Chapter Five: Wei Ye
"Wei Ye, please come in."
A sweet and gentle voice rang out at the entrance of Will Company at six o'clock in the morning. The voice sample of the access control system was taken from Yu Nai'er, who was known as the "Sweet Song Princess" in Will Company, and was designed to give everyone who entered Will Company a good mood.
It was still an hour before work started, and it was rare for non-trainees to come to the company at this time. The security guard on the early shift glanced at the young man in a suit swiping his card to enter not far away through the glass of the security booth.
The young man walking towards the elevator had a buzz cut but was dressed in a well-tailored suit. His steps were steady, and he looked to be in his twenties. His outfit perfectly combined wild beauty with rational beauty. If he were any younger, he would be qualified to be a trainee.
Wei regretted it the moment he sat down at his desk.
He didn't consider himself a diligent person who would arrive at the company several hours early, but this time he arrived at the office early because of a five-day promise, looking forward to something.
On the very first day, he already felt how long time was.
Although today is also the day he officially returned to work at the company, perhaps due to his special status, no one has transferred any work to him in advance. Wei Ye's current state can be summed up in one word: idle.
He could only watch some popular short videos on E-site, which is currently the most popular video website among young people in China.
Keeping up with trends and catering to popular tastes is a lesson that everyone in the entertainment industry needs to learn.
When Wei Ye was parachuted into the company some time ago to serve as a "special" assistant to the popular group 4ward, his main responsibility was to collect relevant comments from major social media and video websites and make adjustments and improvements based on his personal performance.
Of course, this task was relatively simple, which attracted a lot of sour looks.
Looking at the dazzling array of recommended videos on the website's homepage, Wei refreshed the page again and again, sighing to himself that getting older is probably when you can no longer understand what's popular these days.
Suddenly, a familiar figure and a somewhat flamboyant account name came into view.
Young & Rich
This is an account that Wei Ye pays special attention to on E-Station. The account is operated by a male duo, one of whom once extinguished all of Wei Ye's enthusiasm when he first joined the company.
He stared at the video recommended on the homepage, his hand hesitating to press the refresh button. Months ago, when he was transferred to be an assistant at 4wards, he had already decided to stop following this person, but now…
Wei also recalled his conversation with Meng Fanxi.
"Do you really want to be an idol that badly?"
"I want to become an idol, and I want to form a group with people who share the same dream..."
He once had a naive dream, the only dream he had in his ordinary 28 years, but unfortunately, he failed to achieve it.
But now, a voice in his heart tells him that before everything is settled, there may still be a sliver of hope.
Wei also clicked on the video, as if he wanted to know all the happenings of an old friend, and paid attention to all the relevant information in this five-minute video.
The post was published at 00:40 in the morning. Wei frowned slightly. How could a 16-year-old kid always stay up so late?
The video is a cover of a slow, lyrical song sung by a female vocalist. Compared to the amateurish editing when the account was first created, the quality of the video has clearly improved.
The recording studio equipment was also much more upscale, with a starry sky-like setting all around. A small lamp's dim light, combined with the singer's gentle and magnetic voice, gradually immersed the audience in the atmosphere of unrequited love expressed in the song.
It was obvious that the performer did not want the audience's attention to be on him. His clothes were just a simple black short-sleeved shirt and trousers. Only his profile was shown in the video. His smooth and slightly messy shoulder-length hair was not tucked behind his ears, but hung down casually, slightly covering his eyes, but it could not hide his excellent jawline and high nose bridge.
Wei Ye looked at the boy on the screen. He was only 16 years old, but the aura he exuded was so powerful that it stunned Wei Ye for a moment when they first met.
As his name suggests, Zhang Yang.
She always wears the simplest clothes, yet possesses a flamboyant aura that makes her stand out in a crowd.
The screen was also filled with dense, overwhelming comments.
[It sounds so good!]
[It's so beautiful I cried QAQ]
Wow, so handsome! Show us your face more!
Is it true that she was a former trainee at Will Company?
My ears are pregnant.
[A hidden gem of a singer has been discovered]
...
Wei Ye certainly felt sorry for Zhang Yang. His singing, dancing, and other talents deserved the cheers and shouts of thousands of audience members at the scene, and should not be limited to the bullet comments on video websites.
Looking at the boy's increasingly gaunt face on the screen after not seeing him for several months, Wei Ye recalled the scene when they first met.
He was wearing a black baseball cap with the brim pulled low, unlike the other trainees who were in groups; he only had one close friend with him.
He was very dedicated during regular training in the practice room, and his movements were accurate and precise. He was even assigned by the coach to instruct others on their movements.
During breaks, he doesn't joke and play around like his peers; instead, he sits in a corner with his guitar, strumming the strings, making him impossible to ignore.
When Wei Ye first joined the company, he was ambitious and wanted to create the most unique boy band to challenge the increasingly industrialized group market. Zhang Yang was naturally chosen at first glance.
In the following period, while considering other people, Wei also continued to pay attention to Zhang Yang. As he got to know him better, Wei naturally became more and more satisfied with this music-loving young man.
As one of the top trainees in Will Company, Zhang Yang's debut is practically a done deal. When Wei Ye tried to recruit him, he had already been included in the debut list of the 4ward group by Zhou Xingzhi, the head of the company's trainees.
If Zhang Yang debuts as the fourth member of 4ward, he will set a record for the fastest trainee to debut since the company was founded.
But no one expected that before the tug-of-war between the two sides even began, Zhang Yang chose to leave the company.
The reason was actually for his friend.
The five-minute video ended quickly. The video, posted in the early hours of the morning, has already garnered over 100,000 views, and the account has nearly 400,000 followers.
Sure enough, this person can live well no matter where he goes.
Wei also clicked on other videos featuring Zhang Yang and liked them one by one.
The sound of employees' footsteps and greetings gradually filled the corridor. Wei looked up at his watch and realized it was already time for work. He quickly called the front desk and told them to let a middle school student named Meng Fanxi through if he came this week.
About ten minutes later, the phone rang in Wei Ye's office. It was the receptionist saying that Meng Fanxi had arrived.
After hanging up the phone, Wei couldn't help but chuckle. Considering the distance, the kid was probably too excited to sleep well.
Meng Fanxi tried her best to suppress her yawns and quietly followed the receptionist toward Wei Ye's office.
Wei Ye's office was originally an interview and consultation room prepared a year ago specifically for recruiting trainees.
In order to leave a good impression on the parents at the time and make it easy to find at a glance, the head of the trainee department specially applied to the higher-ups to replace the door with a double door made of European-style carved solid wood. Unexpectedly, it later became Wei Ye's office, which everyone who saw it said was a pity.
Meng Fanxi, who was led to the luxurious entrance on the seventh floor, was speechless.
Li Yi, the receptionist, knocked on the door, and a familiar voice came from inside: "Please come in."
Li Yi turned the doorknob, pushed a door inward, and said to the person inside, "Wei Ye, I've brought the person to you."
"Thanks, I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow," Wei Ye said with a smile.
"No need for that, why be so polite?" Li Yi smiled and turned to wave to Meng Fanxi, who was still standing outside the door. "Go in, Wei is inside too. I'm leaving now, goodbye." She turned and walked towards the elevator.
Startled by the visual impact of the door, Meng Fanxi shifted his stiff body, his reaction slowing considerably, and didn't even have time to say goodbye to Li Yi.
With a mix of fear and nervousness, Meng Fanxi slowly moved inside. What came into view was a huge floor-to-ceiling window that offered a panoramic view of the bustling streetscape of Xinghe District in the capital.
A simple desk sits by the window, with only a few sofas and wardrobes along the wall, making the room seem exceptionally spacious.
Wei Ye sat behind his desk, observing the figure entering. Meng Fanxi also carefully observed the other person. The person in front of him was not the refined and cultured person he had imagined. Instead, he had a buzz cut and looked somewhat fierce.
He recalled that among the people from the Will Company he remembered from his previous life, the person in front of him was not one of them.
Meng Fanxi walked to a spot less than two meters from the desk, forced a smile, and said to Wei Ye, "Hello, I am Meng Fanxi."
Wei also smiled, but in Meng Fanxi's view, it wasn't the confident smile of someone in a superior position, but a genuine smile with warmth: "You've arrived very early."
Meng Fanxi's tension eased somewhat. "I was too 'excited' last night." He touched his hair and smiled more genuinely.
...
Although it was called an interview, Wei Ye had never been professionally in charge of trainee interviews before, and giving Meng Fanxi an interview opportunity was currently just his personal decision.
If the young man in front of him is as irresistible as he was on the phone, he will naturally find a way to get Meng Fanxi into the company.
If Meng Fanxi were just average, there would be no need for him to take up the valuable time of the company's trainee supervisor.
Therefore, for this interview, Wei Ye himself had to make the decision based on the experience and intuition he had honed while working at 4ward.
Despite being a last-minute replacement, he summarized several criteria.
First and foremost, it's about first impressions.
Idols place more emphasis on appearance and charisma than other professions.
Since its establishment, Will Company has a history of more than 30 years. Among the artists who have debuted over the years, whether they are singers, actors or idols, although not all of them are perfect in appearance, they are still very pleasing to the eye at first glance.
The boy in front of me was wearing a blue and white school uniform, carrying a backpack. He had curved eyebrows, fair skin, and clear eyes, exuding a scholarly and refined air that made people immediately let their guard down.
This level of approachability is undoubtedly commendable.
The second point is ambition.
The entertainment industry is a special place. There are lucky people who become famous overnight, and there are also pitiful people who struggle for many years but are still ignored.
Some rely on connections, some on capital, some on passion, and some on the desire to achieve instant success.
Whether it's driven by making money, passion, or a variety of other reasons, only by having a spirit of continuous progress can one go further.
This is especially true for the ever-evolving idol industry.
Wei Ye intuitively felt that Meng Fanxi also fit this description, since he was willing to switch jobs from Baihe to Weier, which showed that he was ambitious.
Of course, he couldn't rely solely on intuition.
Wei Ye and Meng Fanxi sat down facing each other on the sofa. Meng Fanxi straightened her back, put her legs together, and placed her hands neatly on her lap, while Wei Ye sat casually.
Wei also asked a few more questions, such as Meng Fanxi's family background, his experience at Baihe Company, and his impression of Weier Company.
Meng Fanxi, after all, had more than 30 years of experience from his previous life. Apart from being a little nervous at the beginning, he answered the questions fluently and basically based his answers on his own truth. He was worried that embellishing too much would backfire and leave the other party with the impression of being slick and worldly.
He also showed Wei Ye the attendance and evaluation results of his trainees over the past year. They had perfect attendance and were mostly grade A, with a special watermark from Baihe that could not be faked.
Wei raised an eyebrow, becoming increasingly satisfied with the young man before him.
However, this step is not the end.
"You mentioned on the phone that you wanted to form a group with people who share the same dreams. What kind of group do you hope it will be?"
"In the final group lineup, are you paired with someone you absolutely cannot stand?"
"What if, after your debut, you have the lowest popularity and the fewest resources, and reality is vastly different from what you imagined?"
Wei Ye's sharp questions came like cold arrows, one after another.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Even years later, Meng Fanxi still talked about the impact that door had on him in an interview.
"What an important person must be to deserve that door."
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