Singer

Chapter 18 - Fruit Cake

Translator: Lynn

Under normal circumstances, it takes a few days to receive the result after an audition. If there is no follow-up, it usually means there is no hope. However, this time everything went so smoothly, and they received a positive response directly. Long Zichen couldn’t contain his joy and repeatedly praised Ding Jiangyu, saying, “Ding Jiangyu, you’re truly decisive. It’s settled then, it’s really unexpected!”

“Only you would say that!” Ding Jiangyu laughed in response. “Your newcomer is very talented, but I have some business to attend to in the next couple of days, so I won’t be able to record for a while. It will take about one or two weeks. When can your newcomer come over again? I don’t want to disrupt your schedule.”

Long Zichen quickly replied, “Cooperating with the Heavenly King is an opportunity that can’t be missed. It’s no problem for us to make a few more trips. Just let us know when there’s a rehearsal or recording.”

“Alright, that’s settled.”

After leaving Ding Jiangyu’s office, Long Zichen couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He warmly greeted everyone along the way, whether he knew them or not. He introduced Jian Jie to people he met, often whispering some gossip about those famous individuals to Jian Jie.

Once they left Leiting Company, Long Zichen’s excitement surged again. He danced around and exclaimed, “Little Jiejie, you made me shine today. I heard that Ding Jiangyu interviewed at least 20 newcomers from Leiting this time, and in the end, you snagged this opportunity away from them. Haha, it feels so good to steal the chorus from them!”

Initially, Jian Jie didn’t fully grasp the significance of this achievement, but seeing Long Zichen so elated, he couldn’t help but show a soft smile. “Well, I’ll do my best to sing well.”

“You’ve been working hard, and I can see it,” Long Zichen proudly remarked, as if he himself was the exceptional one.

There was still some time left, so Long Zichen dropped Jian Jie off at home. On the way, he shared his expertise in dealing with people and situations, encouraging Jian Jie to learn from him.

Jian Jie was well aware of his shortcomings in socializing, but changing that aspect of himself would take time. It troubled him greatly.

The next day, Jian Jie went to the company as usual for artist training. In the morning, they had solfeggio and ear training, which happened to be one of his favorite subjects. The course focused on musical notation and training students’ listening abilities. During class, the teacher played various types of music for the students to identify pitch, rhythm, and chords. Jian Jie found it fascinating.

In the afternoon, there was an acting class, which remained a nightmare for Jian Jie. Although they were at a music company, the acting class didn’t focus on film and television performances. Instead, it taught them how to handle media and perform on TV shows. Every time they simulated a variety show scene, Jian Jie would simply sit in his seat, observing others talking and laughing, eventually losing interest. As a result, he had been reprimanded countless times by the teacher.

However, on that day, the company arranged for him and Tong Liangliang to do a photo shoot for the single’s cover and promotional photos, allowing him to escape from the acting class. Jian Jie considered himself fortunate.

But when it came time for the photo shoot, Jian Jie realized that simply standing there and taking a few photos wouldn’t be enough. His lack of expressiveness became a trap once again. The photographer kept urging him, “Smile more sweetly! Your smile should be as captivating as a fruitcake!” But how does one achieve a smile that resembles a fruitcake?

Despite Jian Jie’s struggle, Tong Liangliang’s performance in front of the camera was exemplary, earning her high praise from the photographer. In the end, the photographer had no choice but to select a few of Jian Jie’s more natural shots as well.

Accompanied by their assistant Zhou Jia, they thanked the photographer and the staff before heading back to the company. Feeling apologetic, Jian Jie bought drinks for Zhou Jia and Tong Liangliang and said, “Brother Zhou, Xiao Liang, I’m sorry for causing the delay today.”

“It’s alright, Brother Jian Jie. You’ve wasted even more of your time when we sang together, but you never complained,” Tong Liangliang reassured him, glad that Jian Jie wasn’t someone who held grudges. Otherwise, he would’ve felt even more inferior.

Zhou Jia also spoke in a comforting tone, “Don’t worry about it. It’s your first time, and you’ll get used to it with more photoshoots.”

“What if it’s always like this…” Jian Jie expressed his worries.

“…Well, you need to have confidence in yourself!” Zhou Jia, a supportive assistant full of positive energy, comforted Jian Jie. “It’s alright if you’re not familiar with these things. You’re talented, good-looking, and you sing exceptionally well. You come across as sincere. Many female colleagues in our company admire you. When they heard that I became your assistant, several of them were envious.”

Tong Liangliang chimed in, “That’s right! I’ve heard some colleagues in the company praise you, saying that you’re handsome and good-natured. If they had to compare, they would say Brother Jianjie is as delightful as a fruitcake.” Tong Liangliang had always relied on his cute appearance to get along well with his older sisters, so he had some authority in judging such matters.

Jian Jie felt shy and responded uncomfortably, “Everyone is very kind.”

Zhou Jia chuckled, “Look at you blushing. Have you never been in a relationship before?” He continued teasing, “No wonder Brother Chen told me to take good care of you. If someone kidnaps you, I bet Brother Chen would send me flying into outer space!”

Jian Jie laughed.

It was a bit unfair to tease someone for not having been in a relationship before. In truth, Jian Jie did want a girlfriend, but he had never met anyone he truly liked. Occasionally, he would fantasize about what his future girlfriend might look like. He imagined someone with a traditional beauty, someone who was both beautiful and generous, gentle and virtuous. Perhaps his standards were too high?

Regardless, Jian Jie wasn’t in a rush. He was the kind of innocent boy who hoped to marry his first love and spend a lifetime together. He was still young, and at the moment, his focus was on his singing career. He wanted to establish himself in the industry before starting a family.

Later that evening, while on the phone with his older brother, Jian Jie couldn’t help but complain about the day’s events. “Brother, today the company took me and my colleagues for a photoshoot. I just couldn’t make a good expression, and the photographer scolded me relentlessly.”

“What happened?” Brother Jian became upset upon hearing that his younger brother had been scolded. “Shouldn’t it be as simple as going there and taking a photo? What kind of mean photographer is this? Doesn’t your company care about it?”

Brother Jian bombarded Jian Jie with questions, causing Jian Jie to quickly use comforting words to calm his irritable elder brother. “Don’t get angry, brother. The photographer is famous, so naturally, the expectations are high. It’s nothing serious if the photos don’t turn out well. Everyone in our company takes good care of me, and as a newcomer, they’ve assigned me a personal assistant.”

Brother Jian didn’t take it too seriously. “I’ve seen other celebrities with an entourage. Your company assigned you an assistant? How about I hire two more assistants for you? I mentioned it to Xiao Qi earlier, and if you want it, I can ask him to find them for you.”

“We’re still in training at the company, and there aren’t any activities planned yet. We don’t need so many people,” Jian Jie quickly declined, adding proudly, “Our company director took me to a high-end recording studio, where I recorded a few songs. I even sang a duet with a colleague who is also a newcomer to our company. I wrote these songs myself.”

Hearing that his younger brother was having a good time, Brother Jian’s mood brightened. “That’s great! If you ever face any grievances, just let me know. I’ll handle things here, and I’ll definitely visit your company sometimes.”

“Yeah,” Jian Jie replied happily. “Brother, come back soon.” It was the first time they had been separated for such a long time, and Jian Jie missed his brother dearly.

A week later, on Friday night, a TV series featuring Jian Jie and Tong Liangliang’s duet as the theme song

began airing on satellite TV. The company had previously reached an agreement with a film and television company to use clips from the TV series to create a music video for the song. The release of the TV series also coincided with the song’s promotion on major music programs and radio stations. If the theme song became widely popular, it would naturally boost the success of the TV series, which pleased both the music and film and television companies.

On Saturday, the company received another call from Ding Jiangyu’s assistant, inviting Jian Jie to come and record songs in the afternoon. Jian Jie seemed to have become the most watched newcomer in the company. This naturally caused some resentment among others. However, even though he received favoritism from the music director and had more luck than others, it wasn’t as if everyone couldn’t recognize his talent. Jian Jie consistently performed well in training classes, showcasing his strong singing skills, exceptional image and temperament, and his ability to create his own music. While other newcomers were still waiting for the company to select songs for them, Jian Jie had a simpler path—he relied on his own talents. This led some individuals to approach him, seeking his assistance in writing songs for them. Jian Jie, being gentle-natured, couldn’t refuse others, but he found himself troubled by the increasing number of requests.

Anticipating such a situation, Long Zichen promptly issued a directive: all of Jian Jie’s works would be selected solely by Jian Jie himself. Other works would be allocated by the company, and no one was allowed to ask Jian Jie to write songs for them under any circumstances. Those who defied this rule did so at their own risk!

And so, peace was restored to the company once again.

Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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