After offending capital, my songs became more and more popular.

Chapter 159 Talent Triumphs Over Capital! Ruixing Entertainment's 91% Revenue Share!

The entertainment industry (juan), oh the entertainment industry (juan)...

Shen Ming'en had to admit that although he already looked down on these itchy-nosed guys enough, some of their actions seemed to be constantly refreshing Shen Ming'en's understanding.

That day, after "Proud Youth" trended on social media along with the Dragon Team's comeback from a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3, a flood of comments praising Shen Ming'en appeared, some even suggesting it was a form of "overpraise to kill"...

A group of people with itchy noses started to "reverse" and began to call themselves "Shen Ming'en fans". They gradually changed their tune from "Shen Ming'en deserves a lot of credit for the Dragon Team's comeback from 3-3 to 4-3" to "The Dragon Team's victory is all thanks to Shen Ming'en"!
To know!
This kind of "praise to death" is often more speechless than the negative hype created by trolls!
When an athlete wins a victory and brings glory to the country, all the attention and praise shifts to a celebrity due to this "overpraise," which is terrifying. If the relevant departments take notice afterward, Shen Ming'en could be in real danger...

to be honest!
This is simply because there are some people behind the scenes who are still not giving up!

This was perfectly demonstrated at a banquet hosted by brand sponsors after the competition!
As is typical for commercial dinners, taking photos is a must. After the dinner, under the guidance of the brand's representative, everyone stood together to take a group photo.

At that moment, almost everyone tacitly surrounded the Dragon team, who had just won a victory, in the center. But then some idiot suddenly blurted out:
"Ming En, please stand in the middle!"

At that moment, everyone was stunned for a second...

But then, no one voiced any objection.

Even the brand's representative didn't say anything, because in terms of traffic, Shen Ming'en was indeed the most popular person there, and the brand also had a good relationship with him and planned to cooperate in the future...

Even the most popular star athletes can't compare to top celebrities in terms of online traffic. They're in different fields, which is normal.

To be honest, that scene was a bit awkward...

Because everyone's first instinct is to surround the athletes in the center, if Shen Ming'en were to stand in the center, he would have to be pushed to the side.

It's awkward for everyone involved, and the athletes are awkward too...

But just as everyone was changing positions as instructed, Shen Ming'en suddenly stepped forward, grabbed the hand of the Dragon team who had just won the game, rolled his eyes, and said:
"Others are bringing glory to the country, and I'm standing in the center? What are you thinking?"

"You're afraid I won't get scolded, aren't you?!"

That one sentence saved everyone from a tight spot. The brand representative was probably a little unhappy, likely feeling that Shen Ming'en was being ungrateful...

It's even possible that he was the one who instructed Shen Ming'en to stand in the center position.

But how should I put it...

Sometimes, there are certain kinds of dignity that you just can't have!
No matter how big the offer is, you can't accept it!
In this line of work, you have to be clear about your own role!

That's all...

As expected, Shen Mingen trended on social media again that night.

That's what I'm talking about.

It's funny...

The trending topics that night were:

"#The negative articles about Shen Mingen standing in the center position have been released ahead of schedule!"

Yes, that's right...

When Shen Ming'en was asked to stand in the center position that night, around the same time, related hashtags were created on Weibo. Those haters probably didn't even consider that Shen Ming'en might give up the center position, and they didn't even have time to delete the posts...

It's both hilarious and frustrating.

It can only be said that with fame comes trouble. Shen Mingen has been too "famous" lately, and it really feels like he has to be careful of people around him trying to stab him in the back at any moment.

Fortunately, the trip to Beijing also came to a complete end with the closing of this halftime show.

The summer sun was still incredibly bright. Wearing a pair of ice silk trousers and a sun-protective top, Shen Ming'en neatly carried a backpack and a large suitcase, and set off on his journey home.

"Are you lonely? Nobody's taking you home..." Feng Yucan was still gloating on the phone.

Feng Yucan has work to do today. After the intermission performance a few days ago, he and Shen Mingen recorded the song "Proud Youth". The song was very successful after its release, and it once topped the hot song charts on major music platforms. It was also edited into various high-energy patriotic videos by netizens on various short video platforms!
On the same day, videos of their performance garnered hundreds of millions of views on major video websites!
Perhaps because of the good effect of his rap in the song, Feng Yucan has gained a lot of attention afterward and has recently received several big jobs. It is said that he will even be a mentor on a rap variety show.

Shen Ming'en kept teasing him, saying, "You've finally made it big!"
Dog Fugui, don't forget me!

"Forget it..." Although they didn't see each other at parting, Shen Ming'en seemed quite carefree. He waved his hand and said, "Just do your best on the show, keep your temper in check, avoid offending anyone if you can, and try to say nice things..."

This can be considered a kind of entrustment, after all, there isn't a single normal person among those idiotic rappers like Feng Yucan...

But Feng Yucan was astonished: "Brother, so you understand these principles too?"

Shen Ming'en: "(￢_￢) Shoot"

"Hahaha……"

Feng Yucan laughed heartily, but after laughing, a look of worry appeared on his face as he said:

"Hey, you're probably going to be in more and more danger when you go back."

When he said this, Feng Yucan's face lost its usual frivolity, replaced by deep worry.

yes……

Even if he didn't say it, Shen Ming'en would understand.

Shen Ming'en's trip to Beijing, though seemingly glamorous, propelled him to new heights of fame, popularity, and status within the Chinese entertainment industry, making him virtually "above all the stars."

For most people, this would be something to celebrate, but for Shen Ming'en...

Sorry, he really isn't qualified to open this kind of champagne.

It goes without saying what kind of relationship he has with his company, Ruixing Entertainment. Under normal circumstances, a company would definitely cherish a star as popular as him and treat him like a precious gem. But precisely because Shen Mingen has absolutely no intention of "cooperating" with the company, and the two sides are even close to a "fight to the death" now, no matter how popular Shen Mingen is, they are not as envious as he is.

They could see the enormous potential benefits from Shen Ming'en, but they couldn't access them, so they became anxious, and in their anxiety...

That's when a dog gets desperate and does something reckless!

To this, Shen Ming'en could only shake his head and reply helplessly, "Let's take it one step at a time."

That's what he said, but in his heart, he felt that he needed to start planning his civil service exam as soon as possible.

Every profession can be described as an "endless sea of ​​suffering." What can relieve this sorrow? Wine? Useless!
We're ashore!

Only by getting ashore can one eliminate all worries!
……

Beijing isn't far from Qingdao; it's at most an hour and a half by plane. To be honest, Shen Ming'en really doesn't want to go out these days. Damn it, being famous isn't always a good thing; people follow you everywhere you go.

Even though he's not involved in the fandom, for some reason he still has a huge group of obsessive fans who follow him everywhere under the guise of loving him...

Speechless!
However, most fans were still enthusiastic, cheering for Shen Mingen and congratulating him on finally standing on the Bird's Nest after all this time...

They were all fans and supporters, and you can't easily offend them, so Shen Mingen responded to each one. To be honest, Shen Mingen really needed someone to help him out at that time, and even had the thought that "I should have an assistant or something to help me out"...

To Shen Ming'en's surprise, just as he thought of this, several people who looked like staff members appeared at the airport exit, along with a few airport security personnel, and came to his rescue!

"This is……"

At first glance, Shen Ming'en didn't recognize who these people were, nor did he recall calling for security. Just then, his eyes lit up, and he saw someone waving at him from afar at the back of the crowd...

Hakiling!
You read that right, Shen Ming'en's nominal manager at Ruixing Entertainment is Ma Ling, your Ling is here!

She's here to be spicy, she's here to pick up Shen Ming'en!

Shen Ming'en didn't know what she was up to, but he had a general idea. Anyway, he needed someone to help him out of this predicament, so he simply followed the group of staff and went to the car with Ma Ling.

"Ming'en, welcome back!" Hajiling handed Shen Ming'en a thermos, her face beaming with smiles, and asked with concern, "You must be exhausted from the journey, right? Here, have some water..."

Unexpectedly, Shen Mingen only glanced at her, then looked down at the cup in her hand, and then remained silent, neither speaking nor taking the cup...

The meaning was pretty clear: I'm terrified you'll drug me!

Also...

You know perfectly well what kind of relationship we have. You also know why you came to pick me up without telling me beforehand—it's because I blocked you.

We're all old foxes, so stop playing these ghost stories. If you have something to say, just say it.
"cough……"

Ma Ling smiled awkwardly, screwed the lid of the thermos onto her cup, and put it away. Then she picked up an unopened bottle of mineral water from the side and handed it to Shen Ming'en, saying with a smile:

"This should be fine, right?"

Shen Ming'en didn't say anything. He just took the bottle, squeezed it to make sure there were no needle marks, and then unscrewed the cap and took a sip to moisten his mouth.

"Ming En, congratulations..."

Without further ado, Ma Ling smiled and took a document from her bag, handed it to Shen Ming'en, and dropped a bombshell, saying:
"The company has agreed to change your profit-sharing agreement!"

When Ma Ling said this, there was a hint of anticipation on her face, as if she was hoping that Shen Ming'en would get excited because of her words.

But upon hearing this, Shen Ming'en showed little surprise...

Please!

Do you know how famous he is now?!

After singing all three theme songs for the Olympics and completing his Olympic trip, Shen Ming'en is now at the peak of his popularity in the Chinese entertainment industry. Even the biggest stars are no match for him!
There have been artists in the Chinese entertainment industry who have successfully changed their contracts with their companies before, but even the biggest stars among them, at the peak of their careers, could not necessarily compare to Shen Ming'en today!

They can revise the contract, so why can't Shen Ming'en?!
It's common knowledge that the capital in the A-share market is utterly spineless. Knowing they can't punish Shen Ming'en, and knowing they can only profit through cooperation, they would agree without hesitation even if Shen Ming'en demanded a 90/10 split in the contract. [This is] infuriating…

This is just the surface.

There are probably other reasons behind this...

For example, they are now somewhat "afraid" of Shen Ming'en and the "relationships" behind him.

It's worth noting that they only learned about Shen Mingen's participation in Olympic-related activities, and even that he sang three Olympic theme songs, during the performance.

This means that Shen Ming'en must have someone behind him helping him cover up and protect him, and that person is very likely to have powerful connections within the government!

If that's the case, and if Shen Mingen has really gotten in touch with the government, it will be much harder for them to continue suppressing him...

It's not that they can't continue to suppress them, but if they continue, they might have to pay a price for it.

This is something no one wants to see...

It would be better to compromise with Shen Ming'en first, and then discuss the rest.

Let's take it one step at a time.

Everyone understands these principles.
Meanwhile...

They all basically felt that Shen Mingen had little chance of refusing.

91, isn't that what he's always dreamed of?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

The car windows were always closed in the summer, and the air conditioning was blowing cool air. Shen Ming'en kept flipping through the contract Ma Ling had given him, looking at the clauses written on it. Unsurprisingly...

It's 91, but the workload is determined by the company. In other words, Shen Ming'en will still be running around doing promotions and will be exhausted. To put it bluntly, Shen Ming'en even thinks that Ruixing Entertainment plans to make him "exchange quantity for quality" and use the number of promotions he does to make up for the profit lost from his 91 share!
I'm afraid I won't even have time to sleep!
To be honest...

At this moment, Shen Ming'en could have easily asked the company to let him decide the workload himself.

But how should I put it...

Shen Ming'en was too lazy to waste words with them.

There's also a bit of a reluctance to communicate with them anymore.

Shen Ming'en was very clear about one thing: if there were no traps here, there would definitely be traps elsewhere. These greedy capitalists would always leave different traps for him, and one wrong step would lead to an abyss...

Being wary of them is an option, but the problem is...

too tired.

Shen Ming'en didn't want to live such a tiring life forever, nor did he want to constantly fight wits with these itchy-nosed people. So, under Hajiling's hopeful gaze, he very casually tossed back the contract that represented sky-high profits.

"..."

Inside the car, the atmosphere became somewhat tense. Ma Ling was stunned as she stared at the contract that Shen Ming'en had casually tossed back to her, which already had an official seal and had been changed to a 91% split for Shen Ming'en.
The smile on her face froze almost instantly, and then, little by little, it began to disappear from her face...

Her face twitched, her lips twitched, and Ma Ling's eyes widened in disbelief and incredulity. She simply couldn't understand why Shen Ming'en would refuse such a good request!

91 Ah!
Isn't this what you've always dreamed of?!
The company has already made such a big concession, what are you doing?!

"Don't tell me you...you're going to refuse?!" Hajiling said, her face blank.

Shen Ming'en pressed the window control button, and with a "hissing" sound, the window slowly rolled down, letting in the hot wind that tousled his hair, turning it into a side-swept fringe. But with his handsome face, the hairstyle never affected his looks, so he still looked quite dashing.

Without looking at Ma Ling, Shen Ming'en simply nodded slightly and said:

"All I want now is to terminate my contract with you."

Ma Ling: "???"

I'm totally stunned!
When Hajiling heard this, her brain felt like it had been bombed by an atomic bomb. She was completely stunned and almost exploded!

no!
You...you...what did you say?!

Termination of contract?!
Are you serious?!

“No…” Hajiling’s hands trembled slightly as she picked up the 91% revenue-sharing contract that the company had worked so hard for, and which Shen Mingen himself had “gone through countless hardships” to obtain. She said, “Don’t you know what this revenue sharing means?! Don’t you know how much better your development can be with a company running your business, a win-win situation?! You *&%￥#@…”

At this moment, Ma Ling seemed to have transformed into a painstakingly nagging old mother, and began to nag Shen Ming'en relentlessly.

yes……

This 91 contract means so much.

Yes, the company might indeed let him "trade quantity for quality," but the problem is, every event and announcement you participate in is a way for you to make money!

The more they sell, the more the company earns, and the more you earn, because you take 9%—the lion's share!
After agreeing to amend the contract, your relationship with the company will no longer be so strained. It will no longer be a "life or death" situation like before. Both parties can make money peacefully. You can use the company's connections and relationships. You won't even have to ask. The company will treat you as the biggest and most valuable cash cow in the entire company and coax you to do so!

If you say one, even President Lin Bei wouldn't dare say two!

The other entertainment capital firms that you have offended in the past will also put aside their grudges and cooperate with you. That is a scene that everyone is very happy to see!
But now you're telling me...

You don't want to sign the contract anymore; you want to terminate it?!
You want to terminate the contract when you're offered such a huge benefit?!
Are you crazy or am I crazy?!
"Wasn't 91 your strong demand?!"

Ma Ling said with a look of utter despair:

"Didn't you say you'd cooperate as long as the company was willing to change your profit split to 91%?!"

"You've gone back on your word, what are we supposed to do now?!"

"You Shen Mingen, you *&%￥#@..."

Ma Ling was so angry she was almost cursing.

Shen Ming'en didn't bother arguing with her. Everyone understood the logic, and what she said sounded like she was morally blackmailing him. Therefore, Shen Ming'en simply retorted with a cold laugh:
"You guys don't actually think that all this targeting has been for nothing, do you?"

Mentioning this matter makes Shen Ming'en want to scream.

What makes them think that after targeting them for so long, they can just start cooperating now?

To know!
From the moment Shen Ming'en was targeted by those greedy capitalists, every slight misstep would have led to an abyss, the consequence of being trampled underfoot and ruthlessly exploited!

to be honest!
Shen Ming'en has come this far on his own, step by step, with difficulty and caution.

Now, to whom does victory belong?

It belongs to Shen Ming'en!
Who should have the right to speak now?
It's still Shen Ming'en!
Why should Shen Ming'en be grateful just because they casually agree to something?

That's underestimating me!

to be honest!
From the very beginning, the so-called 91 was just something Shen Ming'en said casually. He never intended to continue making money for Ruixing Entertainment; his original plan was to terminate the contract!
If they're sensible, then after the contract is terminated, if there's a future collaboration, Shen Ming'en wouldn't mind giving them some face when he's in a good mood...

But if you don't understand, then you'll just have to wait for things to fall apart.

Anyway, Shen Ming'en didn't intend to make anything from them. All along, the company had been completely useless to him.

He has never relied on the company, and he doesn't plan to in the future either!

"you!"

Hajiling was at a loss for words...

He was probably speechless because of Shen Ming'en's words.

Sparrow's food, during this period, from "Chinese Music Center" to "Peak Singer Challenge" and then to the Olympics, the behind-the-scenes capital of the Chinese entertainment industry has been tripping up Shen Mingen a lot. Recently, Shen Mingen has been like Liu Xiang frantically hurdling in place, he hasn't walked a single flat step!

You can't just say you targeted someone for no reason, can you?
At the time, Ma Ling thought Shen Ming'en was holding a grudge because of what they were targeting, and she also realized that they hadn't handled things very well and should have given Shen Ming'en some benefits...

“I happen to have two S+ level variety shows here, as well as two big-budget patriotic productions. If you want them, I can give them to you as a gift, or as compensation. We all know you’ve suffered…” Ma Ling began earnestly again.

Unfortunately, Shen Ming'en didn't listen to a single word this time.

Just then, the car arrived at the recording location of "Chinese Music Center" in Qingdao. The driver stopped the car, and Shen Ming'en opened the car door almost without hesitation, put on his bag, and got out.

The midday sun was blazing, creating a stark contrast with the sun-protected interior of the car. Shen Ming'en took his suitcase from the trunk, turned and walked away with a flourish, leaving only one sentence behind:

"Just continue targeting me however you want. If you have the ability, blacklist me. If you don't, then fucking terminate the contract with Reverse Butterfly!"

These words made Ma Ling so angry she wanted to grind her teeth!
"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences!"

Ma Ling gritted her teeth, thinking to herself, "Do you really think those capitalists can't do anything to you?!"
Previously, it was from the perspective of "reprimanding" Shen Mingen. To put it bluntly, no one wanted to ruin Shen Mingen; they all wanted to make money off him.

But if it's confirmed that Shen Ming'en will not cooperate with them under any circumstances...

So!

Next, the focus really shifted to "ruining Shen Ming'en"!

……

(End of this chapter)