Idols Should Focus on Their Careers [Survival Show]

[A note up front: This is a feel-good power fantasy, pure and simple. The heroine has top-tier skills in everything an idol needs to survive. I'm so burned out from work that I just want to write a little stress relief, starring a genius who relies on her talent and charges straight ahead.]

With talent-show bans lifted in China's entertainment industry, companies looked back on dozens of similar shows and compiled a book called The Art of Winning a Talent Show.

A must-read section of The Art of Winning a Talent Show: The Seven Virtues of a Contestant:

Humility:

"It's not like we have to hold up the sky if it falls."

Teamwork:

"My teammates' abilities... are pretty chaste, I guess."

Generosity:

"This lipstick is from a sponsor. I recommend eating a few sticks a day to boost your inner beauty."

Diligence:

"How is whipping up a pot of butter hotpot base and tossing in frozen dumplings not a way of loving life?"

Kindness:

"If your career plan is to deliver packages beneath Big Ben, then you're sure to succeed."

Optimism:

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm the protagonist of a novel, and the author is some Mr. -sky from the Red Era."

Humor:

"There are 101 of us here. We've trained for an average of three years, and we have to count every drop of oil when we eat greens. If we aren't trying to debut, then surely we're not trying to become nuns."

After filming wrapped, Lin Shuangqi went out to her first event and already considered herself a qualified, old-school idol.

She addressed her beaming manager with her usual humility and caution. "If I keep up this standard idol image of being careful with my words and actions, will fans find me boring?"

[Reading Guide]

Talent shows have been dead for ages, so here's a fictional one to scratch that itch.

The main story is about a bunch of hard workers whipping China's entertainment industry into shape.

If you don't work hard, you'll fade into obscurity!

Theme: Persevere and strive for self-reliance