81: The interview begins, he wants to be an all-round artist!

“Thanks,” Tang Chen exchanged a few pleasantries with his friend on the phone who had tipped him off, then hung up.

Since he had nothing planned for the morning, he decided to chat with the producer for a bit and watch the performances. Once this segment concluded, he would greet Wu Zhengxuan.

Twenty minutes later, Tang Chen and the producer sat in the lounge, watching the live broadcast on the screen.

On screen, Wu Zhengxuan and a veteran actress walked into the performance street.

After only a couple of steps, they encountered a male actor in his twenties. His character was an ancient hysteric who imagined himself to be Chen Shimei. Upon seeing the two guests, he quickly launched into a tirade directed at the female veteran.

Wu Zhengxuan grinned awkwardly, completely unrestrained, raised his eyebrows, covered his mouth with a notebook, and slowly shuffled to the side, avoiding the spotlight.

Tang Chen knew immediately that his toes must have curled so hard they could dig out a three-bedroom apartment.

On screen, the actress also tugged at her clothes, evading the actor's mental assault, and quickly walked forward with him.

Just a few steps further, they encountered an immaculate, ethereal young man, clutching an arrow to his chest, swaying precariously on the spot, weakly saying, “To die on the battlefield, that should be a general’s best ending, right?”

After speaking, he hummed a little tune and collapsed onto a nearby sandbag.

Wu Zhengxuan stood with his hands behind his back and his back slightly bowed, his eyebrows raised high, his eyes wide, staring at him with utter disbelief. He took two steps back, looked ahead, and his eyes darted left and right, as if to say, “Who am I? Where am I? Are there more experts? Is money really that hard to earn?”

In front of the screen, Tang Chen covered his mouth and chuckled.

He felt a little sorry for Wu Zhengxuan, who had enjoyed a comfortable life for half his years, only to have to witness such things in his old age. It was practically elder abuse for a sixty-year-old.

An hour and a half later, the filming concluded.

Tang Chen approached Wu Zhengxuan, “Teacher Wu, how are you?”

Wu Zhengxuan, looking slightly tired, waved his hand. Before Tang Chen could explain his purpose, he spoke first, “Teacher Tang, you’re here about Chen Fang, right? This morning, I was reacting for the audience. This afternoon will just be a formality. I’ll control my expressions. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you, Teacher Wu. It’s been a while since we last met. How about we have lunch together and then go to the company?”

“Sounds good, let’s go!”

…

1:45 PM.

The ninth floor of Tianji Entertainment’s headquarters building.

Chen Fang walked out of the elevator with a staff member and entered an empty small meeting room.

“Teacher Chen, please wait a moment,” the staff member said.

“Okay,” Chen Fang pulled out a chair and sat down.

The staff member said, “The interview meeting room is next door. I’ll come get you shortly.”

Chen Fang nodded, “You go ahead, thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Teacher Chen,” the staff member handed him a bottle of drink, then closed the door and left.

Five minutes later, an elegant middle-aged man pushed the door open and, seeing Chen Fang, smiled and said, “Teacher Chen, you’re here so early.”

Chen Fang stood up and shook his hand, “Teacher Tang, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Although Chen Fang had previously claimed to have met him at an event, this was actually their first formal meeting, and they exchanged a few polite words.

Tang Chen pulled out the chair next to him and sat down, getting straight to the point, “Teacher Chen, I’m very optimistic about your talent in music. However, you were an idol before, developing in all aspects, so in order not to miss your shining points and underestimate your level, today’s assessment will be quite comprehensive. If you feel tired, please let us know in time, and we’ll take a break.”

“Thank you, Teacher Tang, I’m fine,” Chen Fang nodded.

He once again felt that Tang Chen was truly skilled at speaking. His original intention was clearly to say that there would be a lot to assess today, so be prepared. Yet, he phrased it as if he were considering Chen Fang, maximizing the emotional value.

But these words also made Chen Fang feel a bit uneasy.

All-encompassing, just how comprehensive would it be? But overthinking was pointless; he would wait for the interview.

Soon, the same staff member from before walked in, “Teacher Chen, please.”

Chen Fang stood up and followed him to the large meeting room next door.

Tang Chen opened the door and gestured for him to enter. Chen Fang nodded his thanks and walked in. Upon entering, he saw two rows of people. There were over a dozen individuals, either in suits and ties or with an artistic flair, likely company executives and creative artists. In front of them, a chair was placed, seemingly reserved for him.

As he entered, everyone looked up at him.

Chen Fang entered and bowed slightly, “Good afternoon, leaders and teachers.”

The man on the left of the main seat smiled and said, “Teacher Chen, please don’t be so formal, please have a seat.”

Tang Chen walked to the very end of the first row and sat down.

Chen Fang also sat down in front of everyone.

He had previously researched information about the company’s executives online. At least two vice presidents and heads or deputy heads of multiple departments were present.

The man in the very center, a middle-aged man in his 50s wearing silver half-rimmed glasses, was Vice President Yang Chuanze, responsible for the Artist Management Department and the Drama Department.

To the left of the main seat, the one who had just spoken, was the Artist Director, Director Sun Yunyi. If he signed, Director Sun Yunyi would be his direct superior.

Director Sun Yunyi smiled and began, “Teacher Chen, would you like to introduce yourself first?”

“Good afternoon, leaders, teachers, and seniors. My name is Chen Fang, I am 22 years old this year, and I graduated from Capital Film Academy with a major in Composition and Composition Technology Theory…” Chen Fang began his introduction.

Chen Fang knew that everyone present had his information, so there was no need to say too much. After a few sentences, he changed the subject and talked about his future plans.

“Moving forward, in addition to the music field, I hope to participate in variety shows, film and television, and other areas, to connect with new circles, learn from seniors, gain inspiration, and comprehensively improve myself…”

Upon hearing this, five or six judges exchanged glances.

Tang Chen, meanwhile, spun the ballpoint pen in his hand, glancing at the expressions of the director and vice presidents. It seemed that the director and Vice President Yang were quite satisfied with Chen Fang’s idea of pursuing an idol path.

Tang Chen stopped spinning his pen, and his gaze gradually became serious. A person’s energy is limited, and the selling point of the idol industry is the persona; one must dabble in multiple fields to showcase oneself. Often, being a jack of all trades means being a master of none. It perfectly echoed the poem: “A man has no thousand good days, a flower no hundred red days; if not planned early, all will be empty afterwards.”

Once a certain age is reached, one must either transform early or be forgotten after their prime.

This young man, perhaps due to his age, still didn’t see far enough. After the interview, if they were to sign him, he would need to have a good talk with him.

Just as he thought this, Chen Fang also finished his self-introduction.

Artist Director Director Sun Yunyi said, “Thank you, Teacher Chen. So you still plan to pursue an idol path in the future, right?”

Chen Fang smiled and said, “No. The core of an idol is persona and image. I don’t want to put my energy into these aspects, but rather focus on my own strength. I want to become a professional singer-songwriter, actor, writer, and even a director. If I have the energy, I’ll dabble in other fields.”

He wanted to be an all-around artist!