Chapter Four: Turning Point
He thought back carefully, but he couldn't recall receiving an interview invitation from Weir Company.
When he first expressed his desire to become an idol, his parents fully supported him. In this era, being an idol is considered a popular profession. Successful idols are not only outstanding themselves, but they also bring dreams and hope to people, influencing generations.
Therefore, the competition for trainees is extremely fierce. Various companies recruit trainees at specific times, and interested individuals submit their resumes and then wait for interview invitations. The recruitment periods for trainees vary from company to company, ranging from one year to two to three years.
Fortunately, not long after Meng Fanxi expressed her desire to become an idol, Will Company and Baihe Company began recruiting new trainees. Meng Yuanlin and his wife immediately helped Meng Fanxi submit her resume. At the time, the two even joked that Meng Fanxi might be perfect for being an idol, not only because of her outstanding appearance but also because of her good luck.
Meng Fanxi later joked that he had used up all his luck on submitting resumes.
He and his family preferred Will Company, but Baihe Company's interview invitation came first. Fearing they would miss the opportunity, the family immediately packed their bags and traveled from Linyang City to the capital for the interview, which they successfully completed. Unexpectedly, Will Company had also sent an interview invitation.
A year has passed since that notice was issued, so it must be invalid now.
What kind of life would he have had if he had gone to Welsh?
As Meng Fanxi was deep in thought, Lin Wei walked in. Seeing the interview notice in Meng Fanxi's hand, she also felt a little regretful. "After you went to Baihe, your family received another interview notice from Weier Company. Although it's a pity that you almost ended up in the same company as Xu Cangyan, we felt that since you had already signed with Baihe, there was no need to distract you, so we didn't tell you."
Meng Fanxi didn't blame his parents for keeping it a secret, but if he continued to stay at Baihe Company, he would most likely still run into Jin Ziran. What was the point of living again? "If I change my mind now and want to go to Weier Company, will you blame me?" He looked directly at Lin Wei.
“You’ve already had your own experience at Baihe Company. If you feel it’s not suitable, of course you can make other choices.” Lin Wei patted her son’s head. “This is very different from when you had no experience at all.”
She expressed her support for Meng Fanxi, reminding him, "Your trainee contract is renewed annually, and it's almost been a year. If you don't want to stay at Baihe Company, then don't renew it." After careful consideration, Lin Wei looked at Meng Fanxi firmly, "Weir Company may not recruit trainees for a long time. You're grown up now, so think carefully before making your choice. But you should know that whatever decision you make, we will support you." After saying that, Lin Wei, who wasn't very good at being serious, tucked a stray hair behind her ear and turned back to the living room to continue watching her drama.
Meng Fanxi lowered his head and hummed in agreement, struggling to hold back his tears. His parents had always taught him to be independent individuals while also respecting his thoughts, which was probably one of the reasons why he, in his thirties, could still maintain his passion for the stage.
He flipped through the interview notice from Will Company in his hand. It was an expired notice, so he forced himself to put it down first. Finding Brother Li's business card was more important.
Among the receipts, he finally found Li Yingqiu's business card. The card was well-preserved, and the phone number was printed very clearly, with each digit perfectly legible. He stared at the card in his hand for a few seconds, but didn't feel much urge to make a call.
Coming to his senses, his gaze unconsciously drifted to the edge of the table, where the interview notice from Weir Company lay quietly.
He put the business card aside, but couldn't help picking up the interview notice again and carefully reviewing it. He noticed a contact number at the bottom.
Meng Fanxi felt a glimmer of hope, wondering if the phone call would still work after a year.
It was still the weekend, and there was a high chance the call wouldn't be answered. Meng Fanxi went to her study anyway and dialed the number using the home phone.
"Beep...beep..." The orderly busy tone accompanied Meng Fanxi's tense heartbeat gradually subsided. Sure enough, no one answered. A sense of disappointment swept through his heart. Just as he was about to hang up, the phone was suddenly answered, and Meng Fanxi's heart, which had just settled down, was raised again.
The voice on the other end of the phone was a man: "Hello?" His voice didn't sound like that of a friendly person.
Meng Fanxi cleared his throat: "Hello, is this Weir Company?"
The person on the other end of the phone paused, clearly not expecting a student to call.
Meng Fanxi's voice was clear and bright, and with its youthful quality, the person answering the phone unconsciously softened their voice: "Well, I guess so."
Meng Fanxi mustered her courage, cleared her throat, and tried her best to hide the slight tremor in her voice. "Hello, my name is Meng Fanxi, and my English name is Fancy. I received an interview invitation from your company a year ago, but I didn't go for some reasons. I really want to become a trainee at Will, and I would like to ask you to tell me when Will will be recruiting trainees again?"
Meng Fanxi came up with his English name on a whim. Before his rebirth, he had met many people, especially on film sets. Among the hundreds of actors and crew members, distinctive names were always the first to be remembered. Now that he was reborn, he decided to choose a unique English name to increase his recognizability.
Wei joined the company shortly after it recruited trainees a year ago. His position is quite special, and for the past six months he has been traveling with the artists.
The office, hastily arranged because of his arrival, had been idle for a long time, covered in dust.
He was recently transferred back to the company to handle operations and management matters and will officially start his job next week, so he can only use this weekend to clean the house again and buy some office supplies and books.
I had just sat down to have a sip of tea when the phone rang.
Hearing the boy's voice on the phone, clear but slightly nervous, a clean and lively student image came to mind. The youthful energy seemed to pull Wei Ye away from the scheming and exhaustion of the past few days.
He unusually didn't give the boy a perfunctory answer, but when he heard the boy's English name was Fancy, he almost burst out laughing. "Fan...Fancy, can you tell me why you didn't come to the interview?"
Meng Fanxi took a few seconds to consider whether to be honest. Bai He and Wei Er were competitors, and if he said he went to Bai He's company, it would likely kill his hopes of going to Wei Er. But thinking of his parents' past teachings and their unwavering trust, even if he was rejected, he should remain upright. He decided to be honest.
"Actually, I'm currently a trainee at Baihe Company. I received an interview invitation from Baihe Company first, went for the interview and passed it smoothly, and have been here ever since. After returning home on my monthly break, I accidentally discovered that Weier Company had also sent me an interview invitation, which I missed."
He didn't hide the regret in his voice, "After a year of trainee life at Baihe Company, I realized that my chances of debuting as a group are very slim. The company wants to train me to become an actor, but I only want to become an idol, to form a group with people who share the same dream, and to stand on the stage." Meng Fanxi became a little emotional when he said this.
To control his emotions, he paused for a moment, "When I was at my wit's end, I found an interview invitation from Will Company. I hope to become an idol at Will Company, which is why I made the call."
Meng Fanxi didn't know where she got the courage, but she actually told this stranger almost all of her true experiences.
Wei was stunned. The boy on the other end of the phone spoke in a slightly trembling voice, but his words were clear and earnest. He almost immediately believed that what the boy said was true.
Compared to the fact that he received a top-notch education yet still lacked a sense of purpose, Wei was surprised that the young man had such a firm ambition. He hesitated and asked, "Do you really want to be an idol that badly?"
Meng Fanxi told Wei Ye that he believes idols possess a brilliance and charm that rivals any other profession. He was inspired by the energetic performances of various groups on stage and hoped to bring joy to others as well.
Wei remained silent, pondering for a moment as he considered whether the young man on the other end of the phone was worth his investment. Influenced by his family, Wei had watched his company's groups and artists debut and rise to fame from a young age.
He has met all kinds of artists and attended hundreds of concerts.
He might be drawn to those spectacular stage performances and yearn for that kind of life, but the novelty will only last for a short time.
Wei subconsciously projected his own feelings onto Meng Fanxi, worrying that Meng Fanxi was also the kind of person whose interest waned after a while, and that he wanted to come to Weier after getting tired of playing at Baihe Company.
But considering the boy's sincere tone, he decided to trust his initial intuition and meet him in person. If the boy wasn't particularly impressive, he'd consider it a waste of time learning a lesson.
Wei smiled and told Meng Fanxi his work hours and location, "I'm extending an interview invitation to you, with a five-day timeframe. You can come over anytime within five days to start the interview."
The call had already been disconnected, but Meng Fanxi was still holding the phone.
The study was silent. He felt his heart pounding and let out a long sigh.
He actually got a second interview opportunity.
Meng Fanxi immediately decided to go for the interview the next morning to show his sincerity. Meng Yuan and Lin Wei were very supportive, and Meng Yuan drove him to the interview.
As for Baihe Company, trainees generally go to the company for training after school. They are under unified management. Trainees who do not live nearby stay at the company, and the company is responsible for picking them up and dropping them off at school. After the monthly break, trainees can freely choose to go to the company early on Sunday afternoon or go directly to school on Monday.
In the past, Meng Fanxi would go to the company in advance to make the most of every minute of practice time, but this time, he naturally chose not to go to the company. He told the current captain of the W1 team and asked the school for leave.
Just as Meng Fanxi felt everything was arranged and was about to fall asleep peacefully after the excitement subsided, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't danced for many years and his current level was probably far below the standard of a trainee!
A cold sweat broke out, and I instantly sobered up, sitting up in bed with a start. I cursed myself while forcing myself to study all night, swallowing my bitter tears.
He opened the trainee playlist on his phone and randomly played a song, all of them nostalgic old songs. The dusty memories of his trainee days were gradually unearthed. It seemed that he used to practice these old songs all the time, but he hadn't touched them since he debuted as an actor.
Meng Fanxi tried to dance to the music. It was always difficult at first. He opened the practice video recorded on his phone and followed it step by step. He breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, his muscle memory was still there.
Thanks to his diligent training, he never compromised on any dance until he had mastered it perfectly. Now he was reaping the benefits, able to dance to almost any randomly played music with ease. As for songs, he hadn't given up singing over the years, and in fact, he sang with more emotion than during his trainee days.
After staying up until the early hours of the morning and confirming that he could handle the interview, he chose to stick to his original plan and embarked on his journey to Weir Company.
A note from the author:
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