Chapter 22

After a pause, Qiao Lin gathered her emotions and smiled at Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi again. "What a coincidence. My new album is about to be released, and one of the rap songs incorporates Peking Opera elements. If possible, I'd like Sugar Juice Duo to choreograph the dance for that song. Would you be willing to help me make this MV?"

As the newly crowned song-and-dance queen of the entertainment industry over the past two years, Qiao Lin had always pursued variety in her style, determined not to be pigeonholed or standardized by the public. Aside from her agency's arrangement to build goodwill with Emperor Entertainment, she had naturally had her own reasons for accepting the invitation to serve as a judge on Dance Miracle. Increasing her exposure was only one of them. More importantly, Qiao Lin wanted to encounter different styles of dance and find ways to incorporate them into her albums, bringing her fans something new.

So when she first saw Sugar Juice Duo, she had felt that their performance style suited her taste perfectly. However, their Tai Chi-infused Flower Basket Street Dance during the Auditions, while eye-catching, had not been enough to completely move her.

But their Robot Dance infused with Peking Opera in this Qualifier Round had made Qiao Lin's heart skip a beat.

Because her upcoming album included a new song with a classical flavor, blending pop music with rap, with its climax sung in an operatic style. The company had originally prepared it for Qiao Lin as a small attempt at diversifying her music. Of course, given its potential market audience, the song was not currently planned as a title track. But—

Qiao Lin gazed at Sugar Juice Duo onstage with sparkling eyes. Who told her to be so lucky as to discover such a treasure?

Just think about it.

Auditions contestants from Dance Miracle had moved the judges with a dance during the Qualifier Round. Not only had they earned the right to advance to the national competition, but they had also been fortunate enough to become part of song-and-dance queen Qiao Lin's new album production.

Wasn't that newsworthy? Wasn't it enough to grab people's attention? On top of that, this duo had won the Lottery's grand prize during the competition... The surprise of becoming rich overnight, the amazement of young fame—either one was exactly the sort of thing the media and ordinary viewers loved most.

As long as Qiao Lin could bring the two of them into the production of her new album, she could effortlessly draw in a wave of media outlets to chase the story and give them free publicity. Free advertising that could produce such great results without spending money... No matter how Qiao Lin looked at it, she did not think she was getting the short end of the stick.

Of course, there were hidden benefits as well. She could do Apple TV Station and Emperor Entertainment a favor. After all, Qiao Lin's actions would add another hook to Dance Miracle. Besides, with Sugar Juice Duo's talent, barring any accidents, Emperor would definitely sign them as artists. Artists who had just entered the industry were like blank sheets of paper, with no connections or accumulated networks. If their debut performance involved choreographing and acting as male supporting roles in a song-and-dance queen's MV, that was already an impressively high starting point.

So this was absolutely a win-win situation. That was why, after speaking up, Qiao Lin had never considered the possibility that Sugar Juice Duo might refuse. Sure enough, the two young men onstage nodded repeatedly, looking overwhelmed by the favor, and said loudly, "Yes, of course we're willing. It's just that we don't understand any of this. We're afraid we won't do a good job..."

"How could that be?" Qiao Lin shook her head with a warm smile, her expression utterly sincere. "I believe in your talent. You can definitely do it."

At that point, there was no longer any suspense. The other two judges smiled and teased them for a few moments, saying only that Qiao Lin truly deserved to be the most approachable song-and-dance queen, with a sharp eye for talent and so on.

Qiao Lin naturally went along with it, lavishing Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi with praise, looking thoroughly dazzled by their talent. She also took the opportunity to compliment Dance Miracle, saying it was indeed an excellent platform that could help the entertainment industry uncover hidden geniuses among ordinary people. If not for Dance Miracle, she would never have discovered Sugar Juice Duo...

In short, everyone praised one another, and in the end, everyone was happy in a harmonious atmosphere.

And this slightly dramatic scene, like a talent scout recognizing a fine horse, was indeed exactly what ordinary people loved to watch. After the episode aired, the staff members keeping watch over the real-time ratings in the television station's office building were delighted to discover that the ratings during Qiao Lin's invitation for Sugar Juice Duo to make her MV had risen by 0.03 percentage points, becoming the peak viewership of the entire Qualifier Round broadcast. Add in the 0.01 percentage point increase when the VCR of the two redeeming their grand prize at the Lottery Center aired before Sugar Juice Duo took the stage, and Sugar Juice Duo's ratings across the entire Qualifier Round were a full 0.04 percentage points higher than those of the other contestants. This also showed, from another angle, how much viewers liked Sugar Juice Duo.

After receiving the staff's feedback, the production team quietly decided where to place their focus in future recordings.

But that was all later. Returning to the recording site of Dance Miracle, the first two judges had both praised Sugar Juice Duo's dance style, especially Qiao Lin, whose invitation for them to make her MV had created a huge buzz. Even several minutes later, everyone was still eagerly discussing what had just happened, with no attention left for anything else. This made Zhang Chujie, the last judge to give his comments, smile bitterly.

For people of their status, the reason they agreed to judge this kind of talent show was not truly because they loved talent or wanted to support the younger generation. Perhaps when it came to matters unrelated to their own interests, they were willing to look after juniors and help rising newcomers. But in the final analysis, it was still for themselves: more exposure, more popularity. If a contestant they had shown favor to eventually managed to establish themselves in the industry, or even become wildly successful, then they, as judges, could be said to have recognized talent. Turning that intangible popularity into actual purchasing power and using it as a stepping stone to climb higher—that was what truly mattered.

Thinking this, Zhang Chujie discreetly glanced at Qiao Lin beside him, who still wore an excited expression. He had to admit that this twenty-five-year-old woman had risen to her current position in such a short time after entering the industry because her schemes and methods were indeed exceptional. But regardless of what Qiao Lin was planning, she had neither harmed anyone nor harbored ill intent. This kind of win-win approach, one that could boost her own popularity, goodwill, and tangible benefits while also bringing profit to others, was welcome in any circle.

No wonder everyone in the industry praised Qiao Lin whenever she was mentioned. They said she was capable and approachable, with a good personality and good character. She also knew not to keep everything for herself, and even when she wanted to monopolize something, she did not do so in an ugly or irritating way... Previously, because they belonged to different agencies, different circles, and different age groups, Zhang Chujie had had little contact with the currently red-hot song-and-dance queen. But this experience of serving as judges together had been enough to make him see Qiao Lin in a new light.

The thought flashed through his mind. Having been thoroughly overshadowed by Qiao Lin, Zhang Chujie could only take a different approach with his comments. "I don't come from a professional dance background, and Teacher Mo Zi and Teacher Qiao Lin have already analyzed things in such detail, so I won't pretend to know more than I do. I'll only say that while watching Sugar Juice Duo's performance, I noticed that they have great talent for performing. Although this street dance style fused with Peking Opera... purely in terms of acting, it may seem a little exaggerated to us. But if you treat it like a musical, you'll find it extremely engaging. Work hard. After the competition ends, I look forward to seeing you in the production crew for the Dance Miracle Big Movie."

Zhang Chujie's comments once again stirred up an uproar from the audience. Perhaps because of the VCR shown earlier, these viewers, who had not been familiar with the contestants before, remembered the unbelievably lucky Sugar Juice Duo for the first time and immediately developed a faint sense of identification with them. Then Sugar Juice Duo's distinctive street dance, blending Robot Dance with the movements of Peking Opera martial roles, captured everyone's attention. Before the audience had even had time to process it all, the increasingly enthusiastic recognition from the three judges sent another wave through their hearts. Their initial faint identification transformed at that moment into a strong sense of approval and pride. The fan mentality of, I may not have that kind of luck or talent, but the people I like are outstanding, instantly swept through every audience member.

At first, scattered shouts rose faintly from somewhere in the crowd. Then more and more people joined in, the voices growing louder and louder, until every audience member in the studio stood up, waving glow sticks and shouting the name "Sugar Juice Duo."

The cries of hundreds of audience members were deafening. Not only Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi, standing onstage and looking somewhat at a loss, but even the three judges at the table could not help turning to look at the emotional crowd below. Qiao Lin covered her chest with one hand and shook her head with a smile. "These people have gone crazy... Though I'm not much better myself."

The shouting continued for more than a minute. The host onstage had no choice but to step forward and restore order three times before the studio atmosphere finally calmed down somewhat. To ensure the rest of the recording could proceed smoothly, the host only had time to say a few words of thanks to Sugar Juice Duo before sending them offstage.

But it was as if the audience had used up all their emotions in that moment. No matter how professional or fiery the contestants who came on afterward were, they could not draw the audience's attention. It was not until more than ten contestants later that things finally improved. The few contestants who had gone onstage after Sugar Juice Duo regretted it bitterly, because under that kind of pressure and atmosphere, their performances had been far from good.

That enormous contrast caused some contestants to unconsciously direct their anger toward Sugar Juice Duo. At the same time, some well-informed contestants even came to hate Lin Zhaoran and Song Lijia—if they had not run away at the last minute, why would Sugar Juice Duo have gone onstage at that particular time?

Thinking of this, some contestants suddenly remembered that during the Auditions recording, Sugar Juice Duo seemed to have had an argument with Lin Zhaoran and the others. Could it be...

After accepting the Qualifier Round invitation from the judges and returning backstage, Tang Shi sharply noticed that the other contestants' gazes toward the two of them were somewhat complicated. But that was understandable.

Whether it was their incredible stroke of luck in winning the Lottery's grand prize earlier, or Qiao Lin noticing them afterward because of their unique dance and inviting them to make her MV, these were all things everyone dreamed of. Yet now, all those good things had landed on Sugar Juice Duo's heads. While the other contestants were excited, their feelings were also complicated.

And anyone with eyes could see that during today's recording, Sugar Juice Duo had already won the audience's goodwill and familiarity. It was easy to imagine that in future recordings, the production team would definitely focus on Sugar Juice Duo to boost ratings. Their exposure would grow higher and higher, they would have more and more opportunities to perform, attract more popularity, and naturally rank higher and higher in the competition. That realization made some contestants, who considered themselves talented yet felt they had no chance to shine, deeply resentful.

Of course, some were simply happy for Sugar Juice Duo, thinking the two of them were truly lucky and quite interesting. After all, there were all kinds of people in the world. Not every contestant had joined Dance Miracle with the goal of achieving something at all costs.

But no matter what everyone thought inside, they all approached Sugar Juice Duo with smiles and offered their congratulations.

Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi smiled as they patiently exchanged pleasantries and jokes with the contestants who came to congratulate them. In a low-key, non-boastful manner, they sincerely expressed their joy at advancing smoothly and their blessings for the other contestants. Though they had no previous experience in the entertainment industry, certain aspects of human nature were universal across all circles. For example, the tendency to blindly follow those who were unquestionably outstanding, or in group competition, to reject someone only slightly better than themselves who stood out merely because the opportunity had come at just the right time.