EFB Chapter 4 New Era Powerful Singers
Chapter 4 New Era Powerful Singers
News from the entertainment industry.
Aside from negative news that violates morality and laws, and news of certain celebrities secretly marrying and having children, these usually come and go quickly.
The hashtag that was at the top of Weibo yesterday has vanished without a trace the next day.
However, although the entry has disappeared, most people who follow the entertainment industry still have the impression that Jiang Wantang is now signed with Shengshi Entertainment.
This is a common tactic used by entertainment management companies.
Even the simplest signing announcement can be used to gain recognition and increase popularity.
......
11:00 AM.
Wearing a simple white shirt and having washed his hair, Chen Yuan took the subway to the Blue Whale TV station building in Binhai City.
After glancing at the hundred-meter-tall building, Chen Yuan swaggered into the television station.
I had just entered the building.
The security guard with the beer belly, who was standing in front of the pedestrian turnstile on the first floor to prevent fans and strangers from entering the TV station, immediately raised his head and greeted them with a smile.
"Ah Yuan, trying to find work for your star again?"
Looking at the chubby security guard, who was probably only in his thirties but had already avoided thirty years of detours, Chen Yuan didn't say much. He just smiled, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and handed it to the chubby security guard.
"Hey Fatty, can you open the turnstile for me?"
The chubby security guard accepted the cigarettes without any hesitation, opened the gate, and then pretended to be angry as he said seriously, "Ah Yuan, just come directly next time. Why are you being so formal?"
Chen Yuan waved his hand in response, then walked directly into the elevator that was stopped on the first floor and pressed the button for the recording studio floor that Luo Qianyang had notified him of.
Whether in this life or the previous one.
Chen Yuan never smokes, and the reason is simple: in his previous life, he needed to protect his voice, and in this life, it's even simpler—Jiang Wantang doesn't like the smell of smoke.
......
Stepping out of the elevator, we arrived at the recording venue.
The studio, which can accommodate more than 500 people, is now full of staff members conducting pre-recording adjustments.
This recording will not only feature singers, but also hundreds of audience members who will vote in real time.
Chen Yuan, acting like an insider, strode forward and saw Luo Qianyang, who was directing the stage setup with a walkie-talkie.
"Director Luo, where's the lunchbox? Where is it?"
"Boxed lunches? The stage isn't even set up yet, and you're already in a hurry to eat boxed lunches? Which department are you from..." Luo Qianyang turned around angrily.
Upon seeing Chen Yuan, who was wearing a white shirt, had his beard shaved, and was smiling, he was first stunned, then glanced back twice.
After confirming that no one was following Chen Yuan, his expression changed slightly, and he quickly shouted into the walkie-talkie.
"Assistant director, assistant director."
"Please check on the stage and have the stage crew adjust the lighting and everything to their optimal settings."
Done.
Luo Qianyang immediately put away the walkie-talkie, waved to Chen Yuan, and said, "Chen Yuan, come with me for a moment."
Following Luo Qianyang backstage, Chen Yuan curiously looked around.
Although the studio here is a bit small for a large-scale singing competition variety show, it has everything you need, so it can be said that it is small but complete.
Each contestant has their own small room where they can prepare, and there is also a rest area similar to a living room where contestants can chat with each other after their performance.
Because singing competition shows, unlike reality shows, cannot cram in a lot of content.
Therefore, the conversations between contestants after their performances are undoubtedly a major highlight of variety shows, especially when they critique each other's performances.
We arrived at the backstage living room.
Luo Qianyang pointed to a large pile of masks on the table, his finger pointing to the most distinctive blue gauze mask, and spoke slowly.
"Ah Yuan."
"Look, this is a mask I specially prepared for Wan Tang. What do you think?"
"I know... Wan Tang probably doesn't want to participate in this variety show. There's definitely not much exposure, and it won't help her current career."
"But compared to other full-coverage animal masks, this thin veil mask that only covers the lower half of the face is already the maximum compromise I can make."
"Even with this thin veil, things are still a bit hazy, but anyone with a discerning eye will definitely recognize... that's Wan Tang singing. Doesn't that give us some exposure?"
"A mysterious, heavily made-up female knight-errant wins the Masked Singer competition—isn't that a great gimmick?"
"It's very good, Director Luo has prepared diligently." Chen Yuan nodded in strong agreement. Having worked with many variety show directors in his previous life, he understood that this was indeed a significant concession.
After all, this is a masked singing competition where the winner is determined by the sound.
The appearance of such a semi-transparent veil mask, to some extent, already clashes with the overall tone of the variety show.
"That Wan Tang?" Luo Qianyang leaned forward slightly, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
Chen Yuan shrugged helplessly. "She's not coming."
Although he was already prepared, receiving this definite news again made Luo Qianyang feel a tightness in his chest, but he still tentatively asked.
"Ah Yuan, people outside may not know about your relationship with Wan Tang, but do you think I don't know?"
"They're true childhood sweethearts, inseparable since they were little. With your relationship, you still can't handle it?"
"I can't handle it. If Director Luo wants to resolve this now, he'll most likely have to communicate with Shengshi Entertainment." Chen Yuan shrugged, indicating his helplessness.
"Do you think I didn't ask Shengshi Entertainment yesterday?!" Luo Qianyang roared, then slammed his fist on the back of the sofa, cursing angrily.
"Damn it, that Shark from Shengshi Entertainment is asking for a five million appearance fee right off the bat!"
"That's five million!"
"If I could get approval for five million, I wouldn't be recording in this tiny studio; why wouldn't I go to a large film and television park outside!"
"These singers nowadays, once they hear they have to sing masked and can't show their faces, they all demand exorbitant prices. They're all short-sighted and can't see the potential of my variety show!"
Chen Yuan nodded in strong agreement and echoed, "Director Luo, you're right."
"I think your variety show is really good. The masked contestants are inherently intriguing. If any singer really sings well, people online will definitely speculate about their identity, and the level of discussion will be extremely high."
"Hey, Yuan, it's only someone like you who's an agent who understands this." Luo Qianyang shook his head with great emotion, then cheered himself up and asked.
"If Superstar Jiang can't see the appeal of this variety show, it's her loss if she doesn't come, not mine."
"Alright, A-Yuan, give me the new list of candidates."
"Okay, Director Luo, please make a note of this." Chen Yuan continued, "The new list of candidates is—Chen Yuan, a rising star singer."
Luo Qianyang, who was taking out his phone to record something, nodded slightly: "Okay, Chen Yuan, a rising star..."
He wasn't finished yet.
Luo Qianyang suddenly froze, his neck stiffly raised slowly, and he asked in a lifeless tone.
"Chen Yuan? A rising star in vocals?"
"Yes, Chen Yuan." Chen Yuan pointed to himself with great seriousness and said, "Director Luo, that's me."
"Director Luo, I'm not going to pretend with you anymore."
"Back when we had our kindergarten's Children's Day performance, Jiang Wantang was able to win first place entirely thanks to my voice and singing skills. Her legs were shaking when she went on stage..."
"Chen Yuan, have I taken good care of you all these years? Have I introduced you to a lot of resources?" Luo Qianyang asked inexplicably.
"Of course, if you ask who takes the best care of me at Blue Whale TV, it's definitely Director Luo."
"Since I'm the one who takes the best care of you, why did you cause me to lose my job?" Luo Qianyang's tone was unusually low, like a vengeful ghost that had been suppressed in an ancient well for a hundred years.
"If the response to 'The Masked Singer' is good, I can get more resources from the station. My next variety show might be directing a reality show, or other larger variety shows."
"It's one thing if you can't bring Jiang Wantang, but can't you even bring one other artist? Even an online singer would be fine."
As he spoke, Luo Qianyang grabbed Chen Yuan's shoulder and shook him violently while shouting.
"Don't hurt me, Chen Yuan, please don't hurt me."
"Cough cough, don't rush, Director Luo, don't rush, I can't breathe." Chen Yuan hurriedly asked Luo Qianyang to let go of his hand, and coughed incessantly.
"Director Luo, you can listen to me and see if I'm any good. I'm a really talented singer."
Luo Qianyang has already let go.
He slumped onto the sofa in despair, staring blankly at the ceiling, already imagining himself being fired by the TV station executives after recording one episode.
Chen Yuan looked around, picked up the guitar that was placed as decoration next to the sofa, and asked.
"Director Luo, is this guitar usable?"
Luo Qianyang waved his hand in response, completely devoid of life, and kept searching his mind for someone to save the day.
He had a really good relationship with Chen Yuan, so when that singer stood him up, he immediately contacted Chen Yuan, hoping to get Jiang Wantang to come to the rescue.
In his opinion, given the relationship between Chen Yuan and Jiang Wantang, there should be no problem with this.
But unexpectedly... this situation has occurred, and now the competition, which was originally scheduled for six people, has one empty spot, creating a gap in the competition.
There are only a few hours left before recording, and it's definitely too late to find a normal singer.
If all else fails, we can only find someone from the station to fill in, sing a song without showing their face, which might salvage the situation a little.
But if that happens, he'll likely not get good resources in the future and won't be able to advance any further.
Luo Qianyang grew increasingly desperate.
Meanwhile, Chen Yuan picked up his guitar, tuned it a couple of times, coughed twice to clear his throat, and then skillfully plucked the strings.
"You are that unreachable galaxy, shooting stars are gifts, starlight is a smile."
The guitar playing was crisp, the vocals were deep and resonant, and the song was full of emotion.
Luo Qianyang, who was in a daze, heard the singing and initially thought someone was playing music. He looked around in a daze until he saw Chen Yuan sitting on the armrest of the sofa, singing with his head held high.
He immediately sat up straight, a look of surprise on his face, but the singing continued.
"Reaching out to touch it, yet fearing it might all be a fleeting dream..."