Jiang Juyou became the true owner of Random Entertainment. It seemed like something had changed, yet at the same time, nothing had.
At least the employees of Random Entertainment didn't feel any change. They spent the morning of the day the news broke gossiping, but then continued working as usual.
If there was any change with Jiang Juyou, it was that she used to be frequently seen at the company, but now that wasn't the case.
During these two months of summer vacation, she had been traveling back and forth between China and Korea, making it almost impossible to see her at the company.
But according to internal rumors, Jiang Juyou's frequent trips to Korea likely meant that the "fruit" over there was about to ripen. Hadn't the previously struggling variety show department also been quietly preparing something lately?
"They must be getting ready for a debut battle, no doubt about it!"
"...I've always wondered, why do we have to rely on rumors to confirm information when we're all in the same company?"
"That's because you're not in the artist management department."
"Oh right, I'm in the film and TV department..."
"But I heard from ahem that they're preparing for female trainees."
"So it's confirmed that the female trainees have been separated?"
"They say the information about position adjustments will be announced soon. In the future, the production of girl groups will be managed by Yang Siyu, the former A&R department head."
"So what does that make the male trainees? The legitimate heirs or what?"
Jiang Tang accidentally spent a bit too long squatting in the bathroom and overheard quite a bit of the company's internal gossip.
As she listened, she kept sending messages to Jiang Juyou.
"Jiang Tang will definitely be famous next year: You won't believe what I just heard in the bathroom."
"Jiang Tang will definitely be famous next year: They say girl groups will be managed by Director Yang in the future!"
"Jiang Tang will definitely be famous next year: They say they're about to film a debut competition!"
"Jiang Tang will definitely be famous next year: They say your group is the legitimate one!"
On the other end of the internet, Jiang Juyou was standing at the entrance of a concert venue. She frowned as she looked at the intermittent messages coming through, due to poor signal.
"What is this about?" Jiang Juyou sent a question mark in response, but it didn't go through because of the weak signal.
She put her phone away and turned around.
Behind Jiang Juyou stood twenty-one trainees and accompanying staff members, totaling over forty people.
Their group standing together was quite eye-catching.
There were many outdoor activities in summer, and today there was a joint concert. Jiang Juyou happened to be here, so she came along to watch. This kind of activity had already become routine for the trainees, sometimes attending up to two concerts a week.
The concrete ground in the square reflected the dazzling sunlight back up. Jiang Juyou shielded her eyes with her hand, looked around, and asked, "Is it always like this when you guys come out?"
Because it was a joint concert, the venue could accommodate thirty to forty thousand fans, and there were even more people in the square now.
Usually, everyone minded their own business, not interfering with others, but quite a few curious onlookers were now looking in their direction.
At first, Jiang Juyou thought they might be sasaeng fans of the trainees, but after observing for a while, she realized these people seemed to be purely curious.
Guan Xiaoxiao, still holding a small fan, quickly replied when she heard Jiang Juyou's question, "It's mainly because there are too many people, and our target group is too large."
"Because of this, they've even made it to the hot topics before," another staff member said with a smile.
After saying this, their small group laughed a bit.
"What do you mean?" Jiang Juyou didn't understand.
Several staff members explained to her in a jumble, "They've been to so many concerts that now Koreans know we'll show up whenever there's a concert!"
"We even made it to the hot topics before, with people asking which company's trainees we were. Later they found out it was a Chinese company!"
"Now we get photographed every time we appear."
Hearing this, Jiang Juyou tilted her head to look at the group of boys wearing hats and masks.
In today's 40-degree heat, they were all wearing long sleeves and pants. To avoid exposing their faces, they had to wear masks and hats, with small handheld fans as their only means of cooling off.
Jiang Juyou stared at them for a while, then tilted her head again and said, "Don't you feel like they've grown quite a bit taller?"
Although she had been coming to Korea frequently, not all visits were to see the trainees. Sometimes she came to meet music producers and styling teams, so she actually only saw the trainees once a month.
Maybe because of the long intervals between meetings, she felt they looked different every time she saw them, especially in terms of height.
"A few of them have indeed grown a lot taller."
"They've all grown quite a bit. You should see what they eat every day."
"They eat meat every day, always wanting Korean barbecue! You don't know how guilty I feel every time I submit the expenses to the finance department!"
Jiang Juyou laughed along but didn't say much more.
On the other side, the trainees were standing together, chattering about something.
"It's so hot..."
"I feel like my face is burning up."
"Xia Yu asked today, and they said this is the last one."
"Stay away from me, I'm dying of heat!"
"Really? We're finally going back to China!"
"Can we stay a few more days? I don't want school to start."
"Hey! Don't you guys have military training coming up?"
Initially, everyone was excited about going to concerts and music festivals, but after attending seven or eight in a month, they had grown tired of it.
Music festivals were still quite interesting, with impressive performances by some rappers and singers that were enjoyable even after multiple viewings. Some idol groups, however, were quite boring, with performances no different from the music shows on TV, and sometimes even lip-syncing without live microphones.
They could now even judge whether idol groups were using live microphones based on the sound from the venue speakers and the extent of their dance movements.
Today was a joint concert, and most of the attendees were well-known, active idol groups.
For this kind of concert, they showed little enthusiasm, their attention already wandering before entering the venue.
As they were talking, the staff called out to them, "Time to go in!"
The group, who had just been chatting casually, immediately put on serious faces, as if they were about to go in and study, even putting on an act.
Jiang Juyou, who had walked closer, glanced at them and chuckled softly.
Sang Mo, who was closest to her, stiffened when he heard the sound.
Gao Xiayu was the first to turn around and greet her, and only then did the others notice Jiang Juyou approaching, quickly bowing and greeting her.
Jiang Juyou shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand, but because she had to talk to them, she had to look up. As she did, she again felt that their height was truly different from before.
She paused for a moment, not mentioning the height issue, and said, "...You've watched so many concerts and music festivals, let's change the topic today."
As she spoke, Jiang Juyou looked towards the brand concert banner in the distance, which listed the names of the groups performing tonight.
"Today, we're going to find faults," she said, turning back to the trainees. "Stand in my position, learn from my example, and find problems with those idols. Use the standards I use to scrutinize you to scrutinize them."
Actually, this had been Jiang Juyou's initial purpose in having them attend concerts. Enjoyment and relaxation were things they could only learn at music festivals, while from idols who prioritized visuals over skill, they could only learn about maintaining an idol image.
But Jiang Juyou still required them to watch, attending for several months, over a dozen performances, with the purpose of comparing the freedom at music festivals with the "proper" behavior at concerts.
She wanted them to experience how she felt when watching their performances.
Jiang Juyou checked the time, then said, "This is your assignment for today. Once you're inside, find faults to your heart's content. When you come back, I want to see the faults you've found, and they need to be well-reasoned."
"Alright, go in now. I'll see you at the practice room tonight."
"Oh! Jiang Juyou, aren't you coming in?" Pei Luming even asked out loud.
Jiang Juyou waved her hand in annoyance, "Watching your performances is enough, why would I need to go in?"
The trainees: "..."
Suddenly, they seemed to understand something.
Only a few staff members who wanted to watch the concert stayed to accompany them inside, while the rest went with Jiang Juyou for a meal.
Once they moved to a less crowded place, Jiang Juyou's network connection improved a bit.
"Jiang Tang will definitely be famous next year: Isn't that right?"
"Jiang Tang will definitely be famous next year: Or are you also in charge of the girl groups?"
"Jiang Tang will definitely be famous next year: My legs are going numb from squatting, and they're still not done talking."
After ordering, during the brief wait for the food, Jiang Juyou finally had time to reply to her sister's messages.
"Juyou grocery store: It's not that Yang Siyu is responsible for the girl group, it's that from now on, one producer will be fully responsible for one group, and I'll be in charge of the one I'm handling."
"Juyou grocery store: The debut competition isn't a secret, right? We're about to finish up and head back, so it's normal that we'll be filming for the debut competition."
"Juyou grocery store: Oh, by the way, I bought some fruit and put it in the fridge before I left. Remember to eat it quickly when you two get back, don't let it spoil!"
"Jiang... Among the current A, B, and C groups, which one do you think has the most potential?" During the wait for food, a staff member boldly asked.
As soon as she asked, everyone else's movements became noticeably quieter, all secretly paying attention to this conversation.
Jiang Juyou didn't beat around the bush, answering directly: "I think Gao Xiayu's group has the most potential."
This response surprised the staff members present.
Everyone knew that the monthly evaluations of these trainees after going abroad would be posted online. Who gets posted mainly depends on the monthly evaluation results, and Gao Xiayu's group had rarely been posted, just once last month.
In other words, out of all the monthly evaluations, they had only achieved first place once.
But if Jiang Juyou thought highly of Gao Xiayu's group, why couldn't they consistently get first place?
Before anyone could voice their questions, Jiang Juyou continued: "Their group has the highest popularity, which should be very advantageous during the debut competition."
"..."
The private room fell silent for a moment, with everyone exchanging glances, speculating whether fan voting would be the primary factor in the debut competition.
Sensing this silence, Jiang Juyou chuckled, "The competition rules for this year haven't been announced yet, so don't rush! You can leak information later!"
From her words, it was clear she understood everything.
