Translator: Yunyi Editor: Yunyi
“Plus, do you want your sister to discover you straight away?”
After listening to what Lin Qian said, Xing Lan contemplated for an entire night and agreed that Lin Qian’s reasoning made sense. She needed to keep a low profile, even if not for any other reason but to hide from her sister.
So, for the auditions, her aim was to display that she had a solid foundation.
9am. Xing Lan arrived at the auditions accompanied by Lin Qian. Seeing the crowded hectic scene, Xing Lan couldn’t help but sigh. No matter how difficult it was, the amount of people that wanted to be famous would never decrease.
There were strict guidelines for the auditions. Whether it was age or height, there were certain standards. After all, the winner would eventually sign with Hai Rui. So they couldn’t just accept anyone.
Xing Lan’s conditions weren’t bad. In the eyes of the judges, apart from looking a little countrified, she pretty much ticked all the boxes.
However, they had no idea that Tangning had deliberately made Xing Lan look this way.
Her non-threatening look made her less noticeable and unlikely to attract enemies.
As for those that captured attention straight from the start and were too flashy, they were easily remembered, but they also became the public enemy.
Against someone like Xing Lan, enemies would only use 30% of their strength, but against someone that liked to show off, they would use everything they had.
Gradually, those that qualified for the auditions received a number and headed into the main hall to wait for their names to be called.
As there were a lot of candidates, the judges could only give each person a short amount of time. Everyone wanted to make the best use of their time to prove themselves, but plenty of them ended up revealing their weaknesses instead.
In fact, to get into the next round, some of the candidates put a lot of effort into their appearance and clothing just so they could stand out in the crowd and leave a lasting impression on the judges. But, Xing Lan followed Tangning’s instructions and turned up with basic clothes and no makeup. Her appearance was simple, yet slightly cool.
“Go, it’s your turn.” Lin Qian was accompanying Xing Lan. So, as soon as she heard the judges call Xing Lan’s name, she immediately gave her a nudge, “Don’t think too much. Trust in yourself.”
Xing Lan nodded and walked straight into the audition room.
The judges had gotten used to seeing extravagant and fancy appearances, so Xing Lan was quite a surprise.
Although she didn’t look as neat and tidy as the other candidates, she had a clean appearance and looked especially pure and innocent.
One of the judges took a glance at Xing Lan and waved her hand, “Start.”
Xing Lan’s voice was clean and she did not select a difficult song to sing. In fact, she chose a relaxed and cheery children’s song. This made the judges put down their pens and turn their focus to her.
“Hey, this one’s not bad.”
“After listening to so many songs, this one has been the easiest on the ear.”
“The previous female singer was so high-pitched that my eardrums nearly popped.”
“After putting up with so much rubbish, it’s quite relaxing to listen to a children’s song.”
As a result, Xing Lan sang the entire song – for three whole minutes!
The judges looked at Xing Lan and nodded their heads, “Keep doing what you’re doing. There’s no need to look fancy. Just focus on your singing and you will go far.”
“This is what we call a singer. You’re through to the next round.”
The four judges came to a unanimous decision.
After bowing to the judges, Xing Lan felt tears almost escaping from her eyes.
It turned out that the most simple things were the most eye-catching.
This was Tangning and Lin Qian’s intention.
There was no point being flashy in front of others. Being able to leave an impression in front of the judges was true success.
After seeing Xing Lan walk out with a pass for the next round, Lin Qian let out a sigh of relief. But, there was still three months left to the competition. At this rate, she still had a lot of anxiety to put up with.
“Director Lin, thank you. From now on, I will listen to everything you say.”
“Did you think that I came up with this idea? This was all thanks to the expert that’s guiding me. You still haven’t seen the most impressive part of her yet. Let’s go. Keep a low profile. Time to go home and prepare for the next round,” Lin Qian placed an arm around Xing Lan’s shoulder and led her out of the audition hall.
Not too far away, Tangning’s car was actually parked in a hidden corner.
She watched as Lin Qian and Xing Lan exited the hall and saw the joy in their eyes. It seemed, things went well.
In this world, being capable wasn’t enough. One had to understand how to help themselves gain points.
“She’s only passed the auditions. There’s still a long way to go,” Mo Ting said beside Tangning. “But, with a mentor like you, I’m sure she will go home with first place.”
“Thank you for having so much faith in me. If I was still young, I would definitely give the competition a try,” Tangning chuckled.
“That’s not allowed. Only I can hear you sing,” Mo Ting restricted. “Especially at night when your ‘voice’ sounds particularly good…”
“Be serious,” Tangning nudged Mo Ting’s shoulder playfully before she asked Lu Che to start the car. The competition had just started and there was still a long way until the winner was announced.
Meanwhile, being in a competition again made Xing Lan especially happy. So, after returning home, it was impossible for her to sleep. But, her ‘songstress’ sister always picked the right time to give her a phone call.
“What did you want to talk about a couple days ago?” the songstress still sounded as uncaring and arrogant as ever.
“It’s nothing,” Xing Lan replied. “I just wanted to ask when your concert tour will start. I was going to come show some support.”
“Oh, that…I don’t have any more tickets to give you, so it’s best you just go to work. I have plenty of fans, I don’t need your support.”
“Actually, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for a long time. Do you feel even the slightest bit of guilt towards what you did to me three years ago?” Xing Lan asked.
“Why would I feel guilty? It’s normal for an older sister to step aside for their younger sister. Plus, you should blame yourself for stealing,” the young woman replied. “My good sister, haven’t I been making sure that you’re not starving? I’ve been feeding you well and I’ve supported you. What else do you want? You don’t know how tiring it is to be a singer.”
“By the way, mom and dad bought me a house.”
“Just for you…?”
“Of course, why would they buy one for a daughter that embarrasses them?” Xing Lan’s sister asked. “Don’t think that mom and dad are being biased. You asked for this. By the way, I have other things to deal with, so I’m going to hang up now.”
Xing Lan felt her heart being sliced open, but she resisted the urge to explode.
One day, she was going to let the b*tch know how it truly meant to be a winner.
As for her parents – from the moment that they kicked her out of the family home – she no longer considered them as her parents. One day, she was going to make them regret what they had done!
But, her main priority for now, was to get into the top 100. She had to meet the person that was guiding Lin Qian behind-the-scene.
It was at this time that Superstar Media also began to become widely known. So, at this time, Tangning was ready to shock everyone.
She was never going to let the world bully her again!
