Marry a female star at a bargain price

Chapter 256, Section 257: Sincerity is Precious, But It Has a Price

two days ago.

While people across the country are immersed in the joyful atmosphere of National Day, enjoying the crowded holiday time.

In a luxury apartment in Haicheng.

Cao Yuanzhi, who has transformed into a music star, finally met his beloved after more than a month.

This sweetheart is none other than Chung Chia-Wen, a rising star in the music scene today.

Chung Chia-wen rose to fame quickly after performing a cover of "The Magic of Love" at the finals of the singing competition show "The Voice of China".

After securing her second endorsement deal with the Kalia Magic series, her fame and popularity soared to their peak.

As the saying goes, when you are famous you are prone to gossip.

No matter how many online trolls she hired or how much hype she generated in the early stages to create momentum for her breakout and fame.

As their position gradually solidified, resources poured in.

Even the most clueless netizens eventually realized that this woman's two appearances in the public eye were both attempts to ride on Han Xixi's popularity.

Needless to say, her first performance was at the finals of "The Voice of Life," where she and Dong Li covered "The Magic of Love."

The second time was with Kalia, further deepening the connection between her and Han Xixi.

In the early stages, Chung Chia-wen's cover songs were indeed impressive, and securing the Kalia endorsement was a good fit for her image and temperament.

Coupled with the public relations efforts of her team, she received widespread praise online.

As a result, although Han Xixi was the one being taken advantage of, she ended up bearing most of the public pressure.

Under the influence of Zhong Jiawen's team, Han Xixi was criticized by the media and netizens for her mediocre singing skills, weight gain, and being lucky to have married a good husband.

Han Xixi did not respond at all.

Because of her indifference, the public opinion storm quickly subsided, and Zhong Jiawen's popularity also declined rapidly.

This really worried Chung Chia-wen.

This woman gained fame by riding on Han Xixi's popularity. When she first became famous, she really wanted Han Xixi to die, and her main characteristic was that she would eat her food and then curse him.

As a result, Han Xixi disappeared from the internet.

Chung Chia-wen thought her time had come, so she took on various commercial performances and variety shows, hoping to replace Han Hsi-hsi and shine brightly in the music scene.

It turned out that nobody bought it.

No matter how much she jumps around, her popularity is nowhere near as high as when she covered "The Magic of Love" on the "Sound of Life" stage.

She only realized it belatedly.

In the entertainment industry, ultimately, it's your work that matters!

If you become an actor, you might be able to take a shortcut, since acting skills can be packaged.

With the added boost of online traffic, maintaining popularity within a specific niche is not difficult, and with a bit of luck, it can even become a massive hit.

But in the music industry, such a probability is almost nonexistent.

For songs, packaging and marketing don't have much effect; if it's not good, it's just not good.

Admittedly, some singers are packaged as gods of the music scene, but they don't have a single representative work, and the whole internet is full of ridicule for them.

Chung Chia-wen didn't even have the public support to debut through a talent show.

It's very difficult to maintain popularity through marketing alone.

Her team also realized this, and the only way to maintain the hype was to keep exploiting Han Xixi.

As a result, Han Xixi herself stopped participating. Despite being at the peak of her popularity and influence, she simply stopped appearing.

This really worried Chung Chia-wen's agent.

At the same time, it also dealt a heavy blow to Zhong Jiawen, bringing her back to reality and making her realize that her fame and popularity were all illusions, and that she was just scraps that Han Xixi didn't want.

Now that the main person involved has disappeared, she couldn't even leave behind this little bit of scrap.

When Chung Chia-wen regained her senses, she felt a little ridiculous, but more than that, she felt angry and resentful.

She also wanted Han Xixi's representative works, but she wasn't lucky enough to meet a husband who was exceptionally talented.

So she had to find a solution.

With a wealthy backer, she also spent money to hire some well-known musicians in the music industry to create works tailored for her.

But when you get the finished products, they're either pop songs or self-indulgent so-called highbrow works, nothing like Han Xixi's representative works, which are popular, catchy, and easy to listen to.

Chung Chia-wen was furious and cursed more than once: "So all the inspiration in the music industry has died out, and only Ma Yao is talented?"

No one answered her.

But it seems that this is the conclusion.

Chung Chia-wen had no choice but to accept her fate, realizing that she had gone around in circles and returned to square one. Only Ma Yao, this musical genius with incredible skills, was the only breakthrough that would allow her to gain a foothold in the music industry.

Previously, in order to get in touch with Ma Yao, she went so far as to orchestrate a "legendary romance" with Cao Yuanzhi.

It turns out that this damn man was acting strangely for some reason.

He would rather sell his house to pay off his debts than hand over Ma Yao's contact information, nor would he use their brotherhood to ask him for a song.

Chung Ka-man was furious, feeling that all her arrangements had been in vain, and left.

She thought she would never have any further involvement with Cao Yuanzhi in her life.

As a result, on the last day before National Day, "Love Like a Tide," which had been a viral hit online for a week, was officially released on Tencent Music.

Just as the entire internet was asking who Cao Yuanzhi really was.

Chung Chia-wen was completely dumbfounded.

"Damn it, this jerk wouldn't ask Ma Yao to sing for me, but then he turned around and started singing himself... And he still has the nerve to say he loves me?"

Zhong Jiawen felt like killing Cao Yuanzhi.

But now, she is in the midst of a sharp drop in fame and popularity.

In addition, on the day that Cao Yuanzhi's "Love Like a Tide" was released, Han Xixi also admitted for the first time to her marital relationship with Ma Yao and interacted generously with netizens in the comments section of Weibo topic.

Her candid and down-to-earth style earned her the title of "the real deal in the Chinese entertainment industry" and unprecedented praise.

One goes down and the other goes up.

Chung Chia-wen, who rose to fame by riding on her coattails, was quickly purged by netizens and caught in a negative public opinion vortex of accusations of riding on her coattails, lacking talent, and being artificially promoted by capital.

In the early stages, she was able to rely on online trolls to create momentum and overshadow Han Xixi.

But now, faced with a large following of casual viewers, paid online commentators are completely ineffective, and Chung Chia-wen can only suffer the backlash from this wave of popularity.

Her resources plummeted, and she even became synonymous with "bad girl in the industry."

Upon seeing this, the patron's attitude towards her completely changed, showing a tendency to discard her like trash.

Chung Ka-man had no way to express her suffering.

He used every possible position in the big villa, leaving tools scattered all over the place, before finally managing to get the sugar daddy to reluctantly take him in.

But Chung Ka-man also knew that her chances were slim.

If she doesn't save herself before her sugar daddy completely abandons her, then her sudden fame will truly be as fleeting as a flash in the pan.

After much deliberation, Chung Chia-wen realized that the only person she could rely on was Tsao Yuan-chi.

The scheme I set up for Cao Yuanzhi was a spur-of-the-moment decision I made after a chance encounter with him at a bar.

After all, although people in the music industry know that Cao Yuanzhi is Ma Yao's only remaining connection in the industry.

Although many singers in the industry would like to receive Ma Yao's favor, 99% of them automatically give up because of the premise that "Ma Yao only writes songs for Han Xixi," rather than risk being rejected.

Chung Chia-wen didn't actually have high hopes when she tried to take down Tsao Yuan-chi.

As expected, producer Cao was ruined by her, losing his business and his job, and he couldn't get a single song back from Ma Yao.

Although Chung Chia-wen was angry, she knew that this path was indeed a dead end.

But now, Cao Yuanzhi has transformed into the original singer of "Love Like a Tide," which has become a hit across the internet.

When Chung Chia-wen heard the news, her eyes widened in disbelief.

No!

What happened to Ma Yao's promise that he would only write songs for Han Xixi?!

You should keep your word and continue being your unwavering Saint Seiya!

What's the meaning behind suddenly writing a song for Cao Yuanzhi?!

Chung Ka-man was absolutely furious.

She carefully studied the lyrics of the song "Love Like a Tide" and it wasn't hard to guess that the lyrics were written from Cao Yuanzhi's perspective, specifically for her, this scumbag woman!

In other words, Ma Yao already knew about Zhong Jiawen.

However, to be fair, she only became famous by riding on the coattails of someone else's wife. If Ma Yao were really a pure love warrior like the rumors online, with the entire internet only loving Han Xixi...

Then it's impossible not to pay attention to her, this person who became famous by riding on Han Xixi's popularity.

Chung Chia-wen believes that Ma Yao must have hated her to the extreme.

But this realization did not make Chung Chia-man feel sorry for herself; on the contrary, she felt that this was her last chance to turn things around!
In the entire music industry, there are at least tens of thousands of people who can label themselves as "singers"!

But in Ma Yao's eyes, besides Han Xixi and Cao Yuanzhi, there should only be her, right?
Such treatment, like the joke about "selling shoes in the desert," represents both a crisis and an opportunity.

Now that she has nowhere else to turn, Chung Ka-man certainly won't let this opportunity slip by.

So, a month after her bitter farewell to Cao Yuanzhi, she took the initiative to contact him and, like a goddess from heaven, quietly descended upon Cao Yuanzhi's new apartment.

After a long separation, the lovesick man and woman embrace and weep bitterly, followed by a tender and sentimental love affair that is not suitable for children.

When it came to the last step, Chung Ka-man suddenly fastened her clasp, lifted her shoulder strap, and closed her cardigan, looking distressed as she said she had to rush to a commercial performance in a small, obscure city. She added that if she didn't go, her manager would force her to accompany a big shot in the industry for drinks.

Her words conveyed a resilient image of a naive young actress forced into a life of despair yet fiercely fighting back.

Cao Yuanzhi was almost moved to tears.

However, he had only just debuted. Although his first single became a hit, the entire internet only recognized Ma Yao and not Cao Yuanzhi. Everyone described his sudden rise to fame as "a stroke of incredible luck."

He has now risen to fame.

However, his status in the industry is far from high enough to allow him to stand up for Chung Ka-man or make decisions for her.

Thus, despite his deep reluctance, Cao Yuanzhi had no choice but to let his beloved leave and become a servant of chickens, ducks, fish, and meat.

Old Cao was heartbroken, and he cherished her pure and untainted soul even more.

Heroism reached its peak at this moment.

After Zhong Jiawen left, he tossed and turned, thinking and thinking, and realized that there was only one way to save her from her suffering.

So on the last day of National Day.

Behind the backs of his company and agent, and risking being recognized by passersby, he went to Anyang County alone.

Then came the phone call Lin Xiao received.

……

At 1 p.m., Lin Xiao picked up Cao Yuanzhi at the high-speed rail station.

It had only been a month since they last met, but Lao Cao was already a completely different person.

At that time, he lived in a cramped and old rented room, and he was so dejected that Lin Xiao almost didn't recognize him.

But now, he is full of vigor and has a rosy complexion.

Even though he was already 30, Lin Xiao could still see a youthful air about him, making him look younger than he did.

Lin Xiao exclaimed in amazement: "It's true what they say, fame makes you more attractive! Netizens were right!"

The two exchanged brief greetings without much further conversation.

With a life-or-death bond and the camaraderie of classmates, many things don't need words to communicate; a single glance is enough to convey everything.

However, he didn't say much.

Lin Xiao immediately noticed that there was a hint of evasion in Lao Cao's excited and natural eyes, which further confirmed his guess.

However, nothing was said at the time.

After driving away from the high-speed rail station, we went directly to a very distinctive stir-fry restaurant in the county town. We ordered a few specialty dishes, but no alcohol, just two bottles of soft drinks.

"I'm driving, and I have to go to town to volunteer this afternoon, so I won't be drinking!"

Lin Xiao explained.

Cao Yuanzhi waved his hand, not taking it to heart.

"Speak, Mr. Cao, what brings you to Nanzhou to see me all of a sudden?"

Lin Xiao didn't have time to beat around the bush with him, and there was no need for it between brothers.

So they got straight to the point.

Cao Yuanzhi's eyes became increasingly evasive, and he grabbed his phone as if to smash it at him, looking "angry."

"Screw your big star status! Try mocking me again and see what happens!" Old Cao said irritably.

"Tsk, look at you, how can you be so unrealistic!"

Lin Xiao laughed, "Your name was on the trending topics for seven days during the National Day holiday. This guy is directly competing with the motherland for popularity... Is it wrong for me to call you a big star?"

Cao Yuanzhi knew that wasn't the case, but he couldn't find the words to refute it and could only roll his eyes at him.

After this back and forth, Lin Xiao became even more convinced that he had something he couldn't say.

After all, before this, Lao Cao had always been a straightforward person.

Even before Lin Xiao revealed his true identity to his wife, he entrusted her, the only person in the know, to sell songs like "Human World" and "Warm" to Fei Hong Entertainment in a manner similar to "bridge loan," and to use them on Han Xixi.

While addressing him as a brother, Lao Cao collected "handling fees," acting as if even close brothers would keep clear accounts. Lin Xiao not only didn't find it hurtful, but actually liked this open and honest personality.

After all, things with clearly marked prices are easier to negotiate.

I'm afraid of those guys who say they don't want money, but then use their brotherhood to manipulate you and leave you to deal with it yourself.

This is the real problem!

Giving too little is inappropriate, while giving too much makes one feel like a sucker. If this goes on and on, even the best of brothers will drift apart.

Lin Xiao's ability to stay with Lao Cao for so long is inseparable from his straightforward and outspoken personality.

But now, this usually straightforward person instinctively avoids Lin Xiao's questions.

This further convinced Lin Xiao that Lao Cao's sudden arrival was definitely not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather that he had a request.

That's what makes Lao Cao hesitate and unable to speak in front of his brothers.

Lin Xiao knew without even thinking that it was related to that woman, Zhong Jiawen.

He didn't bring it up himself, preferring to play dumb. After all, he and his brothers would never get along with this woman.

So for the first ten minutes of the meal, the two only reminisced about the past and didn't talk about anything else.

Ten minutes later, Cao Yuanzhi finally couldn't sit still any longer.

So, his generous expression vanished, and he spoke with an embarrassed look: "Um... junior, I really did come here for something... to be honest, I'm shameless and insatiable... um, could you give me another song?"

With just two simple sentences, Cao Yuanzhi blushed and stammered as he spoke.

It took him two minutes to finish speaking, and he didn't dare look at Lin Xiao the whole time.

Lin Xiao remained calm.

They neither looked down on Lao Cao for asking questions, nor did they feel that he was taking advantage of them.

Since you've chosen him as your brother, trust his character.

Even though he opened his mouth when he shouldn't have, Lin Xiao believed that he must have had his reasons.

Moreover, now that he has seen through Lao Cao's "dilemma," he will not blame him or turn against him as a brother.

Lin Xiao could only sigh: Zhong Jiawen's honey trap was truly amazing!
With memories of his past life, Lin Xiao knew that women's methods were extremely powerful.

In the financial, entertainment, and political spheres, there are countless cases of people being ruined by women; it's nothing new.

To outsiders, it might seem unbelievable.

These people are clearly outstanding individuals, the best in their fields. How could they lose their entire fortune because of a mere woman?

Even worse, most of the women who seduced them were of average appearance, not even considered beauties.

This led netizens to watch the spectacle with amusement, and they couldn't help but lament that these successful people hadn't tasted much good food and had very little self-control. They said they definitely wouldn't have fallen for it if it were them, and so on...

Lin Xiao never thought that way.

He firmly believed in one thing: when women get ruthless, they are absolutely more terrifying than men!
To be fair, if my wife Han Xixi were exposed as a scheming woman, and our marriage was a conspiracy from beginning to end, and then Xixi, after the truth came out, tearfully confessed in front of me, touched her belly and said she would turn over a new leaf and live a good life with me...

Lin Xiao doesn't need to make any assumptions; he will definitely reconcile with her as before in no time, and then rack his brains to write songs for her, propelling her to the top of the music scene!

Respect yourself and others.

Lin Xiao himself couldn't escape the allure of women, nor could he use the detached perspective of an outsider to make his brother Lao Cao see through him at a glance.

After all, Lao Cao was a prodigal son before.

He's a scumbag himself, yet he's still completely infatuated with Chung Ka-man, which shows that this woman is definitely a diamond-level player.

Lin Xiao knew that no matter how kindly he tried to persuade him, it would be in vain.

But he couldn't just watch his brother get cheated for nothing.

After much thought, he decided to gamble on human nature!
Giving the song "Love Like a Tide" to Lao Cao was the first step in this gamble.

Currently, Lin Xiao has achieved an initial victory.

Back then, Lao Cao was set up by Zhong Jiawen and lost all his wealth overnight, even choosing to disappear from the music scene.

Chung Chia-wen, of course, looked down on his meager earnings and had no intention of getting him to resign.

These methods were merely intended to force him to hand over Ma Yao with both hands.

But this purpose cannot be stated openly yet, because once it is said, the innocent image will no longer be able to be maintained.

And so, by a twist of fate...

Cao Yuanzhi believed that only by disappearing from the public eye could he protect Zhong Jiawen's smooth career and prevent her from being harassed and blackmailed by her "ex-boyfriend".

With this understanding, the opportunity for "Love Like a Tide" fell from the sky.

Cao Yuanzhi delivered a performance that was in no way inferior to the original with his superb singing skills and 100% genuine emotion, which led to the song becoming an overnight sensation.

Then, a difficult choice was presented to him.

Feihong Entertainment offered them extremely high debut signing conditions.

He could choose not to accept it, not to publish the official version of "Love Like a Tide," and not to let his name appear in public.

He used this method to defend his love.

Alternatively, one could choose to accept Fei Hong's conditions, seize this rare opportunity and immense wealth, debut, release songs, fulfill their childhood dream, and let Zhong Jiawen get the hell out of here!

Cao Yuanzhi chose the latter!
To be honest, Lin Xiao was not surprised at all by this choice.

Anyone who is alive and breathing will choose the latter.

If someone can still firmly choose love in the face of such temptation, then Lin Xiao will absolutely respect, bless, and commit to it, and then leave without looking back.

Lin Xiao had no intention of using a song to test human nature.

The decision was made solely to pull the depressed and dejected Lao Cao out of his slump.

The matter should have ended there.

Lin Xiao underestimated Zhong Jiawen's determination, and also underestimated the importance of this relationship in Lao Cao's heart.

So, here he comes.

Although he was deeply ashamed, he still chose to speak out and asked Lin Xiao for another song.

Upon hearing this request, Lin Xiao was stunned for a moment, realizing that there was no way to avoid it.

Let's face it head-on!
"Okay!" he nodded in agreement.

"..."

Across from him, Cao Yuanzhi, who had been avoiding eye contact, froze, and finally looked up to meet Lin Xiao's gaze.

He had imagined countless possible reactions from his junior.

To my complete surprise, he agreed without a single question.

Old Cao choked on his words, unable to utter a single syllable for a long time.

The food was served one after another.

Cao Yuanzhi then said, "Junior... um, I didn't make myself clear... the song I want isn't for myself, but... for Jiawen..."

He spoke while observing Lin Xiao's reaction.

Unexpectedly, Lin Xiao still didn't react, only nodding and then frowning slightly.

"Oh, give it to her..."

Lin Xiao smiled, showing no surprise whatsoever, his expression completely nonchalant. "Sure. It's just that 'Confession Balloon' doesn't seem to be a very suitable song for girls to sing, does it?"

Lin Xiao casually raised his doubts.

Cao Yuanzhi was stunned again.

"Confession Balloon?"

He paused for a moment, then quickly recalled, "You mean that song you sang on the streets of Xingcheng earlier this year, the one that caused quite a stir online?"

Lin Xiao nodded: "That's right!"

Cao Yuanzhi stood there dumbfounded.

He never expected that Lin Xiao would mention this song.

That was four or five months ago. One night, he was scrolling through Douyin at home when he suddenly saw a video that went viral online.

The video scene is set on a street in Changsha.

A man is singing for his girlfriend in the live stream of a street musician.

The song they sang was "Confession Balloon".

The live stream wasn't very popular. Only after the song was finished did the number of viewers increase slightly, but it was still very quiet.

After the passerby finished singing and left, netizens searched for the song online but couldn't find a single trace of it.

Everyone then realized that the man who appeared out of nowhere was actually singing an original song.

The video then quickly went viral online.

The entire internet was searching for the singer, but because it was nighttime and the man was wearing a mask, there was no way to find him.

However, after seeing the video, Cao Yuanzhi immediately recognized that the person was Lin Xiao.

He immediately called Lin Xiao to confirm, and Lin Xiao readily admitted it, but said that he had no intention of debuting, so he did not plan to release the song.

Although Cao Yuanzhi was disappointed, he could only respect his decision.

Several months have passed since then, and Lao Cao has long forgotten about it.

Unexpectedly, Lin Xiao suddenly brought it up and said he would give the song to him.

Old Cao was dumbfounded.

"Lin Xiao... are you serious?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course!"

Lin Xiao smiled frankly, "You debuted singing 'Love Like a Tide,' and to put it bluntly, you can be considered a singer from the 'Ma Yao school.' In my eyes, you and my wife are equal. Since I've helped you debut, of course I have to take responsibility to the end, and I'll write songs for you from time to time!"

Lin Xiao spoke these words lightly, as if it were a matter of course.

To Cao Yuanzhi, it was as if his ears were ringing, and he could see money, fame, and status shooting toward him uncontrollably.

Lin Xiao continued, "But as you can see, I've been working overtime even during the National Day holiday. I really haven't had time to write new songs. Besides, songwriting depends on inspiration, and I haven't had any lately. You see, my wife hasn't released a new song in a long time either!"

Cao Yuanzhi nodded repeatedly.

As someone working in the music industry, he understands Lin Xiao's point of view.

"But you've just debuted and need a song to solidify your position, so after thinking it over, I decided to give you 'Confession Balloon'!"

Lin Xiao said, looking troubled, "This song was popular online for a while before. As long as it's officially released, it's bound to become a huge hit. But you have to accept that netizens will compare your version with my version that I saw on the street."

“Your singing skills are better than mine, no problem. But if this song is given to Chung Chia-wen, it's hard to say... After all, netizens have preconceived notions. This song is sung by a man, and suddenly the original singer is changed to a woman. I'm afraid not many people can accept it.”

"If Chung Chia-wen finishes her performance and doesn't gain any popularity but instead gets criticized, then it would be a loss..."

These words made Cao Yuanzhi frown and look worried.

Seeing that his attempt to sow discord had worked, Lin Xiao stopped there and laughed, "I was just making a suggestion. You two can decide for yourselves. Anyway, I'm definitely giving you this song. Whether you keep it for yourself or give it to someone else is up to you... Senior, have some food, it's getting cold!"

Cao Yuanzhi swayed for a moment before recovering from his shock and gave an awkward smile.

He picked up his chopsticks and looked at the dining table.

The dishes were steaming hot when they were served, but they got cold after just a few words of conversation.

Cao Yuanzhi felt a mix of emotions.

Listening to Lin Xiao introduce the specialty dishes, but tasting them, they had no flavor at all, and their minds were already far away.

As a professional musician, how could he not be aware of the power inherent in the song "Confession Balloon"?

Moreover, this song has already gone viral online.

Now, this song has been hailed as a love confession anthem by the entire internet, and many music lovers have dug out the sheet music from the video, recorded an official version, and uploaded it to the internet.

Of course, this is copyright infringement, and a lawsuit against them would be successful.

Even so, various versions are still spreading wildly online, which shows just how powerful this song is.

Whoever publishes it will definitely be a huge hit.

Its popularity is even comparable to that of "Love Like a Tide".

Cao Yuanzhi realized that what his junior had casually given him wasn't just a song, but a sure-fire opportunity to become a hit.

This is an opportunity that many singers might wait their entire lives for.

Although he became an overnight sensation with "Love Like a Tide," he is only famous for his song, not for himself.

The entire internet only recognizes the lyricist and composer Ma Yao, not him as the original singer.

This is why, despite being a hugely popular singer, he wasn't recognized by anyone while traveling alone by high-speed rail during peak tourist season.

Old Cao was keenly aware of this.

If he wants to gain a foothold in the music industry, "Love Like a Tide" alone is far from enough.

He needs an opportunity, an opportunity to further solidify his popularity.

And "Confession Balloon" is just such a perfect opportunity.

So now comes the problem.

Is he seizing the opportunity to establish himself in the industry and continue his explosive success?
Or should she use her valuable work to fulfill her priceless sincerity and give this opportunity to her beloved Chung Chia-wen?

Cao Yuanzhi was caught in an endless dilemma... This was truly a difficult choice!

(End of this chapter)