Chapter 58: Shaking with rage, don't I, as a paparazzi, deserve any respect!

Accompaniment was out of the question.

Chen Lin had barely played a few notes before Yan Xingdong complained that he was playing terribly, telling him to take out his electronic keyboard to practice the score instead.

Hearing this, Jin Li asked curiously, "Do you all carry musical instruments with you everywhere?"

Gu Cheng said, "They are needed for certain work occasions. The instruments provided by organizers are ultimately not as familiar as the ones we use ourselves."

Jin Li nodded. "I understand."

She had woken up at six this morning, went for a jog, paid her respects to Mazu, and arrived at the top floor carrying breakfast.

It was only six-thirty then.

When she rang the doorbell, she realized it was still too early and was about to head back, but in the next second, Gu Cheng opened the door for her.

Jin Li was surprised. "Do you wake up this early?"

Gu Cheng looked quite energetic, not like someone who had just woken up.

He shook his head. "I woke up around seven, but I asked Sister Fang about your routine beforehand. Knowing you wake up quite early, I made a special effort to get up early today."

"Ah, Sister Fang?"

Gu Cheng glanced at her and suddenly smiled, leaning lazily against the wall with half his body. "Sister Li, you didn't actually think I'd arrange to study with you without letting your manager know, did you?"

Jin Li blinked. "I hadn't actually thought of that."

Gu Cheng said nonchalantly, "But your manager seems to care a lot about that. She knows I'm good at my studies; I mentioned it to her, and she agreed."

Jin Li said with deep feeling, "My manager is truly beyond reproach in how well she treats me."

People have hearts of flesh and blood.

She saw clearly how well Sister Fang treated her.

Whether it was her current self or the original owner of this body, their feelings toward Sister Fang were complex—not a complexity of many conflicting emotions, but a complexity of wanting to be close while not daring to be too close.

The original owner was an orphan with no relatives.

During those three years when her health was poor and she hadn't gone out much for assignments, Sister Fang would visit her once or twice every month, which served as a way to soothe her loneliness.

Even for the current Jin Li, she viewed Sister Fang as her own elder sister in her heart.

...

The group worked hard until ten o'clock.

Jin Li stretched her body, happily joined them in a boy group dance, and then dove back into her studies.

This time, she asked for everyone's opinion and started a live stream.

This live stream was for watching video tutorials and taking synchronized notes.

[The live stream for the creator you follow, Jin Li, has started!]

Since it was Sunday, a huge number of people entered as soon as Jin Li went live.

Fans rushed in first to check in, stating they were determined to listen to the lessons and take notes seriously today.

Once the fans had finished their turn, it was time for the "melon-eating" netizens to arrive, saying they were just dropping by to take a casual look.

After these two main waves of traffic had finished commenting, it was time for the serious learners to take the stage.

[abandon, vt. to give up, to abandon. n. neglect, fanaticism. access, n. passage, access, entry. vt. to access, to approach...]

[Many countries attach great importance to the comprehensive utilization of seawater resources. Substances that can be obtained from seawater without chemical changes are: A: Chlorine, bromine, iodine. B: Sodium, magnesium, aluminum. C: Caustic soda, hydrogen. D: Table salt, fresh water.]

[Which of the following is NOT a major characteristic of economic globalization? A: Free flow of capital and information. B: High integration of economic interests between countries. C: International large companies becoming the main subjects of economic globalization. D: Increased transparency of labor markets in various countries.]

The fans fell silent looking at this rapid succession of questions.

The netizens muttered to themselves, "I can't deal with this, I surrender," as they watched.

Only the civil service exam candidates, high school students, and study-abroad students silently shed tears, wishing they could hug one another and cry, "Fellow traveler! I've finally found you!"

Jin Li and Gu Cheng each wore an earphone to watch the instructional video. Gu Cheng was so focused on his notes that he didn't notice as he shifted his body, allowing a small corner of his clothing to enter the camera frame.

Some fans who were staring intently at the live stream saw it and repeatedly commented, asking who the owner of the clothes was.

But their excitement was in vain.

With tens of millions of viewers online, there were only a few dozen responses.

The world of the "grind culture" was this pure and silent—ignoring everything outside the window and focusing solely on the books of the sages.

Meanwhile, Yan Xingdong suddenly received a call from his manager.

The manager asked in confusion, "Are you guys still in the hotel near the production crew? A paparazzi contacted me saying they caught a huge piece of gossip involving you, and they wanted tens of thousands before telling me what it was."

That was just the fee for buying the information.

Once the information was bought and they knew what the gossip was, they would then consider whether to buy the actual footage from the paparazzi.

That would be a separate price.

However, the manager was particularly confident in the boy group "March Days." They had experience training overseas, making them more resilient to hardship than domestic trainees, and they had experienced the brutal elimination PKs abroad, so they cherished their hard-won opportunities in China.

Therefore, the manager wasn't worried about them acting out. Upon receiving the message from the paparazzi, he immediately called Yan Xingdong to ask.

Yan Xingdong asked, "The hotel near the production crew?"

He looked up at the window. It was open for ventilation, but the curtains were drawn. Occasionally, when the wind was strong, a corner of the curtain would blow aside, revealing a glimpse of the interior.

Yan Xingdong understood.

The paparazzi had likely caught them through those sporadic glimpses.

However, with such fragmented angles, he wondered what the resulting photos actually looked like.

Yan Xingdong said, "Don't worry. We are studying with Teacher Jin Li. We opened a presidential suite in a hotel near the Mazu Temple, and everyone is currently working and studying seriously together."

The manager was bewildered. "Studying, Mazu Temple, working?"

It was strange.

He understood each of those words individually, so why did they make no sense when put together?

Yan Xingdong continued, "We will issue a clarification in a moment. This is very easy to resolve. In fact, working with Teacher Jin Li has made our efficiency skyrocket. I've already written most of the music for the new song, Luo Yi has written most of the lyrics, and Xiao Lin is being pushed to practice his score, so his piano skills are improving. As for Gu Cheng, he said he wants to take the college entrance exam and attend a domestic university."

He finished in one breath.

The manager smiled when he heard the first part, but his mouth twitched when he heard the latter.

He was speechless for several seconds, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly. Finally, not knowing what to say, he said helplessly

"Just make sure you maintain proper boundaries. Next time you record a variety show, I'll come along to see exactly who this Teacher Jin Li is that can actually manage you all."

Yan Xingdong glanced at Jin Li and Gu Cheng, who were still listening to the lesson intently, and sighed, "Nothing else, just the power of the grind."

Being around these two, if you didn't push yourself, you would feel a sense of guilt.

After finishing the call.

Yan Xingdong thought for a moment, went to the curtains, and pulled them wide open.

After opening them, he even made a point of waving at the window.

Yan Xingdong scanned the area outside. He could only say that the paparazzi's lenses were incredibly powerful; no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find where they were.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but emptiness.

Yan Xingdong turned and said, "Teacher Jin Li, a paparazzi caught photos of us. How about we use your live stream to explain?"

The live stream had already recorded Yan Xingdong's voice. Once he spoke, he had made up his mind and assumed Jin Li wouldn't disagree.

Sure enough, Jin Li said without a second thought, "Sure, come over here."

[What's going on? Did I just hear my boyfriend's voice?]

[Tell us more, how many boyfriends do you have? [Dog head emoji]]

[Not many, not many, just enough to change one every day. [Green dog head emoji]]

The camera suddenly shook as Gu Cheng took the phone.

He panned the camera around the presidential suite, then filmed some of the lyrics and musical scores, as well as the study guides and notes on the table.

Finally, the members of March Days and Jin Li all appeared in the frame together.

Yan Xingdong said, "Haha, sorry if we startled you by appearing so suddenly! We didn't do it on purpose!

Let me clarify something here. After finishing the recording, we decided to hang out nearby. Teacher Jin Li happened to be in the area, so she took us out.

Today, Teacher Jin Li needs to study, and we need to compose music, so we asked Teacher Jin Li to come study with us.

We are all aware that she does live streams. My manager just called me saying a paparazzi had caught us, and I was afraid they would spread rumors, so I decided to clarify directly through Teacher Jin Li's live stream.

We are all working hard, so please don't spread false rumors!"

After the clarification, Yan Xingdong handed the phone back to Jin Li.

Jin Li didn't know what else to say, so she said, "You all heard it. March Days has a very strong desire to study—no, to work. So we should do our best to support them. Now, let's get back to studying."

As soon as she finished speaking, she switched back to the lesson channel.

The members of March Days looked at each other. Teacher Jin Li was truly Teacher Jin Li; she didn't try to ride their coattails at all, nor did she need to.

For those in the grind culture, the one who grinds harder and more excellently is the one more worthy of attention.

[Ah, Li-bao's decisive attitude is exactly like a girl who would dump me T^T]

[So March Days and Li-bao are actually such good friends that they can study together?]

[Good, good, good! Study! We support all your decisions!]

Jin Li continued her studies.

On the other side, the paparazzi were suffering!

They had actually come specifically to stake out Jin Li.

It was no secret that every time Jin Li came to record a program, she stayed near the Mazu Temple.

Some diligent paparazzi would camp out near the Mazu Temple to see if they could dig up any major scoops.

But Jin Li's routine was far too abnormal.

Abnormal for a celebrity, but very healthy for an ordinary person.

After following her for several consecutive days, waking up earlier than a rooster, all they had managed to photograph was morning jogs, paying respects, and buying breakfast.

The paparazzi were furious. They hadn't put in all this effort just to photograph such trivial things!

After several days of waiting, they finally caught Jin Li in the same frame as March Days, and even entering and exiting a presidential suite together.

The paparazzi's eyes lit up; this was bound to be a massive scoop!

After finally capturing a few ambiguous photos, they contacted March Days' manager, ready to negotiate the price, only to see Yan Xingdong pull open the curtains.

And even wave at them!

Wave your ass! You think you're walking a dog?!

Seeing Yan Xingdong greeting them so openly, the paparazzi had a bad feeling. Shortly after, his subordinate said

"Boss, March Days appeared together in Jin Li's live stream. It turns out they were just studying. Sigh, these photos were a waste of time. Why are celebrities so competitive these days?"

His subordinate continued grumbling, "Boss, should we still release these photos?"

The paparazzi rolled his eyes. "Release them? You idiot, delete them! Letting these photos occupy my camera's memory, even for a second, is a waste of the camera's value!"

...

After another hour of studying.

As noon approached, Jin Li saw that it was getting late and ended the live stream.

The group discussed it and felt that the hotel food was a bit repetitive, so they decided to cook for themselves. After all, the presidential suite was fully equipped with kitchenware, and the fridge had both water and alcohol.

Gu Cheng specifically asked, "Can Teacher Jin Li eat barbecue?"

If it were her previous body, Jin Li wouldn't have been able to eat it.

However, she planned to pay her respects to Mazu one last time before leaving, so she said, "No problem. My health is a bit better now, so I should be able to eat it."

Gu Cheng: "Alright then, we'll have barbecue for lunch."

They didn't need to prepare the ingredients; with one phone call, the hotel staff delivered everything to their door.

Upon learning they wanted barbecue, the hotel thoughtfully asked if they needed skewers, grills, charcoal, or even a chef, offering to prepare everything for them.

Aside from the chef, the members of March Days had the hotel cover all other materials and tools, including it in the service fee.

This was Jin Li's first time eating barbecue, and also her first time trying iced cola. Smelling the aroma of this earthly life, her eyes curved into a smile.

Gu Cheng handed her a chicken wing. Seeing her happy, he couldn't help but ask, "You've never tried it before?"

Jin Li shook her head. "In the past, my schedule was too busy. I usually just rushed through a lunch box. I rarely had the leisure to enjoy food like this."

Later, when her health was poor, she didn't dare eat things like barbecue. She couldn't even drink ice water and could only eat simple, bland meals—low salt, low sugar, and low oil.

Today was her first time eating barbecue.

As for her earlier experience working before becoming a celebrity, that was even more out of the question.

As fellow workers

Some drink coffee at work and eat grilled meat after work.

Some do manual labor at work and... just want to go home and rest after work, not wanting to move a muscle.

Hearing this, Gu Cheng said, "When you have time in the future, I'll take you to eat all sorts of delicious things, as long as your body can handle it."

Jin Li readily agreed, "Sure!"

After lunch, the group went to the Mazu Temple to pay their respects again, and then went their separate ways.

Jin Li was still dressed in her casual home attire and took a taxi back to the company.

To be fair, her casual look appeared quite low-key.

Combined with the harsh sunlight outside, she followed the crowd and put on sun-protective cooling sleeves to cover her arms.

She looked about ten years older, and walking down the street, she didn't attract any attention at all.

Only after Jin Li had left did the members of March Days board the chauffeured van sent by their company.

Unlike other top-tier stars who wanted to maintain a massive fan base, their whereabouts were not disclosed to the public, so fans rarely managed to stake them out.

Furthermore, the security provided by their company was high-spec; no matter what event they attended, they always had four bodyguards.

The bodyguards all dressed very low-key, looking like assistants, but in reality, they were constantly observing their surroundings.

Thus, when March Days was out, they weren't worried about safety.

Once in the car, Chen Lin said, "Sister Jin Li is really down-to-earth. She's one of the most unpretentious celebrities I've ever met."

Luo Yi nodded. "She has no celebrity baggage at all. She appears with a completely bare face, not worrying at all about being photographed or criticized."

Yan Xingdong agreed, "Her skin is very good; she looks quite beautiful even without makeup. If I had skin like hers, I'd be willing to go bare-faced every day too."

Gu Cheng said thoughtfully, "That's true. She just applies a color-changing lip balm, and it looks like she's wearing makeup. She has a great natural foundation."

Chen Lin's expression shifted slightly. "Anyway, in my interactions with Sister Jin Li, I feel she is very bright, generous, and doesn't sweat the small stuff. How about we invite her to our upcoming group variety show?"

Luo Yi countered, "Aren't you afraid of rumors?"

Chen Lin thought about it. "Inviting a female celebrity is easily speculated upon, but what if we invite two? Sister Qinglian is also familiar with us; we could invite her too?"

Yan Xingdong shook his head. "No. These two female celebrities overlap too much with our business. They both participated in *PICK~ Next Station Diva*. If we invite Sister Qinglian, netizens will say why didn't you invite Lian Baozhi, and accuse us of practicing show bullying."

Chen Lin was stunned and took a long time to respond, "That's true."

Gu Cheng suddenly spoke up, "Sister Li mentioned that the other members of the Pink Girl Group also have great personalities. We don't have to invite Sister Qinglian; we could try inviting other members.

Besides, it would be easy to promote. Our boy group and their girl group have both stood at the peak of popularity. If we do a variety show together, it could trigger some nostalgia."

Yan Xingdong pondered, "That's a good idea. I'll communicate with Brother Guang about it."

While Jin Li was in the taxi heading back to the company.

After the second episode of *PICK~ Next Station Diva* finished airing and was delayed by one day, the elimination rules for the second episode were finally announced—

A Full Group Elimination Battle!

The thing the trainees were worried about had finally arrived. The elimination in this survival show was not conducted on an individual basis, but on a group basis!

Jin Li had been resting with her eyes closed on the car, listening to English listening practice through her earphones, but she was jolted out of her focus by the continuous vibration of her phone.

Opening her phone, she saw messages from the girl group group chat; even the boy group's group chat was discussing the same news.

Jin Li scrolled back to the very first message, which had been shared by Ji Qinglian. She couldn't help but marvel at her energy—being able to work while seamlessly consuming gossip.

A true master of time management!

Clicking the link, she was automatically redirected to the trending topics on the blog.

The tag #*PICK~ Next Station Diva* Launches First Full Group Elimination Battle# had already jumped to the top of the trending list.

[Holy crap, after waiting so long, it's actually a full group elimination?]

[When I heard that the third episode would be recorded together with the second episode's groups, I suspected it might be a group elimination, but I always felt Penguin wouldn't have the guts to do it. Now that I see it, this is getting interesting!]

[It's over. The group my favorite contestant is in has very low overall popularity. She won't be eliminated, will she?]

[So, popularity scores are no longer about individual popularity, but about the group's overall popularity??]

[Oho, this is how group survival shows should be done. So much more thrilling!]

Jin Li looked at the updated group popularity rankings.

There were 12 teams in total, and two teams would be eliminated in the second episode.

Currently, among the contestants in the TOP 1 girl group, only one was in the top ten for individual popularity, while the others were in the top 20.

However, when calculating the combined popularity of all members, this girl group, which was mediocre in individual rankings, leaped to first place.

Jin Li scrolled further down.

The team Gong Jiajia belonged to was in the middle, ranked eighth. This result meant they shouldn't be worried about being eliminated.

Suddenly, Jin Li froze. In the tenth-ranked team, she saw a contestant who was in the top ten for individual popularity.

So, would this contestant become a victim under the sickle of this cruel rule?

Jin Li returned to the company.

She found that even Sister Fang was consuming the gossip from the survival show. Upon seeing her, the first thing she asked was, "Did you see the news? The full group elimination battle."

Jin Li: "Qinglian shared it with me. I have to say, Penguin has really made a ruthless move this time!"

Sui Lingfang clicked her tongue in amazement. "They have to be ruthless. Although *PICK~ Next Station Diva* was a hit from the start, compared to the massive success when the March Days boy group debuted two years ago, there is a huge difference.

When March Days appeared in the first episode, they swept the entire show with an absolute advantage, with the four members having a massive gap in popularity.

Originally, that show was supposed to select eight members, but their popularity was so overwhelming that it forced the production crew to change the rules, resulting in only the four of them forming a group.

But look at this girl group survival show—is there any contestant who can do what the boy group did?"

Jin Li mused, "Boy groups and girl groups focus their energy in different directions, so they can't be compared directly. However, looking strictly at popularity, they are indeed somewhat lacking."

She asked curiously, "Did the production crew not invite any overseas trainees back?"

Sui Lingfang clapped her hands. "They did! How could they not? They even invited over a dozen trainees who were originally planning to debut overseas to come back and develop in China, but they just couldn't make a splash.

The stage design is top-tier, the lighting is top-tier, and the stages they are given are top-notch. Although it's popular, the popularity doesn't really count as top-tier in the domestic entertainment industry.

When March Days performed on a small, old, dilapidated stage, they could directly hit number one in popularity in the first episode. Compared to the current girl groups' popularity, it's many times higher.

The variety show has already reached the second episode, and everything still hasn't met expectations. I think Penguin is going to ruthlessly torture the fans to boost popularity."

Jin Li did not offer any comments on this.

She hadn't been in a show before, so she didn't understand what the production crew actually wanted.

She said, "I hope they don't end up having the opposite effect."

The main purpose of this visit to the company was to discuss the endorsement for the Cat Paw live stream.

Sui Lingfang showed her the contract and explained the general terms.

"Cat Paw originally wanted to sign you as a site-wide spokesperson, meaning a brand ambassador for the whole platform, but I don't think that's quite right. Your demand is specifically for the [Online Video Education] sector, not other areas.

If Cat Paw signs you as their spokesperson and then starts promoting singing, dancing, live stream PKs, or big eater challenges, using your popularity to push strange projects, we will be in a very passive position."

Jin Li was certainly going to rise to become a first-tier star.

An endorsement signed now would, in any case, last for two or three years.

If Jin Li reached the first tier next year and her previous endorsements no longer matched her status, she would be mocked by the industry.

Therefore, Sui Lingfang was very cautious about Jin Li's endorsement contract.

"I've negotiated separately with Cat Paw to set you up as a Public Welfare Ambassador, specifically managing their upcoming charity projects and the video education sector. You can cooperate with Cat Paw on some promotional activities."

Jin Li asked curiously, "They agreed to that?"

Sui Lingfang: "They originally didn't, but then something happened internally, and they agreed. Looking at the subsequent contract they sent me, they seem to want to launch many public welfare initiatives. It's quite positive."

Hearing this, Jin Li had even fewer objections. "Alright, let's sign it."