Entertainment: Starting with a Song of Rice Fragrance

I just had breakfast on the second day.

Zhao Lu was planning a commercial performance for Zheng Ning soon to help boost the word count for "Rice Fragrance" when she received an urgent phone call.

"Hey, Xiao Zhao, where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere. Don't you know it's busy at the end of the year? Why are you sneaking off again?"

The authoritative voice of Director Liu from the brokerage department came through the phone.

"You're a seasoned agent with about 10 artists under your management, including two A-list signed artists. Aren't you at headquarters right now? Are you just leaving all their affairs to your subordinates?"

Hearing the minister's question, Zhao Lu frowned, but she composed herself and said in a gentle tone:

"Minister, I wasn't slacking off. I came to Shuncheng for a very important signing."

"Shuncheng, you're going to Shuncheng. What kind of objects are there to dig up?"

"Let me tell you, your most important task right now is to help Wang Yushu get into the top 10 of the newcomer song chart. This is the company's key business at the end of this year. Everything else needs to be put aside! How can you go to Shuncheng at such a crucial time?"

"Hey... Minister Liu, you must be very busy lately, so busy that you haven't even had time to check the newcomer champion rankings?"

Zhao Lu shifted his gaze to the right to the computer screen in front of him, which displayed the real-time rankings of today's newcomer champions on December 25th.

"Huh? I'm so busy, with so many important things to handle, how could I possibly have time to constantly monitor the real-time rankings!"

"Here's the thing, Minister Liu, please take a look at number 7."

"Seventh place?"

"Yes."

"Isn't 'Such Love' by Zheng Tianhua from Guangmang Entertainment in 7th place? I just watched it yesterday!"

"Please take a look now, just one look."

"Alright, let me see what kind of trouble you guys are up to now..."

The rustling sounds of a mouse and keyboard could be heard from the other end of the phone.

"7th place, 7th place, hmm, how come it's a song called 'Rice Fragrance'? And what's this singer's name? I've never heard of him before!"

"Hehe, Minister Liu, that's why I made the trip to Shuncheng in person, even though I have so many things to do."

"you mean……"

"Yes, Zheng Ning, the author of 'Rice Fragrance' who ranked 7th, is the reason I came to Shuncheng. Despite the competition from Niu Decheng of Xinghai Entertainment, I finally overcame many obstacles and signed him."

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Lu, with great experience, embellished Zheng Ning's legendary past and his two miraculous works for Minister Liu.

"You mean this song reached its current ranking almost entirely without any record label support?"

"Yes, Minister Liu. To be precise, he climbed to 13th place on his own and through the natural spread of the song's popularity, keeping Wang Yushu, whom you just mentioned, firmly in 14th place for a whole week."

"Moreover, this song is indeed his own work. I checked the copyright information and it has already been registered by him."

"hiss……"

A gasp came from the other end of the phone.

Minister Liu is the head of the talent agency department of one of the three major entertainment giants in the Western Continent.

His large hands have firmly controlled this department for over 30 years. What kind of brilliant geniuses haven't he seen? What kind of bizarre things haven't he heard of?

Having worked in this industry for over 30 years, this is the first time I've ever heard of a complete newcomer who, without any company support or promotion, managed to climb to 13th place on a list with tens of thousands of participants!

"Is it really that amazing?"

"That's really amazing."

"Alright, I understand. Xiao Zhao, here's what we'll do: you don't need to go back to Hengcheng. Make sure you take good care of this singer in Shuncheng!"

"Our company required new employees to be in the top 10 in performance this time, and you have exceeded the target. Although you are not Wang Yushu... I will give you credit, but don't be arrogant."

"We've already climbed to 7th place. How far are we from the top 5? We need to broaden our horizons and be more ambitious!"

Minister Liu's tone gradually shifted from doubt to firmness, his voice radiating the composure and powerful leadership he had displayed over 30 years in charge of the department.

"Okay, I'll talk to the relevant people. We must spare no effort to get Zheng Ning's new song into the top 5!"

"If he makes it into the top 5, I'll promote you three levels."

"If he can make it into the top 3, I will nominate him for the vice ministerial selection before next year's Spring Festival and give him my full support."

"If he could win the championship... haha, of course that sounds impossible."

"If he wins the championship, Minister, what would you say?"

"If he wins the championship... I'll immediately appoint you as the deputy head of the agent department!"

"Alright, Minister Liu, I, Zhao Lu, have been waiting for you to say that!"

……

After making the call, Zhao Lu was already bursting with excitement!

A vast entertainment empire with over 10 employees.

It covers the management authority of hundreds of thousands of artists, large and small, in such a large area as Xizhou.

If I really become the deputy minister, then in the field of agents, I will be second only to one person and above thousands of others!

She struggled for 10 years, enduring countless hardships, fatigue, and scorn and slander. As a woman, she has risen to this level. Isn't this the kind of power and sense of accomplishment she seeks to rule the world?

"Zheng Ning, just you wait and see, your 'Rice Fragrance' will definitely give the whole world a huge shock!"

……

Just as Zhao Lu was full of ambition and enthusiasm for her career as deputy minister.

Zheng Ning, who had just finished his shift at the store and was heading home, was excitedly grabbed by his crazy younger sister, who forcibly shoved his phone into his hand.

"Brother, brother, look at the newcomer champion list!"

"What happened? Has there been any sudden change in the rankings? I just checked them at noon today."

Zheng Ning curiously took the phone and looked in the direction Zheng Jingjing was pointing.

"Huh? Holy crap, what's going on?!"

How did the number of downloads for "Chengdu" suddenly surge from 12 at noon today to 253799?

Its ranking has jumped from 53rd to 23rd!

Keep in mind that there are only 5 days left on this chart, and all the big players are making a final push, promoting their products, spending money, and buying sales... Everyone's download numbers are skyrocketing!

Given such a complex and chaotic situation, how did "Chengdu" manage to perform so well?