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

Chapter 160 "Green Flowers in the Army"

Do you know what social death is?
Even celebrities are afraid of being "socially ruined." Shen Ming'en only truly understood this today. Don't believe me? Just look.
At the entrance of the hotel where the "Chinese Music Awards: Red Song Season" program was being recorded, a group of people held up a banner that read "Congratulations to Teacher Shen Ming'en on his triumphant return!" There were people playing music and dancing, and the group of people created a scene that could be described as "a chaotic mess".

That's quite a show of force!
"Oh my..."

Shen Ming'en couldn't stand it any longer and covered his face, ready to walk back.

"Hey..."

"Teacher Ming'en!"

"Where are you going, oh dear..."

Niu Zhi, the chief director of "Chinese Music Music Center: Red Song Season", immediately came over with several staff members, helping Shen Ming'en with his luggage and supporting him as he headed towards the resort hotel.

Shout:
"Keep playing music, keep dancing!"

Shen Ming'en: "..."

Everyone at "Chinese Music Awards: Red Song Season" seemed to be overjoyed, as if it were a momentous occasion, and in fact, they believed they should be happy too...

On the one hand, after Shen Ming'en's trip to Beijing for the Olympics, his popularity and media attention have reached a peak. With such a massive influx of attention, his return to "Chinese Music Center" is bound to bring in enormous profits for the show. The production team is probably eager to celebrate with great fanfare for him every day!

On the other hand, they also learned that Ruixing Entertainment had agreed to amend Shen Mingen's contract by 91%. They probably thought it unlikely that Shen Mingen would refuse, and if he did, the "win-win cooperation" scenario would be even more anticipated, and Director Niu wouldn't have to worry about Shen Mingen being eliminated all the time...

Is this not?

Director Niu, who used to avoid getting too close to Shen Ming'en to avoid suspicion, now put his arm around her shoulder and called out:

"Ming En, our program will be relying on you from now on. Your company has finally become more sensible this time. I told you they should have revised your contract a long time ago!"

This BYD is a real hypocrite, saying one thing to one person and another to another. He used to be one of those capitalists targeting Shen Ming'en, but now he acts like he's on Shen Ming'en's side.

How cheap!
“It doesn’t matter,” Shen Ming’en shook his head and said, “It’s the same whether we change it sooner or later.”

He meant that no matter how soon or later they changed their terms, he would not agree to their conditions; his ultimate goal was to terminate the contract.

But Director Niu seems to have misunderstood his meaning, taking what he was trying to express as a kind of pride and self-satisfaction that he "defeated capital with his talent".

"Haha, yes, yes, yes!" Director Niu patted Shen Ming'en on the shoulder and said, "The production team has prepared a celebration banquet for you tonight. I've also spoken with the guests in advance. They'll take turns toasting you, especially Yue Huochuan. If that old man doesn't listen, I'll find an excuse to get rid of him next time!"

"Anyway, your happiness is the most important thing!"

So sensible!

This amazing mentor is so considerate!

However, at that time, Shen Ming'en always looked at him with a hint of "teasing".

"Forget it……"

Looking at Director Niu, who was immersed in his beautiful fantasy, Shen Ming'en thought it was better not to expose him. After all, it's good for people to have some fantasies.

"By the way, where are your agents and the others?" After walking for a while, Director Niu realized that Shen Mingen had come alone, and couldn't help but become curious. If he remembered correctly, Shen Mingen's agents and the others should have gone to pick him up.

"They..." Shen Ming'en was about to say that he had sent them away when Director Niu interjected, "Are they packing up in the back? I'll send someone over to check."

Shen Ming'en laughed, implying that Director Niu was getting a little too excited.
Too lazy to explain, Shen Ming'en was also tired from the long journey by plane and car. It didn't matter whether he ate lunch or not, he just needed to sleep anyway. So he simply told the crew that he probably wouldn't be able to get up tonight. They could hold the banquet if they wanted, but he was grumpy when they tried to wake him up.

So I went back to my room to sleep.

Director Niu searched for Haji Ling for a long time but couldn't find her, so he simply called her. As soon as the call connected, Niu immediately asked:
"Where have you all been? Teacher Ming'en has been here for ages, and you've been off picking him up from the airport or going to Yunnan? I don't know what you've been doing all day, you're always running out of steam!"

At that moment, he still thought the two sides had reached an agreement, and he wouldn't even care if they hadn't.

"Squeak..."

The sound of Hajiling grinding her teeth came from the other end of the phone. She couldn't help but roar angrily:

"I'm warning you, you'd better use every means at your disposal to eliminate Shen Ming'en in the next few episodes, or else it's questionable whether your show can continue!"

The words fell...

"Dudu..."

The phone was immediately disconnected.

Director Niu: "???"

Director Niu was completely stunned when he heard this sentence out of the blue!
Wait... what's going on here?!

Didn't everyone say they were going to change the contract with Shen Ming'en to 91%?!
Why the hell did they eliminate Shen Ming'en?!

Why eliminate him?!
What are you doing!

Director Niu, who had been overjoyed all day, never imagined things would turn out this way. He made a few more phone calls to ask around, and what he found out was...

"He fucking didn't agree?!"

Director Niu's shocked voice could be heard even by the staff around him!
yes……

This is absolutely shocking!

Who would have thought that even though those capitalists had bowed down and were willing to change the contract to 91 for him, he actually chose to refuse, chose to give up that enormous wealth, and continued to stand up to the capitalists!
"You idiot!"

Niu Daoqi roared wildly to the sky:

"That's so damn stupid!!!"

I've never seen such an idiot before!
This is completely insane!

To be honest, Director Niu is now tempted to rush into Shen Ming'en's room, grab his collar, shake his head wildly, and demand to know why, why this happened!!!
I can't do this problem, I can't do it!!!

……

Whether you understand or not, the deed is done, and Emperor Ming'en never needed to explain his actions to anyone, so he continued to do as he pleased.

As luck would have it, he woke up in the evening just in time for the banquet. The staff came to call him, and since his stomach was growling, he went out and joined them for a bite.

The banquet was quite high-profile. As a national-level hit variety show that has "ascended" along with Emperor Ming En, the trailer for Shen Ming En's upcoming return to "Chinese Music Center: Red Song Season" immediately made it into the top three trending topics. Various sponsors were already eager to participate in the show, and now they are scrambling to advertise with it. The production team is really lacking in everything except money!
It's a real shame that the director, Niu, was depressed all night, drinking one wine jug after another!

"Teacher Ming'en, could you please just let us not fight with those people for my sake? It's not worth it..." Niu Zhi was almost crying, and he was just about to kneel down to Shen Ming'en.

However, Shen Ming'en not only didn't reply, he even grabbed his chopsticks and started eating heartily, clearly enjoying his meal immensely...

"Tsk tsk..."

Not far away, the fellow guests, especially the senior figures like Yue Huochuan, looked at Shen Ming'en with a hint of mockery.

In their eyes, Shen Ming'en's behavior was utterly stupid...

Capital has already bowed down to him, and capital is already willing to change his contract to 91, yet he still dares to be shameless. You should know that those capitals were all holding back before, and had not really exerted their efforts. Everyone was still counting on Shen Ming'en to make money, and no one wanted to fight to the death.

But if he doesn't take advantage of their kindness, then the investors behind him won't hold back anymore, and things will really get interesting...

"Ugh……"

Seeing Shen Ming'en's stubborn and unyielding attitude, Director Niu knew he couldn't reason with him, so he simply shook his head, played the good guy, and whispered in Shen Ming'en's ear:

"You'd better be careful with tomorrow's performance. If you have any good pieces, try to present them directly, otherwise things might get complicated later..."

At this point, his expression changed, he pursed his lips, turned to look at Yue Huochuan and the other guests, and said:
"It's very likely that there will be no more after that."

This episode of "Chinese Music Awards: Red Song Season" has seen unprecedented popularity due to Shen Ming'en's return, and everyone is very happy...

Despite the joy, the overall policy of "eliminating Shen Ming'en" remains unchanged.

It is said that the behind-the-scenes capital, taking advantage of Shen Ming'en's trip to Beijing to participate in the Olympic performance, specially invited several well-known mainstream creators in the industry to create high-quality works for guests such as Yue Huochuan.

Thanks to Shen Mingen's absence, which led to the show's suspension, they had time to carefully refine their work. Everyone spoke with great confidence when discussing their own projects, and that confidence was evident.

To put it bluntly, the excitement on their faces when facing Shen Ming'en wasn't fake; it was more like... "schadenfreude."

"Is that so? Hehehe..."

Shen Ming'en pulled out a toothpick and picked his teeth, then turned around and glanced at his colleagues with amusement, looking completely unconcerned.

He'd noticed the strange looks people were giving him since the banquet started that evening; now he knew why…

It seems these BYD fans felt they were too busy attending Olympic-related events in Beijing to prepare for the next episode of "Military Life" on "Chinese Music Awards: Red Song Season," and thought they might be eliminated upon their return. So…

They've started to gloat!
"What were you thinking...?"

Shen Ming'en couldn't help but laugh, thinking to himself that these people were really cute, they really couldn't hide anything on their faces.

"...Aren't you worried at all?" Director Niu couldn't help but complain.

"What's there to worry about?" Shen Ming'en said, "We have as many patriotic songs as we want!"

"Ugh……"

Director Niu, on the other hand, looked worried and distressed.

"No, what are you worried about?" Shen Ming'en asked instead, "Are you really that afraid I'll be eliminated?"

Having known Director Niu for quite some time, Shen Ming'en knew all too well what he was up to. He simply saw Shen Ming'en as their show's "cash cow," and if Shen Ming'en were ever eliminated, all their lucrative sponsorships would be gone…

The problem is, Shen Ming'en has been around for so long, and he hasn't been eliminated yet, has he?

Shouldn't you, Director Niu, have at least a basic level of trust in Shen Ming'en?

Regarding this… Director Niu sighed again, then downed the 50-proof liquor in his cup in one gulp, and immediately shook his head, saying:

"This time is different, Teacher Ming'en..."

"If you stay here any longer, our show might have to be canceled."

The fear is that the capital groups in the Chinese entertainment industry will collectively enter the game, forcing them to stop recording and directly "solving the problem at its root."

"Hahaha……"

Director Niu's appearance inexplicably amused Shen Ming'en, making him want to roar as well. To be honest, with Shen Ming'en's current status and popularity, even if those capitalists canceled "Chinese Music Center," he wouldn't be without work or food.

To put it bluntly, he is indeed unable to accept any gigs without the company's consent due to contractual issues, but if it's an official gig from the company, they wouldn't dare to refuse Shen Ming'en at all.

To put it bluntly, they even had to beg Shen Ming'en to accept their offer...

Therefore, Shen Ming'en was completely fearless; he only needed to be wary of those capitalists at all times.

"Ugh……"

Director Niu sighed again.

For a director, a phenomenal hit variety show like "Chinese Music Center" is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to produce only one such show.

He couldn't bear to part with it!

……

The banquet ended very late, and Director Niu and several members of the directing team drank until the early hours of the morning. It is said that he drank himself into a coma that night and had to be taken to the hospital for a stomach pump.

If it weren't for the fact that he had to record "Chinese Music Awards" the next evening, he would have had a hard time getting out of the hospital.

Shen Ming'en neither pitied nor sympathized with him. After all, if the smile of someone he wasn't very familiar with, let alone had to be obtained through his own sacrifice, then it didn't matter if he didn't smile.

Time flew by, and it was already the evening of the following day, the official recording of "Chinese Music Music Center: Red Song Season" was underway!

[Shen Ming'en! Shen Ming'en! Shen Ming'en!]

Even before the show aired, the comments section was already flooded with messages about Shen Ming'en; I wonder how many people were posting them:
【Thunder Yatalia!】

[The man who sang all three Olympic theme songs!]

[The man who stands at the pinnacle of the Chinese music scene!]

【Ahhh! I came here today specifically for Shen Ming'en!】

……

According to unreliable statistics, before the premiere of "Chinese Music Center: Red Song Season", the number of online viewers at the same time exceeded 1000 million, and it is still rising.

What concept?
When Shen Mingen sang "Proud Youth" in a table tennis hall, the peak number of people watching online at the same time was just over ten million. Now, "Chinese Music Music Center: Red Song Season" has already generated such a terrifying amount of traffic even before it has started airing!
Just say it!
Just how popular is Shen Mingen these days?

Aside from the praise, people are actually more "anticipating" his new works. You know, the theme of the new episode of "Chinese Music Music Center: Red Song Season" is "Military Life", which was announced long before Shen Ming'en set off to participate in Olympic-related performances. Many people had already been speculating online about the angle of Shen Ming'en's theme for this episode...

With the added popularity of the three Olympic theme songs "Beijing Welcomes You," "Me and You," and "Thousands of Mountains and Rivers," as well as "Proud Youth," everyone's expectations for Shen Ming'en's works have reached an all-time high!
In comparison...

People don't have that high expectations for other people.

But what surprised the audience was that the performances of the other guests in this episode were also quite remarkable!
The works of Yue Huochuan and others were meticulously crafted and polished over a long period of time by many well-known professional creators in the Chinese entertainment industry, thanks to the large sums of money invested by the behind-the-scenes capital. The level of detail was astounding, and some of them were even comparable in quality to Shen Ming'en's previous works such as "Night at the Military Port"...

Can you even imagine something similar?

Moreover, their works are all very "on topic," and when mentioning the theme of "military life," they fully interpret the hardships and dedication of the People's Liberation Army soldiers.

"Oh!!!"

One great piece after another was performed, and the audience was so excited that they got goosebumps.

This episode is pretty good!

Many viewers in the online live stream were also commenting:
[I never expected this, I really never expected it! I underestimated dogs!]

[Don’t say it, don’t say it! 】

This is a great piece of work; it really needs time to be meticulously crafted.

[Emmm...actually, I'm still more looking forward to Shen Ming'en.]

[Hahaha... Hajime's comeback has been another disaster. I wonder if he's even bothered with the Chinese Music Awards lately, given how busy he is with the Olympics.]

……

Ironically, many viewers were aware of the situation Shen Ming'en was facing this episode, but no one seemed particularly worried about him...

On the one hand, everyone knows how popular Shen Mingen is now, and most people believe that Shen Mingen's company will no longer target him. They also think that those spineless and spineless behind-the-scenes capital will probably have to compromise with Shen Mingen and will not eliminate him.

On the other hand, everyone has confidence in Shen Ming'en's work!
Putting everything else aside, just look at the period around the Olympics: songs like "Beijing Welcomes You," "Thousands of Mountains and Rivers," "Me and You," and "Proud Youth"...

Each of these songs, taken individually, is enough to completely outshine any work in the Chinese entertainment industry!
For most people, one song of this caliber would be enough to be considered a masterpiece and something to brag about for a lifetime. Yet Shen Ming'en has released so many songs in a row, each one a masterpiece, truly "prolific"!
"Talent" is definitely the most outstanding label for Shen Mingen. Every time everyone thought he was going to be eliminated, he always managed to turn the tide...

In that case, who would underestimate him?
Let him be strong, the breeze still caresses the mountain. Hasn't Shen Ming'en always been the one who overpowered everyone else?

Therefore, this generation of viewers not only has no doubts about him, but surprisingly, they are all looking forward to his work this time!

It was under these circumstances that...

Under the spotlight!

The host on stage finally announced the name of the next performer, Shen Ming'en!

The moment Shen Ming'en appeared at the stage entrance in the center of the stage...

"Oh!!!"

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

"Run, proud young man!"

"Teacher Shen Jichou!"

"Hagane, my Hagane!!!"

……

The entire scene erupted in cheers, with people shouting all sorts of things.

Although this wasn't Shen Ming'en's first time on this stage, he felt an inexplicable enthusiasm from the audience today. It has to be said that the Olympics have brought Shen Ming'en so many benefits and had such a great impact.

Shen Ming'en actually sensed this when he came out of the airport. Grandma Te's fans were too enthusiastic. The key point is that now it's not just some young fans, but even many middle-aged and elderly people want to take photos with him.

The "patriotic" persona really appeals to people of all ages and genders!
With a smile on his face, Shen Ming'en walked to the center of the stage and bowed deeply to the audience and the camera from a distance. Then, Shen Ming'en gave a wink to the staff members not far away.

His accompaniment had been handed over to the staff long ago, and now it's just a matter of "playing" it.

"Oh……"

At that moment, everyone present wore expressions of anticipation, eager to see what kind of work Shen Ming'en would create today on the theme of "military life".

The fellow singers backstage were secretly sweating bullets, all a little worried that Shen Ming'en would bring out another hit song this time...

But the moment they heard Shen Ming'en playing the accompaniment, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dong Dong~"

"Woo~"

A burst of piano and string music, mixed with the very main erhu, entered everyone's ears.

When they heard that melody, many audience members frowned immediately...

Why?

Because the singers before them all had a very hardcore musical style in their works.

After all, the topic is "military life," and when people think of our People's Liberation Army soldiers, the first thing that comes to mind is the image of them training hard regardless of wind or sun...

But Shen Ming'en's accompaniment...

Especially with the addition of erhu accompaniment...

Why does it sound so inexplicably melancholic?
Can military life be bleak?
This main theme just doesn't feel right!
Don't panic!

Many viewers in the live stream were quite familiar with Shen Ming'en and were commenting:
Let the bullets fly for a while!

Who says military life has to be hardcore? Haven't you heard of the saying "a tough guy with a soft heart"? Military life can be described from many different perspectives!

[That's right, didn't we also have works like "Night at the Naval Port" that described naval officers before? Weren't they also very quiet and peaceful?]

……

Everyone truly understands Shen Ming'en's musical style very well and has great faith in him. Take "Night at the Military Port" for example. Despite its controversy, no one can deny that it is a rare and excellent work.

Shen Ming'en's current song, "Green Flowers in the Army," which describes the "tough guy's tender heart" in "military life," is the same!

……

(End of this chapter)