Chinese Entertainment King: Starting as a Fat Boy and Becoming a Singing King

The day after the 8-to-4 elimination round aired, in the program's meeting room.

At one end of the long table sat the chief director Jin Lei and the operations director Liu, and at the other end sat Yang Kun.

Jin Lei stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and looked up at Yang Kun.

"Brother Kun, we need to talk about Xu Yao's matter again."

Yang Kun leaned back in his chair and remained silent.

He knew this conversation would happen.

From the moment Xu Yao sang that angry note and shed that tear on the 8-to-4 stage, he knew the production team would be uneasy.

"Xu Yao's episode brought the ratings to over 3 for The Voice of China, even higher than the first episode," Yang Kun said calmly. "Isn't that a great result?"

The director spoke up: "These ratings were bought with real money by the station. Do you think the trending topic of the chubby guy singing his heart out after his breakup just happened naturally?"

At this point, the director sighed before continuing, "I never imagined that this would benefit Fatty Xu so much; he really got off easy."

"Mr. Yang Kun, and we're not just looking for ratings," General Manager Liu chimed in, his tone efficient. "We also need the commercial performance value. Xu Yao is so fat, can he really work year-round running around doing commercial performances to generate revenue?"

Yang Kun looked at her without saying a word.

"Brother Kun, you're in the industry, you should understand." President Liu opened the notebook in front of him.

"After the show ends, there are sponsors, sponsors, and tours all over the country. The trainees have to do dozens of commercial performances. With Xu Yao's physique, he gets out of breath after standing on stage for 20 minutes. How can he run around like that? Will brands be willing to pay for his shows if they see his image? We are making a TV program, but behind the TV program is business."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

"That's not my fault." Yang Kun's voice hardened. "I arranged such a difficult English song for him, a straightforward one, not suitable for a competition. He actually changed it into an angry version, and the way he performed it on the spot, his strength had exceeded the limit of my suppression, I simply couldn't control him."

Jin Lei and General Manager Liu exchanged a glance.

"Even if we can't suppress it, we have to. Kun, your group's champion is either Chen Yongxin or Yu Feng. Between the two of them, who do you think has a better chance of beating Xu Yao?"

Yang Kun remained silent for a long time.

Then he shook his head.

"None of them have a chance of winning. Xu Yao is already a professional singer, and his stage presence is excellent. His relaxed state on stage isn't based on technique, but on his overall aura. Chen Yongxin has good singing skills, but her stage control is lacking. Yu Feng has potential, but her singing skills are still a step behind Xu Yao's. Xu Yao's performance in the 8-to-4 round was already at the level of the finals."

The meeting room fell silent again.

Jin Lei lowered his head, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

Mr. Liu flipped through his notebook, drawing circles on the paper with his pen.

"Okay then." Jin Lei looked up. "When it's the top four, we'll draw lots on stage and arrange for Yu Feng to face off against Xu Yao. How about this—a perfectly tailor-made all-around singer-dancer versus a quiet, overweight guy who just sings quietly?"

Yang Kun frowned.

"We've already treated them differently once; there's no need to continue targeting them."

Jin Lei's expression remained unchanged, and his voice remained steady: "Brother Kun, we're making a show, not doing charity. Commercial performance revenue is the final result. Xu Yao is popular now, but how long can that popularity last? Three months? Six months? The key point is that after the show ends, the tour will last a year, and brand endorsements depend on his image. Do you think brands would choose a 250-pound fat man as their spokesperson?"

Yang Kun remained silent. He knew the production team was telling the truth, but the truth is often the cruelest.

"What about Xu Yao, who also chose to sing and dance?" Yang Kun suddenly asked.

Mr. Liu laughed, but it wasn't a friendly laugh; it was the kind of laugh that said, "Are you kidding me?"

"A 250-pound fat guy, singing and dancing? Are you kidding me? Let him dance all he wants. Can he even keep up? He'll be out of breath after just a couple of jumps. Are the audience here to hear him sing or to watch him pant?"

She stopped smiling and her expression turned serious: "Kun, you need to pick a good song for Yu Feng, and train him well in terms of his stage presence, positioning, and overall performance. Make sure he beats Xu Yao in the final four. If Xu Yao represents your team to compete for the championship, your team's commercial value will be greatly reduced."

The director also spoke up: "Moreover, Xu Yao must be eliminated within his team. If he wins the team championship, it will change the station's overall championship arrangements."

Looking at the list of the top four in front of him—Chen Yongxin, Yu Feng, Xu Yao, and Xu Jianqiu—Yang Kun suddenly felt very tired.

I have this urge to just quit.

"You guys decide on Yu Feng's song." He stood up, picked up the folder on the table, and walked out the door.

The corridor was quiet.

Yang Kun walked alone in the empty corridor, his mind replaying the tear Xu Yao shed on the 8-to-4 stage.

That tear wasn't made up, it wasn't acted out; it was a genuine emotion.

A 250-pound fat man stood under the spotlight, singing until he broke down and shed tears.

That was a tear that Xu Yao shed after countless days and nights of drinking and wallowing in sorrow following his breakup, and then finding a glimmer of hope again.

Even with such a precious tear, the program team was ultimately unable to be moved.

Damn it...

Yang Kun stopped at the window at the end of the corridor and looked at the city outside.

The program production team and the management company want commercial value, revenue from commercial performances, and brand endorsements.

Aside from his great voice, Xu Yao has no other flaws.

[Idol Value: 5100 points]

5100 points. This is the reward issued by the system after entering the top four. Adding the 600 points left before, it's a total of 5100 points.

He stared at the numbers on the panel, his brain racing.

Based on the previous consumption standard, every 1000 points of body shape optimization reduces weight by 5 kg, and 5100 points is enough to reduce weight by 25 kg.

"Finally, I can start losing weight."

Xu Yao mentally pressed the redemption button.

A warm current began to spread from his chest, as if someone had lit a lamp inside his body.

He could feel the fat melting away little by little, and the muscles tightening little by little.

This time the burning sensation was much stronger than the last, spreading from my abdomen to my limbs, and from my limbs to my face. It felt like I was being put into an invisible furnace, with every inch of my skin burning.

Xu Yao gritted his teeth and remained silent.

The system's rules state that body shape optimization needs to be completed in multiple stages and cannot be done all at once, otherwise the body will not be able to handle it.

He needs to gradually deplete his idol value and lose a little weight every day, like squeezing toothpaste.

Fortunately, Xu Yao combined this with proper training, making everyone think that he had gradually built up his physique, rather than losing weight overnight.

The whole process lasted about a minute.

Xu Yao looked down at his body.

The changes weren't significant, but he could feel every inch of his body tightening.

He stood up and walked to the bathroom mirror.

Her face is a little thinner, and her belly is smaller.

The next morning, when Xu Yao walked into the rehearsal hall, Xu Jianqiu was the first to spot him.

"Brother Yao, have you lost weight?"

Xu Yao put his backpack on the chair: "I haven't been going to the gym to lose weight lately, so I've lost a little weight."

"You've lost a lot of weight." Xu Jianqiu looked him up and down. "Your face is smaller, and you've become more handsome."

Xu Yao casually replied, "I've been training really hard these past few days, and I've been eating a low-fat diet."

Xu Jianqiu nodded and did not ask any further questions.

When Chen Yongxin walked in, she paused for a moment on Xu Yao and asked softly, "Have you been on a diet lately?"

"Yeah, I go to the gym every day."

"You've lost a lot of weight." Chen Yongxin smiled. "Keep it up, get handsome soon."

Xu Yao nodded, picked up the microphone, and walked towards the rehearsal area.

Every day after that, Xu Yao was consuming his idol points.

I lost 2 kg on the first day, 2 kg on the second day, and 3 kg on the third day.

By the fifth day, he had lost 12 kilograms.

My weight dropped from 122 kg to 110 kg.

The changes are starting to become apparent.

Yu Feng glanced at him a couple of times during rehearsal, but didn't say anything.

After the rehearsal, Yang Kun called him aside and looked him up and down.

Are you taking diet pills?

"No," Xu Yao said. "I sweat it out at the gym every day."

"Don't ruin your health," Yang Kun said with some concern. "You still have matches to compete in."

"I know."

Yang Kun glanced at him, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

As Xu Yao continued to lose weight, he found that his body couldn't take it anymore, so he had to allocate some of his idol points to improving his physical skills.

A week later, Xu Yao's weight dropped to 105 kilograms.

He started wearing his old clothes again, only to find that his pants were too loose, so he had to buy new ones.

Chen Yongxin was stunned when she saw him.

"Brother Yao, you've changed so fast!"

"Really? Then my efforts weren't in vain."

"You're working way too hard."

Xu Yao smiled but offered no explanation.

The production team noticed early on that Xu Yao had started to lose weight, and they filmed every time Xu Yao went to the gym and sweated profusely.

Xu Yao discovered that 105 kilograms was the current limit that the system could handle.