After teasing Mo Jianing on the phone for quite a while, to the point where Mo Jianing was practically begging her, Xia Qingtian reluctantly accepted the 1,000 yuan transfer.
Upon receiving the payment, Xia Qingtian specifically replied, "I'll contact you again after I record the song."
"As soon as possible," Mo Jianing sent a weary-looking emoji, fearing Xia Qingtian would procrastinate.
"I didn't expect you to like my voice so much. Don't worry, I'll definitely sing to the standard of 1,000 yuan," Xia Qingtian's lips curved upwards as she put away her phone.
The next day was the National Day Golden Week holiday. Father Xia had originally planned to organize a family road trip.
However, Xia Qingtian directly doused his plans with cold water, saying that there was a group project and they wanted to finish it early, so they would be going out for studies on the first day of the Golden Week.
Father Xia was disappointed for a while, but seeing how hard Xia Qingtian was studying, he didn't want to hold his daughter back.
Fortunately, Xia Qingtian repeatedly assured him that she would definitely squeeze out two to three days during the seven-day Golden Week holiday to spend with her family. Father Xia then sighed in agreement, his face gradually showing joy. "Seeing how interested you are in finance, I'm relieved."
"Doing business is so much better. Living a down-to-earth life is much better than pursuing your useless dream of being a star."
"The entertainment industry is so chaotic now, good girls get corrupted as soon as they enter."
"Besides, it's an industry where you rely on youth. You can't earn money for a lifetime. It's better to do business. Dad can still help you out a bit, right?"
Hearing Father Xia drone on about this again, Xia Qingtian felt a bit uneasy.
In her previous life, she would have likely clashed with Father Xia from the very first word he spoke.
But in this life, Xia Qingtian had learned to achieve her goals indirectly.
Since virtual singers don't show their faces, Father Xia didn't know she was pursuing her dream.
As long as she played the part of his obedient daughter and appeased him, there was nothing wrong with it.
So Xia Qingtian went along with Father Xia's words for a while longer, making him very happy.
The next day, Xia Qingtian, who was supposed to be attending her group project, appeared at the Yuecheng Recording Studio in the new district on time.
After stating her name, Xia Qingtian was led to the VIP recording booth.
Wen Ning was already inside, accompanied by three other people: a staff member with a name tag, someone who seemed to be a vocal coach, and a slightly plump girl with round glasses who looked amiable. Upon seeing Xia Qingtian, the girl offered a shy smile.
Xia Qingtian nodded and then looked at Wen Ning, wondering what kind of opening remarks would be appropriate for small talk.
Before she could say anything, Wen Ning directly said, "Let's begin."
This saved her the trouble of making an opening statement.
Xia Qingtian confirmed the song she was to sing with the staff member and entered the recording booth. After a brief vocal warm-up, she put on her headphones and began recording.
Xia Qingtian had always been confident in her voice, and she had chosen songs that suited her vocal range.
There were a total of three songs. None were original creations by Xia Qingtian, but they allowed her to showcase her foundational skills and excellent vocal quality from different angles.
"She's the type that Heaven has blessed with a talent for this," the vocal coach said, looking at Wen Ning with satisfaction from outside. "Your Gu Corporation is about to sign another superstar."
A rare hint of pride flickered in Wen Ning's eyes before she suppressed it and said softly, "There are so many capable people now, Heaven can't feed them all. Character is the most important factor to consider."
The vocal coach nodded in agreement, recalling the frequency of scandals in the entertainment industry.
The girl beside them listened with excitement, tapping her foot to the beat. This was the first artist she would be working with!
She felt it could be a hit!
After exiting the recording booth, Xia Qingtian looked at Wen Ning, knowing that this was the moment that would decide everything.
"Alright," Wen Ning's tone was still somewhat cool. She raised her wrist to check the time on her watch and said, "Come with me to Gu Corporation now and sign the contract."
"We're... signing now?" Xia Qingtian was a little taken aback.
"Do you have any other questions?" Wen Ning asked Xia Qingtian.
"No, no, I mean, it's Golden Week now, I thought... you would be on holiday." Xia Qingtian made up an excuse to cover her nervousness.
Being so close to her dream made her feel a little... unreal.
She was so afraid this was all a dream.
"Heh," Wen Ning chuckled, a rare occurrence. "Golden Week? That word doesn't exist in this industry. Let's go, I have a meeting this afternoon and can't stay with you for long."
Hearing Wen Ning say this, Xia Qingtian didn't waste any more time. She simply asked the staff to send the songs she had just recorded to her email, and then followed Wen Ning to Gu Corporation Entertainment.
Just as Wen Ning had said, even during Golden Week, people at Gu Corporation Entertainment were still busy.
Contract documents were handed to Xia Qingtian one by one. She read through each one, and Wen Ning didn't rush her, even offering Xia Qingtian a drink.
"Thank you," she said softly, and Xia Qingtian continued to read the contract.
During this process, Wen Ning handled her work on her phone while glancing at Xia Qingtian from the corner of her eye.
Logically, her plan was not to take on new artists for the next two years, especially for small trial projects like virtual singers, which she had no interest in initially.
However, this was someone Mr. Gu had personally requested her to mentor, so Wen Ning wouldn't refuse.
On the other hand, Wen Ning was also full of curiosity about Xia Qingtian.
Xia Qingtian had excellent physical appearance and a very good voice, with experience that could be described as seasoned. She didn't seem like a newcomer who had just started college, just as the vocal coach had said.
This Xia Qingtian was the type that Heaven had blessed with a talent for this.
It was truly a pity for her to be a virtual singer and participate in such a trial project.
However, the good thing was that Xia Qingtian was young enough to have the capital for trial and error, and also the opportunity and time for transformation.
If the virtual singer project didn't take off, she had the confidence to promote Xia Qingtian as a newcomer.
If the virtual singer project succeeded, with that as a foundation, Xia Qingtian could go further and smoother.
Considering this, Wen Ning calculated in her mind and couldn't help but admire Mr. Gu's foresight once again.
Everyone said she, Wen Ning, was a rare talent scout of the century, but few knew that Mr. Gu was the true kindred spirit who recognized her talent.
Despite being much younger than her, his decisive methods and strategic planning were something even the elders of the Wen family admitted they couldn't match.
At this moment, Xia Qingtian finally finished reading the contract and began to sign.
Soon, the process was completed. Xia Qingtian took a deep breath and extended her hand to Wen Ning, "Sister Ning, please give me your guidance."
From this day forward, she was about to embark on a completely different life.