Girl idols are meant to be exploited!

Xingchuan Taku looked at her with squinted eyes: "You will have to start working when you get back. Don't deliberately not work just because you are jealous of her."

Xiaozhi vowed, "Manager, don't worry. I won't be passive or lazy! She's going to perform with Master Sakamoto, and I can't let her embarrass herself. I will definitely encourage her to practice!"

Although he was envious, Xiaozhi had no grudge against her and would not cause trouble for her over such a small matter.

On the contrary, Xiaozhi hopes that she will perform well on stage and not embarrass the agency and Master Sakamoto.

After returning to the office, Xiaozhi immediately went to the recording studio, sat in front of the console and listened to the demo produced by Toyokawa Shoko.

She wanted to know what kind of ability this Toyokawa Shoko had that earned such strong recommendation from Hoshikawa Taku.

The more she listened, the tighter her brows furrowed.

Frankly speaking, if you just consider them as people of the same age, this demo is pretty well-made and is a bit better than the songs that Red Ginger usually releases.

But if we regard her as someone who is going to perform on the same stage with Master Sakamoto, this level is far from enough.

Why did Taku Hoshikawa leave such a precious opportunity to her? Is she a relative?

Or did she "sell" her body to get this opportunity from Taku Hoshikawa?

Even before they met, Shoko Toyokawa had already left a very bad impression on Xiaozhi.

Toyokawa Shoko knew nothing about this.

After school that day, Shoko Toyokawa rushed to the office as usual and was about to go to the recording studio to practice, but was stopped by the front desk and told that Taku Hoshikawa was waiting for her in the office.

"Xiangzi, get ready. This Saturday, you'll be performing at Sumimi's concert with Master Sakamoto."

As soon as he entered the door, Taku Hoshikawa said this, which made Xiangzi's brain freeze for a while.

Go to Sumimi's concert?

Acting with Master Sakamoto?

Either of these two incidents alone would have been enough to shock her, let alone together.

Xiangzi is very familiar with Sumimi, as one of the members of this group is her childhood sweetheart, Sanjiao Chuhua.

She clearly hadn't mentioned this matter to Hoshikawa Taku yet, so why did Hoshikawa Taku contact Sumimi first?

Is it because of Chuhua that I got this opportunity?

Acting with Master Sakamoto is not only Xiaozhi's dream, but also Toyokawa Shoko's dream.

Xiangzi has been looking forward to this since he was a child when he followed his parents to watch Master Sakamoto's concert.

But after her mother died and her father was kicked out of the Toyokawa family, this dream was pushed into a corner and almost forgotten.

She knew that after leaving the Toyokawa family, she would never have any contact with Master Sakamoto again.

Not to mention co-performing, she couldn't even afford tickets to Maestro Sakamoto's concert.

And now Taku Hoshikawa actually said that he wants him to co-star with Master Sakamoto?

Or at Sumimi's concert?

"Do you think I'm joking with you?" asked Taku Hoshikawa.

Xiangzi nodded subconsciously.

From any perspective, these two things are completely incompatible.

She couldn't think of any other possibility except a joke.

When Hoshikawa Taku heard this, an expression of "hateful to have someone become as good as him" appeared on his face.

"Xiangzi, how can I have time for such jokes?"

Xingchuan Taku sighed and said in a deep voice:

"Master Sakamoto is a family friend. In order to help you quickly become famous, I used my connections and exchanged benefits with Sumimi's agent to give you the opportunity to perform a song with Master Sakamoto at their concert..."

As he spoke, a look of heartache appeared on Xingchuan Taku's face. He covered his chest and said with a sad face:

"You have no idea how much I paid for this exchange of interests, how much resources I spent... You could say I put all my current wealth on the line."

Xiangzi believed what Hoshikawa Taku said and was deeply moved.

Asking Master Sakamoto to lower his status and participate in an idol concert is not something that can be done simply by paying money. The favors and costs involved cannot be measured in money.

Hoshikawa Taku actually paid such a huge price to make her famous...

but......

"Is it really worth it?" Xiangzi whispered, "You've paid so much for me..."

Xiangzi felt a heavy pressure and inexplicable guilt.

"Isn't this natural? We share a common destiny."

Hoshikawa Taku leaned over, put his hands on her shoulders, and said in a deep voice, "Xiangzi... I believe in you, I believe in your talent, I believe in your potential, so you must also believe in yourself, you can do it!"

"We have no way out. We can only keep moving forward, even if it means taking extremely high risks. Xiangzi...you won't let me down, right?"

Of course, Hoshikawa Taku's "sad" expression was fake.

The so-called cost and favors are actually just the consumption of a special resource.

Not only did he not suffer any losses, he also received a "brokerage fee" of 9 million yen, which was a huge profit.

As for the pressure...

All the pressure was placed on Shoko Toyokawa.

For a moment, Xiangzi felt that he had a heavy responsibility.

Hoshikawa Taku actually trusts me so much and goes all in on me. So, I have to repay his trust!

Xiangzi raised his head and showed a determined look in his eyes.

"Mr. Xingchuan, I won't let you down. I will show you a perfect performance!"

Chapter 58 You are really high and mighty

want to laugh.

Hoshikawa Takuma wanted to laugh out loud, but he held it back.

It feels so good to be a "PUA" subordinate and a boss who paints a rosy picture for the subordinate.

Just a few words are enough to make the people below enthusiastic, burn themselves out and create value for the company.

I was just like Xiangzi back then, so innocent and funny.

To thank the boss for his "appreciation", he would work overtime even if he was paid a meager salary. Even if it was late at night, he would get up and open the computer to modify the PPT at the boss's command.

The dragon slayer eventually becomes the evil dragon.

Hoshikawa Taku had a clear understanding of this sentence.

However, I am not a complete "evil dragon", right?

After all, the big pie that he painted for Xiangzi was not a blank check. She really got the benefits. As long as she follows the path he planned for her, it would not be impossible for her to even bring her father back to the Toyokawa family.

In comparison, I was so pitiful in my previous life. I ruined my health and ended up dying suddenly.

Hoshikawa Taku laughed self-deprecatingly, looked up at Xiangzi and said, "Xiangzi, don't you want an assistant? I found one for you. She's in the recording studio now. Do you want to meet her?"

"Really? That's great!" Xiangzi's eyes lit up instantly, full of anticipation, "Take me to see him!"

So, under the guidance of Taku Hoshikawa, Shoko Toyokawa came to the recording studio and met Satoshi Ebizuka.

Hoshikawa Taku introduced, "Shoko, her name is Ebizuka Satoshi, and she'll be the studio supervisor from now on. She's also a keyboardist, and she'll be specifically responsible for your work from now on. Just think of her as your assistant."

"You two can talk alone. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."

Taku Hoshikawa left a few words casually, turned around and left the recording studio, leaving the space to the two of them.

After Hoshikawa Taku left, Xiangzi looked at the girl in front of him who was about his own age and took the initiative to say, "Hello, my name is Toyokawa Xiangzi. I hope you can give me your guidance in the future."

"Um...hello." Xiaozhi glanced at her and nodded, but did not extend his hand. Instead, he looked Xiangzi up and down.

According to her observation, Shoko Toyokawa was wearing an ordinary high school uniform, did not have any expensive jewelry, and the mobile phone in her hand was also a cheap one.

She looked just like her, struggling to make ends meet and having no money to dress herself up.

Apart from a pretty face, there is nothing else outstanding about her.

So how did she get access to Taku Hoshikawa’s “connections”?

The most likely thing Xiao Zhineng thought of was some kind of "transaction".

However, despite his guess, Xiaozhi was not so rude as to ask this to his face.

She said calmly, "Ms. Toyokawa, did you know that you are going to perform with Master Sakamoto this Saturday?"

"Yeah, I just heard it from my agent." Xiangzi still felt it was a little unreal. She sighed, "I didn't expect him to go to such lengths for me. Now I have no choice but to work hard."

"The agent you mentioned, are you referring to Hoshikawa Taku?"

"Yes, that's him."

Xiaozhi raised his eyebrows and a faint sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Is this showing off to yourself?

"Do you think your piano skills are good enough to compete with Master Sakamoto?" Xiaozhi asked indifferently, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Xiangzi was stunned for a moment, then said seriously: "Compared to Master Sakamoto, my skills are definitely inferior, but I will try my best not to hold Master Sakamoto back."

"You also know that your skills are inferior. Good, you have some self-awareness." Xiaozhi said lightly.

Xiangzi frowned slightly, feeling that this sentence sounded very harsh.

Doesn't this girl have any emotional intelligence? Can't she understand that this is her own humble statement?

After all, I have been playing the piano since I was a child. There is a certain pressure to perform on the same stage with Maestro Sakamoto, but it does not mean that I will really fall behind.

She suppressed her displeasure and asked calmly, "Do you have any opinion about me?"

"I have no problem with you personally, I just listened to the demo you made."

"Have you listened? How do you feel?" Xiangzi looked at her expectantly, waiting for her evaluation.

"Do you really think I'll give it a good review?" Xiaozhi said coldly, "It's a purely electronic keyboard arrangement, the sound is so thin, it's like it only has a skeleton. How can it hold up a big scene? You still want to bring something like this to Master Sakamoto's stage?"

Xiangzi's expression froze for a moment, but he still patiently explained: "That was just a draft, I haven't had time to perfect it yet..."

"First draft? I think this is the final version."

Xiaozhi crossed his arms and raised his chin. "Where's the layering in this song? The main melody keeps repeating itself over and over again. Also, do you know what dynamic change is?"

The notes seem to be moving in a straight line throughout, without any emotional fluctuations. Who are you trying to put to sleep with this song?"

Xiangzi frowned, but Xiaozhi hadn't finished speaking yet.

She pointed at the speakers and continued, "Your melody in the middle section is completely dragging out time. The key change is as abrupt as if an elevator malfunctioned and skipped directly to the next floor. The way you handle the high notes is just uncomfortable to listen to."

As for the ending... Oh, please, the fading out should have layers, what's with your abrupt ending?"

Xiaozhi's string of criticisms stung Xiangzi's expression. She took a deep breath and lowered her voice a bit: "Have you said enough?"

Xiaozhi raised an eyebrow, his tone still sharp: "Why, you're not convinced? Didn't you want to hear my evaluation? This is my evaluation."

"I admit that my demo has many flaws. I just want to ask..."

Xiangzi looked directly at Xiaozhi, and although his tone was not loud, it was full of dissatisfaction. "You just found so many faults, but what about your music? Is your work so perfect that you can criticize others here at will?"

"This..." Xiaozhi was slightly stunned, his expression becoming more hesitant.

Although it feels good to find fault, Xiaozhi also knows that not many of his songs are better than Xiangzi's demo.

She and Xiangzi are of the same quality and are far from perfect.

Seeing Xiaozhi froze, Xiangzi knew he was on to something. He intensified his criticism, saying, "You're so eager to find fault with me. Do you dare to say your melody is definitely better than mine? Your sense of structure is flawless? What gives you the right to act so superior here?"

"You are the one who needs practice the most!"

Xiangzi delivered the final blow.

"I..." Xiaozhi was left speechless. She frowned and said in a deep voice, "My singing is indeed not good enough, but you are going to perform on stage with Master Sakamoto. Do you think that just being better than me is enough?"

"Thanks for the reminder, but you don't have to worry about it." Xiangzi replied without showing any weakness, turned around and walked out of the recording studio, "I will revise my work so that no one can find fault with it, including you."