Zhang Qingyun paid attention to Ting Yu and Jiang Nan's matter.
It also made it onto the trending search.
However, he didn't care about it himself.
What situation could be worse than his current one?
His agent kept calling.
But he didn't answer.
He put down his phone and walked to the balcony. The dazzling city lights outside brought an unprecedented sense of peace to his heart.
Traffic.
It was indeed a shortcut.
One could become the hottest star in a short period through hype.
But those fans were nowhere near as reliable as those earned through skill.
They might be calling out "my brother" intimately one second,
and the next, they could flock to other trending stars without a second thought, even turning to bite back.
Fan backlash?
"They don't actually like Zhang Qingyun; they just like Zhang Qingyun's status as a top-tier celebrity. But when that status is no longer top-tier..."
Zhang Qingyun murmured, fumbling in his pocket for a cigarette pack. He shook it, only to find it empty.
He tossed the empty pack into the nearby trash can without hesitation.
His phone was still ringing.
Zhang Qingyun returned to the room and answered the call.
"Are you crazy?!"
As soon as he answered, his agent's furious scolding hit him like a tidal wave.
Zhang Qingyun's actions were undoubtedly cutting off his own retreat.
If he didn't respond now, or chose to handle it coolly, and let the controversy pass, he would still have many fans. Although his top-tier status might be lost, he would still be better off than a first-tier celebrity.
But by acknowledging Ting Yu and Jiang Nan, he was essentially admitting defeat.
When the fans were still holding on, and the principal himself surrendered, this was a major taboo in the entertainment industry!
Zhang Qingyun remained silent, waiting for his agent to vent.
He knew the immense stir his actions would cause, but he didn't care.
He was sick of this kind of life and didn't want to live it anymore. Even if it meant paying a huge price, he felt that if this continued, he would become depressed. It was better to completely destroy this castle built on foam without a foundation.
"Hoo... Say something!"
After the agent's prolonged scolding yielded no response, he felt it was becoming pointless.
"I have nothing to say..." Zhang Qingyun took a deep breath.
"Do you know how furious the company's upper management is? And your sponsors are practically calling the company's phone off the hook!"
"And then what?" Zhang Qingyun asked with a bitter smile.
"You can expect the company to terminate your contract!" The agent finally uttered those words!
If a trending celebrity loses their traffic, they have no value. Zhang Qingyun's move had destroyed his last bit of value. To avoid losses, the company would typically terminate the contract, and the losses from endorsements would fall on the trending celebrity themselves.
Silence hung between them for over a minute.
Just as the agent thought Zhang Qingyun would erupt in anger,
he suddenly spoke.
"Then terminate the contract..."
As if having made a significant decision, Zhang Qingyun felt a sense of relief the moment he said it.
Before, he couldn't let go of his glamorous identity, nor could he let go of the brainless fans who treated him like a god.
But now, he realized that all of that was merely fleeting. He didn't want those kinds of fans anymore. What he wanted were fans like Ting Yu, who would stand in front of him unconditionally and support him even when the entire internet was targeting him.
And Zhang Qingyun knew that those fans were earned through talent and skill, fundamentally different from traffic fans.
Perhaps, it wasn't too late to rebuild the foundation?
...
After Su Yu finished recording the song,
he was called to Zhao Yuan's office.
"Ms. Zhao, what can I do for you?" Su Yu casually sat on the sofa.
Zhao Yuan took out his favorite tea from her desk drawer and prepared the tea brewing tools.
"Can't I look for you even when there's nothing?" She glanced at Su Yu and said with a smile.
"Uh... Ms. Zhao has always been a workaholic. I thought you wanted to discuss something work-related." Su Yu was taken aback by the question.
He noticed that Zhao Yuan's personality had become much better after getting married.
"You only come to the company once every few months. Are you, the behind-the-scenes boss, this assured?" Zhao Yuan teased.
Xinghui was given to Su Yu by Lin Chaoyang. Although the employees didn't know, Zhao Yuan, as the second-in-command of Xinghui, naturally knew.
This meant that she and Chen Yong were now working for Su Yu.
"I'm not the type of person to manage a company, and with the capabilities of both you and President Chen, how could I not be assured?" Su Yu said with a smile.
He was someone who disliked trouble, and managing a company was something he had no interest in.
In fact, if the company didn't have capable managers like Zhao Yuan and Chen Yong, Su Yu would never have accepted Lin Chaoyang giving him Xinghui. Although Xinghui was very valuable in the market due to many producers and artists attracted by his reputation, Su Yu had no intention of sitting in the company and handling affairs. It was too tiring and too complicated.
"You always know how to say the right things." Zhao Yuan poured the brewed tea into a cup and handed it to Su Yu.
She was a strong woman by nature. Now that Su Yu was the boss, she naturally focused her loyalty on him, and receiving his affirmation made her feel happy.
"Actually, if you hadn't come to the company, I would have called you anyway." Zhao Yuan put down her teapot, stood up, took a file bag from her desk, and placed a stack of A4 papers in front of Su Yu.
"Journey to the West TV series copyright agreement?"
Seeing the contents of the paper, Su Yu raised an eyebrow.
"That's right. This was sent to the company by Qingkong Literature. And the buyer of this copyright is CCTV Channel 1, an officially affiliated television station. They plan to purchase the copyright to film it as a TV series..." Zhao Yuan briefly explained the contract's content.
Since Jiang Nan had publicly announced her status as a contracted editor for Xinghui, Su Yu had always instructed Qingkong Literature to contact Xinghui regarding copyright matters. For urgent issues, he told Zhou Sisi to call him directly. This saved a lot of unnecessary communication.
"This is somewhat unexpected," Su Yu said softly, looking at the contract.
Completing the filming of Journey to the West was several times more difficult than an ordinary TV series due to the sheer number of characters. Therefore, Su Yu hadn't planned to film this series when the actor pool was still small.
However, with the official involvement in filming, it was a good choice. They wouldn't lack money or connections, and the filming resources would surely be much better than if he filmed it himself.
"They also said they would hire you as the screenwriter for this series with a high salary, and that you could appoint the director, as long as the film quality meets the standards. They also promised that if your Chinese Paladin 3 is released, it can be scheduled for prime-time broadcast on CCTV Channel 1, and they would try their best to secure a golden time slot."
This was considered a green light.
Broadcasting on CCTV Channel 1 was an opportunity many television dramas dreamed of.
Being broadcast on CCTV Channel 1 practically guaranteed awards.
The other party's courtesy was evident, and Su Yu knew it was for the TV adaptation rights of Journey to the West.
Moreover, this green light was fully extended; he could be the screenwriter and even appoint the director.
They were really eager to bring this "Journey to the West" to life...
"Tell them, I agree to this copyright."
Su Yu looked up and smiled at Zhao Yuan.
After cooperating well with the official channels,
Jiang Nan's identity now also had official backing.
This was a great asset. With this relationship, his future path in the film and television industry would truly be smooth sailing.