They are now seniors and will graduate in June this year.
The school assigns jobs to students, most of which go to art research units and cultural institutions.
Wang Zhenni plans to go to work for her family's company right after graduation, but Erniu hasn't made up her mind yet.
Zhou Yu talked to Erniu and hoped that she would stay in school, but Erniu had no interest in staying in school to be a teacher, so she was slow to agree.
Wang Zhenni said, "You are good at professional courses, and you are always the first in our school. You also go to the opera house to study after class. You have such strong professional ability. Only you can be selected." He blinked at her, "I remember that Director Liu of the opera house has come to you several times, asking you to go to their opera house after graduation."
That's true. When she was about to graduate, every time she went to the opera house, Director Liu would talk to her. Erniu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Yes, but I haven't made up my mind yet."
Wang Zhenni said, "After all, it's still three months before graduation, so we can talk about it then."
Erniu was flipping through the lyrics book where she wrote the lyrics and music herself, and she replied casually, "Everything will work out when the time comes."
Wang Zhenni turned around and saw the lyrics book in Erniu's hand. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "I suddenly remembered something that is much more important than our graduation."
Erniu: "What's the matter?"
Wang Zhenni quickly changed out of her Western-style puff-sleeved long dress, took out a flyer from her bag, and slapped it on the table, "Look at this."
Erniu leaned over, took a quick look, and read word by word, "Youth Song Contest?"
In fact, Youth Song Competition is the abbreviation of the Youth Singer Competition held by the National Television Station. The champion, runner-up and third place winners of this program are of high quality and are almost all the backbone of the new generation of the music industry.
Of course, the selection is also very strict.
The tall and thick-chested female teacher who had troubled Erniu also participated in the Youth Song Contest in her spare time, but was eliminated in the semi-finals.
Although her character is not good, her singing ability is beyond doubt. However, the contestants of the Youth Song Contest are selected from all over the country after all, and there is always someone better than the best. It is normal for her to encounter setbacks.
"Yes, the Youth Song Contest!" Wang Zhenni crossed her fingers and held them together, with stars in her eyes. "Shen Ya, Er Niu, Niu Niu, you should participate in this contest."
Erniu was happy and asked her, "Why don't you join?"
Wang Zhenni glanced at her coquettishly, "You know my singing ability, I guess I was eliminated in the audition." She stomped her feet, "Oh, why don't you just participate?"
Erniu narrowed her eyes, "Stop lying, if you participate, you will definitely pass the audition."
Even though Wang Zhenni has never looked serious, she still has business capabilities, after all, she is a professional.
Erniu put her arm around her shoulders and pinched her smooth face. "Tell me, what's your conspiracy?"
Wang Zhenni was pinched on the face, and she said incoherently, "I say, I say, you let go first."
Erniu let go of her hand, and Wang Zhenni continued, "Because the judge for the finals is Amin! You know, I like the song "Hot Coffee" from her latest album the most. It's so beautiful. She is my idol."
Wang Zhenni took a step forward and held Erniu's hand, "Shen Ya, Ya Ya, Erniu, just participate. With your ability, you will definitely make it to the finals. Then I will be your makeup artist and take the opportunity to sneak into the backstage. Then I can get close to her and maybe even get her autograph!"
It's not that she doesn't want to participate in the competition herself. Being a contestant will definitely give her more contact with the judges than being a makeup artist. But she knows her own abilities and she can at most make it to the semi-finals. She can sing other singers' songs in the auditions and semi-finals, but she must prepare her own original songs for the finals. She said that originality is valued.
Heaven and earth, this is simply making things difficult for people.
Fortunately, Erniu is here. Since her freshman year, Erniu has been writing lyrics and composing music when she has nothing to do. Even teachers Anton and Zhou Yu praised her songs. She will definitely have no problem in the auditions and semi-finals, and maybe in the finals as well...
Wang Zhenni had been trying to persuade Erniu for several days before she finally gave in. The reason was simple: this little girl was too good at persuading people. She would talk to her during meals, before bed, and even when Erniu was taking a bath in the bathroom, she would sit outside with a small stool and talk to her. She would definitely try to persuade Erniu to give in.
Erniu won the battle, filled out the registration form and went to register.
After the auditions and semi-finals, and entering the finals, Shen Lie and Ning Tang learned the news from Erniu's phone call, "Dad, Mom, I'm going to be on TV, it's the Youth Song Contest, you two have to remember to watch it."
After hanging up the phone, Shen Lie finally responded, "Youth Song Contest? Is that the Youth Song Contest I was thinking of?"
Ning Tang said, "Which youth singing competition can be watched on TV?"
It must be a youth singing competition held by a national television station that has produced many big singers.
Shen Lie slapped his thigh and said, "Our second daughter has really made it big." He quickly stood up and said, "I have to go out for a walk so that everyone knows the good news and can watch our second daughter compete together."
Ning Tang laughed at him, asking if he was going out to show off.
Shen Lie was "showing off". In two days, almost half of the people in the military academy knew that Erniu was going to be on TV.
When the weather gets hot, many people gather under the big banyan tree at the gate of the Military Family Compound to keep cool, and this becomes a topic of conversation among them.
"Hey, did you know that the second girl from the Shen family is going to be on TV?"
"Which Shen family?"
"Teacher Shen's house."
"Tsk tsk tsk, this is unbelievable, didn't the eldest of them appear on TV not long ago, how come the second one is on TV again?"
"How can it be the same? The youngest of his family went abroad to participate in a swimming competition on TV, and the second oldest went to participate in the Youth Song Contest. You know about the Youth Song Contest, right?"
"I know. Why not? I know. My husband and I watch it in front of the TV every weekend. I never thought I would see someone I know at the Youth Song Contest."
"That's right. Erniu is the one we have watched grow up. Teacher Shen and his wife are good at raising children. She is such a pretty and charming girl. I heard that she is currently studying at a music college in Shanghai."
"Shanghai? It's a big city. I remember that so-and-so, right? He also went to university in Shanghai..."
Ning Xue was passing by while buying groceries, and these gossips were blown by the wind and into her ears.
Her face changed and her pace suddenly quickened.
The people under the banyan tree glanced at her.
"Hey, why hasn't Ning Xue chatted with us recently? Didn't she like chatting with us in the past?"
"Well, that's because her two sons were successful and were admitted to famous universities in Shanghai, so she came out to chat with us every day to show off. Now... her eldest son... hehe."
"What happened to her eldest son?"
"You didn't go to college? You studied hard, but you were addicted to video games. You were expelled from school, and you're in debt. Then you stayed at home to study for two years, and your scores were lower each year. You can't even get into college, let alone get into college."
"Ah...what about her little son?"
"I heard that he is still studying in Shanghai and has a girlfriend, but he hasn't contacted his family. Anyway, in the past few years, no matter what festivals there are, even during the Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, he has not come back..."
When Ning Xue returned home, Su Junyan was upset when he saw her with a sullen face. "Why are you looking so sullen? Who has offended you again?"
Ning Xue said angrily, "No one messes with me."
She said this in order to get Su Junyan to coax her, but Su Junyan couldn't hear her and thought that when she said it was okay, it really was okay. He said "oh" and continued reading the newspaper.
Ning Xue was not angry. She asked, "Where is Guangzong?"
Su Junyan didn't even raise his head, "Upstairs."
Ning Xue walked to the stairs and said, "You don't have the time to read newspapers. Why don't you work hard and earn more money?"
Although the more than 3,000 yuan that Su Guangzong had borrowed had already been repaid, Su Guangzong still loved playing video games when he returned home, which cost a lot of money. Not to mention that he also had to pay for Su Yaozu's college tuition and his girlfriend's dating expenses. The family has not been able to relax in recent years and has been living a tight life.
Seeing that Shen Lie has become a teacher, and maybe he will be promoted to a higher position in the future, with a higher salary and benefits, while Su Junyan seems to have no ambition, how can Ning Xue not be anxious.
After Ning Xue went up to the second floor, Su Junyan whispered, "If you have the guts to ask me to make money, why don't you go out and work to earn money instead of asking me to do it."
As Ning Xue walked to the door of Su Guangzong's room, she heard noisy gaming sounds coming from inside, accompanied by Su Guangzong's excited roar while playing the game.
She pushed the door open suddenly, "Guangzong, you? Are you still playing games!"
Hearing her voice, Su Guangzong didn't even raise his head and was still immersed in the game world.
With the rapid development of technology in the past two years, there are more and more fun games to play, and he is simply enjoying them and doesn't want to leave.
Not long ago, he went to a game hall and heard other computer friends say that there are many fun games on computers. A friend whose family is very rich bought a computer and put it at home. He invited him to play games on it. Pac-Man and Soul Fighter were so much fun.
Su Guangzong was thinking, should he ask his parents to install a computer for him at home? He also wanted to play games at home.
Seeing that Su Guangzong ignored her, Ning Xue called out again, "Guangzong!"
Su Guangzong turned around impatiently, "What?"
Ning Xue inhaled and exhaled, trying to raise the corners of her mouth, "Guangzong, stop playing, you haven't read the book today, have you?"
Books? Books are not as fun as games.
Su Guangzong curled his lips and said, "I'm not in the mood. I won't turn over."
Ning Xue smiled and said, "Just read some books. The college entrance examination is coming soon. You are so smart. If you study hard, you will definitely be admitted to university. Then you can play games as much as you want. Mom won't care."
Haha, Su Guangzong sneered in his heart.
From childhood to adulthood, his mother never fulfilled the things she promised to him.
Once before an exam, his mother said that if they both scored 100 points, she would take them to the beach. As a result, they both scored 100 points. His mother was very happy and assigned them ten more test papers. As for going to the beach, she never mentioned it again.
Anyway, his mother's credit has been broken by her repeated breach of trust.
If he still believes it, then he has been a fool since he was a child.
Su Guangzong thought so in his heart, and stood up and pushed Ning Xue out, "You go, you go quickly, if you say one more word, I will never read again in my life."
Ning Xue was violently pushed out of the door by him, and she could only continue to smile, "Okay, okay, Mom won't rush you."
Even when he was pushed to the stairs, he still shouted, "Remember, you must study."
Su Guangzong slammed the door impatiently, making a bang, and then the sound of playing games came from the room again.
Ning Xue stood at the stairs and let out a long sigh, which was filled with endless sadness.
July 20th, Saturday, is also the day of the Youth Song Contest finals.
An hour before the game started, Ning Tang, Shen Lie, Mrs. Luo and the others were waiting in front of the TV.
Mrs. Luo was very excited, "I haven't heard Erniu sing for a long time."
Zeng Xinlan said angrily, "If you had told us earlier, we would have definitely bought train tickets to go and see it in person."
Ning Tang was happy and poured tea for them.
The competition began while everyone was chatting and laughing.
There were eight contestants in total in the final, and Erniu was the last one.
It must be said that the contestants who made it to the finals of the Youth Song Contest all had some talent, and everyone was mesmerized by their songs.
After finishing most of the tea and pastries, it was finally Erniu's turn.
The eldest child also called, "Dad, Mom, are you watching Erniu's game?"
Shen Lie: "Yes, what's the matter? Are you guys watching too?"
"Yeah, it's not just me, Da Hu and his friends, as well as a few of my workers are watching as well." Da Wa's voice came from the other end of the microphone. It sounded very noisy, and it was coming from outdoors.
Upon learning that Erniu was going to participate in the Youth Song Contest, Da Wa immediately borrowed a TV and put it in the store. He dragged Da Hu and the others, as well as a few shop workers, to watch the show together. While watching, he showed off, "See? That's my sister."
Erniu wore a white dress with green floral patterns and a headband of the same color. She had long, shiny black hair and bright facial features. As soon as she appeared, she attracted all the audience and judges.
As usual, the host will exchange a few words with the contestants before the singing begins.
After Erniu briefly introduced herself, the host turned the conversation over to the judges, "Teachers, do you think contestant No. 8 is very pretty? My goodness, as soon as she appeared on the stage, I couldn't take my eyes off her."
When Erniu heard the host praising her, she curled her lips and said with a smile, "Thank you for the compliment."
The female judge laughed and said, "She is very beautiful. Even if this girl doesn't sing, she can debut with just this face."
A male judge turned up and said, "What's the point of having good looks? Don't forget, this is a youth singing competition. What we're competing for is singing." He snorted, "I've seen many contestants who are pretty but can't sing well."
The host was embarrassed and tried to smooth things over, "...Contestant No. 8 is a senior student majoring in vocal performance at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She has a solid foundation in professional courses and is both good-looking and talented..."
Unfortunately, the male judge didn't buy it at all. He just snorted coldly and said, "The truth will be revealed later."
Being looked down upon by them, Erniu did not get angry, but just smiled and said, "I will try my best to impress the teachers."
After hearing her say this, the male judge's face looked better. He thought, although No. 8 is too pretty and looks like a vase, she is still quite humble.
Da Hu looked at the TV, blinked, and asked Da Wa, "Why does the skirt Er Niu is wearing look so familiar to me?"
The eldest child said cheerfully, "Of course you are familiar with it. I forgot, this skirt is the latest model we got in our store. I specifically told the second girl to wear it to the competition."
He wants to create a star effect!
Erniu looked so beautiful in this floral dress on the stage. After she gets off the stage, maybe there will be reporters interviewing her or people asking her about it. Then Erniu can say that she bought it at Tangya. Wouldn't that make the advertisement a success?
The competition officially began, the lights gradually dimmed, and then a beam of white light hit Erniu.
The prelude of the music started to play slowly. Erniu took a deep breath, exhaled, and sang softly, "The white petals of the gardenia fell on my blue pleated skirt..."
Erniu's voice was soft and melodious. As soon as she opened her mouth, the audience, which had been a little noisy, suddenly became quiet. Several judges who had been a little lazy just now immediately sat up straight.
Erniu caught a glimpse of the reactions of the audience and the judges, and she felt more confident. Her voice, which had been trembling slightly due to nervousness, calmed down a lot and she performed even better.
As soon as the song was finished, the audience burst into warm applause.
Some enthusiastic audience members even shouted, "Do it again, do it again."
The host walked onto the stage and asked incredulously, "Contestant No. 8, is this a song you wrote and composed yourself?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that he had asked a stupid question. The rules for the finals required contestants to have their own original songs.
Erniu smiled and nodded, "Yes."
The host exclaimed, "Are you sure you are really a senior student at the Conservatory of Music and not a professional singer?" This is simply a professional singing level.
The host then joked, "When you release an album, I will definitely support you."
Erniu was amused, blinked her eyes, and joked along with him, "When your album is released, I'll give you ten copies."
Everyone in the audience and in front of the TV burst into laughter.
Although the host and the audience all thought that Erniu sang well, the judges' scores were the most important. The host said a few more words and then said, "Please ask the four judges to score our contestant number eight."
As soon as they saw the scoring part, Ning Tang and Shen Lie broke into a sweat, because although Erniu sang well, the previous contestants also sang badly. Out of a full score of 10, three contestants already scored above 9 points.
Compared to the nervousness of Ning Tang and Shen Lie, Erniu didn't feel too nervous.
She was only nervous when she was singing because she was worried that she wouldn't sing well. As for the scores and rankings, she didn't care at all because she was participating in the competition just for fun and to accompany Wang Zhenni to watch the idol show.
The atmosphere was tense, but Erniu was still in the mood to look around.
He complained in his heart, "Hmm, the lights are quite bright. Teacher Amin is much better looking in person than on TV?" Then he winked at Wang Zhenni who was in the audience.
Wang Zhenni was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. She didn't expect that Erniu was still in the mood to play with her at such a tense moment.
The four judges discussed among themselves for a while and finally agreed on Erniu's score.
The scoring was over, and the host received the signal and said, "Okay, the scoring is over. I wonder how many points the judges gave to contestant number eight. Please raise your cards!"
Teacher Amin, who represented the judges, took the microphone and said, "We have unanimously decided to give contestant No. 8 9.4 points."
"Nine four?!" the host exclaimed.
Half of it was exaggeration, and half of it was genuine surprise, because 9.4 points was the highest score on the field right now, and the highest score of the previous seven players was only 9.2 points!
That means contestant number eight is the first!
When she heard that she had scored 9.4, Erniu opened her mouth slightly in surprise.
Shen Lie in front of the TV couldn't help but rub his forehead, why did the lady look so silly?
In other words, in his opinion, in the eyes of the judges and the national audience, this contestant No. 8 scored high points, and his cute and naive look was simply adorable.
Erniu spit out her tongue and asked again, "Did I hear it right?"
The host said, "Yes, contestant number eight, you heard it right, you got the highest score of the whole competition, 9.4 points!"
Erniu was still a little bit unbelieving, because the final score was a combination of the scores given by four judges, and the male judge named Hu Song seemed to have some opinions about her, so he thought that the score he gave would not be too high, so that after averaging, her final score would not be too high. But she didn't expect it to be 9.4 points.
Erniu turned her gaze towards Hu Song, only to see Hu Song nodding slightly at her with a look of affirmation and praise in his eyes. The eyes and expressions of several judges nearby also showed some admiration and appreciation.
Only then did Erniu calm down and accept the fact that she had the highest score and won first place.
Erniu was dazed during the award ceremony and acceptance speech. It was not until she received the heavy golden trophy that she came to her senses.
Back in the dressing room, Wang Zhenni was already waiting there. When she saw Erniu holding the flowers and the trophy, she immediately rushed over and gave her a bear hug, "Niuniu, you're awesome! First place! First place in the Youth Song Contest! Now the whole country knows you!"
Erniu pushed the little girl's face away and said happily, "How can it be so exaggerated."
But mom and dad should have seen how well she performed in the competition, right?
Thinking of this, Erniu couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth.
Wang Zhenni said, "It's not an exaggeration at all. I was sitting in the audience and when I heard you singing, many people in the audience sang along with you."
Being able to make the audience hum along with the singer involuntarily is simply the greatest compliment to a singer, not to mention that Erniu is just a contestant and this song is the first time the audience has heard it. It is truly amazing.
The dressing room is shared by the judges and contestants. There are other people there besides Erniu.
Erniu won the prize, and other contestants came forward to congratulate her. Erniu was very polite in her dealings with others, and was not proud of winning first place. This made the contestants who were originally a little jealous of her for winning first place calm down.
So what if she doesn't let it go? This contestant named Shen Ya is indeed very talented in singing. Not only does she sing well and look beautiful, but she also possesses the most important creative ability for a singer. I really don't know which window God has closed for her.
Wang Zhenni nudged Erniu with her elbow, indicating that she should look in that direction. Erniu followed her gaze and saw Teacher Amin sitting next to her.
Wang Zhenni whispered, "Can you help me get an autograph from Teacher Amin?"
Erniu also whispered, "Can it be done?"
"Of course." Wang Zhenni said, "You are the first place winner of the Youth Song Contest. It's not too much to ask the judge for an autograph. She will definitely give it to you."
Erniu agreed, "Okay, I'll give it a try."
Wang Jenny happily blew her a kiss, "Go quickly, I'm rooting for you."
Erniu shook her head lovingly. Just as she was about to stand up, she saw Amin walking towards them. He looked at Erniu with a gentle smile and praised, "Shen Ya, you sing very well."
Ah Min was the champion of the Youth Song Contest several years ago, and is now a very important figure in the music world. Erniu was really flattered to receive her compliment, "Thank you, Teacher Ah Min, for your compliment."
Amin smiled and didn't answer.
In her heart, she fully recognized Erniu's ability, and it was obvious that she had worked hard.
As a senior in the music industry, she admires the hardworking and talented younger generations very much.
Amin seemed to recall something, "Oh, I remember a line in your song, 'Some people, once you miss them, you'll never see them again'. The lyrics are very meaningful. How did you come up with this idea in the first place?"
Erniu pondered for a while and said slowly, "Teacher, I am a senior this year and will graduate soon. After graduation, everyone will go their separate ways and it may be difficult for us to meet in the future. We can never go back to that carefree time, and the old friends will no longer be..."
The more Amin listened, the brighter his eyes became. He couldn't help but praise her, "Little girl, you are very smart." He took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Erniu, "How about you come to my record company?"
Erniu was stunned. "Record company?"
"Yes." Amin said, "I opened this with my friends. You are very talented in singing, and I want you to join us."
Erniu was a little hesitant.
Wang Jenny shook her hands, her eyes sparkling, and urged, "Hurry up and agree."
This is an olive branch extended by the big boss.
Erniu was still a little hesitant.
Seeing Erniu was hesitant, Amin said, "It's okay. You can think about it again. My phone number is on the business card. Just think it over and get back to me."
Erniu curled her lips and said, "Okay, Teacher Amin."
After saying that, he pushed Wang Jenny forward and said, "This is my good friend, Wang Jenny. She loves your songs, especially the song "Hot Coffee". She likes it very much and plays it on repeat in our dormitory every day. Could you please sign an autograph for her?"
Wang Jenny crossed her hands and clenched them tightly, looking at Amin, her eyes filled with tension.
Amin was happy. He picked up the paper and pen on the table and signed his name. After thinking for a while, he wrote a blessing and handed the signature to Wang Zhenni. "Here, it's for you. I wish you happiness every day and academic success."
After handing the signature sheet to Wang Jenny, he also shook hands with her.
Wang Zhenni was so excited that she was almost dead, and her heart was pounding.
After Amin left, she finally reacted after a while. She rubbed her red face with the back of her hand, "Oh my God, I actually held Amin's hand. Erniu, pinch me and see if I am dreaming."
Erniu stretched out her hand and pinched her smooth little face. Wang Zhenni grinned and said, "I'm really not dreaming. I'm going to frame Teacher Amin's autograph and look at it every day."
Then he asked Erniu, "By the way, do you want to join Teacher Amin's record company?" He shook Erniu's arm, "Join, join. That's Teacher Amin's record company, very famous in the industry!"
Erniu was happy, "If I join, you can see Teacher Amin every day, right?"
Wang Zhenni laughed twice, "Hey, nothing can be hidden from you."
Erniu actually wanted to join as well, because Teacher Amin said that if she joined their record company, she would not only be able to release an album, but would also be able to communicate and learn with many music masters. To be honest, she was very tempted.
No? But I still need to discuss this with my parents.
Erniu was thinking as she walked out with Wang Zhenni. As soon as they arrived at the door of the TV station, they were surrounded by a swarm of reporters.
They held microphones and cameras, vying to interview Erniu, "Shen Ya, Shen Ya, look here." "I want to ask you a few questions."
Erniu was frightened, but Wang Zhenni had experience in this kind of situation. She protected Erniu and said, "Don't crowd, don't crowd. Those who want to interview Miss Shen Ya, please come one by one."
Erniu chose a female reporter because she asked about her feelings about the competition and clothing issues.
The female reporter held the microphone close to Erniu's mouth, "Shen Ya, I want to interview you. What brand of clothes are you wearing today? They are very close-fitting and beautiful." She winked at her, "I'm sure many female compatriots would like to know this question."
Her words made everyone laugh, including Erniu. "My clothes are from a Shanghai brand called Tangya." She turned around and said, "Isn't it very pretty? They have a lot of beautiful clothes like this. My closet is basically full of clothes from their brand..."
A week later, Da Wa looked at the sudden surge in customer traffic and the small report in the newspaper, and burst into tears, "Sisters are still the best in the world."
Erniu also called home, "Hello, Mom."
Ning Tang said, "Oh, by the way, are you going home for the Spring Festival this year?"
Erniu asked, "What's wrong?"
Shen Lie said jokingly, "Mrs. Luo and Zhou Caiwei said they want your autograph, big star."
Erniu was embarrassed, stamped her feet, and yelled, "Dad!"
Shen Lie said happily, "Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore."
Erniu paused, then continued, "Dad, Mom, I should be back for the Spring Festival this year. By the way, there is a record company that wants to sign me. It's the one that the female singer Amin co-founded with someone else. It seems to be called Phoenix Records."
"Phoenix Records? She wants to sign you?!" Ning Tang exclaimed in surprise, because in the future, this Phoenix Records will be well-known to everyone, every singer in it will be a big name in the industry, and the songs produced by this company will cover almost half of the Chinese music scene.
Although the company is good, it depends on whether Erniu likes it. Ning Tang asked, "So, do you want to sign?"
Erniu thought for a while and said with certainty, "Yes."
Shen Lie was surprised. "Why? I remember your school teachers and the director of the opera house said they would give you a job with good benefits."
He thought Erniu would choose one of these two jobs after graduation.
Erniu thought, it’s great, but the feeling of standing on the stage and singing loudly is something that cannot be compared to teaching and educating people as a teacher or singing operas in the opera house.
Ning Tang made the decision, "Then let's sign it."