Chapter 143: Collided

Facing Zhou Miao in the posture of an interviewee, Senior Liu Yiran appeared somewhat restrained. Tapping her knees, she said, "Originally, my family used their connections to get me into the orchestra, but I don't really like that kind of lifestyle. It's too monotonous, and you can see the end of your life at a single glance."

With a hint of lingering emotion, she continued, "Playing the violin is a hobby, but I don't want to turn my hobby into a job. So when Sister Gu came to the Central Conservatory of Music to recruit people, I agreed immediately. In my opinion, being your assistant is much more interesting than joining an orchestra."

Liu Yiran was undoubtedly among the very top tier of students at the Central Conservatory. If she were to continue her advanced studies, it was entirely possible she could become a performing artist in the future.

Yet, despite being so exceptionally talented, she ultimately chose a job that was not directly related to her major.

Every year, numerous students graduate from major music academies across the country, but very few end up pursuing music-related careers.

The main issue lies in the scarcity of employment options. Orchestras and theaters are extremely difficult to enter, usually operating on a one-to-one replacement basis, and securing a position as a music teacher is equally challenging. Consequently, many music academy graduates end up working in training institutions teaching children.

Liu Yiran's appearance sparked an idea in Zhou Miao's mind. Rainbow's production department had always consisted of just a handful of people. Zuo Qiu had constantly been trying to scout promising musicians to join, but without much success.

Zhou Miao thought that instead of this, it would be better to recruit a batch of professionally trained talent from the Central Conservatory for targeted cultivation. Who knows, they might just unearth a few great prospects.

This idea possessed a certain degree of feasibility, and Zhou Miao decided to use Liu Yiran as a test subject first to see the results.

Zhou Miao took out the newly printed score for the third episode's performance. "The arrangement for this song is quite urgent. Can you find someone to help me get it recorded within two days?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yiran was overjoyed. Zhou Miao's words meant she had been hired. She took the sheet music, glanced at the instrumentation listed on it, and made an OK gesture.

"Rest assured, absolutely no problem!"

Full of confidence, Liu Yiran, as the goddess of the orchestral department, had connections that spread all across the campus. Finding a few skilled individuals to record an arrangement was practically effortless for her.

After seeing Liu Yiran off, it was already noon. Yang Xiaoya had wandered off god knows where and even forgot to order takeout for him. Zhou Miao simply decided to head to the company cafeteria to grab a quick bite.

As soon as he entered the cafeteria, Zhou Miao was startled by the bustling scene inside. The spacious cafeteria was packed to capacity everywhere he looked, filled entirely with handsome men and beautiful women.

Since when did the company have so many trainees?

Zhou Miao stood at the back of a long queue. When the trainees in front saw him standing behind them, they eagerly tried to make space for him. Zhou Miao waved his hand, politely declining their kind intentions.

After getting his food, Zhou Miao carried his tray to find a seat and suddenly noticed Zuo Qiu sitting in a corner, playing on her phone while eating.

Moreover, what made it rather interesting was that despite the severe shortage of seats in the cafeteria, not a single person was sitting at the tables surrounding Zuo Qiu.

Perhaps this was the legendary oppressive aura of a boss.

Zhou Miao boldly sat down opposite Zuo Qiu. "When did the company recruit so many trainees? Can the dormitories possibly fit them all?"

Zuo Qiu glanced at him. "Who do you think they came here for?"

Zhou Miao was stunned for a moment. "You're saying I have something to do with this?"

Zuo Qiu pointed toward the practice rooms in the cafeteria. "More than half of the people in here couldn't see any hope of debuting at their previous companies, so they jumped ship."

"With so many entertainment companies out there, why do you think they all ran to Rainbow?"

Zhou Miao didn't speak, his chopsticks poking around in his meal.

Zuo Qiu stealthily picked the large pork chop out of his tray and said, "The example of Summer of Bubbles is simply too tempting for these trainees. Who wouldn't want to become an overnight sensation?"

"Coupled with the fact that Rainbow is currently in a crucial stage of exponential growth and genuinely lacks artists, these people are not young anymore, so they've all rushed over to make one last desperate push."

"But this is way too many. Can our instructors possibly handle teaching all of them?" Zhou Miao asked with a frown.

Zuo Qiu revealed a faint smile at his words. "There are a bit too many right now, but there won't be soon."

Zhou Miao caught a different undertone from her words and lowered his voice, "You plan to weed out a batch of people?"

Zuo Qiu nodded. Zhou Miao continued to ask, "Eliminate how many? 20%?"

Zuo Qiu leisurely continued eating her meal. Knowing his estimate was too low, Zhou Miao probed further, "50%?"

This elimination rate was already terrifying, but Zuo Qiu still smiled without answering.

Zhou Miao gasped inwardly. "Just how many?"

Zuo Qiu wiped her mouth and said, "For a long time, I walked into a misconception. Rainbow is not a Korean-style entertainment factory; we have no way to package and nurture artists like an assembly line."

"Instead of supporting a large group of trainees with wildly varying skill levels, it's better to concentrate our limited resources on vigorously cultivating those promising talents."

"For this final assessment, there is no upper limit on the number of eliminations!"

Only then did Zhou Miao understand. No wonder Zuo Qiu accepted these trainees even though she knew their motives were impure; she was breeding Gu worms.

Making the Gu worms fight and compete against each other, only the king of Gu that survived until the end would be worthy of cultivation.

Regarding Zuo Qiu's ruthlessly cold and decisive method, Zhou Miao didn't find anything wrong with it. The entertainment industry was inherently a world of the jungle.

Even if Zuo Qiu didn't eliminate them, people without real talent still wouldn't be able to debut at Rainbow. Rather than wasting their youth here, it was better to let them face reality early and turn back before it was too late.

"When does that show, *Southern Melodies and Northern Tunes*, end? I plan to have you serve as the chief examiner for this assessment," Zuo Qiu asked.

"It's only half recorded. Judging by the progress, it should be early next month." Zhou Miao fiddled with his food, finding it strange—how did the pork chop meal end up without a pork chop?

"The timing is about right. Prepare yourself mentally beforehand so that you don't go soft-hearted the moment you see a pretty young girl crying."

Soft-hearted? Zhou Miao let out a laugh. "I think the one who needs to prepare mentally is you. If we really judge by my standards, not a single person might be left standing by the end."

Unmoved by his remark, Zuo Qiu replied, "Even if we clear out every last one of them, I won't blame you. I trust your judgment."

...

At the recording site of *Southern Melodies and Northern Tunes*, as soon as Zhou Miao stepped into the lounge, he saw Gu Gu wearing a white martial arts uniform, chasing Zhang Tuo around like an overgrown child, driving Zhang Tuo to distraction.

Seeing Zhou Miao arrive, Zhang Tuo shoved Gu Gu forward. "Your opponent for tonight has arrived. Go play with him. If you knock him out now, we won't need to compete later."

Gu Gu straightened his clothes and smiled. "Based on this outfit I'm wearing, can you guess what Drunken Fist I'm going to sing tonight?"

Right after saying that, Gu Gu slapped himself across the face. Why did he just blurt that out?

"You're singing Drunken Fist too?" Zhou Miao was instantly startled, though upon second thought, it made sense; Drunken Fist existed in both the north and the south.

Gu Gu froze. "Could it be that you are also...?"