Chapter 528: Wen Ming 18
"You just go and have fun," Old Gao said, putting away invitations from other shows. Wen Ming glanced over. "They even sent you an invitation for a dating show?"
"It wasn’t for me, it was for you," Old Gao corrected. "The rights for this dating show were bought from overseas. I guess they just sent it over to try their luck. What, are you interested?"
Wen Ming politely declined. "I’ll pass. I only know how to sing. To be blunt, dating shows are just acting, and I can’t act."
"Who cares if you can’t act? You just need to be able to see through other people’s acting. Alright, I’ll contact the station first. You just focus on staying in top shape. But seriously, it’s like you’ve been aging in reverse these past few years."
"You get prettier every time I see you."
Wen Ming’s interest was piqued. "Don’t you all say that fame makes people radiant? And when you don’t have to worry about trivial things, a good attitude naturally reflects in your appearance."
But that wasn’t the real reason. Wen Ming was actually very concerned about her looks. After learning her "beauty value" could be maxed out, she had asked Tan You for the full amount, and Tan You had naturally granted her request.
Because she had never possessed extraordinary beauty in the past, Wen Ming subconsciously cared more about her appearance. Moreover, the max-level beauty value had softened her formerly sharp features, as if adding a soft-focus filter that made her look gentler.
Old Gao accepted this explanation. "That’s true. The glow of success really is nourishing. You’ve kept such a low profile these past few years, you’ve practically become a fairy."
Wen Ming waved her hand. "Go on and get busy. Contact me anytime if anything comes up with work."
"You got it," Old Gao nodded. "Oh, right. A little birdie told me that Qi Ying is one of the music judges for the show this time."
Wen Ming was unperturbed. "It’s not surprising if he’s there. He’s just a defeated opponent."
She had long since stopped having any emotional reactions because of Qi Ying. Besides, after all these years, Qi Ying had never been able to surpass Tan You. Thus, in Wen Ming’s eyes, Qi Ying’s supposed talent was nothing special. To her, Tan You was the truly talented one.
Once the filter of "talent" was shattered, Wen Ming would never again have any other feelings for Qi Ying. Not to mention they had been apart for so many years in their past life. Looking back now, Wen Ming realized she had just been unwilling to accept it.
Unwilling to accept that she had tried to end her life twice for someone like Qi Ying.
Sighing, Wen Ming lay back on the chaise lounge, her expression exceptionally languid. With Tan You’s help over the years, her career was flourishing. But when it came to her love life, Wen Ming was the undisputed queen of singledom.
The difference was that Tan You had no interest in romance, whereas Wen Ming wanted to try but was afraid of falling in love only to be let down again. That being the case, she had simply decided to shut the door on love altogether.
As for seizing the day and living hedonistically, Wen Ming couldn’t get past her own moral hang-ups. In her heart, emotion and desire were inseparable. Intimacy was reserved for someone you loved—that was her bottom line.
Tan You didn’t object to this idea. After all, Tan You herself had no interest in such things, truly living up to Jiang Hua’s description of her having a "heart of stone."
The news that Wen Ming had accepted an invitation to the Fruit Channel’s music show quickly spread throughout the industry. In an instant, countless singers were signing up. Who could blame them, when Wen Ming was usually so mysterious?
The music show’s director was both thrilled and tormented by this situation. Thrilled to have secured a huge star like Wen Ming, but tormented because so many singers had signed up. Deciding who to invite and who to reject required careful consideration.
The music show began recording as scheduled. The internet was buzzing with all kinds of speculation about the participating singers, but Wen Ming herself didn’t know who else would be there. During the recording of the first episode, a floor director accompanied her the entire time, and she didn’t run into any other singers.
Only when a singer took the stage to perform would everyone find out who was competing.
Wen Ming was assigned the sixth performance slot. Right now, she was sitting in a small dressing room, waiting as the singers took the stage one by one. Old Gao sat across from her, his face full of fascination.
"Who do you think is singing after you?" Old Gao asked in a low voice. In truth, the moment Wen Ming got the sixth slot, he had been dying of curiosity.
’With Wen Ming’s current status and talent, there’s actually someone with bigger star power than her?’
Wen Ming was also a little curious. She quickly ran through a list of several long-established A-list singers in her head. "I don’t know. Either way, the safe bet is to just call them ’master’ when I meet them."
Her way of doing things was usually simple and direct, but after a few years of cultivating her character, Wen Ming had gradually become gentler and more serene. If she were to see Zhou Zheng now, Wen Ming definitely wouldn’t be as sharp-tongued as she was back then.
Of course, Wen Ming didn’t regret her past actions. In the end, people grow. The mindset you have at each stage of life is different; you can’t say which is better or worse.
While the two were talking softly, the floor director came over to call her to the stage. At the same time, the host was on stage, holding a cue card with a thrilled expression. "This next singer is incredible! She’s the most low-key singer in the industry, yet every time she appears, she stirs up a storm..."
"Wen Ming! Wen Ming!" Before the host could even finish, the audience below was already cheering.
The host smiled. "Please welcome, with a round of applause, our sixth competing singer!"
Watching the lights turn on before her one by one, Wen Ming took a deep breath. Stepping onto this stage again, she felt a thrill she hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Following the lights, she walked step by step to the front of the stage. For the first time, Wen Ming’s face, now with its "beauty value" maxed out, officially appeared on screen. In the backstage lounge, the group of hosts collectively gasped. "So beautiful! So beautiful!"
Wen Ming gave a slight nod to the band. The instant the first notes played, the title, "Siren," appeared on the large screen behind her.
The audience instantly fell silent. Neither Wen Ming nor Tan You ever held concerts, participated in commercial events, or even sang much in private. For fans who wanted to hear her sing, buying her albums was the only way.
Now that they could hear Wen Ming sing live, everyone was filled with unparalleled anticipation.
And Wen Ming did not disappoint. Her vocal skills were superb. After several years of hellish training under Tan You, Wen Ming was no longer like her past self, whose face would contort whenever she sang.
She just stood there quietly in front of the microphone, not even moving throughout the entire performance. Yet, from her voice, the audience could hear the sky, the ocean, and a sense of boundless, vast emptiness.
When Wen Ming finished her song, the audience was silent. Only when she bowed in thanks did thunderous applause finally erupt in the studio. After bowing several more times, Wen Ming lifted the hem of her dress and headed to the backstage lounge.
The floor director, carrying Wen Ming’s water bottle, was now looking at her as if she were a goddess. "Ms. Wen Ming, this way please. All the singers who’ve finished performing are in the main lounge."
Wen Ming quickened her pace. "Then I’d better hurry. I want to know who the final master is."
The production team’s secrecy was too good, and since Wen Ming was unwilling to cheat and find out early, she couldn’t help but feel a little expectant now. And so, in her high heels, lifting the hem of her dress, she practically sprinted all the way there.