HDIEUMDBTSB Chapter 69: Breaking Through
Volume 2: The Road to Gaining Fans
Chapter 19: Breaking Through
"Minister Du, don't lie to me. Can our company really sign Chu Zhi?" Niu Jiangxue looked incredulous.
"It’s not like our company is that bad," the big-bellied minister said. "Last year, our company ranked seventh in the entertainment company brand value list, which makes us a major player."
As he said "major player," Minister Du patted his belly. Niu Jiangxue, watching the jiggling belly, couldn’t help but wonder if it was comfortable to pat.
"Yes, we’re seventh, but there are still 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 ahead of us. Chu Zhi is super popular. Do you know the Fever Index? Chu Zhi is currently fourth," Niu Jiangxue said.
"We at Chuanhe also have our advantages," the big-bellied minister mused. "Who are the top three in the Fever Index? Su Yiwu or Wu Tang?"
The Fever Index is a Baidu ranking, reflecting real-time search numbers by netizens. The Fever Night awards ceremony is fueled by data workers, but the daily heat still reflects genuine public interest.
Minister Du felt that no one should be hotter than Chu Zhi in the past week due to "Red·Mansion."
"It's the Princess Group and Cui Yongshi," Niu Jiangxue said, pulling out her phone and bringing up the real-time Fever Index artist ranking.
The top spot belonged to Zhao Quan, the lead singer of the Princess Group, which had taken Asia by storm. The lead singer naturally garnered the most attention, referred to by domestic fans as "Master Lead Singer," with over 40 million reads, over 3 million interactions, and a social influence index of 240 million.
Before the "Red·Mansion" show, they had invited the lead dancer Zheng Min'an and initially wanted to invite Zhao Quan, but Zhao Quan outright refused.
The second spot was held by Cui Yongshi, the lead actor in the popular Korean drama "Diamond," and the third spot went to Zheng Min'an, the Princess Group’s youngest and lead dancer.
"Su Yiwu and Wu Tang are ranked eleventh and eighth, respectively. That’s why I say Chu Zhi is incredibly popular. From fifth place onward, it’s a steep drop," Niu Jiangxue explained.
[Fourth place: Chu Zhi.
Reads: 25,469,814.
Interactions: 1,564,978.
Social Influence Index: 136,548,951.]
Niu Jiangxue’s phone case was adorned with heavy dangling charms. Minister Du nearly dropped the phone when he took it.
"Be careful, be careful. I just bought this phone two months ago," Niu Jiangxue said, taking the phone back. "Then look at fifth place—Li Xijun only has around 9.8 million reads, not even breaking ten million. [Wu's head, Chu's tail, Yi Xingyun Fei], right now, Chu Zhi is the head."
Li Xijun is also a member of the Princess Group. The top ten of the Fever Index only include Chu Zhi, Wu Tang, and Su Yiwu among the domestic artists.
"I’m not a fan, but I admire Chu Zhi. He’s basically been reborn from the ashes, even sparking his creative talent," Niu Jiangxue said. Not being a fan is a professional quality for a manager.
On the other hand, being able to secure a star is a success in its own right. Stars like Gu Juji, Da Zhangwei, and Zhang Zhen were all secured by their managers.
"Korean stars are becoming more dominant. Dahua Entertainment will explode," Minister Du lamented, handing back the phone.
"What does Dahua Entertainment have to do with Korean stars?" Niu Jiangxue, not privy to upper-level information, asked.
"H South Korea’s SM and JYP companies signed a cooperation agency deal with Dahua Entertainment. Their artists’ business in China is managed by Dahua," Minister Du said enviously. Even acting as an agent can be profitable.
Niu Jiangxue sighed, "Acting as an agent for Korean stars—Korean wave’s fame in China owes much to Dahua Entertainment and Mango TV."
The hit Korean drama "Diamond" was brought in by Mango TV. Even without a satellite broadcast, it was aired on Mango TV, which also signed a series of Korean drama contracts.
"You’ve been working at the company for three or four years now, Jiangxue. I recommend you try to become Chu Zhi’s main manager," Minister Du said, revealing crucial information.
"!!"
Niu Jiangxue felt a sudden rush of happiness. She wanted to thank him but held back, thinking it inappropriate to use familial terms in a professional setting.
"Really, Minister Du?" Niu Jiangxue asked, overwhelmed by the sudden good news.
"Don’t thank me yet. Chu Zhi has absolute say over his management team. Whether you can do it or not is up to you," Minister Du said, raising his hand to pat his belly but then thinking better of it, putting his hand down.
"I, uh—will do my best," Niu Jiangxue said, suddenly losing confidence. Within the company, she wasn't the most experienced or emotionally intelligent.
"Little Niu..." Minister Du wanted to encourage his niece.
"Just call me Xiaoxue; Little Niu sounds awful," Niu Jiangxue immediately corrected him.
Minister Du corrected himself, saying, "Jiangxue, you need to believe in yourself. Chu Zhi may not have much room for improvement, but he has a great personality. At the very least, he can stay at the top for a few years, which will be crucial for expanding your network."
No kidding, everyone knows the benefits of being the manager of a top star, but whether the star wants you is a different matter.
Niu Jiangxue left the minister's office and looked through some materials at her desk. Her competition included three veteran managers from the company. The pressure was immense.
"Things have become interesting," Niu Jiangxue sighed to herself.
This was her mantra for relieving stress. Late for work? "Things have become interesting." Missed out on a full attendance bonus? "Things have become interesting." Even when her period started, she would say this to herself. It had a strange soothing effect...
The bag of chips on her desk was gone again.
"I was a bit hungry, so I ate some. Is that okay?" Her colleague next to her said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"No problem." Niu Jiangxue smiled back. This colleague had a habit of taking things without asking, so she had deliberately left out a bag of chips that was a day or two past its expiration date.
Eating something slightly expired wouldn't make you sick, but it gave Niu Jiangxue a sense of petty satisfaction.
Meanwhile, in the practice room—
"I blame myself for not being brave enough, regretting not reaching out, after embracing but still afraid..."
"Pause there." Chu Zhi hadn't started mastering yet, but after mixing the track, he listened to it himself. He stopped after a third of the way through.
"Did I really sing this? It's so touching," Chu Zhi thought, completely taken in as a listener. If he continued, he felt he might be moved to tears.
Chu Zhi was recording the album "Backlight," achieving a better performance than on the singer's stage. That incident had been sudden, and he hadn't practiced, so it was all emotion with no technique, leading to many off-key notes.
Recording allowed him to find the best technique through repetition and avoid going off-key. With his voice of despair added in, the result was greater than the sum of its parts.
The ethereal voice in "Wind Blows Wheat Fields" and "Sleepwalking" was impressive, especially the latter with its chorus and lyrics that matched the heavenly sound perfectly.
"There are also the classics 'Suddenly Missing You' and 'What I Miss.' The quality of this debut album is quite high."
"Plus, with top-tier popularity, I'm going to make a huge splash."
The album title "25,117 Possibilities" had hidden surprises. Chu Zhi felt that with such a strong setup, there was no way he could fail.
"Li Xingwei's album is the most influential. I'm not asking for much—just to take the title of the most influential top-tier star." Chu Zhi pondered his next steps. After signing the contract, he hadn't yet chosen a manager, but the company had already sent out a variety show invitation from iQIYI for their ambitious music show "I Am a Singer-Songwriter," aiming to break into the top four (I'm Really a Singer, The Next, The Voice of China, Masked Singer).
Chu Zhi declined. His identity as a singer-songwriter was already well-known from "Red·Mansion," and there was no need to appear on another show unless they offered a substantial increase in payment.
After another day of recording, he planned to seek help from the management company for shooting the MV. He was Chu Zhi, not Chu Shun, and he lacked expertise in filming.
The next day, Chu Zhi flew to the capital and arrived at the headquarters of Sun Chuanhe to select his management team.
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