This Girl Forced to Become an Entertainment Company Boss

Pei Zhiping and her three teammates have recently been recording songs in Seoul and are not in the country. Timetrain is in the midst of a comeback promotional period, with all the materials and teasers for the release already scheduled. There are not many heavy tasks these days, so the company's focus has shifted to Equals3.

The goal is to quickly select the members of Equals3 and begin more intensive training.

After lunch, Jiang Juyou took the coffee brought by her assistant and followed the project prompts to head downstairs to the step practice room. Along the way, she saw many Equals3 staff members.

The assistant followed Jiang Juyou, holding the materials just delivered by the new talent group.

After finishing the last sip of coffee, Jiang Juyou exited the elevator and instead of heading towards the step practice room, she walked towards a small meeting room on the other side.

At this time, in the step practice room, the trainees of the debut group and the staff managing them had all arrived.

The project leader in charge stood at the front, looking at the group of big boys staring at her, and silently sighed in her heart.

"Is everyone here?" She looked at the staff beside her, her hands in her back pockets, and when she saw the other person nod, she lowered her head and let out a long breath.

She changed her posture, crossed her arms, and said, "From the time you entered this group until now, it's been almost half a year. You've learned more specific vocal and instrument skills, and you probably guessed the company's intentions."

"So this year is the year to announce the list."

The trainees below were either looking forward or nervously picking at their hands. They wanted to complain about the long prelude, but when she finally announced the list, everyone hoped that moment would come a little slower.

"Those confirmed to be in the debut group, go to the 3rd meeting room next door. Those who did not succeed in merging, go to the 8th small meeting room upstairs for consultation."

After saying this, the leader lowered her head to fiddle with her phone. The staff who had been standing by the wall began to leave.

"The results have been sent to your mailboxes, please check." After saying this, she touched the name tag on her chest and quickly left the practice room, leaving only the group of boys staring at each other.

The three people sitting in the last row were all silently looking at the content on their phones.

"Notification: Members selected for 'Equals3' are Chen Wu, Sang Mo, and Jiang Wangran."

The three of them were like stone statues, only their eyeballs moving around. The other trainees sitting in front were quietly sitting.

They looked at each other, not daring to move.

Sang Mo didn't know if everyone could see this notification or only they could, so he didn't dare to get up easily. Chen Wu had the same thought, only Jiang Wangran was waiting for them, not understanding why they hadn't gotten up yet.

"Let's go!" Seeing them not getting up for a long time, he stood up and urged them.

The others sitting in front turned around, and Jiang Wangran didn't care about those gazes at all. He even stretched and said, "Which meeting room was it again, 1 or 2?"

Hearing this, Sang Mo and Chen Wu couldn't help but curl their toes, trying to avoid the gazes of others.

There were some who were close to Sang Mo and shouted to them, "Congratulations."

"Thanks!" Jiang Wangran replied, and when he turned back, he saw the two of them standing up, "Let's go!"

When they walked down the steps, the boys who were close to Sang Mo and Chen Wu came over to hug them. Jiang Wangran wasn't familiar with them, so he just stood at the door and watched them chat.

After about two or three minutes of shoulder-to-shoulder talking, they still hadn't left, so he lost his patience and said, "I'll go first." After taking two steps, he came back and leaned against the wall, "I don't know where it is."

"We'll go first," Sang Mo waved to his friends, and after Chen Wu came out, he let out a long sigh, both of their moods extremely heavy.

Chen Wu in the front said, "Now we know how they felt before."

Sang Mo didn't respond but understood his meaning.

That complex emotion of being able to debut but not being happy, nor daring to be happy, was too suffocating.

With their heads down, they arrived at the door of the 3rd meeting room, knocked, and heard a voice from inside, "Come in."

When the door opened and they entered, Sang Mo unexpectedly made eye contact with Jiang Juyou, and his steps slowed down.

He quickly bowed and greeted, "Hello, Jiang Juyou."

When Sang Mo bowed, the two behind him saw the situation inside, and Chen Wu also bowed and greeted, while Jiang Wangran followed suit.

Since they finished the program recording, they had rarely met Jiang Juyou, the last time being three months ago.

And Jiang Wangran had just joined last week, naturally, he hadn't met Jiang Juyou, only seen her on the screen.

Unlike the two's restraint, Jiang Wangran seemed like he was seeing a celebrity, feeling incredibly amazed. When Jiang Juyou looked over, his eyes didn't dodge, and he even looked at her with a curious expression, tilting his head.

In front of a true social butterfly, any pretense was useless.

Jiang Juyou: "..."

She moved her gaze and looked at the folder, at this time, the leader who had just gone to the bathroom returned, hurriedly saying, "Sorry, I just went to the bathroom. Okay, you three first introduce yourselves, and then we'll start."

Unlike before, when only the staff from the new talent department were present, this meeting room also had their future managers and operation teams.

Chen Wu in the middle turned his head to look at Sang Mo, who quickly said, "Hello, teachers, my name is Sang Mo, I'm 17 years old."

"Hello, teachers, my name is Chen Wu, I'm also 17 years old."

When they spoke, their volumes were small, revealing some caution, but when it came to Jiang Wangran, the volume suddenly increased, startling the few people opposite.

"Hello, teachers, my name is Jiang Wangran, I'm 17 years old!"

"Okay, okay, you don't need to speak so loudly," the leader lowered his volume and said, "This is Jiang Juyou, the producer, who is in charge of your future group planning, and I am—"

The staff in the meeting room introduced themselves one by one, and after getting to know each other, they began the main topic.

"The name Equals3 actually shows that we only need three members. The reason why we let you learn guitar and bass for so long is also here. The company wants to create a band group with strong musicality."

The screen suddenly displayed the group's logo, with the S and 3 in Equals3 forming a small butterfly on the side.

Equals3 consists of two guitarists and one bassist, and for other musicians, professional personnel will be added to supplement, with no fixed personnel.

They are both musicians and main vocalists.

After explaining the group composition, the screen switched to a concept collage, with character extensions centered around the three members.

As the saying goes, in the big dye vat of the entertainment industry, the most feared thing is having no characteristics.

Among the three of them, Sang Mo was the last to be confirmed. He is somewhat similar to Ye Xing in Timetrain, but fortunately, Ye Xing eventually found his own color, while Sang Mo hasn't yet, not even now.

He does everything well, but nothing stands out. Finally, he managed to break through, relying on the popularity he accumulated before and his face.

Whether it's Jiang Juyou or other staff, they have repeatedly hesitated about Sang Mo's selection, and it was finally Jiang Juyou who decided to choose Sang Mo as the last member.

As for whether there will be replacements or additional selections in the future...

It's hard to say.

"We want to highlight Chen Wu's role as a music producer in the team," she said, looking at Jiang Juyou, then turned to Chen Wu and said, "But with your current abilities, it's still a bit difficult to have a first-authored song, but later we will provide many opportunities for participation, so in future external publicity, we will highlight this aspect of you."

"Jiang Wangran's looks are quite good, and his personality is very distinctive," someone said, causing others to unconsciously lower their heads and click their tongues.

The problem was that his personality was too distinctive. He hadn't gone through a long trainee period, so his sharp edges hadn't been smoothed out, making him stand out even more among the obedient and sensible trainees at Random Entertainment.

However, he was able to join the debut group directly because of his exceptional talent and overwhelming stage presence.

Jiang Wangran didn't hold back like others, as if he had never experienced any feelings of inferiority, full of confidence in himself.

It was this confidence and self-love, along with his passion for the stage and music, that allowed him to join the debut group directly.

When selecting members initially, he also caused quite a headache for the staff.

Jiang Wangran was difficult to manage and didn't revere Random Entertainment as much, making it easy for him to get into trouble. There were many meetings held due to his unpredictability.

But it was precisely this that made his persona and image the most striking. The new staff members remembered him more than any other trainee, which was enough to put him in the running.

The images and personas of the three were dissected, explained to them, and also to Jiang Juyou.

After confirming that the three of them had no objections to the company's decision, the team leader said, "Alright, we'll arrange a time to have your parents come in to sign the contracts. You can take a break for the next couple of days, and training will resume once the new schedule is out."

At the same time, the trainees who were not selected were also informed of something.

"The company plans to focus on operating the existing groups in the next three years, so there will be no new boy groups or girl groups."

This was not just for them but for all trainees.

In addition to the already debuted Timetrain, as well as the direct junior groups AIcho and Equals3, Random Entertainment will also operate two limited girl groups and one limited boy group.

The company does not have the personnel and energy to operate so many groups simultaneously, so after determining the final boy group, trainees who are too old will be dismissed.

And that final group must be decided by the end of the year.

That means out of the remaining 28 eligible trainees, only seven can debut, with the closest to the debut line having the chance to participate in a talent show as a company trainee.

This series of announcements left them in a flurry. The male trainees still had a chance, but the female trainees, apart from the twelve who could participate in the show, the rest would have to decide whether to stay or leave based on their personal wishes.

If they stayed, the next opportunity would be three or four years later.

The turmoil in the new talent development department was unknown to those who had already debuted or entered the debut group. By the time it reached their ears, half of the trainee dormitory was already empty.

Because they were too busy abroad and had little time to use their phones, Pei Zhiping and her three friends were the last to know.

Han Lemi, drenched in sweat, sat on the treadmill, catching her breath while reading a message from a friend.

"Wow... it's basically over," Han Lemi glanced at the dormitory app, which showed the dormitory information, and many small houses were already dark, indicating that no one was currently staying there.

Yu Dan, who was too tired to continue, used this as an excuse to stop, panting heavily as she reached out to Han Lemi, "Let me see."

The dormitory app showed that apart from them, only the twelve girls who were confirmed to participate in the talent show were left.

"Oh no, those younger ones are still here," Yu Dan scrolled down and found that the eleven or twelve-year-old trainees were still there.

After a few slow walks, Yu Dan completely stopped the treadmill and collapsed on the ground, staring at Han Lemi.

"But it's understandable. With nearly a hundred male and female trainees combined, it's really expensive to support so many people," Han Lemi sympathized with Jiang Juyou, as those boys could really eat, with their food expenses being three times that of the girls.

Yu Dan, lying on the ground, had no mood to worry about others; she was only concerned about their group. Looking at Pei Zhiping and Si Yanyu, who were still running, she said to Han Lemi, "Compared to them, we're like crawling cockroaches."

Han Lemi turned around to look—

Pei Zhiping had her hair tied up in a high ponytail, and even after nearly half an hour of running, it hadn't loosened. Si Yanyu had her hair in a bun, both wearing headphones, running with full concentration, their self-discipline far beyond what Han Lemi and Yu Dan could match.

They were the type to slack off, but Yu Dan, seeing others studying, would force herself to keep up, while Han Lemi was a genuine slacker.

Seeing Yu Dan get back on the treadmill, Han Lemi shook her head and lay back, "Save me! Who can stop them!"

Han Lemi suspected that the habit she had of feeling sleepy whenever she studied during elementary school had spread, and now she had a condition where she felt tired whenever she tried to improve.

-

"Decided, Beijing... Qingdao and Wuhan," Jiang Juyou said, sitting at her desk, pretending to be deep in thought.

Cong Lixia didn't respond, knowing she would change her mind soon.

The next moment, she raised her hand to stop, "Wait!"

Jiang Juyou tilted her head and said, "Or maybe Qingdao, Xiamen, Nanjing!"

Cong Lixia still didn't say anything.

"Forget it! Beijing, Qingdao, Wuhan it is!" Jiang Juyou declared.

In front of her was a map, and since there wasn't anything too important this morning, she had been sitting there studying it for two hours.

"I've decided, Beijing, Qingdao, Wuhan," Jiang Juyou said, noticing Cong Lixia's lack of response and calling out, "Cong Lixia?"

"I'm here."

Unlike her usual lively and energetic voice, Cong Lixia's tone was one of long-suffering fatigue.

Too tired to respond.

Jiang Juyou repeated, "Beijing, Qingdao, Wuhan, it's settled."

"Are you sure?" Cong Lixia asked, mainly to make sure she wouldn't regret it later.

"Yes."

"But there's already one in Beijing."

"Can't there be two?"

"…Alright."

"Then do as I said."

Cong Lixia was silent for two seconds, confirming she wouldn't change her mind, and then fulfilled the reward.

"Ding—"

The pleasant chime sounded, and Jiang Juyou's mood improved.

She opened her phone to check the new building displayed on the app, the feeling of playing a game rekindled.

Speaking of games—

"Ah! No wonder everyone was so busy today and no one came to see me," Jiang Juyou remembered, it was Timetrain's first comeback day.

She swiped away the panel in front of her and then opened her phone to search for Timetrain's members' names.

Before swiping away, she didn't forget to say goodbye to Cong Lixia, "Bye, see you later."

Timetrain's comeback had a unique timeline, with two lines: one for the release of the members' solo MVs and one for the title track.

Chi Qiao's teaser and MV raised expectations for the others, and the subsequent members' makeup and settings were also very good, but they just didn't feel as fitting as Chi Qiao's.

Plus, he had an awards ceremony right after that boosted his popularity, making everyone feel that Chi Qiao's MV had more buzz and good data.

As for the title track, which didn't get much promotional spending—

It easily outperformed other songs thanks to the game "Unfamiliar Country."

So when the album went on sale offline today, there was an unprecedented frenzy.

Perhaps having predicted this, each offline point implemented flow control, with people lining up outside.

The frenzy was among those who wanted to get the VR version early, offering high prices to those who had just bought it.

The face-to-face transaction price on second-hand websites had soared to ten thousand, and the cost of purchasing and reselling was also in the thousands.

Even though Jiang Juyou was now earning a million a year, she was still tempted.

"Tsk... still not quite used to being rich," Jiang Juyou suddenly remembered something more important than this today.

"Jiang Juyou: @Jiang Tang, I've already transferred the money to your card, remember to give it to them."

"Jiang Juyou: I'm free this weekend, how about I accompany you?"

“Jiang Tang: No need, you're more famous than me. Let's just forget it, I don't want to attract those paparazzi.”

“Jiang Liuxing: Should I go with you?”

“Jiang Tang: I said no!”

The reason she refused, of course, was because Jiang Tang was already standing at the entrance of the residential area.

The slightly run-down entrance was bustling with various vendors, their signboards dirty, indicating that these shops had been around for quite a few years.

This place was where Jiang Tang visited every month, every holiday, every year.

She knew this road better than her own home.

Jiang Tang bought some fruits at the entrance, then touched the bank card in her bag, took a deep breath, and walked in with heavy steps.

-

Putting down her phone, Jiang Liuxing threw herself back onto the carpet, lying in a row with the other two, continuing to play "Stranger Lands."

“Liu Yue: My house also has VR glasses, but I get dizzy as soon as I put them on. These are fine, no dizziness.” Liu Yue held the controller, trying to control the game screen, still a bit awkward as she was new to it.

Zhou Keke next to her said, “I thought the people in here were real, but you can still see the modeling traces.”

“This is good enough. If they were real people, I'd be scared to death first.” Jiang Liuxing said, turning her head, “Come on! There are so many fish here!”

The joy of a highly free game lies in exploration and development.

When the game first launched, it was indeed very popular, but the heat dropped significantly after a month. Those who stayed had found their own way of playing.

For example, those who wanted to play games but also had to study formed a club, found a school to enroll in, and logged into the game every day as an online study room.

This method really worked because with a group of people, no one wanted to be the first to give up, so everyone held their breath and worked hard.

Then there were people like Jiang Liuxing and her friends who went wild, either chopping trees in the snowy fields or fishing in the southern rainforest, turning the game into a survival adventure.

These days, they were keen on sea fishing, so they came to the seaside again. Today happened to be the release of VR glasses, and after putting them on, they felt as if they were sitting by the coast, enjoying the beauty of fishing.

Especially today, the game's weather was overcast, with a not-too-strong sun, a distant coastline visible, and soft clouds overhead.

The feeling was truly—

“So beautiful!”

The three of them exclaimed simultaneously, and hearing this synchronized remark, they all burst out laughing.

Suddenly, a message panel appeared in front of them, and mobile users also received it.

[Butler: The bank has sent a message saying that if you earn more money, you can deposit it back into the piggy bank.]

“What does that mean?”

“Could it be what I think it means?”

“Ah?”

The three of them sat up at the same time, taking off their VR glasses and looking at each other.

Some mobile users had already tried it out, depositing money from their wallets back into the piggy bank, but a prompt appeared:

Aliali: 6743d32ec4f3f33ac438d8b1

“Bank: The exchange rate is different, can you accept it?”

After clicking [Accept], one hundred Mo coins were deposited into the piggy bank.

A few seconds later, their phones received a bank message—[Deposit: 0.5 yuan]

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

After trying it out, Jiang Liuxing screamed, “Who gets it, family! A game where you can make money!!!”

Even though she had seen big scenes before, Liu Yue still screamed along, “Holy crap!”

Zhou Keke was also surprised by the game company's move, her eyes widening.

The three of them looked at each other, afraid that they were hallucinating.

“Holy crap!”

Player: Support Random Entertainment to dominate the gaming circle!