Chapter 27 1/2

Stories always return to normalcy after a climax. However, in reality, this extremely high level of attention continued longer than people expected.

As predicted by the legendary prophet, after watching the program, Sheng Quan signed three contestants in a row.

Jin Jiu, Yu Hongdou, and An Baixing

Yu Hongdou and An Baixing were outstanding contestants, with many companies interested. However, after Sheng Quan expressed her desire to sign them, they immediately chose Starlight without any hesitation.

There was a small incident during Jin Jiu’s signing. Several companies were attracted by his current popularity and potential, offering huge signing fees and profit-sharing terms that were exceptionally favorable.

But he didn’t even listen to those benefits and straightforwardly rejected them, stating that he would definitely sign with Starlight.

The staff member who handed the phone to Jin Jiu regretted, “This is a big company. They are willing to offer you such a high price. Your future is bound to be well taken care of. Starlight is currently on the rise, but it’s still a new company and may not be able to provide you with as many resources.”

Jin Jiu, however, remained firm: “Then, I’ll only go to Starlight.”

An Baixing knew about this and strongly supported, “Right! They just see you as a cash cow! You must not go!”

“Exactly.” Jin Jiu nodded confidently. “I’ll just be Director Sheng’s cash cow.”

Baixing, still nodding, thought for a moment and said, “Director Sheng probably won’t see you as a cash cow. She likes you as a person; it’s different from those companies.”

Jin Jiu blushed slightly at these words. He already had pale skin, and when he blushed, it became even more obvious. His entire face turned as red as if he were bleeding, and he whispered, “Don’t say nonsense. Director Sheng just likes my singing.”

“What’s the difference?” An Baixing didn’t notice Jin Jiu’s shy embarrassment at all and continued happily imagining, “For me, whether it’s the boss or Director Sheng, choosing between them, how could I not choose Starlight? Both of them like you so much, especially since Director Sheng, the big boss, likes you. With you taking care of me, I’ll definitely be happier in Starlight than in other companies!”

“But I think Director Sheng really likes you as a person. Why else would there be so many singers, yet she specifically likes you? Let me tell you, you need to seize this opportunity, develop well, improve yourself, and in the future, we’ll all be singing gods! And…”

“Hey, why is your face so red? Huh? Where are you running off to? I haven’t finished speaking yet!”

***

When Sheng Quan saw Jin Jiu again, she noticed that his face turned red after just a few words. With a genuinely small face, Jin Jiu’s facial structure was exceptional, making him look very handsome on camera. In person, the impact of his looks was even more apparent.

Truly deserving of the title “angelic” appearance.

Even though Jin Jiu was no longer in his teenage years, at fifteen or sixteen, he still looked handsome enough to draw admiration.

If it weren’t for the fact that Starlight Entertainment is currently filled with attractive men and women, making Sheng Quan somewhat resistant to beauty, she might have been momentarily dazzled by his good looks.

She openly appreciated it for a second before realizing that Jin Jiu’s face was getting even redder.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you running a fever?”

As a fan and the other party’s boss, Sheng Quan immediately expressed concern.

Blushing, Jin Jiu shook his head and said, “No, just a bit warm.”

He looked shy, but his eyes were bright as he looked at Sheng Quan, as if trying to demonstrate that he was in good health and ready to dedicate himself to work for her.

Sheng Quan: A bit cute.

Although Jin Jiu claimed he was in good condition, ready to work immediately, and willing to do whatever the company assigned him, Sheng Quan remembered that the book mentioned Jin Jiu’s health deteriorating during thirty years of solitude.

Even though he was only 23 now, judging by his slender figure and pale cheeks, Sheng Quan couldn’t help but suspect his health.

She was willing to bet that Jin Jiu definitely had a stomach problem.

Speaking of which, Ming Qi and Liu Zi’an also had stomach problems.

It seemed like having a stomach problem was a fundamental setting in this industry.

She immediately thought about what tasks to assign to these newly signed artists.

Jin Jiu had already signed with the company, and the company’s arrangement for him was to participate in activities, hold concerts, and record songs, keeping him busy round the clock. He barely had time to eat, and sometimes he would be abruptly woken up while sleeping.

Such a state of affairs was undoubtedly challenging, but the fact that Starlight belonged to Sheng Quan made Jin Jiu feel that it wasn’t as difficult.

He adjusted his mindset, prepared to welcome the arrival of high-pressure work.

However, after signing with Starlight, the first arrangement they received was a visit to the hospital.

When Jin Jiu, An Baixing, and Yu Hongdou were taken to the hospital, they saw artists like Hua Qing and Ming Qi wearing masks sitting there.

Both sides made eye contact, both wearing puzzled expressions.

The thoughtful staff smiled and said, “Love and Hospital only allows patients with advance appointments to enter. Privacy is not something you need to worry about.”

An Baixing, who had stayed up late playing games the night before, couldn’t help but yawn as he leaned on Jin Jiu. “Why are we here at the hospital?”

The staff explained, “Miss Sheng has arranged a comprehensive physical examination for you. Please wait here briefly; the examination will begin shortly.”

An Baixing suddenly realized, “Oh, it’s a physical examination. I didn’t expect there would be an entry-level medical examination in the entertainment industry.”

Jin Jiu reminded him, “The company sent us a message about the examination. Didn’t you see it?”

“Ah?” An Baixing quickly took out his phone and checked, “Oh, there really is. Oops, my bad. My phone is always full of all sorts of random messages—promotions from stores, bank loan offers, discounts on buying data at the service center. I find it troublesome and think that if someone needs me, they’ll send me a message on WeChat, so I didn’t read the text messages.”

Although he hadn’t worked before, An Baixing still knew about the process of pre-employment medical examinations. After reading the message, he perked up, looked around, and couldn’t help exclaiming:

“But is this really a hospital? Why does it look so… fancy?”

Who hasn’t been to a hospital? At least An Baixing had been to the hospital many times as a child because he often fell and got hurt, either spraining his foot or tearing a ligament. His impression of hospitals was of bleak decorations, forever filled with the smell of disinfectant, slightly outdated tiles, and long queues for both registration and medication.

There was a noisy mix of voices, and even if the place was cleaned diligently, it always seemed to be shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere.

If you were lucky, you might encounter an old expert who never seemed to have many hairs.

But here…

Baixing’s gaze moved from the bright floor-to-ceiling windows to the beautiful wall tiles. It looked more luxurious than the hotels he had stayed in before. Wouldn’t this cost a lot of money just for decoration?

“Are there too few patients here? Why are there so few people?”

Hua Qing replied, “Love and Hospital charges high fees, so there are naturally fewer patients compared to other hospitals.”

Liu Zi’an asked, “Sister Qing, do you know this hospital?”

“This hospital is quite famous.” Hua Qing’s beautiful fox-like eyes couldn’t hide her surprise. “From what I know, it not only has good privacy and doctors but also uses the best equipment. Many wealthy people come to these hospitals for medical treatment.”

“Even in our industry, many big stars come here for medical treatment. I know of several. But the fees here are too high. I’ve only heard about it; this is my first time here.”

Jumping to Starlight was actually a decision that Hua Qing carefully considered. One consideration was that Starlight was a promising new company with a few signed artists. She believed that, with her current popularity, moving here would definitely provide her with abundant resources.

Most importantly, Wansheng was on the decline, while Starlight was thriving under the leadership of Gu Zhao. Hua Qing considered it a worthwhile gamble.

However, even she didn’t expect that Starlight would provide such excellent treatment to its signed artists. They were brought in for a comprehensive medical examination as soon as they signed.

Even with her current wealth, it was still a bit of a distance from becoming a patient at Love and Hospital. Yet, Sheng Quan went all out and arranged for this group of people to have a thorough examination.

 Although it was undoubtedly considered that artists might find it inconvenient to appear in crowded places, they were at Love and Hospital, after all.

After Hua Qing’s explanation, the others also became excited belatedly.

The hospital’s prestige was secondary; the main point was that Starlight was indeed wealthy, and they treated their signed artists well. In other companies, just getting them to start earning money immediately would be considered good.

For those who were relatively young and hadn’t experienced much hardship, such as Ming Qi and An Baixing, they were purely excited, looking forward to the upcoming examination process.

For those who had been through trials and tribulations, like Hua Qing, Yu Hongdou, and Liu Zi’an, they were pleasantly surprised.

As for Jin Jiu, his thoughts had already jumped to, “Director Sheng is really good to us. I need to work hard for Director Sheng.”