Chapter 53.1: Oddity Begot Abnormality

　　Even at this very moment, Jiang Dai still found herself not accustomed to this sort of situation, so much so that she was somewhat overwhelmed by the girls’ enthusiasm.

　　With some restraint, she clarified, “The facial mask used in the product placement is a part of Zhen Xiu’s soothing hydration series. Sure, its effect is indeed pretty good, but…… I’m sure it’s not quite as exaggerated as that since it’s merely a facial mask, after all.”

　　These young girls were vivacious, and the majority were both passionate and extroverted.

　　Meanwhile, the more courageous ones rushed forward and surrounded Jiang Dai.

　　“We aren’t exaggerating when we say the masks work like a charm! You must have used them too, right?”

　　“Out of all the facial masks that I’ve tried, Zhen Xiu’s facial masks are a cut above that of other domestic brands. What’s more, they are particularly well-suited for our skin types.” 

　　“Not only are Bao Li’s products truly fantastic, but they are also really good value for money. Even the cosmetic products are easy to use as well. So, when will you be giving us some cosmetic products, President Jiang?”

　　“Hahahaha! Do you really have to be forthright when you request President Jiang for cosmetics?”

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　　Xd vbl svbla byde, Kkydt Pyk vssj kv xsal plakswpzu yde nsdvlxrzyvle vblka iwlpvksdp lyadlpvzu. Jlqsal zsdt, pbl ydpolale kd yzz plakswpdlpp, “Mblal okzz cl nspxlvkn rasewnvp kd vbl qwvwal lrkpselp pkdnl vblu okzz cl ryav sq vbl rasewnv rzynlxldv. Tsolhla, ol byhl xlalzu elnkele vs wpl vbkp qynkyz xypj qsa vbl qkapv rbypl sq vbl rasewnv rzynlxldv. Gqvla yzz, vblal yal xsal vbyd y esgld lrkpselp, ps usw’zz alnlkhl nspxlvkn rasewnvp pssdla sa zyvla.”

　　Brsd blyakdt vbyv, yzz vbl tkazp cwapv kdvs wdalpvaykdle zywtbvla.

　　“Valpkeldv Kkydt kp ps yesayczl! Ps usw vyjl uswa osaj ps plakswpzu lhlau eyu?”

　　“Zsw byhl pwnb qzyozlpp pjkd, Valpkeldv Kkydt! R nyd’v lhld pll y pkdtzl rsal sd uswa elzknyvl pjkd, lhld qasx pwnb y nzspl ekpvydnl. Tyhl usw clld wpkdt Jys Nk’p rasewnvp qasx yd lyazu ytl?”

　　Ebyv’p xsal, psxl bye lhld cltwd vs rwv vblxplzhlp qsaoyae pvswvzu.

　　“Ebyv es usw vbkdj sq xl, Valpkeldv Kkydt? R clzklhl vbyv xu kxytl kp hlau xwnb kd zkdl okvb Jys Nk’p nspxlvkn rasewnvp, lprlnkyzzu vbyv sq Dwl Kk. Wasx vbl rasewnv elpktd vs kvp rynjytkdt, vblu rasxkdldvzu qlyvwal vbl aspkdlpp yde vldeladlpp sq y uswdt tkaz’p blyav, obknb kp kelyzzu pwkvyczl qsa psxlsdl, zkjl xl, obs ealpplp wr zkjl y rakdnlpp.”

　　Mbl qkapv rlapsd obs pvyavle vbl cyzz aszzkdt oyp y uswdt tkaz obs zkjle vs ealpp kd zszkvy qypbksdp.

　　Gp pssd yp pbl xyel y pvyav, vbl svbla tkazp yzps cltyd vs rwv vblxplzhlp qsaoyae sdl yqvla ydsvbla lytlazu——

　　“Look at me, President Jiang! I think I can do it too! Since I usually dress in a cute ladylike style, I’m definitely suitable for both Xue Ji and Tong Zhen!”

　　“I’m blessed with great skin, President Jiang, as I’ve never had any acne, allergies, blackheads, or pores! Thus, I’m the perfect person for skin-care commercials!”

　　“Look at me, President Jiang!!! I won’t compete with them since I only want to film a commercial for this facial mask!”

　　Only after hearing these words did Jiang Dai come to realize what these little girls were after……

　　Now that the investment stage had come to an end, the production crew was currently in the midst of their preparation for filming. At this juncture, they had included the ‘Bao Li will make you more beautiful’ prefix to the official name for ‘Youth Camp.’

　　All the contestants were well aware of how Bao Li, as the Title Sponsor, would have advertisements of their subsidiaries’ products in almost all commercial breaks.

　　On top of that, the duration of each episode was at least three hours long, which was far longer than any regular reality show. As such, there were innumerable commercial breaks inserted in the program.

　　From what could be seen in the previously completed products, both Xiang Mang TV¹ The author has somehow written 多芒台 (Duo Mang TV) instead of 香芒台 (Xiang Mang TV). However, I’ll just be keeping it as the first term since that’s what the author had first used in the previous chapters. and Qiao Yi would always be able to film such entertaining advertisements that viewers could never bring themselves to skip any commercial breaks.

　　Amid a total of one hundred contestants in the talent search, some were already a celebrity of some renown. Perhaps, they might have been trainees who had participated in other programs, had once made a debut in a foreign country, or even dabbled in various forms of self-media² 自媒体: Self-media, also known as We Media, refers to independently operated social media accounts that produce original content on platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, and other smaller ones, yet they are not officially registered with the authorities. .

　　‌At the end of the day, it was inevitable that these lesser-known girls, who relied on their popularity and fans, would receive more screen time during the program. Be that as it might, a significant proportion of the contestants comprised ordinary people who had yet to be seen publicly. That was why they had to leverage this preceding period to strive for more screen time, in order to win over the audience. After all, commercial breaks were a crucial factor for them.

　　Although she might have found the way they twittered on adorable, Jiang Dai was at a loss for words for a short while.

　　Yet, ‘Teacher Qiao,’ who had been standing on the sidelines all this while, just had his first experience of being ignored. Under a surge of displeasure, he gave a slight cough. “To think that all of you were screaming ‘Teacher Qiao’ earlier, yet you’ve forgotten who I am the moment your eyes caught sight of the investor, huh?”

　　“Aaah! No, that’s not true! We were wrong! You’re the most attractive one of them all, Teacher Qiao!”

　　“My greatest wish in life is to be on the same stage as Teacher Qiao!”

　　“I’ve heard that there will also be a special guest mentor for every 2 episodes, apart from the three confirmed mentors. Will you be joining us as one of the guest mentors, Teacher Qiao?”

　　“Don’t be jealous, Brother Ye! Your place in our hearts is as large as that of Tyrannical Title Sponsor Jiang!”

　　Needless to say, Qiao Jinye’s words had livened up the atmosphere in the vicinity.

　　Even though he had participated in countless variety shows in this era of prevalent reality shows, Qiao Jinye, on the whole, had always been a man of few words. Not only was it rare for him to initiate the conversation, but he had also done so with such a dry sense of humor, causing all the girls to burst into uproarious laughter.

　　Despite his actions, it had never been Qiao Jinye’s intention to throw jokes at them. Instead, he feared these ferocious girls would scare Jiang Dai off for good, so much so that she would be unwilling to make an appearance henceforth.

　　If you must know, he was counting on the coming months of filming for more opportunities to spend more time with Jiang Dai.

　　With that in mind, he stated half-jokingly, “Come on, guys, why don’t you tone it down? Anyways, the contestants selected for the ads placed in the commercial breaks during the pilot episode have already been finalized. In the subsequent commercial breaks for each episode, three factors will be taken into account — popularity, suitability to the targeted product, and the investor’s preference……”

　　Upon hearing that, a couple of girls became exceedingly excited. “That’s right! Doesn’t it still depend on the degree of affection that the Tyrannical Investing President has for you? So, there’s nothing wrong with us putting ourselves forward!”

　　“Let’s put the commercial aside for now. The point here is that I seriously love all of Bao Li’s products!” One of the contestants exclaimed as a look of seriousness flashed across her face.

　　In spite of his careful pretense of seriousness, Qiao Jinye’s somewhat sullen visage emanated a different sort of handsomeness; One that was lethally attractive. “You guys have gone right ahead to disregard my points, haven’t you? The first factor is popularity, which can’t be conjured out of thin air. Instead, it is through your superb performances that you’ll be able to grow your fan base. Take your senior from last year’s show, for example — An ordinary person with no public exposure. In the beginning, she merely had 67 fans on her Weibo page, but through the airing of the program, she had garnered 1 million fans before making her debut under a girl group. Thus, it is important to keep in mind that one’s capabilities are the most important thing here!”

　　Gazing at one another in silence, these girls found that Teacher Qiao was overly serious.

　　Sure, he might look far better looking in person than on camera, but he was also very strict.

　　Noticing that no one dared to utter a sound, Jiang Dai could not help but give them words of encouragement with a grin, not wanting to dampen their enthusiasm. “What your Teacher Qiao was trying to say is that everyone should work hard and do your best. For those with the capabilities, you should play to your strengths before the camera. Meanwhile, those whose skills aren’t on par with the others should push themselves to work hard and become stronger. Since I’ll be one of the multitudinous viewers, those who perform well will not go unnoticed. That’s why there’s no need for everyone to rush as everyone has a shot.”

　　With that, the girls were practically jumping for joy as soon as these words left the Tyrannical Title Sponsor’s mouth.

　　“That’s so nice of you, President Jiang! Boohoo…”

　　“Not only are you beautiful, but you’re also such a kind-hearted person. You’re really an angel, President Jiang!”

　　“We will definitely make you proud, so please remember to watch the program, President Jiang!”

　　“Yes, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Now that you’ve all just finished your lessons, why don’t you head back and get some rest? After all, you still have training later in the afternoon.” Jiang Dai advised, grinning at the girls.

　　Finally, she managed to extricate herself from the girls’ blazing passion with tremendous difficulty.

　　Without further ado, Qiao Jinye took the initiative to explain, “The majority of the girls living in bigger shared rooms here are ordinary people. Even if they aren’t, they seem to lack a good foundation. Hence, they still have yet to step into this industry officially, which is also the reason why they don’t have much of an ‘idol baggage’³ 偶像包袱: It’s an internet slang that refers to the excessive self-consciousness usually displayed by celebrities. . Much like a little girl, their actions tend to be more straightforward and without much restraint. So, please bear with them, President Jiang.”

　　Having heard this, Jiang Dai reassured, “They are all lovely, if you ask me. Also, there’s nothing wrong with taking the initiative in striving for whatever you want. In actual fact, that’s what everyone should be doing in this day and age; You should speak up whenever you want something. It’s one thing whether someone will present the opportunity to you, it’s another whether you have the courage to strive for it. At the very least, it’s still an opportunity.”