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

A deep breath came from the other end of the phone, as if gathering strength before announcing some major news.

"Just now, just now, Director Cat Tree said it himself. Their studio shoots more than a dozen short films and music videos every year. Before, they would cast whoever auditioned and seemed suitable as the female lead. But the boss said that from now on, they will give me priority for the female lead in most of the studio's productions."

She paused for a moment.

"Contact me first. Did you hear me? Contact me first! Cat Tree even told me that the boss's exact words were, 'This girl has a great sense of the camera; she'll be the studio's go-to leading lady from now on.' Go-to leading lady! Xu Yao, did you hear that? Go-to leading lady!"

"I heard you."

Xu Yao held his phone calmly, after all, everything was within the plan, it just happened ahead of schedule.

Do you understand the value of a "go-to leading lady" role?

Bai Lu's voice carried a hint of coquettishness that she herself might not have been aware of.

"In other words, I, Bai Lu, have officially debuted."

Xu Yao congratulated: "Congratulations to Bai Lu on your debut today, may you become a huge star tomorrow."

"No, no, it's not that easy to become famous, hehe." Bai Lu's voice brightened again, even brighter than before, "I'm telling you, starting today, I've changed your WeChat nickname for me."

"What was changed to?"

"Xu Yao..." she paused, "and then added two words: 'benefactor'."

"You are the greatest benefactor of Bailu."

Bai Lu slowed down her speech; she spoke very slowly and earnestly.

"I've been chasing my dream for so many years, been deceived so many times, and rejected so many times. My mom even advised me to go home and take the civil service exam. Only you, after looking at my application, insisted on hiring me. You taught me acting, you treated me to spicy hot pot, you spoke up for me when the investors said they wanted to replace me, you stood in the rain..."

She suddenly stopped; the kissing scene in the rain seemed to be right before her eyes.

The two of them were silent for about a second.

Bai Lu cleared his throat and quickly skipped over the word.

"Anyway, whether this music video becomes a hit or not, whether I can actually become an actor in the future, whether I become famous or not..."

She paused for a moment.

"You are my benefactor, and you always will be."

Xu Yao, holding his phone, spoke: "Bai Lu."

"Um?"

"Has the nickname been changed?"

"It's been changed! Do you want to see it? I'll take a screenshot and send it to you right now!"

"Need not."

"oh."

"Delete the words 'benefactor' from your resume."

"Huh? Why?"

"I'm concerned about my image; the word 'benefactor' makes me sound older. Besides, it also puts pressure on me. Would you rather have another good friend, or another benefactor in your career?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

This statement is also a choice.

Good friends will readily lend a hand, and benefactors naturally carry the heavy responsibility of mentoring and guiding.

Bai Lu appears lively and cheerful, but she is actually quite perceptive and intelligent; she understood the meaning behind Xu Yao's words.

"Then I'll choose friends. I feel very comfortable talking to you. You've already helped me once, and I can't be greedy and put pressure on you."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Xu Yao felt the call was about to end: "Alright, go to sleep early."

"But I can't sleep." Bai Lu's voice had a slightly coquettish tone at the end. "I'm too excited. I feel like I'm going to have insomnia tonight."

"goodbye."

Xu Yao sensed that Bai Lu was about to have a long phone conversation, so he decisively hung up.

They traveled all night, barely stopping along the way.

When Xu Yao parked his car in front of the hotel, it was still dark.

He had just walked into the lobby with his suitcase and hadn't even had a chance to say a word to the receptionist when Sister Lin's assistant, Xiao Zhao, jogged over from the lounge area.

"Brother Yao, you don't need to check in. The bus is leaving for the performance venue in twenty minutes, you can sleep on the bus."

This is really happening without even taking a breath. Xu Yao glanced at the time on his phone; it was just past 5 a.m. Luckily, he had managed to catch up on some sleep in the car for a few hours.

The sofas in the lobby were filled with people sitting haphazardly.

Some people were lying on their suitcases, some were leaning against the wall with their eyes closed, and some were holding their backpacks and staring blankly.

The entire lobby resembles a waiting room.

Xu Yao recalled the backstage area on the night of the finals.

Chen Yongxin applied lipstick in front of the mirror, but was not satisfied after applying it three times, saying, "The camera will wash out my makeup, I want to look beautiful."

Back then, everyone's eyes shone with light, with dreams, and with inexhaustible energy.

Does reality extinguish dreams and passion?

Or is this what life is really like?

Before Xu Yao could even sit down, Xiao Zhao's voice rang out.

"Dear teachers, the bus has arrived. You may board now."

No one complained, and no one asked, "Can we rest for another ten minutes?"

One by one, the people on the sofa stood up and began to board the vehicle, some stiffly.

The contestants on "The Voice of China" have it tough after the competition; they've all become tools for their management companies to make money.

Some people complained: "Even the donkeys in the production team aren't driving like this. One show after another, their voices will be ruined sooner or later."

Xu Yao knew this very well, and so did his agency.

The popularity of contestants on The Voice of China only lasts for three to six months.

The attention these trainees accumulate during the competition represents the greatest traffic and value they can gain in their lifetime.

Once this window of opportunity is closed, the audience will forget you, and the market will abandon you.

Therefore, the oil and water must be squeezed out completely before the heat is exhausted.

One event after another, regardless of whether the event is high-end or low-end, one city after another, regardless of whether the city is a third-tier, fourth-tier, fifth-tier, sixth-tier, seventh-tier, or eighth-tier city.

Run as many games as you can.

Whether the trainees' bodies can handle it, their voices can hold up, or their mental state is not something they need to consider.

This is the core reason why contestants on The Voice of China fail to rise to prominence during their contract period.

It's not that talent agencies don't want to promote people; it's that they simply don't have the ability to do so.

Canxing's core business is producing programs, selling copyrights, and organizing tours, not acting as a full-contract agent or creating top celebrities.

It is a production method that separates production and broadcasting.

It's not a platform like Zhejiang TV or Hunan TV.

Those nationally popular variety shows only prioritize their own artists and don't include Canxing's artists at all.

Its talent agency department is an auxiliary department, a temporary team, lacking a mature publicity team, business liaison capabilities, and access to film and television resources.

They only arrange commercial performances, tours, and release singles.

I won't create a long-term persona, and I won't seek national exposure.

Each season of The Voice of China signs dozens of people, resulting in extremely diluted resources.

There was no targeted packaging, no advertising budget, and no investment in a single.

The contract is for eight years. For the first two years, they arrange crazy tours to squeeze out all the value of the contract, and then they just ignore you and leave you to waste your time. If you want to terminate the contract, you have to pay money.

Paying to terminate the contract is also a substantial source of income that they have planned in advance.

Xu Yao recalled the afternoon he signed his name on the contract.

In the signing room of the "The Voice of China" program, legal representative Sister Chen pushed the contract in front of him, with the words "Eight Years After the Competition" clearly printed on it.

Did he know what that contract meant at that time?

He knew, but he and Zhou Shen still signed the agreement.

Because if you don't sign, you can't join the team.

For an amateur singer, is a good voice the best choice?

Sometimes, it's the only option.

You can go to a bar and sing for three or five years, but what can you achieve?

The people in the audience were drinking and playing drinking games, your singing was just background music, and nobody remembered your name.

You can participate in other talent shows, but Super Boy has an eight-year contract with EE-Media waiting for you, while contract disputes between Super Girl and Super Boy have never stopped.

How much was the breach of contract penalty for Zhang Jie, the 2004 "My Show" champion, who betrayed his former company Shangteng and joined Tianyu Media?

Shang Wenjie is being pursued for 800 million yuan in breach of contract damages after leaving Tianyu Media.

You can write and release your own songs, but without a platform, exposure, or resources, even the best songs will sink without a trace.

You can sign with a small record label, but those labels are on the verge of bankruptcy, and then they send newcomers to auditions.

The era of Douyin (TikTok) self-media is far from over, and how many of the online singers have actually made a name for themselves?

Xu Yao recalled an interview with Tengger from later generations, in which he said: "Before I became famous, I asked some people to look at my songs, and they said, 'Oh, the lyrics are too simple; they're not lyrics at all.' Later, after 'Heaven' became famous, they started saying, 'The lyrics are brilliant; each line paints a vivid picture; it's simply... hahaha...'"

Talent shows are currently the only channel for amateur singers to get noticed.

From being unknown to being known, from having no supporters to having people calling your name.

This road is narrow, crowded, and full of potholes, but it is still a road.

If you don't take this road, there isn't even a road.

The contract with The Voice of China may exploit you, but at least you have the right to be exploited, which means you have value.

If you don't participate, you have no value whatsoever.

So even knowing it's a pit of fire, people still jump in, and they fight tooth and nail to get in.

Even if Douyin (TikTok) becomes popular in the future, with so many singers gaining popularity through social media, how many will ultimately achieve both fame and fortune?

Bai Xiaobai? Feng Timo? Hailai Amu? Guangdong Rain God? Meng Ran? Cheng Xiang?

They were no match for Zhou Shen and Zhang Bichen.

These are the pros and cons of participating in The Voice of China.

Every industry strongly advocates that choice is more important than effort.

Ordinary people never have a choice; being chosen is a kind of luck.

Xu Yao knew that, as an ordinary person, he had already failed on his way to the top 16 of The Voice of China.

For most ordinary people, the path to fame is fraught with thorns and there is no road at all.

Xu Yao's assistance system is already extraordinary, but he still needs to work hard and persevere to find stepping stones and build a path to slowly climb to the top.

Do you dream of becoming famous overnight, with just one song, or with a single hit?

This is simply survivor bias, an event with an extremely low probability.

Liu Yuning went through about 10 years of accumulation from street singing to becoming a sensation, but his short video of covering "Seriously" unexpectedly went viral in 2017, which brought him to overnight fame. He then quickly transformed into a singer and actor.

Yang Yang, Li Yifeng, Wu Yifan, Lu Han.

In 2014, they became popular due to dramas such as "Swords of Legends" and "The Lost Tomb", and were collectively known as the four traffic stars, marking the beginning of the era of traffic stars. They jumped from non-top traffic stars to top traffic stars in a short period of time.

Xiao Zhan rose to fame in 2019 for his role as Wei Wuxian in "The Untamed". He went from an unknown 24-year-old artist to a phenomenal top star, with his fan base, commercial value and social media popularity soaring.

Behind these individuals are unseen and intangible capital investments that fuel their success; they are the cream of the crop, selected from among thousands of others.

On the same day, Dapeng rose from the wind and lifted up to 90,000 miles.

Xu Yao has a clear goal: to first strive to become a great roc, rather than being unrealistic and immediately pursuing the vast starry sky above the roc.

Outside the car window, the sky gradually brightened.

The future is here.

(P.S.: I won't be criticizing the male lead, so please stay tuned, everyone. All difficulties will be overcome. It's just that I won't release a song and instantly become a viral sensation, or make a movie that's a box office hit and brings him financial freedom. I'll try to create a plot where the male lead is still incredibly talented, based on realistic premises. Please allow me to lay the groundwork a bit, thank you.)