novelraw Chapter 32 The Invitation to "I Am a Singer"
Chapter 32 The Invitation to "I Am a Singer"
"it's me."
Song Ze changed his sitting posture, lifting his back off the sofa back.
A slight electrical noise was heard from the speaker.
"It's good that Teacher Song isn't asleep. I apologize for this call, but I'll get straight to the point. I've seen your recent trending topics and listened to the rough demos of 'Sorrow,' 'Cool,' and 'Actor' repeatedly. The station has arranged auditions for 'I Am a Singer 2017' on September 5th. I hope you can come."
Song Ze's fingers, which were resting on his knee, stopped.
This program doesn't need anyone to explain its significance.
This is a top-tier music variety show in the Chinese entertainment industry, with such a high entry barrier that only top-tier talents or national team members can participate.
"The show won't air until January next year," Hong Tao continued, "but the station requires that the core starting positions be secured six months in advance. The competition is extremely fierce."
There was a two-second pause on the other end of the phone, followed by the sound of fingertips tapping on the table.
"I won't lie to you. The station's higher-ups are very concerned about the public opinion risks you're facing right now. Your ex-girlfriend's self-harm incident that landed her in a mental health center, coupled with the controversy surrounding Wen Ziliang, have made the station's approval process for adding you to the candidate list very difficult, with the deputy director rejecting it three times."
He made the resistance directly out in the open.
"But I personally bet you have the potential to break into the mainstream. I've reserved this audition opportunity for you despite pressure from higher-ups."
The pressure has been passed on, and the favor has been sold.
Typical behavior of someone in a high position within the industry.
If it were an ordinary second-tier artist, they would definitely stand up and express their gratitude repeatedly, saying that they would never let down this kindness.
Song Ze swiped the screen and glanced at his WeChat balance.
"Director Hong," he said into the microphone, "when you audition for Hunan TV, will you get a speaking fee? Will you reimburse your travel and accommodation expenses?"
The speaker was silent for a full five seconds.
A violent coughing fit followed.
Hongtao was taken aback by this question, which was completely out of the ordinary.
Immediately following was a hearty laugh.
"All included. Round-trip first-class airfare and accommodation at a five-star hotel partnered with the station. As long as you come, the production crew will cover all your food and lodging expenses. Your appearance fee will be approved at the highest tier for newcomers."
"Okay. Send me your address, I'll be there on September 5th."
Song Ze hung up the phone.
The screen returns to the desktop, and the calendar shows: June 28th, 02:40 AM.
There are still more than two months until the audition.
The door to the master bedroom was ajar.
Xia Ziming walked out in slippers, her pajamas sleeves rolled up to her elbows.
"Are you looking for trouble over there?" she asked.
Song Ze tossed his phone onto the coffee table and put his hands behind his head.
"The executive producer of 'I Am a Singer' asked me to audition on September 5th."
Xia Ziming's hand, which was touching her hair, hung in mid-air.
"I Am a Singer?" She put her cup on the table, took two steps forward, and said, "Hong Tao called personally? At 2:30 in the morning?"
The network environment outside has gone mad.
The Wen Ziliang incident has sparked outrage across the internet, with all the artists involved and their teams working overnight to investigate, distance themselves, and issue statements.
At the height of controversy, the top music variety show director actually offered his own ticket to the competition.
"It's just an interview spot. Whether I'll get the job is another matter."
Song Ze took a tissue and wiped the water stains off the table.
"That's enough." Xia Ziming stepped back to the central stage. "This audition qualification will directly boost your rating with the management by two levels. The company's top management will definitely not dare to cut off your resources casually."
The operating logic of these circles is simple and brutal. Capital only looks at potential and the endorsement of large platforms.
Song Ze threw the soaking wet tissue into the trash can.
"Alright, go back to sleep. Everything's settled, there's nothing to worry about anymore."
10:00 AM.
The president's office at Star Shine Entertainment.
Zhang Juan, wearing high heels, walked in a restless, figure-eight pattern on the carpet.
Her eyes were dark and puffy, and her foundation couldn't cover the swollen bags under her eyes.
A huge LCD screen displays the real-time Weibo rankings.
The top ten entries were all in bright red, containing the word "explosive". These included: Xu Yu's real-name report, Tianyue 503, victim's voice, and Patek Philippe.
From 2 a.m. to 8 a.m., 34 girls registered multiple accounts and posted their locations, screenshots, and transaction records. The timeline and chain of evidence fit together perfectly.
The page refreshed, and a notification with blue background and white text popped up at the top.
Beijing Public Security Bureau announced that suspect Wen Ziliang (male, 31 years old, actor) voluntarily surrendered himself to the police at 4:00 AM today.
Currently, the individual has been criminally detained in accordance with the law on suspicion of rape, group sexual misconduct, forced molestation, and insult, and the case is under further investigation.
Zhang Juan suddenly stopped and slammed her hand on the desk. Two pens fell to the ground.
"He turned himself in. He's in jail."
She turned around, patted her chest, and her chest heaved rapidly.
Song Ze sat on the single sofa opposite him, holding an iced Americano in his hand.
The ice cubes hit the side of the glass, making a crisp sound.
Wen Ziliang is finished.
The end in a physical sense.
The bomb that forced him to leave the entertainment industry in his past life was rendered useless this morning.
Zhang Juan took a big gulp of cold water and walked back to the table.
"What are your plans for the next step?"
"Go do a sound check."
"Audition? What production team? Now we're fully confident enough to negotiate for an S-level second male lead."
"Shonen TV, 'I Am a Singer'."
Zhang Juan's water glass stopped abruptly, and the water surface shook violently.
"Which one are you referring to?"
"I Am a Singer, audition on September 5th." Song Ze pulled up the call log and pushed the phone in front of Zhang Juan.
On the screen, the call log from 02:35 a.m. was clearly visible.
Zhang Juan bent down and stared at the number that started with 0731.
She has worked in this industry for over a decade, managing top-tier artists and even giving gifts to powerful producers at Hunan TV, but she couldn't even get through the security gates of the broadcasting building.
These days, top-level figures like her personally call her artists in the middle of the night.
The entire internet is cutting off the timeline of events related to the Wen Ziliang incident.
Her understanding is being overturned.
"Chartered flight and hotel, top-tier appearance fee for the newcomer." Song Ze put his phone away.
Zhang Juan nodded repeatedly.
"I have to go. I have to go. I'll cancel all my commercial performances next month. This is a springboard to directly cross social classes."
Song Ze leaned back on the sofa, picked up his iced Americano again, and bit the straw.
The cold air slid down my throat into my stomach, stimulating my brain nerves.
The mental sand table simulation progressed rapidly.
The incident escalated too quickly, and the chain of evidence was too solid.
He recalled that a few days ago in the corridor of the Yujingtai Restaurant, Wen Ziliang's gaze lingered on Lin Shishi for a brief moment before he politely looked away.
There is no strong possessiveness.
People who react this way would use six girls to set up a scheme to ruin a newcomer just starting out, all for the sake of a hypothetical rival in a dating reality show.
The core motivation is completely missing.
Combined with the woman's voice coming from that Beijing number last night, her composure, her disdain, and the phrase "this gift."
All the clues were pieced together in my mind.
Wen Ziliang was just a puppet.
There is a vast network of interests or hidden capital behind him.
In his previous life, he had most likely inadvertently blocked the path of that giant's core assets, and Wen Ziliang was given the order to take action to clean it up.
Last night's turn of events was that the tycoon realized that Wen Ziliang was at risk of getting out of control, so he decisively cut ties, pushed him out to take the blame, and incidentally packaged the house-cleaning as a gift to him.
Unfathomable.
The thing underwater is so huge it's suffocating.
If we rashly investigate Xu Yu now, it could trigger a backlash at any time.
It's definitely not a good thing to be targeted by capital of that size when you haven't even earned enough in breach of contract fees yet.
Song Ze loosened the straw that had been bitten flat.
"Song Ze".
Zhang Juan grabbed the landline phone on his desk, interrupting his thoughts.
She pressed a few buttons, hung up the line, and looked at him with her hands on the table.
"Never mind the outside turmoil. The producer of 'Heartbeat Signal 2' just sent me a resolution."
Zhang Juan tossed a bound document in front of Song Ze.
"Last night you brought Xia Ziming on camera, and the live stream data exploded. The director decided to ignore the aftermath of the Wen Ziliang incident and focus all his efforts on boosting the popularity of your two CP (couple pairing)."
Song Ze glanced at the document cover.
Supplemental Recording Agreement.
"The special island recording is next Tuesday." Zhang Juan tapped her finger hard on the agreement. "You must bring Xia Ziming to the island."