PS-Chapter 141 Burning the Boats

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'Is there no end to this?!'

Wen Zhiyuan nearly threw the water bottle in his hand at the door— couldn't he just get a moment of peace?

But he took a deep breath and said firmly, "Come in."

Since taking on this role, Wen Zhiyuan felt like a ninja turtle, enduring everything thrown at him. Above him, a group of bosses and elders constantly meddled and issued orders, while below him, a cadre of arrogant and unruly subordinates acted independently. He was caught in the middle, taking hits from both sides.

To have survived this long without his blood vessels bursting, he must have burned 30,000 Jin of incense in a past life!

The door creaked open, and a thin middle-aged man entered, accompanied by a girl with a ponytail.

"Hello, Manager Wen."

The middle-aged man greeted him with a nod and a bow, his dark, wrinkled face adorned with a flattering smile.

The girl followed suit, bowing and saying, "Manager Wen, sorry to disturb you."

Seeing these two instead of the previous visitors, Wen Zhiyuan let out a huge sigh of relief.

He gestured for them to sit and smiled, "No need to be so formal. Please, have a seat. There's water in the fridge; help yourselves."

The middle-aged man quickly replied, "Thank you!"

He hurried over to the fridge in the corner, retrieved two bottles of chilled mineral water, and placed one on Wen Zhiyuan's desk before handing the other to the ponytailed girl who had just settled down.

Everyone knew that Wen Zhiyuan had a penchant for chilled mineral water. The bottle in his hand was already empty.

The respect shown by the other party made Wen Zhiyuan genuinely smile.

This middle-aged man was named Li Zhigao, a somewhat inexperienced agent under him.

Among the many agents at Baidi Culture Agency, Li Zhigao was at the bottom of the hierarchy. He hadn't been in the industry long and lacked connections or resources, so he could only manage very ordinary newcomers.

The ponytailed girl he brought was named Tang Qiaoqiao, 19 years old, standing at 1.65 meters tall, with an oval face and big eyes. Her appearance and figure were quite appealing. She had been a top ten finalist in a talent show last year.

After signing with Baidi Culture Agency, she underwent just over half a year of training before debuting. So far, she had only taken on small gigs, and if you shouted her name on the street, few would recognize her.

In recent years, countless artists have emerged from talent shows. Aside from a few lucky ones, most were like Tang Qiaoqiao, with many even quitting the entertainment industry to return to their previous lives.

The competition in this field was simply too fierce!

Tang Qiaoqiao was a minor figure among the artists under the company, so she had been assigned to Li Zhigao for management.

Despite this, Wen Zhiyuan held some goodwill toward Li Zhigao. Although the latter's abilities were limited, he respected Wen Zhiyuan greatly and was willing to handle all the hard and tedious work without complaint.

If all his subordinates were like Li Zhigao, his job would be much easier.

For this reason, Wen Zhiyuan was willing to look out for him when the opportunity arose.

He asked kindly, "Old Li, what brings you and Qiaoqiao here?"

Li Zhigao perched on the edge of the sofa, straightened his back, and asked cautiously, "Manager Wen, I heard you plan to invite Lu Chen, the champion of 'Singing China,' to write a song. Is that true?"

'Huh?'

Wen Zhiyuan was taken aback. Not many people knew about this. How did Li Zhigao find out?

But seeing the expression on his face, he understood.

'That damn woman, Zhang Qiong, must have just left and started spreading the news everywhere, deliberately trying to embarrass him. As a result, even Li Zhigao was in the loop!'

Wen Zhiyuan felt a surge of anger but couldn't take it out on Li Zhigao.

He sighed and said, "That's right. Lu Chen is already here, waiting in the reception room. But Zhang Qiong insisted on changing the plan, and now I don't know how to explain it to him."

Li Zhigao's expression brightened, "He's already here? Manager Wen, could Qiaoqiao...?"

He stammered, but Wen Zhiyuan understood and shook his head repeatedly. "Old Li, it's not that I don't want to help you. Lu Chen charges 250,000 Yuan for a song. I can apply for that amount for Zhang Shuhui, but for Qiaoqiao, I really can't do anything."

In any agency, including Baidi Culture, there is an internal ranking system for signed artists. The higher the rank, the more resources they receive. This is an unwritten rule.

At Baidi Culture Agency, among the artists under Wen Zhiyuan, if Zhang Shuhui is ranked B, then Tang Qiaoqiao is ranked D. The difference between the two is significant.

So Wen Zhiyuan could apply for 250,000 to buy a song for Zhang Shuhui, but for Tang Qiaoqiao, the maximum would be 50,000.

Wen Zhiyuan truly couldn't help them in this situation.

It was also mainly because Lu Chen's asking price was too high. No newcomer dared to charge so much.

Zhang Qiong's opposition wasn't entirely without merit.

Wen Zhiyuan felt bitter about the situation.

At that moment, Tang Qiaoqiao, sitting on the sofa, bit her lip and suddenly said, "Uncle Wen, if I'm willing to pay half of it myself, would that work?"

Wen Zhiyuan was taken aback. "You... would pay for it yourself?"

It's not uncommon for aspiring singers to pay for their own songs, but Tang Qiaoqiao was a new artist who had just debuted. Wen Zhiyuan knew her family background was ordinary, and the money she earned through the company was barely enough to get by in the capital. Eating well was even a challenge.

Now she was willing to spend over 100,000 to buy a song. It genuinely shocked Wen Zhiyuan.

This was burning the boats!

For signed artists under an agency, buying songs isn't something they can do freely. According to the rules, it must be arranged through the company because it involves subsequent production, promotion, and marketing.

In fact, many entertainment agencies dislike artists making their own decisions.

Tang Qiaoqiao coming to Wen Zhiyuan to propose buying a song from Lu Chen undoubtedly took a lot of courage.

The timing was just right.

But...

Wen Zhiyuan shook his head, "Half still isn't enough!"

It wasn't that he was heartless, but the company had its rules. As a small department head, he didn't have the authority to make the higher-ups break the rules and elevate Tang Qiaoqiao's ranking.

Li Zhigao chimed in, "Manager Wen, Qiaoqiao will pay 100,000, I'll pay 50,000, and you can help her apply for another 100,000!"

He looked at Wen Zhiyuan with an earnest expression, "Qiaoqiao has had a hard time. Please help her."

'Has Old Li gone mad?'

Wen Zhiyuan was dumbfounded, hardly able to believe it.

50,000 Yuan was likely all of this agent's savings. What kind of agent would act so recklessly?

But while he was shocked, the head of the agency department was also deeply moved.

In the entertainment industry, not many agents would go to such lengths for their signed artists. Most would try to squeeze every bit of value out of them and then discard them like used-up sugarcane.

That's why many celebrities and idols choose their relatives or friends as agents, even if they know nothing about the industry.

Bang!

Wen Zhiyuan slammed the table and stood up, "Alright then! Since Qiaoqiao calls me uncle, I, as her uncle, will put my reputation on the line to help you this once. I'll apply for 100,000 for you to buy a song!"

Li Zhigao and Tang Qiaoqiao were overjoyed, "Thank you, Manager Wen/Uncle Wen!"

They hadn't held much hope initially, just trying to seize an opportunity for themselves.

Unexpectedly, they had truly moved Wen Zhiyuan.

Wen Zhiyuan laughed and waved his hand, "No need to thank me. If you want to show your gratitude, then work hard. Let's go see Teacher Lu Chen now. Remember to be polite and don't be rude."

Tang Qiaoqiao was fortunate. If Zhang Qiong hadn't turned against him, this opportunity wouldn't have fallen to her. And if Zhang Qiong hadn't pushed him too far, making him unable to endure any longer, he wouldn't have fought for this chance.

If he didn't stand up for himself, Zhang Qiong would only continue to walk all over him!

Wen Zhiyuan was actually taking a gamble, betting that Lu Chen's talent was as strong as he expected.

A singer who wrote "In Spring," "My Old Classmate," and "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky" should have no problem crafting a song suitable for a girl, right?

As Wen Zhiyuan led Li Zhigao and Tang Qiaoqiao to the reception room, he wasn't entirely confident.

---

Baidi Culture Agency, Reception Room.

Lu Chen and Li Feiyu had been waiting for 10 minutes.

To be honest, Lu Chen was a bit annoyed. He had come here voluntarily for a voice test, only to sit on the sofa and wait.

But the receptionist was very beautiful and polite, and the coffee she provided was fragrant, so he could still tolerate it.

Li Feiyu, on the other hand, was completely captivated by the attractive receptionist, sneaking glances at her while sipping his coffee.

Lu Chen suspected he had a thing for receptionists— there was also Little Mei at the workshop!

"You must be Teacher Lu Chen, right?"

Just as Lu Chen was starting to get impatient, three people appeared at the reception room door.

The one leading the group was a burly middle-aged man with a smile like the Maitreya Buddha. "Sorry, I am really sorry to keep you waiting!"

He walked over and extended both hands to Lu Chen. "I'm Wen Zhiyuan, the head of the agency department at Baidi Culture Agency. It's a pleasure to meet you."

'You don't hit a smiling face.' Wen Zhiyuan's sincere demeanor made the annoyance in Lu Chen's heart dissipate.

He stood up and shook hands with Wen Zhiyuan, smiling, "Hello, Manager Wen. We haven't been waiting long. The coffee here is really good."

Wen Zhiyuan let go of his hand and laughed, "This coffee was brought back by our boss from Brazil. You can't find it in the country. If you like it, Teacher Lu Chen, I'll have Xiao Wang pack some for you to take home."

Lu Chen chuckled, "Manager Wen, you're too kind. Just call me Lu Chen."

Wen Zhiyuan replied earnestly, "You're one of the judging panel members for the next season of 'Singing China.' You deserve to be called 'Teacher.'"

The first season of Capital City TV's "Singing China" was a massive success, with ratings surpassing Xiangnan TV's "The Strongest Singer." The production of the second season, scheduled for next year, has already been confirmed.

There would inevitably be more vagabond singers participating. In Wen Zhiyuan's application to invite Lu Chen to write a song, Lu Chen's status as a judging panel member for the next season of "Singing China" was also included.

Lu Chen modestly said, "I'm just a judging panel member for the regional auditions."

"Singing China" had seven major regions. Apart from the Capital City region, the other regions had different judging panel members for the auditions. Lu Chen was one of them, not one of the four main judges who decided the champion.

Capital City TV had already informed Lu Chen of this and used it as a promotional gimmick.

(End of chapter)