million? How did it grow so fast?" Jin Li asked, puzzled.

Sui Lingfang explained, "Because this time it involves advertising resources; it's not just about eliminating the last place, but about securing top-tier resources for the teams already in the front ranks."

"On one hand, Penguin initiated an elimination system for the last place, so fans, in order to prevent their favorite popular contestants from being eliminated, desperately supported the entire team."

"On the other hand, the top five teams also entered a resource competition mode; whichever team ranks highest in the fifth episode will secure the endorsement for Ningning Tea's new product."

Jin Li raised an eyebrow: "An endorsement for Ningning Tea's new product? That carries quite a lot of weight."

Ningning Tea is a milk tea brand known to every household in the country.

According to incomplete statistics, if a person drinks only five cups of milk tea a month, one of those cups will be Ningning Tea.

Although it was a milk tea brand, its specialty drinks focused primarily on a series of lemon teas.

Jin Li had never tried it, though she had seen many advertisements for Ningning Tea.

"Yes, everyone in the industry considers it a major move; Ningning Tea's willingness to collaborate shows strong confidence in the talent show model of 'PICK~Next Diva'."

"Therefore, these millions spent on voting support weren't generated through last-place eliminations, but fought for amidst resource competition."

Sui Lingfang paused, "I feel the companies behind the contestants have entered the fray."

Jin Li asked, "Is it worth it for companies to throw money at this?"

Sui Lingfang smiled, "That depends on whether their companies deem it worthwhile."

"Some believe early investment paves the way for better future returns, while others think carving a bloody path through fierce competition is the true mark of ability."

"Some stars, propelled by company spending, spend their entire lives repaying that investment, while others break through on sheer talent, turning a profit the moment they debut."

"One can only say competition nowadays is too intense; all sorts of people are fishing in troubled waters. It's far less pure than before; a contestant's ability is no longer the sole criterion determining the outcome."

Jin Li nodded in agreement.

Leaving aside those early talent shows, take March Sky as an example.

They truly broke through relying solely on popularity!

When other contestants' companies considered spending on votes, they immediately hesitated upon seeing those terrifying popularity figures.

Jin Li's phone vibrated several times.

Gu Cheng: [Are you still studying tonight?]

Jin Li checked the time; by the time she returned to the apartment, it would be around ten o'clock.

Gu Cheng: [I plan to squeeze in another hour of study before resting at eleven. If you're studying, we can video call and study together; I can help you with any problems you encounter.]

Jin Li's expression turned solemn.

She had originally felt bad about troubling Gu Cheng, but she never expected Gu Cheng to be even more driven than herself!

Although she had indeed planned to study after returning.

But her studying was a matter of survival.

Whereas Gu Cheng studied purely out of passion!

A workaholic driven by passion is terrifyingly formidable!!

Jin Li: [Let's study! I'm still in the car; I'll start practicing problems now, and we can video call once I'm back at the apartment.]

She put down her phone and dug the "Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulation" book out of her bag.

Sui Lingfang, looking at her phone, asked, "Jin Li, do you want to grab a late-night snack? There's a dessert shop that seems quite good; I've seen many people in the circle recommending it several times."

"Jin Li?"

Seeing no response, Sui Lingfang turned to look, her breath catching for a few seconds.

Oh my, this kid is doing practice problems again.

She hesitated briefly, then decided not to disturb her, lowering her head to continue looking at her phone.

Never mind; she'd just drop her off and go eat by herself.

Returning to the apartment.

Jin Li quickly initiated a video call, and Gu Cheng answered.

Since it was very late, she did not plan to go live.

Having video-studied with Gu Cheng several times before, the two had developed a rapport; each adjusted their phone, then lowered their heads to attend to their own tasks.

Sometimes they wouldn't even look up at each other when speaking; one would directly ask a question, and the other would directly answer.

—Everyone was fixated on the problems.

Time flew by, arriving at eleven o'clock at night.

Gu Cheng put down his pen, closing his exercise book punctually on the hour, regardless of whether he had finished the current problem.

Jin Li was different.

When the time came, if she had finished her problems, all was well; but if she hadn't, she insisted on completing that specific problem before resting.

Gu Cheng waited quietly for over ten minutes.

Jin Li finally grind out the last sub-question of the major problem, letting out a long sigh of relief.

She did not check her answers.

If the answer was wrong, figuring out where she had erred would consume even more time.

Jin Li felt somewhat tired and wanted to sleep.

Looking up, she noticed Gu Cheng hadn't ended the video call, so she asked, "What's wrong?"

Gu Cheng said, "There's something I want to tell you; have you considered hiring a private tutor?"

Jin Li was stunned, "A private tutor?"

She hesitated, "Honestly, I haven't considered it. I have entertainment industry commitments during the day, and sometimes I have to rush to events at night as well; my schedule is too irregular."

"Unless I hired a private tutor specifically to follow my schedule, but I feel that's unnecessary; I can just utilize fragmented time for self-study."

Gu Cheng thought for a moment, "Then you'll need to work extra hard. After teaching you for a while, I've realized your foundation is very weak; presumably, your middle school knowledge wasn't solidified properly."

"Although much of middle school and high school knowledge doesn't directly connect, and many people exert themselves in high school, making rapid progress and leaping to become top students,"

"nevertheless, elementary and middle school are precisely when students' logical thinking abilities are cultivated."

"If you develop your own set of thinking methods, learning high school content will be much easier."

His tone shifted, "But you lack methods, so you can only slowly summarize them yourself; this process consumes a lot of time."

"If you had private tutoring, a teacher could instill their methods into you, making things much easier for you."

Jin Li pondered for a few seconds, "I still prefer to summarize them myself."

Her situation was special.

Studying on her own was to keep her physical condition under control; if she had a tutor nearby, something might be discovered.

Jin Li dared not gamble on the possibility of going unnoticed.

Gu Cheng nodded, then asked, "So when do you want to take the college entrance exam?"

Jin Li was speechless.

She hadn't considered that question.

Gu Cheng smiled. "Jin Li, studying needs to bring a sense of gain for you to enjoy it more and more; the same applies to any task. Long-term investment without any return is unsustainable."

"At your current pace, even three years of self-study might not get you ready for the exam; your time is too fragmented."

Jin Li asked humbly, "Then what should I do? I still want to take the exam as soon as possible."

Gu Cheng said reasonably, "First, summarize a set of study methods for yourself."

After talking with Gu Cheng for half an hour, Jin Li's confusion lessened considerably.

That gradually blurring window of her soul seemed to have been polished a bit clearer.

After ending the video call, she first glanced at her phone, pondered for a moment, then changed Gu Cheng's WeChat remark to [Gu Juanjuan·Orange].

Then she walked to the window, looked up at the brilliant stars in the night sky, and a decision subtly formed in Jin Li's heart.

Studying was something she absolutely had to grind at.

But offering incense at the Daoist temple must not stop either!

Early the next morning.

Jin Li arrived at Chenxi Entertainment for a meeting.

Whenever a phase of scheduled events concluded, she had to return to the company to hear about the upcoming plans and arrangements.

Considering her health, Sui Lingfang had not accepted any brand ambassadorships or brand events for her.

"The brands inviting you are all second-tier; you already hold the endorsement for the entire Duomi product line, so there's no need to attend those."

"If those brands wanted you as their official spokesperson, that would be worth attending, but if they just want to use you as a tool to ride your popularity, then forget it."

Jin Li nodded. "That's my thought exactly; I won't accept second-tier brand events. I'll focus solely on managing events for Duomi and Maozhua."

Sui Lingfang added, "The company has received several scripts; some invite you as the female lead, others as the second or third female lead. You have no scheduled events coming up; do you want to try acting?"

Jin Li asked, "How long would it take?"

Sui Lingfang opened one of the scripts. "This is for the female lead. The company favors this one; the production scale is moderate, and the director is of average standing. Considering this is your first time acting, it should take about four months to film."

Normally, filming for a female lead takes three months.

Since Jin Li was a complete newcomer, needing an extra month was perfectly normal.

Jin Li shook her head. "No, four months takes up too much time. Find something shorter, preferably within a week."

The two of them searched again.

They did find some, but they were not satisfied with those roles.

Nominally labeled as the third female lead, they were essentially just extras.

The screen time was insignificant; just waving a hand, turning around, saying a line—nothing interesting.

Sui Lingfang rubbed her brow, tossed the scripts in her hand onto the table.

"Forget it; without good scripts, we won't film for now. I originally planned to have you join a game variety show."

"That show has very high ratings; people often watch it while eating. But the game intensity is quite high, and I worried you couldn't handle it, so I ultimately didn't accept it for you."

After thinking it over, she simply said, "How about you participate in the sixth episode of 'PICK~Next Diva'? Penguin has been asking me if you'd go; if you want to come, we can find a pretext."

Jin Li shook her head. "Let's skip it; I'm not interested in variety shows right now. If I were, I wouldn't have accepted only one variety show."

She added, "The group variety show for March Sky is scheduled for filming in May. Since it's already April, I want to adjust my condition before then."

"Sister Fang, since there are no suitable events, how about I take a break for a while?"

Sui Lingfang was speechless.

"You're the first artist to openly tell me you want a break, and you're right at the peak of your popularity."

Jin Li smiled sweetly. "My health isn't great; please be understanding!"

Sui Lingfang looked down at the schedule, circling a few dates with a red pen.

"Taking a break isn't impossible, but if high-quality offers come up, you should still go out more. By the way, how do you plan to rest?"

She was about to pitch the overseas travel package she hadn't mentioned earlier, but the next second, Jin Li said, "I'm going to a Daoist temple to cultivate my mind and nature."

Sui Lingfang: ...

You truly have a profound love for Daoist temples.

As Jin Li left the company, Sui Lingfang specifically told her, "Luckily Daoist temples don't accept lay disciples; otherwise, I'd really fear the temple stealing you from me."

Jin Li blinked, her steps pausing slightly.

[30] After getting into the car, she rolled down the window and said softly, "Sister Fang, you got something wrong."

After getting into the car, she rolled down the window and whispered, "Sister Xiang, you got something wrong."

"What?"

Jin Li said, "Daoist temples do accept lay disciples; they are called lay believers of the Daoist faith, disciples who take refuge but do not leave home to become monks, practicing instead while living at home."

She smiled gently. "But don't worry; I have no interest in becoming a lay believer."

The car had driven far away, yet Sui Lingfang still stood in place, silent.

Oh no, what should I do? I feel an even greater sense of crisis now.

Update is here, continuing with 6K words!

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(End of Chapter)