noveltune Chapter 180: The Audition Scene of "Super Girl"
Chapter 180: The Audition Scene of "Super Girl"
After sending the message, Lu Ran put away his phone and continued walking inside.
Because he was pretending to be a passerby, Lu Ran didn't receive any special treatment and was squeezed in outside with a group of people to watch.
The gymnasium was divided into more than a dozen small booths, each with a judge sitting inside, and corresponding teams lined up outside. A prominent sign on the wall read: "No age limit, no singing style limit, no background limit, only the voice matters."
It can be said that there are basically no restrictions except for gender.
Lu Ran moved between the various cubicles like a rabbit patrolling its territory.
There was a particularly long queue outside one of the cubicles. He went over to take a look and found an old lady sitting inside, who looked to be over seventy years old, with a full head of white hair, singing "Jasmine Flower".
"What a beautiful jasmine flower~ What a beautiful jasmine flower~ Fragrant and beautiful, the branches are full of blossoms~ So fragrant and white, everyone praises it~"
The judge, a music teacher in his thirties, listened attentively and nodded repeatedly.
After she finished singing, the old lady asked, "Teacher, am I qualified?"
The judge adjusted her glasses: "Auntie, your voice... you must have practiced it, right?"
"I've never practiced, I just love to sing." The old lady chuckled. "When I was young, I spent a few years in a performing arts troupe, but I haven't sung since I left the military. When I saw your competition, which said there were no age restrictions, I thought I'd give it a try."
The judges were silent for two seconds, then raised the sign that the test was passed.
"Congratulations, Auntie, you've made it to the preliminary round."
The old lady paused for a moment, then her eyes suddenly reddened.
"real?"
"real."
The old woman covered her face, her shoulders trembling slightly.
A staff member nearby quickly offered her a tissue, but she waved it off, choking back tears, and said, "No need, no need, I just... never expected that at over seventy years old, there would still be people willing to listen to me sing."
Standing in the crowd, watching this scene, Lu Ran suddenly felt that getting up two hours early to watch the audition was worth it.
Because there are no similar talent shows in this world.
Many people who love to sing actually have no way out.
People without connections usually have to start as trainees.
Even with talent, many people may still face injustices or unspoken rules.
Therefore, the emergence of "Super Girl" seemed to provide the public with a path to fame.
That's why there are so many applicants.
Lu Ran quietly withdrew from the crowd and sent a message to Shen Yuege:
Come and see for yourself; the auditions are pretty good.
Shen Yuege replied instantly:
[On my way. I brought you breakfast.]
What kind of breakfast?
Sweet rice dumplings.
...
Half an hour later, when Shen Yuege found Lu Ran wearing a mask, Lu Ran was standing there with a group of people watching.
"Mr. Lu, your appearance..." Shen Yuege raised her phone to take a picture, "I have to keep a record of it."
"Don't take a picture!" Lu Ran reached out to grab it, but Shen Yuege nimbly dodged it.
The two were arguing when a scream suddenly came from the side:
"Shen Yuege?!"
Lu Ran and Shen Yuege both froze.
Turning my head, I saw a girl of about eighteen or nineteen, holding an application form in her hand, her eyes wide like saucers.
"It really is you! Shen Yuege!" The girl rushed over, so excited she was almost incoherent. "I'm your fan! I've liked you since 'Rebirth'! I know every song you sing!"
Since someone recognized her, Shen Yuege simply took off her mask, revealing a gentle smile: "Hello, thank you for liking it."
"Can I take a picture with you?" The girl took out her phone, her hands trembling.
"sure."
After the two finished taking a photo together, the girl suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, you're here... as a judge?"
"No." Shen Yuege pointed at Lu Ran, "I came with my husband for an inspection."
The girl then noticed Lu Ran beside her and paused, stunned. "You are... Lu Ran?"
"Hello." Lu Ran waved.
The girl looked at Shen Yuege, then at Lu Ran, then at the jianbing guozi in his hand, and suddenly blurted out:
"You two...are you really husband and wife?"
"Really." Shen Yuege took Lu Ran's arm. "Absolutely genuine."
The girl was silent for three seconds, then took out her phone and took another picture of the two of them.
"I want to ride a tuk-tuk!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I'm so envious of them!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ran realized that Shen Yuege was not only a fan but also a loyal user of his own products.
So Lu Ran pulled Shen Yuege along and took several photos with the girl.
People around noticed this and started coming over to take photos.
Lu Ran and the other person realized something was wrong, so they quickly put on masks and sneaked out.
If the two of them stay any longer, they might disrupt the preliminary selection process.
...
In the first week of the preliminary selection, the number of applicants exceeded 800,000.
The topic has consistently ranked at the top of the Weibo charts.
What surprised Lu Ran the most was that on TUTU, the hashtag #SuperGirlAudition# had exceeded 500 million views, and bizarre videos of the audition site were being circulated every day.
Some sang "The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau" until their voices cracked, some sang "Conquer" to the point that the judges were "conquered," some wore theatrical costumes to perform Henan opera, and some held guitars and wrote their own songs...
The most outrageous one was a middle-aged man who sang "Today You're Going to Marry Me".
"The flowers blooming in spring~ take away the sadness of winter~" The uncle said with his eyes closed, his voice full of affection.
The judge asked, "This song is a duet, and you're singing it alone?"
The man opened his eyes: "My wife didn't come today. She said she wouldn't let me go home if I didn't make it to the preliminary rounds."
Judge: "..."
There was a three-second silence, followed by bursts of laughter.
In the end, the uncle didn't make it to the preliminary round, but the judges wrote him a note: "Take this home and show it to your wife. Tell her the judges said you sang quite well."
The uncle left, thanking him profusely.
These clips were edited into short videos by staff, set to the background music of "Sing If You Want," and went viral on TUTU.
Unbeknownst to Lu Ran, he even felt that TUTU had, at times, the ability to rival Weibo.
At least in terms of her own variety shows, TUTU's viewership is already comparable to Weibo's.
On TUTU, there were also many touching comments:
"After watching these videos, I suddenly want to sign up too."
"Whether he sings well or not, at least he dares to sing."
"This is a real talent show for everyone! Unlike some shows where it's all professional contestants showing up to gain exposure."
"Starry Moon Studio really put their heart into this."
...
Meanwhile, in Lu Ran's office.
Zhou Mingzhe stared at the backend data on the screen, his coffee already cold.
"Daily active users have surpassed ten million," he said, his voice slightly unsteady.
Lu Ran stopped eating her apple and paused upon hearing this: "How much?"
"Ten million." Zhou Mingzhe turned his head, pushed up his glasses, "and it's still rising. At this rate, it could reach fifteen million next week."
"Oh, calm down, look at you, so pathetic."
Lu Ran pretended to be indifferent, but inside he was extremely excited.
However, in front of Zhou Mingzhe, she still pretended to be calm and collected, giving him the feeling that everything was under control.
...