After offending capital, my songs became more and more popular.

Chapter 303 Exploiting a loophole in Ruixing Entertainment! They wouldn't dare cause trouble even if it was a private deal, believe it or not.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, streets and alleys are decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Many places on the street are selling Spring Festival couplets, firecrackers, and other items. The variety of goods is astounding. When Shen Ming'en passed by in a car, he found it quite interesting and couldn't help but send Yao Shuli a voice message:
"Hey, it's almost Chinese New Year, how about I bring you some firecrackers on my way over in a couple of days?"

As the year draws to a close, Yao Shuli, an already busy A-list actress, has been even busier lately. Not to mention that Shen Mingen is busy filming "Bright Sword" in Shanxi and Northwest China these days, even if Shen Mingen is not busy and stays at home every day, he may not be able to see Yao Shuli.

However, Yao Shuli always replied to Shen Mingen's messages...

"Ding dong."

A moment later, Shen Ming'en's phone rang. When he opened it, Yao Shuli had replied with a "scared" emoji and then sent Shen Ming'en two words: "I'm scared."

Shen Ming'en grinned and replied with a "mischievous grin" emoji, then said, "That's the effect I wanted! I'll throw firecrackers at your feet!"

Yao Shuli replied with a cute dog emoji that looked like it was furious, then sent another emoji of someone hitting Shen Mingen with a hammer, and finally replied with two words: "No way!"

Women in love have an inexplicable, adorable shyness about them, and occasional jokes between lovers can often liven up their relationship.

Shen Ming'en laughed and then sent a picture of one of those "fairy wands" to Yao Shuli, saying, "You dare to play with this, right?"

After a moment, Yao Shuli replied, "I dare to play, but I dare not order."

When you light a sparkler with a lighter, the sudden burst of sparks can be a bit scary; it's not impossible to burn your hand if you're not careful.

"Lung fog? You're not..." Shen Ming'en muttered, but when he replied to the message, he still said, "I've already ordered it for you, so you can play!"

Yao Shuli replied: "You're so kind!"

That's why they say Hakeem has a girlfriend...

As the two were flirting, Yao Shuli suddenly asked, "When are you coming to Funan?"

These past two days, Shen Mingen has been going to Funan to participate in the recording of the "Music Journey" program. This was something he had promised in advance to the program's director, Zhao Tian. Yao Shuli has been busy with work lately and hasn't seen Shen Mingen for more than half a month, so even a casual question carries a hint of her longing for him.

"What? Missing me?" Shen Ming'en replied in a very irreverent manner.

Yao Shuli replied playfully, "I miss your cooking."

During the time they lived together, Shen Mingen would spend his free time researching how to cook delicious food for Yao Shuli, such as hand-pulled noodles, stir-fried chicken, braised pork ribs and green beans noodles... he could make anything.

Shen Mingen is a serious "carb lover," especially when he makes stews, he likes to add noodles, and he always makes a lot. Yao Shuli followed his example a few times and her weight started to show signs of getting out of control. Recently, she has been punished by the company, and the "recipes" she shares with Shen Mingen every day are basically just things like "cucumbers" and "vegetable salads"...

It's heartbreaking to see.

Although Shen Ming'en didn't say anything, he silently made a mental note of it. He quickly typed a message and sent it to Yao Shuli: "Tomorrow afternoon, my flight arrives at noon, I'll come see you in the afternoon."

Yao Shuli replied with a "Yay" emoji, appearing very happy.

Girls in love can always give their tenderness to their partners without reservation. Shyness has long since faded away, and what follows is "sweetness".

……

Online, rumors were circulating that guests on the show "Spark of Music" had asked Shen Ming'en to compose a song on a "pop" theme. Many viewers, eager to hear Shen Ming'en sing such "pop" songs, joined in the fray, attempting to incite his competitive spirit through "slander"...

Just like those singers who can't get concert tickets, fans who really can't get tickets start to "do the opposite" by slandering their idols. This way, if others think the idol is bad, they won't "compete" for tickets with them.

This whole thing is pretty much a case of "Sima Zhao's intentions being obvious to everyone"...

However, it also happened to be a perfect opportunity for Feng Yucan to maximize the "marketing" of the next episode of "Spark Chapter" and do a great job!
In the Chinese entertainment industry, it's clear that Feng Yucan isn't the only one who knows how to ride the wave of popularity for marketing. These days, everyone knows that Hajime is a big influencer, so basically anyone who has anything to do with Shen Mingen has to promote themselves around him.

Take the upcoming show "Sound of the Journey" which is about to air this week, for example. It's no secret that Shen Ming'en will be "joining" the recording of the next episode. Naturally, the show's producers don't need to hide anything and have started promoting Shen Ming'en directly.

then!

Just as the buzz surrounding the guests on "Sparkling Melody" was reaching its peak, a series of comments suddenly appeared online:
"#Rumors circulate online that Shen Ming'en will soon join 'The Sound of a Thousand Miles'!"

"#Rumors are circulating online that Shen Mingen and Yao Shuli will soon be performing a duet together on the show 'A Journey of Sound'!"

"#MingliCP is about to reunite!#"

Needless to say, the topic is self-explanatory; any viewer interested in Shen Mingen will likely click on it. Viewers are already quite interested in Shen Mingen's "pop" style work, and now news is circulating that he'll be joining a pop music program, and even performing a duet of a "pop" song with Yao Shuli in one episode…

you say!

How could the audience not get excited about these topics?!
Unsurprisingly, the topic quickly went viral...

The comments section is full of discussions!
【Is Zun Du fake?!】

Are Shen Ming'en and Yao Shuli together?!

【Ahhh! I've been so excited!】

[It seems like those two haven't really performed together on stage much, have they?]

[It seems there are also... "Landscape Painting" and "Little River Flowing 1952" from the time of "Chinese Music Awards"...]

Yes, yes, it seems like most of these are more formal occasions; there are very few like this, which leans towards a more entertainment-oriented approach.

[Haha...Hasn't Harkin always followed this path?]

[Because of his lifestyle, it's indeed difficult for them to show affection like ordinary couples or lovers.]

……

Fans say that Shen Mingen is almost the most unique "King" in the Chinese entertainment industry. Although he has countless representative works like other "Kings", he has hardly won any awards. However, his status is, to some extent, something that many other "Kings" in the Chinese entertainment industry combined cannot match.

Other "Heavenly Kings" sing pop songs and love songs, and can go out anytime to show off their love and create a romantic pairing. But as soon as the intro of his "representative works" starts, you immediately feel like "personal feelings are put aside, and now it's time to talk about national righteousness."

So……

Although his "Mingli CP" with Yao Shuli is still among the top trending topics on Weibo, they don't seem to have any CP songs.

At most, there were a few songs, like Yao Shuli's "Courage" and "Brave," which were sung unilaterally by her for Shen Mingen; there were almost no duets. Under these circumstances, rumors suddenly circulated online that Shen Mingen would be joining "Music Journey" and would be performing a "love song" as a duet with Yao Shuli…

you say!

Which fan or viewer wouldn't be excited, which wouldn't be looking forward to it?

That's why!

This wave of popularity was immediately ignited!
Originally, the top trending topics were all related to the program "Spark Chapter", but as soon as the news came out that Shen Mingen and Yao Shuli would be performing together on the same stage in "Music Journey", related topics directly dominated the trending topics on various platforms, suppressing the popularity of "Spark Chapter"!

"damn it!"

Seeing this, Feng Yucan was so angry he cursed. He had gone to great lengths to get those guests to stir up trouble and generate buzz for Shen Mingen, only to have those BYD members from the show "Sound of the Journey" steal the show's thunder. It turned out he had been the one who benefited from their efforts...

What the hell?!

Don't you have any shame?!
That day, Feng Yucan happened to be discussing the pre-recording arrangements for the next episode with Shen Mingen, and casually mentioned this matter. Upon hearing this, Shen Mingen practically pointed his finger at him and started cursing:

"You have the nerve to say that? You're in marketing, you hire people to manipulate me, and I'm just a tool for your marketing?!"

Mentioning this made Shen Ming'en furious. He hadn't even had a chance to scold him yet, and here he was, offering himself up on his own accord, utterly shameless...

Poor Feng Yucan, he was shot right in the line of fire and got a scolding from Shen Mingen.

However, Feng Yucan wasn't stupid. This was a subtle hint from BYD to Shen Mingen that his massive traffic and popularity would definitely benefit their program "Sound Journey" a lot, and Shen Mingen definitely couldn't ask for less "appearance fee"—he definitely had to ask for more...

Let's give that production crew a good beating!
It's important to understand that Shen Ming'en is now a "king" of the Chinese entertainment industry, a top-tier celebrity among top-tier celebrities. Just his appearance fee for one episode of a show, even if he has to sing a new song "original" and support the show's viewership and buzz, means his appearance fee can't be less.

Shen Ming'en rolled his eyes and said, "Even if I take more, it still has to end up in my hands..."

In fact, for something like Shen Mingen appearing as a "guest" on "The Sound of a Thousand Miles," the money he receives should, in principle, go through Ruixing Entertainment according to his "artist contract"...

However, because of Shen Mingen's relationship with Ruixing Entertainment, even if more money is asked for, it will go to Ruixing Entertainment and not to Shen Mingen.

Even if they don't delay paying Shen Ming'en, it's still after the profit sharing. According to their current contract, the amount Shen Ming'en receives is very meager; it doesn't really matter how much he gets...

"Tsk..."

Feng Yucan was also furious when he mentioned this. Damn it, Shen Mingen suffered so much because of that damn Ruixing Entertainment!
If it weren't for their company, with Shen Ming'en's current status as the "King of Kings" in the Chinese entertainment industry, he would definitely have two or three small goals a year if he added up all the work of an artist, such as going on shows, accepting advertisements, endorsements, and commercial performances!
Now, because of their company, it's a lose-lose situation. They're not making any money, and they're not letting Shen Ming'en make any either—they're shameless...

Although he claims that he earned a lot because of phenomenal hit variety shows and dramas like "Spark" and "Bright Sword," he is clearly a "gold mine" himself. If he can't open his own "gold mine" and has to find other ways to make money, that is a kind of "loss" in itself, okay?

"When does your contract expire?" Feng Yucan couldn't help but ask.

“It’s a ten-year contract,” Shen Ming’en said helplessly, “This is only the second year.”

"Can this be taken to court?" Feng Yucan asked again.

“If you go to court, they’ll definitely drag it out and drag it out for years…” Shen Ming’en replied.

"Then there's really no way to deal with it?" Feng Yucan said, "This is absolutely disgusting..."

"It's not entirely impossible..." Shen Ming'en grinned and suddenly said mysteriously.

Upon hearing this, Feng Yucan's eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked, "What do you mean? Tell me about it?"

“It’s a smuggled deal…” Shen Ming’en said with a grin.

Having been in this industry for a long time, Shen Ming'en has learned more or less about some of the things that are both overt and covert. He knows that an artist's income doesn't necessarily go through the company.

Feng Yucan knew a little about this, but not much. He was still a bit confused by Shen Ming'en's meaning and asked, "Wouldn't it be easy for things to go wrong if this went to court?"

"Artists taking on private jobs" is inherently a breach of contract. Shen Ming'en is under contract with Ruixing Entertainment, so taking on private jobs is wrong in itself. If there is "income" outside the contract, it is easy for them to use the contract as leverage.

If this leads to a lawsuit and potential compensation, it seems like a bad deal...

Feng Yucan believes that this may also be the reason why Shen Mingen has maintained the status quo all along.

The current situation is as if he and Ruixing Entertainment have reached some kind of peculiar "tacit understanding," and both sides are keeping to themselves.

In such situations, taking the initiative to "break the ice" is not necessarily a good thing, to some extent.

However, Shen Ming'en had his own different "opinion" on this...

He grinned and said:

"Hey, I have a question for you..."

"If the person who invited me voluntarily gives me a portion of my income, and I then pay the highest rate of personal income tax on that income, and their company sues me, in this tax-related situation, will the relevant authorities speak up for them?"

As soon as these words came out...

Feng Yucan was taken aback.

Then his eyes widened instantly...

"puff……"

He laughed and shouted in shock to Shen Ming'en:

"You can actually do it like this?!"

It's like he's been tricked by a small knife; he's really learned his lesson today!

……

(End of this chapter)