HDIEUMDBTSB Chapter 3: Seeking Opportunities

 Volume One: The Road to Fame

At this moment, with a bit of leisure, Chu Zhi looked around. He lived in a large house in the city, over two hundred square meters in size. The interior was decorated in Nordic style, with a constellation crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and the high-raised roof constructed with exposed beams forming an indoor loft.

Looking down, the paintings hanging on the walls, the displays in the curio cabinets, and the exhibits in the corners were all high-quality items, not cheap at all. According to his memory, the triangular and irregular rectangular coffee table in front of the sofa, with ninety percent of its surface being steep, could only hold a tea cup, symbolizing more significance than practical value, and it was priced at one hundred and eighteen thousand.

"The sofa is from German Youshi De. With its black, white, and gray lines, it made quite a bit of money during its peak. Even before I transmigrated, I couldn't bear to buy it," Chu Zhi remarked.

Behind the artistic coffee table was the position of the living room's TV wall, but it was hollowed out as a display cabinet, holding trophies and certificates, such as "iQiyi 2018 Screaming Night Annual Rising Singer," "Douyin Star Motion Night Annual Hot List Star," and "Weibo Night 2019 Annual Most Influential Artist," all top-notch awards that only top-tier talents could attain.

To the left of the living room was a professional singing practice room, which had rarely been used. After becoming famous, the schedule was calculated in half-hour increments, and airplanes and nanny cars were the real homes.

Overall, it was a good place, but unfortunately, it was about to change hands. Chu Zhi understood clearly that this house was currently being prepared for auction by the bank to repay debts.

Chu Zhi went to the utility room to fetch a broom and mop to clean up the vomit from earlier. He admired the original owner a bit. Even though they had decided to commit suicide, and during the period of despair before suicide, they still kept the house very tidy. Takeaway boxes and trash were neatly packed.

Familiar with all these things, Chu Zhi found a short farewell message in his phone's notes—

"I'm sorry, I feel like I can't go on anymore. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I haven't been kept, I'm not in a hidden marriage, please believe me, please. - To Sister Feng."

This was left for the main broker Sister Feng. The original owner's parents were public servants who died in action when he was ten years old. He was raised by his grandfather from a young age, and his grandfather passed away from liver cancer in the hospital last year. The original owner's suicide was due to despair from being abandoned by the brokerage company and helplessness from having no family to rely on.

"Capital is relentless in destroying people, like killing without shedding blood, and it's difficult to hold accountable legally," Chu Zhi muttered in his heart, then made a rough plan to call the police to hold the rumor mongers accountable on one hand, and to regain what was lost on the other.

First, he needed to obtain two personality coins and then draw a reward as a trump card. Currently listed in the system's table, eating spicy food and getting drunk were achievable tasks.

Secondly, he needed an opportunity to appear in public, not just accepting interviews. Currently, he was in a mute state, and no self-media or newspapers would be willing to listen to him.

He must return to the public eye, otherwise, everything would be just empty talk.

"Lastly, where there's life, there's hope. I also need to pay attention to Dahua Corporation. If I were the mastermind behind this incident, I would continue to suppress and take action against the original owner until he could never turn over," Chu Zhi's situation was like being stuck in a quagmire, with wolves in front and tigers behind. If he didn't move, he would die, but if he moved, he might die even faster.

[Sorry bro, I can't help with this.]

[Well, if you have a chance next time, let's cooperate. Don't bother me, it's not easy for me as a program director to make ends meet. The station manager will kill me.]

[You should calm down for a while and let this matter gradually fade away. The internet has no memory, and when the time comes, you can come out again.]

...

Chu Zhi looked at the WeChat messages and records of phone calls to others that went unanswered or were hung up. The original owner had tried to use his connections, but friends were avoiding him like the plague. There were a few friends who sincerely wanted to help, but their efforts fell short.

There was one WeChat message that was pinned by the original owner, from a user nicknamed "Disciple of Big Cat," who had sent many messages.

[Brother Nine, I checked online about the "rich woman" that was exposed, and she's just a director of a listed company, with neither the social network nor the money to support a current hot celebrity. As for the female who was rumored to be secretly married, I haven't found any relevant information, but I believe Brother Nine was framed.] June 14th.

[Why didn't the company come forward to explain things right away?] June 19th.

[There's a problem with the brokerage company. Brother Nine, it would be best if you appeared to explain. I know it takes a lot of courage, but prolonged negative news will make many people believe it.] June 22nd.

And so on. The disciple of Big Cat sent a message every three or four days, starting with rational analysis and suggestions, but later on, it was mainly words of comfort.

Chu Zhi looked at the most recent message from the Disciple of Big Cat, [If Brother Nine wants to, you can come to my hometown to relax. Shaxi Town doesn't have many people, but the scenery is good and can help you relax.]

The original owner didn't have the mood to reply. The reason for pinning it was just to remember that someone still believed in him.

From his memory, Chu Zhi understood that the relationship between the original owner and the Disciple of Big Cat was just that of good friends, not particularly close buddies, but the Disciple of Big Cat was the most concerned person after the original owner was blackened across the entire internet.

True feelings are revealed in times of adversity, Chu Zhi mumbled to himself.

The second part of the plan was to "seek an opportunity to appear in public," but it seemed difficult given the current situation.

"There's a trump card that the original owner didn't notice," Chu Zhi said to himself as he dialed Sister Feng's number from his phone book.

No one answered on the first attempt, and there was no indication of a callback after over ten minutes, so he dialed again. After ringing for over a dozen times with no answer, just as it was about to play the "The number you dialed is temporarily unavailable, please try again later" message for the second time, someone picked up—

"Sorry, I was in a meeting just now and couldn't take your call," Sister Feng apologized.

"I understand," Chu

When Kang Fei Entertainment signed a contract with Chu Zhi, it was during the peak debut phase of "Future Son", aiming to impress the A-listers. The contract terms needed to be as favorable as possible, including Chu Zhi not terminating the contract, and Kang Fei Entertainment having no right to terminate.

Now, amidst being blacklisted online, Chu Zhi was a hot potato for the company, and the contract was a burden. He could leverage this situation for more screen time, with a high chance of success.

Upon hearing this, Feng Jie hesitated, struggling to find the right words. Finally, she could only manage a breath, "Let me ask Mr. Zhang for you."

Chu Zhi replied, "Thanks, Feng Jie," before hanging up and ordering food delivery.

As Chu Zhi waited, he pondered over his situation. The company was in crisis, and he was the center of attention, both a star and a liability. He knew he could use this to his advantage.

When the food arrived, Chu Zhi cautiously retrieved it from outside his door, still reeling from the online backlash. He couldn't bear to face anyone, even the delivery person, fearing more criticism. He had instructed to leave the food at the door and only opened it after making sure nobody was around.

Before drinking, he prepared his stomach with milk and congee. He then indulged in the spicy delicacies from Sichuan cuisine, feeling the rush of flavors overwhelm his senses.

Meanwhile, Kang Fei Entertainment convened an emergency meeting, where executives passionately debated, each trying to assert their viewpoint louder than the other. 

After an hour of heated arguments, Zhang, the CEO, decided firmly, "Since I was the one who insisted on signing him, and he has brought in profits for the past two years without causing any losses to the company, I'll personally terminate the contract. We'll find suitable replacements for his resources."

With that statement, the executives ceased their bickering. Zhang remained composed outwardly, inwardly amused by their inability to make decisions.

Quickly, the resource department arranged for Chu Zhi to take a guest spot on "I Am a Singer."

"Come to the company tomorrow to terminate the contract," Feng Jie informed Chu Zhi.

"Sure, tomorrow works. I'll be at the company to sign the contract for 'Singer'," Chu Zhi agreed promptly.

The company wanted to rid themselves of the burden as soon as possible, and if it weren't dusk already, they would have done it immediately.

"Okay," Chu Zhi responded before lowering his voice, "Feng Jie, is the crisis management PR department having trouble?"

Feng Jie reassured him, "The crisis management PR department has its procedures. There shouldn't be any issues. You're the face of the company, our most outstanding artist. We want to ensure your path is as smooth as possible. This sudden backlash caught us off guard, and the public's reaction exceeded our expectations."

Chu Zhi acknowledged her words.

He couldn't blame the company for the situation, nor could he blame Feng Jie personally.

Unable to control the public's ignorance and impulsiveness, blaming fate seemed more appropriate. Feng Jie refrained from mentioning the company's flawless procedures she had in mind. Going from heaven to hell was a fatal blow, and there was no point in struggling. At 23, he was still young, barely out of college. 

After some thought, Feng Jie softened her tone, "I've been with you for two years. Let me help you again. I'll use my connections to ensure Mango TV treats you well, at least guaranteeing no malicious editing."

"Thank you," Chu Zhi deliberately made his voice tremble, sounding almost tearful, "You're the only one who's helped me after this injustice."

"Take care," Feng Jie said before hanging up.

"Go to Mango TV, don't be late. Things are different now," she added.

"Don't offend the music director," she cautioned.

After the call, Feng Jie muttered to herself, "Chu Zhi's singing skills are average, and he lacks creativity. His success was purely luck. With the scandal, he's become a liability. No show can help him now."

Chu Zhi's talent management team, including his main agent, executive agent, film and television agent, and commercial agent, had disbanded when the scandal broke out. 

Currently, four music shows were popular in the industry: "I Am a Singer", "Masked Singer", "Future Son", and "The Voice of China."

Initially, Kang Fei Entertainment had sought to place Chu Zhi on "Masked Singer". However, they were met with rejection.

The producer of "Masked Singer" at Lychee TV responded, "Chu Zhi? Don't kid me. We don't want to tarnish our show. My advice to you is to find someone else to promote. It's a pity the money tree fell, but cutting losses is necessary."

As a result, they had to settle for transferring more resources to Mango TV's "I Am a Singer", which was already midway through its season.


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