Chapter 171: Look How Scared The Kid Is
Meng Han and Su Xinnan saw Yu Wei again, and an indescribable feeling inexplicably arose in their hearts.
Don’t think that Yu Wei had only been away for just over twenty days, but in those twenty-plus days, he had already walked the path that many artists take a lifetime to traverse.
Being renowned internationally should be the lifelong goal of every aspiring artist, but Yu Wei seemed to have achieved it effortlessly.
Everyone says international influence isn’t important, but if you’re truly in the entertainment industry, you’ll definitely want to go global for further success, and the two of them are no exception.
Unfortunately, limited by cultural barriers and their own abilities, their achievements ultimately stayed domestic.
Meng Han was slightly better off; his rock music had some influence in Asia, but Su Xinnan’s TV dramas could basically be called “self-entertainment within the circle.”
Music actually has an advantage over dramas in terms of dissemination, but Chinese songs have their own limitations, so few people have succeeded on this path.
Yu Wei’s move was a groundbreaking step; if foreigners can’t appreciate Chinese songs, use pure melodies instead—this was undoubtedly a brilliant move.
“Castle in the Sky” came into being at the right time, successfully introducing him to foreigners. As this piano piece spreads, Yu Wei’s fame overseas will surely rise steadily. It’s fake to say they’re not envious.
“I think in a few years, we’ll all have to call you Teacher Yu.”
Su Xinnan wasn’t flattering; in fact, Yu Wei’s influence among the younger audience already surpassed theirs. They just had more seniority.
“Sister Nan, what are you talking about? Later, I might even need to ask for your help.”
Yu Wei was already laying the groundwork for free-riding on Su Xinnan later. If she came to guest star, it would definitely boost box office indirectly, thanks to the nostalgia factor.
“That sounds great. It’s not impossible for me to cameo in your novel as an extra.”
Better not. Sister Nan was the chosen female lead in Chinese entertainment stories; putting her in his novel as a pendant would be somewhat wasteful.
Meng Han was undoubtedly very comforted seeing the gradually rising Yu Wei, which was greatly beneficial to his mentality.
“By the way, in your novel, can Meng Lei’s competition be pushed back a bit?”
Yu Wei instantly understood his meaning. Was he finally planning to help his son out?
Adjusting the order wouldn’t affect the competition’s fairness, so he could help with this small favor. He just didn’t know how Teacher Meng planned to help—devil training, guest singing, or maybe custom-writing a song.
He was silent for a moment, then thoughtfully turned back to glance at Zhou Mumu, who was quietly in the corner.
“No one else to write. Let’s write a young couple chorus first.”
Zhou Mumu: ?
Yu Wei’s idea actually aligned perfectly with hers. After hearing about guest singers in the second round, the first person that came to her mind was Fei Hong.
But she also knew that if she invited Fei Hong to guest sing, her fans and company would explode.
Yu Wei’s fake competition couldn’t be locked down, so they would suffer big time then. Imagine how painful a relationship disapproved by both company and fans would be.
“I have a clever plan.”
As an old failure in entertainment novels, did he even need to think about what to do in this situation?
Of course, apply the formula and start “Masked Singer.”
This was a real formula; almost every plagiarist-style entertainment novel had this segment. One, to cap the protagonist’s growing prestige for better showing off; two, to build expectation with hidden-identity vest streams.
This program was pure script; some singers were obviously recognizable, yet guests pretended not to know.
Even with full coverage it was fine, but some wore just a veil and went on stage, treating the audience like fools.
This kind of thing was unrealistic just thinking about it. They’re still celebrities; how could no one notice them recording a program? Many stars’ schedules were public.
Real programs couldn’t use this trick, but his fake program was perfect for it.
It was an online competition anyway, no need to go out. Videos didn’t need to show faces, and with voice processing, it would be undetectable.
This routine was practically made for fake competitions; it only worked well in novels because it was from novels.
Just have Fei Hong chorus with Zhou Mumu without showing his face?
Yu Wei had another purpose too: under the premise that Zhou Mumu’s company and fans didn’t approve of Fei Hong, no matter how well he did, it would be futile since prejudice was already set.
His “Someone Like Me” in the revival match was already very good, but in Zhou Mumu’s fans’ eyes, it was not stage-worthy.
At this point, to gain recognition and break that stereotype was undoubtedly the best choice.
Fast-forward to Zhou Mumu’s fans approving the guest singer, only to later find out it was Fei Hong, then their left and right brains start fighting…
Yu Wei’s idea killed three birds with one stone: first, it added appeal to his novel and fake program; second, it helped the young couple, making it easier for him to free-ride later; third, he could watch the fun.
Zhou Mumu was a bit stunned after hearing his plan. Could it really be played like this?
He was turning this fake program into a spectacle; writing novels was truly underutilizing his talent.
“Will it really work?”
“I don’t know.”
Yu Wei was just making a suggestion. If mishandled, it could ruin people, and he didn’t want to get involved. It was up to them to decide.
Actually, Zhou Mumu wanted to agree right away, but she thought further: wouldn’t this somewhat wrong Fei Hong, making him seem like someone who couldn’t be seen in public…
This was something Yu Wei hadn’t considered. Indeed, only those who love you think of everything for you. Zhou Mumu didn’t agree immediately but considered Fei Hong first, showing he truly mattered to her.
Why did it feel like he was being shown up?
Zhou Mumu planned to ask Fei Hong first before deciding, and Yu Wei naturally agreed. No rush to write anyway.
Soon, the recording of the ninth episode of “Music Blind Box” officially began. Listening to the host skillfully announce, Yu Wei felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
Back, everything was back. If he drew an interesting reader to team up later, it would be perfect.
Soon, several blind boxes were brought up. Amid Meng Han and Su Xinnan’s cheers, the returning Yu Wei got the first chance to go on stage and draw.
Unfortunately, this episode’s blind boxes had no obvious fans. Yu Wei casually picked “Mapo Tofu”—no other reason, just loved eating it.
Since joining this program, he really hadn’t drawn any food-related professions. Hopefully this time.
If not, arrange a gourmet judge for him; he’d accept even nine-turn large intestine.
As the guest performer, Zhou Mumu went second. She seemed to have chosen early and directly took the makeup blind box—the profession inside was obviously makeup artist.
After Zhou Mumu took the makeup artist, Su Xinnan clearly showed some pity; she had been interested in it too.
But these things were first-come, first-served, nothing to say. She could only settle for the “color” tag next; this one might be a painter.
When it was Meng Han’s turn last, a dramatic scene appeared: the remaining two tags were “kindergarten teacher” and “childcare”…
So he was fated with kids this time. In the end, Meng Han had no choice but to pick kindergarten teacher—better than infants, at least.
A tough guy coaxing kids? That had a strong sense of imagery. Just don’t scare the child.
Felt like Teacher Meng drew weird contestants every episode; maybe he had some comedic talent.
During the blind box opening segment, Yu Wei immediately noticed a female guest behind his curtain.
Yu Wei had been in six episodes, with six teammates: four males and two females—predominance of males and scarcity of females. This time he finally drew a girl again.
The moment the curtain dropped, Yu Wei saw a fair and pretty face, as if with built-in soft light. Her eyes were the focal point of her face—almond-shaped, round, and bright, very beautiful.
He hadn’t drawn many female contestants, but they were all stunning one after another. Today’s, except being a head shorter than Qi Luo An, was not inferior in other aspects.
Nothing special about her outfit—standard girl style: sakura pink knit short-sleeve cardigan with milky white A-line mini skirt. But Yu Wei noticed her light brown small leather shoes.
Porridge bro’s favorite episode…
After recording paused, Yu Wei went up to greet her, but the girl directly bowed ninety degrees to him, followed by a very stiff “hello.”
Japanese girl?
Yu Wei doubtfully looked at the staff nearby and got an affirmative answer.
The program’s concept was to hear everyone’s voice, naturally including foreigners. This was the first foreigner, and even Yu Wei, fresh back from abroad, was a bit surprised.
Whether Japanese girls count as people depends…
The program team naturally knew this; it was very sensitive. Before selecting, they investigated thoroughly. This child came to China for studies, loved Chinese culture, and had a clean background.
Hearing she was a Jiaotong University international student, Yu Wei was obviously surprised. Ran into Qi Luo An’s alumni?
“Nice to meet you, I’m Sakuraya Rio, from Nara.”
Sakuraya Rio had only come to China for studies last month, her Chinese was poor, and she wasn’t very familiar with Yu Wei.
She was a pure music enthusiast, not there to see stars. Hearing about a music program for civilians, she signed up.
The program team needed some novelty and quickly contacted her.
“Wait, you said her Chinese isn’t good?”
After hearing the staff’s introduction, Yu Wei instantly realized the severity. If not fluent in Chinese, how could she learn Chinese songs?
Having her phonetically sing would sound weird, and a week might not be enough to practice, especially as a civilian.
The program team gave him a tough one. Looked like he needed a Japanese song this time…
While Yu Wei was pondering what song to use, Sakuraya Rio nearby mustered courage and reintroduced herself.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Sakuraya Rio.”
Yu Wei was stunned, realizing he had been presumptuous.
Previous contestants knew him, so he skipped introductions and chatted directly. But to Sakuraya Rio, he was a stranger.
Domestic stars—she probably didn’t know many.
“Hello, I’m Yu Wei.”
He noticed Sakuraya Rio’s flustered little hands and suddenly felt embarrassed. Look how scared he’d made the kid.
Outsiders might think he was acting big.
“Fish… tail?”
But Sakuraya Rio struggled a bit with the name; its pronunciation was a tad tricky.
“If you want, you can call me Honey.”
“?”
Sakuraya Rio was a bit dazed. How was there someone called honey? Because he loved eating honey?
Giving Japanese girls fake names wasn’t common sense?
Yu Wei originally wanted to say Sakura but held back.
Honey was pretty good too.
