Chapter 29: The God Who Monopolizes Eighty Percent!

Although she had already greeted the boy band March Sky twice, both conversations had been too rushed; this was the first time Jin Li had communicated with them properly.

Jin Li was quite interested in them.

After all, they were described by netizens as "the pink girl group that took over the mantle of the fallen, carrying the mantle of the new generation of top-tier boy bands."

If not for those two words, "fallen," Jin Li thought the news article was written quite well; it was just that some of the wording was a bit cruel.

As she ate, she nodded along while listening to the talkative Chen Lin recount stories from before their debut.

"So, you trained abroad for three years beforehand to build a solid foundation, and then chose to return to China to develop your careers, which just happened to coincide with the survival show," Jin Li summarized.

Generally speaking, survival shows pick the top 3 to 11 most popular trainees out of hundreds to form a group and debut.

Jin Li assumed March Sky was the same, but according to them, they had actually been training abroad as a pre-debut boy band before forming the group.

Upon returning to the country to participate in the show, the four of them had an immediate, massive gap in popularity, surging ahead all the way, so they ultimately debuted as the original lineup.

Yan Xingdong picked up the thread. "You could say that. Actually, we originally intended to debut abroad; there are more opportunities overseas regarding team structures, chart competition, and music show performances."

Luo Yi added in perfect sync, "But the contract terms were too harsh. We couldn't tolerate them, so we ultimately chose to return to China."

Jin Li's eyes flickered. She glanced at Ji Qinglian beside her, stirred the vermicelli in her bowl, poked a piece of meat, and finally couldn't help but ask in a small voice

"Is it convenient to know your contract's profit-sharing ratio? You don't have to be too detailed, just a general idea will do."

The members of the boy band looked at each other, momentarily unsure how to react.

For people who had just met, this question was a bit of an invasion of privacy.

Before Jin Li could utter her second sentence, Ji Qinglian put an arm around her shoulder and said with a beaming smile, "Don't take it to heart. Jin Li is just joking with you; she's a huge jokester."

Jin Li snapped back to reality and nodded repeatedly. "Right, I'm just joking with you guys, don't mind me!"

Yan Xingdong thought for a moment and asked cautiously, "Then what about you, Senior? What is your profit-sharing ratio? Is it convenient to know?"

Jin Li blinked. "Of course it is. My profit-sharing ratio isn't actually a secret in the industry. If you ask your managers, they should know. I'm on a 20/80 split."

"Holy crap, what kind of slave contract is that? You only get twenty percent?" Chen Lin's mouth moved faster than his brain, blurting it out.

The other members also looked at Jin Li in disbelief.

That kind of rate was something only newcomers who had just entered the industry a few years ago would sign.

In recent years, celebrities had been constantly clashing with companies over profit-sharing issues, eventually meeting in court. Consequently, the union had established industry minimum standards this year.

When a company signs a celebrity, the absolute minimum baseline for a contract is a 30/70 split; the ratio cannot be lower than that.

Jin Li looked at them amusedly and said with a hint of smugness, "Little brothers, you clearly don't know. I don't get twenty percent—I get eighty!"

"Whoa!" The look in Chen Lin's eyes shifted instantly from shock to worship.

A goddess who monopolizes eighty percent!!!

***

After dinner, Jin Li felt okay physically, but she remained cautious and chose not to go to the recording. Instead, she hunkered down in her room and diligently worked through a math unit test.

When her alarm went off, she had already been doing problems for an hour.

Jin Li stood up and bounced a few times, feeling that her condition was decent.

Just as she was about to look for Sui Lingfang, she suddenly paused, having thought of a good idea.

About ten minutes later, Jin Li appeared at the door of Sui Lingfang's room.

When Sui Lingfang opened the door, she was also ready to go.

"How are you feeling?"

It was now 8:00 PM. Jin Li said, "I feel like I can last until 10:00. If I'm feeling good, I can push to 11:00."

Sui Lingfang thought about it. "Alright, let's go to the recording then. I'll be in the studio as well. If there are any issues, call the staff to find me immediately. I just spoke with the on-site planners; I asked them to minimize your interactions with the trainees and teachers so they don't film you looking exhausted."

With fewer interactions, Jin Li could slack off and rest a bit, acting as a background element, which wouldn't be as taxing.

Jin Li gave her a sweet, satisfied smile. "Thanks, Sister Fang."

Sui Lingfang held up a finger and flicked her head back as she leaned in.

"Don't act spoiled. Even if you're slacking off, you need to perform well on the show. I don't want Penguin using your health as an excuse to dock your appearance fees."

Jin Li smiled meaningfully. "Don't worry, I've prepared a 'trump card' for my backup plan. I should be able to hold out until 11:00."

Sui Lingfang raised an eyebrow but didn't press for details; she had great faith in her artist.

***

Exactly 8:00 PM.

Jin Li took her seat in the mentor section silently.

Lian Baozhi glanced at Jin Li from the side, curled her lip, and turned to look at the stage ahead.

Jin Li also glanced at her and noticed that Lian Baozhi had changed into a backless dress that revealed a lovely cleavage.

This was Lian Baozhi's usual style, but she hadn't worn it in the show before; Jin Li didn't know why she had switched back today.

Jin Li was unaware that she was actually the culprit behind Lian Baozhi's decision to change clothes.

Lian Baozhi had finished dinner in a hurry and arrived at the recording hall early specifically to check herself in the camera monitor.

She realized that if she dressed according to the preferences of young people, she would lose to Jin Li hands down.

Jin Li hadn't changed her clothes or her makeup all day; she was still in that simple, elegant white dress with her hair tied back, looking dignified and poised.

This look created a distance from the youthful, lively trainees without creating a stark sense of age.

But if she sat next to Jin Li, it would make it look like she was trying too hard to look young!

The moment Lian Baozhi thought of this, she felt terrible, which is why she hurriedly decided to switch back to her original style.

Because of this, she was half an hour late, and the director gave her a cold shoulder and scolded her a few times on the spot.

Meanwhile, Jin Li was watching the stage intently.

The saying "Ten years of hard work off-stage for one minute on-stage" applied to the trainees as well. Perhaps those performing on stage weren't aware, but watching from below, she saw it clearly.

Some trainees clearly had a foundation in dance; their movements were worlds apart from those without any training.

And some trainees had clearly studied vocal music.

When it was her turn to listen to the singing portions, even when the emotions were calm and didn't show off a powerful foundation, they still sang much better than the untrained trainees.

Jin Li also discovered a hidden gem among them—a contestant who was good at both singing and dancing, a rare balance that had the potential to be an all-rounder "ACE" in a girl group.

However, her looks weren't quite there—not that she was ugly, but she didn't fit the current trending "girl group look."

Instead of the popular watery, single-lidded eyes, she had sharp, spirited phoenix eyes, which were striking and unique.

Just then, the female trainees' group performance ended. Jin Li thought about it and decided to speak.

This was the first time she had wanted to speak during today's recording.

Others: *Give her more screen time, ahhh!*

Jin Li: *Give me less, the kid is tired _(:з」∠)_*