"The Birth of the Group" is a talent show with extremely powerful backers. Penguin Video and Penguin Live are the biggest investors. In order to make a splash, they even invited Eric Grant, who is known in the entertainment industry as the "Godfather of Talent Shows," claiming they would create the most popular and most authentic talent show of the year.

In recent years, talent shows have lost their appeal, and fewer and fewer people are watching.

It's the same old formula with minor tweaks, and audience fatigue is one reason. Compared to the earliest talent shows, today's shows lack authenticity—it's all about post-production pitch correction.

To ensure the authenticity of the show, the production team pioneered a new format: live broadcasting. This alone caught the public's attention, and the show was already a hit before it even aired.

Although the live format is a gimmick, its downside is the risk of mistakes—more precisely, the risk of staff making mistakes. The director doesn't care if the contestants mess up; sometimes a blunder can actually boost the show's effect and ratings.

The show is extremely popular, and the number of applicants is countless. In the end, the production team carefully selected 63 groups. According to the rules, only four spots are available for debut at the end, making the competition extremely fierce.

……

There are still twenty minutes before the show starts.

In the lounge, most of the contestants are practicing their vocals, trying to give the audience an impression of being hardworking and dedicated on camera, establishing an image of diligence.

Camera time is something you have to fight for yourself. For example, the boy groups trained by companies are already confidently playing song relay games in front of the camera.

Those silly, frustrated expressions when they can't continue the song, and the bright smiles when they succeed—each one is a master of acting.

"Pigeon, are you nervous?"

Brian Clark twisted open a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Grace Carter, who had been practicing vocals in a camera blind spot.

Grace Carter took the water and sipped it, glancing around as she said, "I'm okay, it's just that having cameras on all the time is a bit hard to get used to..."

Other people are desperate for camera time, but she doesn't care. Tsk tsk tsk.

Brian Clark shook his head with a smile and reassured her, "Just do your best, you'll be absolutely fine."

"Mm-hmm."

Grace Carter stared at the name tag on his jacket that read "Phoenix Perched on the Wutong Tree," and suddenly remembered, "By the way, Zhixing, where are we going to sit during the seat selection later?"

After all the contestants enter, before the performances, the six rows of seats are open seating. Those confident in their abilities can sit closer to the front.

The benefit of sitting in the front is that you'll get plenty of camera time, but if you have to move to the back after your performance due to low scores, you'll become the joke of the show.

"Where do you want to sit?"

Brian Clark had already decided where to sit, but wanted to hear her thoughts.

"Um..."

Grace Carter thought for a moment and suggested, "How about we sit in the sixth row? That way, there's room for improvement."

"Be more confident."

Brian Clark patted her on the shoulder and encouraged, "Someone has to take first place, so why can't it be us? We're here to win, so let's sit in the first row."

Sitting in the first row was something Brian Clark had planned ever since he learned the rules. The goal was to get enough camera time—even if you become the joke of the show, as long as the audience remembers you, that's a success, especially when you're singing such a distinctive song as "Above the Moon."

"Grace Carter!"

Before Grace Carter could nod, a male contestant in a suit with slicked-back hair parted the crowd and walked over with a smile. "I thought I was seeing things—it's really you!"

"Hey, Ethan Brooks."

Grace Carter raised her hand in greeting, her smile a bit stiff.

This contestant named Ethan Brooks adjusted his glasses and asked curiously, "Last time I asked you to join me for the audition, you said you didn't have time, so how come now..."

Before he could finish, he noticed Brian Clark standing next to Grace Carter, saw the identical name tag, and understood everything.

Sigh, so she just didn't have time for me...

"I..."

Grace Carter lowered her head in embarrassment, not knowing how to explain.

"Let's do our best together. I'm going back to get ready!"

Ethan Brooks forced a smile that looked worse than crying, didn't say more, and left with a lonely back.

"Pigeon, who is that guy?"

Brian Clark was completely confused, not understanding why the man looked at him so strangely, as if he'd stolen his wife. He had no memory of knowing this man.

Grace Carter covered her flushed face and explained quietly, "I met him at a singing competition before. He invited me to join this show, but I turned him down."

"I see, that's kind of awkward."

Brian Clark watched Ethan Brooks squeeze back into the crowd and asked curiously, "Who ranked higher in that competition, you or him?"

Grace Carter replied, "I got the gold award, he got the silver."

"Oh wow!"

Brian Clark raised his eyebrows and joked, "So the worst we can do is second to last?"

Grace Carter didn't laugh. She pressed her lips together and said seriously, "I only won by a narrow margin. Don't underestimate him—he's really good."

"Just kidding, don't worry."

Even though he had a cheat, Brian Clark didn't dare relax for a second. This show was a very important stepping stone for his future.

If you make it, you get to party with models; if not, you go back to working odd jobs.

……