Chapter 1.1

The temperature had dropped sharply in Hai City’s November season. Winter winds swept up fallen leaves, making people shiver from the cold.

Yan Qing wrapped herself in a thick scarf. Abiding with the agreed meeting time, she arrived promptly to Chengfeng Videos headquarters. However, An Lan, who had planned to meet with her, was currently too busy to see her.  Yan Qing didn’t mind, patiently taking a seat in the hallways in front of her office.

Chengfeng Videos was currently undergoing internal pressures.  From their variety shows to new TV shows, all their programming was being crushed by a competing streaming service.  Their days were spent under immense stress. To save money, they refused to run the heater even in this weather.

Yan Qing disliked the cold. She hid half of her face behind her scarf, only leaving out a pair of eyes turned red and watery from the cold air.

There were staff members in the hallways. They had already taken notice of her. Everyone in this line of business was relatively knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the entertainment business. They all had sharp eyes. Even though they couldn’t see all of her features, her figure and atmosphere were enough for them to conclude that she was not average.

Finally a man stepped forward and politely asked, “Are you a contestant? I can take you to the person in charge.”

Yan Qing looked up at him.

The man froze. From this distance, he could see that her eyes were full of spirit. She didn’t have make-up on, nor was there signs of work under the knife. She had a naturally pleasant face that seemed to shine.

Yan Qing politely responded. “I’m not a contestant. I’m here to help Sister An Lan with the recording.”

Upon hearing this, the man sucked in a deep breath. She had a good face but her voice was even more special. Unlike the typical sweet female voice, her voice had a little textured layer of raspiness too.

Oh– He suddenly remembered. An Lan had scheduled to meet with a popular online singer, with the plan of recording a promo song for a new show. At that time, someone had suggested that they might as well bring the singer in as a contestant. Even if she only had average looks, her voice could still be a good way to bring attention to their show. But An Lan had told them regrettably that although her singing voice was special, her looks were not camera friendly. She wasn’t suited to become a pop artist.

So this was the singer.

The man’s interest immediately disappeared. So she only had a good figure and a pretty pair of eyes. Perhaps there was a large scar on her face and that was why she was covering it behind the scarf.

He briskly walked off, quietly reporting back the gossip to other watching staff members. The gaze on Yan Qing subtly changed, from original surprise to new curiosity for her true face.

Yan Qing did not notice any of this.  She focused on huddling underneath her scarf to stay warm. A few minutes later, she heard rushed footsteps heading her way. Stretching her neck, she smiled as she saw An Lan in the distance.

Nine months ago, she was still residing in Canada. She had been saved coincidentally by An Lan, who was in the country for a program. Yan Qing had always felt grateful for her help and wanted to repay her. Now, there was finally something that An Lan needed help with. Without even hesitating, she bought a ticket and flew back to China.

When An Lan had saved her life, it was still deep winter in Canada. She was wearing layers and layers of puffy jackets. Moreover, because she had accidentally eaten mangoes, a serious rash covered her skin. Under those circumstances, she doubted that An Lan even knew what she looked like. Therefore, she needed to take the initiative now.

Yan Qing stood up, beaming. She walked towards An Lan, unwrapping her scarf along the way.

The group of bystanders immediately perked up. They leaned in, curious for a look behind the scarf.

An Lan was still on the phone, not even paying attention to her surroundings. She was frustrated to death with her work situation: “The whole team agreed when I chose Chu Yao as the main contestant for promo marketing. Don’t blame this on me now! How was I supposed to tell that she was going to jump ship to our competitor’s program? The show starts filming this weekend, where do you expect me to find someone to replace her?”

The person on the other end of the phone had no sympathy: “There’s nothing worth discussing. You’ll take the responsibility in finding one. If this delays the filming schedule, any losses this time will be on you!”

An Lan cursed.

ChengFeng Videos collaborated with other streaming platforms and planned a girl group competition. This was their top program of the year. If anything could reverse their tides, it would be this.  However, they didn’t think that their business competitors were so shameless. With big pockets, they were able to ostentatiously create their own girl group competition in a short amount of time. Even worse, their contestants were prettier, their mentors were more famous, their competition rules were more exciting!

Chu Yao, the campus belle at an esteemed music conservatory, was chosen by her team under strict standards and criteria. But in the end, she abandoned the program and ran to the enemy camp at the most crucial time! There was no way An Lan could cover the damages of this!

An Lan was just about ready to jump off a building when she saw an unfamiliar girl approaching her. At first, An Lan thought this was another contestant who had entered through family connections. Annoyed, her hand raised to wave her away.

But before she could speak, An Lan paused in shock.

Yan Qing stopped in front of her. Her scarf was now completely removed. Her eyes crinkled into a crescent moon shape as she smiled. “Sister An Lan, I’m Yan Qing. I’m here to record.”

The onlookers who were looking to gossip were all silenced. An Lan was even more shocked. “You’re Yan Qing? You got plastic surgery?”

“No,” Yan Qing wasn’t angry. “Last time we met, I was wearing a different outfit and suffering from a severe allergic reaction. But I’m better now.”

An Lan didn’t bother to keep her calm persona. She stuck out her hand towards Yan Qing’s face to inspect for herself. Yan Qing’s skin was soft and delicate. Her bone structure was defined. Her lips were plump and full. Her eyes were watery as she peered down at her in confusion. Most importantly, An Lan thought as she gave Yan Qing’s cheeks a squeeze, this was a naturally sculpted face.  This was no doubt a beauty.

In comparison, that immoral and disloyal Chu Yao was not worthy of holding on to. Besides, Yan Qing had great talent in the singing front. She was a popular online singer-songwriter, known for being able to bring listeners to tears in two to three verses.

With new inspiration, An Lan’s energy fired back up. Excitedly, she grabbed Yan Qing’s hand. “Are you over twenty years old?”

“I’m twenty-two.”

“That’s perfect! Can you clear out your schedule for the next three months?”

Yan Qing didn’t know what was going on but answered honestly. “I can.”

With a trill in her voice, An Lan rasped, “You want to repay me right?”

“Yes.”

“Are you willing to listen to me?”

“Yes.”

An Lan was ready to cry, “You’re not here to record, you’re here to save my life! Let’s go, let’s go! Follow me upstairs to meet the big boss. You’re going to be a contestant! You’ll be the main promo for marketing! You’re going to debut! From the first episode, we’ll be able to take over the internet. We’ll win!”

___________

Yan Qing underwent two hours of interviews. But ‘interviews’ made the process sound serious. In actuality, she sat through waves of directors, producers, instructors, and executives from ChengFeng Videos repeating the same things over and over in cycles.

“My god, this face! Are you natural?”

“Look at the side profile, even from the back! There’s no bad angle. Do you have a bad angle?”

“Sing a few lines — wait stop, I can’t! Bring in better equipment. This low quality speaker doesn’t do her voice justice!”

“Can you dance? Pick a song–” The executive pushed up her glasses. “Oh, you don’t know how to dance?”

Yan Qing thought, no dance experience was definitely not okay right? This means that she was disqualified for sure. Now she would need to find another way to help An Lan!

She didn’t expect to hear: “That’s great! Finally there’s something that can be improved on. That way this will feel more realistic and will be more interesting to watch! You’ve passed! Definitely! It’s settled. Sign the contract. You can report here tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll officially start filming this weekend.”

Yan Qing blinked her eyes.

To be honestly, she was only here to record a promo song, only as a behind the scenes worker. She hadn’t thought about appearing on camera. Something like a girl’s group competition seemed so far removed from her.

An Lan saw her hesitation. She tugged on her arm, “QingQing, at least help for the first few episodes. When the program is stable in the ratings and popularity, if you still don’t want to be involved, I’ll find a way for you to withdraw then. I’m begging you, please help me. Or else, I’m dead!”

Yan Qing’s heart relaxed. Her mission was to repay An Lan’s kindness anyways. She couldn’t bare to see An Lan lower herself. In a second, she made her decision. “I’ll try my best. But if the results aren’t great, I can’t take responsibility.”

Pausing for a second, Yan Qing couldn’t help but add: “Also…Qing Qing sounds a bit weird. You can call me by my full name. Or YanYan is also fine.”