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

Chapter 195 Entering the New Era

Five million is a small sum?

Let’s put it this way…

A high-level office worker who earns over 10,000 yuan a month could save up to 100,000 yuan if they didn't eat or drink for a whole year.

Even if we take 200,000 as an example, it would take him 25 or 26 years to work there.

If you start working in your twenties and work without eating or drinking until you're forty-five or forty-six, you're doing pretty well to save up.

"Chinese Music Center" is not a variety show in the ordinary sense. Typical variety shows, like the "Peak Singer Challenge" next door, are recorded for a dozen episodes and then it's over. If the effect is good, there will be a second season the following year. If the effect is not good, it is hard to say when there will be a second season.

As for "Chinese Music Awards," they are a "yearly show"!
One issue per week, all year round, without interruption!

There are more than fifty weeks in a year. If the broadcast is successful, and we can record fifty-two or three episodes in fifty-two or thirty weeks, earning two or three small goals a year wouldn't be a problem!

Two or three small goals—let alone ordinary wage earners, even those who run small businesses would be lucky to earn that much in their lifetime!
And this is just Shen Ming'en's appearance fee for one year.

Rather...

That's not even the most important thing!
What is the most important thing?
It's that line from Director Niu's last sentence...

Director Niu secretly told him that he could avoid going through his company's route!
Shen Ming'en's current relationship with Ruixing Entertainment is obvious to those in the know. According to information obtained by Director Niu, Ruixing Entertainment, along with several other capital firms, is planning to jointly blacklist him...

Ruixing Entertainment would easily find some excuse, such as breach of contract, to deduct his appearance fee, so there was basically no chance that it would reach him.

If things continue through the proper channels, the money will likely still end up with Ruixing Entertainment, and he might not get any benefits. Director Niu believes this is definitely not what Shen Ming'en wants to see.

If you don't go through Shen Ming'en's company, there are plenty of private channels. You can find any advertisement or endorsement on a show for any reason or pretext, sign a contract, and the money will be in his hands.

There are plenty of solutions; it all depends on human effort.

It has to be said that Director Niu's offer is very tempting for most people, even for many top celebrities.

As someone in the know, Zhou Yang felt that if it were him, he would have agreed with both hands and feet long ago.

It just goes to show that he has a narrow perspective...

He might agree, but Shen Ming'en might not...

Many people in the control room were watching this scene closely. Although they didn't know what Director Niu and Shen Ming'en said, they were sure it was a very tempting offer.

To everyone's great surprise, after hearing Director Niu's words, Shen Ming'en did not relax his expression or immediately nod in agreement. Instead, he shook his head expressionlessly, glanced at Director Niu, and only said one sentence:
"So you can't reach an agreement, right?"

As soon as these words came out...

"..."

Everyone was stunned.

The others in the control room were a little better off, since they didn't know what Director Niu and Shen Ming'en had said, but Zhou Yang from Biyang knew!
It was precisely because Zhou Yang knew just how tempting the conditions offered by Director Niu were that he was so shocked when Shen Ming'en uttered those words, which were clearly a rejection!
A small goal or two, bro!

You're not going to work for one or two small goals a year?!

Are you crazy, Hajime?!

crazy?

Sorry, Shen Ming'en isn't crazy...

He simply has a broader perspective and can see further ahead.

One or two small goals are indeed something many people may not be able to earn in their entire lives, but for Shen Ming'en, the copyright fees and other licensing fees he receives from his works each year are more than that.

Besides, the production team only talked about the benefits, but didn't mention how much Shen Mingen had to give up.
More than 50 weeks, one episode per week, five million per episode, and one or two small goals a year—it sounds good, but more than 50 weeks of recording also means that Shen Ming'en has to create more than 50 high-quality patriotic works a year!

If a song isn't good enough, those capitalists might find a way to eliminate it. It might not even be just one song per episode; it could be two, three, or even five rounds of competition in the final episode of "August 1st Proposition"!

His efforts and rewards are disproportionate!
To put it bluntly, with such an exaggerated level of dedication, he could have earned even more by doing other things in a year!
Just say it!
What reason would Shen Ming'en have to agree?

"..."

The control room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All anyone could see was the increasingly somber expression on Director Niu's face.

"Mr. Ming'en, the conditions offered by our production team are already quite good. You wouldn't get such extravagant offers anywhere else. Would you like to reconsider?" Zhou Yang tried to dissuade him...

Director Niu simply raised his hand, signaling him to shut up.

“Shen Ming’en…” Director Niu stared intently at Shen Ming’en and said bluntly, “I advise you not to go too far.”

These words carried a somewhat threatening tone, but how many threats has Shen Ming'en faced along the way?
Shen Ming'en looked at Niu Zhi with an expression as if he were looking at an idiot, shook his head, and simply said:
"I'd like to say the same to you. To be fair, I've done more than enough for your production team. In the end, I'll leave quietly, and you can all just watch me go quietly. Let's not make things too ugly for each other."

It is said that a gentleman, even when breaking off a friendship, will not utter any harsh words.

Shen Ming'en never felt guilty towards the "Chinese Music Awards" program, especially the director Niu Zhi. After all, he was no different from those eager investors at the beginning, all of whom wanted to find a reason to eliminate him...

Yes, things were alright later on, but Shen Ming'en never let go of his resentment towards their production team, which is why he never participates in rehearsals to this day.

A bunch of opportunists, you'd be better off believing ghosts than trusting them.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Ming'en turned around, and no matter how many people tried to stop him, he didn't stop for a moment.

For him, "Chinese Music Center" is just a temporary haven in his life; he will not and cannot stay there forever.

Moving forward with bold strides and grace is the main theme of Shen Ming'en's life.

To be honest, Shen Mingen wasn't really that bad...

If he really wants to ruin things, he can simply quit the show midway through and give the production team a "surprise," and they won't be able to do anything about it.

But he still insisted on performing all five episodes and only decided to quit when the show ended, which really shows how much he has done.

Of course, Shen Mingen didn't deny that he didn't want to be labeled a "sore loser" when he left...

In short.

All of the above.

Shen Ming'en prides himself on having a clear conscience.

Many people on the production team's side are actually aware of this as well.

Oregano also knows...

But Shen Mingen's attitude made him very unhappy.

Yes……

It's possible that he won't do anything to Shen Mingen on the show now, and he might even have to coax Shen Mingen to finish the performance in order for the show to air normally.

But if Shen Ming'en withdraws after the show's recording ends...

Then it really won't end there!
……

After the fourth round of recording, the tense fifth round followed immediately. This round did not give the singers any time for "impromptu creation." Basically, after the rankings were announced at the end of the previous round, they went straight into the next round.

It's worth mentioning that by the time we reached the fifth round, it was already 7:00 AM, and it was already light out.

"Chinese Music Center: Red Song Season" started airing at around 8 pm last night. In just one hour, it will be broadcast at the same time. For a variety show, being able to broadcast at the same time for one episode is really quite extraordinary.

But thinking about it, it's not an exaggeration. After all, a round of competition usually takes one to two hours. Tonight's final episode of "Chinese Music Awards: Red Song Season" [August 1st Theme] went on for a full five rounds, with each person performing six songs!

【Damn, I'm so sleepy...】 To be honest, a lot of people in the live stream are getting restless, and the chat is full of comments like:

What a rollercoaster of emotions I've been watching all night...

[I just wanted to see if Shen Ming'en could continue clearing the game, haha...]

Judging from this, there shouldn't be any major problems. They've already competed with the first five songs, so the last one shouldn't be too bad.

Brothers, it's the final round! If we get through this, it'll be dawn! Keep going!

To be honest, I had just finished eating and was lying in bed when I watched the show, and now I'm on the toilet getting ready for work...

[Pfft... That wasn't easy, bro!]

[It's been confirmed, without a doubt, that those people who were itching to ask for outside help have finally made it official.]

[Even with outside help, they couldn't beat Shen Ming'en, haha... These unlucky kids!]

……

As mentioned before, the best works, such as those by Yue Huochuan and Chen Chuan, were saved for last. In the final round, these people really put in their best effort, showing a determination to defeat Shen Ming'en at all costs.

This, in fact, proves their decision to "hire outside help"...

The second piece in the fourth round was a testament to the hard work of many of them, but the quality of the work was still somewhat different from the previous ones, and it couldn't compare to the works in the fifth round at all.

But it was only in that one round that the "added singing" was performed on the spot, which best highlighted the true level of skill.

They had just shown their true skill level when they immediately moved on to the fifth round, and the quality of their work improved again. You can imagine how obvious this "outside help" was.

All their convoluted schemes and maneuvers almost resulted in them being thoroughly humiliated by Shen Ming'en, with the audience mocking them, which left them feeling resentful.

Whether or not they bring in outside help, they don't care about anything else now, as long as they can take down Shen Ming'en...

It's the final round, and everyone's hopes are pinned on this!

They sang with all their might!
Chen Chuan, imitating Yue Huochuan before him, drew out the sound so long he almost suffocated...

The show was so good that even Xu Jiajia backstage was almost energized and started cheering and clapping along.

Then the funny thing happened...

"What are you laughing at?!"

The agent's lips twitched, and through gritted teeth, he slapped Xu Jiajia on the forehead, saying with exasperation:

"They performed well, so who are you going to launch a surprise attack on?!"

In fact, now that it's the final round, Xu Jiajia has no choice. If she wants to join the "Chinese Music Awards: Red Song Season" program, then she can only choose to "surprise attack" a singer in this round.

Originally, she had planned to launch a surprise attack on Shen Ming'en, since no one was more popular than him. He was the perfect stepping stone, and it would be incredibly comfortable to use him as a stepping stone to climb higher.

But the problem is, nobody expected that every single one of Shen Ming'en's five songs from the first four rounds of competition was of exceptionally high quality, reaching the level of a hit song!
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, his performance in the fifth round will most likely remain quite good...

If that's the case, then Xu Jiajia definitely won't be able to launch a surprise attack on Shen Ming'en.

Of course, we have to choose other singers.

In that situation, when other singers performed well, Xu Jiajia actually cheered and applauded for them...

Isn't this just plain crazy?

Xu Jiajia disagreed, saying instead, "As long as someone can eliminate Shen Mingen, I'm fine with not participating in this show!"

Although she barely knew anyone, she still vividly remembered Shen Mingen publicly calling her name...

"you……"

The agent was speechless for a moment, rolled her eyes, and pointed at her, saying, "Just pray that someone performs poorly so you can squeeze in a bit!"

"I……"

Xu Jiajia originally wanted to say something...

But who knew, at that very moment...

"Dong dong..."

There was a knock on the door suddenly.

The agent and Xu Jiajia exchanged a glance, thinking that Hajiling had returned, so they subconsciously said, "Come in."

The door creaked open, and instead of Haji Ling, what came into view was...

Shen Ming'en.

"Ming... Teacher Ming En?"

Shen Mingen's sudden visit left both of them completely bewildered.

Despite disliking Shen Mingen, they still had to maintain appearances. Therefore, the manager and Xu Jiajia subconsciously stood up and questioned Shen Mingen, both wearing fake smiles.

"Oh, don't be nervous, please sit down..."

Shen Ming'en, on the other hand, seemed quite nonchalant. He stood at the door with a smile on his face, showing no intention of coming in at all, and simply said:

"I just came to talk to you about something, and then I'll leave."

On his way back from the control room, Shen Ming'en happened to pass by Xu Jiajia's dressing room. After thinking for a moment, he came over and said:

"You don't need to ambush me later. I'll most likely leave the show after the performance, and you can just fill in for me then. It's simple."

After saying that, Shen Ming'en waved his hand and walked away nonchalantly.

Only Xu Jiajia and her agent were left standing there, completely bewildered.

"What...does he mean?" Xu Jiajia stared blankly at her agent.

The agent was also completely bewildered and confused, having no idea what Shen Ming'en meant...

He's quitting the show... Is he serious?

The two didn't know how much of Shen Ming'en's words were true and how much were false, but they were very clear about one thing: when Shen Ming'en spoke, there was a hint of...

Satire.

It's like telling them, "Don't bother with any surprise attacks, you don't have the ability. I'm leaving the show anyway, so you might as well wait to be replaced."

This implication immediately made the two of them feel humiliated.

"Jiajia," the agent said through gritted teeth, "it's the last round, let's launch a surprise attack on him!"

Shen Mingen is being way too arrogant; it's unbearable to watch!
"Mmm!" Xu Jiajia nodded, her fighting spirit completely ignited.

But in the next few tens of minutes, after seeing Shen Ming'en's next work on the theme of "Entering the New Era," their hard-won fighting spirit faltered...

It vanished completely into nothingness.

……

(End of this chapter)