novelraw Chapter 39 I Picked Bai Lu at First Sight—The Future Top Star
Chapter 39 I Picked Bai Lu at First Sight—The Future Top Star
Lin Shishi stood at the door without moving.
She glanced at Sa Dingding, then at Song Ze.
Sa Dingding had just grabbed Song Ze's shoulder, her eyes shining, completely unlike the poised singer on stage.
"This song..."
"See for yourself."
Lin Shishi took the folder and opened it, starting quickly and then slowing down, stopping at the chorus and scanning the pitch markings three times.
D6, G6 is handwritten in the remarks column.
She closed the folder.
Sa Dingding had already sat back down at the piano, her fingers unconsciously tracing the edges of the keys.
"This song isn't just for the stage."
She paused for a second.
"I want to shoot a music video, an art short film. The core image is 'flying under the moon,' and I need a young actress—someone with talent who can create a visual impact even without doing anything in front of the camera."
Lin Shishi rested her hand on the folder without saying a word.
"I've had the studio send out a notice; the audition is tomorrow afternoon." Sa Dingding looked at Song Ze. "You're the songwriter, so you decide."
Song Ze nodded.
Of the new talents selected in 2016, very few actually made it big.
Those with overtly formal training are actually not good; you need to find someone with a clean background.
Send me the list.
"Have the clerk give it to you."
Lin Shishi put the folder back on the table and turned to walk towards the door.
"Shishi, have you chosen your audition pieces?"
"I've made my choice." Lin Shishi opened the door, glanced at Song Ze, and said, "Who stars in the music video is none of my business. On the stage of 'I Am a Singer'—"
The door closed.
Song Ze stared at the door for two seconds.
This woman always speaks in a way that leaves half of what she means unsaid.
But the message is clear: "I Am a Singer 2017" must not falter.
The studio was temporarily converted into an audition venue at 2 p.m. the following day.
The piano was moved to a corner, and a practice mat was laid out in the middle. Light streamed in through the blinds and fell on the mat.
Sa Dingding sat on the left sofa with her legs crossed, a cup of black coffee beside her.
Song Ze sat on the folding chair next to him, holding the list in his hand.
There were seven people, and the first six had already finished watching.
As the girl finished her final spin on the practice mat, she stood still and bowed.
His physique and technique were decent, but every move he made throughout the entire performance seemed to declare, "I've practiced this before," without actually seeing him.
Sa Dingding took a sip of coffee, then tapped the bottom of the cup on the table.
"The last one."
The door opened.
The girl who came in was short, with a round face, no makeup, and a high ponytail.
White T-shirt, black practice pants, and a pair of old dance shoes with worn-out toes.
I tripped over the threshold as I entered.
"Ah—I'm sorry."
She looked down at her feet, then looked up and smiled, revealing her gums.
It wasn't an act; he just felt embarrassed.
Song Ze shifted his gaze over there.
The last column of the list: Bai Mengyan, newly signed by Huanyu Film & Television, has no representative works.
Note: Basic knowledge of folk dance is required.
Bai Mengyan. Bai Lu's real name.
The White Dew solar term in 2016 was nothing at all.
Without "The Legends," without "Love Is Sweet," there would be no other period drama roles that made her a top-tier celebrity.
But Song Ze had seen the White Dew of 2026.
The person in the variety show who dares to roll around in the mud, fall while running, get up and keep laughing.
He has an amazing public image, and even haters can't smear him.
She stood in the center of the exercise mat and bowed.
"Hello, Teacher Sa, I'm Bai Mengyan—"
"Jump! Anything is fine," Sa Dingding interrupted her.
Bai Mengyan was stunned.
The first six all had a self-introduction segment, but she skipped it.
She must have realized what this meant, but said nothing, took two steps back, and closed her eyes.
A few seconds later she opened her eyes and started jumping.
There was no music, only the soft rustling of dance shoes on the carpet.
It is a Mongolian dance.
Lean forward, extend your arms behind you, and move your feet in small, quick steps.
The pace is not fast; every step has a rhythm.
The arm moves smoothly through the air, and the wrist flips precisely.
Sa Dingding put down her coffee cup and sat up straight.
In the second variation, Bai Mengyan rotates from left to right.
My left foot stepped off to the side, shifting my center of gravity. The rotation shrank from three full rotations to two and a half, and the landing point was nearly an arm's length to the right.
The standard practice is to quickly adjust and pretend nothing happened.
The first six all did this.
She paused for a moment, then laughed.
Showing all your gums isn't to please the judges; it's because you find your own foolishness funny.
After laughing, he continued jumping from the position where he made the mistake to the next move.
Later on, I actually relaxed more, my shoulders loosened up, my breathing became even, and my state of mind changed from "being evaluated" to "dancing the dance I like".
In the final movement, bring your arms together and lower your center of gravity.
She stopped, took a few breaths, and bowed.
"I'm done dancing."
Sa Dingding didn't speak, but looked at Song Ze.
"She's the one."
Sa Dingding raised an eyebrow, thinking he had misheard.
Bai Mengyan was also taken aback. She looked around and confirmed that there was no one else in the room.
"...Is it me?"
"That's right." Song Ze stood up and casually made up a story, "I like your authenticity."
Song Ze thought to himself: Would I be stupid not to choose you as my future patron?
Although Sa Dingding didn't understand why Song Ze chose her, she thought there must be a deeper meaning to it. After all, the person who created such a divine song as "Left Finger Pointing to the Moon" must have his own unique insights into the song's music video.
Bai Mengyan's face flushed red; she was still in a daze after being recognized.
"I didn't dance well; that spin should have been three times—"
"The agent's phone number." Song Ze pulled out his phone. "Zhang Juan will handle the contract."
Bai Mengyan frantically pulled out her phone and read out a number.
Song Zecun said, and the Eye System panel popped up.
[A demonstration of ethnic dance skills has been detected. The current host's dance proficiency level is 460/1000. Ethnic dance skills can be extracted further; the level difference is zero. Extract?]
extract.
Muscle memory is instilled, filling the gaps in the existing dance framework.
The shoulder movements, arm extension angles, and weight distribution in Mongolian dance have been transformed from concepts into muscular responses.
[Dance: Master Level (460/1000) · Folk Dance: Master Level (410/1000)]
Bai Mengyan was bowing three times to Sa Dingding when Sa Dingding waved her hand to stop her.
"The official filming is the day after tomorrow, and we'll rehearse the day before."
Bai Mengyan's eyes reddened, she nodded, almost tripped over the threshold again, and ran out sideways.
Sa Dingding shook his head as he looked at the doorway.
Why did you choose her?
Song Ze placed the list on the table and pretended to recall it seriously.
She reminds me of my cousin.
"cousin?"
Sa Dingding shook his head helplessly and said nothing.
The music video took three days to film.
The venue was a deserted garden behind Songzhuang, with a platform, gauze curtains, and dry ice set up.
Bai Mengyan, dressed in white ancient costume, walked barefoot on bluestone slabs, filming from dusk until dawn.
Her technique isn't the best; her positioning is sometimes off, and her timing is sometimes a half-beat off.
But as soon as the camera turned on, he became radiant.
Standing under the moonlight and looking ahead, I felt clean and untouched by any pollution.
After finishing work, she squatted on the steps and ate her boxed lunch. The hem of her white gauze skirt dragged on the ground and got covered in dust, but she didn't care and ate heartily.
While the photographer was reviewing the footage, Sa Dingding watched behind the monitor for five minutes without saying a word, and finally said, "Let's go with this one for the main visual."
The underwater scenes were filmed the next day.
The pond water had just been changed, and it was already cool in October.
Bai Mengyan stood by the pool testing the water temperature, then shrank her neck.
"Cold?" Song Ze flipped through the monitor footage, catching a glimpse of her reaction out of the corner of his eye.
"It's alright." She rubbed her arms and smiled. "When I was learning to dance, the practice room didn't have heating in the winter, so I'm used to it."
After saying that, he went into the water.
The white dress spread out in the water, and it looked really beautiful when the lights shone on it.
After floating up and down four or five times, his lips turned white when he came ashore. Wrapped in a bath towel, he squatted next to the monitor, trembling as he discussed the angle.
Song Ze pushed the thermos cup over.
She paused for a moment, then looked up at him.
Ginger tea.
Bai Mengyan held the cup, warming her fingers on it, but didn't drink it immediately.
"Teacher Song may seem cold, but she's actually quite thoughtful."
Song Ze did not respond.
The corners of her mouth curved into a smile.
"Thank you for choosing me."
Don't you think you're amazing?
Bai Mengyan lowered her head and took a sip; the tips of her ears turned slightly red.
Filming wrapped up earlier than expected on the last day.
When the staff dismantled the light fixtures, Bai Mengyan changed back into a white T-shirt and black training pants, stood next to the stone lion at the entrance of the garden, and changed into a pair of old canvas shoes.
Song Ze took his coat from the car and walked past her.
"Teacher Song."
He stopped.
She clutched the hem of her T-shirt with both hands, her head bowed.
The light was dim in the evening, making it difficult to see facial expressions.
"I heard that you used to be told that you had no talent."
Song Ze did not answer.
She looked up.
"How did you manage to get through it?"
Just as Bai Lu finished speaking, Song Ze's phone rang.
Zhang Juan's voice came down on his head:
"Sa Dingding just informed us that the promotional plan for the 'Left Finger Points to the Moon' music video has been canceled..."