When Xu Zifan received Lin Li's call, the second episode of the girl group audition had already aired. Lin Li turned on the TV at Xu Zifan's house, showed Lin Siyan to him, and excitedly said, "Brother, I recently went to the girl group competition as a mentor, right? I found that this girl's voice is simply heavenly, so beautiful, completely on par with some divas. You should listen to it."
Xu Zifan was somewhat surprised, yet felt it perfectly matched the personality of a strategist. A strategist is someone who is omnipresent and uses every means possible to win over their target. Lin Li was his cousin, and although their relationship wasn't public knowledge, the outside world knew they were acquainted. Naturally, the strategist wouldn't let Lin Li pass by. It could be said that this strategist's actions so far were very stable, using the most natural way to present themselves to their target.
Xu Zifan relaxed on the sofa, listening to Lin Siyan sing a very difficult song. As soon as she finished, the entire audience applauded enthusiastically. No matter how scheming the contestants were, they couldn't find fault with her singing, and the mentors' comments were naturally all praise.
Lin Li smiled and pointed at the TV, "How about it, bro? Isn't it awesome?"
Xu Zifan nodded. "She's good. What, you like her?"
Lin Li stared in astonishment, then hurriedly waved his hands. "No, I've only met her a few times. How could I like her? Cousin, what are you talking about? Am I the kind of person who would take advantage of a young girl?"
"You came all this way just to show me, I thought you wanted to pursue her as a serious girlfriend."
"No, no! Bro, I just wanted you to know she's a great talent. Listen to her singing just now, it was amazing. Plus, she's top-notch in every way, with the right package, she'll definitely be a superstar. She was interested in signing with our company before, but we didn't have enough spots for her to participate in the show, so she gave up. I thought it was such a waste, so I recommended her to the company, but they're so slow, saying they need to observe her a bit more. What's the point of observing her? If they keep observing her, she'll definitely be signed by another company, and then we'll have another formidable competitor!"
Xu Zifan watched TV without saying anything, and Lin Li said again, "Brother, take another look. She has never studied dance, but she is talented and hardworking. I just admire her talent and have no other intentions."
The TV program had already shown the group performances, and Lin Siyan volunteered to be the center. At first, she couldn't keep up with the dance, but she practiced very diligently, over and over again. While everyone else had left, she continued practicing until she had perfected every move, striking the perfect pose and dancing beautifully. By then, her hair was soaked with sweat, and her face was covered in sweat. After finishing the final take, she lay on the floor, closed her eyes, chuckled softly, and said very quietly, "I did it."
She was definitely the hardest working contestant this time, and her progress from novice to expert was rapid. She has exceptional talent and is very popular, so her entire segment wasn't cut, and she got a lot more screen time in this episode.
Xu Zifan had to admit that the strategist was really dedicated; at least in this matter, none of the other contestants who performed worse than Lin Siyan had put in as much effort. This comparison earned Lin Siyan a huge boost in fans. With looks, talent, and such hard work, isn't she the best role model?
Afterwards, Lin Siyan performed exceptionally well on stage, becoming the most dazzling contestant of the day and once again reclaiming her throne. In just two episodes, most viewers' attention was firmly fixed on Lin Siyan, as if she was destined to sit on the throne and debut as the center. Her fan base was skyrocketing, completely overshadowing all other contestants.
When it was time for the contestants to give their self-introductions, Lin Siyan smiled and said, "My dream is to become an artist under Xu's Entertainment Company, and earn money to help the children in orphanages and those lonely elderly people."
"I've heard you mention Xu's Entertainment a few times. May I ask why you want to join Xu's Entertainment? Don't you consider other entertainment companies?"
Lin Siyan smiled shyly, "Actually, I don't know much about entertainment companies. I guess the others are all pretty good too. I know about Xu's Entertainment because I once read a report that said Mr. Xu, the chairman of the Xu Group, is very respectful to the elderly. He has opened several welfare-oriented nursing homes and established a pension foundation to help many people in need. Then I looked up the Xu Group's businesses out of curiosity and that's how I learned about Xu's Entertainment. I think that under the leadership of such a chairman, this entertainment company must be fantastic and very reliable. That's why I want to join Xu's Entertainment and hope my dream can come true."
Alright, now we have a new topic. Lin Siyan idolizes Chairman Xu, Lin Siyan is devoted to the Xu family, Lin Siyan respects the elderly and cares for the young, Lin Siyan is opportunistic and her sycophantic behavior is too ugly, plus the previous Lin Siyan dancing, Lin Siyan practicing desperately, Lin Siyan firmly holding the throne. This episode's topics are dominated by Lin Siyan again, she might even trend on Weibo a couple more times. She's really good at this, and I bet many people will be fooled by her appearance.
Lin Li laughed and said, "Cousin, so she wanted to join Xu's because of you? What a coincidence. This girl has a good personality and is quite kind. Her profile says she's an orphan with a simple background. Isn't she the perfect rising star to be packaged and cultivated?"
"Yes, this is someone who got scammed." Xu Zifan glanced at him and nodded, "Okay, I'll have my assistant handle this. Lin Li, has your popularity declined recently?"
Lin Li paused for a moment, then replied, "It's alright. I haven't released any new songs recently, so I haven't been getting that much attention."
Why wasn't it released?
"Because I lack inspiration, I haven't written a song that suits me. But I wrote a song for Lin Siyan, and I think it's pretty good, I..."
"Go abroad for further studies."
"Huh?" Lin Li looked at Xu Zifan in surprise. "Brother, you want me to go abroad for further studies? Why?"
"If you lack ability, you need to pursue further education; you can't stand still. Lately, your ambition has been too weak, and you're even preoccupied with other people's business. I think you're too idle. The company is sponsoring your studies; go to one of the best music academies abroad and get a degree. I'll talk to your parents about it." Xu Zifan stood up and fastened his suit jacket. "Is there anything else?"
"Uh, no." Lin Li hadn't realized that they were talking about Lin Siyan, but suddenly the conversation had turned to him.
Xu Zifan turned and went upstairs. "Go home early if you have nothing else to do, so your aunt and uncle won't worry."
"Oh," Lin Li responded, scratching his head and frowning. Why, after just a few words, is he going abroad for further studies? While further studies are nice, this is too sudden!
Lin Li sat there and thought for a while. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that further education was really a good idea, so he decided to listen to his cousin.
Lin Li was only 20 years old. His academic performance was average, but he had an exceptional talent for music, which led him to enter the entertainment industry. The original owner initially started an entertainment company because of him; he was the only one among all of the original owner's siblings who was truly cared for, so naturally, the aunt would protect him. As a result, Lin Li was actually quite simple-minded. He only paid special attention to Lin Siyan because he was captivated by her singing talent and greatly admired her.
Xu Zifan felt that if Lin Li continued to spend time with Lin Siyan, Lin Li would be completely fooled. Lin Li came from a good family and had Xu Zifan's protection; his luck was already quite good, making him much stronger than ordinary people. Would Lin Siyan let him go? She'd rather take advantage of something that was practically in her grasp, so Xu Zifan decided to isolate them directly.
He told Ji Ya-wen to handle it. He had four special assistants in his company, two men and two women, but Ji Ya-wen was the most observant. She was so attentive that she would observe his tastes and preferences. She was the most comfortable to work with, and he usually asked Ji Ya-wen to handle his affairs.
After receiving the order, Ji Yawen immediately went to Xu's Entertainment. Xu's Entertainment was managed by a professional manager, but he had to be careful when he saw Ji Yawen next to Xu Zifan.
Ji Yawen got straight to the point: "There's a contestant named Lin Siyan on a recent girl group audition program. I wonder if President Wen has noticed her?"
Mr. Wen was surprised and began to suspect that Lin Siyan might have some kind of relationship with Lin Li and Xu Zifan. Otherwise, why would Xu Zifan's assistant ask about her right after Lin Li made the recommendation? He smiled and said, "I've been paying attention. Lin Siyan is a very good candidate, and the company is already considering signing her."
Ji Yawen nodded. "The chairman's intention is to sign her. We hope President Wen can act as soon as possible."
Mr. Wen responded, then asked cautiously, "Assistant Ji, could you tell me who this Lin Siyan is? Should we give her any special treatment after we sign her?"
Ji Yawen smiled slightly, "She's just a newcomer, a D-level contract is fine. If she really becomes famous in the future, it's not too late to switch to a higher-level contract."
Does this mean we don't need special treatment anymore? But Ji Ya-wen didn't say whether it was related or not.
Ji Yawen, of course, wouldn't say anything; she was secretly having a good laugh about it. The boss had previously said he wouldn't see Lin Siyan if she contacted him again, but just a few days later, he changed his mind and specifically asked her to arrange the contract signing. This was the only woman the boss had paid attention to in all these years. Even if she didn't receive special treatment, she had to be careful what she said. What if she said it was okay now, but Lin Siyan became the boss's wife in the future? Wouldn't that be a slap in her own face?
Ji Ya-wen was a master of the art of conversation. With just a few words from Mr. Tong, she determined Lin Si-yan's future direction. Afterwards, Ji Ya-wen suggested replacing Lin Li as the girl group mentor, and Xu Zi-fan instructed her to choose a female singer. Considering Lin Si-yan's exceptional singing voice and the fact that the company intended to cultivate her, Ji Ya-wen carefully considered her options and ultimately chose Zhang Ying, a top-tier female singer with a completely different musical style from Lin Si-yan.
This way, there's no competition between them for songs, and since they're ten years apart in age, they won't be compared. Plus, Zhang Ying can mentor Lin Siyan, which is perfect.
Ji Yawen quickly completed the task assigned by her boss, called to report, explained the proposed replacement, and briefly outlined her reasons. As an excellent assistant, strong work ability isn't enough; she also needs to ensure her boss always knows how well she's performing.
Xu Zifan listened in silence, then said, "Very good."
Ji Yawen immediately smiled and happily treated herself to a big meal. You see, her boss usually only said "hmm," so a simple "very good" was a wonderful compliment. She would keep up the good work and become her boss's most irreplaceable first assistant!