Chapter 130 Extra Chapter - The Competition (Part 2)...
Seeing Su Ruyi's scrutinizing gaze, the man snapped out of his daze and immediately felt annoyed.
Wasn't his last sentence an admission of guilt?
The man straightened his face and reprimanded in a deep voice:
"Which department are you from? Why are you running around like this? I'm going to complain to your boss about you. Get out of here and stop meddling in everything!"
"I also want to ask you who you are, and why you're acting so suspiciously backstage?"
Su Ruyi turned her gaze to Xu Fei. Xu Fei, whose mind was in a mess, subconsciously walked in Su Ruyi's direction after seeing her.
Although it was their first meeting, Xu Fei felt that Su Ruyi was very reliable.
The man was furious. He was about to succeed when this unexpected obstacle appeared out of nowhere.
Seeing that Xu Fei was about to leave, he reached out to pull her over, but was slapped away by Su Ruyi.
A crisp 'smack' rang out, and the man gasped. This woman was incredibly strong! His hand was swollen.
"What are you doing? Don't touch me! This is a contestant on our show. Who are you and what are you doing here?!"
The man was furious and clenched his fist, wanting to swing it at Su Ruyi, but when he saw the staff vest she was wearing, he managed to suppress his anger.
Su Ruyi works at a TV station. Although he doesn't know her personally, she doesn't seem like a simple person based on her appearance and demeanor. She's also quite beautiful. Who knows when she'll rise to power? He doesn't want to offend her and cause a big scene.
"I was personally invited by your station director, Liu, to train the contestants. Don't waste my time here!"
"Were you invited by Liu Quan?" Su Ruyi looked him up and down.
"right……"
The man was interrupted halfway through his sentence. Who was this woman? How dare she call Liu Quan by his name?
“I just happened to need to talk to Director Liu about something. Let’s go find him together now. I’d also like to hear how you train contestants.”
The man took a step back warily: "Director Liu is a very busy man. He's about to go live, he doesn't have time to chat with us. I can't be bothered to talk to you, I'm busy with other things."
The man was about to turn and leave when Su Ruyi grabbed him.
"What's the rush? Since you're a distinguished guest invited by Director Liu, I have to treat you well."
The man tried to shake off Su Ruyi's hand, but he couldn't break free.
"Let go of me! What are you doing?! I'm sure I'll complain about you if I see Director Liu! Let go now, this pulling and tugging isn't a good look."
Su Ruyi ignored him and looked at Xu Fei, saying:
"Just focus on preparing for the competition and perform well. Don't worry about anything else. I assure you, our production team will give every guest the same treatment and opportunities."
Xu Fei bit her lower lip and nodded repeatedly. Looking at Su Ruyi's firm gaze, she didn't know why, but she instantly believed her words.
After Xu Fei left, Su Ruyi dragged the man toward the station director's office.
"Let go! You crazy woman, what are you doing?"
The man was dragged away in a disheveled state, feeling resentful but helpless.
He wanted to resist, but Su Ruyi didn't give him the chance at all, suppressing him completely.
The two dragged each other all the way through the backstage area, leaving everyone stunned but no one stepped forward to stop them.
"Zhang Gaoping, come here quickly and stop this crazy woman."
The man recognized someone and called out.
When Zhang Gaoping saw the man and then saw Su Ruyi holding his hand, he immediately gasped.
He really didn't want to get involved, but since he'd already been called out, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk over, forcing a smile at Su Ruyi:
"Mr. Su, what are you doing? This is a friend from our TV station. Can't we talk things out?"
Su Ruyi stopped: "You know this person?"
Zhang Gaoping is the assistant director of the "I Love Singing" program, specifically responsible for managing the contestants.
He's a veteran at the TV station, having joined in its early days. He came from the provincial station, but his abilities are mediocre. Several programs he had planned were rejected, so he could only work as an assistant director on this program.
Although he was called the assistant director and was in charge of managing the contestants, he didn't actually have much power.
Each region's players have a dedicated PD (Producer/Manager) who is already familiar with the players in the region and has a deeper understanding of each other.
Zhang Gaoping was only responsible for miscellaneous matters such as the athletes' accommodation, transportation, and meals, and had no say in the competition itself.
“Yes, this is a training instructor specially invited by our TV station.” Zhang Gaoping’s smile was stiff.
The man being dragged away had lost his previous anger, and a layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
There is only one person who can be called President Su, and that is the biggest sponsor of "I Am a Singer", or you could say the only sponsor.
Although there are other product advertisements in the program, they can only be inserted for a fee with Su Ruyi's consent.
Without Su Ruyi, this program might not even exist. Su Ruyi was not only the biggest sponsor, but also played an extremely important role in the early stages of program planning.
She was responsible for many aspects of the program's flow.
Although Su Ruyi isn't a program planner, those in the industry know she's very talented in that area, which is why the programs she invests in and sponsors rarely perform poorly. This is because she has strong creative abilities and can accurately grasp audience preferences.
Su Ruyi scoffed when she saw his guilty look.
"How come I don't know there's such a person?"
Zhang Gaoping wiped his sweat and said, "This was someone we invited later; they might have been overlooked when we submitted the documents."
Although Su Ruyi believed in Chen Mingsheng's abilities, she dared not be careless this time, given the large sum of money she had invested.
Although I wasn't involved in the entire production process, I was constantly supervising to ensure the smooth running of each segment, not wanting the competition to be dominated by people with connections.
Even as the biggest spender, she didn't take advantage of this, so how could she allow others to act recklessly here?
Although this program is not as professional as the CCTV Young Singers Competition, Su Ruyi still hopes that the program has a certain level of quality, so she has high requirements for the professional teachers such as vocalists invited.
We can spend a little more money to find a capable person, but we can't just fool someone.
Therefore, the program team not only invited the most authoritative music producers and vocal teachers from the mainland, but also invited professional teachers in vocal music and dance from Hong Kong and Taiwan at high prices.
This also led to significant progress for each contestant, showing everyone how a group of ordinary people can change little by little.
The audience is also highly engaged because they watch how their favorite people become more and more outstanding.
The contestants who make it to the finals these days, even if their singing skills aren't as professional as those in the CCTV Young Singers Competition, still have a strong overall performance and are increasingly moving towards becoming star singers.
Zhang Gaoping was not involved in the program's content production, so he was unaware of these things. Although he knew that Su Ruyi had participated in the program's planning in the early stages, he did not know that she had actually been supervising it all along.
Chen Mingsheng and Su Ruyi had worked together many times and had developed a tacit understanding. Without Su Ruyi's personal supervision, Chen Mingsheng took the initiative to hand over the materials.
"Then I should thank Director Liu in person for secretly saving me so much money."
Although Su Ruyi is generous, she is strict about the use of funds, especially when it comes to the quality of the program. She absolutely will not allow any haphazard spending and will make sure that the money is spent wisely.
This competition involves a huge investment of money, and if Su Ruyi fails, it will be a huge blow to her, so she values it even more.
Zhang Gaoping broke out in a cold sweat. He wanted to say something, but Su Ruyi pulled the man away.
Tonight's live broadcast is very important, so Liu Quan stayed at the TV station instead of leaving get off work.
This competition was the first large-scale event planned by the Hunan Economic Television Station. They had never used so many resources and manpower before, so it was a huge challenge for the station.
Now that we've entered the semi-finals, one of the most crucial competitions in the show, Liu Quan will also be on-site at the TV station to oversee the proceedings in case of any unforeseen circumstances that cannot be addressed promptly.
Liu Quan was initially pleased to see Su Ruyi, but when he noticed the person Su Ruyi was holding, he couldn't help but frown.
"President Su, what's going on?"
Su Ruyi didn't beat around the bush and directly told Liu Quan everything that had just happened.
"Director Liu, I feel there might be something more to this, so I brought the person over to you."
Su Ruyi's words contained no accusation, yet they still made Liu Quan blush.
From the very beginning, Su Ruyi made it clear that she wanted to ensure the fairness of the competition.
Only in this way can the people truly elect the singers they like the most, making the show more watchable.
As this is the first large-scale event, the contestants must have the ability to make the whole program stand out and be more watchable.
This program is already taking a huge risk, and if it is further influenced by various forces, it could easily become a mess.
To this end, Su Ruyi spent a lot of money to secure exclusive sponsorship, just to ensure the program's integrity.
Su Ruyi herself never gave anyone special treatment. You know, there were many people who came to her with money, but Su Ruyi preferred to take the risk herself rather than agree to anything.
This incident is undoubtedly a slap in the face to Liu Quan.
"President Su, I'm truly sorry. It was our television station's inadequate oversight. This unfair situation was absolutely not caused by our station. We will definitely handle this matter seriously and give you an explanation!" Liu Quan assured him.
Su Ruyi didn't insist that Liu Quan give her an explanation right now, so she didn't press him.
"Director Liu, I'm entrusting the people to you. I only hope that the rights of each contestant can be guaranteed. I know that TV stations sometimes face difficulties, so I don't expect complete fairness and impartiality. If you want to promote someone, you can manipulate the camera angles, but the rankings absolutely cannot be wrong."
The camera can make a performance more exciting, or it can make it less impressive.
When Su Ruyi watched the show, she could tell who was being valued, and it was impossible for there not to be something fishy going on.
She can turn a blind eye to this, but she absolutely cannot manipulate the vote count.
The judges invited by the program team for the finals are all authoritative figures in the industry, and they will not be swayed by various forces or capital.
The program team had originally invited Su Ruyi to participate in the final selection, but Su Ruyi voluntarily gave up.
Liu Quan solemnly assured him, "I understand. Our TV station also values this competition very much and will not allow anyone to undermine the fairness of the program."
Su Ruyi didn't press the matter further and left Liu Quan's office.
Despite what happened, Su Ruyi did not leave, but stayed in the studio to watch the live broadcast with the staff.
With her on-site supervision, those who were initially eager to participate all gave up.
When the competition ended, Su Ruyi invited the judges and TV station executives to go out for a late-night snack.
The judges were all very accommodating and agreed. Even the judge from Hong Kong didn't act as arrogantly towards Su Ruyi as he did towards others.
The judge from Hong Kong and Taiwan is named Wang Gangsheng. He is an outstanding music producer and is very famous in the industry.
He has produced music for many superstars, achieving great success and reputation.
Wang Gangsheng's current status is not only due to his strong abilities, but also because he has good judgment and knows how to conduct himself.
His willingness to come to the mainland to participate in the program also shows his optimism about the mainland market.
He holds a different view from some people in Hong Kong; he doesn't look down on the mainland market just because it's currently lagging behind. He believes the mainland will develop rapidly and has immense potential. He agreed to participate in the program for two reasons: first, to demonstrate his support for the handover, and second, to see how things are developing and pave the way for the future.
After participating in the "I Love Singing" program, Wang Gangsheng became even more convinced of this idea.
The mainland is full of talent, and he discovered many promising talents on this program. Moreover, the market is huge, and the piles of votes demonstrate their strong purchasing power.
Wang Gangsheng also greatly admired Su Ruyi, a major investor, believing that she had vision and exceptional luck, so he had always wanted to befriend her.
"President Su, were the finalists tonight as you expected? Which contestant do you like the most?" Wang Gangsheng asked proactively.
They were ostensibly discussing the competition, but in reality, they were testing Su Ruyi's attitude.
The judges' votes are also crucial and can directly affect the outcome.
All five judges received some hints or suggestions privately, which influenced their judgment.
All the contestants who made it to the finals were quite skilled, and regardless of gender or age, each had their own unique strengths. Therefore, even if there was slight bias, it wouldn't be noticeable.
Wang Gangsheng was no stranger to these underhanded operations; he had encountered such things many times in the port city, where there were also coercive and enticing forces, making the environment even more brutal.
Wang Gangsheng is not inflexible; as long as his bottom line isn't crossed too far, his attitude is open to change.
Although Su Ruyi had made her stance clear from the beginning, demanding that the competition be fair and just, things are not static.
Now that the show has gained so much attention, the interests involved behind it are different from before.
Some contestants, especially those with good looks, have already been targeted and their future career paths are being planned, making the final competition results extremely important.
Despite the current popularity of all the contestants, the audience is ruthless. In the end, only the top three will be remembered, especially the first place, which has a completely different level of prestige.
Others can easily blend into the crowd and quietly leave the stage after this grand event.
As soon as Wang Gangsheng said this, the whole room fell silent. Everyone wanted to know the current attitude of Su Ruyi, the biggest financial backer.
Before the semi-finals, there were actually quite a few hints, and Su Ruyi's presence at the venue put those rumors to rest.
The finals will only be more brutal, and the battle for interests has officially begun.
"My preferences are not important," Su Ruyi stated clearly. "What matters most is the audience's liking and the teachers' professional evaluations."
"The competition won't just be held for one episode. Both I and the TV station hope for a good start."
The TV station's head and director, Chen Mingsheng, also expressed their opinions.
The five judges already knew what was going on, so there was no need to dwell on it anymore.
Most of the judges who are invited are very serious about their profession and don't like superficial things.
However, once you participate in such a large-scale program, it is difficult to maintain your original intention, as you will always be influenced by various factors.
Now that those factors don't need to be considered, it's something they're happy to see.
The next day, Liu Quan gave Su Ruyi his instructions.
The man from yesterday was named Wang Ming. He was a talent scout for a film and television company and wanted to sign promising contestants as soon as possible, signing them to agency contracts without any initial investment.
Once they achieve a ranking, we can make money off them.
This is much more convenient and faster than cultivating a small star yourself. If you get a good ranking, you will get various commercial collaborations such as endorsements, and the company can directly get a share.
The relevant industries in mainland China are currently in a state of chaos, and the general public does not have a deep understanding of them. Many of the people who come to participate in the competition dream of becoming stars. Once they hear these companies' deceptive claims, those who are not experienced in the world are easily deceived.
However, after the top five from each competition region are selected, they all come to the provincial capital of Qing Province for training. All the competitors must undergo closed training here, and it is difficult for outsiders to enter.
The training camp is filled with cameras that record their daily training and life, which are then edited into behind-the-scenes stories for the show.
With time running out, everyone practiced relentlessly, wanting to deliver their best performance.
The teachers invited by the program team are all very professional, and many people cherish the opportunity to learn from them. You know, such small group classes usually cost a lot of money.
Among the participants, many came from ordinary families, some were farmers or low-level workers who were pushed by others to sign up.
They were selected purely because of their exceptional natural talent; some of them had never even sung along with the accompaniment before, relying entirely on their natural voices and musicality.
Therefore, they had even less opportunity to receive such professional training, which made them even more diligent.
They don't need the program team's constraints, and no one thinks about leaving the training camp. If it weren't for the worry that not getting enough rest would affect their performance, they would want to train 24 hours a day.
Although we had to stay in a dormitory, the overall conditions were not bad because we had booked a nice resort hotel.
The meals were excellent every day, all self-service, with a wide variety of options and fruits.
Many contestants from less privileged backgrounds felt more comfortable here than at home. Their families didn't have such comfortable conditions; some were even using a flush toilet for the first time.
Some people couldn't help but sigh, "I wish I could live here forever."
Whether it's to win the game or to stay here longer, everyone is more motivated.
This hotel was a newly opened hotel that Su Ruyi contacted. The environment was excellent, the facilities were complete, and there was even a hot spring inside.
However, because the location is relatively remote, business is not very good.
The hotel owner and Lu Ting are friends. He had previously approached Su Ruyi for a collaboration, hoping she could help with promotion.
Su Ruyi arranged the training camp here, and the expenses incurred during the camp were used as publicity costs. When the program aired, the hotel would receive a lot of screen time.
The praise the athletes received when they first checked into the hotel was the best form of publicity.
When the production team filmed the hotel, they were very good at finding the right angles to make the hotel look beautiful and grand.
The entire hotel was booked by the production team, making it difficult for outsiders to enter and thus preventing them from contacting the contestants, which also eliminated opportunities for those with ulterior motives.
Wang Ming was able to get into the TV station through Zhang Gaoping, so he didn't dare to openly deceive people and specifically target girls like Xu Fei who were naive and from poor families.
Once Xu Fei signs an extremely demanding agency contract, she will be completely under Wang Ming's control.
Such unfair contracts are not uncommon in the chaotic present, and will likely remain so for decades to come in the film and television industry. Some companies deliberately sign a bunch of people with the aim of earning breach of contract fees, without intending to put any effort into promoting the artists.
"Has anyone been scammed?" Su Ruyi asked worriedly.
Liu Quan: "No, he doesn't have access to many people, and the contestants are no longer as naive and easily fooled as they were at the beginning after so many competitions."
Although they haven't officially entered the entertainment industry, they've still been exposed to quite a bit of related stuff.
Among the instructors who came to train the participants were people who worked in this industry. They would also tell the contestants some things to warn them.
Moreover, everyone can feel the audience's enthusiasm for the contestants, which makes them even less likely to sign contracts easily.
Su Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief. "This is something we overlooked before. We need to explain it clearly to the contestants so they don't get sold out without knowing what's going on."
Liu Quan also felt that he had broadened his horizons: "I never thought there was such a thing before. People who worked in the arts before were all in cultural troupes or similar units, and everyone had a formal position."
"We've gained experience since then."
Su Ruyi had also forgotten about this matter and did not expect that someone would be so bold as to interfere and steal the fruits of others' labor.
"The station has decided to dismiss Zhang Gaoping, and we guarantee that this will not happen again."
Su Ruyi only needs to give an opinion; the TV station can decide how to handle it.
Zhang Gaoping lacked ability, but he was a tenured employee with some connections. He initially came to the new station hoping to make a name for himself, but he didn't expect the competition to be even fiercer than at the provincial station, so he gradually regressed.
He was unwilling to accept this, but he couldn't go back to the provincial TV station, so he just drifted along like this.
Wang Ming approached him and gave him a lot of good things in return. In return, Wang Ming brought him into the TV station and endorsed him.
Otherwise, Xu Fei wouldn't have been fooled by Wang Ming into thinking there was something fishy about the competition.
This matter was not kept from the contestants; a special announcement was issued, clearly stating the program team's commitment to fairness, impartiality, and transparency.
The contestants, who had been somewhat unsettled by the rumors, now felt at ease and focused all their attention on the competition.
Xu Fei was extremely relieved. If she had been fooled and actually signed the contract, she would have been in real trouble!
When everyone saw the announcement, Yang Cancan explained the malpractices of these unscrupulous entertainment companies and how they exploited their artists. After hearing this, everyone was terrified and became more cautious.
The grand finale officially began, pushing the hype to its peak, and orders for Ruyi Apparel poured in like snowflakes.
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