Chu Tian, seeing this, smiled and poured Director Wei a glass of wine. He set aside the proposal for a moment and said, "What do you think, Director Wei? Can this program be done?"

"Done! Of course, it can be done! But according to what's written here, the investment won't be small, will it?"

He had seen it just now: to make such a program, for the sake of the effect, the invited guests must be famous and capable. High standards for guests meant the corresponding equipment naturally had to be better. Otherwise, it would be like using a cannon to kill a mosquito—a waste! A bunch of talented singers using rural loudspeakers—what would there be to watch? Isn't that absurd? So, top-notch equipment was indispensable. With singers and music equipment secured, the stage couldn't be small, right? Capable singers, top-notch equipment, coupled with a large stage and professional stage design facilities and team—this whole setup would easily cost tens of millions. If it really cost that much, then this wouldn't be a small endeavor. With such a large investment, could this young man in front of him really handle it?

"Don't worry about the investment; I'll handle it. I can come up with the money."

When Chu Tian said this, he wasn't just boasting. He had a substantial amount of money on hand lately.

Just from Xu Qingqiu's new album revenue alone, the total amount was already close to 50 million, and that was after taxes—the share from Xu Qingqiu's side.

Besides that, the combined income from Chu Tian's novels was nearly 10 million, and future income would be even more.

Plus various song rights licensing for different occasions, there was at least 60 million in the company's account right now.

Of course, he had also bought many copyrights previously, which was a significant expenditure, but these assets could be mortgaged, and taking out loans if needed was also an option.

Moreover, revenue from both physical books and Xu Qingqiu's songs would be continuous.

Tens of millions to support such a large variety show might be a bit tight. However, a show doesn't require all funds to be invested at the start. As long as the timeline was extended, he could fully afford it.

If he could attract investors or sponsorships, it would be even better, and there might even be profits.

Once Wei Liangxiao heard that Chu Tian had no issues with funding and seemed determined to produce such a show, he became intrigued.

Sometimes, a director doesn't just direct; faced with a good project, a director might also invest. In his view, this was the best variety show project he had encountered. Although the production company hadn't been determined and the situation wasn't very clear yet, the innovative concept of the show alone was very appealing; it definitely had the potential to become a hit. To be honest, he was tempted. He truly wanted to invest some money into it; even getting a small piece of the pie would be nice. However, he quickly realized he seemed to be short on cash and had to abandon that thought.

"Okay, I'll take on this show. When do we start?"

"As soon as possible. The sooner, the better."

"No problem, I'm free now anyway. But who will be the production unit? Your own company or…?"

"My own company, one I established before, called Unlimited Entertainment."

Upon hearing it was a new company, a hint of disappointment appeared on Wei Liangxiao's face.

"A new company, huh? Then what about the broadcast platform? Which satellite channel?"

"That hasn't been decided yet. We'll negotiate gradually later. Let's start recording first."

Wei Liangxiao hesitated. Without the backing of a satellite TV station, producing the show could be risky; the platform was very important. But since the other party was fully funding it and willing to invest, it didn't really concern him. His own share would be secured, and discussing further steps gradually would work too. Besides, it might be easier to negotiate once the program was actually produced.

"Alright, then let's proceed like this. I'll take these materials back with me to study. That's not a problem, right?"

His meaning was quite subtle, actually a reminder about the issue of copyright.

This was something Chu Tian had anticipated; Hou Yichuan had already registered it.

"No problem. This is the company manager's phone number. You can contact him directly when the time comes and tell him whatever you need."

"Okay, it's settled then."

It was getting late. Chu Tian, who hadn't rested well during the day, was in a hurry to go back to sleep. Wei Liangxiao was also eager to go home and take a good look at the materials, so they parted ways.

「The next morning, he arrived at the studio early.」

After all, Boss Xu had given him a day off, and he was very obedient. This was mainly because, for reasons he couldn't quite pinpoint, he liked hanging out at the studio.

Maybe it was the atmosphere, or perhaps it was the people there.

After arriving at the company, he didn't see Xu Qingqiu. Upon asking, he found out she was attending a program today.

Chu Tian felt somewhat disappointed but quickly adjusted his mood and plunged into the recording studio to tinker around.

Even though he couldn't sing, it didn't prevent him from playing with music. Lately, Chu Tian had taken an interest in musical instruments. While the system allowed him to exchange for related skills, he preferred the joy of slowly researching and the greater sense of achievement that came from learning an instrument bit by bit.

At that moment, he was unaware that Xu Qingqiu, who had gone out to participate in a program, was going through another experience.

It was quite a coincidence that this program came from the same place as the previous interview and, even further back, could be traced to "The Sound of Nature."

Indeed, all three programs were produced by Lanjiang TV.

Originally, ever since Xu Qingqiu had a falling out with "The Sound of Nature," there had been some unspoken friction between them and Lanjiang TV.

In principle, the fact that Lanjiang TV didn't blacklist her was fortunate, since the director of "The Sound of Nature" couldn't control everything and was unable to dominate the entire TV station.

Later on, Lanjiang TV invited her to two more programs in succession, and with increasing frequency. Sister Hua had been very cautious and originally planned to decline these invitations.

However, the other party was very amicable and invited her very earnestly, so in the end, feeling it should be fine, she accepted.

After all, Lanjiang TV was one of the notable networks and among the top tier of satellite channels, second only to CCTV.

If one could avoid offending them, one should; if one could be on good terms, one should. As for the previous conflict with "The Sound of Nature," neither party brought it up.

For such a large TV station, a single director didn't hold that much power.

Though that was said, everyone was still vigilant. Yiyi had already been cautioned by Sister Hua to be sharp-witted upon her arrival.

But despite all precautions, it never crossed their minds that the team of a mere interview program would dare to play such a bold game—not to mention adding people and changing the process halfway through.

The fact that they even conspired with Qin Xiao to put pressure on Xu Qingqiu completely caught them off guard. It was, to say the least, brazen.

It was tantamount to openly declaring they had teamed up to set a trap for her.

Equally unexpected was their willingness to resort to such a low tactic as dumping stinky tofu right at the TV station's front door.

By this point, if Xu Qingqiu hadn't realized that Lanjiang TV and Baise Entertainment were in cahoots, then she would be too naive.

According to Yiyi's thinking, they should not have attended today's program, knowing all along that the other party bore ill intentions.

However, because she hadn't communicated with Sister Hua, and the original agreement had already been signed, the penalty for breach of contract was a substantial amount of money.

Thus, canceling the contract rashly would have resulted in more loss than gain. Most importantly, Xu Qingqiu also wanted to see if the other party truly intended to go all the way down this dark path, and also to see what other tricks they had up their sleeves.

As expected, on the surface, everything prepared by the TV station was impeccable and thoroughly handled, but it all felt formulaic, as if they were just going through the motions.

When the program started, it unfolded as she had anticipated.

This was not a very formal music variety show. It had musical elements but skewed more towards comedic entertainment.

The intention for this kind of program was just for everyone to have some fun.

But once the program began, whether it was the guests or the hosts, they all started subtly attacking Xu Qingqiu's Singing Skills.

One entertainment segment involved singing lyrics while engaging in vigorous physical games. Anyone with common sense would know it was hard to maintain breath control under such circumstances.

Discussing Singing Skills in that context was nonsensical, yet the show's team still insinuated that her singing had deteriorated.

Xu Qingqiu didn't indulge them. As soon as the host finished speaking, she suddenly picked up the microphone and sang the lyrics she had performed earlier, in their entirety.

This rendition wasn't done amidst vigorous activity. However, it was immediately after the segment ended, and everyone was still catching their breath.

Even so, Xu Qingqiu performed with exceptional stability; after all, Chu Tian's guidance had not been in vain.

Her sudden defiance caught everyone off guard, even though the control room swiftly turned off her microphone.

But the audience wasn't foolish and had already sensed something was off from the earlier events. Seeing her blatant counterattack, their interest was instantly piqued.

They responded to Xu Qingqiu's performance with enthusiastic applause, as if paying tribute to a hero.

The host's face quickly turned unpleasant, and the atmosphere on set became chaotic.

The audience, after all, was paid to be there. Under the efforts of the on-set director, assistant director, and executive director to restore order, they finally quieted down.

But the tension had already escalated.

The program continued recording. Fearing Xu Qingqiu might make another bold move, the hosts toned down considerably.

Though several guests continued to sneer and make snide remarks, Xu Qingqiu paid them no heed. If they weren't convinced, they could compete again on the spot.

Realizing this tactic was ineffective, the director must have said something to the host.

In the subsequent recordings, not only did the host abstain from speaking ill of her, but instead began to excessively praise Xu Qingqiu.

At first, she was somewhat perplexed. But she quickly understood—since denigrating her hadn't worked, were they now trying to ruin her with excessive praise? They even brought up several other established singers. Was this an attempt to create animosity towards her?

Once she grasped their intentions, Xu Qingqiu remained all smiles, yet her words were anything but courteous.

"Brother Lun, I really can't agree with you there. The seniors you've just mentioned are role models I aspire to learn from. By placing me on such a high pedestal, I'm worried I might fall from it later on."

With one sentence, she not only parried the host's remark but also positioned herself humbly, embodying what Chu Tian referred to as "living low-key and acting high-profile."

To sing, one must be professional, demonstrating as much ability as one possesses. However, in dealing with people, modesty is key. Status is proven by ability, not by demeanor—even if you act like a wide-eyed rookie calling everyone "brother" or "sister."

If you are competent, only fools would genuinely take you for a newbie. Rational people will treat you with respect.

That's reality.

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