Chapter 20
Before the program’s launch, there was the usual online promotion and hype-building.
The marketing department hadn’t taken it seriously, just casually posting some templated content.
The program had gained a bit of attention because of Xia Wansheng before, but the controversy had died down, and the marketing department assumed everyone had forgotten about this obscure program.
But as the saying goes, hate lasts longer than love.
The promotional post immediately went viral as soon as it was released.
Netizens, quiet for a while, quickly gathered, practically counting down the days until the program aired, eager to call upon the entire internet to watch Xia Wansheng make a fool of himself.
“I heard this season will be fully livestreamed. He can’t even write songs, will he back out at the last minute?” someone gloated.
“He’ll probably use some health excuse to get out of it. I don’t believe he actually dares to come.”
Even his songs and albums had obvious traces of fakery, if he went on the program, wouldn’t he be setting himself up to be criticized?
No one would be that stupid.
Ji Yang was naturally worried as well. As his agent, he had to be concerned about his artist’s mental health:
“Why don’t we just skip this program? The full livestream format is too demanding, and it was added later, so it wouldn’t be a breach of contract. We can still back out now.”
This format was clearly designed to make things difficult for Xia Wansheng. He had finally decided to return to the entertainment industry, he shouldn’t be held back by past events.
Xia Wansheng had just returned from his vocal lesson and swiftly deleted Junior Feng’s friend request.
Hearing about this, he pondered for a moment with a sincere expression.
“Actually, I think I’m quite talented.” Xia Wansheng said earnestly.
Handling a livestreamed program shouldn’t be a problem, it was just that going offline in front of the camera might be inconvenient.
It could be considered a paid vacation.
Ji Yang: Is this kid getting ahead of himself again??
“Okay, okay, I know you’re talented.” Ji Yang placated him, thinking he should have the PR team prepare in advance.
The company hadn’t been paying much attention to Xia Wansheng’s development, even suggesting shelving him.
Now, for some reason, they had changed their minds. They even sent someone to ask if he was interested in a role in a new director’s film.
The character was well-liked, and the company’s intention was to use this opportunity to change his agent.
Ji Yang agreed without much hesitation.
He was already marginalized in the company. Since Xia Wansheng wanted to focus on his career now, he should be with a more suitable agent.
Ji Yang took out his phone and messaged Xia Wansheng, saying he would come to the villa to hand over his work.
He sighed, thinking it was enough to have accompanied his artist for a part of his journey, he couldn’t hold back Xia Wansheng’s future development any longer. He was feeling a pang of sadness—
His phone suddenly dinged.
“Bring some barbecue when you come, no spice.”
Ji Yang: ???
The carefully cultivated melancholic atmosphere instantly dissipated.
The villa was the same as always. Housekeeper Zhang opened the door. Ji Yang, clutching the barbecue, felt like he was on a secret mission.
The originally formal work handover now felt awkward. He could only stiffly walk in under Housekeeper Zhang’s scrutinizing gaze.
“Mr. Xia is waiting for you in the living room.” The housekeeper gestured for him to go ahead.
He clearly smelled the barbecue on Ji Yang and wondered if he should “casually” mention it to Yu Congyan.
Such secretive behavior must have a hidden meaning, it was better to report it.
Ji Yang pushed open the door and saw Xia Wansheng dozing in a chair with a book covering his face.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, he rubbed his eyes and woke up, greeting him listlessly:
“Good morning.” Xia Wansheng’s voice was incredibly hoarse.
Ji Yang looked at the time, 2:00 pm, and Xia Wansheng’s obvious lack of sleep, his worry deepening.
“Have you been staying up late writing songs?” Ji Yang asked, clinging to the last shred of hope.
Perhaps Xia Wansheng was just exhausted from songwriting, not from…excessive indulgence…
“No, I haven’t been writing recently.” Xia Wansheng said honestly.
He had been getting up early every day to practice with Old Man Feng in the park, plus practicing his pronunciation and breathing. Most of the day was spent like that, and when he returned home, he just wanted to lie down, with no energy left for songwriting.
Besides, he had specifically asked the program team if he needed to prepare anything in advance.
The director himself had received him, saying with a beaming smile that there was no need, they wanted authentic reactions on their program.
Ji Yang’s last shred of hope was shattered. He hesitated for a long time, finally managing to say, “Stay safe.”
Xia Wansheng: ??? Safe from what?
“I came here to discuss your future work arrangements.” Ji Yang tried to hide his expression, regaining his composure.
This was probably the last time.
Once Xia Wansheng had a new agent, he would probably have better opportunities.
Xia Wansheng expertly locked the door, opened the window, and retrieved the barbecue, then listened absentmindedly to Ji Yang’s explanation of his future arrangements.
He immediately refused when he heard the company wanted him to act.
“I don’t want to.”
He didn’t want to work day and night on a film set for months. By the time he returned, Yu Congyan might have forgotten what a white moonlight even looked like.
“This is a good opportunity, and the resources are allocated by a senior agent. You can learn a lot from Sister He.” Ji Yang said sincerely.
He himself was still relatively new in the industry, the opportunities he could offer were limited.
Xia Wansheng hadn’t been focused on his career before, so the company didn’t bother and just assigned him to Ji Yang. Now that he wanted to work hard, they naturally wanted to promote him, perhaps even turning him into a cash cow.
“The company wants to change my agent?!” Xia Wansheng finally understood.
He didn’t remember this part in the original story. Even with the original owner constantly messing things up, Ji Yang, considering their past relationship, had helped him several times.
“It’s for your career development, you can think about it.”
To be fair, Ji Yang knew Xia Wansheng’s talent could make him a star. If he succeeded under his management, his own position in the company would also rise.
But he couldn’t hinder Xia Wansheng’s future.
“I don’t want to, and Brother Yang, you know me, with my personality, if I encounter someone unreasonable, the company will be the first to blame me if anything happens.” Xia Wansheng said.
He had thought their bond was strong. At least Ji Yang was a good person, never bringing his artists to shady events.
But now the company wanted to change his agent, and Xia Wansheng felt a sudden loss of security. Ji Yang’s character was impeccable. Even an average, exploitative agent would be a nightmare for him.
He didn’t want to work 996 in this game world.
Only by working together and slacking off together could this good life last.
Seeing his firm stance, Ji Yang outwardly expressed regret, but inwardly, he was a bit happy.
He hadn’t expected Xia Wansheng, who seemed so eager for fame before, to stay when given a chance to leave.
He truly hadn’t understood his artist well enough. He would have to guide him properly in the future, leading him step by step to become a top star!
But the agency wasn’t happy about this news.
“He refused?! Such favorable conditions, and he’s still not satisfied? Acting like a diva before he’s even famous!” the department manager roared.
Seeing him seemingly ready to work hard recently, they had given him this opportunity. They hadn’t expected Xia Wansheng to be so ungrateful.
“He doesn’t want to act? It seems he hasn’t been resting well, then just notify him that we’ll refuse any other offers and let him rest.” The manager gritted his teeth as he spoke the last few words.
He had ways to deal with disobedient newcomers. Shelve them for a while, then bring them to a few dinners, most of them would learn their lesson and compromise.
There was no need to waste energy on him.
“By the way, Master Feng’s training center wants to find someone for promotion, the newcomers we recommended didn’t pass the audition…” The assistant reporting the news was sweating profusely.
Why was it always bad news when it was his turn to report?
The manager clicked his tongue, “Those were already the most talented newcomers in the company. If he doesn’t like them, his training center deserves to go bankrupt.”
He crossed out all of Xia Wansheng’s future activities.
He wanted to see how long a C-list celebrity could last without any income and facing huge penalties for breaching his contract.
I sense plenty of face slapping soon hehe