Chapter 6: The Language of Steel Wool

……

……

After the curtain was pulled back,

A man and a woman stepped out.

The male artist was Zheng Kai,

Dressed in a casual suit, a sunny smile gracing his handsome face.

The female artist was Ma Su,

With a slightly round face and a simple white dress, she didn't give off a gentle vibe; instead, she carried a hint of earthiness and maturity.

As soon as the two appeared,

The atmosphere on set instantly livened up.

“Clap, clap, clap—”

Gu Qing had basically learned the ropes of recording a show; he first put on a look of surprise, then immediately clapped to show his welcome.

Deng Chao, standing beside him, looked very gratified. “A child worth teaching.”

……

“Thank you, thank you.”

Zheng Kai waved with a smile,

Walked over to Chen Chichi, and patted him on the shoulder: “Chichi, long time no see.”

Chen Chichi exaggeratedly stepped back, clutching his chest: “Oh my, isn't this a big star? After *Ex-Files* became a hit, you still remember us old classmates?”

“Oh, cut it out, spare me that!” Zheng Kai laughed and gave him a shove; the interaction between the two was clearly very familiar.

On the other side,

Li Chen also greeted Ma Su, feigning disgust: “Why are you here? I really don’t want to work with you.”

His current girlfriend happened to be this woman’s best friend.

“I don’t want to work with you either.”

Ma Su rolled her eyes, swatted his hand away, bypassed Li Chen, and smilingly shook hands with Deng Chao and the others in turn: “Brother Chao, good evening…”

“Welcome, welcome…”

When it was Gu Qing’s turn, her gaze lifted slightly, her eyes brightening a little: “Little handsome, good evening.”

Gu Qing politely took Ma Su’s hand and nodded slightly: “Hello, Sister Ma Su. Just call me Gu Qing.”

Ma Su’s fingertips brushed against the young man’s warm palm, the smile in her eyes deepening: “Little handsome Gu Qing? Not only is your name nice, but you’re also very handsome.”

Gu Qing gently pulled his hand back: “Thank you.”

He was already becoming almost immune to the word ‘handsome’.

Ma Su smiled, her gaze lingering on Gu Qing’s handsome and delicate face for a few more seconds before she turned to continue chatting with the others.

“Alright, since everyone is here, to increase your motivation, we will divide into three teams for some healthy competition.”

The mysterious person on the screen continued to speak.

Blue Team: Gu Qing, Baby, Deng Chao

Red Team: Chen Chichi, Ma Su, Li Chen

Yellow Team: Zheng Kai, Wang Baoqiang, Wang Zhulan

“Alright friends, to boost our confidence, let’s shout out our slogan…”

Deng Chao wrapped things up: “Three, two, one…”

“Run—Brother!!”

Everyone shouted in unison.

“Cut!”

The director announced that the evening recording had concluded successfully. “Please get some good rest, everyone. We’ll meet at 6:00 tomorrow morning.”

……

“Oh my god, it’s finally over.”

Deng Chao’s straightened back immediately slumped. He draped his arm casually over Gu Qing’s shoulder and complained: “This is more tiring than filming.”

Having to jump around and act late at night like this, the old man really couldn't take it anymore.

“Little brother, you should go back and rest early too. We have to get up early to record tomorrow.”

“Yes, Brother Chao, bye.”

Gu Qing didn't forget to say goodbye to Wang Baoqiang and the others before hopping into the show’s shuttle bus with his assistant.

Back at the hotel,

After a quick wash,

Gu Qing lay on the bed, picked up his phone, and opened his notes, preparing to record some viral songs he remembered from his past life.

This was the foundation for his ‘small goal’ of one hit per year.

Whether it was because of his soul-transmigration,

Gu Qing found that his memory was terrifyingly good. When he closed his eyes and thought, everything he had heard, sung, or watched in his past life

Was as clear as if it had been printed into his mind.

“Doesn't this mean I’ll clear the game on my first try?”

Gu Qing brushed his bangs back and clenched his fist.

The life he had always craved and longed for

Was nothing more than having a top-tier computer and recording equipment, plus a large sum of spare cash in the bank to live comfortably off the interest.

Singing when he felt like it, playing games when he was tired, scrolling through Bilibili, and occasionally traveling to see the beautiful landscapes of the motherland—life couldn't get any better than that.

“No, if I keep thinking like this, I’m going to start drooling.”

Gu Qing calmed himself down. Just as he was about to put his phone away and go to sleep,

“Buzz—”

A friend request popped up on his WeChat.

“Ma Su? How does she have my number?”

Gu Qing looked surprised.

He didn't know much about Ma Su.

His only memory of her

Was that she and a female artist named Xiaolu were both huge fans of a certain rapper, which led to their subsequent downfall and disappearance from the public eye.

Although he was puzzled,

Gu Qing still tapped the screen and clicked accept.

……

In a luxury suite, the faint glow of a phone screen illuminated Ma Su’s slightly plump body curves.

Although her appearance wasn't particularly outstanding among female artists in the industry, her fleshy figure was still quite popular.

“Ding-dong—” The notification sound rang out.

Ma Su saw that Gu Qing had accepted the request, and the corners of her lips curled up: “Looks like this little brother is quite eager; he accepted so quickly.”

She quickly typed a message: “Hello~ Little handsome Gu Qing, still awake so late?”

Meanwhile,

Gu Qing: “……”

If I were asleep, could I have accepted your request?

“Sister Ma Su, I was just about to sleep.”

Since she was a senior, he had to reply politely: “Is there something you need?”

“Can’t I look for you if there’s nothing wrong? (Smile)” Ma Su replied, thinking she was being playful.

*Hiss—*

Seeing that ‘smile’ emoji, Gu Qing got goosebumps all over.

Auntie, we have a generation gap, this isn't appropriate!

“……”

To this, Gu Qing could only respond with an ellipsis.

“Just kidding. Your sister is just very curious about your life in the Peninsula.”

Ma Su slowly probed, “I heard that being a trainee over there is very hard. Not only do you have to train diligently, but you also have to attend ‘business’ meetings to drink and eat with people. Is that true?”

“Uh… some people do go.”

From his memories, Gu Qing knew that the original owner had also encountered such things.

Entertainment companies in the Peninsula were generally quite twisted; they usually used special means to control artists in advance.

For example: taking you to high-end venues, inflating your consumption habits, making you get plastic surgery before you even debut…

Among these, plastic surgery was the ultimate trap for trainees!

The cost of the surgery itself wasn't actually that high; most trainees could afford it.

But the post-op maintenance was the real money pit!

If you didn't maintain it, your face shape would warp and your skin would sag.

For a society in the Peninsula that was obsessed with beauty, having a failed plastic surgery face was worse than death.

But once you started maintenance, the money flowed out like water; few families could handle it.

And so,

To earn money to maintain their faces, many trainees would attend business dinners arranged by the company, under the guise of ‘accumulating resources.’

Everyone in Gu Qing’s cohort had participated in these dinners,

Except for him!

As for why little Gu Qing didn't get plastic surgery, it wasn't because he was confident in his own face.

In an environment where everyone was getting work done, even the best-looking people would become insecure.

He was no exception.

And there was only one reason why little Gu Qing didn't get surgery!

That was: he couldn't even afford the first down payment.

Even if the company was willing to front the cost,

The thought of being saddled with huge debts before even debuting made little Gu Qing refuse.

He could only perform on the streets to earn a little bit of hard-earned money.

Later, after saving enough money and learning about the true experiences of his peers, little Gu Qing never had the thought of getting surgery again.

“I suppose being poor was a blessing in disguise.”

Gu Qing mocked himself.

Back at the hotel, Ma Su gave him an unexpected reply

“Then… have you ever been?”

While waiting for a reply, Ma Su lay on her side, her full, fair thighs looking even more alluring under the light.

Thinking back to when they met that evening,

Gu Qing’s looks were simply the best-looking ‘little fresh meat’ she had ever seen since she started in the industry.

“To prevent you from being led astray in the future, I might as well take you under my wing early…”

……

……

(End of chapter)