"Alright, everyone get ready to line up and enter. Once inside, sit wherever you want—don’t hesitate and hold up the filming progress!"

The live broadcast was about to begin, and the staff started organizing the contestants to enter. The lounge instantly became chaotic.

"Bro, you’re the composer Michael Blaze, right?"

In the long line, a male contestant with a buzz cut and a floral shirt caught the attention of the others around him.

"Yeah, that’s me."

The buzz-cut guy nodded.

"Nice to meet you, I really love that song you wrote—it’s so inspiring!"

"Thanks, it’s not that great, you’re flattering me."

The buzz-cut guy smiled and waved his hand.

"You must have a new song for the competition this time, right?"

"I did write something."

……

"Who’s that guy?"

Someone nearby who didn’t know him asked.

A companion frowned after seeing him and explained, "Michael Blaze, a pretty impressive up-and-coming composer. His musical background is super strong. Do you know who his aunt is?"

"Who?"

"Evelyn Parker."

"Oh my gosh, the Evelyn Parker who writes songs for pop kings and queens? So, if he’s here to compete, he’s probably bringing a killer song and lyrics?"

"What do you think! Sigh, the contestants this year are all too strong. Maybe we shouldn’t sit in the fourth row—let’s play it safe and sit in the fifth?"

"Alright, alright, sixth row works too—six is a lucky number anyway."

……

The buzz-cut guy drawing all the attention was named Michael Bolton, and his music platform alias was Michael Blaze. He was Emily Thompson’s current boyfriend.

"Emily."

Michael Bolton had a hint of pride at the corner of his mouth. He lowered his voice and bragged to his girlfriend beside him, "Didn’t expect so many people to recognize me. It’s kind of embarrassing."

No response…

He noticed Emily Thompson was glaring at the back of the line, gritting her teeth and muttering under her breath, "Talk about a narrow road for enemies."

"Who is it?"

Michael Bolton pulled down his sunglasses and looked in the direction Emily Thompson was staring. A few seconds later, his eyes widened and he turned to ask, "Brian Clark is your ex-boyfriend?"

Emily Thompson nodded in surprise. "You know him?"

"Yeah."

Michael Bolton smirked, his eyes full of amusement. "We’re both in the composition department. Not in the same class, but we’ve taken big lectures together. He’s pretty famous. The professor who teaches aural skills even gave him a nickname."

"What nickname?"

Emily Thompson asked curiously.

"Deaf Wu."

Michael Bolton tried to hold back a laugh.

"Pfft!"

Emily Thompson imagined the old professor trembling with anger and couldn’t help but laugh.

"Other than being a bit good-looking, he’s got nothing going for him. Can’t believe you wanted to team up with him before."

Michael Bolton shook his head in disbelief, then asked curiously, "How’s his singing?"

"Sigh."

Emily Thompson sighed and said, "We dated for three years. Before I met you, I was planning to help him out before graduation. Didn’t expect him to be such a letdown. I must’ve been blind back then."

"His singing is really average. Who knows what connections he pulled—just watch, he’ll definitely be among the first batch eliminated."

Waiting in line to enter, Brian Clark sneezed twice in a row, feeling like someone was cursing him behind his back. He looked up by chance.

Their eyes met…

Well, well, it’s the ex-girlfriend!

Chapter 5: How Does He Even Dare?

8:00 PM sharp.

With a gesture from the on-site director, the live broadcast officially began.

"Welcome to the large-scale talent show 'The Birth of a Group,' proudly sponsored by Penguin Live. I’m your host for tonight…"

After the host’s passionate introduction, the stage lights dimmed. Then, the spotlights came on, and amid the screams of the live audience, the mentors made their entrance.

The first mentor to appear was Yvonne Foster, the leader of the hottest boy group Super July M. As a super popular singing and dancing idol who debuted as a trainee, just his appearance set off the crowd, and the live chat was instantly flooded with comments.

"My Yvonne is the most handsome! That silver hair is killing me, I can’t stop staring!"

"Oh my, my boy’s legs are longer than my life!"

"Yvonne is definitely the visual king of this show—no one’s going to be more handsome than him!"

……

The second male mentor to appear was Ryan Cooper, who debuted five years ago and released a few lukewarm albums. This year, he started a music company and planned to move behind the scenes.

What really made the public know him wasn’t his music, but his identity as a super-rich second-generation heir. If he can’t make it in the music industry, he’ll just inherit hundreds of billions.

The main reason the show invited him was for his sharp tongue. On Weibo, whenever he sees something or someone he doesn’t like, he calls them out directly, no mercy. This straightforward personality is sure to add a lot of drama to the show.

Today, he wore a floral shirt and sunglasses, going for a wild and unruly look. His popularity on site and in the live chat was no less than Yvonne Foster’s.

"Ryan hubby, you’re so handsome, love you so much!"

"If the lord does not abandon me, I’m willing to call you my godfather!"

……

The third and fourth mentors to appear were both women: one was the popular band lead singer Ashley Sullivan, and the other was Olivia Harris, a member of the top duo in the music scene.