What Should I Do if My Best Friend Is a Green Tea? [Transmigrated Into a Book] Chapter 55

The next day was free for them to explore.

Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi, inspired by classic scenes from Korean dramas they had watched, visited the iconic spots of Han City. They even dressed in outfits similar to the drama's leads for their photos. At noon, they dined at a unique restaurant in H country known for its creative cuisine, where the chef often incorporated elents from international dishes into Korean als, sotis creating uniquely flavored dishes.

The restaurant was located on the ground floor of a shopping mall in a pri area. Opposite was the mall's atrium, which featured a high glass ceiling and housed a small stage in the center. Performances were held there during mall events. Today was no exception, and Yan Xi glanced at a nearby advertisent announcing that a girl group nad LMN would be performing.

Piao Baoyuan explained, "In H country, these kinds of events are common, but the perforrs at such mall shows are usually lesser-known idols."

Like LMN, neither Yan Xi nor Zhou Qingyu had heard of them. Zhou Qingyu comnted, "Probably a lesser-known group. People in H country are obsessed with becoming idols, but only 0.1% make it with top companies. The rest either return to normal society or join small companies to form obscure groups."

"The chances of becoming famous from a small company are slim."

Yan Xi glanced at a photo of the LMN mbers, most heavily made up, obscuring their natural features. However, one girl standing at the back caught her attention.

She imdiately pulled out her phone and searched for the girl's na.

Her eyes lit up with disbelief, "There's actually a Chinese mber in the group!"

Zhou Qingyu leaned over to look, "It's normal. The idol market in China isn't great, so many go to H country to beco artists. We've also sent a few kids from our Starshine agency there, planning to debut them in H country." The environnt in China was more suited for actors and singers.

Yan Xi wasn't familiar with the entertainnt industry, but she followed the famous scandals, like that of Han Shu.

In Yan Xi's mory, by the ti Han Shu appeared, she was already the queen of love songs in H country. Although Chinese, she spoke Korean and had always developed her career in Korea. Many in her holand regretted her decision not to return, but she stayed in H country. Han Shu's rise to fa was teoric, and while there were rumors of a powerful backer and other unsavory speculations, none could overshadow her talent. She had won every music award in Asia and even a Grammy. Her music was played not just in H country but in every corner of China, topping the charts on all three major Chinese music platforms.

Her voice was unparalleled, as if kissed by God.

Han Shu was young, only 24 at the height of her fa. But on the day the world acknowledged her achievents, she jumped from the top floor of her company's building, ending her life.

Everyone knew of Han Shu's glorious life, but her suicide note told a different story.

A young girl harbored dreams of music from a young age, but during a trip to H country, she was tricked into signing with an entertainnt company. Unable to pay the penalty for breaking the contract, she remained in H country. Initially just a minor idol, she hoped to endure until the contract ended and return ho. However, on the eve of her group's disbandnt, Han Shu was drugged by her manager and delivered to a tycoon's bed. All the glitz and glamour were backed by blood and tears.

Han Shu tried to report to the police, but even with a dical report proving she was raped, she couldn't bring down those who had wronged her. She didn't return ho because she wanted to stand at the pinnacle of H country's music scene and denounce her bitter past.

She succeeded, expressing her dissatisfaction with her life. The scandal was explosive, and even Zhou Qingyu, far across the ocean, heard about it—after all, a life was the price paid, and Han Shu's fans were furious. But as ti passed, the incident was gradually forgotten. Han Shu died, and none of those who hurt her were punished. After lunch, Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi went to the small stage in the courtyard. They used to stroll around the mall and buy bags and jewelry to digest their al.

Backstage, the mbers of the LMN group noticed the situation outside. "Those people seem to be stars from Huaguo!"

"I've seen their shows, super popular! That beautiful girl is Zhou Qingyu, she's Huaguo's beauty icon! And that pure-looking girl is Yan Xi, she was a nobody before joining the show, now she has over a million followers on Weibo!"

"When can we ever be on such a hot show?" The girls chattered, expressing their envy of Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi.

They were just making a bit of money for living expenses by performing at such comrcial shows, never really becoming famous, performing without even a single fan. In fact, LMN currently had no fan following.

"Do you think the show's caras will catch us? If we could appear on such a popular variety show, maybe we could beco famous!" "Really? Then I must perform well later!" "You can do it, you dance well, surely more people will notice you!" Appearing on a variety show seed like a carrot dangling before them, and the mbers of the LMN girl group grew more excited, rushing to the makeup mirrors to touch up, hoping to maximize their screen ti.

Han Shu was sitting in front of the makeup mirror, always the last to be made up due to her low popularity within the group.

Without professional makeup artists, the LMN girl group all followed the sa template, heavy makeup which looked good under the lights.

"Han Shu, aren't you done yet?" a girl with pink hair asked Han Shu in Korean, "Can you hurry up? I still need to apply my blush!" Han Shu replied in not-so-fluent Korean, "Yan Yan sister, it's just my turn!"

The pink-haired girl grabbed Han Shu, "You're always at the back anyway, who's going to see you! Just slap sothing on!"

Others chid in, "Yan Yan sister is the face of the group, the caras should be on her!"

Han Shu pursed her lips, forced to stand up and give her seat to the girl with pink hair. In LMN, she was the only non-H country mber, and her abilities didn't particularly stand out, making ostracism a common occurrence.

Han Shu could only sit in the corner with her phone.

The phone screen displayed the lyrics of the song they were about to perform. Han Shu silently morized them. She didn't have a solo part; only the popular mbers in the group got solos.

Sotis, Han Shu found it amusing—no solo part ant no cara ti; no cara ti ant no fa. And without fa, how could one gain popularity and secure their own part?

It was a vicious cycle.

Soon, the manager entered, urging the girls, "Are you ready? It's almost your turn to go on stage! Rember, be enchanting on stage, don't hold back. The more you let go, the more you earn!" The girls reluctantly nodded.

After giving instructions to everyone, the manager finally approached Han Shu. Squinting his eyes, his chubby face almost oozing oil, he said in Korean, "Han Shu! Don't say I never gave you a chance. Yan Yan and the others have gone already, tonight it's your turn. After the comrcial performance, I'll have soone pick you up."

Han Shu gripped her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white, "Can I not go?" The manager laughed, "Do you want to be a loser forever? Look at Yan Yan and the others, they got solo opportunities after coming back. Don't you want that?" Han Shu remained silent, too afraid to speak.

She didn't want to; her contract was for 10 years, with 8 more to go. If she could endure these 8 years, she could go ho.

Seeing Han Shu's resistant expression, a sinister look flashed in the manager's eyes, "Your contract is still in my hands, you better think carefully!" Ten minutes later, the performance began.

The girls appeared on stage in sexy outfits, their colorful clothes and heavy makeup almost making them indistinguishable from one another. Their movents were bold, almost provocatively so. Many male custors gathered around the stage at the sight. However, the anticipated variety show filming did not happen. Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi rely passed by the atrium stage briefly, learning they would have to wait another fifteen minutes to see the performance, Zhou Qingyu quickly lost interest and pulled Yan Xi to a perfu counter instead.

As they shopped, music occasionally drifted over, but it failed to capture Zhou Qingyu's attention.

Yan Xi, however, was quite curious. She really wanted to see how Han Shu's performance turned out. Piao Baoyuan regretfully said, "You ca at the wrong ti. There are no concerts or music stages recently. If there were, it would be nice to go see one tonight." "Yeah," Yan Xi sighed.

Previously, Director Yu had ntioned that this stop was in H country, and many fans in the live chat suggested they could go see their idols' stage performances. Watching the handso guys dance in sync, occasionally showing off their abs and Adonis belts, would definitely be a sight to see! "If there was a concert, even if the tickets were sold out, you could still get us VIP tickets, right?" Yan Xi asked Piao Baoyuan.

Piao Baoyuan's gaze was firm, "Of course!"

YunTong Bank strives to et every Black Card client's demands, and getting concert tickets is no big deal.

Yan Xi sighed, "Too bad you can't make them hold another concert."

"Why not?"

Zhou Qingyu, overwheld by the sll of perfu, was sniffing coffee beans to clear her nose. She walked over to Yan Xi, pondering seriously, "You're right, having co all the way to Country H, how can we not attend a concert? That would be a wasted trip."

Zhou Qingyu looked at Piao Baoyuan, "How about you get a few idol groups to hold a private concert just for us, what do you think?"

Piao Baoyuan: ???

Piao Baoyuan forced a smile, "Miss, are you serious?" Zhou Qingyu sniffed the coffee beans again, nonchalantly replying, "Of course, can't you do it?"

Piao Baoyuan straightened his back instantly, "How could I not!!!" As a travel consultant at YunTong Bank, the word "impossible" did not exist in Piao Baoyuan's dictionary.

(Did I hear that right... The young lady wants to invite idols to hold a private concert for them?)

(Holy cow! Is that even possible?)

(My goodness! This is the first ti I've seen such a move!)

The audience was thrilled, and so were Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi, who eagerly asked Piao Baoyuan to bring over a tablet to start choosing.

Zhou Qingyu: "This guy is handso! Let's have this group co!"

Yan Xi: "The girls in this girl group are all so pretty! I want to see them!"

Zhou Qingyu: "Oh wow, this group isn't bad either, those abs, six-pack!"

Yan Xi: "And this one! There are so many of them! I want to see!"

The two picked for a while, not choosing many, mainly because they didn't know many idols.

Zhou Qingyu then looked up and asked the audience.

"Who do you want us to invite?"

(So we get to choose too?)

(Ahhh I want to see my favorite! Although they are not very famous, they work hard, please give them a chance, Miss!)

(My idol hasn't made a coback yet, they're in closed training, probably can't invite them)

(Miss! Only, TKT, Shark Girls! These might not be the top groups in Country H, but they are very talented! It would be worth it to invite them! Please consider my suggestion, Miss!)

(Can we invite Miss Han Shu from LMN? She sings so well, I heard her live once, really want to hear her again!) The audience suggested many idol groups, and Piao Baoyuan took notes one by one. Zhou Qingyu made a final decision, "Let's set the performance for tonight, the lawn in front of the villa is quite big, we can hold the concert there!"

Piao Baoyuan: "Understood, placing large equipnt will damage the lawn, but I will arrange for a professional gardener to repair it afterwards." "And this list," Piao Baoyuan held up the recently noted invitation list, showing it to Zhou Qingyu, "With so many invitees, I'm not sure how long you plan to hold the concert, we need to arrange accordingly."

Zhou Qingyu thought for a mont, "Two hours should do."

She was no longer interested, even a two-hour concert seed too much now. Zhou Qingyu turned to Yan Xi, "Xi Xi, do you have any objections?" Yan Xi efficiently pulled out a pen, which she always carried with her since becoming the producer of "Baseline." There were many docunts she needed to sign. Yan Xi checked off several nas, "Make sure these people are invited, the rest will depend on the situation."

Piao Baoyuan replied, "Okay."

For the next part of the schedule, Piao Baoyuan didn't accompany Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi anymore; she had to prepare for the concert.

The concert was scheduled to start at seven in the evening, and it was now five hours away. Preparing a concert in five hours and inviting many popular idols to perform would seem like a fairy tale to the average person.

But a consultant at Yuntong Bank is no ordinary person!

As Piao Baoyuan left, Yan Xi could still hear her encouraging herself, "I can do it! I can do it! The word 'can't' isn't in my dictionary!" After the performance, the mbers of LMN dejectedly returned backstage.

The production team had already left, and LMN wasn't so lucky to get "on cara" ti; everyone seed very disheartened.

Han Shu got the video of their performance from the mall stage manager and watched it several tis.

She was positioned at the back, often blocked by other mbers. There were only a few angles where she could be seen, but her heavy makeup and average dancing skills made it hard to attract fans.

When Han Shu first joined the company, she also harbored dreams of fa. She had always loved singing, and her biggest dream was to hold her own concert and let everyone hear her voice.

But during her two years with LMN, she either participated in these marginal comrcial performances or was forced to accompany company executives for drinks.

This wasn't the life Han Shu wanted.

She wanted to terminate her contract, but unfortunately, her family was ordinary, just a typical working-class family, and couldn't afford the high penalty fee.

This is how small companies operate; they can't provide resources, so they just drag the artists along. Out of a hundred artists, if one is willing to pay the penalty fee, then the company profits. Either you beco a star, or you endure.

For Han Shu, both options were difficult.

Becoming a star was too hard.

Enduring was even harder.

The mbers packed up, ready to head back to the dormitory. Even though it was a low-tier comrcial performance, it wasn't an everyday occurrence, and they were likely to spend the next few days in the dormitory.

Suddenly, the backstage door was slamd open, and the manager rushed back. "Don't go back to the dormitory yet!" the manager said excitedly, "Soone has invited you to perform at tonight's concert. Head back to the company and practice for tonight's performance! This opportunity is very important, don't miss it!"

The mbers were astonished, "A concert? Are we invited to perform?"

"Which team is it? I haven't heard of any concerts happening recently!" "Performing at a concert, does that an there will be a lot of audience?! Oh my, we've never perford in front of so many people before!"

The agent interrupted the young girls' beautiful dreams, "What are you thinking about? There's a wealthy lady who wants to see her favorite idols perform. She's organizing a concert right at her villa, and the only audience will be her and her friends. Not many people, but the ones she's invited are all bigger stars than you! I heard that Only, TKT, and Shark Girl are among those invited!"

The eyes of the LMN mbers lit up.

The idol groups ntioned by the agent were stars they could only dream of reaching, and they had never imagined standing shoulder to shoulder with them one day! "Oh, right, I forgot to ntion," the agent added, "I just asked the organizer, and she said the wealthy lady who invited you is Zhou Qingyu, a very famous star in China. She's currently on a variety show, and your performance might even appear on their show!"

"Zhou Qingyu!" Cui ngyan was the first to recall, "Isn't she the super beautiful star we just saw?" "And we might even appear on her variety show! Oh my God! Her show is super popular, I heard it's currently the top variety show in China!" "If we appear on her show, we could beco famous!" "So you better perform well!" the agent said, "Don't embarrass !"

The LMN mbers were more excited than ever, and without needing further prompting from their agent, they began packing their bags, eager to return to the company to intensify their training. Outside, a minivan awaited, and the LMN mbers boarded one by one. Han Shu was the last to board, and just before she did, the agent suddenly pulled her aside. "There was a sudden event today that delayed us a bit, but the eting tonight can't be canceled. Rember to find after the performance," Han Shu reluctantly nodded her head.

When Yan Xi and Zhou Qingyu returned to the villa, the stage was already set up. The once empty lawn was transford. A majestic concert stage stood in the center, its black steel structure solid and imposing. The backdrop was a huge LED screen, flickering with vibrant and dynamic patterns. Staff bustled about, so setting up instrunts, others checking microphones and sound lines, all dressed in uniform, moving quickly and efficiently.

Yan Xi couldn't believe her eyes; she had imagined the concert would be like a wooden stage set up on a lawn, similar to those in shopping malls, surrounded by a few speakers and so large lights. She hadn't expected Piao Baoyuan to be so professional! This was no different from a formal concert!

Lu Beiyu and Yaozu also returned to the villa, both amazed at the sudden appearance of the massive structure on the lawn.

The villa belonged to the Lu family, and Zhou Qingyu had consulted Lu Beiyu before planning the concert. Lu Beiyu had no objections, renting out the venue was a small matter, especially since the lady had treated him to dinner the night before.

It wasn't until he saw the massive structure on the lawn that Lu Beiyu realized this was no small matter.

The lady... was impressive!

Zhou Qingyu looked at the concert stage and casually remarked, "Hmm, the stage is still a bit small. It's not grand enough, lacks class."

Yan Xi & Lu Beiyu: ""

Audience in the live stream: ...)

It was only Piao Baoyuan who didn't deny Zhou Qingyu's words at all, even adding, "The main issue is that this villa is too small, and the lawn isn't big enough. If we could hold it in a stadium, I could set up a stage twice this size!"

Zhou Qingyu nodded, "Such a pity."

Lu Beiyu: "

"It's my fault, my fault that my villa is too small, okay!"

[The young lady redefined "small"!]

[The young lady is right, a villa that can't accommodate a super-large stage is indeed small, and this lawn is only enough for Yaozu to frolic! Dog_head.jpg] [Lu Beiyu, maybe you should discuss with your elder sister about getting a bigger lawn for Yaozu!]

Everyone was eagerly discussing the upcoming concert, but Yan Xi suddenly thought of sothing, walked up, and circled around the stage. Yan Xi: "Having set up such a formal stage, it would be a waste if only Director Yu's cara was used for the live broadcast, especially since we've invited so many artists to perform!"

Zhou Qingyu was curious, "Do you want to add sothing?"

Yan Xi: "Director Yu's lens will mainly focus on us, definitely not capturing much of the concert, but there are many fans who want to see it, so many idols, many recomnded by them, can only be seen through our live broadcast lens, definitely not showing their full performance!"

"We can bring in several more cara positions, set up a new live broadcast room! A full live coverage!"

Adding cara positions and needing people to control the caras, plus setting up another live broadcast, would definitely increase the costs.

Piao Baoyuan worried, "This won't be cheap... Miss, should we charge for it?"

Zhou Qingyu waved her hand, "The one who wants to see the concert is , setting up a live broadcast is just incidental, why charge? It would make look petty, of course it's free!" Piao Baoyuan was tongue-tied, "No, no problem!"

[Wuuu, the young lady is simply an angel!]

[Yan Xi's suggestion is also super good! With so many more cara positions, I can clearly see my brother's handso face! Yan Xi is really considerate for us~] [So I can watch a free online concert? Thankful, thankful, thankful!]

[I was still worried about the production team's live broadcast, only able to see the young lady and Yan Xi, but now I can see the brothers too! That's great!] [I love Yan Xi! I love the young lady!]

In the following ti, Piao Baoyuan continued to set up, and Zhou Qingyu, tired from a day's travel, went back to take a bath.

The system popped up, whispering in Yan Xi's ear: [The young lady is really extravagantly indifferent!]

[I just saw Piao Baoyuan's bill, today's concert live broadcast, the spending is not less than your big yacht! Indeed, to the young lady, money is really no object!]

Yan Xi was unconcerned, "No pain, no gain, who says a concert has to run at a loss?"

The system puzzled, [Didn't the young lady say it was free?]

"I'm not charging fans, but that doesn't an I won't charge others!" "Tongzi, help get in touch with Xingyao; it's ti for them to get to work~"