Chapter 4: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times
This was a world with a highly developed entertainment industry. Unlike the culturally backward worlds often found in online novels, this world also didn’t have a so-called “Great Chinese Empire.” Everything seemed almost identical to the original world. China was still China, America was still America. If there was any change, it was that there was no change.
Therefore, it was absolutely impossible for Yu Linna to become famous through plagiarism, like her “predecessors” in novels. It was impossible from the very beginning.
The citywide singing competition was an annual event, building momentum for the national competition. It was also a way to select outstanding talent for the music industry, a tried-and-true method. However, in recent years, the music industry had shown a decline, with a lack of successors. There were too few entertainers who could both act and sing. Since the superstar singer’s explosive popularity several years ago, this heavenly king had gradually faded from the public eye, settling down to take care of his wife and children.
Therefore, the music industry indeed needed to cultivate new talent, and the national competition was prepared for this purpose.
“But I didn’t expect you to invite me to attend this competition. It doesn’t seem like something you would do.”
A woman wearing a suit and glasses surveyed the scene and couldn’t help but say this.
This was the city’s radio and television station, an important venue for this selection competition. The participating singers would record their performances here, which would be edited and broadcast on television. This was also for publicity.
Sponsors were also happy to invest in this kind of event. After all, in this era where the entertainment industry reigned supreme, who didn’t want to make money, who didn’t want to become famous overnight? Many singers embarked on this journey with the dream of becoming stars, sweating and striving to realize their dreams. But only a few succeeded; most were drowned by the waves.
“It’s a rare opportunity, so why don’t you come and take a look? Although it might be boring. But you don’t have anything else to do, right?”
Huang Jinglin was her good friend from university. After graduation, they went into different careers, but they still kept in touch.
The woman in the suit was named Chen Xi. She was currently a senior editor at a magazine and had discovered quite a few new talents. She was a completely different type of person from Huang Jinglin, a radio host. It was a mystery how they ended up on different paths.
“Jinglin, my time is very valuable.”
Looking at the ticket that had been stuffed into her hand, Chen Xi showed no interest at all. What was so interesting about this kind of singing competition? It wasn’t a celebrity concert. The participants were all oddballs with terrible voices. It was quite difficult to find singers with good voices. Why did she have to suffer through this? She only wanted to see celebrities.
“Just watch for a while. It’s too boring for you to always sit in the office. It’s good to relax occasionally.”
“I want to see big stars.”
Although she was a star-chaser, Chen Xi was also an ordinary person. If she wasn’t here to see celebrities, it would be really boring.
But after all, her friend was hosting, so she might as well show some support. Besides, if this competition really did discover a star, that would be pretty good. Although the probability was very low.
In today’s society, countless people were desperately trying to climb the ladder to fame, but how many could truly succeed? If everyone could succeed, there wouldn’t be so many ordinary people in this world.
Those who truly succeeded were one in ten thousand.
Back to Yu Linna. Since she had agreed to participate in the competition with her friend, she now had to seriously study music. She took a week off from school, completely following Nangong Ying’s advice, and focused on studying.
Nangong Ying’s home was in the city center, surrounded by high-rise buildings. Yu Linna almost got lost the first time she went, but she finally found the elevator. After entering her home, it was indeed quite large, with a very good environment and a harmonious overall atmosphere. After nervously greeting her, Yu Linna followed Nangong Ying to her room to study.
But it wasn’t smooth sailing. Although Nangong Ying taught with great effort, and Yu Linna studied very hard, she had never practiced from a young age. It was a difficult task to force her to improve in such a short time.
Gradually, Nangong Ying also started to get anxious, and her tone became unfriendly.
“No, at this level, you’ll easily be eliminated in the elimination rounds.”
As an experienced veteran, Nangong Ying sat on the bed and couldn’t help but sigh.
Yu Linna’s situation was too dangerous. Although her appearance was better than that of the average contestant, and her golden hair was very eye-catching, undoubtedly a bonus for the competition, appearance alone wasn’t enough. Without basic strength, it was difficult to gain the approval of the judges.
“Then what should I do…?”
Yu Linna looked at her, feeling troubled.
As a girl with no strong opinions of her own, who only listened to others’ arrangements, she really didn’t know what to do at this moment.
She had completely followed Nangong Ying’s arrangements to participate in the competition. In fact, she had no idea what form the competition would take. All she knew was that Nangong Ying wouldn’t lie to her, and Nangong Ying was always right.
“Linna, I want to ask you a question. Do you know what your purpose is in participating in this competition?”
Nangong Ying popped a cookie into her mouth and glanced at her.
“I want prize money, lots and lots of prize money.”
As she said this, her eyes sparkled. Only when talking about money did she get so excited.
Yu Linna didn’t think of herself as a saint, nor did she think she was a big shot. If there was money to be made, why not go for it? She was a complete “gold digger”; only money was supreme.
“And aren’t you tired of poverty, wanting to change your current life?”
Nangong Ying smiled, holding a cookie and extending it to her. Her expression was full of playfulness, but also a hint of mystery.
“You’re like me, you want to change your current situation, you want to fight for freedom. The difference is that you’re just starting now. It’s okay, I’ll guide you slowly. Linna, if you want to change your situation, you have to work hard. Only by doing what others dare not do can we become different from others.”
The cookie was stuffed into Yu Linna’s mouth. The cookie tasted very sweet, but it couldn’t be swallowed immediately; it had to be chewed. Life was like this too.
Yu Linna, at this moment, strengthened her resolve. That’s right, from a very young age, she had been living a life of displacement. She was tired of it. She had no parents, no one to take her in, and even the foster family she had stayed with for a while had abandoned her. From a very early age, she had been trapped by poverty. She was tired of it.
“I want to become rich, I want to become famous, I want everyone to not look down on me. Then… I can gain everyone’s respect.”
That’s right, to achieve this goal, she had to put in more effort than others. No matter how difficult the road was, she had to keep going.
Because Yu Linna could not admit defeat.
“Haha, yes, that’s more like it. That’s the Yu Linna I know.”
“You really are the same kind as me, Linna.”
“What you want is to be second to none, which is what we call a dream.”
Yu Linna was a person with dreams. She didn’t want to be content with the status quo, she didn’t want to do nothing and just live a plain life. She wanted to go to higher and farther places, to escape her current predicament.
“So, let’s leave it at that. Let’s continue practicing. There’s still a lot you don’t know, and I’ll teach you one by one. Of course, I’m not stupid enough to let you learn everything. What we’re learning is a crash course. Everything is for the competition, don’t expect to become like me.”
“Okay, let’s continue.”
“Also, take a leave of absence from school this week. We’ll focus on studying music, preparing for the competition.”
“So sudden?!”
“Then do you not want that prize money anymore?”
“…Okay, I’ll take a leave.”
For the competition, she would go all out. Let’s give it our all.
Yu Linna didn’t know if she was doing the right thing, but wasn’t there a saying that went, “It’s better to go all out than to give up”? Maybe she was a genius. Perhaps this competition was paving the way for her path to fame. Yu Linna hadn’t even won the prize yet, and she was already imagining the scene after she won. The smile on her face was too obvious!
Well, it was a good thing that she had this kind of heart.
Even though she herself didn’t have much confidence.
This world was quite developed. In an era where the entertainment industry was booming and talent was exploding, everyone wanted to squeeze into this circle and start their own era. So, in such a fiercely competitive era, what was the way to stand out? The only answer was to put in more effort than others and to be more persistent than others. This was probably the only winning formula.
Yu Linna, this ordinary and unremarkable girl, wanted to get more, which also meant she had to lose something in return.
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