"It won't be cut. That segment just now won't have a single frame removed. It'll appear in the episode after next."
That was all the show's director said to Bai Youlou, without elaborating.
It seemed he merely wanted to express his own "contractual spirit."
Long Ziqiang looked bewildered. "Old Bai, am I still going on?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't you?"
"What's going on with them?"
"Most likely, it's an internal conflict. Don't worry about it. It has nothing to do with us. Just sing your song."
Bai Youlou hadn't expected this turn of events.
Anyway, if he were Wang Jiahua, he would definitely have demanded that the production crew cut this segment. After all, even if Wang Jiahua himself didn't understand music, there had to be someone who did and would remind him.
But if an executive at this television station or on the production team disliked Wang Jiahua or had some grudge against him, and wanted to use Bai Youlou's incident to make things difficult for him, then things were about to get interesting.
The entertainment industry had all kinds of people: well-connected, universally agreeable nice guys, as well as arrogant, overbearing divas who acted like big shots and had a whole crowd of people who couldn't stand them.
Clearly, Wang Jiahua was the latter.
Bai Youlou had some impression of the man from his memories as well. He wielded considerable influence in Shanghai. Aside from serving as a judge on "Talent Show," he also had a show of his own with fairly good ratings.
But he spoke without thinking, loved making random comments about everything, and always put on an aloof, superior air.
It was perfectly normal for someone like that to have enemies.
Bai Youlou didn't care whether someone was using him as a weapon against Wang Jiahua. All he wanted was screen time.
His reputation couldn't get any worse anyway. If he was already a broken clay pot, why would he fear a piece of porcelain? Besides, he had enjoyed venting just now.
Before long, Long Ziqiang took the stage.
This time, Wang Jiahua seemed to have received a warning from someone and didn't interrupt anyone halfway through like before.
Long Ziqiang also performed quite well.
He had been rather nervous earlier, but after Bai Youlou's outburst, he had completely relaxed.
"This song has a special meaning for me. It always reminds me of all the hardships and wandering I've endured along the way, while also constantly reminding me not to forget where I came from."
After rambling on for quite a while, damn it, he had talked so much that even the judges were getting annoyed. That bald bastard sure had a lot of nonsense to spout!
They hurriedly signaled for the music to start.
Long Ziqiang instantly switched states. Accompanied by an explosive DJ beat, he shouted, "Okay, get ready! Fasten your seat belts, and let's set sail!"
Judges:.
Audience:.
"She once stripped away the masks of those around her
And once let down her black hair, entwining it with him
The setting sun dyed her passionate eyes red
Stirring the lonely hearts along the shore"
"."
This song!
Huh?!
Tsk. No one knew why, but quite a few people's legs started shaking along with the beat.
This soul-stirring underground song really got people hyped~
And Long Ziqiang was completely intoxicated, as if he knew without looking that he had already whipped the entire venue into a frenzy.
"She was a lonely ship
Raising its sails upon the vast ocean
I followed the river, searching without pause
But couldn't find the harbor where she was moored"
"."
"Hahahaha~"
Backstage, Bai Youlou was cackling with laughter, though his own leg was shaking along with the beat too.
Damn it, he'd said this kind of song was perfect for Long Ziqiang. In one second, he had turned the "Talent Show" stage into a nightclub.
Only someone who looked this worldly and clearly had a story could get people so caught up while singing this kind of song.
It was DJ music. Bai Youlou had added DJ music!
This song could actually be sung in another style, but this was the version Bai Youlou remembered most clearly. What else could he do~
He was genuinely good to Long Ziqiang. If this guy sang all the songs Bai Youlou had given him, he could become the Northern Heavenly King at the very least.
Even if he couldn't make a living in the music industry later on, he would absolutely thrive in bars all over the Northeast, with bookings pouring in.
However, no matter how enthusiastically Long Ziqiang made the audience's legs shake, he was ultimately eliminated.
This time, the judges were somewhat more tactful.
They told Long Ziqiang that this was "Talent Show," and that his song wasn't quite suited to the stage.
Put plainly: "You came to the wrong place, buddy. You might as well livestream."
Even though he had been eliminated, Long Ziqiang and Bai Youlou were in such high spirits that they looked as if they had successfully advanced.
Under the strange gazes of the other backstage contestants on "Talent Show," they left with their arms around each other, laughing and joking.
Of course, though they appeared to be joking around, they were actually reviewing the performance.
Long Ziqiang couldn't wait to hear Bai Youlou's assessment of his performance just now.
The judges' opinions were only good for a laugh. He hadn't even paid attention to them. The moment he heard the word "eliminated," he had eagerly hurried off.
He cared much more about Bai Youlou's opinion.
But Bai Youlou shook his head at him with a grave expression, making Long Ziqiang's heart skip a beat. "Was my singing bad?"
"Who cares how you sang? You held the microphone with both hands just now, and you even clamped it between them! You blocked the movie title on your clothes, didn't you know?!"
Oh, damn~
He had gotten too carried away and really hadn't noticed.
Long Ziqiang said he would correct himself immediately, then asked, "Which song should I sing on the next show?"
Clearly, even though he had come to get eliminated, he was actually enjoying the stage quite a bit. He had gotten completely hyped up.
Which song he sang didn't really matter. Bai Youlou had prepared more than enough "ammunition" for this publicity campaign.
More than half the songs he had given Long Ziqiang were this type. He could pick one himself.
The next few programs went smoothly, without another unexpected situation like Wang Jiahua's. For the most part, they simply waited to capitalize on Bai Youlou's notorious buzz.
However, after the two of them moved on to their fourth variety show in succession, an "accident" finally occurred.
"Tomorrow's Star Show" was a relatively cutting-edge talent show. Its official explanation was that it aimed to create a program for cultivating future musical role models, using music as its vehicle and innovative internet formats to develop idols.
Put plainly: a singing stage for cultivating idols.
At a glance, it didn't seem all that different from shows like "Happy Boys" or "Kai Boys."
At least Bai Youlou had no problem with it.
But Long Ziqiang was in a bit of trouble.
"He's really thirty?"
A staff member from "Tomorrow's Star Show" held Long Ziqiang's ID card and scrutinized it for several seconds before beginning to wonder whether the man had given him a fake.
Long Ziqiang was so furious that even his bald head seemed to redden. Damn it, who were they looking down on?
Suppressing his laughter, Bai Youlou explained, "He really is thirty. He just looks a little mature."
"Our show is trying to launch idol male singers. Teacher Bai, you definitely meet the requirements, but as for him..."
The staff member might as well have written the words "judging people by their appearance" across his face.
Then again, in the previous few programs, Bai Youlou had been the one subjected to more targeting. After all, he was burdened with scandals, and everyone looked at him through an unfavorable filter.
But on this show, Long Ziqiang was the one who was "discriminated against" first.
The production team's meaning was obvious. They wanted to capitalize on Bai Youlou's buzz, but they also somewhat disliked Long Ziqiang for being ugly.
It wasn't merely that he was unattractive. His bald head and thoroughly streetwise aura were completely incompatible with the stage of "Tomorrow's Star Show."
Perhaps because of that, they had even addressed Bai Youlou as "Teacher Bai."
Scandalous or not, they would show him the utmost courtesy first, then dislike the ugly guy afterward. Nothing wrong with that, right?
"He's just here to sing. Let him go through the process and eliminate him."
"It's really not that we're judging contestants by their looks. Not all of them are handsome, but this guy really looks too mature."
"We could use him as a negative example and have the mentors ridicule his dreams to their hearts' content."
"."
Watching Bai Youlou argue on his behalf, Long Ziqiang was quite touched, but those words still left him feeling uncomfortable. What did they mean, "ridicule his dreams to their hearts' content"?~
It sounded almost as if they were saying, "By all means, don't treat him like a human."
Seeing that the tug-of-war seemed destined to end with the other side refusing to budge, Long Ziqiang was about to say, "How about I don't go onstage?"
But just then, a clear voice rang out. "His age meets the requirements, so let him participate. Isn't our show's whole premise to select idols who are different?"
Long Ziqiang turned around, and it was as if holy light had appeared before his eyes.
A slender girl with long, straight black hair and exquisite makeup appeared in his sight, radiating youth and vitality from head to toe.
What a good person!
Beautiful and kindhearted!
Long Ziqiang failed to notice that the director's expression had suddenly become very strange. He couldn't help nudging him with his elbow.
Director, look at the beauty.
Bai Youlou: Thanks for asking. She was my "ex-girlfriend."
Thanks to Yizhu Guan for the 500 reward. May the generous donor live forever.
Before you continue