The music festival officially began at 2 PM, with music already playing in the distance while latecoming audience members continued to stream in through the entrance.
AIcho's four members arrived at the venue for their afternoon performance, and as soon as they got out of their car, they could hear Jiang Wangran's voice.
They were performing a song by a foreign band, and when the familiar melody started playing, the group who had just stepped out of the car found themselves humming along.
"Do you think they're actually playing live?" Han Lemi asked curiously.
Yu Dan chuckled, "Our company doesn't allow lip-syncing, right?"
"So they're really playing their instruments?"
"Probably."
The four were led by staff through the employee entrance to reach the artists' waiting area.
Several groups of performers were already waiting in their trailers, all scheduled to go on stage soon.
Since the artists' waiting area was behind the stage, the sound wasn't very clear. They could only faintly hear some voices, and once they closed their trailer door, they couldn't hear anything at all.
Just separated by a wall, the atmosphere was completely different. On stage, three people stood at standing microphones holding guitars and bass, while Jiang Wangran, as the main vocalist, ran forward with his microphone, showing no signs of rookie nervousness during their first stage performance.
The crowd below was like boiling water, with audience members jumping along to the music.
The four members getting their makeup done in the trailer kept watching the live broadcast screen.
"I'm so jealous, they don't have to dance," Han Lemi sighed sincerely while watching the screen.
Due to their different group concept, they had numerous dance moves to memorize and practice. During their dance practice period, they didn't even need to diet - seven to eight hours of daily cardio would make them lose several pounds.
Pei Zhiping watched the screen intently, paying attention to the broadcast director's camera switches, and would occasionally step out to discuss with staff if she noticed anything questionable.
"Are the stage camera shots edited separately for the broadcast?"
"No, they follow the live director's feed, but if there are any unsatisfactory parts, they can be re-edited."
"Okay, thank you for your help, teacher."
"No problem at all, it's nothing."
When she got back in the trailer, the other three looked at her, and Pei Zhiping repeated what the PD had said.
Yu Dan scratched her head and said, "Actually, the most important thing is that our movements need to be smooth and synchronized. As long as no one forgets the choreography or jumps the beat, we'll be fine."
Si Yanyu glanced at the screen constantly switching to wide shots and worried, "...We won't have this many wide shots, right?"
"Ours will follow the rehearsal plan. As long as the director doesn't make any major mistakes, it should be fine. We just need to worry about accidents where they can't switch cameras in time," Han Lemi said, then took out her iPad to show them the video from yesterday's rehearsal. "This was recorded by Brother Yue."
At the mention of watching playback, all four heads immediately clustered together.
Unlike the serious work happening here and the enthusiastic performance on stage, Timetrain's trailer was unusually quiet.
Because Gao Xiayu hadn't gotten much rest the night before, he was being forced by their manager to take a short nap to ensure his performance condition.
The other members who had finished their hair and makeup were quietly busy with their own things. The unfortunate high school student Ye Xing was still working on make-up assignments.
Pei Luming was chatting with fans on the Gale Hope chat room out of boredom, while the other two had gone out to watch Equals3's stage performance.
Ye Xing was already hesitant about how to start, and with more people present, he became even more nervous.
Jiang Juyou was in charge of group planning, and even the members' future development needed her approval.
According to the company's plan, Ye Xing was supposed to study acting professionally, but he actually wasn't very interested in becoming an actor.
"Teacher, I wanted to talk to you about my future career planning," he said.
Jiang Juyou looked at him, gesturing for him to continue.
"Rather than becoming an actor, I'd prefer to be a director in the future..." Ye Xing said, his body tensing up as he spoke.
Being a director was a behind-the-scenes role, and once a project entered the preparation phase, it would be difficult to divide attention for other work.
In the industry nowadays, regardless of their initial role, everyone eventually transitions to acting, and Ye Xing knew this was the best career path planned for his future.
But he didn't like it.
Contrary to Ye Xing's expectations, Jiang Juyou's expression wasn't negative; instead, she looked somewhat surprised.
She asked, "What made you think of this?"
"Um... I like watching movies, and recently because of acting classes, I've watched many more. But I've realized that when I watch movies, I don't focus on how to act, but rather prefer thinking about the meaning behind the shots." Ye Xing had been interested in films and TV dramas for a long time, but he had always thought he was interested in acting until recently when he finally understood his true preference.
Jiang Juyou fell silent after hearing him out. Although it differed from the original plan, she still respected the artist's personal wishes.
However, she needed to clarify the stakes, "...We'll definitely prioritize your ideas, but you should understand that without subsequent exposure, your fans might all leave."
Once they enter university and formally begin studying acting or vocal performance, their individual resources would increase. Though their choices and directions might differ, whether choosing to be an actor or singer, these are all front-stage careers.
If Ye Xing doesn't want to pursue either of these paths, and there are no resources to take on later, their popularity would quickly decline.
"I've thought all this through," Ye Xing, seeing that Jiang Juyou wasn't opposing, let out a sigh of relief. "I also want to be like Teacher Jiang, letting my abilities speak for themselves."
This sudden flattery caught both Jiang Juyou and her young assistant off guard. She chuckled, "Alright, since you've made your decision, the company will support you."
Jiang Juyou took out her phone to check the date, "Next year will be the second semester of your junior year, we need to start preparing quickly. Hmm... the company will arrange teachers for you later, as for your academic studies..."
"My academic studies won't be a problem!" Ye Xing quickly assured.
Aliali: 674843b7c4f3f33ac47659ac
"Alright then, is there anything else?" Jiang Juyou asked, glancing at the time.
Ye Xing shook her head and stood up first, "No, thank you, teacher."
Jiang Juyou also stood up, noticing Yao Shuo and Chi Qiao returning from the front. After looking away, Jiang Juyou turned to Ye Xing, "Then go get some rest, they've just come back anyway."
Ye Xing looked back briefly, then turned to Jiang Juyou saying, "I'll take my leave then, teacher."
Jiang Juyou nodded, watching her run off as the young assistant walked up and sighed.
Even before she spoke, Jiang Juyou knew what she was worried about.
For now, they could only pray that Ye Xing would become a director with artistic vision in the future.
Otherwise, all this early groundwork would be wasted.
Jiang Juyou looked back, glancing toward the direction of the RVs, and asked, "Which one is AIcho's car?"
Han Lemi: Perfect! Our chance is coming!