Chapter 107 1/2

“Yeah, why didn’t I think of that? Holographic technology is not only for games and movies; when it comes to presentation, nothing beats the stage.”

Holography can display the most significant visual effects, and when it comes to visual effects, what is more expressive than a stage?

After receiving the news, countless owners of small entertainment companies were overjoyed, thinking that their chance had finally come.

Starlight Entertainment didn’t have many idols, but they did. Many companies signed hundreds of people at once. Even if it was a matter of quantity, there would always be one or two who could make it.

“It doesn’t matter if we don’t win. After all, they are not the ones working hard.

Originally, these small artists were signed with the intention of participating in various talent shows, hoping to catch a break and gain exposure wherever it may lead.

Speaking of which, it’s a bit absurd but also somewhat reasonable. In the entertainment industry, big companies like Starshine Entertainment have a few artists related to idols.

Instead, it’s the small, relatively unknown companies that have a bunch of talents under their wings.

For a moment, various small companies are on high alert. Some bosses, even well aware of the principle of ‘can’t keep the child, can’t trap the wolf,’ grit their teeth and specially bring in professional mentors from overseas to guide their group of small artists.

At this moment, the young boys and girls from these companies are extremely excited. Most of them are practicing diligently, hoping to seize this great opportunity.

As is well known, the entertainment industry in Huazhou is gradually becoming saturated with an abundance of talent shows. However, unless there are unexpected circumstances, the most glorious stage moment for an idol is during the talent show period.

Huazhou has platforms for acting and pure singing, but if an idol wants to showcase their stage performance, they have to act first. Once their acting becomes popular, there might be a chance.

It’s not that idols in Huazhou are inherently incapable; it’s more about major entertainment companies in Huazhou being accustomed to making quick money.

Teaching and practicing take time. Before this, when talent shows were popular in other countries’ entertainment industries, Huazhou also participated. However, in general, the production companies made almost equal profits in terms of fame and money.

After the show, whether the contestants were singers or dancers, the companies pushed them all towards acting.

Take Jinjiu, for example. Through a singing talent show, they became extremely popular. With the backing of major figures like Shengquan, they didn’t even need to switch to acting to gain immense fame. Singers who hold concerts are rare in the industry.

As for idols primarily focused on dancing, no matter how talented they are in their idol careers, they still need to gain fame through acting. Even if they do gain fame, they may not get the opportunity to showcase their performance on stage.

Is it impossible to create a stage?

Not exactly. It’s not like that anymore. ‘Holographic stages are all the rage now. According to random surveys, out of a hundred people, ninety are willing to pay to watch holographic stages. The era of idols is finally coming.’

In a certain public app, an anonymous user enthusiastically shared their experience.

[Initially, I also came from a talent show and smoothly won the championship with my teammates, but after the victory, life didn’t turn into the happily ever after as in storybooks.]

[Without a stage, all the skills we practiced for years have no place to be showcased.]

[The company required us to act, but we are not professionals in acting.]

If we act poorly, we get criticized. I really want to say that my expertise is in dancing, not acting. But bound by the contract, I can only reluctantly continue acting.

After finally seeing a chance for a stage, I couldn’t even get on it because I lack fame. [When I applied, the person in charge told me I needed to gain fame in acting first.]

I don’t expect to perform on a holographic stage myself. I just hope that Shengdong’s holographic stage can become popular and provide more opportunities for us small idols.

This anonymous small idol revealed a lot of information, but no one bothered to investigate because there are too many people in the domestic entertainment industry who have had similar experiences.

Many champions of various shows quickly disappeared after gaining fame, and many were pressured by their companies to switch to acting. Most of them vanished before making any significant impact.

There used to be a saying in the domestic entertainment industry that, regardless of whether you sing or dance, in the end, everyone becomes an actor.

So Shengquan’s Weibo never lacks crazy fans showering her with compliments. She never reads her private messages, but she probably receives even more messages from small artists trying to flatter her.

They praise her not only because she has made many actors popular but also because she has elevated singers like Jinjiu.

Moreover, Starshine’s singers focus on singing. The company has never pushed them to act, and they mainly sing theme songs for the company’s movies and TV dramas. They even get the chance to hold concerts.

Although having singers who only sing seems normal, it’s actually quite rare in the domestic entertainment industry.

Starshine has unintentionally become a giant in the industry. Now, with the addition of a stage, Starshine is busy again. This time, Guo Zhe didn’t cut back on his mealtime. He can now control himself to eat, drink, and sleep well, no matter how busy he is.

The sense of urgency, as if he were always being chased by a dog, has gradually disappeared over these years, even though he didn’t consciously try to relax. In recent years, it has faded to the point of almost disappearing.

Guo Zhe told Shengquan, ‘Maybe this is what they call a sense of security.’

Shengquan: ‘…’

Every time she sees Guo Zhe, with his beautiful face and emotionless gray eyes that seem almost robotic, saying something like this, she feels like he has become a sentient robot.

Maybe it’s her misconception, but she feels that Guo Zhe has become more humane in the past two years.

Don’t misunderstand; it’s not the kind of human touch that comes with social skills. Instead, he is no longer insisting on an unchanging life.

For example, Guo Zhe used to insist on wearing formal attire during work, with clothes impeccably ironed without a single wrinkle. Regardless of the weather or whether the air conditioning was on, he always buttoned his shirt to the top and never unbuttoned it during meals.

Strictly speaking, this isn’t a flaw, as dressing like that during work is entirely normal.

—Unless Guo Zhe works 24 hours a day, all time except for sleeping and eating is spent working.”

However, at this moment, he didn’t dress as formally as usual. He wore a simple white shirt, and he comfortably unbuttoned two buttons.

Shengquan, not very surprised, noticed that Guo Zhe’s collarbone looked quite attractive. Despite his busy schedule, he never neglected his fitness, maintaining a well-built physique—a typical appearance of looking slim in clothes but having some muscles when undressed.

The usually aloof appearance of Guo Zhe softened a bit today. He rolled up his sleeves slightly, revealing well-defined wrists adorned with a new watch.

Well, despite the busyness, Guo Zhe’s aesthetic sense remained as good as ever. The watch complemented his wrist wonderfully.

Seeing Shengquan’s gaze on his watch, he opened a drawer and took out a box, handing it over. “I got one for you too.”

“Thank you. I was just about to ask if this is the latest model.”

Shengquan wasn’t shy about accepting gifts. Guo Zhe’s income was not low, and ever since he gave her that little plant, the gifts he sent were all these good-looking and easy-to-wear items, possibly due to frequent contact with Ryan since then.

Of course, Shengquan also reciprocated by frequently sending gifts to Guo Zhe and others. Everyone had gotten used to this exchange of gifts.

She opened the box directly, put on the beautiful watch inside, admired it for a few seconds, and then started discussing business.

“How is it? Have the self-recommendations received by the company met expectations?”

“It has far exceeded expectations.”