Just as Wen Ming was about to speak, President Chu spoke up. "I’ll take care of things with President Zhou. Consider it me returning the favor."
With Zhou Zheng out of the picture, President Chu’s slice of the pie had just gotten bigger. Thus, he felt it was his duty to handle Zhou Zheng.
Wen Ming didn’t refuse. "Then I’ll leave it to you, President Chu."
’It wasn’t that she couldn’t do it herself, but why bother?’ Someone had volunteered, so there was no need for her to lead the charge.
President Chu raised his glass to Wen Ming. "No need to be so polite. Teacher Wen, you’re the real hidden talent. I never thought someone who has always been active in T Province would know so much about matters in the Capital City."
The corners of Wen Ming’s lips curled up. ’Because I have a cheat code, that’s why.’
Everyone was eager to make money these days. Less than a month after Wen Ming returned, the production crew was already assembled, and this time, she accompanied them on set for the filming.
But after only two days of filming, Tan You simply couldn’t take it anymore—and neither could Wen Ming, for that matter. Consequently, arguments between Wen Ming and the director became a frequent sound on set. Eventually, Wen Ming just plunked a small folding stool down next to the director, and the two would often argue until they were red in the face.
Of course, Wen Ming was merely repeating Tan You’s words. ’What did she know about the art of directing?’ But Tan You had already established Wen Ming’s reputation as a woman of genius, and Wen Ming had to see this path through, even if she had to crawl.
So by day, she would nervously challenge the director on set, and by night, she would return to her bedroom to frantically cram directing theory. She hadn’t even learned to write lyrics and compose music yet, and now she had another subject to master. Wen Ming’s heart was bitter.
But she didn’t tell anyone.
Early in the morning, Wen Ming arrived on set carrying her water bottle. The moment Director Qi saw her, the corner of his mouth twitched. "Teacher Wen, shall we have a little ’discussion’ later?"
Though inwardly nervous, Wen Ming’s face remained perfectly calm. "I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. I still need your guidance, Director Qi."
Director Qi huffed. "You say all the right things now, but you won’t hesitate to tear things apart later."
As a major director in the industry, Director Qi was naturally frustrated at having a complete amateur sit next to him and criticize his work. And yet, after a few such instances, he couldn’t help but look at Wen Ming with new respect.
’It seemed that with her adjustments, the resulting shots were indeed drastically different. She was especially picky about the actors’ performances, too. Haven’t you seen how the actors make a point to avoid her now?’
’But of course, Director Qi couldn’t admit it. He was a long-renowned director, and Wen Ming? She’d been in the music industry before. Even if she had written a few hit drama scripts, she couldn’t just suddenly understand the art of directing, could she?’
’Or was it that a woman of genius could succeed in any field she entered?’
Director Qi smacked his lips and said, his actions betraying his reluctance, "Little Cheng’s scene yesterday was good. Talk to him again today and try to get that same performance out of him."
Wen Ming made an "OK" gesture, though internally she was panicking like mad. ’What do I know about acting or blocking? My only experience is from being on stage as a singer; I don’t understand any of this other stuff!’
But now, to avoid ruining Tan You’s script, she was being forced to do the impossible. She had to succeed, whether she was capable or not!
「Another five years passed in a flash.」 By this time, smartphones had become popular, the internet was in every home, and Wen Ming had entered her thirty-fifth year.
Over these five years, she had maintained a steady rhythm of producing one television series, one feature film, and one album per year. During the first year, some people inevitably tried to cause trouble for her, but Wen Ming simply refused to take the bait.
After a trip abroad with Director Qi where they brought back several awards, Wen Ming’s career in the industry enjoyed smooth sailing for the next few years. This was partly because she worked behind the scenes in the entertainment world and never appeared in public.
In the music scene, however, the other female singers felt a sense of crisis, as there was simply no one who could put up a fight. Even singers who had been famous for many years longer than Wen Ming didn’t dare to act arrogant in her presence.
Of course, Wen Ming herself disliked socializing. She would release an album and then vanish, holing up in her little villa to play with her cats and dogs. She was quite possibly the most low-key artist in the industry.
"Teacher Wen, the Fruit Channel sent over a variety show proposal today," Old Gao said, pulling out a binder. "I think it’s quite interesting. It’s modeled after that music show from Country H, where singers compete on the same stage and the losers are eliminated."
Wen Ming put down her water bottle. "Oh? Let me see."
She felt a sense of nostalgia for this show. Even without Tan You’s intervention, the Fruit Channel was still going to produce this music competition; they had even sent her an invitation.
In her past life, she had struggled for over a decade, and her big break had only come after she participated in this very music competition.
’Now that her career was going so well, if she were to participate again, would she still encounter the same singers from her past life?’
"Who’s on the list?" Wen Ming asked, sitting down on the sofa and scooping up a big orange cat beside her.
Old Gao paused for a moment. "I’ve asked around. The current invitees are all veteran singers who’ve been famous for a long time, like Huang Li, Zhou Rong..."
Wen Ming nodded. ’So the lineup of singers is more or less the same as she remembered.’
Old Gao asked curiously, "I think the show sounds pretty interesting. Want to go have some fun with it?"
Wen Ming stroked the orange cat’s fur. "Sure, let’s go have some fun. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a show anyway."
"It’s not ’a long time,’ you’ve *never* been on a show," Old Gao retorted. "Your last movie won another award, and you still didn’t show up. Director Qi had to accept it on your behalf again. The public has been curious about you for ages."
"If you join the show, other singers will be breaking down the doors to get a spot."
Wen Ming waved her hand dismissively. "Is it really that big of a deal?"
"It really is that big of a deal," Old Gao laughed. "It’s a classic case of the well-fed not knowing the starving man’s hunger. You’ve rarely written songs for other people these last few years. Besides Aze, who have you written for? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get a single song from you?"
Wen Ming retorted, "Haven’t I been busy with feature films? Where would I find the time to write so many songs?"
She had a clear understanding of her own situation. ’Tan You writes songs for me because I’m her mission target. Tan You writes for Aze because she admires his voice.’
’As for anyone else, Tan You isn’t running a charity, and Wen Ming didn’t have the nerve to accept work on Tan You’s behalf.’ That’s why, to outsiders, Wen Ming’s songwriting output had seemed extremely low in recent years.
But then everyone would think about the television and film scripts she had produced and feel reassured. After all, Wen Ming was still in the industry. As long as she kept putting out good work, her fans wouldn’t be picky about the format.
Old Gao was just making a casual comment. "Since you’ve decided, I’ll contact the network. If you participate, you’ll probably be the most famous singer there."
"How could I compare to those veterans?" Wen Ming quickly protested. "The senior artists who are participating are all older than me and became famous long before I did. When they were making a name for themselves, I was still a resident singer at a club in G Province. How would they even know who I am?"
"But you’re a completely different story now," Old Gao chuckled. "The world has its own way of measuring things. But I won’t talk about status, just in case it brings you negative attention."