Chapter 31: If You Want to Be Mistreated, Look for Jin Li

Lian Baozhi's outburst, of course, was unsuccessful.

Recording continued. The on-site director emphasized several points heavily into the earpieces of all the celebrities

"If a mentor has health issues, please contact the staff. The other mentors do not need to worry about anyone else's safety; there is no need for that. Also, discussing topics unrelated to the talent show is strictly prohibited. Teachers, please pay attention and focus your energy on the stage."

As the director issued these reprimands, the expressions on the celebrities' faces varied.

Jin Li exchanged a glance with Ji Qinglian and gave an embarrassed smile. At the same time, she turned to look at Gu Cheng beside her, clasped her hands together, and made an "apology" gesture.

Gu Cheng maintained his usual posture, leaning his elbow on the table and pressing one hand against his earpiece, completely unfazed.

He shook his head at her, showing he didn't mind at all. His eyes were clean and clear, giving off a very gentle, youthful aura.

If one had to choose the member of the boy band with the most "youthful" vibe, it would undoubtedly be Gu Cheng.

Jin Li thought back to the information she had searched for earlier.

It was said that some directors had specifically approached Gu Cheng to ask him to star in youth campus films, but he had refused them all, claiming he lacked experience.

Soon, an hour passed, and it became eleven o'clock at night.

Jin Li slumped into her chair and let out a long sigh.

The second episode of the program was finally finished recording!

While the production crew arranged for the trainees to leave, they also sent people over to coordinate with the mentors.

A producer said, "There might be pick-up recordings called at any time over the next two days, so please make sure to keep your schedules open."

Everyone nodded.

As the night grew deep, Jin Li and Sui Lingfang decided not to leave the island and planned to stay in the dormitory for one more night.

When she returned to the dorm with Sister Fang and Ji Qinglian, she brought up the matter of the pick-up recordings.

Sister Fang said very straightforwardly, "It's fine. We can just leave. I've already communicated with the production team. If your footage doesn't work out, they can just cut you out entirely, as can any videos where your physical condition isn't good later on."

Sui Lingfang didn't care how the production team edited; whether they gave her more or less screen time was fine, as long as the prerequisite was that Jin Li's stage performance remained intact.

To that end, they could sacrifice some extra footage in exchange.

After hearing her opinion, Jin Li also nodded. "That works."

Interacting with trainees and such wasn't important.

She had joined this program specifically for the stage.

Coincidentally, she was the first to perform, and her condition was quite good at that time.

Jin Li believed that as long as the production team didn't engage in malicious editing, her stage performance should not disappoint the fans who supported her once it aired.

When Ji Qinglian returned to the dormitory, however, she seemed somewhat distracted.

She walked Jin Li to the front of the dormitory building. Jin Li wanted to invite her for morning tea tomorrow, but Ji Qinglian shook her head regretfully.

"We won't be able to meet up. I have to fly to East City from the island tonight. My assistant has already packed my suitcase."

As they spoke, Jin Li heard the sound of rolling wheels coming from the end of the road. Looking up, she saw the members of the boy band "March" each carrying a suitcase, walking in a hurry.

Coincidentally, Jin Li and Ji Qinglian were standing right on the path they had to take.

Behind the members of March, Ji Qinglian's assistant also approached, pulling a suitcase.

After greeting Jin Li and Ji Qinglian, Yan Xingdong asked, "Are you two teachers also rushing to catch a flight?"

Ji Qinglian asked curiously, "Yes, I'm flying to East City in a bit. What about you?"

Yan Xingdong smiled. "We are also flying to East City in a bit to attend a celebration event."

Ji Qinglian: "What a coincidence. You wouldn't happen to be rushing to the 'Jinse' charity gala, would you?"

"Correct."

Gu Cheng looked at Jin Li. "Senior, where is your suitcase?"

Jin Li gave a soft cough, wanting to maintain a cool, aloof persona and say she wasn't going, but the next second she was pulled back to reality by Ji Qinglian: "She didn't receive an invitation."

Jin Li shot a resentful glance at Ji Qinglian. "You won't even give me some face in front of outsiders."

Ji Qinglian laughed. "If you bought me a scratch-off lottery ticket and it didn't just win me 200,000, but even just 20,000, I would definitely pamper you every day and call you 'ancestor' if I had to."

Jin Li raised her chin proudly, rejecting the idea. "Is this a matter of luck? This is a matter of face. Your character isn't up to it; you don't have that luck!"

Ji Qinglian felt an itch to punch this "lucky dog."

Gu Cheng, however, took her words to heart, and his eyes flickered slightly.

Jin Li said goodbye to them, returned to the dormitory, hurriedly removed her makeup, took a shower, and fell straight asleep.

***

On the other side, late at night.

The members of March and Ji Qinglian were all rushing to catch their flight, and by chance, they were all sitting in the third row of first class.

Even more coincidental was that Lian Baozhi was on the same flight and sitting in the same row.

Chen Lin joked to lighten the atmosphere, "If Teacher Jin Li were here, we could form a full mahjong table."

Lian Baozhi gave a huff and turned to look out the window. Others couldn't see her expression clearly, but her attitude was certainly not good.

Ji Qinglian gave a light laugh at this.

"You mean Jin Li? Tsk, forget it. Don't play mahjong with her."

The members of March looked over curiously, and Chen Lin went even further, asking, "Why? Does she not know how to play?"

Ji Qinglian shook her head and said seriously, "Unless you want to be crushed by her with a series of 'Heavenly Wins' from the start, don't play any competitive games or activities that rely on luck with her."

Gu Cheng asked, "Has Senior Li always had such good luck?"

Ji Qinglian thought for a moment, specifically casting a glance at Lian Baozhi, and said airily, "At the very least, her luck is better than those female celebrities who are always trying to compete with her but can never catch up."

By the time they got off the plane, it was already two in the morning, and all the mentors went their separate ways at the airport.

In the middle of the night, fans were still "chasing stars with their lives." Every mentor had fans waiting at the airport, with the March fans being the most numerous.

As soon as they appeared, a wave of cheers from the fans erupted throughout the airport.

The members of the boy band each maintained a cold expression, leaving the airport quickly without a word and without communicating with the fans.

They were not allowed to have fans meet them at the airport, as it could easily cause accidents.

During their debut year, there had been several incidents at airports.

But no matter how they communicated with the fans, their whereabouts would always be leaked.

Once the members were in the van and the doors were closed, Chen Lin couldn't hold back and said, "Does Teacher Lian Baozhi dislike Teacher Li? The atmosphere during today's recording and the things said on the plane... the hostility was quite obvious."

Gu Cheng thought for a moment and said slowly, "Not just that. Haven't you noticed that Teacher Ji Qinglian also dislikes Teacher Lian Baozhi? Also, don't get too casual with names; you should call her Teacher Jin Li."

The captain, Yan Xingdong, said helplessly, "Xiao Lin, use your brain. LP Company has so many A-list female celebrities. Out of all of them, why would Lian Baozhi choose Jin Li?"

Chen Lin: "Because they are close friends?"

The other three teammates were all speechless.

The boy band March had three great wonders, one of which was Chen Lin's brain—he never spoke without thinking and never thought before acting.

The car fell silent for a while.

Gu Cheng broke the silence and asked, "Actually, I'm more curious about one thing. Ji Qinglian and Teacher Li seem to be on very good terms, so why didn't she choose her as a partner?"

The manager driving heard this and remarked, "You're talking about LP Company. That's perfectly normal. That company cares most about interests; they would never let their artists act as stepping stones. LP wouldn't let Ji Qinglian choose Jin Li because they know Ji Qinglian would definitely help her. But letting Lian Baozhi choose Jin Li? They feel Lian Baozhi can step on her."

The manager added, "Don't underestimate Jin Li. Her sudden rise to fame has been unparalleled. As long as her development goes smoothly, returning to the A-list is only a matter of time. There are countless people in the industry watching her, wanting to pull her down and carve up her traffic."