Chapter 055
The next day, free at leisure.
Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi checked in at scenic spots in Hancheng according to classic scenes from Korean dramas they had watched before. They also took photos wearing costumes similar to the male and female protagonists in the drama.
At noon, the two went to a distinctive H-country creative cuisine restaurant. The chef of this restaurant often integrates the culinary features of other countries into Korean food, and sometimes he can design something with a different flavor.
The restaurant is located on the first floor of the mall, which is a prime location. Opposite is the mall atrium, which has a high glass ceiling and a small stage in the middle. When there are activities in the mall, performances will be held on the stage.
There are also performances today. Yan Xi glanced at the preview on the small billboard next to her, which said that a girl group called LMN will be performing singing and dancing.
Park Bo-won explained, "In Country H, there are many such events, but the performers in these places are all unknown idols."
For example, Yan Xi and Zhou Qingyu had never heard of LMN.
Zhou Qingyu: "Let's form a vague group. People in H country are obsessed with debuting as idols, but the top companies only have a 0.1% chance of debuting. The rest should either return to society or join a small company to form a vague group."
"If you don't debut in a big company, your chances of becoming famous in a small company are slim."
Yan Xi glanced at the photos of the LMN girl group members. Most of the members were wearing heavy makeup and their faces could not be seen clearly, but a girl standing far back suddenly caught Yan Xi's attention.
Yan Xi immediately took out her cell phone and searched the man's name on Baidu.
Her eyes lit up slightly, with a look of disbelief in them, "There's actually a Chinese in this group!"
Zhou Qingyu moved closer to Yan Xi and took a look. "It's normal. The domestic idol market is very bad. Many people go to Country H to be artists. Our Xingyao kids were also sent to Country H. I plan to let them debut in Country H in the future."
The domestic environment is more suitable for actors and singers.
Yan Xi is not familiar with the entertainment industry, but she will still take a bite of famous gossip.
For example, this girl named Han Shu.
In Yan Xi's memory, when Han Shu appeared, she was already the queen of love songs in Country H. Although she was Chinese, she could speak Korean and had been developing in Korea.
Many Chinese people regretted that she did not return to China, but she stayed in Country H.
Han Su's rise to fame is as fast as a rocket. People have been talking about her experience in becoming famous. Some say that she has a big boss behind her, and some say that she got to the top by selling her body. But even if the rumors continue, they cannot conceal Han Su's talent.
She has won all the music awards in Asia and even a Grammy Award. Not only in H country, her music is played on the streets of China. The top charts of the three major music platforms in China are all filled with Han Shu's songs.
She has an incomparable voice, her voice is like being kissed by God.
Han Shu is very young. When she became famous, she was only 24 years old.
But on the day when the whole world recognized her achievements, Han Shu jumped from the top floor of the company and ended her life.
Everyone knows that Han Shu had a glorious life, but her suicide note tells a different story.
The girl has dreamed of becoming a musician since she was a child. While traveling in Country H, she was tricked into signing a contract with an entertainment company. Because she could not afford the penalty, she stayed in Country H.
Originally she was just a small idol, she wanted to survive the contract period and return to China. But on the eve of the group's disbandment, Han Su was drugged by her agent and sent to the tycoon's bed.
Behind all the glamour and beauty are blood and tears.
Han Shu tried to call the police, but even with the medical report proving she was raped, she still couldn't defeat the person who bullied her.
She did not return to her country because she wanted to stand at the top of H country's music and denounce her unwilling past.
She did it, she expressed her dissatisfaction with her own life.
This gossip caused such a huge sensation that even Yan Xi, who was on the other side of the ocean, knew about it. After all, it cost a life, and Han Shu's fans were furious.
But as time passed, this incident was gradually forgotten.
Han Shu died, and none of those who hurt her were punished.
——
After lunch, Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi went to the small stage in the atrium.
In the past, after lunch, they would stroll around the mall and buy some bags and jewelry to help digest the food.
Backstage, LMN members also saw the situation outside.
"Those people seem to be Chinese celebrities!"
"I've watched their show, it's super popular! The pretty girl is called Zhou Qingyu, she's a Chinese beauty! The innocent-looking girl is called Yan Xi, she was an amateur before she joined the show, but now she has over a million fans on Weibo!"
"When can we participate in such a popular show?"
The girls chattered and expressed their envy of Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi.
They only get a little money from participating in such commercial performances, just enough to earn a living. It is impossible for them to become famous. They don't even have any fans during their performances.
In fact, despite LMN's current popularity, there are no fans.
"Do you think the production crew will be able to capture us in their camera? If we can appear in such a popular variety show, we might become famous!"
"Really? Then I must perform well later!"
"You can do it. If you dance well, more people will definitely see you!"
Being photographed by the production crew on the variety show was like being a carrot. The members of the LMN girl group became more and more excited as they talked. They immediately went to touch up their makeup in front of the camera, hoping that they could stay in the camera longer.
Han Shu was sitting in front of the dressing mirror, touching up her makeup. She was the most popular person in the team and was always the last one to put on makeup.
Without a professional makeup artist, the makeup of the LMN girl group all follows the same template, with heavy and bright makeup so that the lights will eat up the makeup and they will look good.
"Han Shu, why are you still not well?" a pink-haired girl
The girl asked Han Shu in Korean, "Can you hurry up? I still need to put on some blush!"
Han Shu said in his not-so-fluent Korean, "Sister Yanyan, it's just my turn!"
The pink-haired girl grabbed Han Shu and said, "You are at the back anyway, who can see you? Just draw whatever you want!"
Others echoed, "Sister Yanyan is the face of the show, the camera should focus on her!"
Han Shu pursed his lips and had to stand up to give his seat to the pink-haired girl.
Except for her, all the members of LMN are from H country, and her ability is not outstanding among them, so it is common for her to be excluded.
Han Shu could only sit in the corner with his cell phone.
The song they were going to perform later was on the screen of her phone, and she silently memorized the lyrics. Han Shu did not have a solo part, and those who had a solo part were all popular players in the group.
Han Shu sometimes thinks it’s funny. Without a separate part, there is no camera. Without a camera, how can one become famous? Without being famous, how can one be popular and get his own part?
This is a vicious cycle.
After a while, the agent came in and urged the girls, "Are you ready? It's your turn to go on stage soon! Remember, be more charming on stage, don't be so restrained. The more relaxed you are, the more you will earn!"
The girls were reluctant but nodded.
The agent gave instructions one by one and finally came to Han Shu. He squinted his eyes and oil almost came out of his fat face.
"Xiao Shu!" the agent said in Korean, "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. Yanyan and the others have all gone, so it's your turn tonight. I'll have someone pick you up after the commercial performance."
Han Shu clutched his phone tightly, his knuckles turning white, "Can I not go?"
The agent laughed, "Do you want to be a good-for-nothing for the rest of your life? Look at Yanyan and the others. They all got the chance to have solo careers after they came back. Don't you want that?"
Han Shu remained silent and did not dare to speak.
She didn't want to. Her contract was for 10 years, and there were still 8 years left. After these 8 years, she could go home.
The agent looked at Han Shu's resistance, and a hint of viciousness flashed in his eyes. "I still have your agency contract. You'd better think it over carefully!"
——
Ten minutes later, the show began.
The girls appeared on the stage wearing sexy outfits, colorful clothes, and heavy makeup, making it almost impossible to tell one from another.
Their actions were quite bold, like a different kind of provocation.
Seeing this, many male customers gathered around the stage.
However, the expected situation of being photographed by the variety show did not occur. Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi only briefly passed by the atrium stage. When they learned that they had to wait for more than ten minutes before watching the performance, Zhou Qingyu immediately lost interest and dragged Yan Xi to the counter to buy perfume.
While shopping, music could be heard from time to time, but it could not attract Zhou Qingyu.
Yan Xi, on the other hand, was very curious and she really wanted to see how Han Shu's performance would be.
Park Baoyuan said regretfully, "You came at the wrong time. There are no concerts or dance shows recently. If there are, go see a good one tonight."
"Yeah," Yan Xi sighed.
Director Yu previously mentioned that this stop would be Country H, and many fans suggested in the barrage that they could go watch their idols’ stage performances. It must be great to see the handsome guys’ neat and coordinated dances, as well as their occasional exposed abdominal muscles and mermaid lines!
"If there is a concert, even if the tickets are sold out, you can get VIP tickets for us, right?" Yan Xi asked Pu Baoyuan.
Park Baoyuan's eyes were firm, "Of course!"
American Express Bank is committed to meeting the needs of every black card customer, and getting concert tickets is nothing.
Yan Xi sighed, "What a pity, you can't let them hold another concert."
"Why not?"
Zhou Qingyu had smelled too much perfume, and her nose was full of odors. She was smelling the coffee beans slowly.
She walked over to Yan Xi and thought about what Yan Xi said very seriously, "I think you are right. Since we have come to Country H, how can we not watch the concert? Wouldn't it be a waste of our trip?"
Zhou Qingyu looked at Park Baoyuan, "How about you find a few idol groups and have them hold concerts just for us?"
Park Bo-won: ???
Park Baoyuan smiled with a fake smile, "Miss, are you serious?"
Zhou Qingyu sniffed the coffee beans again and said nonchalantly, "Of course, can't you do it?"
Park Baoyuan straightened his back instantly, "How is this possible!!!"
As a travel consultant at American Express Bank, Park Bo-won doesn’t have the word “impossible” in his dictionary!
[Did I hear correctly... Miss, are you going to invite idols to hold solo concerts for them? ]
[Holy crap! Is this even possible?]
[Oh my god! This is the first time I’ve seen such an operation! ]
Danmu was excited, Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi were also excited. They asked Pu Baoyuan to bring the tablet and started to choose with great interest.
Zhou Qingyu: "This is so handsome! Let this group come!"
Yan Xi: "The girls in this girl group are all so pretty! I want to see them!"
Zhou Qingyu: "Oh, this set is not bad, the abdominal muscles are good! There are actually six packs!"
Yan Xi: "There's also this! There are so many people! I want to see it!"
The two of them spent a while choosing, but didn't come up with many choices, mainly because they didn't know many idols.
Zhou Qingyu simply looked up and asked the audience.
"Who do you want to see us invite?"
[Can we still choose? ]
[Ahhh then I have to watch my favorite! Although they are small-time celebrities, they work very hard. Miss, please give them a chance! ]
[Wuwuwu, my idol hasn't returned yet. He's in closed-door training. I guess I can't invite him.]
[Miss! Only, TKT, Shark Girls! Although these are not the biggest groups in H country, they are all very powerful! It’s not a loss to invite them! Miss, you must look at me! ]
[Can we invite Miss Han Shu from LMN? She sings really well. I heard a line from her live show before and I really want to hear it again! ]
There were many idol groups nominated by the audience, and Park Bo Won took notes one by one.
Zhou Qingyu made the final decision, "Let's schedule the performance tonight. The lawn in front of the villa is quite large, and we can hold the concert there!"
Park Baoyuan: "I understand. Placing large equipment will damage the lawn. After the concert, I will ask a professional gardener to repair it."
"And here's this list," Park Baoyuan showed Zhou Qingyu the invitation list he had just written down, "There are quite a lot of people invited. I don't know how long the Miss plans to hold the concert. We need to make arrangements accordingly."
Zhou Qingyu thought for a moment and said, "Two hours?"
She wouldn't be interested if it was any longer, and a two-hour concert was almost enough.
Zhou Qingyu looked at Yan Xi, "Xixi, do you have any other opinions?"
Yan Xi swiftly took out a pen. After becoming the producer of "Bottom Line", Yan Xi had a lot of documents to sign, so she always carried a pen with her.
Yan Xi picked out a few names and said, "We must invite these few, and the others will depend on the situation."
Park Baoyuan: “Okay.”
For the rest of the trip, Park Baoyuan did not accompany Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi as she had to prepare for the concert.
The concert is scheduled to start at 7pm, and there are still five hours left until 7pm. To prepare for a concert in five hours and invite many idol stars to perform is simply unrealistic for ordinary people.
But American Express Bank advisors are not ordinary people!
When Park Baoyuan left, Yan Xi could still hear her self-encouragement voice——
"I can! I can! There is no 'no' in my dictionary!"
——
After the performance, LMN members returned to the backstage in disappointment.
The production crew had left long ago. LMN was not so lucky and did not get a chance to be on camera. Everyone looked very decadent.
Han Shu got the video of their performance from the person in charge of the shopping mall stage and watched it several times.
She was in the back and was blocked by other members several times. Occasionally, she could be photographed from a few angles, but with her heavy makeup and average dancing, it was hard to attract fans.
When he first joined the company, Han Shu also had a desire to become famous.
She has loved singing since she was a child, and her biggest dream is to hold her own concert so that everyone can hear her singing.
But in the past two years at LMN, I either had to participate in these borderline commercial performances or be forced to drink with the company's top executives.
This is not the life Han Shu wanted.
She wanted to terminate the contract, but unfortunately her family was very ordinary and her parents were just ordinary working class people and could not afford such a high penalty.
This is how small companies like theirs work. They can't provide resources and can only drag the artists along. If one out of a hundred artists is willing to pay the penalty, that's how they make money.
Either you become famous or you fail.
Han Shu only has these two options left.
Red, it’s too difficult.
It's even harder to endure.
The members packed up their things and prepared to go back to the dormitory. Even if it was such a low-end commercial performance, it didn't happen every day, so they would probably have to stay in the dormitory for the next few days.
Suddenly, the backstage door was pushed open and the manager came back in a hurry.
"Don't go back to the dormitory yet!" the manager said excitedly, "Someone has invited you to participate in the concert tonight. You should go back to the company first and practice the stage for the performance tonight! This opportunity is very important, don't miss it.
"
The band members were surprised. "Concert? Did someone invite us to perform as a supporting actor?"
"Which band? I haven't heard of anyone holding a concert recently!"
"Performing at a concert, there must be a lot of people there! Oh my god, we have never performed in front of so many people before!"
The agent interrupted the girls' beautiful dreams, "What are you thinking? There is a rich woman who wants to see the idol perform, so she specially held a concert in her villa. The audience is only her and her friends, not many people, but the people invited are more famous than you! I heard that Only, TKT, and Shark Girls are all invited!"
The eyes of LMN members lit up.
The idol groups that the agent mentioned are already beyond their reach, and they have never thought that there will be a day when they can stand shoulder to shoulder with each other!
"Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention it," the agent added, "I just asked the person in charge, and she said that the rich woman who invited you to perform is called Zhou Qingyu, a very famous star in China. She is currently on a variety show, and maybe your performance will also appear on their variety show!"
"Zhou Qingyu!" LMN captain Cui Mengyan was the first to think of her. "Isn't she the super beautiful female star we just saw?"
"We can even appear in her variety show! Oh my god! Their variety show is super popular. I heard it is the top variety show in China now!"
"If we can appear in their variety shows, we will become famous!"
"So you have to perform well!" the agent said, "Don't embarrass me!"
Each LMN member was more excited than the other. Without saying anything, they had already packed their bags and couldn't wait to return to the company for intensive training.
There was a small van outside, and LMN members got in one by one.
Han Shu was the last one to walk in. Before she got on the car, the agent suddenly grabbed her.
"I had an unexpected event today, so I was delayed a bit. However, we can't cancel our meeting tonight. Remember to come find me after the performance."
Han Shu gritted his teeth, extremely reluctant, but still nodded.
——
When Yan Xi and Zhou Qingyu returned to the villa, the stage had already been set up.
The empty lawn was completely renovated. A grand concert stage stood in the center, its black steel structure steady and powerful. The background of the stage was a huge LED screen, with gorgeous and dynamic patterns flashing on it.
Staff members came and went, some were arranging musical instruments, some were checking microphones and audio lines. They were wearing uniform work clothes and moved quickly and orderly.
Yan Xi widened her eyes in disbelief. She originally thought that a concert would be held on the lawn with a wooden stage similar to the one in a shopping mall, with a few speakers and large lights placed around it. She didn't expect Park Baoyuan to be so professional!
What’s the difference between this and a formal concert!
Lu Beiyu and Yaozu also returned to the villa. The man and the dog looked at the huge creature that suddenly appeared on the lawn and exclaimed in amazement.
The villa belongs to the Lu family. Zhou Qingyu consulted Lu Beiyu before holding a concert.
Lu Beiyu had no objection to renting the venue. The eldest lady even invited him to dinner yesterday. It was no big deal.
It was not until he saw the huge creature on the lawn that Lu Beiyu realized that this was no small matter!
Miss...awesome!
Zhou Qingyu looked at the concert stage and commented nonchalantly, "Well, the stage is still a little small. It's only about the size of the stage. It's too petty and not up to standard."
Yan Xi & Lu Beiyu: "..."
Live broadcast audience: [……]
Only Park Baoyuan did not deny Zhou Qingyu's intention at all, and actively agreed, "The main reason is that this villa is too small and the lawn is not big enough. If it can be held in a stadium, I can build a stage twice as big as this one!"
Zhou Qingyu nodded, "What a pity."
Lubei Island: "..."
"Blame me, blame my villa for being too small!"
[The eldest lady reinterpreted "small"! ]
[The eldest lady is right. A villa that can’t accommodate a super-large stage is small. This lawn is only big enough for showing off! 狗头.jpg]
[Lu Beiyu, talk to your elder sister about it. It's time to get Yaozu a bigger lawn! ]
Everyone was excitedly discussing the concert that would be held later, except Yan Xi, who suddenly thought of something, walked forward, and walked around the stage.
Yan Xi: "We have set up such a formal stage. If we only use Director Yu's camera to broadcast live, wouldn't it be a waste? After all, we have invited so many artists to perform!"
Zhou Qingyu was curious, "Do you want to add anything?"
Yan Xi: "Director Yu's camera mainly focuses on us, so he certainly can't shoot too many scenes of the concert. But there are also many fans who want to see so many idols, many of whom were recommended by them. We can only use our live camera, so we definitely can't show their stage in all its aspects!"
"We can get a few more cameras and set up a live broadcast room! Live broadcast from all angles!"
If we add more cameras, we'll need people to control the camera, and we'll need a live broadcast, so the cost is bound to go up.
Park Baoyuan was worried, "This fee is not low... Miss, should we charge for it?"
Zhou Qingyu waved her hands, "It's me who wants to watch the concert, and doing a live broadcast is just a convenience. Why charge for it? It seems like I'm so stingy. Of course it's free!"
Park Baoyuan was shocked, "No, no problem!"
[Miss Wuwuwu is simply an angel! ]
[Yan Xi's suggestion is also great! If we add more cameras, I can see my brother's beautiful face clearly! Yan Xi is really considerate of us~]
【So I can watch a free online concert? Thank you, thank you, thank you! 】
[I was originally worried about the program crew's live broadcast, as I could only see the eldest lady and Yan Xi, but now I can still see the brothers! That's great! ]
[I love Yan Xi! I love Miss! ]
In the following time, Park Baoyuan continued to make arrangements. Zhou Qingyu was tired after a day of traveling and went back to take a shower.
The system popped up and whispered in Yan Xi's ear: [Young lady is really rich and inhumane! ]
[I just looked at Park Baoyuan's bill. Today's live concert cost as much as your sailboat! As expected, to a young lady, money is not money at all! ]
Yan Xi didn't take it seriously. "You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. Who says that the concert will definitely lose money?"
The system was puzzled. [Didn’t the young lady say that she would not charge any money? ]
"I just don't collect money from fans, I didn't say I don't collect money from others!"
"Tongzi, help me contact Xingyao. It's time for them to work~"