Chapter 187 I Don’t Agree
"Chen Xi, we're going to broadcast live today, and you're still yelling at the top of your lungs? I say again, I don't agree."
Shen Xingzhi looked deeply at Chen Xi, his cold face not moved at all by the threat in Chen Xi's words. He didn't expect Chen Xi to be so persistent. He had clearly rejected this matter on WeChat that morning.
He had explained a lot to Chen Xi before. He could understand Chen Xi's anxiety, but a professional singer should have his own bottom line.
But Chen Xi did not give up after all, and still tried to pull his teammates to put pressure on him.
"Brother Xingzhi..."
Guan He looked at the confronting Shen Xingzhi and Chen Xi with some hesitation. The suddenly stagnant atmosphere in the room made him subconsciously slow down his breathing. The second live performance would start in less than four hours, and their team really couldn't stand the tossing now.
Although Chen Xi's suggestion was extreme, they had to face the embarrassing reality that Chen Xi might lose his voice at any time.
Perhaps, replacing the live broadcast of "Couple Watching Lanterns" with a recording...is not a win-win approach. The entertainment industry is full of truth and falsehood, so sometimes you don't have to be too obsessed with it.
"Sister Chen Xi, I don't agree either."
Ren Limeng couldn't help but stare at Guan He with pursed lips. What came to her mind was the wonderful performance of Guan He's team in the first public performance, as well as the gossip she heard before the first public performance. The program crew had clearly stated in a righteous manner that they would never edit the sound and rejected the lip-syncing requests of some guests. How could it be like this in reality?
Chen Xi's status in the circle is obvious, so the news she knows is certainly true. Moreover, Guan He, one of the team members involved, has just admitted it!
Ren Limeng found it hard to accept such a hypocritical and magical reality. The "Mountains and Seas" program crew actually condoned Guan He's team's lip-syncing during the climax. They seemed to put on a good face in front of others, but in fact their hearts had already turned black.
Even though we have long known the frustrating unspoken rules of adult life, some things in the entertainment industry are still more shameless than we can imagine.
She chose the entertainment industry as her career path, but now it seems like a bit of a hassle...
However, once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. This is the path she has chosen, and she will carve out her own path even if she has to cut through mountains and chisel through rocks!
As Guan He hesitated to speak, Ren Limeng took a deep breath and realized the hidden meaning in his words: Guan He wanted to support Chen Xi.
Guan He was the beneficiary of the first performance, and his choice was not unexpected. Chen Xi insisted on holding a team meeting at this moment, hoping to use the public opinion of his teammates to force Shen Xingzhi to obey the majority and make Shen Xingzhi consider carefully and back down.
Even the fact that he accepted her throat-protecting tea just now was after she said that their only goal was to successfully complete the live broadcast of the performance. Chen Xi... had actually been secretly testing her attitude.
But what she said was completely different from what Chen Xi thought!
Ren Limeng snapped back to her senses, casting aside all distracting thoughts. She refocused her gaze on the stalemate between Chen Xi and Shen Xingzhi. As if not noticing Chen Xi's brow furrowing as she spoke, she slowly continued, "If you're really unsure, I can do the 'Couple Watching Lanterns' segment for you."
Even though Ren Limeng really wants to use Chen Xi, a first-line singer, to promote Huangmei Opera, what is more important than the icing on the cake promotion is the authenticity of the stage itself, even if it is just... As a former Huangmei Opera actor, Ren Limeng will never allow anyone to cheat on the Huangmei Opera stage.
"you?"
"Whichever part of 'Time and Tide' I sing, you like? I'll trade with you."
Ren Limeng straightened her back and firmly faced Chen Xi's face which was suddenly filled with coldness. The fierceness in Chen Xi's eyes was more vicious than any other time this week. Disbelief was mixed with anger, and he rushed towards Ren Limeng with questions full of ridicule.
"Ren Limeng, there are only three hours left, and you're changing parts at the last minute. Aren't you treating the stage too much like a joke? Live streaming is not a recording. If there's an accident on the scene, even Shen Xingzhi can't cover you up."
"I'm fine, Sister Chen Xi, are you scared?"
Hearing the hidden meaning in Chen Xi's words, Ren Limeng didn't even blink. She looked at Chen Xi steadily, with a slight smile on her lips, appearing serious and earnest, with a bit of provocation, which made Chen Xi laugh.
"Afraid? Ren Limeng, you have no right to speak here. Have you ever been famous? Without the gossip and scandal with Shen Xingzhi, who would know who you are? You are not afraid, because you have never been famous. You don't understand my fear at all."
Chen Xi sneered and turned back indifferently without looking at Ren Limeng again. She straightened her neck and continued to speak as if she was telling Ren Limeng, but more like telling Shen Xingzhi.
"The production team has already agreed to this. Listen to me. I will bear all consequences. Even if this matter gets out years later, don't worry. I, Chen Xi, will still take full responsibility for my actions. I will definitely admit my mistakes and apologize openly. I will never tarnish the professional reputation of any of my teammates!"
As Chen Xi finished his resolute and powerful words, the entire dressing room fell into an eerie silence, as if the mute button had been pressed. Outside the window, the rain was pouring down, and countless raindrops rushed towards the recording studio. The "bang bang" sound came one after another, which was too noisy and irritating.
"Chen Xi, I explained to you this morning that reputation isn't the point."
Chen Xingzhi rubbed his brows helplessly. "We are professional singers, and we can even be called influential. If we cheat on Orange's S-level variety show live, have you thought about the consequences? The atmosphere in the circle will only get worse in the future. Even if you and I are just artists and can't control many things, but at least we should do our best."
“Go ahead…!”
"We have our reasons. Your voice loss was an accident, but everything that happens has its own unique circumstances. Who can guarantee that future singers won't have more unavoidable accidents before going on stage? Besides, if I really agreed to this, it wouldn't take years for the news to spread like wildfire within the industry tonight. What happened to Guan He and the others last week was also a secret kept secret by the production team, but didn't you still know it all? Even if you hired a more professional recording team this week, what would it matter if they could just barely get away with it? We still did it after all."
Shen Xingzhi looked at Chen Xi seriously. He had already told Chen Xi these truths on WeChat this morning, but Chen Xi was now completely trapped in his own predicament and could not listen to any other voices.
"Everything has its consequences. I am unwilling to bear any consequences of your suggestion. If you and the production team insist on doing this, then I will have no choice but to not perform on stage this afternoon."
“Shen Xingzhi!”
Chen Xi almost lost her composure as she called out Shen Xingzhi's name. Her brows were twisted into a knot. She hadn't expected Shen Xingzhi to threaten her so blatantly. More importantly, when they had worked together before, Chen Xi had personally witnessed Shen Xingzhi's stubbornness at the recording site. She couldn't help but believe that Shen Xingzhi really dared not go on stage during the live broadcast that afternoon.
That situation would only be worse than the possibility of her losing her voice during the live broadcast.
When watching variety shows, audiences care more about the subtle and lively relationships between guests. Rumors of her feud with top stars will do her more harm than good.
"Xingzhi, we've worked together many times. Today...I'm just asking you for help, okay?"
Chen Xi sighed deeply, and when she opened her eyes again, they couldn't help but turn red. She looked at Shen Xingzhi pitifully and sincerely, and her words were full of pleas for concessions.
But Shen Xingzhi just shook his head without saying anything, but it seemed that he had given all the answers.
"Sister Chen Xi, we can take a gamble."
Guan He looked at Chen Xi and Shen Xingzhi with some uneasiness. At this moment, it was a game between two big names in the entertainment industry, involving two brokerage companies and even the Orange Platform. Even if Chen Xi wanted to pull him and Ren Limeng to follow the team's public opinion of winning with more people, he didn't dare to speak easily and bring trouble upon himself.
Ren Limeng was completely different from Guan He, who was silent and solemn. She spoke softly, breaking the stagnant air that had dropped to freezing point and instantly attracting everyone's attention.
"When you sing 'Couple Watching Lanterns' during the live broadcast, if you're not in good condition, just give me a hint, gesture or eye contact, and I'll sing it for you."
Chen Xi has been practicing hard for so long that she will not miss the opportunity to perform Huangmei Opera live. Ren Limeng is fully aware of Chen Xi's attitude. If one plan fails, she can only think of other ways. The performance is about to begin, and she has to break the deadlock for their team.
"Drink the throat-protecting tea I gave you. Don't strain your voice for the next few hours. You should be able to hold out for the few minutes on stage. If you really can't, I can sing any line you have trouble with."
"Ren Limeng, do you think the audience are fools? Or... do you want to use me as a springboard?"
"Our voices are different, so of course I can only try my best to imitate. But I believe that Sister Chen Xi will definitely find a way to solve this problem. The risk is much smaller than lip-syncing."
Chen Xi's choice of lip-syncing really makes him treat the audience as fools!
Ren Limeng secretly clenched her fists and repeatedly told herself that this was not the time to argue about right and wrong. The more important thing was to solve the problem. She believed that Chen Xi could understand her hint. As for whether Chen Xi and the agency behind her could confuse right and wrong and do a good job of marketing, that would depend on their own abilities. Naturally, she would not sit idly by and wait for death.
The only thing Ren Limeng could guarantee at this moment was to find a way to make sure that the audience heard their real voices during the live broadcast. She couldn't do anything else better.
"Sister Chen Xi, whether I can use you as a springboard depends on you. Take care of your voice in your final moments. With my throat protection tea, you should be able to finish the stage without any problems. What we are doing now is actually Plan B. This is our only option right now."
The current situation is that compared to betting on whether Chen Xingzhi will walk out of the performance with his falsetto, Chen Xi's bet on whether his voice can complete the performance smoothly is less risky. This is a problem that Chen Xi cannot ignore, and it is also what Ren Limeng relies on to give each other a way out in the deadlock.
Ren Limeng looked at Chen Xi calmly, but did not hide the sharpness in her eyes any longer. Like a needle against a thorn, she directly faced Chen Xi's scrutinizing questioning. Her calm and composed demeanor was filled with a hint of confidence, which was no less than that of the famous Chen Xi.
Guan He's eyes were slightly stunned. Besides being shocked by Ren Limeng's words at this moment, he couldn't help but feel a ripple of emotion in his heart.
Ren Limeng had never shown such a determined look during the recording, but... he had recalled it countless times in his memory.
Perhaps, it was her dazzling radiance that could not be ignored that made his heart beat again and again.
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