Chapter 54 Attention
"Be careful not to catch a cold."
As soon as he entered the training room, Shen Xingzhi's attention was immediately attracted by Ren Limeng, who was lying on the floor not far from the air conditioner.
Ren Limeng was lying flat on her back with her eyes slightly closed, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, her hair on both sides sticking tightly to her wet cheeks, drops of sweat sliding down her delicate profile. She tried to calm her somewhat rapid breathing, her tight clothes quietly outlining her soft and slender figure, and the hard light brown floor behind her was like the safest nest.
Shen Xingzhi calmly blocked half of the camera, his voice still cold and indifferent, but his movements of taking the towel from the side were very gentle, and he slowly spread the dry towel on Ren Limeng's sweaty face.
"Coming?"
Ren Ningmeng sat up and casually wiped her face with a towel. She looked up at the alarm clock above the middle of the training room. It was already seven forty.
"Yeah, I just finished preparing for the harvest."
Chen Xingzhi picked up a bottle of mineral water from a box on the ground with his right hand, twisted the cap lightly and handed it to Ren Limeng.
"Thanks."
Ren Limeng glanced at the mineral water bottle with only a few drops of water hanging on the wall, raised her right hand and slowly took it.
As their fingertips intertwined, a subtle electric current seemed to pass through their bodies. Their expressions paused at the same time, their eyes met at this moment, and then they slowly looked away at the same time.
"Have you seen Director Dong when you came here?"
"She's in the studio."
"Okay, I'll go record a post-interview too."
There were too many things to do after coming to Jiangcheng. Ren Limeng did not finish the post-collection last night. She stood up as if nothing had happened, glanced at Shen Xingzhi silently, hesitated slightly, and decided to change clothes and go find Dong Zhu first.
Although, now that there is only Chen Xing in the training room, it is a good time to hype up their CP, but she has more important things to do.
During the post-interview, almost all the questions from the program team were related to Shen Xingzhi. Ren Limeng maintained a dignified smile that only hosts should have, and mentioned Shen Xingzhi openly, describing her feelings half-truthfully and half-falsely.
What she didn't expect was that Dong Zhu had quietly appeared at the post-interview site just after she answered two or three questions.
As far as Ren Limeng knew, Dong Zhu would come to the scene to keep an eye on Shen Xingzhi when he was the only one interviewing him in their team. She didn't expect that she would also have this treatment.
Sure enough, change is the key to success.
"Director Dong, good morning!"
Ren Limeng greeted Dong Zhu with a smile, and the two walked outside together.
"Li Meng, have you adjusted well these past few days? How are you feeling? Speaking of which, you're the host of our platform's agricultural channel, and we're one of us. Just call me Sister Dong. I've been wanting to talk to you. If you encounter any problems, please bring them up with us."
Dong Zhu and Ren Limeng slowed down their pace at the same time. The smiles on their faces were gentle and friendly. Dong Zhu spoke politely while silently observing Ren Limeng.
"Thank you, Sister Dong. Everyone has taken good care of me. I have always wanted to express my gratitude to you. If it weren't for you, I might not have had the opportunity to participate in "Shan Hai"."
"Well, in the end, it was Director Yao who made the final decision. I didn't do anything. The most important thing is that you are smart and suitable for our show. The production team and I want to thank you and Xingzhi, especially Xingzhi, who is the backbone of our show."
Dong Zhu's voice was somewhat meaningful. After the Orange host An Ling had an "accident" during the live broadcast, the program team chose to fill the position from the hosts on the platform. It was just a helpless choice for an emergency replacement. No one expected Ren Limeng to be so surprising.
"Xingzhi is also very low-key. However, he told me yesterday that he hopes the program team will edit the program more fairly and give everyone a chance."
Although she said "everyone", Dong Zhu's eyes were full of hints. Ren Limeng smiled slowly, her expression did not change at all, but she immediately understood Dong Zhu's test in her heart.
But Ren Limeng didn't believe Dong Zhu's words at all.
Shen Xingzhi actually had nothing to do with her, so there was no need to do more for her.
Moreover, according to her observations these days, Shen Xingzhi and Dong Zhu should not have any personal relationship. The entertainment industry is most taboo, not to talk about deep things with people who are not familiar with each other.
"Sister Dong, I watched the first episode and I'm so grateful to the production team. The first stage was like a shot of my life. My family called me to praise me, saying they never knew I could sing so well. I looked like a professional singer."
Ren Limeng changed the subject, and Dong Zhu didn't ask any further questions. She smiled deeply and said, "That's because you sing well."
Ren Limeng's debut performance integrated opera into songs, and every move in the dance carried the accumulation of years. It was also a rare stage where she could directly "sing and dance with the microphone on". The feedback from the show that was broadcast two days ago was also very good.
"Li Meng, I heard from the station that you've applied to be assigned an agent. We'd also like to ask if you'd consider switching channels or fields. Frankly speaking, being a host might not have as much room for development as being a singer or an actor."
This is also Dong Zhu’s main purpose for coming today.
When "Shan Hai" was first broadcast, due to the news related to Shen Xingzhi dominating the hot searches, Ren Limeng applied to her boss, hoping to have an agent to handle related matters. However, the Orange platform only has the relevant departments of the entertainment center equipped with a professional agent team, and the agricultural channel is unprecedented. The hosts of the agricultural channel are more like ordinary office workers. In addition to the work itself, they generally don't even have the opportunity to "earn extra money", so they don't need an agent to help handle the work.
Dong Zhu is not only the deputy director of "Mountains and Seas", but also a middle-level leader of the Orange platform. She has a certain say in various channels of the entertainment center. Her arrival was both within and beyond Ren Limeng's expectations.
It seems that the platform takes it more seriously than she thought.
"Sister Dong, I'm planning to apply to switch channels. As you know, our agricultural channel has been undergoing reforms recently. I'm not young anymore, so I want to try my luck. But to be honest, even if I change channels, I still want to be a host."
Ren Limeng's voice was very sincere, as if she treated Dong Zhu as a friend. She confided her thoughts to him and expressed her determination firmly.
"I want to try my hand at the arts industry, but being a host has always been my dream and I don't want to change."
"Indeed, besides the agricultural channel, your current qualifications still have a long way to go before you can become a news anchor. Switching to the entertainment channel is also an option, but Li Meng, are you sure you still want to be a host? Honestly, after reading your profile, I've always admired you, so in a way, your choice is regrettable. I really feel sorry for you."
Dong Zhu's voice was tinged with regret. "Li Meng, you won the News category championship at the age of 24. This is the most important competition in the hosting industry, but before 'Shan Hai', few people knew you. In comparison, Xing Zhi won 'Idol Signal' at the age of 23. The variety show instantly became an internet sensation, and even those contestants who didn't make it on 'Idol Signal' became quite famous. In our industry, the career prospects for hosts are too limited!"
"Idol Signal" is just a microcosm of the colorful and diverse variety shows in the entertainment industry. Creating stars through variety shows is a default thing. Singers, actors and even variety show stars all have more opportunities under the spotlight, but the hosts can only endure the loneliness. News hosts are not considered to be in the entertainment industry, and the literary and artistic hosts of entertainment channels, whether in major evening parties or various variety shows, are more often just hosting guests and are never the protagonists of the camera.
"Li Meng, the popularity analysis for the first episode is out, and your popularity has remained in the top five. You may not have an idea of this statistic, but if you still want to be a host, this popularity is really a shame. We also discussed this with you a few days ago, but I still want to ask you in person, are you really unwilling to participate in a few more variety shows? After "Shan Hai", I will start a self-made S-level variety show, and you will be a regular guest. I am confident that I can stabilize your current traffic, make you a true star, and firmly establish yourself in the entertainment industry."
Dong Zhu's tone was full of temptation, but the content was very realistic, directly pointing out the gap that everyone knew.
"'Shan Hai' is working for the platform, and we've only given you an extra 10,000 yuan in performance bonuses. But your next variety show will be different. We'll calculate your appearance fee as a celebrity, and I guarantee you'll take home no less than seven figures. That's a lot of money you'd have a hard time earning as a host. Actually, we're not asking you to stop hosting altogether, we just hope you'll shift your focus a bit. You're also a host for your career on variety shows, and they're all platform programs, so why not give yourself a chance and give it a try?"
The hosts of the Orange platform basically get a performance + work salary, but only top hosts like An Ling can get a seven-digit annual salary. Simple workplace workers like Ren Limeng only have a five-digit monthly salary, and that is based on ten years of work experience.
"Ms. Dong, thank you for your kindness. I'm happy to recommend myself for any of your programs you need a host for, but variety show guest roles really aren't for me. I'm afraid I won't be able to deliver the expected results, which would cause trouble for you and the platform. Of course, I also hope to capitalize on the current popularity, so I'd like to apply to the platform for an agent."
The variety shows on the Orange platform will introduce the guests' occupations, but that's all. No matter what their occupation is, the most important identity on many shows is just a variety show guest. Most variety shows do not have scripts, but the program crew will imagine many situations before the formal recording, and the guest arrangements also have different expectations, just like Ren Limeng replaced An Ling, and the "Shan Hai" program only added the host identity guest, and all the guests' behaviors were only for the variety show effect.
Ren Limeng made a great determination to come to "Shan Hai". She had also insisted on doing the hosting job for ten years, but the reality was not so idealistic. She was already in her thirties and time was running out. She believed that there was no creation without destruction. Choosing to participate in "Shan Hai" was a helpless move. She did not want to sink into this path. Hosting, like singing, relies on years of basic skills. Without working on stage, she could not be at ease with her job as a host on variety shows.
Ren Limeng spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, with worry and helplessness in her tone, just like an ordinary person in the workplace, who worked hard but lacked ambition. At least that was how Dong Zhu saw it. Dong Zhu sighed softly and listened to Ren Limeng continue talking.
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