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

Chapter 93 A makeshift operation: The frenzy triggered by Shi Danli fertilizer!
Do you remember the hierarchy of disdain in the music industry that we talked about before?

Classical music looks down on jazz, jazz looks down on rock, rock looks down on folk, folk looks down on pop, and then everyone looks down on rap.

Yes, that's right. As the style at the very bottom of the Chinese music scene, rap, which rose to prominence in the era of internet traffic with a few rap talent shows, has always been a style that is despised in the industry, no matter how high its popularity is.

The disdain here isn't without reason. On one hand, many well-known underground rappers nowadays create works with a very aggressive style, making it seem like they can't write songs without dissing others; on the other hand…

As we all know, the entertainment industry is a place that doesn't generally value education, and rappers are especially known for their "rebellious" nature, so they're basically all vocational school graduates!

It's not that people with low education levels are necessarily of high quality, but rather that many of them, who haven't received a proper education or are even "undergraduates," generally have low moral character. While incorporating attacks and insults into their work, they themselves are utterly immoral. Going to get their hair done with their sister-in-law at night is considered commonplace, and many have even committed illegal or criminal acts.

It's fair to say that rappers have contributed significantly to the current poor reputation of the entertainment industry.

In addition, the Chinese rap scene hasn't had any truly outstanding hits in the past two years; the most popular ones are those last-minute, hastily put-together creations...

This has led to industry peers, who already held a great deal of contempt for rap, looking down on them even more.

In short, almost everyone, whether inside or outside the industry, likes "rap," especially Chinese rap, and has absolutely no liking for it.

Even their fans know what kind of bastards they are.

Not to mention, this kind of musical style is being blended with the grand and majestic revolutionary songs.

Within the industry, in recent years some rappers with a brain have realized the importance of aligning with the mainstream ideology and the country, and have therefore created some related works, but in reality, they have all received only lukewarm responses...

There's no way around it; this style is simply too difficult to resonate with revolutionary songs!

Some things are better suited to be praised in song than to be described in words.

Ma Ling had actually done some thinking...

Previously, whether it was the "Chinese Music Awards" or the composition assignments I gave Shen Ming'en, they were basically all focused on "singing". If Shen Ming'en is good at composing, even if the lyrics are a bit weak, as long as he sings well and can evoke everyone's patriotism and national pride, it will be difficult for them to eliminate him...

Therefore, after much painful reflection, she decided not to start with "language" but instead with "style"!
You can't make him sing, which means he's using the most despised and questioned "rap" in the Chinese music scene. Ma Ling can't do anything about him, Hajime!

I refuse to believe that this time, he can produce another popular work and achieve legendary status in one fell swoop!
"..."

Inside the meeting room, those who had initially been skeptical of Ma Ling's suggestion fell silent upon hearing her words.

After thinking for a moment, they all nodded in agreement.

Clearly, everyone felt that Ma Ling's words made sense.

As the president of Ruixing Entertainment, Lin Bei always had a furrowed brow. His gaze was deep and his eyes were unfathomable, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“I hope your suggestion is feasible,” Mr. Lin said, stroking his chin. “However, we must be prepared for both possibilities. You should be prepared for the worst.”

If we're prepared, Shen Ming'en has a plan to break through the competition in the field of "rap".

“Definitely!” Ma Ling nodded. Her usual approach was to have a backup plan. After this incident and the series of setbacks, she understood that Shen Mingen was not so easy to deal with. Therefore, if she couldn't eliminate Shen Mingen this week, she had already thought about what to do next week…

If we can't get rid of Shen Ming'en by this week, then we'll have to do the opposite!

Although Ma Ling said that, President Lin still shook his head and, after thinking for a moment, reminded her: "Try not to drag it out for too long. Shen Ming'en is involved with too many people."

yes……

Shen Wugang cut down the cash cows of so many companies back then, and everyone was waiting for him to recoup their losses. Right now, it's just Ruixing Entertainment putting pressure on Shen Ming'en. If Ruixing Entertainment gives him opportunities but he fails to capitalize on them...

Then, various capital players in the Chinese entertainment industry will gradually enter the fray!

Yes, Hajime is currently a favorite of various brand advertisers, but if all the capital in the Chinese entertainment industry collectively bets on him, it's not like they can't get rid of this so-called "top-tier celebrity".

"Yes." Ma Ling nodded.

With that matter settled, President Lin was about to move on to the next topic when, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked Ma Ling, "By the way, what's the deal with that fertilizer he chose as a spokesperson?!"

As he said this, a series of black lines appeared on General Lin's forehead. As the president of an artist management company, although he could see that this endorsement was somewhat unusual, it was still a bit...

That's so unusual!
This isn't just Lin Bei's opinion...

That day happened to be the day that Shen Ming'en's advertisement in collaboration with "Shi Danli Fertilizer" was launched.

Some people were wondering recently that even though Shen Mingen is so famous, they don't see any products he endorses on the streets.
With such overwhelming wealth, are those brand sponsors idiots or what, unable to handle it?

Some fans even spontaneously went to their favorite brands to advertise for Shen Mingen, such as tagging Du Lei's official account to ask Shen Mingen to be their spokesperson, or tagging Shu Fei's official account to ask Shen Mingen to be their spokesperson...

Because it was funny enough, it even trended on social media.

Perhaps because they saw this incredible wealth, some well-informed marketing accounts started posting videos to ride the wave of popularity, saying that Shen Mingen's first endorsement deal had been finalized, filming had already wrapped, and the product would be released in the next few days...

Upon learning of this, many fans and netizens are quite excited, eager to see what Shen Mingen's first endorsement will be.

Some speculated: "Is it Hailan's family? They can definitely handle this kind of extravagant wealth, after all, they were able to capitalize on the hype to hire Brother Dahai back then..."

Some people speculated: "It might be some luxury brands, like Louis Vuitton or something..."

There are all sorts of opinions, but most of them are about Du Lei tearing into Shu Fei. You don't need to read those; they're just for fun.

And so, amidst this anticipation...

That night, Shen Ming'en's official Weibo account released a post in conjunction with the Shidanli Fertilizer brand.

As soon as the news came out...

fan:【???】

Netizen: 【？？？】

Everyone was completely baffled!

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the comment section exploded!

【ber……what? ? ? 】

[Fertilizer...?]

[Hakim, you bastard... you're endorsing fertilizer?!]

With such immense wealth laid out before you, you chose fertilizer?!

……

Basically, all the fans and netizens who supported Shen Ming'en were somewhat stunned at the time...

At this point, it's the turn of some scoundrels who stick their feet out to start jumping around.

Soon, comments like these appeared in the comments section:
[Pfft... This world really is a huge makeshift operation, it's really gone awry!]

[Hilarious! This is the spokesperson for your beloved Emperor Ming'en that you've been waiting for all this time?]

[Hahaha... I really didn't expect this guy's music style to be so unique, his food on variety shows to be so unique, and now even his endorsement is so damn unique!]

Is it possible that it's not that he doesn't want to endorse good brands, but rather that he's only qualified to endorse this particular brand?

He's not exactly a top star; he's just a nobody who relies on patriotic songs—the kind of songs that can't be discredited—to attract attention. Those top luxury brands wouldn't even look at him.

[Que Shi, I think only my Xue Chen is qualified to endorse those big brands.]

……

The slanderous remarks are endless. As the saying goes, with fame comes trouble. Many people already disliked Shen Mingen during his rise to fame, but because his fans and most casual observers usually praise him, the haters have nowhere to vent their anger...

Today I finally found a way to vent, and everyone started blindly following the trend to smear me!

My crotch is on fire...

It's impossible that everyone here is a hater. The comment section suddenly went from all positive reviews to a deluge of negative comments. Information cocoons mean that even if you post a positive review, nobody can see it. There's only one reason for this, and that is...

The rival team has entered the game.

The entertainment industry is a battlefield where there are too many wolves and not enough meat. Everyone is actually earning money from brands and sponsors. Everyone is using their own advantages to compete for the favor of the big spenders.

"Advertising and endorsements" have always been hotbeds of infighting. Recently, Shen Ming'en became a sensation and established a "red song spokesperson" persona that no one in the Chinese entertainment industry could imitate. Countless big brands were vying to have Shen Ming'en as their spokesperson. As long as he wanted, he could choose any international brand or top luxury brand he wanted.

The artists from the rival company have such slutty butts that even the brand owners wouldn't give them a second glance!

Until recently, it was fair to say that no matter how popular Shen Mingen became, he wasn't as envious as his rival company!
Originally, all the rival companies thought they could only get what Shen Ming'en left over, but who knew that Shen Ming'en would go crazy and refuse to cooperate with the company, causing them to have no big names available to him!

Upon learning of this, the rival companies almost immediately exposed the matter to the brands, launching a fierce battle to snatch the endorsements that rightfully belonged to Shen Ming'en...

Now, with the tree fallen and the monkeys scattered, most of those sky-high endorsements and top luxury brands have been snatched up by other competitors. And Shen Ming'en just happened to go crazy at this time and endorsed a fertilizer...

you say!

Why shouldn't their rivals smear him at this time?!
On the day the news of Shen Mingen's cooperation with Shi Danli Fertilizer was released, a massive wave of smear campaigns against him began online!
Most rivals wouldn't let this opportunity to kick Shen Ming'en away pass by...

Many fans understand this, but what surprised many was that Jinrui Entertainment, Ruixing Entertainment's biggest rival, did not participate in this smear campaign.

That's not all...

Not only did they not participate in the smear campaign, they actually...

I'm just following the trend!
……

Shanghai Stock Exchange, Jinrui Entertainment.

Inside the round table conference room, a woman with a neat short haircut and dressed in a well-fitting women's suit sat next to the projector, her brows furrowed as she stared at the trending topics related to Shen Ming'en on the screen.

"Ha ha……"

"a ha ha ha……"

"Oh, hahaha!"

"goose!"

The room was filled with laughter and cheerful chatter. Several assistants and some team members were grinning from ear to ear as they watched the overwhelming online smear campaign against Shen Ming'en!

One of the young female assistants, with her hair in a ponytail, laughed and said to the handsome young man not far away:

"Shen Ming'en's madness is just right, it's perfectly timed. Several big brands were still hesitant, but now they're all considering other artists. Xue Chen really benefited a lot from this, getting endorsements from two international brands and three top luxury brands for nothing. I really hope that guy goes even crazier, hahaha..." Although Shen Ming'en has contract issues with his company and his relationships with many capital players in the Chinese entertainment industry are strained, his reputation as a "red song spokesperson" is just too great, and his word-of-mouth is too good. So even so, many big brands whose original endorsement contracts still have time to expire are still willing to wait for Shen Ming'en.

As a result, he became the spokesperson for Shidanli Fertilizer...

This news has just come out!
And then, with a whisper in the ear of their rivals...
Ok!

Now, almost no major brands want him to be their spokesperson!
Although he gained a huge amount of attention again because of the "Shidanli fertilizer" incident, why would brands that know he is crazy and will not endorse other brands keep waiting for him?
The saying goes, "If they won't keep me here, there are plenty of other places that will." Everyone understands that!

Anyway!

This wave!

Shen Ming'en's madness is exactly what everyone wanted!
"Yeah yeah……"

Everyone in the meeting room nodded in agreement, including the young heartthrob Xue Chen, who was also a beneficiary, with a smile on his face.

Xue Chen, a top celebrity in the Chinese entertainment industry with a background in elective courses, has started to transform in recent years by participating in some patriotic films. Apart from some official events, he is almost never seen. Apart from not being able to write "red songs", he is really too similar to Shen Ming'en. This is also the reason why he has made huge profits in the wave of endorsements that Shen Ming'en went crazy and all the companies he endorsed switched to his company.

Recently, the company has been looking for some well-known musicians to tailor-make some hit songs for him. If Shen Ming'en continues to decline, he is almost the easiest person among these people to replace him!

There's a saying in the online literature world, isn't there?
The slogan is: "Following the trend will kill originality!"

That’s the truth!

The thought of what would follow made everyone in the meeting room very happy…

But the only one with short hair sitting in front of the projector had a furrowed brow and a look of doubt on her face.

Her name is Zheng Hua. She is the top agent at Jinrui Entertainment, the most senior agent in the company, and the agent with the most top-tier artists under her management. She even owns shares in the company, so her position within the company is very high.

The entire meeting room revolved around her; everyone was watching her expression, so it was no surprise that someone quickly noticed Zheng Hua's strange demeanor...

"..."

The once cheerful meeting room fell silent as a few people tacitly agreed to speak.

Xue Chen's female assistant, who had her hair in a ponytail, couldn't help but ask Zheng Hua:

"Sister Hua, are you unhappy?"

Why aren't you smiling?

Is she like Shen Mingen's agent, Ma Ling, someone who is naturally not fond of smiling?

"..."

Zheng Hua didn't speak, but just stared blankly at the screen on the projector, at Shen Ming'en's endorsement of "Shidanli Fertilizer".

a long time……

Just as everyone was about to ask more questions, Zheng Hua opened his mouth and said something astonishing!
"Let's turn down all those big-name endorsements and top-tier luxury brands that have offered Xue Chen."

As soon as these words came out...

"..."

Everyone in the meeting room was taken aback.

There were a few people whispering occasionally, but after hearing this, they were completely stunned!

Ber……

What the hell? ? ?

It was pushed away?!
Sister Hua, do you even know how much effort we put into snatching those big brands and top luxury brands from Shen Ming'en's Ruixing Entertainment?

Do you even know how hard it was to get these endorsements and advertisements?

It was pushed away?!
Are you serious?!

Are you kidding me?
It's important to understand that, given Xue Chen's status, popularity, and media attention, even with a price reduction, her endorsement fees still can't compare to Shen Ming'en's. Even though some brands insist on waiting for Shen Ming'en, they've only signed short-term monthly or quarterly contracts with him…

That means at least eight million in the first quarter, but less than ten million!
With such terrifying profits, you just want to push it away?!
If it weren't for the silence and bewildered expressions of everyone in the meeting room, they truly wouldn't have believed that such words could come from the mouth of agent Zheng Hua.

They even doubted their ears, unable to believe that Zheng Hua would say such a thing.

The most shocked person was Xue Chen...

Xue Chen, who was originally full of "superiority" and waiting to "follow the trend and kill the original" to surpass Shen Ming'en, was stunned when he heard this!

Are you serious about pushing it?!

Who would pass up the opportunity to make money?

I'm rich and have a great figure. The men who want to date me stretch all the way to the United States. I'm willing to spend tens of millions to play with you, but you treat me like I don't exist and actually go after a fish!

"Hua, Sister Hua, this joke isn't funny, haha..." The female assistant came out to ease the atmosphere, thinking that Zheng Hua was joking.

"Ha ha……"

"Yes Yes……"

"Just kidding, just kidding."

Everyone agreed with this.

But Zheng Hua's gentle expression didn't appear as expected. She maintained her serious and earnest demeanor, her gaze sweeping over everyone as she said:
Do you think I'm joking with you?

The words fell...

"..."

The meeting room fell silent once again.

No...no!

Are you really going to turn down these sky-high endorsement deals?!

"Sister Hua!" one of the team leaders couldn't help but ask, "Why is this happening? Can't you at least give me an explanation?"

“That’s right…” The others nodded in agreement.

“*&%￥byd#@…”

The meeting room was immediately filled with a cacophony of objections.

In response, Zheng Hua remained composed, simply tapping the table to signal everyone to be quiet, then silently pointing to the image of Shen Ming'en endorsing "Shidanli Fertilizer" on the projector...

she says:

"I'm asking you, why did he choose this brand to endorse?"

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this...

Then, subconsciously, I answered:
"What else could it be? He's gone mad!"

"This kid's always been a lunatic, you think he'd actually eat cow dung...?"

"Maybe it's intentional, to go against the company. That's normal."

"Deliberately going against the company and ruining his own reputation?" Zheng Hua turned to look at the person who spoke and said, "Do you think he's that stupid?"

"Emmm..." The person immediately lowered their head, not daring to answer.

The industry has already heard rumors about the current situation between Ruixing Entertainment and Shen Ming'en.

As everyone knows, due to contractual issues, Ruixing Entertainment is currently refusing to give Shen Ming'en any major endorsements. He can only choose from a limited range of smaller brands, or brands that don't offer him any significant benefits...

In other words, this "Shidanli Fertilizer" was carefully selected by Shen Ming'en from among the many small brands he had given him at the company, as well as brands that were not beneficial to him.

Zheng Hua's meaning is quite clear...

Do you really think that the brand they carefully selected from so many others was just a crazy, random choice?

If that's the case, even if he agrees, Ruixing Entertainment won't agree!
Although Shen Mingen's relationship with Ruixing Entertainment is currently strained, he is still the most sought-after artist in the entire Chinese entertainment industry, walking on the edge of controversy!

Putting aside everything else, his patriotic songs alone are enough to guarantee his enduring popularity for at least two or three decades!

The executives at Ruixing Entertainment aren't fools, neither is Shen Ming'en's agent Ma Ling, nor is the company's CEO Lin Bei!
They knew Shen Ming'en's value, so they would never resort to methods that "destroy him" unless absolutely necessary.

To put it bluntly, at this stage, it's nothing more than a problem between the company and the artist, an internal power struggle, similar to a family conflict. Anyone with common sense knows that no matter how fierce the argument is within their own company, they can't form alliances with outsiders to target their own people, nor can they actually do anything that would harm them...

Ruixing Entertainment is well aware of this!

Then the problem comes...

What made Ruixing Entertainment agree to Shen Ming'en's endorsement of "Shidanli Fertilizer" under these circumstances?
This is very strange!
Anyway, Zheng Hua felt that this matter was not so simple.

"No... then why are they doing this?" Xue Chen couldn't help but ask, "What are they after?"

Is the image of someone endorsing "Shidanli Fertilizer" ruining their own reputation?
You know, right now, under attacks from rival companies online, Shen Mingen is really going to go from being a "red song spokesperson" to a "attention-seeking clown"!

This is the result that Shen Mingen chose for this endorsement, and Ruixing Entertainment allowed him to choose this endorsement, which is what they wanted to see.

Isn’t this ridiculous!
Zheng Hua's eyes deepened at this...

Ma Ling can see the meaning of "national popularity," and so can she.

These days, "following trends" is all the rage. The "red song" craze sparked by Shen Ming'en was too strong for them to keep up with, but other industries...

You absolutely must keep up!

Enough said, Xue Chen, you should also become a fertilizer spokesperson!

I'll provide you with all the pig feed, kid!
……

(End of this chapter)