The next day.
Su Yu and Lin Yanyu got up early.
Tina's concert was scheduled for 8 PM. Although Lin Zhaoyang had used his connections to get them two tickets, Lin Yanyu needed to pick them up at the venue.
Su Yu, on the other hand, had to go to the US branch of Dynasty Entertainment to check out the rock band.
No matter how many songs he had, he needed to understand the rock band's style.
Only by understanding their style could he customize songs for them.
After all, suitability was the greatest advantage.
"Then I'll be going first. I'll wait for you at the concert entrance," Lin Yanyu said, pecking Su Yu on the lips and reluctantly holding his hand.
"I'm just going to check things out, and I'll come find you right away," Su Yu said, ruffling her hair.
Lin Yanyu nuzzled his palm like a kitten.
"Oh, right, what about the diamond ring you bought in South Africa last time?" she suddenly remembered.
Last time, Su Yu had mentioned buying a diamond ring in South Africa, where diamonds were abundant and cheaper, but he hadn't shown it to her since returning, nor had he ever mentioned it.
"Uh... the diamond ring is at home. I was so busy those days after returning that I forgot about it," Su Yu said, his gaze darting away.
Lin Yanyu didn't notice his unusual demeanor. After all, after their trip to South Africa, Su Yu and Sean had been embroiled in a public outcry. In her opinion, Su Yu must have been feeling down, so it was understandable that he forgot about it.
"Then, shall I go?" she asked, shaking Su Yu's hand.
"Mm, go ahead," Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Here, give me another kiss," Lin Yanyu pouted her lips.
Su Yu pulled her into his arms and imprinted on her red lips.
...
Dynasty Entertainment US Branch.
Although not a top entertainment company in the US, the office was quite large, occupying an entire floor in the central business district.
While not comparable to a skyscraper in China, it was still quite impressive.
Artist Department.
The members of the Leopard Band sat in the conference room, their brows furrowed with worry.
"The drummer for JS Band clearly made a mistake, yet they still advanced to the finals. I really didn't expect that."
"It's obvious the program team is biased. After all, in terms of strength, JS Band is the strongest in the competition. It's just that their drummer had some physical issues last episode, which led to the mistake. And INS Entertainment has been promoting this band all along. For the sake of INS Entertainment, it's normal for them to advance."
"Heh, is there any fairness in this world? Even the competition between Ting Yu and Sean was held in the US. It's just a game of capital."
Their words were filled with indignation.
JS Band was a very strong new generation band in the US, and their popularity among the new generation was the highest.
Last episode, their drummer made a mistake, and a few beats were off. Originally, the Leopard Band thought JS would be eliminated. In the entire competition, only JS Band could rival Leopard, and if they were eliminated, Leopard would definitely win the championship.
However, the judges completely ignored the mistake and forced JS Band to advance.
After a few days of rest, their drummer had recovered.
The fully recovered JS Band would be a tough opponent, and the outcome of the match was uncertain, with both bands having a fifty-fifty chance.
"Don't be so pessimistic. Although they are strong, we are not bad either," said the captain and lead singer, Lei Bao. He was a Chinese man in his early twenties, but he had been living in the US since he was eight.
He had a rugged appearance and noticeable muscle lines, making him look older than his actual age.
The Leopard Band were all Chinese musicians making their way in the US.
It was very rare for a rock band composed of Chinese members to reach second-tier or even have a chance to become first-tier in the US.
However, their growth to this point was not only due to their strong individual skills but also the full support and cultivation from Dynasty Entertainment.
"With the organizer's attitude, even if we win the performance, they will still let JS win, won't they?" drummer Chen Yang muttered softly.
"It's wishful thinking to think we can win. JS has INS Entertainment as a major backer, and top producers write songs for them. It's harder than climbing to heaven to beat them."
"What a shame. I thought we could really break into the first tier when I saw JS drummer make a mistake, but I didn't expect the program team to play us like this."
Everyone knew that.
In terms of overall strength, while they could contend with JS, the latter had a much deeper foundation.
With the biggest entertainment company in the US, INS Entertainment, helping with promotion, and world-class producers writing songs for them.
The Leopard Band, on the other hand, could only cover some popular songs.
In this aspect alone, the gap was enormous.
Not to mention that the other party also had unspeakable dealings with the program team.
"Didn't the company say they would give us a new song this time..." Lei Bao said impatiently, seeing his teammates looking dejected.
With the band's current state, let alone the competition, even their usual performances would be problematic.
Stabilizing the morale was the most important thing.
"A new song... Does the company have any good producers?"
"It's better to cover songs than to have them write songs..."
"Even if I, Chen Yang, lose by covering songs, I won't sing new ones."
"That's right. Losing the competition due to subpar song quality would be even more frustrating than losing due to a gap in skill!"
A few days ago, the company had revealed that the band would be given a new song for this competition.
They hadn't provided many details, only asking them to wait for news and that the producer would contact them.
However, everyone knew that the US branch of Dynasty Entertainment didn't have any outstanding producers, let alone the opponent's backer, INS Entertainment. It was worth noting that INS Entertainment had producers like Sean.
Although Sean was busy with "King of Time Music," any song he wrote for JS Band would be beyond the capability of ordinary producers. Moreover, who could guarantee that he didn't have top-tier unreleased material?
JS Band was the new generation rock band that INS Entertainment was heavily investing in. If Sean were to write a song for them in the finals, the Leopard Band would have no chance of winning.
In the minds of the Leopard Band members, if they lost the competition due to a genuine lack of skill, they would accept their fate.
However, if they lost because of the quality of the songs, it would be very disheartening.
Rather than that, it would be better to cover classics. Although it lacked the novelty of a new song, it was at least the safest choice.
Just as everyone was engaged in a heated discussion,
a staff member knocked on the conference room door.
"Hurry to Manager Wen's office, the producer is here." His tone was somewhat urgent, and he looked like he had run all the way.
The "Manager Wen" he referred to was Vincent, the head of Dynasty Entertainment's US branch and a veteran of Dynasty Entertainment who had once fought alongside Lin Zhaoyang.
After consolidating their position in the domestic market, he proactively ventured into the overseas market, taking charge of the US operations.