Chapter Eighty-One: Who Are You Calling a Mangy Dog!

On May 27th, Tang Zhichu flew from Yuzhou to Shudu.

The recording location for the major commercial original music variety show, "Original Music Alliance," was in Shudu. As soon as she got off the plane, Tang Zhichu was greeted by the show's staff and whisked away to a large resort villa in the southern part of Shudu. At the entrance of the estate, they switched to a sightseeing vehicle.

Seated on the sightseeing car, Tang Zhichu spotted some graffiti-covered walls, suggesting they were trying to turn the place into a tourist attraction.

"You've read the program materials, right?" The young man beside her, handsome and wearing a staff badge, spoke up.

They'd already grown familiar with each other by now. His name was Meng Qi, Tang Zhichu's assigned PD, the one who had met her at the airport.

Tang Zhichu nodded; she had long since reviewed the materials.

The recording of "Original Music Alliance" was roughly divided into three parts.

The first part focused on the daily interactions among the musicians. The second, the centerpiece, was the Task List. The third was the stage performances.

Daily interactions were fairly routine, and if nothing else arose, contestants could stay in the dormitory throughout filming.

The Task List was a brand-new innovative segment, the reason why this show was dubbed a major commercial original music variety. It was an ecosystemic commerce list within the industry: whether you were an artist, advertiser, film promoter, and so on, you could issue work tasks on the show's Task List, clearly priced, as long as approved by the production team.

For example, the current top task on the list was from a mobile phone brand, requesting a promotional song in both Chinese and English versions, offering a staggering six million for the commission.

Was this money easy to earn? Not at all.

Tang Zhichu had joined midway. She knew that two episodes had already been recorded, and someone had claimed the second-ranked task. Yet, when the sponsor listened to the work, they were dissatisfied and declined to select it.

This, too, was the sponsor’s prerogative—they could refuse if unsatisfied.

Another remarkable aspect was the recording format: even Tang Zhichu, who had lived two lifetimes, was stunned upon learning the rules.

The first batch of musicians totaled twenty-four, divided into four major alliances, each with six members, and the show was recorded as alliance battles.

For instance, during the task list segment, if two alliances claimed the same task, that project would automatically enter stage recording, with a week allotted for creation.

Of course, three alliances could simultaneously claim the same task, making the stage even more exhilarating.

After the stage performance, the sponsors’ team would deliberate and decide the winner, who would not only receive the task’s commission but also earn points equivalent to the commission.

For example, if the commission was one million, the winning alliance would earn one million points.

What could those points be used for? Buying performance order, daily tasks, or asking for help from the production team. If you wanted hotpot late at night, you could use points to buy it from the production team.

There was also elimination: if an alliance lost twice or failed to be chosen by sponsors twice, the alliance’s initiator could decide to eliminate one member.

Tang Zhichu had felt the pressure keenly when she read the rules, even sighing that the review process here was more lenient than in the world she’d inhabited before.

"There's another thing I think I should mention in advance," Meng Qi said cautiously. "When new musicians join, there's an auction segment using points. The four alliances decide whether to bid for the newcomer with points. If none choose to participate, the newcomer automatically fails the auction."

The number of participants always remained twenty-four: one eliminated, one added. The addition was through a points auction, and if no one bid, it meant they didn’t want you—you simply went back to where you came from.

Tang Zhichu nodded. She’d only learned about this rule yesterday, and upon understanding it, realized why Yu Hua had said he’d paved the way for her.

Otherwise, even though she’d taken the DY route to get here, she might not have been able to join the show.

The rule was downright ruthless.

Tang Zhichu recalled Yu Hua; without knowing the show, one wouldn’t realize how impressive he was.

Perhaps this was why romance reality shows struggled in this world.

"Don’t be afraid. Even if nobody wants me, I’ll just take it as seeing the world," Tang Zhichu replied with a comforting smile.

Meng Qi smiled along, though somewhat forced.

He was polite and diligent, but since he was assigned to Tang Zhichu, Meng Qi was at a natural disadvantage.

This time, two newcomers were joining: one was a well-known musician in the industry, and the other was Tang Zhichu.

From the information Meng Qi had gathered, he felt that it would be quite difficult for Tang Zhichu to truly join the show.

The incoming batch included some top-tier figures in the industry. They weren’t necessarily exclusionary, but it didn’t mean they'd be willing to spend points on her.

If his artist failed the auction, they’d have to wait for the next batch of newcomers, as this was linked to experience.

The estate was vast. Tang Zhichu saw horses, and after crossing a small bridge, a cluster of buildings appeared.

She also spotted several stages—not just one.

There was one in a small plaza, another by the lake, though she didn’t know if there were any indoor ones.

This show was also rare in that it had no live audience; the only spectators were the sponsor teams.

"We’ll go to the temporary dorm first. Only after tonight’s recording will you move into the alliance dorm," Meng Qi said as they passed a small junction.

Tang Zhichu nodded, "It's fine, just follow the usual process. Thank you."

The buildings here were nearly all small villa types.

The sightseeing car stopped in front of a villa. Meng Qi got off and helped Tang Zhichu with her luggage.

Tang Zhichu stepped out and suddenly paused, for there was someone else in front of the villa.

A white sun hat, a simple pink T-shirt, black slightly loose sports pants that still couldn’t hide her lively figure—she wasn’t very tall, but radiated youthful energy.

"That’s our staff," Meng Qi explained. "There are many in the estate. If you need help, just ask them." He raised his phone, adding, "Of course, you can always reach me for anything."

Tang Zhichu nodded, "Thanks."

After bringing Tang Zhichu to the villa, Meng Qi went to check in and confirm her next steps.

The villa was empty, but there were pastries and fruit.

Checking the time—it was just past three o’clock in the afternoon. From what she knew, filming wouldn’t start until seven or eight at night.

After putting away her luggage, Tang Zhichu peeled an orange and headed out.

At the doorway, on the pebble path, the woman in the sporty T-shirt smiled at her, eyes narrowed, "Pretending not to know me, are you?"

Tang Zhichu shrugged, smiling, "You really are resourceful."

The woman reached up, lifted her staff badge, and said to Tang Zhichu, "Hmph, call me Little White Hat. I’m staff, with a pass—though I’m only temporary."

Tang Zhichu walked over. Seeing Zhou Yun again was a pleasant surprise, and she was genuinely astonished.

But thinking about it, since it was Zhou Yun, and she knew the show’s chief director, it wasn’t so strange.

"Access queen, give me a tour?"

Zhou Yun clasped her hands behind her back, leaned forward, frowned and pouted, "Who are you calling queen! You brat!"