Chapter 48: Thinking About It, It’s Actually Kind of Cute Part 1

Wang Chao stayed at the venue for quite a while, still reluctant to leave even after getting his fill.

Mao Maoyu didn’t mind; after all, they were on pretty good terms.

Even Eldan had been brought in from an external position, so what was one more? He didn’t care either.

Eldan glanced over a few more times. Once he’d confirmed this guy had the desire but not the guts, and was purely indulging in Mengmeng’s good looks, he stopped paying attention. He figured Wang Chao couldn’t stir up much trouble anyway. He focused his mind on debugging the live sound effects with the Music Director, tirelessly and meticulously feeding back every single issue—big or small, good or bad—to Mengmeng.

“Can’t you make decisions yourself?”

Didn’t he get tired of asking about every little thing? Did he really need a response for each one?

Comrade Li Fushun was not annoyed at all!

He enunciated clearly, “I listen to Mengmeng.”

That’s right.

And Mengmeng’s end indeed had a response for every single point.

Because being at the large venue, the stage had a strong interactive element. The on-site sound team needed to debug various effects according to the plan. The walkie-talkies the production team had conveniently distributed were used with the highest efficiency here on Heartbreak’s side. Their communication was indeed very effective.

During the rehearsal, First Sister was in excellent condition, her emotions brimming.

Her only worry was: the time gap between the rehearsal and the official performance was too long!

“I understand the live broadcast requirements for King of Singers Night; otherwise, they wouldn’t have split the stage into a front section and a middle section. The problem is, we rehearsed here this Friday, but the official performance isn’t until next Friday. What are we supposed to do in these few days, just let the emotion drain away for nothing? I’m at my most emotionally saturated right now…”

Accustomed to the fast pace of single-week battles, the suddenly extended deadline felt uncomfortable.

First Sister was anxious!

On one hand, she was intensely eager to win the championship.

On the other, she didn’t want her peak state to slip away!

Li Tingzhou grew calmer the more critical the moment became, so calm he was expressionless.

He consoled First Sister: “Haven’t the outfits arrived yet? And I feel the live accompaniment is still a bit lacking, not to mention this stage is still completely bare right now. It’ll take at least two or three days to create a full set of visuals according to your plan.”

As for the emotion, that was even easier to handle.

“Didn’t you want an unplugged version of ‘Hedgehog’? How about we record it tomorrow or the day after?”

Only then was Ren Shiyu consoled. “Alright, then tomorrow.”

As she spoke, her enthusiasm returned. “If I win the championship, the Appreciation Concert allows three songs. Which three do you think we should pick? How about we make one of them this unplugged ‘Hedgehog’?”

Li Tingzhou was indifferent to the Appreciation Performance’s song selection. “Anything is fine.”

So First Sister cheerfully picked the remaining two songs.

It was clear that after the rehearsal ended, she was quite certain and confident about winning the championship. Her anxiety stemmed entirely from whether she could perfectly execute the stage, not from any fear of someone overtaking her on the final night…

Over the next few days, everyone was busy with their own tasks.

Taking advantage of the slightly more relaxed time, Liu Lusi hurriedly had Li Tingzhou shoot two more promotional spots. These were for mid-roll ads to be inserted later into Sing My Heart Tonight, with different rounds of bidding each time.

It had to be known, viewers watching online often had a certain lag.

Some people liked to follow trends, watching whatever was popular.

Some were allergic to trending searches, absolutely refusing to watch whatever was hot.

Once the initial hype passed and everyone stopped discussing it en masse, one day they’d stumble upon a clip, suddenly feel the urge again, and belatedly start binge-watching the online broadcast, enjoying it all at once. At that moment, the rotation-based mid-roll ads would come in handy. It not only served as promotion but also functioned as a mid-point reward, reminding the viewer—

Look, this Mengmeng performed the best during the broadcast!

Like the one Li Tingzhou previously shot for a major brand’s premium milk line.

That one was still being used, one ad inserted per episode.

The Sponsor had successfully backed the right horse, and it was a very worthwhile investment.

Li Tingzhou didn’t resist these kinds of commercial promotions because, besides him, no one else in Heartbreak could handle them. The maximum exposure the others could tolerate was performing on stage; anything more was too much! Not everyone had a strong enough heart to face netizens’ scrutiny—good or bad—of their appearance and physique.

Even someone with authority like Mengmeng only got a passing grade on that certain sports website.

Oh, and his score had gone up a bit now.

Thanks to that godly shot in the behind-the-scenes footage, Liu Lusi’s work email was overflowing with who knows how many more offers. She summarized some that fit Heartbreak’s image; the specifics depended on what Mengmeng himself decided.

“Apart from these two pushed by Tide, pick whatever you like.”

Li Tingzhou first eliminated a very expensive coffee machine brand.

Mao Maoyu, watching the excitement from the side, chimed in, “Starbucks, Luckin, Cotti—which one can’t you drink? If you really must, even Mixue’s Snow Top Coffee is decent. A coffee machine is like a piano; at home, it’s just for showing off. Only when relatives visit during holidays do you bring it out to prove you know how to use it.”

Like the one at his place.

Dai Jier glanced over. “I suggest we screen out this paper product brand too. They have some dangerous materials scandal pop up almost every year.”

Daily chemical products were great endorsement choices, but who could withstand frequent scandals?

Eldan suggested Li Tingzhou pick the mineral water. “This one should be fine, right?”

Although it was a special summer “cooling” packaging edition, the taste of water was still the same.

Li Tingzhou himself leaned towards this one. It was the safest and most practical product among the short-term promotions. You borrow my name to launch a seasonal special edition, I happily shoot the promotional materials and collect the endorsement fee. Fair and square, nothing to be coy about.

After quickly going through them all, they chatted idly during the lunch break.

For example, about Ancient Style King, who had just visited.

“I remember Mengmeng told me before, he didn’t debut as a singer; he initially just sang demos.” Mao Maoyu, draped in a small blanket, had commandeered the only single sofa.

“Right, because during the OST selection process, the production company picked his voice.”

The production company made the final decision, choosing Wang Chao to sing the OST.

The Client’s decision—even Wang Chao’s own company couldn’t go against it.

The company had its own people it wanted to promote. So what if a demo singer like Wang Chao sang one OST? He still wasn’t taken seriously. He didn’t even get a single cent in compensation for that song.

“Did Ancient Style King ever think about switching companies?”

“How could he? Don’t you think those later OSTs just happened to find him?”

Eldan’s eyes darted thoughtfully. “It shows he had some connections, after all.”

Dai Jier couldn’t help but praise, “Your word usage is getting more and more impressive now.”

“Thanks, I learned it all from everyone.”

Liu Lusi wanted to laugh but held it in. “Alright, alright. Whether you discussed collaboration songs or custom tracks with Wang Chao, friends are friends, but when it comes to settling accounts, I will definitely make sure Heartbreak doesn’t earn a single cent less.”

That evening, as expected, Wang Chao called Li Tingzhou.

“Thinking that I signed a contract that isn’t a singer’s contract, yet have to share revenue with the company according to a singer’s contract ratio—it just pisses me off. Good thing that damn company didn’t manage to take advantage this time!”

Li Tingzhou was silent for a few seconds. “Do you need a lawyer?”

Wang Chao took a deep breath. “Maybe I will need one. My five-year contract expires this time next year. That’s why I’m so worried about my solo concert. Afraid it’ll do well, and afraid it won’t…”

He only complained briefly, then immediately brightened up again.

“Anyway, my situation is much better now. They’re wary of my current buzz and don’t dare to push me too hard. Leaving no room for compromise would make everyone lose face later.”

Li Tingzhou understood, and reminded him of the detour Heartbreak had previously taken regarding copyrights.

Ancient Style King said from the bottom of his heart, “God Mengmeng, you’re so good!”

“Don’t be weird.”

“Where’s the weirdness~ I see a lot of netizens calling you that, God Mengmeng, saving my useless, good-for-nothing bias one more time.”

Wang Chao giggled. He knew Mengmeng was going to be a Flying Mentor on Star Two, and could completely imagine the chaotic scenes. It was just a pity that All-Star Launch‘s editing rhythm was so damn frustrating! It took forever to get to the scenes he wanted to watch.

“Alright, I won’t bother you anymore. See you at the Appreciation Performance.”

After hanging up with Ancient Style King, as Li Tingzhou stood up, he met Eldan’s gaze.

“What is it?”

Eldan had a strange expression. “Does Ancient Style King want to join our label?”

Li Tingzhou took off his glasses and said casually, “You’re overthinking it.”

Putting aside the issue of compatibility…

Right now, Heartbreak was struggling just to squeeze into the Inner Entertainment circle. Where would they find OST resources for dramas and films for Ancient Style King to maintain his “OST Machine” persona? With that effort, wouldn’t it be better to scout good seedlings themselves to cultivate a fourth generation for Heartbreak, or push out their own in-house singers with good compatibility?

“Not every friend has to come to Heartbreak. You were the exception.”

Only then did Eldan nod slowly, satisfied.

Another Friday night spent in G City.

When Li Tingzhou finished work at the recording studio and returned to the hotel, most of this week’s Star Two episode had already aired. He was about to ask which part it had reached when he found everyone was there.