dress rehearsal
Lin Ting said, "That's right. Actually, even without connections, there should be opportunities to get ahead."
Lin Ting's unspoken message was that he still did not support such behavior, but he did not treat the student differently because of it. He praised him as much as he should and patiently pointed out his shortcomings.
Wang Qiong stroked his chin and said, "Yes, he's too nervous right now. The kid probably didn't want to use this connection either, and it's probably affecting his current state. If you ask me, he hasn't really enjoyed the benefits of this connection yet, so he might as well be more open-minded. Besides, having connections can help, even if it's not fair, it's still a form of assistance."
“That’s true.” Lin Ting had encountered people with connections in the company before. Some of them were incredibly domineering. When Lin Ting was an intern, they looked down on the employees who mentored them. After Lin Ting became a full-time employee, they made things difficult for new interns in the office. Yet, they were incredibly open and honest about it.
The next person to rehearse was a student from the creative track. Lin Ting didn't have a strong impression of him, and he felt a strange sense of unease about him. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but it made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Zhao Qinfeng came over at this moment, sat down directly next to Lin Ting, and squeezed Lin Ting's hand in the darkness.
Lin Ting glanced at him sideways, gently took Zhao Qinfeng's hand, and then quickly let go.
After the student finished singing, he communicated with the director on site.
Wang Qiong then noticed that there was another person next to the pavilion. "Hey! Old Zhao, when did you get here? Why didn't you make a sound?"
Zhao Qinfeng: "Just now, when this song was sung once."
Lin Ting asked, "What do you think of this song?"
Zhao Qinfeng thought for a moment and said, "It's alright, but it's a bit strange."
Lin Ting asked, "What's strange about it?"
"Leaving aside the lyrics, the melody itself is pleasant in waves, and the good parts sound quite normal, while the bad parts are a bit..."
Zhao Qinfeng paused for a moment, considering whether to continue.
Wang Qiong easily said it for him, "You meant to say it was written by AI, but you were afraid of wronging the other party, so you never mentioned it."
Zhao Qinfeng nodded, and Lin Ting seemed completely unsurprised.
Wang Qiong raised an eyebrow. "Looks like you two know what's going on. Not bad, not bad."
Lin Ting: "Moreover, we can't remove the lyrics. The lyrics definitely have problems, but the problems are not as serious as the music."
Wang Qiong looked at Zhao Qinfeng, "Has the director said anything?"
Zhao Qinfeng sighed and said, "If there's no explanation, then everything will proceed as normal."
Lin Ting stated with certainty, "There was a problem with the scores of the supplementary test at that time."
The scores for the supplementary test were not announced; Wang Qiong simply read out the names of the trainees who had qualified for revival. If Lin Ting remembered correctly, the trainee who remained in the creative track after the first performance through the supplementary test was the one currently rehearsing.
The next student to rehearse was the vocal track. Zhao Qinfeng listened very carefully and then discussed with Lin Ting which parts of the student's singing were not good enough and what areas could be improved.
Wang Qiong listened to the two talking, noting their breathing, the transition between true and falsetto voices, and their pronunciation. One person would ask a question, and the other would immediately respond, asking one question after another.
Wang Qiong thought to himself: Fortunately, the two of them never speak together in front of the students, otherwise which student could withstand such a "bombardment"!
Zhao Qinfeng said, "There are a few obvious points. I'll go over and talk to him about them in a bit."
Lin Ting nodded, realizing that she might have talked a bit too much during the discussion, and fully supported Zhao Qinfeng's plan.
Zhao Qinfeng got up and left, leaving Lin Ting and Wang Qiong to continue sitting together.
Wang Qiong leaned over and asked, "You two seem to be getting along better and better."
Lin Ting laughed, "I already said before, he's a really nice person. We gradually got to know each other after recording a show together before."
After a while, Zhao Qinfeng returned. The three of them listened for a while longer, and since it was almost dinnertime, they decided to go out and have dinner together.
Lin Ting recalled the career planning issues she had been pondering a few days ago, and took the opportunity of this meal to seek advice from Wang Qiong.
"Oh, you'd like to consider staying in the music industry? That should be fine, and you're already involved in social media, so combining the two is entirely possible." Wang Qiong briefly analyzed Lin Ting's current situation and gave a positive answer.
“But you need to understand that if you really step into this circle and become a part of it, you can’t just stand by and watch like you used to,” Wang Qiong suddenly added, speaking with considerable seriousness.
Lin Ting blinked slowly. He vaguely remembered the grudge he had formed with Zhao Qinfeng before they met on the variety show. Back then, when he was disgusted by the organizers' various actions, he would genuinely start complaining without any preparation. This was a completely different style from his usual music reviews; he spoke his mind directly and very fluently.
Now, if he wants to post such videos again, he might have to think twice before making a decision. And if he really intends to enter the music industry, those social connections that were once a barrier between him and others will wrap around him layer by layer, and he will never be able to truly get rid of them again.
"I will seriously consider it. Thank you for your opinion and reminder," Lin Ting said earnestly.
Wang Qiong waved his hand, "These are all minor matters, just a matter of words. You still have to walk your own path. Think it through before you choose."
Zhao Qinfeng listened silently without offering any suggestions.
After discussing the serious topics, they chatted about some lighthearted topics, and after finishing their meal, they went home together.
Lin Ting looked at the upcoming recording schedule. There was a non-competitive recording session immediately afterward, followed by a break of more than a week, and then the second performance.
The recording before the second performance was a separate recording for the singing track and the songwriting track. The three guest judges could choose which side to record with. Lin Ting asked what each side needed to do and, after thinking about it, chose the songwriting track.
Lin Ting explained, "I feel that the students on the creative track are under more pressure, so I'll go over and help them adjust their mindset."
Actually, there's another reason he didn't mention: he himself had struggled with the process of writing lyrics, which might make him more empathetic towards them.
Upon arrival, everyone had sheet music in their hands. This afternoon, we essentially held a small song selection workshop, where each person chose three songs from their own compositions that they had brought to the show as options for the second performance. Then, this afternoon, we officially finalized the song list.
Everyone took turns singing segments. This time it was more about sharing, so there was no strict order. Just raise your hand, stand in front of everyone, and sing.
A large screen was set up at the back to display the lyrics for everyone's convenience. Lin Ting thought the scene resembled a meeting, with speakers below and listeners below, where a decision had to be made through discussion.
Lin Ting stood in front of everyone and said, "Okay, this afternoon's topic is to finalize the song list for the second performance, and we hope everyone can exchange ideas, speak freely, and learn from each other during this process. Would anyone like to start something?"
Everyone looked at each other, none of them wanting to be the first to go.
Finally, the trainee who had received the highest score in this track during the first performance reluctantly raised his hand, went up to briefly introduce his three songs, and then sang a snippet of each.
The excerpts were chosen by the participants themselves. The first student to go up sang half of each song, which meant singing both the first verse and the chorus.
After the song was finished, everyone started clapping and cheering.
After the applause and cheers gradually subsided, Lin Ting heard the mentors from the songwriting track whispering to each other. Then one of the mentors raised his hand and asked, "Which song do you prefer to choose?"
Student: "Actually, I was just unsure which song to choose, so I asked everyone for advice."
This is actually a common problem faced by the trainees. The second performance is not even halfway through the program. Considering the competitive pressure of the later performances, they need to save a few high-quality songs for later. However, due to the elimination mechanism, they may not be able to make it to the end. Therefore, it is understandable that they should try to perform excellent songs with the existing opportunities.
None of the trainees were certain that they would make it to the end, nor did they feel that they would be eliminated immediately in the next round. Most people's mindset was still wavering, so choosing a song was indeed a difficult task.
As everyone chatted, besides discussing song selection, they also exchanged ideas on songwriting. Most people handle the lyrics and music themselves, but some have better music than lyrics, while others have better lyrics. There are actually quite a few things to learn from each other.
One by one, people went up and sang their three songs. Everyone struggled with song selection, mostly trying to adapt to the competition format.
Chen Taining raised his hand, "I'll go next."
Lin Ting nodded to him and handed him the microphone.
After Chen Taining finished singing, the audience, unusually, did not immediately start clapping, but remained quiet for a while.
Although Lin Ting had seen Chen Taining's songs beforehand, she was still briefly shocked when she actually heard them.
He started clapping, one clap after another, steady and powerful. Everyone heard the applause gradually rise, growing louder and louder than the previous claps.
All three songs are very good, much better than the songs Chen Taining sang in the auditions, showcases, and first public performance—even though his previous songs were already of good quality.
Everyone agreed that Chen Taining could choose any one of the three songs without thinking too much. Just pick whichever one looks good to her. As long as there are no major problems when she sings it live, she will definitely be able to stay.
After the song selection was finished, Lin Ting and Zhao Qinfeng, who had also finished recording on the other side, met in the corridor.
"Want to eat?"
"eat!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
