Talent Show

Ling Ke had thought he and Qi Feng were two lines that would never cross again. Yet not long afterward, he ran into Qi Feng once more.

Four months after he added Qi Feng on QQ, the municipal television station held auditions for an elementary and secondary school talent show, inviting schools throughout the city to nominate students. Those selected would not only perform at the station's New Year's gala but also have a chance to be trained as young TV hosts.

They always said you should get famous young. Parents with such hopes for their children were thrilled to hear about the event, and the teachers took it very seriously too. After all, having students appear on TV would also boost their school's reputation.

As the only student in his class who had studied piano and passed the amateur Grade Ten exam, Ling Ke qualified for the school's nominations too.

But honestly, Ling Ke didn't want to go. He hadn't taken up piano to perform in the first place, and he was pretty scared of going onstage. Ling Ke's father and Ling Ke's mother, however, felt that since he qualified, there was no point letting the opportunity go to waste. Even if he wasn't selected, it would be good experience.

Half a month later, Ling Ke headed to the television station with three other students from his school.

The other three were a girl who studied ballet, a girl who played the erhu, and a boy who sang classical vocals.

The ballet girl was their school's reigning beauty, a grade above Ling Ke. Whenever the school held an arts event, big or small, she was sure to be one of the hosts. Sweet-looking and articulate, she placed considerable importance on this opportunity. Though she wasn't quite determined to win at all costs, she was much more confident than Ling Ke and the others.

When the three arrived at the television station, they were first scheduled for a preliminary interview. Their interviewers were hosts who frequently appeared on TV, which was already tremendously exciting for students who had never met entertainment celebrities before.

Some students who had finished their interviews without a hitch came out and told them that all they had to do was chat with the host for a bit. It wasn't hard at all.

When his turn came, Ling Ke nervously approached Interview Room 2. As he entered, he brushed past an exceptionally pretty young girl whose eyes were red and who was sniffling, as though she were crying.

Ling Ke paused in surprise, then walked slowly inside. A short distance away, he heard the interviewer shake his head and sigh to a staff member beside him. "What a shame. She has excellent looks, but she can't handle the pressure." When he saw Ling Ke enter, he quickly lowered his voice.

Ling Ke's heart instantly began to pound. He understood now. Although they were only chatting with the interviewer for a bit, students who couldn't think on their feet or whose looks weren't up to par would be eliminated in advance.

Once he realized this, Ling Ke knew that a socially inept man of few words like him was definitely doomed.

Just as he was about to sit down, a beautiful woman in a white business suit opened the door on the other side of the interview room and came in. "Li Xuan, how many have you gotten through here?"

The host she had addressed took the opportunity to stand up. "Oh, Sister Jiang. Three or four left. Almost done. Perfect timing—could you take over for me for a minute? I need to use the restroom."

The beauty smiled helplessly, said, "Go ahead," and slipped inside to take his place.

Ling Ke looked at her, a little surprised. She was Jiang Ying, a host on the municipal television station's finance channel. His father watched financial programs every day, so Ling Ke recognized her at once.

Now that Ling Ke saw her in person, Jiang Ying was even prettier and more elegant than she was on TV. But Ling Ke wasn't in any mood to admire a beautiful woman. He was so nervous that his palms were sweating.

"You look very calm, young man." Jiang Ying glanced at him with a smile before lowering her head to look through his application.

Ling Ke: "..." Calm? Was she kidding? Couldn't Jiang Ying see that his insides were in complete turmoil?

He unclenched his trembling hands and set them on his knees, trying his best to keep his voice steady. "Ms. Jiang, I'm not very calm."

Jiang Ying's lovely eyes widened slightly. "You recognize me?"

Ling Ke said, "My dad... often watches Current Affairs and Finance, the show you host."

"That explains it. Most children only recognize the hosts on the children's and education channels..." Jiang Ying casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked with a smile, "Your name is Ling Ke, right? You say you're not very calm, so what are you thinking about right now?"

Ling Ke's mind was in such chaos that he couldn't think at all. He could only answer on instinct. "I'm wondering... whether my dad will be jealous of me."

Jiang Ying said, "Hmm? Why?"

Ling Ke said, "My dad can't eat or sleep properly if he misses your show, so my mom often jokes that you're his dream woman... Now that I've met you in person, if my dad finds out..."

The more Ling Ke said, the more embarrassed he became. He wanted to slap himself right now—what the fuck are you saying, you idiot?!

To his surprise, however, his unthinking "honesty" sent Jiang Ying into a fit of laughter.

Still laughing, she took a careful look at his features, then said, "All right, all right. Such a sweet talker at your age! Delivering compliments with such a straight face, without so much as a ripple—you really are something, kid."

Ling Ke: "???"

A sweet talker? That description had absolutely nothing to do with him. If his parents had been there to hear someone call the son they had labeled "introverted" since childhood a sweet talker, their jaws would have hit the floor!

Jiang Ying looked at him and asked, "Do you want to be a TV host?"

Under the gaze of those eyes that seemed able to see straight into his heart, Ling Ke couldn't bring himself to lie. He answered honestly, "No."

Jiang Ying raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then what are you here for?"

Ling Ke thought for a moment. "Just... to get some experience."

Jiang Ying smiled and nodded. "Yes, getting some exposure to situations like this will be very good for you." With that, she marked a check on Ling Ke's form with a flourish of her pen. Then she noticed what he had entered in the talent section and asked casually, "You play piano? What are you planning to perform?"

Ling Ke said, "Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata."

The piece was around amateur Grade Nine in difficulty, and many of its melodic passages overlapped with the movement of Sonata in C Minor that Ling Ke had played for his Grade Ten exam. It was fairly easy to practice, so he had come after just two weeks of preparation.

Jiang Ying said, "One of my sons studies piano too. He's about your age..." She didn't elaborate, simply setting Ling Ke's file aside. "Well, I'll look forward to your performance later."

Ling Ke pointed at himself in disbelief. "I... passed?"

Jiang Ying murmured an affirmative and gestured that he could leave.

Ling Ke was still in a daze as he stood, unable to take it in. He bowed politely, then remembered something and asked, "Ms. Jiang, could I get your autograph... for my dad?"

His own face reddened as soon as he said it. He felt as though he'd never been so shameless in his life; this wasn't like him at all. He'd simply realized that once he went home and mentioned Jiang Ying, his dad would definitely go on and on about it.

Ling Ke didn't want to show off to his family, but he would have to give them the usual report. He hated hassle, so he wanted something he could hand over before the hassle started. In a momentary lapse of judgment, he'd asked for an autograph.

Jiang Ying wasn't annoyed. Instead, she burst into delighted laughter again and readily found a piece of paper to sign for him. As she signed, she said quietly, "Ling Ke, let me tell you something ahead of time. We have a few things planned for the talent performances later. We may ask you to find partners on the spot and improvise a performance." She handed him the autograph and gave him a conspiratorial wink. "Keep that to yourself."

Ling Ke said, "Oh," and thanked her. Only after he left did he realize what her final remarks meant—she'd told him the rules for the next round in advance!

Good heavens, had he found himself a benefactor?

Ling Ke was secretly thrilled, but his happiness didn't last long before bad news arrived: all three of the others from his school had been eliminated!

Ling Ke was shocked. He wouldn't have been too surprised if only the erhu girl and the classical-singing boy had been eliminated, but the older ballet student was the strongest all-around candidate of the four of them. How had she failed?

Her eyes red, the older girl said, "That host asked me to recite The Ballad of Mulan with feeling. We learned that two years ago. I'd forgotten it ages ago, so I couldn't recite it."

Remembering the questions Jiang Ying had asked him, Ling Ke asked her, "Did he ask whether you wanted to be a host?"

She nodded. She looked crushed; she probably hadn't imagined that a ballet dancer like her would face such a tricky question.

Ling Ke, however, could sort of understand. If she'd answered yes, then the interviewer's request hadn't been beyond the scope of what she should be able to do. For a student aspiring to become a junior host at the municipal TV station, surely both improvisational ability and cultural knowledge would be assessed?

The older girl asked Ling Ke, "How did you do?"

The other two looked at him too, seemingly puzzled as to how their normally quiet companion had passed.

Ling Ke didn't know what to say... Apparently, he hadn't found a benefactor after all. He'd just stumbled into the right answer through sheer dumb luck.

After giving them a vague answer, Ling Ke sighed inwardly. Now the information Jiang Ying had leaked to him in advance wasn't worth a damn anyway. It wasn't just that he was on his own; the second round was about to start, and he had no piano handy. Even if he found a partner, there wouldn't be time to practice together.

So at most, the tip had given him a chance to prepare himself mentally.

Since Ling Ke still had to compete in the second round, the other three decided to stay and cheer on their school's sole survivor.

The forty-odd students who had advanced were called into a multipurpose hall. Sure enough, when the host announced the rules for the second round, an uproar broke out. Those who knew one another had an easier time pairing up, but someone as socially inept as Ling Ke could only stand awkwardly in a corner, waiting for someone to approach him.

But his luck seemed to have run out in the first round. The only person who approached him was a boy who performed rhythmic clapper recitations and crosstalk. He asked what Ling Ke did, then turned away in disappointment when he learned that Ling Ke played piano.

Well, yes. Piano and clappers... Even the thought felt jarring.

A final count revealed five people left without partners, including Clapper Boy and Ling Ke. At that moment, Ling Ke almost wanted to give his spot to Erhu Girl. At least having her accompany Clapper Boy would have been a decent match.

After the host mercilessly announced, "Anyone who can't find a partner will be eliminated this round," the four people other than Ling Ke all paired up with whoever was nearest. None of them wanted to give up the opportunity before them, after all. Whatever the other person did, they could pair up first and worry about that later.

The host looked at the solitary Ling Ke. "Just you left?"

Ling Ke: "..."

He made a regretful gesture and was just about to pronounce judgment when Jiang Ying came in. She quickly scanned the room, and a flicker of surprise crossed her face when she spotted Ling Ke standing alone.

Before the male host could speak, she said decisively, "Mr. Wang, come here a moment."

The male host went over, and Jiang Ying whispered something in his ear. He glanced at Ling Ke as he listened, then came back and said, "You can stay for now. You'll go last."

Ling Ke: "..."

Everyone around him turned in unison, firing looks that screamed "This guy has connections" at Ling Ke, almost burning him full of holes.

[A Little Interlude]

Jiang Ying: "One of my sons studies piano too. He's about your age..."

Ling Ke missed the "one of" in that sentence. Instead, he thought in shock... Holy shit! This woman who didn't even look thirty had a son? And he was the same age as Ling Ke? His own mom had to be a fake _(:з」∠)_