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

Chapter 95: Xu Yao's Press Conference After Successfully Terminating the Contract with Zero Penalty (Thanks for your monthly votes)

No one knows what agreement Xu Yao reached with the company.

Those in the industry only know one thing: Xu Fang, the newly appointed tour manager of Dream Voice, sent out press conference invitations to major media outlets on behalf of the company on the third day after taking office.

The location was not at the headquarters of Canxing, nor at Zhejiang TV Station, but in the banquet hall of a hotel in Hangzhou.

The venue is neutral and transparent.

The main figure at the press conference was not a company executive or the program director, but Xu Yao.

Xu Fang walked onto the stage wearing a dark blue suit skirt, her short hair neat and her makeup sophisticated.

She stood behind the podium, with a row of microphones in front of her and the "The Voice of China" logo wall behind her.

"Dear media friends, thank you for attending today's press conference of Dream Voice Company regarding the cooperation on Mr. Xu Yao's agency affairs."

She placed the speech on the podium instead of reading it verbatim.

"Next, on behalf of the company, I would like to announce two points: First, the company deeply recognizes that there were some problems and shortcomings in the management of the artists in the previous stage. On behalf of Dream Voice Culture Communication Co., Ltd., I would like to formally apologize to Mr. Xu Yao and all the affected trainees."

She bowed, and the flashbulbs of the cameras went off everywhere.

"Secondly, Xu Yao, the champion of The Voice of China, will now focus on preparing his solo album. The company will also deeply reflect on past shortcomings, respect the students' efforts and potential, and give them more possibilities. If any record production team wants to collaborate with a contestant from The Voice of China, the company's doors are open."

A measured round of applause erupted from the audience. A reporter with a ponytail raised her hand: "Mr. Xu, is this company adjustment targeting only Xu Yao, or all trainees?"

Xu Fang nodded: "This applies to all trainees. Mr. Xu Yao has sounded the alarm for us. The company has established an artist rights protection team, and from now on, each trainee will have a dedicated person to handle their health, studies, and career planning."

The reporter turned his attention to Xu Yao: "Does this mean that you have won the battle against the company and against capital?"

""

All the cameras turned to him at the same time.

Xu Yao straightened the microphone stand in front of him. The flashes were still going off, and he waited for them to stop before speaking: "I've said it before, I'm never fighting against the company. It's a fact that without The Voice of China, nobody would know the name Xu Yao. Today, I just want to take this opportunity to say a few words from the heart to my fans."

He leaned forward slightly and looked directly into the live stream camera.

"Has anyone ever wondered why I always say my weight is 250 pounds?"

The audience fell silent. "Two hundred and fifty"—everyone knew the second meaning of this phrase in Chinese.

"The choice of this number is a mockery of my past terrible state, and also an upper limit that I will never step into again. Whether we are young people or honest people, we are kind and tolerant, but that does not mean we have no bottom line. When the injustices and grievances reach the value that our tolerance has set in our hearts, we should put away our kindness and shatter it with our fists. If we do not stand up for ourselves, no one else will stand up for us."

The flashes from the audience paused for a moment, then started exploding even more fiercely.

Xu Yao adjusted the microphone.

"Also, I've noticed that many of my followers are guys who, like me before, were overweight. Here's a very important truth I want to tell you all: please don't underestimate any overweight person, because once we really lose weight—"

He raised his hand and patted the hem of his fitted white shirt, striking a handsome pose, and said with a smile, "Then we're all hidden handsome guys."

The number of comments on the live stream was pushed to its peak in a second.

"Everyone stand up!!!"

"Xu Yao is amazing!!!! This is a great victory for all of us working stiffs!!"

"I cried at the point of being '250'. There's a limit to kindness, and this is what we call '250'."

"From today onwards, 250 is no longer an insult, it's the limit of my tolerance!!"

"I just got off work and saw my boss yelling at me. I remembered Xu Yao's '250 principle' and I went to argue with him. How many times has he yelled at me?"

Do they think I'm a pushover? Someone to be easily bullied?

"I'm also a 250-pound fat goose. After seeing this, I'm going to lose weight. When I slim down and become handsome, I want to be Xu Yao's spokesperson!"

"Whether he's handsome or not isn't important; what's important is that he said kindness isn't a tool to cover up for bad people."

"Is Xu Yao's mouth blessed? He said he was going to fight back against capital, and he actually got an apology and submission from the company!"

A netizen shared a spoof video from the backend: a fat guy repeatedly covered his face with a mosaic in front of a mirror, then jumped back with the camera and changed into a slim-fit shirt that was almost the same as Xu Yao's. His face, which still had a bit of baby fat, appeared in the mirror, accompanied by the sentence "Because when you lose weight, you're a handsome guy". The video ended with the classic scene of Xu Yao tearing off his chubby shirt in the final.

Some people also combined his gentle and smiling voice at the press conference with his equally serious gaze during the finals, and captioned it: "From tearing off his muscle jersey to tearing off his contract of servitude, he really hasn't changed. He is my idol."

These spontaneously shared clips quickly propelled Weibo to its highest popularity level on the platform that day.

After the press conference, Xu Yao rushed to a large convention center in northern Zhejiang for the performance of The Voice of China's year-end gala.

This is also Xu Yao's first time returning to the group to participate in the tour since the contract termination controversy.

The tour bus is back on the road, but this time the people inside no longer look exhausted.

Everyone regarded Xu Yao as a hero.

He had only taken a few steps in the backstage corridor when a slender figure shot out like a rocket from the side lounge.

"OMG! You actually did it! Unbelievable! How did you do it?"

Zhou Shen was so excited that his voice became shrill. He took a step forward, grabbed his arm, his eyes wide open, and his expression was as if he had won a hundred million.

Xu Yao was dazzled by his movements and reached out to push the boat a little further away.

As the two followed the crowd backstage, Zhou Shen leaned in and whispered in Yao's ear, "Brother Yao, have you terminated your contract or not?"

Xu Yao calmly led Zhou Shen to a secluded corner before whispering, "The contract has been terminated, but we can't announce it to the outside world."

"I understand. How much did it cost? Seven million?" Zhou Shen subconsciously guessed the highest number in his mind.

"Do I have that much money?" Xu Yao raised an eyebrow.

"One million?" Zhou Shen's voice rose half an octave. "Impossible! Why would a company release someone for one million?"

"Zero." Xu Yao made a circular gesture.

Zhou Shen felt as if he had been paralyzed by acupuncture.

"What? Zero? Impossible! This is a great voice, how could this be?"

"I paid zero out of pocket. But the revenue sharing ratio for subsequent performances will drop back to 20/80, and I need to guarantee a certain number of large-scale commercial performances every year, as well as various galas or variety shows on Zhejiang TV. I will prioritize coming back to support them."

"Simply put, if I become famous during the agreement period, I cannot endorse other TV stations, especially Hunan TV. Of course, I also have my own conditions."

With each condition Xu Yao stated, Zhou Shen's mouth opened wider. Only after he finished the last condition did Zhou Shen's mouth, which had been open in a circular shape, slowly return to a state where he could still make a sound.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, it's free!"

Zhou Shen gripped his sleeve tightly, his voice trembling even more than the day he won the team championship.

"You've created a miracle! You've become the only contestant on The Voice of China to terminate their contract without any fees! Yao, you're about to take off!"

"Keep your voice down, keep your voice down! The company cares about its reputation. If word gets out, it'll be hard to clean up the mess. You better keep your mouth shut," Xu Yao quickly reminded him.

"I understand, I understand—"

Zhou Shen made a zipper gesture above his mouth, then grabbed Xu Yao's sleeve and solemnly said, word by word, "Although I haven't been of much help, if you really become famous in the future, you have to take me with you, Yao-ge. I really have to follow you from now on."

It was already late at night when the performance ended.

The backstage area was a mess, with staff dismantling equipment and trainees packing up their belongings in twos and threes to prepare to return to the hotel.

When Xu Yao came out of the restroom, there were hardly any people left in the corridor.

Chen Yongxin stood at the end of the corridor.

She was wearing the white dress she wore for the performance, with a black coat draped over her shoulders. When she saw Xu Yao walking over, she straightened up.

"Brother Yao." Her voice was soft.

Xu Yao stopped.

"Are you free? Can we... chat?"

The two walked out of the hotel side by side.

The streets were deserted in the early morning.

Chen Yongxin walked slowly beside Xu Yao, her white dress and small leather shoes making a soft rustling sound on the ground.

"Congratulations on gaining the right to perform freely," Chen Yongxin said first.

"I was lucky; it was netizens who helped me fight for my rights. And thank you for anonymously posting online to support me," Xu Yao said.

Chen Yongxin smiled shyly: "You—did you recognize me?"

Xu Yao nodded slightly: "Your tone of voice is easy to recognize."

Chen Yongxin chuckled and said, "We trainees are indeed grateful to you. First, you stood up for us. Second, after your commotion, the venue companies for our tours have started to be more selective and demanding, and the tour schedule isn't as tight. We can finally catch our breath, practice singing, and write songs."

The two didn't talk much afterwards. Chen Yongxin lowered her head and looked at the road beneath her feet.

A sycamore leaf drifted down from above and landed at her feet.

Xu Yao remained silent.

He roughly knew what it meant to be invited out today.

The two walked a little further.

"Brother Yao."

Chen Yongxin finally couldn't hold back any longer. She stopped and looked up at him.

Her lips moved as if she was hesitating about something, then she smiled casually, a smile that hid her true feelings in a joke.

"During our competition, I told you that I would like you if you lost weight, do you remember?"

Xu Yao looked at her directly: "So, you're confessing your feelings today?"

"No, no—"

Chen Yongxin waved her hands repeatedly, her voice changing tone.

She lowered her head, looked at the tips of her shoes, and remained silent for a while.

Then she looked up again, but this time she didn't smile.

"Okay, yes. You sing so well, you're so handsome, and you can even write songs. If I don't say it now, I'm afraid I'll never have another chance."

Xu Yao looked at her.

The streetlight shone on her face, making her eyes bright and childlike, like a little princess.

The name Chen Yongxin is indeed not on Xu Yao's list of future wives.

"Yongxin," Xu Yao said, "Liking someone is actually a beautiful thing."

Chen Yongxin paused for a moment, then blinked: "So you mean—you agree?"

Xu Yao shook his head: "I have no plans to date for the time being. I have a great mission to accomplish, and I won't be distracted until then."

"What kind of business?"

"After Jay Chou, no other king of pop has appeared in the music scene. I want to challenge myself."

Chen Yongxin looked at him and suddenly burst out laughing; she was genuinely amused.

"Brother Yao, your reason for rejecting me doesn't need to be so grand."

"Too."

Xu Yao smiled but didn't say anything.

The streetlights cast long shadows of the two people.

Chen Yongxin stopped laughing: "Actually, I knew I would be rejected."

"I knew before I came. But it was too painful to keep it inside. Every day I saw you, every day we went on stage together, went off stage together, rode the bus together, and I kept thinking, should I tell you, should I tell you?"

She looked up at Xu Yao and smiled.

This smile was different from the one before; it wasn't feigned relaxation, it was genuine.

"No matter the outcome, at least I feel a little better. Now that I've spoken out, I don't have to keep it bottled up anymore."

"Heaven will favor those who are brave, selfless, and keep striving. Yongxin, keep going!"

The hem of Chen Yongxin's white dress swayed gently in the night breeze.

She stood under the sycamore tree, bathed in the warm light, a sight that evoked pity.