My Wife is a Big Star

Chapter 42 - Enough with the Struggle

While Chen Ran was busy in the heat of his work, things were not going as smoothly for Zhang Fanzhi.

At this moment, her willow-leaf brows were tightly knit, her face clouded with displeasure.

Beside her, Tao Lin was also beyond furious, sitting with a stiff face and saying nothing.

Assistant Xiao Qin was shivering nearby; seeing that both of her "Big Sisters" were in a foul mood, she didn't dare utter a word.

Since Zhang Fanzhi returned to the company, they had negotiated with the management several times, but there had been no result.

Fanxing’s stance was clear: either she obeyed the company’s arrangements and accepted all activities—including the "necessary" social dinners—or nothing.

Zhang Fanzhi had agreed to the activities; no matter how poor the events the company booked were, she would grit her teeth and go. However, the social dinners were an absolute no.

She naturally knew what "social dinners" implied. She had signed with Fanxing so that more people could hear her voice, not to become some high-level PR girl.

Tao Lin was a professional manager and knew these things were unavoidable in the industry. However, she had a very good relationship with Zhang Fanzhi and treated her like her own niece, so she was also unwilling to let her participate in those kinds of dinners.

Tao Lin had argued strongly based on reason, but the higher-ups remained incredibly firm.

Because Zhang Fanzhi refused the dinners, they had lost many opportunities. It was either agree, or be left to fend for herself. Naturally, the company was more willing to give resources to those who were "obedient."

Consequently, the talks could go no further and returned to square one.

In the past, the company had been secretive about it, simply ignoring Zhang Fanzhi. Now, they were laying everything out on the table.

After being angry for a long time, Tao Lin sighed and said:

"The company is just like this. I just spoke with Manager Tang, and that’s still their stance. Now, you have to accept the activities, but the company won't give you any resources."

Zhang Fanzhi frowned and said, "Since the company is like this, why should I even bother accepting activities? If they want to freeze me, let them freeze me. At worst, I just won't be a singer anymore."

Tao Lin shook her head. "Don't say such things in a fit of pique. The fans are very enthusiastic about you right now; you can't just let them down."

Zhang Fanzhi kept her face taut. "I will never go to those social dinners. The company has blocked all my paths; whether I'm speaking out of pique or not, there's nothing I can do."

Tao Lin thought for a moment and said, "Actually, the company is only withholding resources. If we can find songs ourselves, the company will still help with the release, though the promotional resources will be very scarce."

Zhang Fanzhi didn't speak. Given the company's attitude, even if they found a song, it wasn't just a matter of "scarce" promotion; they would basically ignore it entirely. Furthermore, the company might even try to sabotage the release.

The key was that they had had a falling out with the company. All the musicians the company was familiar with knew about it, so it was very difficult to find a song.

"Let's wait and see for now," Tao Lin let out another sigh.

Zhang Fanzhi's temperament was indeed unsuited for the entertainment industry, but with her voice, it would be a true waste if she didn't sing. Tao Lin didn't want to see her disappointed and was doing her best to help, but with the company's attitude being what it was, there was little she could do.

Should we reach out to other companies and take a look? Tao Lin thought of this question, but the idea only circled once before vanishing.

Zhang Fanzhi's popularity was very good right now, and she still had two years left on her contract. The price for jumping ship was too high. Those who could afford it didn't lack a singer like Zhang Fanzhi, and those who needed her couldn't afford her.

Even if she were barely bought over, could they be sure that side wouldn't be the same as this one?

Large companies were one thing, but those that were "middling" like Fanxing were basically all the same. She didn't want Zhang Fanzhi to just leave the tiger's den only to enter the wolf's lair.

It seemed they could only utilize some personal favors to make connections and release a new song for Zhang Fanzhi first. As long as her popularity could be sustained and Fanxing could see more profit, they would eventually have to take her seriously.

Over the next two days, Tao Lin worked tirelessly without stopping. Finally, she found a musician. The quality of the song sounded very good. The musician had owed Tao Lin a favor in the past, so they gave Zhang Fanzhi priority consideration for the song.

When the song was sent over, both Tao Lin and Zhang Fanzhi were quite satisfied. They were negotiating the price and waiting for a response when the musician suddenly said:

"I'm sorry, Sister Lin. This song... I probably won't be able to give it to you guys."

Tao Lin's eyes widened as she asked, "Why? Didn't we agree that we would have priority?"

The person gave a bitter smile. "I did think that way, but they offered too much money; I can't refuse."

Tao Lin asked, "The price I offered wasn't low, was it?"

"They offered double what you did!"

Tao Lin was instantly rendered speechless.

After a long while, she finally asked, "Can I know who it is?"

The other side paused for a moment before saying, "It’s people from Fanxing!"

Tao Lin shut down on the spot. She hung up the phone and threw it a long distance away in a single motion.

Zhang Fanzhi watched her in silence for a long time. Finally, she let out a couple of bitter "heh"s and said, "Forget it, Sister Lin. Let’s stop struggling..."

……

"Chen Ran, the lead singers are coming in for interviews today. You should come over after all."

Over the phone, Director Wu Jin’s voice rang out.

Chen Ran looked at the guitar in his hands. He had finally managed to get a day off and had just picked it up. "Director Wu, you have professional musicians there. You don't really need me, do you?"

Wu Jin said, "They listen for how well someone sings, but you’re here to select people for the show—there’s no conflict there. Compared to them, I trust you more."

Hearing this, Chen Ran stood up without another word. "Fine, I’ll be there right away."

Being trusted like that was indeed quite an exhilarating feeling. Chen Ran felt as if he’d been injected with chicken blood; he put down the guitar and hurried toward the TV station.

When he arrived at the studio, the two musicians were waiting there, and the lead singers who had come for the interview were already lined up.

The two of them couldn't fathom why a planner was being brought in for something like selecting lead singers.

These candidates were all people they had rated highly on the apps; their singing skills were excellent. As long as they performed well live, it should just be a matter of picking those with the best physical appearance.

However, after Chen Ran arrived, the people he selected left them even more confused.

One was relatively tall and handsome with a smooth, refined voice, primarily singing pop songs—there was nothing wrong with that. But another short, fat guy with a full beard was also selected simply because his voice was deep and powerful.

Two other contestants who were quite handsome were rejected instead.

If it were up to these two musicians, even if those other two were slightly inferior in singing skill, they would have absolutely chosen them. What on earth was the point of choosing a short, fat guy?

As for the female selections, they were even stranger. One was beautiful with a sweet voice and decent singing skills, so her being selected wasn't a surprise. But another girl with very average looks was also selected.

They were a bit baffled by Chen Ran's selection criteria. He had made his decisions after hearing them sing just once—wasn't that a bit too reckless?

Ultimately, there wasn't much difference in the vocal quality of those selected for the interview. A few who were unstable live were immediately excluded, but there were others who were handsome and beautiful—why make these specific choices?

For a television program, shouldn't physical appearance be the most important factor?

They went to ask Director Wu Jin, only to hear him say, "It’s fine. Chen Ran must have his own reasons for choosing this way."

This was exactly why Director Wu Jin had wanted Chen Ran to come.

As the program planner, Chen Ran had a better grasp of what kind of people the show actually needed.

The two musicians were different; they primarily listened to the singing and then were influenced by appearance.

Their selection process wasn't as purposeful as Chen Ran’s. Even if Director Wu Jin had stated the requirements, they would still pick based on their own preferences during the actual selection.

"Alright, now we can finally start recording the program." Chen Ran looked at the lead singers he had selected; he was clearly quite satisfied.

The stage was set, the equipment was ready, and basically all the preliminary preparations were complete.

Next, it was time to begin recording the show.