Chapter 144

In J City, when Zhou Mingxing saw the daily sales report from Wei Sheng’s livestream with his film crew, he was at a complete loss for words.

You could say Wei Sheng was doing well—remarkably well, in fact. Despite being targeted by countless smear campaigns and buried under a mountain of scandals online, his fans had never abandoned him. Not only did they stick around, but their spending power had also been fully unleashed. After just one livestream, the little yellow shopping cart on his video channel had been completely cleared out by fans. The total sales in just 24 hours had reached a staggering 13 million yuan!

But then again, you could say he wasn’t doing so well either. He was still too young, too impulsive. He knew full well that Zhou Mingxing was deliberately suppressing their commercial value, trying to help them break away cleanly from their old employer. Yet this kid just couldn’t tone it down. He was dancing around like it was a party, as if he wanted to scream to the old company, “Look how much money I can make! You’d be crazy to let me go!”

And sure enough! J Province TV Station had already been reluctant to part with their cash cows like Shen Yi and Wei Sheng. Once the livestream sales numbers came out, the entire station was in an uproar.

In the face of cold, hard cash, what did pride and face even matter?

Soon enough, someone passed word to Zhou Mingxing: the station leadership had softened their stance. They were now willing to renegotiate and offer Wei Sheng and the others a new contract with a more favorable revenue split. No need to terminate anything—why not just stay under the big tree and enjoy the shade? If the station had stepped in earlier, would Wei Sheng have been dragged through the mud like this?

Zhou Mingxing sneered to himself and replied that he’d have to discuss it with Wei Sheng and the others. Then he turned right around and made an outrageous demand to the station: an 80-20 split. That’s 80 percent to Wei Sheng’s team, and only 20 percent to the station.

Like hell the station would agree to that! After all the effort they’d put into making these people famous, they’d be left with just 20 percent? Who’s the real fool here? You’re the fool! Your whole family’s a bunch of fools!

It was clear Zhou Mingxing was dead set on taking Wei Sheng and the others away. The station, unwilling to keep indulging them, quickly retaliated. J Province TV Station’s two most popular variety shows announced a cast shake-up.

For “Retracing the Path of Poverty Alleviation,” the other three guests remained, but Wei Sheng was replaced by a fresh-faced young idol the station had been planning to promote. What made people roll their eyes was that this new guy was practically a carbon copy of Wei Sheng’s persona.

He wasn’t especially handsome, but his features were soft and pleasant. His personality was bright and enthusiastic. It was “stand-in storytelling” taken to the extreme.

“The Wage Earners” saw an even more drastic overhaul—all four regular cast members were replaced!

Wang Qun and Jin Yannan were collateral damage. If they weren’t still hoping to hold on until retirement with the station, they would’ve followed Wei Sheng’s lead and walked out too!

Especially Jin Yannan—she had just boasted to Zhou Mingxing that there was no way she’d replace anyone, only to find out that the station had gone behind her back and already lined up “backup guests” without so much as a heads-up.

Furious, Jin Yannan nearly quit on the spot. Replace the guests? Why not just replace the director too while you’re at it? Thankfully, Zhou Mingxing called her in time and told her to hold off for now, to wait and see how things played out.

Still, even though she hadn’t walked away yet, both of them knew the show in their hands was unlikely to recapture its former glory.

It was just like how remakes of classic dramas always got slammed. When the original characters had already become iconic, no matter how polished the remake was, the public only recognized the original.

What’s more, the newcomers recommended by the station might look obedient and bear a passing resemblance to the original cast, but both Wang Qun and Jin Yannan knew exactly how much fans despised “counterfeits.”

Even bringing in a few complete unknowns would’ve been better than this obvious attempt at “replacement casting,” which only made the whole thing feel cheap and calculated.

In no time, the official announcements for both shows on J Province TV Station were flooded with angry comments. Gone were the heartfelt praise posts from loyal viewers.

“You kicked out my favorite guest and still want me to compliment you? Compliment what, exactly? I’m not into knockoffs. Just bury the show already!”

The programs hadn’t even started filming yet, and the audience was already this hostile. Overnight, both shows’ official accounts saw a massive drop in followers. Within three days, their fan counts had plummeted to the point even their own mothers wouldn’t recognize them.

Now the station was even more reluctant to let Wei Sheng and the others go.

After all, traditional media had been struggling in recent years. People just didn’t watch TV like they used to. It had taken a lot of effort to produce two smash-hit variety shows that actually made serious money. How could the station bear to let go of “Retracing the Path of Poverty Alleviation” and “The Wage Earners”?

But at the same time, they really didn’t want to budge on the 80-20 revenue split. If they gave in now, it would set a bad precedent and make it harder to manage newcomers in the future.

Zhou Mingxing had never intended to go scorched-earth with his former employer. Seeing that the station was now stuck between a rock and a hard place, clearly reaching a point where they had to make a decision, he called an online video meeting with Wei Sheng and the others.

Once the meeting was over, Zhou Mingxing washed his hands of the matter. He wasn’t the one in a rush, after all.

He still had to help Liang Yi go after the haters.

Since the old employer had clearly stopped looking out for them, and Shen Yi and Wei Sheng were getting dragged through the mud online, he, as their agent, couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

So, the trolls who had been running wild online suddenly found themselves in a wholesale market of legal trouble—each one received a lawyer’s letter from Gongyi Law Firm.

Zhou Mingxing hadn’t planned to go this far, but Wei Sheng just wouldn’t let it go. Smearing him online was one thing, but these people had crossed the line. They went as far as creating new accounts to impersonate Wei Sheng’s fans, spewing filth and obscenities all over the internet, dancing right on the edge of legality. Their antics disgusted casual netizens who weren’t part of any fandom, making them think Wei Sheng’s fans were all rabid lunatics who attacked people at random.

To put it plainly, these so-called fans were actually professional haters in disguise. And they weren’t just damaging Wei Sheng’s image—they were dragging down the reputation of his entire fanbase.

If this went on, and these fake fans kept running wild online like mad dogs with no bottom line, then in the eyes of the uninformed public, Wei Sheng’s fans would end up branded collectively as “uncivilized” and “lawless.”

But that’s just how Wei Sheng was. He could take the hits himself, but he would never allow anyone to harm the people he cared about. Impersonating his fans to spread malicious rumors and tarnish their name? Dream on. He wasn’t some helpless pushover anymore—he had a top-tier lawyer backing him now.

Even though he still refused to acknowledge Liang Yi as his “stepfather,” Wei Sheng had to admit, when it came to legal expertise, Lawyer Liang was a real heavyweight. And incredibly useful.

Soon after, Zhou Mingxing, acting as Wei Sheng’s manager, reposted a lawyer’s statement—

J Province Gongyi Law Firm, commissioned by XX Culture Media Co., Ltd., has appointed Attorney Liang Yi to issue this legal statement regarding certain Weibo users suspected of infringing upon Mr. Wei Sheng’s rights to privacy and reputation…

Holy shit! Wei Sheng actually dared to sue them?

Staring at the list of blacklisted users that spanned three full A4 pages, everyone on it felt like their world was collapsing.

Wasn’t there a saying that the law doesn’t punish the masses?

Besides, this was the entertainment industry—truth and lies were always tangled up. They had just been repeating what they’d heard. Okay, fine, someone had paid them to repost those so-called “dirt” stories. But hadn’t Wei Sheng already had his mother record a video to clear things up? Why was he still suing?

Now the haters were finally panicking.

Because they knew better than anyone just how outrageous those so-called exposés were. There was no way they could hold up under real scrutiny.

If Wei Sheng’s legal team actually took them to court, the compensation might be manageable, but what if they ended up with criminal records?

The blacklist was so long that for several days straight, Zhou Mingxing was working with Liang Yi’s legal team to gather evidence. He didn’t even show up at the office.

Now the TV station was starting to panic.

The two major shows originally slated as the TV station’s New Year highlights hadn’t even started filming yet, but they were already being torn apart online. The fans were nearly all gone, and several sponsors, upon hearing that the guest lineup had changed, contacted the production team demanding to pull out. They had signed on because of Wei Sheng. Now that he wasn’t participating, what was the point of spending all that money? Might as well have thrown their sponsorship into the void.

And just like that, Zhou Mingxing was brought back in once again.

The precedent of the 80-20 revenue split absolutely couldn’t be broken, so the station offered two new proposals—

“First, a 60-40 split, with the artist receiving 60 percent. At the same time, we’ll implement a tiered incentive system, awarding the artist a certain percentage of additional bonuses based on the actual annual profits they generate for the station.”

“Second, the station agrees to terminate the contract, but Wei Sheng and the others must sign a new three-year individual contract at their current pay rate. They’ll be required to continue filming ‘Retracing the Path of Poverty Alleviation’ and ‘The Wage Earners,’ and they will no longer receive any share of the advertising revenue.”

So basically, they wanted Wei Sheng and the others to produce two hit shows for the station—for free?

Zhou Mingxing didn’t hesitate and chose the second option.

This had already been discussed between Wei Sheng, Shen Yi, and the others. The shows were innocent, after all. More importantly, both programs were tied to rural poverty alleviation efforts. Even if they didn’t get paid, they still wanted to keep them going. They saw it as a form of charity work.

And honestly, it was far more meaningful than just donating money.

As for “no longer receiving ad revenue”?

Zhou Mingxing couldn’t help but sneer. Without Wei Sheng actively hustling for sponsors, did the station heads really think those high-and-mighty executives with their noses in the air could bring in any serious backing for the shows?

Still—

“That kid Wei Sheng worked through so many prep materials, and now it’s all for nothing. He can forget about getting a permanent staff position at the station. He might as well look around and see if there are any other roles he can try for,” Zhou Mingxing said with a sigh.

“Does he really have to take the civil service exam?” Hu Qianqian frowned. “Didn’t I already tell him not to bother?”

Zhou Mingxing and Liang Yi both looked at her in confusion.

“Wasn’t it you who told him to take the exam? Wei Sheng’s been exhausted from filming, and he still asked the crew to arrange a private room at night just so he could study. Wasn’t that all because he wanted to fulfill your dream?” Zhou Mingxing was stunned.

Hu Qianqian looked even more stunned. “I only said that in passing. He didn’t actually take it seriously, did he?”

Liang Yi let out a long, helpless breath. These two really were mother and son—same brain, same logic.

Wei Sheng *thought* his mom wanted him to take the exam, so he threw himself into studying with everything he had.

Hu Qianqian believed her son didn’t want her to remarry, so she turned down every suitor who came her way… Fine, looking at it now, he really was the biggest victim in all this!

Although the two of them hadn’t yet broken through that final layer of ambiguity, Hu Qianqian seemed to sense that Liang Yi felt differently about her. Lately, she’d been coming up with all sorts of excuses to turn down his invitations.

Liang Yi was growing anxious, but he knew he couldn’t push too hard. If Hu Qianqian were to reject him outright, there’d be no turning back.

He locked himself in his study and spent half the night thinking things through before finally settling on a new strategy.

He decided to ease off on his aggressive pursuit of Hu Qianqian and instead throw his support behind Zhou Mingxing, helping Wei Sheng terminate his contract with the TV station. He’d go all in to launch Wei Sheng into the entertainment industry.

No one understood how cutthroat and dirty that world could be better than Liang Yi. After all, the bulk of his law firm’s annual income came from that very industry.

Right now, Hu Qianqian was still shaken by how coldly the TV station had turned on them. She was desperate for her son to stay away from the system. But what she didn’t realize was that once Wei Sheng stepped into the entertainment world, the pressure and malice he’d face would multiply ten thousand times over.

As long as Wei Sheng still needed him for protection and guidance, Liang Yi would have a legitimate reason to stay close to Hu Qianqian. And with time and patience, he was sure he could wear her down. No one could stay unmoved forever.

Besides… Wei Sheng’s temperament really wasn’t suited for a government job.

Sure, the kid got along well with everyone and had a high emotional IQ, but he had one fatal flaw—he was too stubborn, too individualistic.

In the system, individuality was a liability. You had to grind down your edges, fit yourself into the mold like slicing vegetables into uniform pieces. Only then could you survive in that environment.

But Wei Sheng? He was the type to take initiative without waiting for approval. If the people needed something, he’d jump in and get it done before the leadership even gave a nod.

To put it bluntly, if every grassroots worker acted like that, what would be the point of having leaders?

If you’re so efficient that you make your superiors obsolete, of course they’ll find a way to get rid of you. Otherwise, they’ll be the ones getting replaced!

Hu Qianqian had never been exposed to that world. The only person she’d ever known from within the system was her ex-husband. And to be honest, he’d just gotten lucky. He’d caught the wave of the times—got into college when graduates were still assigned jobs, and that’s how he stumbled into the system.

If it were today, with Wei Zhiyong’s emotional intelligence? He probably wouldn’t even make it through the probation period. The leadership wouldn’t even need to lift a finger—his colleagues would’ve squeezed him out of the office in no time.

But Liang Yi was different.

His line of work brought him into contact with every kind of person from every walk of life. And unfortunately, most of the time, what he saw was the darkest side of human nature.

Precisely because of this, he had never been optimistic about Wei Sheng applying for a government job. It wasn’t that he doubted Wei Sheng could pass the exam, but rather that if he did get in, life might become even harder for him than it was now.

He’d either have to abandon his individuality and force himself to blend in with the crowd, becoming just another average cog in the machine.

Or, he could stay the course like he was doing now—while he was still young, carve out a place for himself in the entertainment industry.

Looking at things now, it seemed Wei Sheng wasn’t so clueless after all. He’d chosen the path that suited him better.

With everything settled, and confirmation that he could continue participating in both “Retracing the Path of Poverty Alleviation” and “The Wage Earners,” Wei Sheng finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Liang Yi had been right—his biggest flaw was being too stubborn, too rigid in his thinking. He tended to latch onto an idea and refuse to let go. Since most of his fans had come to like him through these two shows, Wei Sheng felt he couldn’t let them down. He was even willing to sacrifice part of his income for the next three years just to see both programs through to the end.

Fortunately, the TV station wasn’t willing to give up on these two money-making shows either.

The previously released cast change announcements were quietly taken down. The new posters showed that both programs would be filming their New Year Specials with the original cast.

Fans were thrilled.

So were the rival camps and haters of Wei Sheng, Shen Yi, and the others.

Heh—before, you had the official backing you could hide behind. Now that the TV station’s no longer protecting you, let’s see how long you last.

(End of Chapter)