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

Before leaving the capital, Xu Yao's last visit was to his cousin, Yao Beina.

It was already dark when Xu Yao arrived at BJ Cancer Hospital.

He didn't call ahead.

It wasn't that I forgot, it was that I deliberately didn't call—with my cousin's temper, if she knew he was coming, she would definitely start nagging for days in advance.

Tell him not to go to the hospital and to spend his time rehearsing.

My cousin is still recovering, so I can't let her worry.

After leaving the CCTV rehearsal hall, he changed into clean clothes, picked out a basket of oranges at the fruit shop near the entrance, hailed a taxi, and gave them an address.

Xu Yao walked through the lobby on the first floor of the inpatient department and went upstairs. He stood at the door of the ward for a while and saw Yao Beina leaning against the headboard through the glass window of the door. She was covered with a thin white hospital blanket and was flipping through a music book. Her newly grown hair after chemotherapy was soft and stuck to her scalp, making her face look even smaller.

He gently pushed the door open.

Yao Beina looked up and was stunned for a moment when she saw him, then put the sheet music on the bedside table.

"Xiao Yao? What brings you to the capital?" she said, trying to sit up straight. "Have you lost weight again? Have you been eating properly?"

"Sis, don't move."

Xu Yao placed the fruit basket on the bedside table and sat down on the hard wooden visitor chair next to the hospital bed.

Seeing his cousin's pale face and chapped lips, Xu Yao felt a pang of sadness.

"Sister, you're a patient now, so you shouldn't worry about whether others are eating properly. Besides, I have something important to tell you."

"Now you know how to care about your sister? Remember this: I'm in such a miserable state today because you, you brat, forced me to this. You..."

Yao Beina wanted to scold him, thinking that all her years of perseverance had been fooled by this kid. But seeing his reddened eyes, she sighed and couldn't bring herself to be harsh.

"Speak, what's the big deal?"

"I was on the Spring Festival Gala."

Yao Beina was stunned for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up, brighter than a patient who had just finished chemotherapy.

She has been receiving treatment recently and hasn't had many opportunities to use her phone, so she has become somewhat isolated from the outside world.

I only learned about the big news that Xu Yao was recently having a contract dispute with the company.

"Really? When did this happen? Why didn't you say so sooner?"

"You've been in the hospital all this time, and you haven't been keeping up with the news. I wanted to tell you this in person." Xu Yao moved his chair closer to the bed. "On New Year's Eve, in Studio One, I sang a duet with Sister Na."

"A chorus? You're not singing solo?" Yao Beina had barely finished asking when she realized what she meant and laughed. "That's right, it's already a miracle that a newcomer like you can even get on the Spring Festival Gala. How could you possibly sing solo? As long as you can get on, that's enough."

Xu Yao immediately smiled ingratiatingly, even flattering her with a doting smile: "I know you sang a solo on the Spring Festival Gala, sister. Oh dear, no matter how hard I try, I can't compare to someone's brilliance."

"That's for sure, you still have a long way to go to catch up with me, little brother. But hey, did your blockhead tongue suddenly change after the breakup? So sweet?" Yao Beina said with a smug smile.

The two began exchanging pleasantries, reminiscing, and also talking about Liu Yifei.

After a long pause, Yao Beina finally spoke seriously: "Xiao Yao, how did you do that?"

Xu Yao thought for a moment and said, "It was Sister Na who helped. The production team originally felt that it wasn't appropriate to bring a newcomer to the final segment, but Sister Na negotiated with the production team for a long time."

He paused, then added, "Her willingness to help me wasn't entirely due to my abilities."

Yao Beina looked at him without saying a word.

"She heard you're my cousin," Xu Yao said, lowering his voice. "She said she owed you something back then. She's making an exception this time."

So, Xu Yao briefly described how he got on the Spring Festival Gala.

Yao Beina was silent for a moment, then smiled and shook her head: "So you got on the Spring Festival Gala because of my connections."

"Of course."

Xu Yao took out a banana and started peeling it: "Who said I, Xu Yao, am navigating the Chinese entertainment industry alone? I have a sister to rely on, okay? Others have connections, but I have a sister. My sister was the most explosive one on the Voice of China stage back then, and audiences across the country still remember your rendition of 'Maybe Tomorrow'."

"Keep praising me," Yao Beina said with a smile, patting him lightly. Her eyes were bright and full of stories. "But I really did sing quite well back then."

The two laughed for a while, then Xu Yao reached into his pocket, took out a small envelope, placed it on the bedside table, and pushed it towards her.

"Sis, I brought you another surprise today."

Yao Beina took it and opened it.

Inside was a ticket for the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, New Year's Eve 2015, Studio One.

The back of the ticket has a detailed seating chart; the second to last row is the aisle seat.

It's not conspicuous, but each seat has a number, and each number is checked.

"This is a live ticket for the Spring Festival Gala," Xu Yao said. "It's like letting my sister perform on the Spring Festival Gala in another way on New Year's Eve."

Yao Beina held the ticket tightly, head down, and remained silent for a long while.

She recalled that she was on the stage of The Voice of China that year, and she was also very close to this studio.

Many things happened afterward, and she never imagined that she would revisit that place in this way.

"Xiao Yao, did I save the galaxy in my past life? How did I end up with such a treasure of a younger brother like you?"

Yao Beina wanted to cup Xu Yao's face in her hands, just like when she was a child, but unfortunately she was too weak to do so.

Xu Yao handed the banana to his cousin: "Sis, Sister Na asked me to pass on a message to you."

"What did you say?"

"She didn't want what happened back then."

Xu Yao paused for a moment, glanced at his cousin's expression, and then continued speaking.

"The PK result was due to the show's producers changing the song at the last minute, leaving her with no choice on stage. In her words, even the mentors on 'The Voice of China' are not entirely free to choose their own path."

This explanation is actually true. Xu Yao thought of how fierce the controversy between Li Wen, the queen of The Voice of China mentors, and The Voice of China was.

So much so that when Li Wen collapsed from exhaustion during her performance, no one even bothered to help her up.

Videos of Li Wen arguing with the program team are still circulating on the DouDou video platform.

Then a second representative emerged, Xue Zhiqian, who openly challenged the program team, leading to the indefinite suspension of "The Voice of China".

Yao Beina smiled slightly: "I haven't contacted her all these years, not because I blame her, but because I couldn't get over it myself. But this time she helped my brother get on the Spring Festival Gala. For that reason, I'll let it go."

"Okay," Xu Yao said, "I'll talk to her for you."

Yao Beina nodded, gently placed the envelope next to her pillow, then leaned against the headboard and tilted her head to look at Xu Yao.

"Xiao Yao, I've overheard the nurses talking about your recent issues with the company. It seems like there's a lot of talk about it online. Are you really going to be able to terminate your contract?"

Xu Yao thought for a moment and said, "It might not work. But we have to try. If it doesn't work the first time, we'll try again; if it doesn't work the second time, we'll try a third time. Eventually, we'll succeed."

Yao Beina looked at him for a long time.

The person in front of her was no longer the chubby boy who used to chase after her and was so nervous on stage that he couldn't even finish his sentence.

This person used to be a very obese person who locked himself away from people and overate because of a breakup.

Now he's thinner, more grown up, and dares to slam his fist on the table at the company. He dares to carry all the pressure to the backstage of the Spring Festival Gala, and then run to her hospital room, saying, "I also have a sister I can rely on," turning all the pressure he had been holding in into a soft smile.

Despite the many injustices in the world, he remained both firm and gentle, with a warm heart.

"Xiao Yao," she said, "you're quite like me in that respect."

Xu Yao smiled and said, "Of course, I'm your younger brother. You practically raised me when I was little. You also influenced me to choose the path of music."

The ward was quiet for a while.

Xu Yao stood up, picked up the kettle from the bedside table, poured her a glass of warm water, and placed it beside her.

Then she moved the basket of oranges to her bedside table, so that she could reach them without getting up.

"Sister, I'm leaving now. Take good care of yourself and try your best to perform on the Spring Festival Gala with me."

Yao Beina nodded: "Let's go. Rehearse well, don't embarrass me."

"Sis, on New Year's Eve, you dress up nicely. You're responsible for looking beautiful sitting in the audience. I'll be responsible for looking cool on stage."

"That's a good idea."

Yao Beina smiled and pulled the blanket up a little higher, watching his back as he walked towards the ward door. Just before she pressed the doorknob down, she suddenly called out to him.

"Xu Yao".

Xu Yao turned around.

"Go ahead and fight, break the contract, don't be afraid of the consequences. I can live for another ten years now, and I can support our whole family without worrying about food and clothing. It's not a big problem."

"Um……"

Xu Yao nodded, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart, and pushed open the door to leave.

I laughed loudly and went out the door; how could I, a man of such talent, be a mere commoner?

(P.S.: It's finally going to be available for purchase! The new chapter will be released at 12 PM. Before the official release time, I'll update a free chapter. I'm begging all my fans to support me with the first subscription today. The first subscription data is extremely important. I'll get up tomorrow and keep writing. I'll try my best to finish the contract termination storyline in one day and not drag it out until the next day.)