Chapter 1: Internship, but which talent show trainee could refuse a million dollars...?

"Ms. Jiang, 500,000 yuan has been deposited into your Alipay account."

A cold, pleasant female voice, clearly imitating a mechanical tone, rang out. Jiang Tinghan didn't give the phone a second chance before answering it directly.

"Yo busai yo?" (Hello)

"Yo~ no~ sai~ yo~ This is right here in Beijing, the capital of the country. Why are you speaking such gibberish Korean?" The voice on the other end was full of teasing and jokes, and even imitated the accent of authentic Beijing dialect.

"Ah...sorry, I haven't turned around yet." Jiang Tinghan pinched the bridge of her nose, her head throbbing from lack of rest.

She just flew back to Beijing from Seoul, South Korea yesterday, ending her year-long academic exchange program in South Korea. After this holiday, she will seamlessly transition into a grueling senior year, still with unfinished practical credits to complete.

Even though it's 2022, we still need to keep working hard.

Jiang Tinghan asked again, "Xiao Lin, is there something you need?"

"Sister Jiang, didn't you ask me if I had any easy internships? I found one here. It's a three-month job. The job is to be a psychological counselor assistant for a talent show. The monthly salary is six thousand, which I think is pretty good," Xiao Lin said in a lively tone.

Jiang Tinghan: "It sounds good, but I still need to take a look. Could you please send me the detailed information, Xiao Lin? I'll treat you to dinner later."

Xiaolin: "Okay! I've taken a look at this variety show. It's an international variety show held in South Korea. I thought you were familiar with it, Sister Jiang, but airfare and accommodation are also a big problem. You can take another look."

Jiang Tinghan: "Okay."

When Jiang Tinghan said "okay," she had basically already passed on the job; she sensed that she would have to pay out of her own pocket to do the internship.

She didn't have the selfless dedication of medical students, so she politely declined the job that required her to work for free.

A monthly internship salary of 6,000 is actually quite good, equivalent to the salary of many people after they become full-time employees. Many internships only pay 1,500, but when other expenses are taken into account, it is not worth it. Moreover, the reason it is 6,000 is probably because this position requires proficiency in at least Korean and English.

That's what they said, but Jiang Tinghan still read it carefully.

Seeing the line "meals and accommodation included, regular weekends off, and meals and accommodation included even during weekends," she began to waver.

This way, you only need to calculate the airfare. Buying a red-eye flight round trip would only cost around three thousand, and the price listed is six thousand after tax.

When Jiang Tinghan saw that the psychological counselor listed was the mentor who hosted the academic exchange activity in South Korea, she understood why this internship had been able to travel across the ocean to reach her.

This mentor is named Jin Yun, a Chinese teacher of mixed Chinese and Korean descent, and a leading figure in the field of psychology. Jiang Tinghan overcame many difficulties to participate in the exchange program she hosted because she admired this mentor.

A chance encounter with an "idol" plus a "monthly salary of six thousand"—even with all one's might, victory is impossible.

*

"SHINING WORLD" is a global girl group talent show jointly invested and produced by South Korea's CJ E&M, the parent company of Ment TV, which has made a fortune from talent shows, in conjunction with China's Tencent Video, Japan's Sony Music, and Universal Music Group.

The contestants on this variety show come from all over the world. On the surface, the show's theme is to break down barriers, promote cultural exchange, and launch a "super girl group" with global influence. At the same time, it also aims to let the audience experience the beauty of different aesthetics and promote diversity.

Jiang Tinghan translated this passage as: Kpop has finally given up on letting Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese people try their luck in the US, and has instead chosen to find Europeans and Americans as idols to try their luck in the US.

Her resume was excellent, and she quickly passed the initial screening, followed by online first and second interviews, and was successfully hired.

As expected of a variety show that features psychological counselors, "Shining World" even checked her fandom to confirm that she wasn't a fan of any of the show's mentors.

In Jiang Tinghan's mind, this one action alone far surpassed Hunan TV's decision to have the Changsha Notary Office supervise the voting.

Soon, Jiang Tinghan arrived in South Korea, which she had been away from for two whole weeks, and met her mentor, Kim Yun.

Jin Yun smiled and said, "Ting Han, I knew it would be you. It seems you'll have to stay in Korea for a while longer."

Jiang Tinghan also gave a polite smile: "It's just as good as saving me the trouble of getting used to life here."

Learning from Teacher Jin Yun is an invisible benefit, and she is very satisfied.

Jin Yun: "Then let me take you to meet the PD (director) of the variety show first, so you can get acquainted with him and avoid any handover problems later."

Jiang Tinghan nodded: "Okay, thank you, teacher."

I wish the PD could reimburse her for her plane ticket.

The PD of "Shining World" is Yoon Shin-hye, one of the core main PDs of the hit audition program series "Produce 101" Season 1, Season 2 and "Produce 48".

The Produce audition series was once rocked by a scandal involving the manipulation of vote counts during the final vote count, resulting in the main producer, Ahn Joon-young, being imprisoned.

The new variety show "Shining World" is now launched to redeem himself from the shame he created and wash away the public's preconceived notion that he is a "veteran of vote rigging".

Therefore, Shining World emphasizes "authenticity," and each performance is broadcast live to showcase the contestants' abilities to the audience in their entirety.

Accept the trial!

When I saw PD Yoon Shin-hye, she was selecting contestants with the production team. Their goal was to have eighty to one hundred contestants, and they had already selected more than half of them.

Kim Yoon switched to Korean, greeted Yoon Shin-hye first, and then said, "PDnim, this is my student and my assistant, Jiang Tinghan."

Jiang Tinghan bowed slightly, his tone neither humble nor arrogant, but perfectly polite: "Ah ni ha yo, PDnim, I am Jiang Tinghan from China."

Yoon Shin-hye's gaze naturally fell on Jiang Tinghan's face, and she inhaled slightly.

She has been a talent show producer for many years and has seen countless beautiful faces, but she has never seen such a beautiful face.

With long, straight, jet-black hair like a waterfall and skin as white as snow, her face was like God's most exquisite masterpiece. The lines of her cheeks were firm and smooth, just right. If they were any less, they might appear too round and blunt. A pair of deep, dark eyes, like obsidian that had been soaked in ice water, were set in her eyes. With a movement of her eyes, her eyes would sparkle.

No matter who comes, they will all say "So beautiful", she is simply a "goddess of beauty".

What's most captivating is the inherent aggressiveness in her appearance. Her striking phoenix eyes appear sharp and cold, like a bamboo viper. Despite the deadly danger she exudes, her beauty draws people in irresistibly to touch her, as if they would be willing to die for her without complaint.

In an instant, Yoon Shin-hye thought of those monsters in supernatural tales who possessed beautiful appearances and captivated souls. Looking at the girl's face, she felt a suffocating sensation, as if she could hardly breathe.

With a face like that, even if she does nothing, her fans would definitely go crazy for her.

Idols are in an industry that relies most on good looks. No matter how talented or outstanding they are, if they're ugly, they're still ugly, and most viewers with normal aesthetic sense won't buy into it.

In their words, "Why do you have to hurt our eyes with such an ugly face when you could be shining behind the scenes?"

The girl is about 1.7 meters tall, with a slender figure, long arms and legs. She looks good in clothes, and she must look even better when she moves.

Moreover, she remembered that Jin Yun was a professor at a prestigious Chinese university, and Jiang Tinghan was her student, which meant that she also possessed another asset—a high level of education.

Coming to her senses, Yoon Shin-hye couldn't hide her excitement: "Your name is Jiang Tinghan, right? Are you interested in becoming one of our contestants?"

Jiang Tinghan paused for a moment, looked at Instructor Jin Yun, and uttered a somewhat confused "Huh?"

Jin Yun said, "You guys chat," and then tactfully left.

Jiang Tinghan turned his gaze back to Yoon Shin-hye and said seriously, "PDnim, I have zero practice time. If I really participate, I'm afraid I won't even be able to get an F in the initial evaluation."

She enjoys watching abstract stage performances on talent shows for fun, but she doesn't want to become the source of that fun herself; it would be terrible if her face appeared in a meme video.

Yoon Shin-hye's expression was kind, but her tone conveyed a firm determination to keep the girl in front of her: "It's okay, the audience will be very forgiving of a beautiful girl like you."

"You're an intern, right? Well then, you can participate in our program, and you'll still get an internship certificate and anything else you need to provide to the school, plus your salary will be increased to 200,000 won per month."

Jiang Tinghan saw Yoon Shin-hye's eager desire for her and her heart stirred slightly. 200,000 Korean won is about 10,000 RMB.

However, she remained inactive, waiting for the right moment to reel in a bigger fish, and even put on a somewhat troubled expression.

Yoon Shin-hye believed her eyes; this girl would definitely bring huge profits to their show. Some people are so beautiful that they are not remembered by the audience, but this girl has a striking face that is unforgettable and leaves a lasting impression.

Her modeling is so good that if she successfully debuts, she won't need plastic surgery or any subsequent repairs. Compared to many other contestants, she's already far ahead.

Yoon Shin-hye calmed herself down, took a deep breath, and said, "400,000 won."

"Even if you are eliminated early, I can still give you a three-month certificate, and you will still be paid your salary for that month."

"If you can stay until the end, I'll give you one million RMB directly."

Jiang Tinghan thought to herself, "Wow!" Even if she only stayed for one term, she could still earn more than 20,000 RMB, plus an internship certificate and academic credits.

Although she came here to learn from Jin Yun, why can't becoming a contestant and seeking psychological counseling from Jin Yun be considered a form of learning?

If Professor Jin Yun were here, he would probably choose the one million option too. Which college student could resist such a temptation?

Anyway, she can't, and it's not her fault; she's given too much.

Jiang Tinghan quickly found another reason why "she should become a talent show trainee": there probably wouldn't be many Chinese people in this variety show; most of them would be foreigners.

If she can build good relationships with them, these will be Pinduoduo's 24,000 brand new users! And that includes the staff! A hundred new users—their value goes without saying! Won't she be able to withdraw money non-stop?

Hopefully, this talent show won't confiscate her phone and cut off her source of income!

Jiang Tinghan's dark eyes almost turned into "$$" money symbols. Then he nodded solemnly, his tone extremely devout, as if he were making a wish to the God of Wealth: "I promise you, PDnim."

From now on, the PD in front of her is her sugar mommy!

Yoon Shin-hye breathed a sigh of relief; she had finally managed to keep him. She had already figured out how to create a sensation.

Jiang Tinghan stayed behind and drafted a contract with Yin Xinhui. They carefully reviewed each clause to ensure there were no hidden traps before signing it.

As she left, she kept turning back, looking slightly melancholy as if she had something to say but was suppressing it.

Yoon Shin-hye took the initiative to ask, "What's wrong? Is there anything you're worried about?"

Jiang Tinghan's long eyelashes fluttered twice: "PDnim, this is a foreign country after all. It wasn't easy for me to fly here. My plane ticket..."

Compared to the money in hand, saving face is utterly insignificant.

Yoon Shin-hye smiled and thought that Jiang Tinghan, who was thinking about such small benefits, had a simple and honest student-like quality: "I'll reimburse you."

If someone clings to even the smallest gains, it means they don't have a very broad perspective. They're the kind of person who's easy to control, obedient, and doesn't go too far in variety shows. If you follow the script they've created, the ratings will definitely be good.

Jiang Tinghan immediately flashed a bright smile, making the entire office seem a degree brighter, and bowed ninety degrees, saying, "Thank you, PDnim!"

Indeed, they are naive; they simply want money.

*

Naver forum (Korea)

[Another girl group audition is coming out, supposedly a global audition, and the performances will be streamed live. What do you think?]

Kids, here comes another hilarious laugh! Your perfect accompaniment to meals is here!

[Shining World, shining on the world, that's quite ambitious. These days, boy and girl groups that are called "globally popular" have spent so much on marketing that they're practically inflated. It's even harder for talent show contestants. I can only say good luck.]

[Just you wait! Things change, and these kids' abilities will make everyone laugh!]

[Warning: Beware of vote rigging by capitalists. I have a phobia of the Ment draft.]

Should the person upstairs file a workers' compensation claim?

[Ment, why don't you compensate me some money? That would make me feel a little better. Now you're waving the banner of fairness, impartiality, and transparency, but are the kids on Produce just pure victims?]

What's the point of holding a talent show? Go tell my streetlights! I've reached the point where I'd say "Today is truly a once-in-a-lifetime good day" even if I saw a high-ranking official die suddenly!

The girl groups that emerged from the last Mnet talent show are probably already in dire straits and have scattered to the four winds. Some became incredibly popular, while others flopped without a trace.

[Live stream...kkk will probably create a lot of disasters. I can already imagine the excuses fans will use to save face: "The microphone is faulty."]

[Are there finally more ethnic groups appearing in talent shows? It feels quite novel, I'm a little interested.]

[The age shouldn't be any younger. I don't want to see underage kids wiggling their butts in front of me. I don't have that fetish.]

[Turns out it's a girl group audition, that scared me. I thought I was going to see a lot of tall, ugly, huge male trainees, or skinny, tiny male trainees who looked like mice. Even girls who are all beautiful are much better than men who are all ugly in different ways.]

[Noona's good mouth]

I just hope that the ugly children of capitalists will stop causing trouble. Even if you fed me a hundred ugly children, I wouldn't become a fetishist for ugliness. I have my principles, I have my stubbornness, and my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens!

There shouldn't be any ugly contestants in girl group auditions. The profile cards just came out, and I glanced at them. They're generally quite good-looking. I even have a favorite contestant in mind.

[You can't step into the same river twice, but a fan might. The moment I saw the profile card, I knew I was about to fall for another big scam.]

[Aaaaaaah, everyone, go look at that Chinese green card number 88!!! Am I asking for a search? Are you crazy?! One ID photo is enough to hold my breath for five minutes! Looking like that is practically a gift from God!!!]

A note from the author:

----------------------

Congratulations on the start! This story follows a hilariously absurd and entertaining plot! [Dog head with rose in mouth]

The female lead in this story is still the most beautiful and all-around amazing. She has incredible learning ability, is a great actress, and is incredibly cunning. Her logic is flawed and doesn't follow common sense, but there's nothing I can do about it; I just love the strongest! [laughing]

After careful consideration, the contestants' works are all original, but the mentors, guest stars, and collaborating guests are not.

Forum-style content accounts for a huge proportion; a talent show without forum-style content is like the West without Jerusalem!

All bonus chapters will be reserved after the VIP chapters are released. The bonus chapters for the previous book were too chaotic, so this book will have a unified bonus chapter of at least 3,000 words [glasses]. It will still be 1,000 nutrient solution/50 thunder/1,000 favorites.