Chapter 108

After spending three days entangled with Yan Danchen in Sha City, Cheng Chen finally couldn't take the nonstop phone calls from Wang Tianxiao and Su Qingya taking turns.

He bid a reluctant farewell to Yan Danchen at the airport.

Cheng Chen's Lunar New Year had been explosively busy—contracts for endorsements and commercial performances flooded into Xinghuo Entertainment, piling up nearly to the brim of Su Qingya's desk.

Meanwhile, Wang Tianxiao was also preparing for a new album and music videos.

That's why these two women had been calling him nonstop every day…

Airport.

Watching Yan Danchen wave goodbye to him, Cheng Chen sighed inwardly:

If you're looking for a girlfriend, you still need one older than yourself—just one reason:

Thoughtfulness, ability to care for you!

For those three days, Cheng Chen lived a life of total ease—food served to him, clothes handed to him—completely immersed in Yan Danchen's tenderness.

But there was one thing Cheng Chen could not accept.

Yan Danchen kept saying he was too young to overexert himself, and after every encounter, she made him drink soup.

Supposedly, it was a special formula she obtained from an old Chinese physician to nourish Cheng Chen's body.

She called it: "You're still young, don't fool around… drink this herbal decoction to replenish your lost yuan qi…"

During his stay in Sha City, Cheng Chen also had lunch with the director-general and deputy station head of Xiang Province Satellite TV's "Kuai Ben."

Cheng Chen did intend to collaborate with Xiang Province Satellite TV—but not yet.

Today's Xiang Province Satellite TV is vastly different from the entertainment behemoth it would become in the future.

Cheng Chen only needed to cultivate goodwill with them now, so later he could leverage their resources for his many ideas about variety show production.

Moreover, through tentative questioning, Cheng Chen learned that Xiang Province Satellite TV had already begun planning "Super Girl," the show that would make them explode into nationwide fame.

How popular was it? The "Super Girl" finale drew empty streets—everyone sat in front of their TVs voting for their favorite singers!

Even at Jingcheng's train station, small guesthouses hung signs reading "We Offer Xiang Province Satellite TV Reception" to attract customers.

The explosive popularity of the "Super Girl" series

solidified Xiang Province Satellite TV's development policy of "Entertainment Until Death."

Only then, when he partnered with them, would resources and policy support be maximized, yielding the best possible returns and results.

…

Jingcheng Airport.

"Sister Su."

Cheng Chen greeted Su Qingya, who had come to pick him up, then grinned at Wang Tianxiao, who wore sunglasses and wore a gloomy expression:

"I thought the airport air felt unusually fresh—turns out it's because Boss Wang has graced us with his presence."

Wang Tianxiao removed her sunglasses and glared at him, exasperated:

"Others go record a show and come back in a day—you? You stayed there for four or five days straight.

You might as well just move to Sha City. Do you even know how busy the whole company is right now? New album production, MV crew selection, commercial performances, endorsements—none of these can proceed without you back to lead them, yet you're out there living it up."

Cheng Chen quickly begged:

"Sorry, Sister Xiaoxiao—I'll head straight back to work and absolutely finish every task you've assigned!"

"Hmph!"

Wang Tianxiao got into the car; Cheng Chen followed with a wry smile.

"Did you spend so long in Sha City because you were chasing after some little girl?"

Given Cheng Chen's endless gossip, Wang Tianxiao asked skeptically.

Beside them, Su Qingya kept her eyes down, silently driving.

When two big bosses were talking, she'd better stay a quiet nobody.

"How could I? Sister Xiaoxiao, it's only because it's you—if anyone else said that, I'd sue them into bankruptcy for defamation."

Cheng Chen spoke with righteous confidence.

"I'm too lazy to argue with you."

Wang Tianxiao closed her eyes to rest.

…

Back at the company, Wang Tianxiao dragged Cheng Chen to Tianhai for a series of meetings, mainly discussing his upcoming album.

Since Cheng Chen had already decided to make "Guofeng" the lead single of the album, the corresponding MV production was now on the schedule.

Drawing from his experience filming "Wan Jiang," Cheng Chen decided to direct and star in the MV himself—the external filming crew only needed to follow his instructions.

He then went to Xinghuo Entertainment, handed out Lunar New Year red envelopes to everyone, and gave Su Qingya a task.

She must obtain Cai Yinong's contact information from Tangren Film and Television, and inquire about Tangren's plans for "Xianjian Qixia Zhuan Yi."

In his past life, Tangren Film and Television co-produced it with Shanghai Film Co., Ltd. and several other companies.

Last year, Tangren and Shanghai Film Co., Ltd. had co-produced "Unparalleled Under Heaven" (also called "Jixiang Ruyi").

That was the drama starring Zhang Weijian and his ex-girlfriend Xue Jianing—many 90s kids' childhood.

By the way, Xue Jianing didn't know Hu yet—they met only during the filming of this drama.

They established a romantic relationship in 2006 and broke up in 2009.

Online, reasons for their breakup were numerous; many people regretted it…

"By the way, Boss Cheng, Boss Wang has transferred all your endorsements and commercial performances to Xinghuo—what do you think…?"

Su Qingya pulled out a thick stack of contracts she had already prepared.

Cheng Chen previously had no agent, so Wang Tianxiao acted as his half-agent, handling his business affairs.

Now that Xinghuo Entertainment has been established and Su Qingya has joined, if we keep the old arrangement, Tianhai—or rather, Wang Tianxiao—will continue profiting from Cheng Chen's name.

But Wang Tianxiao clearly didn't want to take advantage of Cheng Chen, and voluntarily handed over everything.

Cheng Chen valued this very trait in her, which was why he was willing to continue cooperating with her, so he wasn't surprised by Wang Tianxiao's decision.

"Alright, gather these contracts and file them. What endorsements and commercial performances do I still have?"

"Just a moment!"

I've been waiting for you to say that!

Su Qingya dashed off and returned with a thick stack of neatly organized documents.

"All of these?"

Cheng Chen asked in surprise.

"There's more—these are all the ones I filtered based on the clients' offers, brand image, and your schedule. These are the ones we can take. Do you want to review the ones I rejected, Boss Cheng?"

Su Qingya reported.

"No need. I trust your judgment."

Cheng Chen waved his hand.

Come on, even these are enough to give me a headache. The clients who got filtered out? Sorry, but no!

"Alright, let's get to work!"

Cheng Chen stood up, rolling up his sleeves.

……

On February 16, China's Welfare Lottery "Double Color Ball" launched.

This thing, which would later create countless millionaires and spawn many melodramatic stories, began its "evil" life.

Over these days, Cheng Chen was busy running from place to place, earning money—here, a boss's father was celebrating a birthday; there, a supermarket was opening.

There were also events like wedding guest invitations and product launch promotions.

He was so busy he didn't even have time to attend the Spring Festival Gala invitations from major satellite TV channels.

According to relevant personnel statistics, Cheng Chen's standard fee for a regular commercial performance was about 200,000 yuan.

And that was just the listed price—his popularity was at its peak, competition was fierce, and to stand out, you had to pay more.

This price, in the Mainland commercial performance market, was matched by almost no one except the top-tier stars.

This caused a huge uproar in the industry, with many secretly marveling at Cheng Chen's ability to earn money!

One wealthy boss even offered 800,000 yuan to invite Cheng Chen to appear.

As for that seven-figure client, it was said to be one of Cheng Chen's female fans.

Just to have him sing a song and say "Happy Birthday" at her birthday party.

After more than a month of nonstop travel—even two performances in a single day—he was exhausted but immensely rewarded; in total, Cheng Chen had earned nearly ten million yuan in this period.

Of course, this included his appearance on the Spring Festival Gala and the fact that he was at the peak of market hype during the New Year.

After the New Year, the market would likely return to normal levels; it wouldn't be as inflated as it was now.

But Cheng Chen had already proven his commercial value to the outside world through concrete action…

After a period of intense activity, Cheng Chen finally had a moment to rest, so he called a meeting with everyone at Xinghuo Entertainment to align their mindset and summarize key tasks:

Xinghuo Entertainment has five key priorities—

One: Maintain contact and follow up on all aspects of Tianhai Records' new album; use Wang Tianxiao's Tianhai Records as the main focus—this didn't need Cheng Chen to say it; Su Qingya would treat it as the top priority.

Two: Cheng Chen's commercial performances—this remains the company's primary income source. Although this New Year wave has passed, ongoing maintenance and client acquisition still require dedicated personnel.

Three: Keep monitoring Tang Ren's situation.

Four: Negotiate endorsements—commercial endorsements have always been a major income source for stars, and as a veteran agent, Su Qingya naturally understood this.

However, in selecting brands to partner with, Su Qingya was unexpectedly cautious, for many stars had been badly damaged by bad endorsements.

Because of this, Cheng Chen had complete trust in her and confirmed her competence.

In addition, Xinghuo Entertainment was severely understaffed; even its most critical legal department still shared staff with Tianhai Records.

Cheng Chen waved his hand on hiring—he handed everything over to Su Qingya, and the meeting formally established Su Qingya's position.

She was not only Cheng Chen's agent but also the manager of Xinghuo Entertainment, responsible for overseeing the entire company's operations.

……

In early April, Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre had been screening in the Mainland for over a month.

Unlike its sluggish start in Wan Sheng, Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre received an exceptionally strong reception in the Mainland.

The combination of handsome men and beautiful women never lacked attention, especially with Cheng Chen's involvement.

The drama's popularity had never dropped since its premiere.

After watching, one fan commented:

"After comparing it to the original novel so far, my impression is that the Su version's Zhou Zhiruo is more sympathetic than the novel's version.

She commits fewer wrongdoings (barely left with stealing the swords and failing to kill Yin Li), and her scheming is far less pronounced than in the novel.

It also emphasizes that all her misdeeds since stealing the swords were done under the shadow of the poison vow forced upon her by her master…"

PS: One last thing—Yuanyuan is the best. I'm a fan of Cheng Chen. Yuanyuan and Cheng Chen are perfect together. I love you two together!

"How to describe this drama? It's quite different from the novel—it's just a wuxia-themed costume idol drama…

But the director's casting was solid, especially Cheng Chen—he perfectly embodies the original image. He's exactly the Jade-Faced Mengchang, Song Qingshu. Zhou Zhiruo, on the other hand, seems a bit ungrateful…"

"I declare: I now have one more idol—I'm totally into Cheng Chen's looks!"

"Cheng Chen! Cheng Chen!!!"

As Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre gained popularity, reviews increased, and Cheng Chen's fans made up the majority.

Due to its record-breaking viewership, its second-run broadcasting rights were sold at a sky-high price.

Although Cheng Chen didn't invest in the drama, Tianhai Records leveraged its popularity to launch pre-promotion materials and posters for his May album release.

The poster showed Cheng Chen in various ancient-style outfits: a scholar holding a book and gazing at the sky, a swordsman walking with blade in hand, a general clad in full armor, and a nobleman dressed in lavish colorful robes, among other images…

The copy was written personally by Cheng Chen:

A national-style album—the rise of Huaxia flow is unstoppable!

As soon as this promotional photo was released, the entire music industry was stunned.

But after reading this copy, everyone immediately understood Cheng Chen's hidden intent.

Combined with his statement on the Singer Competition: "Don't let K-pop grow more arrogant—Huaxia flow is the coolest!"

He was aiming to resist the entire K-pop wave by himself!

"Cheng Chen is truly the national idol! Only Cheng Chen would dare say something like this!"

"You don't know how terrifying 'Wan Jiang' is—now even my grandfather can hum two lines at home!"

"My father loves listening to Cheng Chen's 'Wan Jiang,' I like his 'Blue Lotus,' and my son sings his 'Lonely Warrior' every day."

Cheng Chen truly covers the musical tastes of my family's three generations—looking forward to this new album!"

When Cheng Chen's fans saw this news, they were as delighted as if it were the New Year.

They spontaneously promoted him, spread the word, and declared they had already saved up money, urging Cheng Chen to release his album soon.

But some were skeptical, believing Cheng Chen was merely riding the K-pop trend, packaging himself as a warrior against foreign culture.

They also claimed music should have no borders, and that Cheng Chen's approach revealed a truly narrow-minded perspective.

Cheng Chen's fans immediately rushed to "battle" these troublemakers.

Especially online, Cheng Chen's own Huaxia Blog and its sponsored pages became their main battleground once again.

This was also the result of deliberate guidance by "Mugua," the Xinghuo Entertainment official in charge of public opinion.

Since the start of this year, the internet winter seemed to have passed, and signs of recovery appeared across the entire internet industry…

Besides the fans' mutual debates, some media outlets also took the initiative.

But since Cheng Chen now had official backing and no scandals, major media outlets adopted far more cautious and restrained language when commenting, all expressing little confidence in Cheng Chen's approach.

After all, K-pop had been deeply rooted in China for years—its current status could not be shaken by any single top star…

But regardless, the promotional slogan had already been launched, and Cheng Chen's side was preparing to strike.

Regardless of the outcome, the Chinese music industry awaited whether Cheng Chen could unleash a massive Huaxia flow wave…