Voice Arena (1)

Lucian indeed helped, but he didn't order to make Aerine to be accepted directly. The audition proceeded fairly this time; the one who took over from the station didn't even dare make wrong judgments due to pressure from this unexpected situation. 

They all scrutinized the footage of all the contestants from the said audition, and there was no doubt that Aerine was the clear winner. Someone even said that the recording was not doing justice to her voice and that she wanted to hear Aerine live. 

Raine was also good, but compared to Aerine, she wasn't really that outstanding. In a way, Aerine still won fair and square. These judges didn't even have any clue of Aerine's involvement with the chairman of the enterprise, so, of course, no one did this just to suck up to her. 

This result created those insiders who knew far more about this issue. Just how could a newcomer manage to defeat an upcoming rising star from a big entertainment company? Could it be that her voice was that good compared to Raine's? 

Aerine has already garnered curiosity from insiders because of this.

This issue was not posted in public as Raine's company was still doing its best to keep it under wraps, not to mention the broadcasting station was maintaining its silence. 

Of course, some stubborn guys still couldn't help but make a post from their gossip social media accounts, but they didn't say any names but more ambiguous sentences that caught the attention of some netizens. 

The result of the audition aside, shocking news was what made real headlines over the past couple of days. After the president called for the three people behind closed doors, no one knew what they talked about, but Mr. Johnson looked so miserable when he left. 

Only the next day, an investigation happened, and all of the issues surrounding a veteran producer from a big station company were revealed at once. Tax evasions, bribery, and the most disgusting of all, sexual harassment allegations, all came to light. 

The evidence against him was strong too, and his career was as good as dead. Not only that, there was a high chance he would be subjected to years of imprisonment. 

On the other hand, the two women who were involved in the audition bribery were also punished, but lighter. From the investigations, they were only involved in this bribery and nothing else, so a suspension for a couple of months to a year was a reasonable punishment. 

This was the reason that even the gossip sites in the entertainment circle were rather loud; the headlines and people's attention were more on Mr. Johnson's case. 

Going back to Aerine, after she was called and confirmed she was accepted, she was silent for a moment. Only after Mils said they celebrated did Aerine almost cry from happiness. 

I'm really accepted. This is not a dream. 

Aerine smiled while there were tears in her eyes; she didn't fail those who believed in her. It didn't matter if her advantage was almost like a cheat from the other applicants; what mattered was that she also did her best and her life was on the right track.

The preparations for Voice Arena had also begun. The show would start a month from now, but the filming would begin next week. The crew still needed to have more footage of the contestants and enough recordings before the live show started.

"In Voice Arena, there will be 16 contestants and a total of four stages. The Group Stage, The Battle Face-Off Stage, Semi-Finals, and Finals. One might think that the stages are few compared to how many contestants are, and a considerable number of contestants will be eliminated every week, but the management said there are some small programs before each stage from the last stage." 

Aerine nodded her head while she listened to Mils intently. They were inside her apartment as they discussed the rules and regulations of the show. She had to be informed immediately about what would happen before the filming started.

And so Mils continued. "Who knows what gimmicks they have on their sleeves, but these four stages are the most important to pay attention to. Not only that, the one-week training before a live show is also an important factor to consider. The evaluation is not only for the judges; you need to get the viewer's attention as well." 

One reason that aspirants wanted to be part of any competitions on television was for the viewers, which equals garnering fans. After all, even if one didn't win the competition, they could have a career if they had fans soon after. 

"Also, Aerine, you will be living in the dormitory together with the contestants, so..." 

Aerine didn't let her finish, and she completed it with a smile. 

"You don't need to worry; I'll try to get along with them. Or at least... I'll try not to cause any trouble in the show." 

Mils chuckled and shook her head. "I'm not worried about that. I only want you to know, Aerine, this is a competition." Her voice had suddenly taken a great turn, and she looked solemn. "Making friends is fine, but you have to know that a genuine friend in a competition like this... is not impossible, but rare." 

What she wanted to fully say was that in the entertainment industry, no one could say for sure who was genuine or wearing fake masks. Aerine was not yet used to these things; as she grew up on an isolated island, Mils wanted her to keep up her guard and not be wronged. 

Aerine deeply understood; she might have been originally pure because of her upbringing, but her common sense was high. It was also not hard for her to learn from observing others, especially if she experienced it herself. 

What happened at the audition was an eye-opener: the world was not full of rainbows and sunshine, especially in the entertainment industry, where everyone wanted to strive for the top. 

Of course, genuine artists who don't use tricks exist, but it was more plausible to keep her guard at all times. 

Aerine held Mils' hands, gave it a gentle squeeze, and smiled. She originally wanted to say thanks, but she felt that Mils didn't want that either, so she said something else. 

"I'll always keep that in mind." 

And so they continued discussing Voice Arena and even the finalized contestants. Aerine was given by Mils the files she had to remember about the other contestants. 

Mils only bid goodbye after saying she had something to take care of in the company. The Free Entertainment Agency, or FEA, was an unknown company since it was only recently acquired for Aerine. 

There were other unknown small artists signed by the company as well, but they were nothing remarkable. However, recently the company was in the spotlight because Aerine was part of Voice Arena, so it was rather noisy for reporters there wanting to get some scoops from this emerging entertainment company. 

Elise had wanted Aerine's profile to be cleaned and not have any involvement from the parent company, so she wasn't signed to the entertainment company that was directly under them. 

This was a consideration to let Aerine have greater freedom and explore the entertainment world without any unnecessary issues. She might have a lower background history, but compared to being immediately in the spotlight, it was more convenient for Aerine's development to have a lower profile at the start of her career. 

***

In a luxurious unit that was occupied by the rich and had a considerable background, a beautiful woman sat on a sunbathing bed. Her curves and enticing body were especially emphasized by the two-piece swimsuit she was wearing. 

Her hand held her phone while reading an article from it. Just a while ago, the sixteen contestants of the highly anticipated show, Voice Arena, were already announced. 

She read them carefully before landing on the last one. In fact, before this announcement, she had already been informed of the full list. It won't be hard for her company to acquire this information. 

So, she knew more than the superficial announcement. As expected, no one was talking about the last contestant but more about the more well-known artists, like her, for example. 

She stared at the woman for a bit before she smiled sweetly, and yet there was something else in this smile for some reason. 

"Aerine Lee... huh?" 

The woman then shrugged and put down her phone before lying down, completely relaxed. It was unknown, though, what she was thinking.