Chapter Eleven: A Rising Star

Late at night, at the East Sea Film and Television Base.

On the set of "Produce 101," director Fu Yuntao was recording with the five celebrity mentors.

"Look, this girl really has potential!" In the meeting room, Yu Lianzhou—then the vocal mentor for the show—pointed at a contestant on the television playback and remarked with a smile, "I think she deserves a chance. A girl group can't just be cold, mechanical dancers. Bringing in a girl who exudes such earnest effort will give the group real warmth and depth."

The dance mentor, Jiang Lingsu, shook her head. "But from my perspective, she doesn't seem to have any dance foundation at all."

"You're right," Yu Lianzhou replied with a chuckle. "But I think she has a lot of room to grow. She may not have a formal background, and her basics are obviously shaky, but that actually makes her more endearing. This is, after all, a growth-oriented show. Many viewers enjoy watching idols improve and transform through the program. So I believe she'll have a strong audience connection."

"Liao Meiqi? I like that name," said Chen Xiuyuan, another vocal mentor, looking at Liao Meiqi’s profile with interest. "Her voice is pretty good. If I had to pick, she’d be alright. But I doubt she'll stand out among 101 girls. Compared to other contestants, her only real advantage is her looks; in other respects, she falls a bit short. She'll probably be placed in the lowest F class during the final grouping and might be eliminated in the first round."

"So, giving her a spot is a bit of a waste," commented songwriting mentor Zheng Yongxu, glancing at Yu Lianzhou. "What about her other skills? Does she compose?"

Yu Lianzhou nodded in understanding. "Compose? Oh, I think she plays a few instruments. She's pretty adept at piano and guitar—maybe not an expert, but probably around grade ten for amateurs. And she dabbles in erhu, guzheng, hand drum, that sort of thing."

"Not bad," Zheng Yongxu said with a slight smile. "Since Teacher Yu thinks so highly of her, I can't refuse." She was the first to raise her hand. "I’ll vote for her."

Seeing this, Yu Lianzhou immediately raised his hand as well, without a moment’s hesitation.

Dance mentor Jiang Lingsu looked at the sweetly smiling girl on screen, shook her head, and voted against. In her eyes, the girl's dance skills were simply too poor. The image of a girl in a group whose arms and legs seemed out of sync was not one she dared imagine.

In the end, only vocal mentor Chen Xiuyuan and the other dance mentor, Yan Nianan, had yet to express an opinion.

Chen Xiuyuan twirled his pen, pondered for a few seconds, then capped it and said, "I abstain." With that, the final decision fell to Yan Nianan.

Yan Nianan, the youngest of the mentors at twenty-nine, wasn’t widely known in the entertainment industry but was quite famous in the global street dance scene, already a champion of several renowned competitions. She’d accepted the invitation to participate in "Produce 101" because she felt her physical stamina for world competition was waning; otherwise, winning a few more world titles would have been no challenge.

Faced with the final choice, Yan Nianan was serious in her consideration. "From a professional standpoint, she’s not up to standard. But she does seem genuinely hardworking, and I believe effort brings luck. So, I’ll vote for her." She raised her hand.

Out of five mentors, three votes in favor, one abstention, one against.

Seeing this, Fu Yuntao had Liao Meiqi’s information recorded, then said, "Alright, approved. Next."

"Director," the script supervisor by the TV pointed to the stack of tapes. "That was the last one."

Fu Yuntao paused, then nodded. "I see."

A moment later, he took a deep breath and stood up. "So, that’s the last contestant. Now, I announce that after nearly a month of selection, the screening among 19,921 contestants from thirty-seven countries across Asia is officially complete."

Applause filled the room.

"Currently, I have 107 contestants who have made it through, but our program only allows 101 to proceed. So, mentors, I’ll send the profiles of all 107 by email; please get back to me as soon as you can. It’s late, but the most complicated part is over. Tomorrow, we rest. The day after, we begin group filming in earnest."

With that, Fu Yuntao signaled the script supervisor to mark the end and turn off the camera.

"Director Fu, your reputation as an overtime fiend is well-deserved," Yu Lianzhou stretched. "Everyone, I’ll head back first. Age is catching up with me—I can’t keep up with you youngsters and your energy."

After Yu Lianzhou left, the others exchanged a few words with Fu Yuntao before departing as well, leaving only dance mentor Yan Nianan behind.

Fu Yuntao, having seen the other mentors off, returned to the meeting room and asked Yan Nianan, "What’s Liao Meiqi’s connection to Yu Lianzhou?"

Yan Nianan shook her head. "I’m not really sure. But for a music industry heavyweight like Teacher Yu, pulling a few strings to get someone in is normal. But you know how ruthless this business is—the master can show the door, but the rest is up to the individual. Teacher Yu may have given her a foot in, but the show depends on personal fundamentals. Besides, the camera time is up to you. If this girl performs badly, you can always edit her out."

"You sound like you admire her too?" Fu Yuntao asked curiously.

"A bit, yes. She seems hardworking. And I think she’s a bit like me," Yan Nianan joked. "After all, you used your authority to bring me in, didn’t you? To viewers, I’m just another face in the crowd."

"You’re different; you’ve got the skills to be here," Fu Yuntao waved her off. "Alright, it’s late. You should head home too."

Once Yan Nianan had left, Fu Yuntao gathered his things and left the meeting room.

He’d only taken a couple of steps down the corridor when something occurred to him. He turned and called to his assistant, "Where’s Liu Hai? Did you take care of what I asked?"

The lanky assistant director, Liu Hai, hurried over, scratching his head. "Director Fu, I didn’t forget what you asked, but—"

"Speak," Fu Yuntao said, frowning.

Seeing the director’s displeasure, Liu Hai quickly smiled ingratiatingly. "You asked me to record ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ for East Sea Radio, and I did, but only one episode."

"Good," Fu Yuntao’s expression softened as he checked the time—already 2:10 a.m. "Did you finish today’s recording? Bring it to me when you’re done."

"That’s the problem," Liu Hai replied helplessly. "The radio station seems to have fired A Yuan, the host for ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light,’ and cancelled the ‘Strange Tales of the Mortal World’ segment. So… ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ is gone. The new host is called Mi Maodian, and the program’s changed to ‘Midnight Anecdotes.’ You were in the meeting with the mentors just now, so I didn’t want to disturb you. But since you told me to handle it, I went ahead and recorded the new show too, just in case."