In less than half a day, the incident had blown up online. The production team of "Tomorrow Star" had no choice but to issue a public apology, acknowledging the issue with the backing track and replacing the sound engineer.
Wei Qi had specially come from the company today, personally driving Xie Xi to the program recording.
The program director knew Wei Qi. A decade ago, this woman was a formidable force in the industry, capable of turning clouds and rain, of painting black as white. The top agents at various companies today were simply not in her league. However, in recent years, Wei Qi had only managed Xie Xi, gradually fading from the public eye.
Today, he not only saw Wei Qi but also got a taste of her methods.
"Sister Wei, what brings you here in person?" The director pushed his assistant aside and stepped forward with a smile.
Wei Qi smiled back: "Our Xi Xi is a bit delicate. He feels quite wronged. As his agent, I'm here to understand the reason."
The director glanced over. Xie Xi was currently looking down, engrossed in a game on his phone, not showing a hint of being "delicate."
But some things made him guilty. He laughed it off: "If there's anything we haven't been attentive enough about, please let us know. We'll definitely improve."
Wei Qi let out a faint, derisive snort, but it disappeared so quickly the director thought he'd imagined it. Looking closely, her face still wore a perfectly polite smile: "Next month is the Music Awards ceremony. Barring any surprises, the Decade Achievement Award should go to our Xi Xi. At that time..."
Ten years ago, the entire music scene was in a state of generational disconnect. Insiders once thought the industry might face a break, but then Xie Xi debuted spectacularly, directly picking up the baton. Back then, he was young, his voice not even fully developed. Those optimistic about his future were about fifty-fifty. Yet, he withstood all kinds of pressure and reached his current status.
If Xie Xi won the Achievement Award, his influence would be far greater than it is now. If the director had offended Xie Xi, it would become much harder for him to work on music-related programs in the future.
The director choked, rendered speechless by the veiled threat. With Xie Xi's talent and Wei Qi's maneuvering, this was entirely possible.
"I've watched the previous episodes. The lighting on our Xi Xi isn't very flattering. Remember to use more fill light." Wei Qi placed a hand on the director's shoulder, patting it familiarly.
The "lighting" was a pretext; her real meaning was not to edit him unfairly.
"Play less games. Be more thoughtful with your critiques on stage later." Wei Qi reached out and took Xie Xi's phone, saying seriously, "Don't give them any leverage."
"I want milk tea," Xie Xi suddenly blurted out.
Wei Qi narrowed her eyes: "Why would you drink that stuff?"
"I see students walking around drinking it."
Wei Qi was taken aback, her thoughts drifting. Xie Xi didn't just want milk tea; he wanted to experience what it felt like to be a student.
She smoothed Xie Xi's hair for him. "It's almost your turn to go on stage. I'll bring you milk tea during the mid-show break."
"From near Huajing University."
"Fine, I'll go buy it there."
Xie Xi held up a finger: "One more cup. My teacher is also on this floor." Professor Ye probably had never tried this kind of thing.
"Alright."
...
Ye Qiusuo was also recording a program. This episode had only seven civilian contestants left. To extend the program time, the number of questions was doubled, and the opening round became a buzzer round.
This was a good opportunity to score points, and Professor Ye was not about to let it pass. Her hand hovered over the buzzer. Often, before the host even finished reading the question stem, she could guess what was being asked, press the button, answer, and score.
The other contestants were still going "???" by the time she finished scoring.
"Professor Ye, could you go a little easier on us? We haven't even heard the full question yet," Wan Yurou said with a touch of helplessness.
"At least let the question finish. If you want to show off, there are better ways," Xia Zhoubing chimed in from the side, completely unconcerned about offending a civilian.
Ye Qiusuo looked at the host: "Isn't this a competition?" She was in a hurry to score points and get the prize money.
The host: "...Hahaha, yes, it is a competition." It's just that your dominance is a bit too brutal.
Since it was confirmed as a competition, Ye Qiusuo felt at ease and ignored Wan Yurou and Xia Zhoubing from start to finish.
When the buzzer round continued, before the host even began reading the question, Ye Qiusuo directly pressed the buzzer. Whatever it was, she could answer it.
The others, who could at least hear the questions before: "..."
Fortunately, the buzzer round wasn't the entire format, otherwise the competition would have become Ye Qiusuo's solo show—though in reality, it wasn't far off.
During the mid-show break, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Ye Qiusuo looked down, replying to messages from her research project, not noticing a minor commotion at the door.
Until someone suddenly called her name.
"Professor Ye."
Ye Qiusuo turned to look. It was Xie Xi, whom she had met just that afternoon. He walked over and held out a cup of something to her.
"What is this?"
Xie Xi simply took the milk tea out of the bag: "For you."
Ye Qiusuo looked down at the object in his hand. She had seen this before; Lin Lu and a few other female students often carried a cup.
Xie Xi even felt like Professor Ye's eyes were flashing with chemical symbols at that moment, analyzing the components of this cup of milk tea.
"To make up for the meeting gift." Xie Xi placed the milk tea on Ye Qiusuo's desk, winked at her, and meaningfully called out, "Teacher."
Professor Ye, having received the superstar's wink, remained utterly unmoved. Watching his retreating figure, she even suspected this student might be expecting a return gift.
Do you have to give gifts to students when tutoring now?
The recently-turned mentor, Professor Ye, took out her phone and Baidu'd it.
After Xie Xi left, the people from the program team seemed to finally feel the aftershocks, all turning their gazes towards Ye Qiusuo, who remained completely unaffected.
"Professor Ye, are you close with Xie Xi?"
This question came from Dong Junjian. Xie Xi was too famous, both inside and outside the industry. Everyone was curious.
Once he asked, all ears in the vicinity perked up.
Wan Yurou was also listening. She knew Ye Qiusuo couldn't possibly resist the glamour of the entertainment world; she just hadn't expected Ye Qiusuo to connect with Xie Xi so quickly.
Ye Qiusuo, pondering what meeting gift to give this temporary, serendipitous student of hers, replied casually, "He's my student."
Wei Qi hadn't discussed confidentiality with her, so Ye Qiusuo saw no need to hide it.
Given the overwhelming strength Ye Qiusuo displayed every time on the program, for a moment, no one questioned what she was teaching Xie Xi.
The milk tea sat right beside Ye Qiusuo's hand. When the camera later panned over her, it inevitably caught the cup in the shot as well.
In the neighboring program's set, Xie Xi also brought his milk tea into frame. However, he drank his, and by the time the program was nearing its end, his cup was almost empty.
...
On Monday, the department held a major meeting. The advisors brought their students. It was the first full gathering of all students and advisors since the semester began, and there was an announcement about a million-yuan project grant to be awarded to one of the advisors.
A large rectangular table stood in the room. A projector and a computer sat in the center of the table. The seat at the head was empty. Advisors sat on either side, while students brought chairs to sit behind their respective advisors. The dean sat in the farthest seat.
"By now, everyone should have met their own advisor. As for the other advisors, you've likely seen their photos on the website or the bulletin board, so we won't waste time introducing them here." The dean's gaze swept across the room. "Now, we'll have each advisor present their project proposal. Afterwards, I will allocate funding to one of them."
The advisors went up one by one. They were all seasoned veterans, explaining everything clearly as needed.
Following convention, the college's funding this time wouldn't be substantial—it was essentially for the students to 'have some fun.'
Naturally, the advisors' proposals couldn't be overly detailed and carried a hint of perfunctoriness. After all, it rotated yearly, and this year it was supposedly Ye Qiusu's turn.
Ye Qiusuo was unaware of this convention, and even if she knew, she wouldn't have cared. Standing at the front, she spoke with the same seriousness as every time she sought funding for her own projects. She presented the project content without notes, explaining each part with remarkable clarity and appeal.
The difference in caliber among the advisors was immediately apparent.
When Ye Qiusuo finished and stepped down, the dean led the applause, then looked at the students behind her. "You are fortunate to have Professor Ye as your advisor."
When it came time to allocate the funds to Ye Qiusuo, the other advisors hadn't reacted much. However, the dean then announced the amount: one million.
This sum was far beyond what was meant for students to simply 'play around' with.
"Dean, this is unacceptable," a professor immediately objected. "My project last week wasn't approved, and hers, this one..."
"What can students possibly do with such a large sum of money? It's a waste."
Ye Qiusuo looked up. "I am their advisor. Every step will go through me."
"Precisely because you are their advisor, it's even more likely to be wasted," the middle-aged professor across from her retorted disapprovingly. "You're also spending a significant amount of time recording some TV program. How much energy can you possibly have left for your students?"
"Young advisors often lack this kind of focus; it's normal," someone chimed in.
"What use is this approach to academia? We need single-minded dedication," the middle-aged professor said coldly. "You're advising five students. Don't let their futures be ruined in your hands."
Ye Qiusuo stood out far more conspicuously than Ye Qiusu, the sole female professor back in the day. Since her arrival, she had almost become a target for everyone.
"Recording the program is done on my personal time," Ye Qiusuo said calmly, her eyes sweeping over all the professors. "Perhaps you'd like to compare academic achievements with me?"
Compare, my foot.
Precisely because Ye Qiusuo had graduated with her Ph.D. this year and stayed on as a professor, their Huajing University's world ranking had shot up. Which professor present could claim to have achieved that?
World rankings were evaluated by many metrics, one of which concerned the number of paper citations. Ye Qiusuo had published over a hundred papers in SCI journals, with an exceptionally high impact factor, directly influencing Huajing University's ranking.
An eerie silence momentarily fell over the conference room.
