Chapter 57: Jin Xin, the Master of Inspirational Chicken Soup and Rainbow Farts, Goes Online (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 57: Jin · Chicken Soup for the Soul · Rainbow Fart Master · Li, Online (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

"I just don't know how much Teacher Baozhi can carve out for herself from the several artists under her management," Jin Li said with a smile.

Lian Baozhi replied with a fake smile, "There's no need for Teacher Jin Li to worry about that. Regardless, my manager has the ability to produce A-list stars. On the other hand, Teacher Jin Li, I heard your manager is the company's ace, and she has *so* many second and third-tier artists under her."

She placed heavy emphasis on the last sentence, her smile appearing very sincere.

"I wonder how many resources she can actually allocate to you. Surely she won't have to take resources from your hands to subsidize other artists, will she?"

Jin Li looked surprised. "Oh? How did you know?"

Lian Baozhi failed to react. "What?"

Jin Li smiled sweetly. "I have so many engagements that I can't finish them all!"

She spread her hands helplessly. "I can't finish them, I really can't. I can only ask my other partners to help share the load. Speaking of which, I'm actually quite grateful to them for helping me ease the pressure."

"Pfft!"

Among the March Sky boy group, who were silently lowering their heads acting as "flower vases" on the side, someone suddenly couldn't hold back a light chuckle.

Lian Baozhi glared at Chen Lin, who had laughed, then turned back to Jin Li. "Teacher Jin Li is truly magnanimous. It would be even better if your health were a bit stronger."

Having said that, she turned and left without waiting for Jin Li's response.

Gu Cheng asked her, "Are you okay? She didn't upset you, did she?"

Chen Lin whispered, "Teacher Lian Baozhi shouldn't act like that. Even if she can't win an argument, she shouldn't attack others!"

Jin Li shook her head and said, "It's fine."

Seeing Gu Cheng still staring at her, she smiled.

"I'm really fine. Her words were actually quite polite. The comments I see online are a hundred times worse than this."

The profession of a celebrity requires facing a vast amount of public judgment.

If words could turn into swords and arrows to wound people, A-list stars would have died countless times over.

Some things, if you don't care about them, they are just scraps of paper on the ground.

The more you care about them, the more they will follow you like a shadow into every corner of your world.

The official recording began.

In the third episode, the contestants performed using the same teams from the second episode. There were no changes in team members; instead, they chose new songs to perform.

This recording method led the contestants to discuss privately, feeling that the show's elimination method might be based on teams.

However, every team had high-popularity contestants.

If an entire team were eliminated, causing high-popularity contestants to be eliminated as well, wouldn't that be a huge loss?

Some netizens were watching specifically for the high-popularity contestants. Therefore, this was merely a guess; the contestants didn't believe the production team would be so drastic.

The mentors, naturally, were unaware of the contestants' little schemes.

Sitting on the stage, they watched every team's performance intently, holding blank cue cards in their hands, occasionally writing down notes to ensure they wouldn't run out of things to say during their critiques.

Jin Li originally thought that her role as a psychological counselor would only come online during the later stages.

After all, the further back a team was placed, the greater their psychological pressure would be.

Especially if the preceding teams performed exceptionally well, the pressure would be even more intense.

But she didn't expect that she would have to speak during the very first team's performance.

After the first team finished, a contestant took the microphone to speak, but suddenly burst into tears, her voice choking with emotion.

As she cried, the other contestants began to cry as well.

The leader said through tears, "We were under a lot of pressure to practice this dance. Almost everyone lived in the dance studio. Every day we woke up to practice, fearing, fearing, fearing that we wouldn't do it well!"

Jin Li had been waiting for the March Sky boy group to save the day, but instead, all four of them looked at her.

Jin Li:?

So, she turned her gaze toward Ji Qinglian.

Ji Qinglian was also looking at her, her eyes seemingly saying, "Hurry up and say something!"

Jin Li:??

No way, was she going online this early?

She had no choice but to pick up the microphone. A sentence she had seen at noon flashed through her mind, and she spoke it aloud.

"The song of a small river is gentle, the song of a waterfall is majestic, but the mountain stream flows quietly—it offers its song to the waterfall and the river.

Qu Huiling, don't cry. Although your voice is faint, it was offered to the team, and together you shaped a wonderful stage.

So, don't all cry. When your voices converge, I feel as if I hear the torrent of a river that embraces all streams, all rolling toward the same vast ocean.

I hope that one day, you can grow from a tiny stream into a boundless ocean. This stage is just the starting point, far from your destination."

Ji Qinglian picked up her microphone and said excitedly, "Teacher Jin Li is absolutely right! She has expressed exactly what is in my heart. I applaud your stage.

Regardless of whether this stage was perfect, I saw your serious attitude. If you didn't do well this time, work harder next time. One day, you will all deliver a satisfying result to yourselves and to the audience."

Yan Xingdong immediately followed, "The two teachers have spoken our hearts. We all applaud you!"

The audience below the stage immediately joined in the applause.

Lian Baozhi watched this scene with a blank expression and also joined in the clapping.

Weren't they supposed to be critiquing?

This counts as a critique?

Soon, the second team took the stage.

After some preparation, the team's performance ended a few minutes later.

Jin Li opened a bottle of water and took a sip.

This team performed better than the first, going for a cool and fierce style; they likely wouldn't cry.

But as luck would have it...

As soon as the leader took the microphone and spoke steadily for a few seconds, she suddenly began to choke up.

No way, again?

This caused Jin Li to choke on her water, leading to several coughs; she felt like she was about to choke up herself.

The leader wept on stage, and the other contestants silently followed, their eyes turning red.

Although Jin Li felt a bit of pressure, she still picked up the microphone to offer words of comfort; she understood these young girls.

Many trainees participating in such shows for the first time experience various forms of maladjustment; feeling pressure and grievance is normal.

The intensity of survival shows is actually quite high, comparable to military training.

Some college students who haven't experienced hardship before often want to cry during military training when they get too tired.

Not to mention, they not only face physical pressure but also mental pressure from the outside world and the stimulation of popularity rankings.

And emotion is highly contagious.

Once someone's emotions break down, it is very easy for others to follow suit.

Thus, Jin Li picked up the microphone and said, "The direction of the wind is better for flying. A successful flower needs the irrigation of a storm. Girls, I think your performance today was excellent.

The tears you shed are tears of joy. You should affirm yourselves and give yourselves a hug to release your inner excitement.

Believe me, you have done your best to show your strength. The audience will see you, won't they?"

Jin Li handed the microphone back, and the audience immediately shouted in unison, "Yes!"

Ji Qinglian picked up her microphone: "I think Teacher Jin Li is quite right. I completely agree with her. You are great, keep going!"

In the March Sky boy group, Luo Yi took the microphone: "Extremely great!"

Lian Baozhi had originally intended to give a serious critique, but under the influence of this delicate atmosphere, she had to change her tune on the fly: "Keep working hard, fighting!"

So, what exactly was going on with the atmosphere of this recording?

After the third team took the stage.

Jin Li felt that the "cramming" she did at noon wasn't enough. She quickly gave a meaningful look to Sui Lingfang, who was sitting relatively close to her below the stage.

Sui Lingfang immediately tossed her several small cards.

Jin Li had also copied several sentences onto her cue cards, but she never expected that after only two teams, she would exhaust all the sentences she had written down.

Sui Lingfang had seen Jin Li copying them with her own eyes at noon and knew what was on her cue cards.

When evaluating the first team, she felt Jin Li was saying too much, so she immediately searched for several lines on her phone and quickly wrote them down.

Jin Li took the cue cards, looked down, and her expression changed slightly.

This...

She turned to look at Sui Lingfang.

Sui Lingfang gave her a look of affirmation.

Two conflicting thoughts fought in Jin Li's mind for several seconds before she forced a slight smile. Fine, let's do it this way.

She gave up struggling.

Thus, after the third team finished their performance, before the contestants could even speak, Jin Li immediately picked up the microphone and said passionately

"Watching your stage is like looking at the moon in the sky or the twinkling stars in the air. Unfortunately, I am not a poet, so I cannot write ten thousand poems to describe the beauty of your stage."

The contestants were stunned, the other mentors were stunned, and the audience below the stage was equally stunned.

But only Ji Qinglian remained lucid.

As soon as Jin Li finished, she immediately picked up her microphone: "Teacher Jin Li is right!"

The March Sky members also reacted. Chen Lin picked up the microphone and said, "Yes, you are all great. Although there were tiny flaws in the stage, the flaws do not overshadow the jade. We look forward to your next performance."

Lian Baozhi picked up her microphone, finally able to offer a substantive critique.

The fourth team took the stage, and after their performance ended.

Jin Li: "Every frame of your stage is so heart-stirring. I am truly captivated by you little celestial fairies; I only wish to drown in your stage and never emerge."

Ji Qinglian: "Teacher Jin Li is right!"

...

There were a total of 12 teams. Jin Li critiqued 6 of them, persisting for over three hours, and felt her body was getting tired.

She had to request a break.

The director thought about it and decided to have an intermission.

Although recording a variety show requires concentration, the tasks are quite fragmented.

Jin Li had to watch performances one moment and think of critiques the next; her energy could not be focused in one place, preventing her [Half the Effort, Double the Result] skill from being fully utilized.

Therefore, on stage, she was relying entirely on the physical stamina of this body to support her.

During the intermission.

She returned to the common lounge. The other mentors were also there, and it wouldn't be appropriate for Jin Li to "cram" on the spot, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to explain it.

So, she had to put on her headphones, playing foreign language listening exercises on her phone, closing her eyes while listening intently.

Gu Cheng sat beside her. Just as he was about to ask if she wanted something to eat, he saw her closing her eyes to rest.

He turned his head and was suddenly startled. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Jin Li's phone placed to the side, the interface displaying "Foreign Language Synchronous Listening, Chapter 2, Section 3."

Gu Cheng glanced at Jin Li again. *Mm, she is indeed resting her eyes.*

He thought for a moment and flipped Jin Li's phone over to hide the display.

Chen Lin whispered to him, "Teacher Jin Li looks very pale. Is it low blood sugar, or is she hungry? Should we get her something to eat?"

Gu Cheng shook his head. "No need. If she's hungry, she'll find something herself. Don't disturb her."

The intermission ended.

The other mentors returned to recording, but Jin Li was still resting her eyes, feeling as though her spirit hadn't fully recovered.

All the staff members of the production team knew Jin Li's health was poor, and Sui Lingfang had given them a heads-up in advance, so they did not rush her.

Sui Lingfang sat opposite Jin Li, quietly handling work.

After working for an unknown amount of time, she slumped onto the sofa in exhaustion and rubbed her eyes.

Jin Li said, "Sister Fang, if you have matters to handle back at the company, you can go back first."

Sui Lingfang snapped out of it and looked at her. "It's fine, just some work matters. I can still handle it. How about you? Are you feeling better?"

"Mm." Jin Li glanced at her phone; an hour had passed. "I feel like my energy has recovered a bit. Should I head back to the stage?"

Sui Lingfang said, "Not yet. Write down all your 'chicken soup' for your cue cards first, so you don't run out later."

At the mention of this, Jin Li paused and asked, "Sister Fang, the content of those cue cards you gave me..."

"What, is it no good?"

Jin Li: "Do you think those are all chicken soup?"

Sui Lingfang: "Yes, isn't praising people a good way to sound pleasant?"

Jin Li: "...Alright."

They were indeed quite pleasant, leaving her with no way to argue.

Half an hour later, Jin Li returned to the stage.

This time, she successfully stayed until the end of the recording.

Jin Li had not been staying in the dormitories arranged by the production team these past few days. She intended to leave immediately after finishing, but Gu Cheng called out to her, asking where she was staying near the Mazu Temple.

Jin Li: "I'm staying in the Holiday Hotel next door."

Gu Cheng: "A presidential suite?"

Jin Li felt sheepish. The hotel wasn't a five-star hotel, but a presidential suite in a scenic area was no cheaper than a five-star hotel; it cost tens of thousands per night, a price she couldn't afford.

"Just a regular small single room."

Gu Cheng: "Oh, are you staying at the Holiday Hotel again tonight?"

Jin Li nodded.

If she could, she would want to live there permanently.

After bidding farewell to March Sky, Jin Li spoke a few more words to Ji Qinglian, who then had to rush off to another engagement.

Watching her retreating figure, Jin Li couldn't help but shake her head. This was the life of an A-list star—busy spinning around, never having a moment's rest.

In the evening, Jin Li returned to the Mazu Temple.

She went to worship Mazu as usual, and as her physical energy was restored, she felt as if she had come back to life.

Sui Lingfang had planned to go back early tonight and wanted to take Jin Li with her, but Jin Li insisted on staying at the Mazu Temple for one more night.

The phrase "I feel like being near the gods makes my body feel better" prevented Sui Lingfang from saying anything more. Since Jin Li had no engagements tomorrow, so be it.

On the other side, as the second part of episode two of *PICK~ Next Station Diva* aired today, waves of public opinion surged online.

Some were directed at the contestant Gong Jiajia, others at the mentors.

Jin Li didn't have many shots in the second part of episode two; she didn't speak much, and combined with her physical discomfort at the time, she didn't critique the trainees much.

The only thing she said was encouraging contestant Gong Jiajia to fight for the Center position.

*[So, Jin Li really thinks highly of Gong Jiajia. Is she not a 'royal' contestant with a guaranteed comeback script?]*

*[Gong Jiajia's ability is indeed good, but with that look, is she suitable for a girl group?]*

*[Is Lian Baozhi's manager really making things difficult for Jin Li? Watching the show, they were even chatting and laughing together.]*

*[Ahhh, I'm low-key shipping them!]*

*[The person above, you're shipping them too? Doge.jpg]*

*[I'm done. You can even ship people in a survival show? Can you shippers go to your own fandoms to ship? Don't come here to dance!]*

Although netizens had debates regarding Gong Jiajia, Jin Li being the first to call for her to grab the Center position contributed a moderate amount of heat, landing it in the top 20 trending searches.

In the Holiday Hotel.

After eating, Jin Li scrolled through her phone. No one had messaged her, so she prepared to start a livestream to watch videos.

Suddenly, her phone rang; it was Gu Cheng calling.

Jin Li answered curiously, "Hello?"

In the phone, Gu Cheng's voice carried a slight electronic static, somewhat distorted, but because the phone was close, the voice was amplified several times, and his youthful, clear tone could still be heard.

"Sister Li, we're coming to Mazu Temple to play. As the host, don't you want to come and entertain us?"

Jin Li was stunned at first, then amused. "Where are you? I'll come pick you up."

Better late than never; it just so happened she was free.

If she had already started her livestream, she might not have wanted to go down to meet them.

She found the March Sky boy group in the lobby of the Holiday Hotel and recognized them at a glance.

The four of them were tall, dressed fashionably, and possessed extraordinary temperaments.

Fortunately, it was currently the off-season for tourism, and there weren't many people in the hotel, so no employees recognized them.

Jin Li was wearing loose, plain-colored loungewear, giving off the vibe of a corporate slave who had finally finished work and returned home, wanting nothing more than to change into comfortable clothes and just rot and rest.

After putting on a mask and a hat, her beautiful features were hidden, making her look even more like an ordinary person.

If not for the fair and delicate skin of her arms revealed by her short T-shirt, Jin Li wouldn't have looked like a celebrity at all.

Of course, that was on the condition—don't look at her face.

Jin Li helped them check in and requested a presidential suite.

She intended to pay, but Gu Cheng grabbed her hand, pulled out his phone with a serious expression, and insisted on paying.

"Sister Li, you're taking us out to play, we already feel a bit embarrassed. How can we let you spend so much money!"

Yan Xingdong stood to the side with his arms crossed, watching the drama and nodding repeatedly, "Yes, yes."

Chen Lin said, "Don't try to save money for Chengzi; he knows how to make money better than all of us."

Jin Li didn't insist and said readily, "Fine, I'll take you to wander through the Mazu Temple night market later. There's also a light show and a 'Fishermen Singing at Sunset' stage performance here."

She had originally thought that taking people out would be very tiring.

But whether it was because they were playing in the Mazu Temple or because immersing oneself in "playing" is also a form of serious attitude, she didn't feel particularly tired. In fact, she felt more energetic as they played.

They played until ten-thirty at night, but at that point, Gu Cheng said he wanted to go back and rest.

Yan Xingdong also felt it was about time.

Although their boy group had busy schedules, as long as their engagements allowed, they wouldn't let members stay up late.

Being a celebrity is a profession that requires frequent exposure to cameras, and because they are often on the move and wear makeup daily, their facial condition is often worse than that of ordinary people.

Those who use the gimmick of "natural beauty without makeup" are either unpopular celebrities or extremely disciplined individuals who rest on time and do not stay up late.

The group returned to the hotel.

The presidential suite was on the top floor. Jin Li stepped out of the elevator first, and Gu Cheng followed her out, turning to say, "You guys go up first, or wait for me for a moment."

He ran forward a few steps and whispered a few words to Jin Li.

Jin Li nodded, indicating it was fine.

Gu Cheng then returned to the elevator.

Chen Lin asked curiously, "What kind of secret were you whispering to Sister Jin Li?"

Gu Cheng gave a meaningful smile. "You'll know tomorrow."

Jin Li returned to her room.

She quickly washed up, and just before she was about to rest, she received a call from Sister Fang.

After listening for a while, Jin Li was pleasantly surprised.

"You're saying Cat Claw has agreed? Didn't they say they couldn't reach an agreement before?"

Sui Lingfang was also very surprised.

Although the Cat Claw engagement was mediocre and Jin Li didn't plan to make money from it, it was quite significant, as it was a public welfare instructional video sharing project.

Many celebrities only start doing charity work after reaching the A-list.

Since Jin Li was doing this now, Sui Lingfang thought it was good; after all, Jin Li had once been A-list, and even if netizens found out, they wouldn't think she was putting on a show.

If this could gradually and subtly awaken the netizens' impression of Jin Li, it could accelerate her return to the A-list.

Sui Lingfang said thoughtfully, "There are still many details in the contract to discuss. The legal department has added all your conditions. There's no use coming back too early; it won't be too late to return to the company tomorrow afternoon."

Jin Li smiled. "Thank you, Sister Fang. This time I really must worship Mazu properly to thank Him for sending me a bit of luck."

The next day, at eight in the morning.

There were a total of four rooms in the presidential suite, with one member per room.

Yan Xingdong woke up on time according to his biological clock. He habitually checked his phone first, and upon seeing a certain message, he suddenly lost his balance, and his phone almost fell!

Gu Cheng: [Sister Jin Li and I are studying in the living room. Please be mindful when you come out.]

Yan Xingdong: [-_-||, if you guys fail your college entrance exams, I'm going to cry.]

He quickly tidied himself up and was about to head out when he thought of something. He went back into his room, opened his suitcase, and pulled out a pile of draft paper.

Those were all music scores he had written intermittently before.

Yan Xingdong had a premonition: this time, their new song was truly within reach!

Luo Yi woke up shortly after and also saw the message Gu Cheng sent in the group chat. After tidying up, he very cooperatively tucked a pile of lyrics and scores into his pocket and went out.

He had a premonition: their new song was not far from completion!

Only Chen Lin did not check his phone when he woke up.

He had "phone hyperactivity." Once he picked up his phone, he would forget everything else, often lying in bed scrolling endlessly until he was hungry.

After being severely criticized by the other members several times, his first task upon waking up became washing up rather than checking his phone.

Chen Lin tidied up slowly and opened the door with a sleepy face. Seeing everyone outside studying seriously, he thought dizzily

*Why am I having this nightmare again?*

*Wait, hold on!*

Chen Lin pinched his face. It hurt.

*Damn, it's not a dream!*

His face went through a series of changes, his expression incredibly colorful, before he silently returned to his room and pulled an acoustic guitar from his luggage.

*I'm not learning anything!*

*I'll just provide background music for this group of overachievers!*