Chapter 95: Graduation Drama 2
When Su Jishi arrived at the studio, the other guests were already in place. In addition to her, there were three resident mentors and two guest mentors. Five of them were around the round table, and when they saw her coming, they all greeted her warmly.
Among the three resident mentors, one of them was Yan Changhui, whom Su Jishi had worked with before. He was in his mid-thirties, and had been nominated Best Actor three times. Hence, in about two years or less, he would definitely take home a grand award.
When he saw Su Jishi appear, Yan Changhui greeted her warmly: “Little Su, you’re here. Why are you wearing a wig today?”
Su Jishi was also in a good mood when she saw her old friend.
She ruffled her long hair and replied, “I’m wearing long hair to change my mood, and to let people change their aesthetics.” She deliberately asked, “Mr. Yan, do I look good with short hair, medium length hair, or now?”
A fresh-looking guest next to her said, “Ms. Su, you look beautiful in all kinds of ways, each with your own beauty.”
Su Jishi smiled and accepted the praise.
After a few pleasantries, the producer came up and finally communicated the script, highlighting a few names, so that everyone could cue more when commenting.
At present, the entertainment industry was all about early fame and early profit. Debuting at 20 was already considered late. Many young people would become famous first when they were still minors. The star-making factory next door launched a talent show at the beginning of the year, and the final C-suite winner was a 15-year-old boy. He already had three endorsements when others were still in high school.
Under the circumstances, agencies had gradually reached out to the schools.
Take several well-known drama colleges and universities in China as an example. Freshmen were basically ‘scouted’ by agencies as soon as they entered their freshman year. Five to six companies would always compete to grab a good seedling.
For the uninformed viewers, the youngsters who participated in the variety show, Graduation Drama, were young college students. Their performance was close to the life of their peers, without the slightest sense of distance.
But in reality, these so-called ‘young college students’ had been in agencies for many years, and some had even starred in several plays.
The program crew had to eat. For the sake of that sponsorship fee, the few seedlings supported by the big companies would get more footage and more reviews; after the show was broadcast, they would also be more popular. And so the cycle continued. People with screen time would become hotter, more famous, and have more screen time. People without screen time, on the other hand, would be sliding all the way down to the bottom.
And this was the default unspoken rule of everyone in showbiz.
Although Su Jishi felt uncomfortable, she could only follow the host and remain silent.
……
Soon, the taping of the show began.
Four drama institutions prepared four graduation dramas. Each institution had a small team of cameramen, who followed and filmed them for a week. Then everything was condensed and edited into a one-hour film.
So in total, the film would last four hours. The guests in the studio would watch and comment at any time. This program would be recorded for ten hours, so it was proper to say, overnight.
Fortunately, Su Jishi rested well on the plane and had coffee on hand to refresh herself, so she was quite looking forward to watching four reality shows in a row in the studio.
These four institutions presented a musical, a classical dance drama, and two plays.
This was also the first time Su Jishi watched a Chinese musical, a daring remake of the Broadway musical classic Chicago by students. It was originally a musical film that was later adapted into a musical theatrical play. It was about the various female inmates in a women’s prison. Some were innocent, some guilty, some forced, and some unrepentant…
The video aired today showed students arguing over an episode of the play. Some thought they should join a group dance partner, while others were adamant that the protagonist should sing solo.
The students were in their early twenties and were prone to anger. They continuously quarreled and ended up getting angry for real. The female team leader ran away with tears in her eyes and went to the rooftop alone to wipe her tears.
Inside the studio, the six mentors expressed their views.
Su Jishi did not expect that on the first show, she’d actually be a judge for kids playing house.
She noticed that the female team leader had extra screen time. In a 20-people class where some could only appear in the margins, the team leader had a five-minute long solo segment.
Su Jishi flipped through her information and found that she was a newcomer to a major company. It seemed that this was the power of capital.
She had nothing to comment on. She said a few irrelevant words and remained silent the rest of the time.
The second show was a rehearsal for a classical dance drama.
The dance drama progressed quite well, and Su Jishi comfortably enjoyed the video of pldd((pldd-an online buzzword referring to beautiful/handsome/cute brothers)) and plmm((plmm – another online buzzword meaning beautiful meimei/younger sister)) practicing basic skills and rehearsals.
A change occurred at the end of the video: a young boy she was very optimistic about landed in the wrong position during a flip. He bruised his back and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
When it was Su Jishi’s turn to comment, she couldn’t help but say a few more words about the boy’s performance and wished him a speedy recovery.
The result? When the intermission was over, Su Jishi heard two staff members whispering by the side.
“That boy is really ruthless. He deliberately fell this time and garnered more screen time.”
“This is called paying the price to achieve one’s purpose. Just wait and see. Su Jin named him and praised him. With the consistent style of his agency, they would definitely buy him a hot search.”
Su Jishi: “…”
Su Jishi’s face instantly sank.
Peek-Aboo 
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