Little Sea Otter Became Popular Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Clearly, Nina didn’t regard Qiao Dai or the Eleven Girls as significant.

In her mind, only Jiang Fengchi, who had also debuted overseas, and the Sirius created by a foreign team, deserved mention. However, they had no direct competition with her, so she chose not to comment. As for the other idols participating in the final selection, they were all minor roles, inconsequential.

Although Nina appeared nonchalant, her manager couldn’t allow her to self-destruct. Therefore, immediately after the audition list was released, the manager swiftly contacted top international production teams to create singles for the Four Group and Nina, enhancing their visibility.

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Lu Miao stared at the information in her hands, lost in thought. Her fingers rhythmically tapped on the desk’s surface, contemplating something.

After a moment, she looked up, organized the materials, and said to her assistant, “I’m going to discuss the direction of the single with the members. Please reschedule today’s daytime activities for tomorrow.”

When Lu Miao arrived at the group dormitory, Qiao Dai and several other members who were lounging in the villa’s living room watching TV turned their heads at the sound. The TV was tuned to a cultural channel, currently airing a documentary about intangible cultural heritage.

“Sister Lu is here?”

“Hello, Sister Lu.”

The girls, sitting haphazardly on the sofa, saw Lu Miao walking in from outside. Just as they were about to stand up and greet her, they noticed Lu Miao waving a hand at them, signaling that there was no need to bother. She then walked towards the sofa with purpose.

“What are you all watching?”

Lu Miao entered and found that Qiao Dai and the others were actually watching a documentary, which surprised her a bit. At the same time, she developed a slightly better impression of these girls in her heart. After all, it’s not common for celebrities these days to enjoy documentaries, especially cultural ones.

She lifted the hem of her clothes as she sat down on the sofa. Her gaze landed on Qiao Dai, who was engrossed in the documentary. She couldn’t help but tease, “Little Qiao, you like watching documentaries?”

Upon hearing Lu Miao speak, Qiao Dai immediately turned her head. Her round eyes shimmered with a radiant gleam, and she smiled, nodding slightly. She stole a glance at the TV screen’s content with the corner of her eye and whispered, “Yes, Teacher Meng recommended it to me. She said I could find inspiration in it.”

After the conclusion of “Pick Eleven,” Qiao Dai joined the cast of the movie “Thorn Flower,” which Meng Lingsi had helped arrange. Although it was her first time acting in a film, the role she played was that of a young dancer performing “Water Treading,” so the filming process went smoothly. The director even praised her specifically on his personal social media account.

Meng Lingsi had also visited the set when Qiao Dai joined the crew to prevent her from getting stage fright. However, Qiao Dai’s natural performance in front of the audience on the night of their debut impressed Meng Lingsi. She increasingly felt that Qiao Dai was a promising talent and couldn’t help but offer her some guidance.

Thus, during breaks in filming, Meng Lingsi shared some insights about traditional dance with Qiao Dai based on her own experience. She smiled and said, “Traditional dance emphasizes spirit and charm. It’s a kind of romance that only we, the sons and daughters of China, can experience. It’s not about the difficulty or technique of the moves; it’s about the resonance of emotions. A cloud, a drop of rain—they all can evoke feelings and insights. So, whenever you have time, you might want to take a look at our ancient and splendid history. That’s the source of my creativity, and every time I watch, it’s a completely new experience.”

Qiao Dai relayed Meng Lingsi’s words to Lu Miao in detail. Lu Miao listened and nodded while also expressing some surprise. She asked, “So, that’s why you’re watching documentaries?”

Qiao Dai nodded. Song Yiqi, who was sitting beside her, playfully hooked her shoulder and jokingly complained to Lu Miao, “Sister Lu, you really need to talk to Daidai. Even if she wants to study, she shouldn’t be watching day and night like this, right?”

The documentary on the TV was still playing. On the screen, men and women dressed in traditional ethnic clothing were singing and dancing with joyful laughter, creating a particularly festive atmosphere.

Lu Miao’s gaze flickered, apparently triggered by some thoughts.

Worrying about how to formulate the direction of the single, Lu Miao suddenly had an idea. Nina represented the H Group’s style, and the Four Group also had a strong overseas girl group vibe. But who said they had to clash head-on with the other side?

With this thought, a small smile curved up on the corner of Lu Miao’s lips. Days of confusion suddenly unraveled, and she looked eagerly at Qiao Dai, who was puzzled by her reaction. She said, “Little Qiao, you’re going to make a significant contribution this time!”

Indeed, Eleven Girls didn’t need to learn foreign styles. In “Pick Eleven,” there were already numerous stages that proved it’s not only the girl group style that can stand out in talent shows. Even traditional and niche styles could work just as well. If that’s the case, why not continue with this approach?

Although she didn’t understand the meaning behind Lu Miao’s words, seeing the smile on her face, Qiao Dai blinked her eyes, her lips curved upwards, and she lowered her head shyly.

After a few days, Lu Miao put together a complete plan and submitted it to the upper management, awaiting their response.

In the spacious conference room, several well-dressed individuals sat in their seats, reviewing the materials in their hands.

The executives from Shengshi looked at the plan Lu Miao had submitted, furrowing their brows slightly. Their lips turned slightly downwards, the expression of deep contemplation.

After going through the entire proposal, a man couldn’t help but let out a sigh, but he didn’t speak first. Instead, he turned to the others beside him, asking tentatively, “What do you all think?”

Lu Miao was Shengshi’s top-tier agent, and the higher-ups trusted her judgment. However, this plan was somewhat daring, making them a bit uncertain, and they couldn’t make up their minds immediately.

“I heard it was inspired by Eleven’s girls and suggested by Lu Miao. How should I put it? Young people are still a bit naive, right?”

Another executive who wasn’t optimistic about the plan grinned and spoke, his tone carrying a strong hint of disdain. In his eyes, young girls liked to indulge in flashy things, unsuitable for high-end projects. They couldn’t let them make decisions on their own. After all, this was a Shengshi project. If it went wrong, it wouldn’t reflect well on them.

Hearing this, the others fell silent.

Although they also found Lu Miao’s plan creative, none of them wanted to take the lead and shoulder the responsibility. In matters where they lacked confidence, they wouldn’t speak up.

Just then, Cheng Su, who had been sitting quietly without speaking, suddenly lifted his gaze. He tossed his pen onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and spoke in a deep voice, “It’s intriguing.”

While Cheng Su wasn’t part of Shengshi’s top management, he had considerable influence in the decisions related to Eleven Girls due to his involvement in the project. However, even though he held a dominant position in the meeting, he wouldn’t just say anything casually. His gaze swept over the faces of everyone in the room before finally resting on the materials in front of him. He said, “This year is the International Year of Cultural Exchange, and there is a growing interest in protecting and promoting traditional Chinese culture. It’s the trend for the future.”

Hearing Cheng Su’s words, the other executives, who had been hesitating about which side to support, quickly chimed in:

“Let’s give it a try. Several standout moments in ‘Pick Eleven’ weren’t in the popular girl group style.”

“It’s refreshing! Young people have their own vitality, and Little Lu is quite outstanding. I believe in her judgment.”

“Nowadays, we emphasize humanistic care, right? I think trying a different style could be a good idea. And even if it’s different from the girl group style, Four Group is still Eleven Girls’ senior.”

With Cheng Su taking the lead, the others naturally had no objections and readily agreed.

Lu Miao, who had been worried that the plan might be rejected by the higher-ups, was overjoyed when she heard that the proposal had been approved. She heard from familiar superiors that it was Cheng Su who had changed the direction of the meeting. She quickly expressed her gratitude to him.

“Cheng Su, thank you for your help. I believe Eleven Girls’ performance won’t disappoint you.”

After exchanging pleasantries with Lu Miao, Cheng Su shifted the conversation casually and asked, “I wonder which intangible cultural heritage projects you’d like to choose? If there’s any need for contacts, I can help.”

Seemingly worried that Lu Miao might overthink things, Cheng Su added, “I’ve always been very interested in our traditional culture and hope that more people can learn about it.”

Lu Miao was pleasantly surprised. She hadn’t expected that the rumored hot-tempered Cheng Su would be a traditional culture enthusiast in private. Without much thought, she chatted with Cheng Su about related ideas. Cheng Su nodded in agreement, saying that he could help wherever needed.

A few days later, Lu Miao compiled a complete list and handed it over to the members of Eleven Girls. This time, their single would incorporate ten different intangible cultural heritage projects, including Kunqu Opera, martial arts, embroidery, shadow puppetry, and bamboo drifting. The lyrics and dance for each member would be tailored to the project they represented. The music arrangement would be done by Song Anni, lyrics by Lu Cong, and overall choreography by Zheng Taijing. Different advisors would provide guidance for each style. This would culminate in the release of their single.

With one month left until the deadline for the preliminary round of the annual general selection, Eleven Girls’ single was proceeding smoothly.

One day, Cheng Su completed the project he had been overseeing and instructed his assistant, “I’ll be taking my annual leave for the next few days. You should take a break as well.”

The assistant listened to Cheng Su’s words and was completely surprised. Although every employee of Cheng Company had annual leave, given Cheng Su’s position, he almost never took a break throughout the year. This was also the first time the assistant had heard Cheng Su say he wanted to take a vacation, and he couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

Cheng Su glanced at the assistant, who was in a daze, and didn’t say much. He just added, “By the way, help me book a flight ticket to the province today.”

“Of course.”

Although there was some confusion in his mind, the assistant who received the order quickly booked a flight ticket for Cheng Su, drove him to the airport, and then left.

The province of Guizhou? What is Mr. Cheng going there for?

On the way back, the assistant was perplexed, unable to understand why, during a rare vacation, Mr. Cheng would choose to travel not to well-known tourist attractions within the country or abroad, but instead go all the way to Guizhou. What could he be doing there?

Apart from the beautiful scenery, the assistant didn’t have any other notable impressions of that place.

What exactly attracted Mr. Cheng to go there?

The assistant pondered in confusion.

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