It's hard to blame Li Jie for her quick compliance; after all, the allure of financial rewards was just too tempting. Li Jie didn't really mind being disturbed by her boss in the middle of the night. As long as the pay was good, working long hours was a minor inconvenience. In fact, she was so dedicated that she grabbed a notebook and pen, ready to jot down whatever Qin Ran had to say.
"I want to change Yu Shuman's hairstyle. The high bun just won't work."
Li Jie felt a headache coming on. "Boss, it's just that the Dunhuang-style look usually requires a high bun. What else could we use…"
"Let's go with loose hair at the back, curled, and tied into a braid, with strands left to frame the face, and top it off with a headpiece."
Li Jie paused for a moment, visualizing the look on Yu Shuman, and realized it could indeed be more flattering than the traditional high bun. But would it still be considered Dunhuang style if the hair was down?
Before she could voice her concerns, Qin Ran provided the answer: "Dunhuang isn't just about the celestial maiden look. There's also the Deer King, the donors, and the whirling dance. If flying maidens suit them, we'll go with the whirling dance elements. The term even has 'dance' in it, so it fits perfectly."
Qin Ran's rapid-fire explanation woke Li Jie right up. She quickly opened her laptop, searched for the references Qin Ran mentioned, and found that they indeed matched Qin Ran's description. The styling could be adjusted accordingly. While others used the celestial maiden look, they could incorporate elements from the whirling dance, which tied in well with the song's theme.
Li Jie started typing furiously, organizing her thoughts before responding to Qin Ran: "No problem. I'll coordinate with the makeup team today to make the necessary changes."
Qin Ran trusted Li Jie's ability to execute the plan. Sure enough, when Qin Ran visited the set, she saw that Yu Shuman's new look had been fully implemented. Her hair was now loose, curled, and styled into a voluminous braid, with soft tendrils framing her face. The new hairstyle enhanced Yu Shuman's already delicate features.
"Not sure what happened, but Li Jie seems to have had an epiphany. What do you think of my new look?" Yu Shuman asked, smiling.
"It's much better than the one you showed me yesterday," Qin Ran replied.
Yu Shuman adjusted her headpiece slightly. "I think so too. But this thing is a bit heavy. I'll need to get used to it. Wouldn't want it falling off during the performance and scaring away my fans."
"That won't happen."
Even if everyone else were to leave Yu Shuman, Qin Ran would always be her fan.
Yu Shuman's teammate, the one with the traditional dance background, stared at Yu Shuman's new look for a long time. By the time they were doing a full-costume rehearsal, Qin Ran noticed that this teammate had also changed her styling. She now incorporated elements of the Deer King with a white deer motif, even adding white to her makeup.
The new look suited her much better; she was naturally lively and spirited. Now, only Ling Miaohan retained the celestial maiden styling. While she didn't seem outwardly affected, Pei Qi, who had come to observe the rehearsal, was furious. His dark mood cast a shadow over the room, making the accompanying staff visibly tense. He clearly didn't want to deal with Pei Qi's domineering attitude, but as the production team had arranged for him to be there, he had no choice.
Qin Ran couldn't care less about Pei Qi's anger. The three beauties, each with their own unique style, created a harmonious and visually stunning ensemble. What's the harm in that? Must Ling Miaohan always overshadow everyone else? It was a ridiculous mindset.
Watching Pei Qi fume, Qin Ran couldn't help but mentally compare him to an overgrown child throwing a tantrum.
After the rehearsal, it was time for the second public performance. Qin Ran had earlier held a giveaway in the fan group, providing lucky fans with tickets and covering their travel expenses. The system had insisted on using its funds and giving Qin Ran a cashback, but she refused. To Qin Ran, this was a small expense, and she wanted to contribute to Yu Shuman's success herself, without the system taking credit.
Had the system known, it might have sulked in a corner, frustrated that its host was even jealous of its contributions.
On the day of the second performance, Yu Shuman's schoolmates arrived in high spirits. Guided by staff from 99 Entertainment, they headed to Yu Shuman's fan support booth to pick up their light sticks, hand banners, and even light boards. Not long after they arrived, other fans of Yu Shuman began to gather around the booth.
"Hey! Are you guys from the Shuman Fan House?" A young fan approached, asking if they were from the group and then introduced themselves by their online ID, thanking the generous benefactor who had provided the tickets. Yu Shuman's dormmate, hearing this, warmly welcomed the fan, handing over the support items without charge. The lucky fan, beaming, squeezed in with the rest of them.
Before long, nearly all the fans who had mentioned attending in the group chat had gathered, swelling their numbers to about sixty—double what they had last time.
Qin Ran felt a sense of satisfaction, knowing that Yu Shuman's growing fanbase was partially her doing. But Qin Ran was naturally introverted in front of strangers, and she only moved forward when Yu Shuman gently pulled her along. When the fans began introducing themselves, Yu Shuman proudly introduced Qin Ran as her best friend from high school.
Hearing this, the fans gathered around, excitedly asking Qin Ran to share more updates about Yu Shuman in the future. Though she wasn't great at social interactions, especially with strangers, she couldn't refuse a request related to Yu Shuman. So, she nodded and agreed.
Her response was so formal that the fans, who had initially been joking, ended up seriously thanking her.
As they waited near the support booth, Qin Ran not only observed their own setup but also checked out the other fan booths. Unsurprisingly, Ling Miaohan's booth was the most impressive, offering an array of support items, including fans featuring a chibi version of Ling Miaohan in her white outfit from the last performance.
Curse Pei Qi for being so thorough—even creating chibi characters for Ling Miaohan. It seemed Qin Ran had been outdone.
Qin Ran felt a strange competitiveness stirring within her. After all, she was the one supporting Yu Shuman behind the scenes, and she had prided herself on being attentive to every detail. Yet here was Pei Qi, showing her up by going the extra mile with custom chibi merchandise. It stung a bit to realize she'd been outplayed in this way.
She could only grit her teeth and resolve to outdo him when the third public performance rolled around.
The show "Rising Stars: Girls" had a total of four public performances, culminating in the final group formation night. While five contestants would ultimately debut, the competition would continue to determine the overall champion. The group formation night would be a solo battle, not a team competition.
But that was still some time away. For now, the focus was on nailing the second public performance.
Once all the fans had gathered, the production team staff came over to inform them that they could start entering the venue. Qin Ran joined the fans as they made their way to the seats. This time, she had been involved in arranging the seating, much to the dismay of the site foreman, who had grown increasingly frustrated with her habit of skipping out on work when it came time for the actual performances. But Qin Ran was Li Jie's placement, so even if the foreman complained to higher-ups, they would just tell him to deal with it.
Qin Ran didn't like the idea of special treatment, but there was no denying that money and connections were incredibly useful.
The second public performance venue was more spacious and better equipped than the first. As Qin Ran settled into her seat, she noticed how soft the cushion was—a far cry from the plastic chairs they'd used during the first performance. Even the audience experience had improved significantly.
Such luxury was rare in talent shows. Typically, these shows had far less funding than the big-name competitions that featured established celebrities, which naturally attracted more sponsors. But "Rising Stars: Girls" was filled with relatively unknown newcomers, so where was all this money coming from? Even the talent agencies backing these contestants wouldn't usually invest so much.
But this show had Ling Miaohan and Yu Shuman, and with Pei Qi and Qin Ran pouring in funds without a second thought, the production team was far from lacking.
Qin Ran was by far the biggest investor, ensuring that the show's production values were top-notch.
Even the audience seats had seen an upgrade, a pleasant surprise for the fans. Qin Ran sat with her support items in hand, waiting for the show to start. The audience was seated about an hour and a half before the performance began. Typically, performances started after an hour of seating, with a strict cut-off for latecomers, so they were in their seats earlier than most and had some time to kill.
Fans chatted idly, scrolling through their phones. When Qin Ran checked her own phone, she saw that several fans had already posted pictures from the venue, sharing selfies with their support items and expressing how thrilled they were to be there. Seeing these messages filled Qin Ran with pride—after all, she had overseen the creation of these support items. The junior employee who had been tasked with the job had been sweating bullets under her scrutiny, though.
He was just an ordinary worker, never expecting to have to deal directly with the big boss! But Li Jie had patted him on the shoulder and coldly informed him, "No choice, this is what the big boss wants. Do a good job, or else…" But Li Jie hadn't finished that sentence.
The employee had taken the task seriously, putting his all into crafting the support items.
At least his hard work paid off—the bonus he received that month was more than enough to make up for the stress.
Qin Ran: I can't believe I got outplayed!