ebookslot Chapter 67 Our goal isn't the championship, is that even possible?
Chapter 67 Our goal isn't the championship, is that even possible?
Lin'an, Xiaoyi Culture Media.
Su Xiaoxiao stared at the computer screen, her brows furrowed.
The production team of "The Voice of China" has officially begun to promote the show, and the official Weibo account has released the first batch of confirmed contestants and promotional photos.
There aren't any superstars or pop stars—after all, they're not "new" anymore.
The newest members on the list are several trainees who haven't debuted yet. The youngest of them are only recently adults and still have a youthful look on their faces.
The most famous of them all is Wang Bo.
In the promotional photo, Wang Bo is wearing a simple white shirt, sitting in front of a piano, his face turned to the side, his eyes focused.
Caption: "Wang Bo, a talented songwriter, tells stories through music."
This photo is well taken; it perfectly captures Wang Bo's clean and composed demeanor.
Su Xiaoxiao was fairly satisfied.
But what made her frown was the publicity for another person—Qin Xiao.
He is of mixed race and a returnee from overseas. In the promotional photo, he is wearing a custom-made velvet suit, sitting in front of a grand piano, his fingers hovering above the keys, his eyes lazy and arrogant.
The background is a European-style palace building, and the lighting is extremely sophisticated, making the person look like a nobleman who has stepped out of an oil painting.
The caption is ridiculously long: "Piano Prince Qin Xiao, a student of an international piano master, won the gold medal in the junior group of an international piano competition at the age of fifteen, held a solo concert at the age of eighteen, graduated from Juilliard School, has superb dance skills, and won the championship of an international street dance competition... He's here for 'The Voice of China'."
Below is a series of tags: #All-Round Entertainer #Genius #PianoPrinceAndDanceKing #OverseasReturneeElite
Su Xiaoxiao swiped her mouse to scroll down the comments.
"My God! Qin Xiao actually came back to China to participate in the competition!"
"This resume...it's blindingly impressive!"
"Isn't this the true chosen one of heaven?"
"In comparison, Wang Bo's profile is so simple..."
"Upstairs, Wang Bo is a creative type, he's different!"
"But Qin Xiao is just too good at everything! He can play the piano, he can dance, and he's a returnee from overseas. How can anyone compare?"
Looking forward to Qin Xiao's performance!
"Keep it up, Wang Bo! Let your work speak for itself!"
Su Xiaoxiao looked at the comments, took a deep breath, and picked up the internal phone: "Meijia, come in for a moment."
A few seconds later, Lin Meijia pushed the door open and came in: "President Su."
"How much publicity has the production team given Qin Xiao?" Su Xiaoxiao pointed to the computer screen.
Lin Meijia leaned over to take a look and said with a wry smile, "President Su, this isn't just about the amount of resources. I just inquired, and Qin Xiao is the one the show's sponsor is heavily promoting this season, the predetermined champion. A large portion of these promotional articles were released by the production team, and some were bought by his own team. Trending topics, reposts from influential figures, media press releases... I conservatively estimate that the money spent on the initial hype alone is no less than seven figures."
"Seven figures?" Su Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow. "Just for a music competition?"
"This competition has high viewership and is an officially certified authoritative platform," Lin Meijia explained. "Winning the championship is like getting a gold medal. Qin Xiao's backers want to make him a benchmark for the new generation of idols, so they are willing to invest heavily."
Su Xiaoxiao leaned back in her chair and tapped her fingers lightly on the table.
She had long guessed that Qin Xiao was someone important, but she didn't expect him to spend so much money.
"What about us?" she asked.
"As planned, we released two rounds of press releases during the pre-launch period, bought recommendations from three music-related KOLs, and secured a mid-level trending topic. The buzz was decent, but compared to Qin Xiao's lineup..." Lin Meijia paused, "the gap was obvious."
Su Xiaoxiao nodded; this was expected.
Xiaoyi Culture is a small company after all, and it can't afford to spend money on marketing like the backers behind Qin Xiao.
"However, President Su," Lin Meijia added, "Wang Bo has a good fan base and a good reputation, and he's steadily building his reputation by letting his work speak for itself. Although his publicity isn't as strong as Qin Xiao's, his actual popularity might not be inferior."
"I know," Su Xiaoxiao said. "But we can't just give up completely. Here's what we'll do: contact a few media outlets that have good relationships with us and publish another round of in-depth interviews, focusing on Wang Bo's creative philosophy and musical attitude. We won't compare our resumes with Qin Xiao's; we'll compare our inner qualities."
"Understood." Lin Meijia nodded and prepared to leave.
"Wait a minute," Su Xiaoxiao called out to her, "Also, remind our newly established Wang Bo fan club to stay calm during the show's recording, avoid conflicts with other contestants' fans, and focus on promoting the show."
"OK."
After Lin Meijia left, Su Xiaoxiao looked back at the computer screen.
Qin Xiao's exquisite, almost perfect promotional photo shone on the screen, his resume as impressive as a novel's male protagonist.
Wang Bo's photos, simple and clean, possess a unique power to touch people's hearts.
Su Xiaoxiao recalled the first time she met Wang Bo; he was sitting at the piano in the Cloud Top Restaurant, playing the piece "Wedding in a Dream."
Back then, he wasn't as confident as he is now; his eyes still held a hint of naivety and uncertainty.
But now, he stands on the stage with a determined look in his eyes, and his singing tells a story.
"Wang Bo," Su Xiaoxiao murmured to herself, "you have to live up to his expectations."
She didn't care whether Wang Bo could win the championship—in fact, after learning that Qin Xiao was the predetermined champion, she had already become indifferent to the rankings.
What she cares about is whether Wang Bo can continue to shine on this stage and let more people see his talent.
That's the most important thing.
Two days later, on the eve of the recording of the first episode of "The Voice of China".
Su Xiaoxiao called Wang Bo to her office.
When Wang Bo pushed the door open, Su Xiaoxiao was brewing tea—a set of exquisite purple clay teaware. Her movements were skillful and elegant, which was somewhat different from her usual decisive and efficient image.
"Sit down." Su Xiaoxiao pointed to the chair opposite her.
Wang Bo sat down and watched as she pushed a cup of tea in front of him.
"The recording is tomorrow, are you nervous?" Su Xiaoxiao asked.
"A little," Wang Bo nodded honestly, "but more than that, I'm looking forward to it."
Su Xiaoxiao looked at him and suddenly smiled: "You're just as I imagined."
"Um?"
"Calm, composed, and knowing what you want." Su Xiaoxiao picked up her teacup and gently blew on it. "That's a good thing, but I called you here today because I want to say a few words to you."
Wang Bo nodded: "Please go ahead, Mr. Su."
"First of all," Su Xiaoxiao looked at him earnestly, "don't worry about the rankings."
Wang Bo seemed to be deep in thought.
"This competition is rife with problems," Su Xiaoxiao bluntly stated. "Qin Xiao is the predetermined champion. The production team and the sponsors have poured a lot of money into promoting him. No matter how well you perform, it will be difficult to change the outcome."
She paused, then continued, "So, our goal isn't the championship, or even the top three. If you can make it to the semifinals, that's a win."
Wang Bo was silent for a few seconds, then nodded: "I understand."
"Do you really understand?" Su Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow. "And not just saying it?"