Entertainment Era: Starting with Teaching Sister Meng to Sing

There are many disgusting things in the world that you can't just sever ties with, such as family ties.

Liu Weiguang knew his parents were doing disgusting things, but what could he do?

Severing ties with father and son?

Never to see each other again?

Cut ties with all family and relatives?

No, that's not true. Humans are social animals and need social acceptance.

For example, there has been a saying in China since ancient times about returning home in glory. What does returning home mean? It means showing off to relatives and friends from the past twenty years.

Having grown up in such an environment, few people have the courage to give it up.

So Wang Xiaozhou couldn't say anything harsh for his brother, he could only tell him that in the future they would use the numbers on their bank cards to force them to bow down.

Fortunately, the eighteen or nineteen-year-old boy's worries came and went quickly. After talking for a while, he turned around and put on a smiling face: "When are we leaving? The two trips we went out with you were all about filming. We haven't had any real fun."

Wang Xiaozhou raised his chin and said to the Magotan driving in the distance, "Isn't this the director? We'll film some farewell scenes at home and then head out."

Liu Weiguang's face fell: "Huh? Still filming?"

"Didn't I tell you? This is a variety show shoot, it's bound to be fun, let's go!"

When Wen Ye got out of the car and saw Wang Xiaozhou, he thought that Wang Xiaozhou had been waiting for him. He quickly ran over and said, "Brother Xiaozhou, why are you still waiting outside in this cold weather? Come in quickly."

Wang Xiaozhou laughed and said, "I was just talking to my brother outside. I wasn't waiting for you on purpose. Did you bring the camera? Let's shoot the footage now."

"Huh?" Fumino was taken aback. "Now?"

"Didn't I tell you? This is a variety show shoot, and we're about to leave. If we don't shoot some footage before we leave, when will we ever get around to it?"

"Um..." Fumino hesitated for a moment after hearing this, "Then what about the script? I should at least prepare one so I know which shots to look for."

"no."

Wang Xiaozhou waved his hand dismissively: "You'll be the director this time. You'll be in charge of everything. Oh, and you alone aren't enough for the cinematographers; we'll need at least five more. You probably can't handle the production assistants either, so let's just start a new crew. Do you have the connections? Should I ask Ganwei?"

"Yes, yes, yes!!!"

When Wen Ye heard that Wang Xiaozhou wanted him to be the director, his eyes lit up like light bulbs. When did he start studying directing? He was already able to work with such a big name before he even graduated, and he was even put in charge of directing. Although it was just a variety show, if this resume were on his resume, he would attract so much more investment in the future.

Seeing Wenye actively turn on the camera, Wang Xiaozhou didn't interfere much. After all, he was someone who could later create a film about a medicine god, so the director's shots for a variety show shouldn't be wrong, right?

After saying goodbye to his parents as usual and stuffing the things they had prepared into the trunk, Wang Xiaozhou called everyone to get in the car and get ready to leave. Perhaps because there was a camera nearby, the older generation suddenly started putting on a show.

First, Aunt Zhao stood outside the car and gave Huang Mao a long lecture, telling him to eat breakfast, brush his teeth before bed, and to get him a thin blanket himself, and to remember to change it when it got hot in the south.

Huang Mao felt uncomfortable with his mother's forced emotional appeal and repeatedly put his finger to his lips, saying, "Stop talking, Mom, please stop. I'm so embarrassed."

Aunt Zhao even wiped her nose and said, "What's so embarrassing about this? You brat, you don't understand your mother's heart at all."

After Aunt Zhao finished her performance, Wang Jianguo and his wife also got the urge to perform. Ma Xiaoping stood outside the car window and gave them a long lecture. Wang Jianguo lit a cigarette, stood behind the car with his back to them, and didn't say a word, only sighing repeatedly.

The couple made Wang Xiaozhou laugh, and the little mood-breaker even called out to Wang Jianguo over to his mother:

"Dad, something's not right with you. I'm a high school graduate on a trip, not a migrant worker. You're misinterpreting my feelings!"

Wang Jianguo rolled his eyes and was about to curse when Wang Xiaozhou stepped on the gas and drove off.

There were three cars in total, as Meng Ziyi requested. This way, many people could come out to play together, but it would be best if there were only the two of them in each car, so that they could have some private time together.

Wang Xiaozhou would naturally fulfill such a simple request. Anyway, he wasn't short of money. Yesterday, he went to the local 4S store and picked up three commercial vehicles, which he could keep for family use even after the trip.

On the first day, the group drove from Songbei to Fengtian, recorded some footage along the way, and then rested immediately upon arriving in Fengtian.

Wenye didn't sleep that night and stayed up all night to edit the footage. After Wang Xiaozhou reviewed it, he put the trailer directly on the Tencent platform. The next day, while having breakfast, Wang Xiaozhou received a call from Changping.

"Didn't we agree that if your viewership exceeded 100 million, we would fully invest in your next project? How come your variety show has already started filming and I still haven't heard anything? Mr. Wang, are you making me rich but not knowing what to do with it? Haha."

Wang Xiaozhou smiled shyly: "Our decision to set off was impromptu; we just made it yesterday. We haven't even gathered everyone yet, so there's no rush to make the investment."

Wang Xiaozhou deliberately set off without notifying Changping Investment. It wasn't that he wanted to play any trick of waiting for a higher price, but rather that investment and cooperation are based on mutual consent. Being eager doesn't make a deal, and Tencent should be more proactive.

Chang Ping laughed along, "They say an army marches on its stomach. Since we've decided to start filming, we need to prepare the funds beforehand. Here's what we'll do: name your price and the profit sharing, and I won't haggle. Just have the finance department transfer the funds directly."

"Oh, Mr. Chang, look at this... I'm speechless with your generosity. Let's do it this way: you invest ten million, take a 50% stake, and be responsible for publicity and distribution. Is that alright?"

"No problem, I already said I won't haggle. Let's use the same account as last time, the money will arrive this morning."

Wang Xiaozhou liked President Chang's straightforwardness. After giving an affirmative reply, he hung up the phone with a smile. Then, when he looked up, he found everyone looking at him with disdain.

Meng Ziyi was the first to pout and speak: "You're so hypocritical, Brother Xiaozhou. How could you say such things? Sigh."

"I'm making money, what's there to be embarrassed about?"

Wang Xiaozhou was confused, and then the third brother spoke up: "But your smile just now was so lewd. It didn't look like you were doing business with Chang Ping. It looked like you had kidnapped Chang Ping."

Wang Xiaozhou: "..."

He himself is a perfect man with outstanding looks and demeanor, yet the third brother called him a middle-aged man trafficker. These brothers really have no sense of aesthetics.

Ignoring them, I simply told them to get in the car and continue on our way.

Wenye's classmates have arrived in Tianjin. They will pick up Mao Xiaotong there, and then Song Shihui will contact a few more daring female artists. That will complete the team composition for the program.

The next step is to warm up the audience and start the live stream.

The internet is still in its early stages, and the fastest way to gain popularity is still live streaming. Wang Xiaozhou knows the advantages of this approach, so he is not worried about his investment going down the drain. If he's going to do something, he'll go for the biggest one.

With an investment of ten million, he wants to compete with "The Voice of China" in terms of viewership ratings!

At noon, after driving to Tianjin, Mao Xiaotong got into Wang Xiaozhou's car, while the photographers from Wenye immediately got into work mode, each taking a car and splitting up to record.

The photographer in Wang Xiaozhou's car was a girl. After she got on, Wang Xiaozhou specifically asked her why she chose to be a photographer. Didn't she think it was tiring to run around like that?

The other person replied, "The photographer is cool!"

Perhaps it's because he's too old, but Wang Xiaozhou can't understand this idea of ​​true freedom, so he can only give him a thumbs up to show his encouragement.

As for Mao Xiaotong and Meng Ziyi in the same car...

Wang Xiaozhou didn't care. He said, "What 'battleground'? It doesn't exist. I'm not dating anyone. Let them compete fairly."

The car continued its journey and arrived in Kyoto. After picking up the two actresses arranged by Song Shihui, they returned directly to Tianjin to rest that day. Tonight, Wenye will continue to stay up late editing videos, trying to release the first half of the first episode and also make a trailer. Tomorrow night at seven o'clock, the show will officially start its live broadcast, and how can it do without some pre-show promotion?

Changping was very cooperative. When Wang Xiaozhou discussed opening a separate section on the channel with him, he immediately reported to headquarters and agreed to Wang Xiaozhou's request.

Because of the live broadcast of the finale of "The Voice of China," Tencent Video was optimistic about the live broadcast situation. However, adding a new category would significantly increase the promotional costs. Therefore, Wang Xiaozhou wisely transferred three million yuan back to Tencent Video, meaning he also bore half of the investment.

The matter was settled, and today, white-collar workers watching videos after work suddenly discovered that the main characters of the movie that was a hit a while ago had actually created a variety show, and the lineup and investment seemed to be very strong.

A group of web series creators managed to create their own dedicated section on the Tencent Penguin platform, something that would have been unthinkable in the past. Surprisingly, many netizens felt... a sense of pride?

Those who use the internet are indeed more down-to-earth than celebrities, and viewers feel that they are closer to internet celebrities.

Among Wang Xiaozhou's group, apart from Meng Ziyi, who is a genuine talent show contestant and can be considered a singer, the rest of them followed Wang Xiaozhou from short films to web dramas and now to variety shows. Therefore, everyone felt very close to them, and the news spread quickly, with people expressing great pride in these individuals.

That evening, after arranging the cooperation matters with Chang Ping, Wang Xiaozhou booked a room for himself.

Meng Ziyi and Mao Xiaotong thought that it wouldn't be good for Wang Xiaozhou to be filming footage and be caught on camera in the same room as them, so they obediently followed Chang Ping's arrangement and stayed in the room next to Wang Xiaozhou's.

Meanwhile, Huang Mao, the team's strategist and PR person, didn't sleep all night again. He took his Weibo influencer account and started leaving comments on the official Weibo accounts of various variety shows.

"What a terrible show! It can't even compare to our new variety show. What era are we living in? They still don't know about live streaming. It's not authentic at all. Welcome everyone to tune in to our live stream tomorrow night at 7 PM. The original cast of 'The Return of the Soul' plus three popular actresses will be bringing you the new variety show 'All the Way South'."

"What kind of show is this? It's a music variety show. Of all the shows in China, music variety shows are the most unrealistic. There are huge scandals being exposed. The so-called champion singers are not as good as my brother's casual humming. Welcome everyone to tune in to our 'All the Way South' live broadcast room tomorrow night at 7 pm. I will try to persuade our Xiao Zhou to sing."

"What kind of slow-paced variety show is this? Can that chef even cook? You guys are just praising him. I suggest you come to 'All the Way South' and learn from our Brother Zhou how to cook. Welcome to tune in to our 'All the Way South' live stream tomorrow night at 7 pm."

......

Huang Mao is a self-taught genius. Given the previous example, he went out and cursed around, and immediately made the name of the new variety show a minor trending topic. What's a little scary is that the discussion under the trending topic is not only about the new show, but also about Huang Mao himself.

The "stubborn and reckless" persona has really attracted a lot of fans, and Huang Mao's personal fan base is about to break one million.

The next day, after waking up, the group had breakfast at the hotel and replenished their energy before turning on the camera and setting off.

On the lead vehicle, Wang Xiaozhou held a walkie-talkie and explained today's plans to everyone.

"We'll depart from Tianjin at 8 a.m. and, assuming it's safe, we should arrive in Chang'an before 5 p.m. The history and culture here are amazing, so let's make it our first filming location. It'll be a good opportunity to rest and catch the live broadcast at 7 p.m.

Wenye was the show's director, but he knew he didn't have the final say on the itinerary. Since the show had no script, it was basically a matter of Wang Xiaozhou deciding where to go. Everyone agreed without objection and set off immediately.

Those with driver's licenses took turns driving, so it wasn't a rush. When they got hungry, they ate something at the service area, and when they got tired, they would just get off the highway to rest. The group drove around and had some fun, and by the time they arrived in Chang'an, they weren't really tired.

At the highway exit, Wen Ye's voice came through the walkie-talkie in Wang Xiaozhou's car.

"Brother Zhou, we're about to get off the highway. Which way should we go? Are we going to see the Terracotta Warriors?"

The words Chang'an and the Terracotta Army seem to be linked together, as if people come to Chang'an specifically to see the Terracotta Army.

These topics have been thoroughly explored in other variety shows or documentaries, but Wang Xiaozhou insists on going against the grain.

"Let's skip the Terracotta Warriors and find a random village in the city. We'll start recording by having a meal."

"Shall we eat in the urban village?"

"right."

Seeing that Wang Xiaozhou had no intention of explaining, Wenye didn't ask any more questions. He searched for the location of the nearest urban village on the map, and then set off as the lead car.

It's hot and humid.

This was everyone's first impression after arriving in Chang'an from Songbei. After parking the car on the side of the road and getting out, everyone felt as if the ground was steaming and burning hot to the touch.

"What time is it now?" Wang Xiaozhou asked.

Wenye glanced at his watch: "Six-thirty, it's almost seven."

Wang Xiaozhou thought for a moment, took out his phone and sent a message to Chang Ping, then said to Wen Ye, "Let's start the live broadcast right away. The preview already explained everything, and we've all introduced our participating guests, right?"

Fumino nodded: "Okay, I'll make the arrangements now. Come on, cameras, get in position."

Wenye's classmates immediately got into position. To be honest, Wang Xiaozhou and others are very popular now, but only within a certain circle. The biggest difference between them and top celebrities is that they don't have brainless fans, so they can appear on the streets with peace of mind without worrying about causing chaos.

The filming crew was also simple; they didn't need to resort to the annoying practices of bodyguards and street closures that some big stars have.

With a glance from Wen Ye, Wang Xiaozhou immediately understood that the recording had started and waved to the camera.

"Hello everyone, my name is Wang Xiaozhou."

The camera circled around, and under Wang Xiaozhou's guidance, everyone introduced themselves to the camera, including the two second-tier female celebrities who dared to come.

The camera panned around and then came back to Wang Xiaozhou, who was chatting with the camera as if he were talking to a friend.

"When people travel to a place, they often come specifically to see its famous historical sites. I think this kind of tourism is not very meaningful. Just glancing at the historical sites won't broaden your horizons; instead, it will make you feel that the place is nothing special."

However, if you approach it from a different angle, it will be different. For example, if you start from the perspective of the urban villages in this place, understand the background of the city from the grassroots level, and then explore upwards slowly, and finally preserve the historical sites, I believe everyone will have a different feeling.

Every city has its own unique atmosphere, such as the Northeast, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and Guizhou and Sichuan, which are more memorable to people.

The Northeast has been a land beyond the Great Wall since ancient times, so to put it bluntly, the people here are generally considered barbaric and uncouth.

However, in the mid-20th century, Northeast China became rich rapidly due to its vast material resources. People also became more open-minded and enthusiastic because of their affluent material life. Their barbarity and vulgarity turned into generosity, which led to the title of "Big Brother of Northeast China" before the millennium.

Then there's the Jiangnan region, which was known as a land of plenty in ancient times, and has been home to many wealthy merchants since ancient times. However, in modern times, due to its geographical location, it became difficult for people to make a living solely from the harvest. As a result, some of the least well-located cities in the region sought change and, after venturing into commerce, achieved great renown throughout the country.

There's no need to say much about Guichuan; he's just brave.

Their bravery is well-documented, and loyalty and righteousness, along with never giving up or slacking off, are their mantras.

What is the atmosphere of Chang'an? Let's explore it together today.

Wang Xiaozhou spoke eloquently in front of the camera, like a tour guide.

The other guests were whispering amongst themselves in front of the camera, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

At the same time, on the cover of the Penguin platform, the number of viewers in the "All the Way South" live stream was also rising sharply, and it had exceeded 100,000 in almost ten minutes. The barrage of comments was like snowflakes, and you had to look closely to see what was written on them.

"Wow, Wang Xiaozhou, that creator in the entertainment industry whose works are of extremely high quality but who never shows his face in private, is actually filming a reality show this time."

"A reality show that is self-directed and self-acted is not so much that people come to participate, but that people want to make this type of show."

"The director isn't Wang Xiaozhou, is it that Wenye?"

"Wenye has always been Wang Xiaozhou's assistant director. What's the difference between him directing and Wang Xiaozhou directing himself? He's just mentoring newcomers."