Let's Have Breakfast Together Sometime

"Authentic good herbal tea, authentic good voice."

"Welcome everyone to the stage of 'The Voice', where..."

"Now, let me introduce the four mentors for this show!"

After the live host's passionate opening, the stage lights dimmed and music began to play.

Top-tier lighting, top-tier sound effects; this show truly had the highest production value for a talent competition.

The four mentors sang a song together, appearing one by one before the live audience, eliciting waves of cheers that echoed throughout the studio.

It had to be said, the production team of 'The Voice' had put a lot of effort into selecting the mentors.

There was a highly respected senior figure in the industry, a Heavenly King-level singer who had been popular for over a decade or two, a current leading figure in the music scene, and Zhen Dongjun, who was responsible for the show's entertainment value.

These celestial beings gathered together, creating a performance that was sweet in the high notes, accurate in the mid-tones, and deep in the low notes!

As for the song they collaborated on, the overall feeling... wasn't great.

Everyone had their own distinct style, and when mixed together, it felt like a chaotic jumble.

It couldn't be helped; the song choice was a bit off.

Or rather, it was difficult to choose a good song.

There are very few songs that can evoke strong emotions from anyone who sings them; there are always suitable and unsuitable choices.

It was like how Bai Youlou, when operating at full capacity without stopping, could casually produce hundreds of songs in a short period.

However, even if a third of those were suitable for him to sing, it would be considered a testament to his exceptional vocal talent.

This was also why he needed "tools" like Zhang Xiaorong and Long Ziqiang.

If he had to sing them all himself, whether they would be good is debatable, but it would certainly "ruin" many songs.

Furthermore, if he sang everything himself, he would be so exhausted from just recording albums and songs for the next few years that he would work himself to death.

"Heh heh, I'm ready to go!"

"Aqiang, sing well, don't embarrass us."

"How many shows have I been on with Brother Lou? I can handle this little situation in a snap."

Long Ziqiang confidently gave Old Zhou a gesture and, without looking back, headed off with the staff to prepare for his appearance.

He was the very first contestant in the first episode of this season of 'The Voice'.

The 'The Voice' production team had indeed conducted a thorough background check on Bai Youlou and his "accessory," Long Ziqiang.

Placing Long Ziqiang first was intended to make a strong initial impression.

Of course, it wasn't just Long Ziqiang's performance that was meant to make a strong initial impression.

In the small room where Bai Youlou and Old Zhou were staying with their family and friends, several cameras had already been turned on and were operating, though no one knew exactly when they started.

A female host, wearing a short skirt and a light-colored polo shirt, with a very infectious smile, approached them.

This female host had apparently been briefed beforehand. Upon seeing Bai Youlou, she showed no surprise and even greeted him with a smile.

She also conveyed the director's request for him to cooperate in creating some "program effects."

"Program effects? Isn't it enough for us to cheer for Aqiang from here?"

Old Zhou, a true behind-the-scenes person, felt a bit nervous with so many cameras around, unsure of where to put his hands.

His nervousness stemmed more from worry. Given Bai Youlou's current mental state, what kind of program effects could he possibly create?

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Ah?" The female host was taken aback, unsure how to answer the question. After a moment, she quickly waved her hand, "No..."

"What's your zodiac sign?"

"This..."

"Let's have breakfast together sometime."

Old Zhou: 6

Creating program effects is not sexual harassment of the female host, you idiot!

While Long Ziqiang on stage sang his heart out, causing the mentors to turn their chairs, Bai Youlou backstage was showing his scoundrelly nature, harassing the host with a barrage of questions.

In just three sentences, he managed to leave the initially enthusiastic rookie host bewildered.

Mainly, she didn't quite understand the meaning of "let's have breakfast together sometime."

And who asks someone out for breakfast?

At that moment, a reminder came through the female host's earpiece from the director's team, "Xiao Liu, he's teasing you. Don't freeze, keep the conversation going, ask him about his original creative ideas."

The 'The Voice' production team had actually anticipated Bai Youlou's mental state.

This was mainly because this guy had acted like a self-detonating truck a few months ago, and the memes he left behind were still circulating widely.

Netizens even jokingly called him very polite: he used someone else's things and still remembered to give a "good review."

However, the rookie host, Xiao Liu, didn't seem to have a very strong capacity to handle pressure.

After her colleague reminded her what Bai Youlou's words meant, she visibly flushed.

It wasn't a blush of shyness, but genuine anger.

At this moment, Bai Youlou suddenly paused and smiled at her. "That last segment should be usable, right? The family and friends section probably has limited camera time, so it'll highlight my scoundrel nature, perfectly matching my online image. It's guaranteed to make people hate me."

"Huh?"

"Hello, we can properly reintroduce ourselves. Although I'm already quite famous in a way, my name is Bai Youlou, taken from 'Xiao Lou Zuo Ye You Dong Feng'."

Xiao Lou Zuo Ye You Dong Feng. Bu Kan Hui Shou Yue Ming Zhong?

Host Xiao Liu quickly pieced together the latter half of the poem in her mind. What a fitting "cannot look back."

It inexplicably resonated with Bai Youlou's past experiences.

And Bai Youlou, who had already successfully labeled her with tags like "straight man" and "frivolous," seemed to blur again.

Unable to help herself, she blurted out, "You… you did that on purpose? Why?"

"We just met…"

Bai Youlou: You've crossed the line, girl.

"I'm sorry, did I ask too much?" Host Xiao Liu asked cautiously.

Strangely, the production team, who should have reminded her to "get back on track," remained silent.

They let student Xiao Liu improvise freely.

A perfectly good singing competition show seemed to have turned into an interview program at this moment.

It had already gone off-topic, drifting to who knows where.

If Long Ziqiang on stage knew that his "family and friends" weren't cheering him on from behind, his mental state would probably be quite fractured.

But unfortunately, this scoundrel Bai Youlou wasn't here to satisfy anyone's curiosity.

"It's over, should we applaud?"

"Oh? Right! Aqiang, you're doing great!"

Old Zhou perfunctorily clapped along with Bai Youlou, thinking to himself that this bastard was getting better and better at flirting with girls.

As they left the family and friends studio, the female host even saw them off reluctantly.

From Zhang Xiaorong's "fighting the world" to host Xiao Liu's "praise followed by criticism," the tactics were dazzling.

He really wanted to learn, but felt he couldn't pull off Bai Youlou's style.

After all, he was a man with true "stories."

From a certain perspective, this sense of having a story was fatally attractive to young girls.

When the two of them met up with Long Ziqiang, the three slung their arms around each other and slipped away to the safety stairs for a smoke. Only then did host Xiao Liu react.

"I'm sorry, Director, I just…"

"It's fine, you did great."

Hearing the feedback through her earpiece, Host Xiao Liu blurted out, "Are we really going to edit him to be that bad?"

Whether to edit him that badly, of course, depended on the prevailing wind.

When playing in the entertainment industry, right and wrong aren't really that important.

Let's put it this way: with Bai Youlou's two statements just now, if the audience only saw the first half, he'd be a shameless and horny pervert, someone everyone would hate.

But if you included the second half, connecting them would create a completely different impression.

Which part to show depended entirely on the production team's intentions.

"Devil editing" wasn't exactly rare in the industry.

As I said, it all depends on the wind.

If the general trend was for Bai Youlou to be taken down, then no one could save him, and the "The Voice" production team wouldn't help "whitewash" him.

But if, and this is a big "if," this kid truly overcame the negative press with his terrifying talent, then things might be different.

Publicity is all about manipulating public opinion.

"Damn it, this kid did that on purpose, didn't he? He deliberately paused between those two statements. It looks like he did it to make it easier for us to edit."