novellhall Chapter 10: Head & Shoulders – the ultimate dandruff remedy.
Chapter 10: Head & Shoulders – the ultimate dandruff remedy.
Wednesday afternoon.
Lin Mo had just finished a short-term crash course in law and was rushing to the recording site of the eighth episode of "Super Star Avenue".
He was wearing a simple light gray sweatshirt and dark jeans, and his face was still clean and refreshing, attracting a lot of attention in the crowd.
After the last episode aired, Zeng Peici was worried that Lin Mo would become famous and be recognized by fans, so she prepared sunglasses and a mask for him.
After these past few days, I've realized I was indeed overthinking it.
Upon arriving at the CTV building, Lin Mo pushed open the side door of the studio and went inside.
A considerable number of people had already gathered inside.
Staff were setting up the venue, and about twenty young people were standing or sitting, chatting in twos and threes.
Clearly, many people arrived early.
Lin Mo glanced around and saw many familiar faces.
Yang Chong Wei was standing against the wall, his expression still one of deep resentment.
Not far away, a boy with a stubble beard, wearing black-rimmed glasses and looking somewhat expressionless, was Lin Youjia.
Lin Mo was stunned when he saw his face.
Why does this guy have a beard?
"Lin Mo, you're here. Here's your player badge, make sure you keep it safe."
When the production crew saw Lin Mo, they jogged over and handed him a name tag with "[Lin Mo, No. 11]" printed on it.
"Please wait a moment, we'll start recording once the instructor notifies us."
After the assistant finished speaking, she glanced at Lin Mo, blushed, and ran away.
Lin Mo pinned his player badge to his chest and was about to find a place to sit.
Suddenly, a strange, sarcastic voice drifted over from somewhere:
"Tsk, our grand finale star has finally made the trip? We've been waiting for ages!"
The speaker was a boy with dyed yellow hair and wearing a tight-fitting shirt.
Lin Mo glanced at his name tag: [Number 6, Liu Mingfeng].
I don't remember much.
Lin Mo pointed to the clock hanging on the wall and said calmly:
"The appointment was at 2 PM, and it's 1:55 now. Am I late?"
Liu Mingfeng was momentarily speechless, but immediately straightened his neck:
"Everyone else arrived early to chat and exchange ideas, but you just showed up to check things out. You're such a big shot, aren't you?"
"Sorry, no one notified me to arrive early." Lin Mo's tone remained calm.
"You..." Liu Mingfeng's face stiffened.
Indeed, the notice only stated that we would meet at 2 PM.
Several other contestants around them had already looked over.
Several female contestants chuckled to themselves, while others wore expressions of anticipation, as if watching a good show.
Chinese people love to watch a spectacle.
Yang Zongwei then walked over, patted Liu Mingfeng on the shoulder, and forced a slightly stiff smile:
"Alright, alright, we're all teammates, let's not hurt our feelings. Lin Mo is just late, he's not actually late."
On the surface, he was trying to smooth things over by being a nice guy, but he was actually subtly criticizing Lin Mo.
Yang Zongwei was indeed feeling quite uncomfortable.
Despite performing well in the previous episode and successfully advancing to the next round.
When I went online, I found that almost all the discussions about the previous episode were about Lin Mo.
There is very little information about him.
This guy from the mainland stole all the limelight.
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow slightly, about to say something.
Just then, the staff clapped their hands, signaling everyone to gather. Lin Mo didn't say anything and followed everyone up to the second floor.
Liu Mingfeng, who was following behind, scoffed in dissatisfaction.
He was just unhappy with Lin Mo.
Especially after he arrived, I kept hearing female contestants discussing Lin Mo.
"What's so great about being handsome? Just because you're handsome doesn't mean you're amazing. I'm handsome too."
Liu Mingfeng touched his pompadour hairstyle.
Yang Chong Wei patted him on the shoulder, and then followed the crowd up to the second floor.
......
"Class, please be quiet."
A female director wearing black-rimmed glasses walked forward.
First of all, congratulations to everyone for officially becoming one of the top 24 contestants in the first season of "Super Star Avenue"!
"From today onwards, everyone is a member of the Starlight Gang!"
Sparse applause broke out.
Taiwanese people do seem to enjoy forming gangs and similar groups at all times.
"To help everyone perform better on the show, we've specially arranged a [makeover plan]!"
The female director raised her voice:
"Today we'll start with styling and clothing, providing a professional makeover for everyone's personal image!"
Renovation?
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.
But it does make a lot of sense.
The contestants in the first season of Avenue of Stars were almost all ordinary people, like little white rabbits who had wandered into the jungle.
They just love to sing; they don't yet know how much fame and stage it can bring.
Moreover, the design is truly hard to describe.
At this moment, the female director turned to the side and made a "please" gesture:
"Let's welcome our show's styling coach, Mr. Zheng Jianguo!"
A man wearing a linen-colored cotton shirt came out from behind.
She's the one who raved about Lin Mo's "pigeon outfit" in the last episode.
Lin Mo was slightly taken aback when he looked at his face.
Suddenly I remembered, isn't he the male lead in that "New High-Fines Shampoo" ad that's been bombarding TV lately?
"For effective dandruff removal, look no further than Haifisi."
No wonder Lin Mo felt like he had seen him somewhere before during the previous recordings of the show.
Zheng Jianguo stood in front of everyone, arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over each person, silently shaking his head in his heart.
This is no small project.
These twenty-odd young people in front of me, to put it nicely, are "amateurs," but to put it bluntly, they are...
The quality varies greatly, and the styles are chaotic.
What's more troublesome is that the production team's budget is not generous.
Although it was a collaboration between HIM International Music and a television station, the production cost of this modern Taiwanese talent show was only so-so.
It's impossible to provide a styling team for every contestant.
Many of the modifications will likely require his personal guidance.
Zheng Jianguo's gaze continued to move, and when he saw Lin Mo standing in the corner, his eyes lit up slightly.
This is pretty good.
Although Lin Mo's outfit was simple today, he had a refreshing vibe.
In this chaotic dance of demons, it stands out as unique.
Moreover, Zheng Jianguo remembers it very clearly.
In the last episode, Lin Mo not only had amazing singing skills, but his so-called "pigeon outfit" with overalls, black sweater, and center-parted hair, although strangely named, was visually very good.
This has already sparked some discussion online.
Zheng Guojian already had a plan in mind.
He cleared his throat and began to speak:
"Hello everyone, I'm Roger, and my goal is to help you all look more like stage stars."
The contestants all nodded; some were eager to try, while others, who were quite opinionated, looked displeased.
Zheng Guojian took in the contestants' reactions and continued:
"Lin Mo, step forward."
Lin Mo was slightly taken aback, but still walked ahead as instructed.
"You don't need to participate in the next round of collective reform," Zheng Jianguo said directly.
"Your current style and aesthetic direction don't need to be changed. Just keep your current look."
These words immediately sparked a murmur of discussion among the crowd.
"What? No modifications needed?"
"Why should I...?"
"Does this mean we're inferior to him?"