Chapter 111 2/2

Even if he was from Country V, he could still dream of a “life pinnacle after being appreciated by Shengdong of Hua Xia.”

Unfortunately, the larger the scale of Starlight, the less Shengdong appeared in front of everyone. He could only daydream and console himself.

In the elevator, Tu Zhu and Lawyer Ma were also discussing

Lawyer Ma was still a bit dazed and couldn’t react. “That… isn’t that the recent popular three-member girl group from Country P, and those boys, they look familiar, like a boy group from Country V?”

He was completely shocked. “Damn! Foreign participants are allowed too.”

Then he couldn’t help but worry.

If only domestic participants were there, he naturally had full confidence in Tu Zhu. But adding foreign participants…

To be fair, Hua Xia’s idol industry indeed lacked professionalism compared to others, especially Country P, a country that produced many idols and had a strong entertainment culture.

Before the emergence of Starlight, when everyone was cursing capitalists, stars, screenwriters, and directors in the Hua Xia entertainment circle, the entertainment environment in Country P had always been praised.

Even for someone like Lawyer Ma, who was an outsider, the first reaction was, “How can this be played?”

Tu Zhu, however, was not surprised by this situation.

As long as an artist whose lifelong career is on stage, they are well aware that the holographic stage will completely change the industry.

Idols are different from other performers; their entire careers are limited to a small stage. Although the stage visuals can be recorded and shared, for a better effect, they can only be presented live.

Passion, excitement, happiness, cheering—on that dazzling stage, idols show their flowing charm recklessly.

However, how many people can the audience seat at most after one performance?

And how much money does it cost to set up a concert?

Even if fans go to the venue, except for some excellent positions, the rest can only see the screen, and even attending the live event might not guarantee a clear view of their idol’s face.

For fans who love idols, the experience of giving and receiving is often disproportionate. Although most of the time, these fans don’t mind, over time, they will leave due to various factors.

Like… his fans.

Thinking of the insults in the comments on Weibo, Tu Zhu closed his eyes.

Let’s try again… Try one more time—the last time.

Even if no one knows that he once tried his best,

In the control room, Shengquan was looking at the large screens in front of her, which showed surveillance footage from various floors.

These monitors covered every corner of the building, providing high-definition images and clear audio to ensure that once these selected contestants gained fame, the omnipotent editors could use these images to create clips for fan benefits.

Initially, the building management was reluctant to cooperate with Starlight in installing so many cameras. However, when Starlight mentioned that all expenses would be covered by them, they immediately received smooth cooperation.

“If you’re short-staffed here, we can also deploy security personnel to help!”

It turned out that so many cameras were indeed necessary.

Even though the official auditions had started less than three hours ago, there were already many people on every floor of this building.

Her gaze fell on the 36th floor, stopping at Tu Zhu.

Shengdong took a sip of her milk tea.

Damn, no matter how many times she looked, he was still good-looking.

Compared to the stiff faces in TV dramas due to poor acting and the gloomy atmosphere she witnessed on a studio set the last time, Tu Zhu in the surveillance footage was just standing there waiting to be called, but he was so good-looking that it was hard to look away.

Were his facial features part of Nuwa’s graduation project? How could he be so good-looking—not the type of good-looking like Yan Hui, Jin Jiu, or Jiang Zhen, but a kind that made people unable to shift their gaze—perfect?

So Shengdong happily watched for quite a while, enjoying the highly comfortable experience for her eyes.

At the same time, she became more certain about her holographic stage plan.

One person’s preferences would affect attention. When reading novels, Shengquan simply didn’t remember Tu Zhu.

On the one hand, he did indeed appear briefly in the book and wasn’t given much attention. On the other hand, she herself wasn’t interested in idols from her past life.

Being a fan of actors, she could turn on a TV show anytime and witness her idol’s superb acting skills in high definition.

Being a fan of singers, she could put on headphones, lie down, and blissfully immerse herself in her idol’s musical world.

Even comedians and funny entertainers could make her laugh heartily. The experience was excellent.

But being a fan of idols?

The explosive and cool stage—they couldn’t watch it immediately, right?

Even if they were willing to travel a long distance to attend the live show and willing to spend the ticket price, the venue was only so big, and there was no guarantee of getting a ticket.

As a working person, it was challenging to possess time, money, and energy simultaneously.

Even for relatively simple idols, Shengquan couldn’t find the time to express her love. So, her greatest hobby was reading novels.

She could read on the subway during her commute, on the way home after overtime, listen to books while showering, and read novels to accompany her meals.

Shengquan once felt that, for a working person, the best hobby should be reading novels.

Chasing stars? She didn’t have the time for that.

She didn’t even have time to choose which star was less likely to cause a scandal.

However, when the stage and holographic technology were combined, it meant that any audience member could, upon entering the holographic world, get up close and personal with their favorite idol’s performance.

Shengquan’s choice of a holographic stage was not a sudden whim but a well-thought-out decision considering various factors.

From a fan’s perspective, the holographic stage was simply a godsend; just imagining it brought infinite joy.

Not only live broadcasts but also replays.

They could appreciate their idol’s brilliance on stage repeatedly from the best perspective, just as Shengquan could savor her favorite novels while commuting.

Holographic technology and idol stages were like a pot with a missing lid, and adding holographic technology was like adding an outstanding lid—a perfect match.

The idol industry, which once needed to rely on youthfulness and had a limited ceiling, would completely change under holographic technology, leaping to the forefront of the entertainment industry.

Of course, this entertainment industry leader didn’t just refer to Hua Xia.

This was Shengquan’s true goal.

But now, she needed to go see her sponsored contestant.

***

Tu Zhu stood quietly in the corridor, and since there were quite a few people in the hallway, he didn’t have space to practice and could only silently recall each movement in his mind.

Lawyer Ma ran around, and as a lawyer, his professional level was only considered above average, but his social skills were definitely top-notch.

Soon, he became close friends with Artist A, helped Artist B check if their movements were standard, got Artist C’s personal contact information, and even assisted Artist D in answering a few legal questions.

He smoothly obtained the location of the refreshment area from the security personnel, happily returning with two cups—he drank the beverage, and the plain water was for Tu Zhu to protect his voice.

While sipping his drink, he shared the information he had gathered:

“Do you know? It’s confirmed that the one who just arrived in a helicopter was Shengdong, on a secret inspection, you know.”

“Also, everyone is guessing why Shengdong came to the audition site. The most speculated reason is that she has her eye on a contestant who’s coming.”

Tu Zhu, drinking his plain water, listened quietly.

He could find that Shengdong is mighty and has produced countless grains】, so he naturally understood some of Shengquan’s habits. When he learned that Shengdong had really come here, his speculations were the same.

Everyone knew that Shengquan had a hobby of personally discovering talent.

Before terminating the contract with the company, during the most difficult times, Tu Zhu had also fantasized about being noticed by Shengquan.

But dreams were just dreams.

Look at his current reputation, then glance at the insults in the comments on Weibo and the public opinion that almost buried him in the mud.

Tu Zhu gradually stopped having such dreams.

Around him, people were discussing Shengquan’s arrival in hushed or excited tones.

The idols were generally young and lively. At this age, they were full of imagination and expectations.

Just like… the old Tu Zhu.

“I’m so looking forward to it. Maybe Shengdong will personally audition.”

“There are a total of forty-three floors in this building. I wonder on which floor Shengdong will appear.”

“Ah, I’m so nervous, so nervous. I hope Shengdong will personally interview me.”

“You’re daydreaming! But I also want to dream!”

In the midst of such discussions, Tu Zhu stood like a stone submerged in a river, silently standing still.

“Number one thousand and eight, Tu Zhu, please enter room number ten.”

Tu Zhu stepped forward, step by step, approaching the room with the number ten label.

He pushed open the door, and, with a glance, he was stunned.

The sunlight from the window fell on Shengquan. In the perfect autumn light, she faced the young man standing in the doorway.

She raised her left hand and lightly waved it left and right, a gesture of casual greeting.

“Hello, Tu Zhu.”