CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol-Chapter 360 - 352: Two Groups in Parallel

Shenghai, Recording Studio

Lv Fangxin held her lyrics, feeling an urge to cry.

She felt overwhelmingly upset and walked into the hallway with her head lowered.

"Fangxin, some things can be fought for."

"Sister Yezi, I know myself."

Ye Yuwei didn’t continue speaking after hearing Lv Fangxin’s words.

In this song, Lv Fangxin was only given one lyric line. Although it was the highlight of the song, it still revealed Penguin’s attitude toward her.

The number of lines you get in a song and screen time determine how the company will allocate resources to you in the future.

Lv Fangxin only had one line that barely counted as lyrics in this song.

"Sister Yezi, how long do you think it will take for me to fade away?"

"Fangxin, don’t say that. Let’s fight together. Our group has so many resources; we’ll definitely make it."

"Sister Yezi, you yourself said it’s group resources. I don’t have personal resources."

Lv Fangxin’s willpower grew increasingly disheartened, and she looked as fragile as a leaf touched by autumn frost.

"Fangxin, before debuting, you made it through such challenging circumstances. Now you’ve debuted at a high level—what’s there to be discouraged about? If singing and dancing don’t work out, there’s always variety shows and acting opportunities."

"But Sister Yezi, we’re doing girl group work right now. If I don’t perform well, the company won’t recommend me for those other opportunities."

Ye Yuwei didn’t know what to say, because she knew everything Lv Fangxin said was true.

While Ye Yuwei was comforting Lv Fangxin, she didn’t notice Zhang Zijing peeking at them through the recording studio door.

"Zijing, what are you doing?" Fu Xiaoyu asked, puzzled.

"Nothing, I just feel a little warm." Zhang Zijing forced a smile.

"Hurry up and practice! Our schedule is way too rushed."

"Okay!"

Zhang Zijing smiled faintly and sat on the couch, scrolling through her Weibo in frustration.

There were many fan messages waiting for her.

One of them linked a blog post that caught her attention.

I’ve watched every episode of Star Talent more than three times. Every camera angle, every spin-off show—I haven’t missed a thing. I know every trainee, even those eliminated in the first round.

Before the results were announced, I asked myself countless times which 11 contestants deserved to form the group.

What saddens me most about this show is that it’s not purely about ability, nor entirely about attributes. It’s primarily about popularity and how well contestants connect with casual fans; it’s all about who the audience likes and votes for, who gets the money thrown behind them for debuting.

Here, I want to express my opinion. Since it’s about selecting a girl group, shouldn’t the focus be on singing and dancing? For these two skills, at least one should reach a professional level!

So I honestly can’t accept the debut of girls who lack singing and dancing skills—or even the essence of a girl group. It’s irresponsible to the group, to the audience, and to themselves.

But that’s the game. For those audience members who invest, it’s just a case of one willingly giving and the other willingly receiving.

Besides, popularity and likability are also a kind of "ability"—the soft skills of an artist. Being silent and timid is a death sentence for any entertainer.

So, to the girls with strong skills: keep sharpening your craft. Don’t be blinded by temporary glamor, and don’t let those carefree slackers in the group drag you down.

After reading this lengthy comment, Zhang Zijing unexpectedly thought of Lv Fangxin. Her fingers moved instinctively, and she replied to the post:

"Thank you all for giving me the courage and encouragement. I will continue to move forward sincerely!"

After posting that message, she felt much better.

Actually, she knew Ye Yuwei couldn’t possibly have anything going on with Lv Fangxin. It was just that every time she saw them together, she would lose a little bit of control.

Zhang Zijing wondered if she was living too shallowly.

"Fangxin, it’s your turn to record," Duan Yuxin called out to Lv Fangxin.

Putting away her sadness, Lv Fangxin went back into the recording studio.

She took a deep breath: "Even if it’s just one lyric, I have to record it well!"

"...Fangxin, your pitch is off. It seems like you’re cracking," said the recording engineer.

"Ah! Engineer, did I really crack?"

"Yes, it’s somewhere between avoiding a crack and outright cracking."

The recording engineer was puzzled; he’d already figured out that Lv Fangxin was tone-deaf. Getting her to sing it correctly would be a matter of luck.

Still, given that he was being paid, he had no choice but to keep recording despite the frustration.

The other members had varying reactions upon hearing the recording engineer’s comment.

But considering Fangxin had only been given one lyric line, no one bothered to say anything else.

Penguin Headquarters

Wan Kai placed a file in front of Lai Ruoxuan’s company’s director.

In reality, based on stock structure, Lai Ruoxuan’s company belonged to Penguin. However, with other shareholders involved, full compliance with Penguin wasn’t guaranteed operationally.

Internal coordination had settled things regarding Lai Ruoxuan’s utilization, and Penguin had conceded some profit-sharing.

Next in line was Yang Ni’s company, which was also successfully negotiated. Of course, Penguin made concessions here too.

At the moment when the three parties secretly signed the agreement,

news broke online about Yuehua supposedly negotiating for both groups to simultaneously operate.

This announcement surged up the trending topics list within half an hour.

Discussion levels across major platforms skyrocketed.

This news left Star Talent fans and casual onlookers dumbfounded.

How could things turn messy even before activities had begun?

Yuehua Company

Pan Ting stared at the online news in shock.

She didn’t expect this topic to generate such high interest.

She also saw Penguin’s official clarification post, which stated the two groups wouldn’t operate simultaneously.

They had signed split contracts with Yuehua and emphasized the contract’s uniformity across all companies.

Pan Ting thought for a while, then started making calls to other company directors to probe their opinions.

Apart from Lv Fangxin, Duan Yuxin, and Galaxy members, the others voiced anger-filled support for her.

At the end of a day’s work, the 11 girls returned to their villa and saw the news as well.

"Meixuan, what’s going on?" Duan Yuxin, unable to contain her curiosity, asked.

Both Meng and Wu were equally shocked. Their company hadn’t disclosed anything regarding this, yet it had somehow blown up on social media.

"Two groups operating simultaneously is impossible. We’re already exhausted enough," Lv Fangxin sympathized with Meng and Wu.

"Exactly! Our schedules are so tight; how could both groups run together? And if resources are allocated, which side would get them?" Fu Xiaoyu voiced her concern.

"Naturally, Penguin’s group would be prioritized. Our original company doesn’t have the strength to secure Penguin’s resources," Jiang Mengqi said softly but firmly, her tone as sticky-sweet as glutinous rice.

"I think it’s just corporate posturing between the company and Penguin. They’ll coordinate in the end."

Wu Zixuan had a knack for diplomatic responses, living up to her nickname as "Official Wu."

"If there really are two groups running, coordination would be necessary," Meng Meixuan chimed in thoughtfully.

Zhang Zijing glanced at Ye Yuwei, noticing that the latter had no intention of speaking.

"Oh my! If two groups are operating, and our company follows suit, I feel like I’d collapse," Duan Yuxin said, still unaware of the gravity of the matter.

The girls quickly finished dinner and retreated to their rooms.

"Yinghan, what are you up to? I miss you," Lv Fangxin said, lying on her bed and looking at Chen Yinghan on her phone screen.

Seeing Lv Fangxin’s expression, Chen Yinghan’s heart filled with sympathy.