Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Heading to the Empire

Jiang Qin’s main reason for coming to Tianwen Entertainment this time was to learn about the itinerary and arrangements for the trip to the Empire.

Of course, these things could have been communicated via her Light Computer.

But she figured it would be more polite to stop by in person.

Lan Yuyan felt the same way.

That was why they had scheduled a time to meet at the headquarters and, while they were at it, sign the contract.

The contract stipulated that Jiang Qin would participate in the show as a singer-songwriter representing Tianwen Entertainment. Her base pay was five million Star Coins, with an additional million for making it into the top ten.

The prize money would increase by a million for every rank she climbed.

The prize for third place was thirty million, forty million for second, and if she took first, she could walk away with a total of fifty-five million Star Coins.

It was an incredibly generous sum.

However, if she really did take first place, Tianwen Entertainment would make an absolute killing, so they weren’t being stingy with the prize money.

Lan Yuyan admitted frankly, “I insisted on adding your name to the list, Miss Jiang, despite the opposition, because I have faith in you.

I trust you won’t let me down, right?”

“Hmm… Perhaps,” Jiang Qin chuckled, not giving a clear promise.

After all, she believed there was always someone better out there.

“I was wondering if you are free tonight, Miss Jiang? I’d like to treat you to a meal. There’s a natural food restaurant on the Main Star that’s quite good.”

Jiang Qin declined. “As much as I’d love to have dinner with you, Minister Lan, I’m afraid I have other plans tonight.”

“Is that so? What a shame. But no matter, we can hold a celebration banquet when you return.”

“Yes, alright.”

Lan Yuyan saw Jiang Qin to the departure level and only turned to return to his office after her Flying Car was far in the distance.

For the rest of the day, his mind would drift from time to time.

Finally, he simply put on some music and closed his eyes to rest.

’I have to admit,’ he thought, ’I was somewhat captivated by Jiang Qin’s stunning looks and her gentle, courteous demeanor.’

That’s how things were in the Interstellar age. Falling in love was simple. If both parties were interested, it wouldn’t be strange to meet in the morning and be married by noon.

Of course, he didn’t think he’d actually fallen in love with Jiang Qin.

’It was just my first time encountering a female like her; a little flutter of my heart was unavoidable.’

Outstanding females always attracted the admiration of males with ease.

It’s just…

If the object of his affection had been an A-level female, his family would likely have helped him secure the right to be her partner.

However, the one who’d caught his eye was a C-level female, which meant…

In the end, he could only suppress this sudden impulse.

***

「August 10th.」

The three entertainment giants—Tianwen Entertainment, Four Seas Entertainment, and Star Entertainment—each selected three composers and three singers for the trip to the Empire’s Main Star.

The moment the list was announced, the entire Star Network erupted in discussion.

[Seriously, is Tianwen Entertainment that pig-headed? They just had to pick Jiang Qin?]

[Which big shot is backing Jiang Qin? Pushing her this hard? So they’re just openly pulling strings now, huh?]

[Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with satisfying a female’s desires, but using an event like this to curry favor with one, while ignoring the Federation’s honor, is going too far.]

[It’s just that some females are too thoughtless. Is a program like this something to be taken lightly?]

[Hey, why is everyone just focused on Jiang Qin? Didn’t the other two companies also pick a newcomer?]

[They don’t count as newcomers. Ares from Four Seas and Hua Ran from Star have been popular composers for the past two years.]

[They’ve released plenty of hit songs, reached number one on the new release charts, and have had tons of tracks in the top ten on the trending charts.]

[And Jiang Qin? A newcomer who just popped up two months ago? What a joke!]

[I’m dying, they’re just going to embarrass the Federation again this year. Besides these three “newcomers,” there are three new singers, and everyone else is just someone who lost to the Empire last year.]

[Sigh, I feel bad for these composers. They could have retired gracefully.]

[Under the banner of “winning glory for the Federation,” even the one with the fewest attempts has gone three times and lost three times…]

[It’s a testament to their mental fortitude that these veterans haven’t been driven to depression already.]

[Then why are you all against picking newcomers? Is there any hope for the music scene without new blood?]

[We can pick newcomers, but not ones this new!]

…

But for all the heated discussion, the list wasn’t about to change because of them.

So, Jiang Qin was already boarding the starship with the others.

Because the ship was quite large, every composer and singer could bring their own team, with a limit of ten people.

So she brought eight bodyguards, along with Xie An’an and her sister.

The others, meanwhile, brought makeup artists, stylists, assistants, bodyguards, and so on.

Xiao Zheng was quite shocked by Jiang Qin’s decision to bring only bodyguards.

’Is it really okay not to bring your own makeup artist?’

Though the show would definitely provide makeup artists, there would likely be a queue, and the results might not be satisfactory.

That was why almost everyone brought their own trusted teams to participate in the program.

But Jiang Qin insisted she didn’t need to make any changes.

’Hilarious. I don’t even have a makeup artist.’

Xie Lili was learning makeup from her, but she’d only just started and hadn’t completed her training yet.

As for Jiang Qin’s own makeup skills, she had learned them in her past life on Earth, of course.

Back when she was in the entertainment industry, she had been bullied, experiencing things like having her makeup artist snatched away or being deliberately given unflattering makeup.

So, she learned her lesson and enrolled in a class to learn makeup herself.

The next time her makeup artist was poached, she calmly did her own makeup, no longer needing to rely on anyone.

***

“Miss Jiang, what flavor of nutrient liquid would you like?”

Jiang Qin wasn’t picky. “An unflavored one is fine.”

Xie An’an did as requested and handed one over.

“About how long until we arrive?”

Being the thoughtful assistant she was, Xie Lili had already researched all the details for the trip to the Empire before they left.

So she was able to answer right away, “The total travel time from the Federation to the Empire is three days and two nights, so we should arrive the night after tomorrow.”

This meant that after they arrived, they would only have one day to rest before the show started.

The show *Interstellar Composer* used a live broadcast format.

The network firewall between the Federation and the Empire would be temporarily lifted for such competitions.

But there were still restrictions; both sides could only watch the other’s live streaming platform.

Other applications remained locked.

The Empire restricted the Federation, fearful that they might steal Imperial technology and information.

So they designed various barriers to prohibit Federation people from engaging in activities within the Empire.

And the Federation was just as proud.

’If you’re imposing a technological blockade on us, we’ll impose one on you, too.’

Although the Federation had yet to develop any technology that surpassed the Empire’s, who was to say that day would never come?

For instance, there was now an exception.

And that was Jiang Qin!

Her ability to draw out a female’s Spiritual Body through singing to provide deep soothing was a first in the Interstellar age.

Thus, anyone paying close attention would notice that the trending topics about Jiang Qin on the Star Network had, at some unknown point, been scrubbed.

All that remained were a few performance videos of her singing.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep