Entertainment from Divorce

Monday morning.

Brilliant Entertainment Company.

As soon as Tan Yue entered the office, Engineer Wu knocked on the door and entered with a thick data report, his face beaming with an undisguised smile.

"Mr. Tan, this is a summary of the overall popularity across all platforms for the three days following Su Xiaoyu's victory, along with a list of newly added program invitations. Please take a look."

Tan Yue gestured for him to place the report on the table, and as he flipped through it, he asked, "How's the overall situation? Are the fan growth and the buzz going as expected?"

Engineer Wu nodded hurriedly and stood aside to report one by one: "It far exceeded expectations. Su Xiaoyu's popularity exploded on the night she won the championship, and it has continued to rise over the past three days. All the data have set new records for the company's artists in a short period of time."

The data on the report is clear and intuitive.

On social media platforms, Su Xiaoyu's Weibo followers surged from 630 million before the finals to 1210 million, an increase of 580 million followers in three days. Her super topic popularity remained in the top three of the artist rankings, far exceeding that of other new artists in the same period.

"In terms of discussion, positive reviews accounted for 95%."

Mr. Wu continued, "Netizens mainly focus on her singing skills, her ancient style, and the songs you composed. Many netizens call her a 'new benchmark in the ancient style music scene'."

Tan Yue traced the fan growth curve on the report with his fingertips, his eyes calm and unwavering.

He was more concerned about the public opinion trends in the latter half of the report.

With no negative scandals or controversies about diva-like behavior, her fan base mainly consists of casual fans and enthusiasts of traditional Chinese style, and her overall reputation is clean and positive.

When he flipped to the list of program invitations, he raised an eyebrow: "So many new invitations?"

The list contains 32 invitations, covering National Day galas, top variety shows, talk shows, and two music competition shows as regular guest invitations.

Mr. Wu explained, "After winning the championship, all the major platforms were vying for her, and many wanted to take advantage of her success to boost their ratings. Among them, two programs that had already been signed even took the initiative to upgrade their promotional resources and increase her screen time and interview segments."

Tan Yue closed the report and leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

Su Xiaoyu's meteoric rise to fame certainly exceeded expectations.

In just a few days, a rising star can quickly become a top influencer, but such popularity is a double-edged sword for an artist.

It can quickly accumulate resources, but it can also easily lead people astray from their true selves.

Several new songs he had conceived for Su Xiaoyu flashed through his mind, covering ancient style, light Chinese style and lyrical style. He originally intended to hand them over to Wei Yu for polishing in the near future, but at this moment he changed his mind.

"As for program invitations, let Qin Tao and Wei Yu screen them together," Tan Yue said calmly. "We will prioritize keeping the two programs that were previously confirmed, and then select 1-2 interviews or galas with high national popularity and strong musical attributes from the remaining ones, and turn down all the rest."

"The reason remains the same: Su Xiaoyu should focus on honing her skills at this stage and not let too many commercial performances and variety shows distract her."

Mr. Wu nodded and quickly jotted it down: "Understood, Mr. Tan. I'll send the list to Mr. Qin and Mr. Wei right away so they can handle the selection. Also, several luxury brands want to hire Su Xiaoyu for promotions. Would you consider taking on that?"

“I won’t accept the offer for now.” Tan Yue decisively refused. “Her persona is that of a talented traditional Chinese style singer. At this stage, she shouldn’t be overly commercialized. She should establish herself based on her work first.”

After Wu Gong left, Tan Yue picked up his phone and scrolled to the recent schedule of Su Xiaoyu sent by Wei Yu.

Su Xiaoyu was recording that morning, and the song she was singing was "Watching from the Sidelines".

I returned to the company in the afternoon to practice, and then worked on the new program script in the evening.

His eyes darkened slightly, and he had already made up his mind.

Let's hold off on the new song for now and observe it for a while before making any decisions.

In Tan Yue's view, an artist's singing skills and talent are just the first step; character and original aspirations are the key to how far they can go.

This industry is never short of people who become famous overnight, but few can remain clear-headed and stay true to themselves amidst the hype.

Su Xiaoyu's previous efforts and comprehension are commendable, but the change in her mindset after winning the championship is the core test of whether she is worth the company's strong support.

He wanted to see if she could still maintain the purity she had when she repeatedly honed her singing skills in the practice room, when flowers, applause, and resources came pouring in.

Putting aside the matter of the new song, Tan Yue turned on his computer and began to work on the post-production of "The Three-Body Problem".

Lu Chuan sent a message in the early hours of the morning, saying that the first chapter's initial cut had been revised according to his annotations, and attached a link to the revised clips. He also inquired about the focus of the second chapter's editing.

Tan Yue clicked on the link and reviewed the revised clip frame by frame.

The overall results met expectations.

After finishing the work on "The Three-Body Problem", Tan Yue reviewed the music department's proposal for Su Xiaoyu's solo album.

Wei Yu plans to create an ancient-style themed album with "Watching from the Wall" and "Evening Breeze" as the core, and add 3-4 more original songs. It is expected to be released at the end of the year.

Tan Yue made annotations on the plan.

"The album production has been slowed down. We'll first refine the derivative content of the two existing songs, and then move forward after the subsequent tracks are determined." This is to allow enough time to observe Su Xiaoyu and to avoid the album being released hastily, which would affect its quality.

Meanwhile, in the city television station's studio, the recording of "Weekend Joyful Gathering" was proceeding smoothly.

Su Xiaoyu, dressed in a moon-white modified ancient style long dress, sat in front of the makeup mirror backstage. The makeup artist was adjusting her makeup, and the pearl hair ornaments at her temples made her temperament even more elegant.

She held the lyrics book of "Watching from the Wall" in her hand, and even though she had sung it countless times, she still recited it line by line, repeatedly pondering the connection between breath and emotion.

"Xiaoyu, it's almost your turn to go on stage, get ready." Her manager gently nudged her shoulder, her face full of smiles. "A lot of staff backstage asked me for your autograph just now, you're a big star now."

Su Xiaoyu put down the lyric book, stood up with a smile, and said humbly, "Don't say that. I'm just lucky to have encountered a great song written by President Tan, as well as the support of the company."

As she waited on the side stage, Su Xiaoyu looked at the guests performing on stage and felt a surge of emotions.

A year ago, she was just a nobody doing backing vocals in a recording studio. She didn't even have the right to step into the studio, let alone record a national variety show like "Weekend Joyful Gathering".

At that time, her biggest dream was to have a song of her own and to be able to sing it on a decent stage.

Now, she not only has two hit songs tailored for her by Tan Yue, but she also won the championship of "Sound of Melody" and can be recognized wherever she goes.

A few days ago, when she went out to buy things, several young girls surrounded her and asked for her autograph, their admiration for her was undisguised.

That feeling of being recognized and needed touched her deeply and made her cherish it.

"Next, let's give a warm round of applause to the newly crowned queen of ancient-style songs, the champion of 'Sound of Melody'—Su Xiaoyu! She will bring us the hit ancient-style song 'Watching from the Wall'!" the host's voice rang out.

The spotlight instantly focused on the side entrance. Su Xiaoyu took a deep breath, adjusted her mindset, and slowly walked onto the stage.

The stage backdrop shifted to a light ink landscape painting, and the melodies of bamboo flute and guqin began to play softly. The arrangement was slightly different from that in the semi-finals; Wei Yu had specially simplified it for the variety show stage to better suit the atmosphere. Su Xiaoyu walked to the microphone, bowed slightly, then closed her eyes and began to sing again.

Compared to the tension of the semi-finals, she appeared more composed at this moment. Her ethereal voice pierced through the studio, and every word was sung with deep emotion. The detachment of the verses, the etherealness of the chorus, and the lingering charm of the opera style all added more layers to her performance than before.

The audience members put down their glow sticks and listened quietly. Many hummed along to the melody, creating a very peaceful atmosphere.

The program's director, sitting in the audience, nodded in satisfaction.

"We definitely made the right choice. Su Xiaoyu's live performance was incredibly stable, and her temperament perfectly matched the song, guaranteeing high viewership. We can invite her to sing 'Evening Breeze' again, and we can alternate between the two songs to keep the show popular."

The assistant nodded quickly and noted down the director's instructions.

After the song ended, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the audience.

Su Xiaoyu bowed deeply into the microphone, a faint smile on her face, her eyes clear and sincere.

The host walked onto the stage and asked with a smile, "Xiaoyu, your performance just now was amazing! Have you been very excited since winning the 'Sound of Melody' competition?"

"Yes, I still can't quite believe it."

Su Xiaoyu spoke modestly and without any arrogance, saying, "Winning the championship is inseparable from the song that Mr. Tan wrote for me, as well as the help of the team and the support of the audience. I have always been very lucky to have such a great opportunity."

When Tan Yue was mentioned, her tone was full of respect and gratitude.

"Mr. Tan has exceptional creative abilities. 'Watching from the Wall' perfectly captures my style and is the most precious work of my career."

This interview was simultaneously posted on the program's official Weibo account.

Netizens left numerous comments.

"Xiaoyu is too modest; she doesn't get arrogant even after becoming famous!"

"I'm so grateful to Mr. Tan and his team the whole time. Their dedication to their original aspirations is truly admirable!"

"Looking forward to Xiaoyu and President Tan collaborating on a new song again, but it would be great if they could hone their singing skills first!"

After the recording ended, Su Xiaoyu did not leave immediately, but thanked the staff backstage one by one.

"Thank you, makeup artist, I really love the makeup; thank you, sound engineer, the sound effects were amazing."

The staff responded with smiles, showing a very high level of affection for her.

Many celebrities in the industry become arrogant after they become famous, so it's rare to find someone like Su Xiaoyu who remains humble and polite.

When she arrived at the studio entrance, several fans were already waiting there. When they saw Su Xiaoyu come out, they immediately waved excitedly.

"Sister Xiaoyu! We're here to cheer you on!"

Su Xiaoyu stopped and walked over with a smile, patiently signing autographs and taking photos with each fan, and gently reminding them, "Thank you. It's so hot, go home early and be careful."

"Sister Xiaoyu, you're so kind! We will always support you!" the fans said emotionally.

The agent, who was watching from the side, quietly took out his phone, took a picture of the scene, and then sent it to Wei Yu.

"Mr. Wei, Xiaoyu is in great shape. Even after becoming famous, she is still the same as before, very polite to fans and staff, and not arrogant at all."

When Wei Yu received the message, he was screening program invitations for Su Xiaoyu with Qin Tao.

Upon seeing the photos and comments, he replied with a smile: "Very good, this is exactly what President Tan values ​​most. Keep a close eye on her and make sure she isn't bothered by too many invitations. Let her rest when she gets back this afternoon, and start practicing again tomorrow."

At 2 p.m., Tan Yue arrived at the editing room as promised.

Lu Chuan and Hong Yuanda were reviewing the initial cut of Chapter Two with their team when they saw Tan Yue enter and immediately stood up to greet him.

"Mr. Tan, you've arrived. In Chapter Two, we've emphasized the protagonist's cognitive shift, following your annotations. Please take a look and see if it meets your expectations."

Tan Yue nodded and sat down at the editing table to begin reviewing the document.

On screen, the protagonist's initial curiosity about extraterrestrial civilizations gradually transforms into awe and anxiety about the clash between civilizations. The camera transitions are smooth, and the emotional progression is natural.

Tan Yue occasionally raised his hand to indicate a pause: "Let's extend the shot of the protagonist seeing the alien signal analysis report by one second, and give a close-up of his hand tightly gripping the report to emphasize his inner struggle."

Lu Chuan immediately signaled Hong Yuanda to make adjustments.

The three then spent another half an hour discussing the editing ideas for Chapter 3.

As Tan Yue got up to leave, Wei Yu sent a message with a clip of Su Xiaoyu recording "Weekend Joyful Gathering" and taking photos with fans, briefly reporting on her performance.

"Xiaoyu's recording went smoothly. She was humble and polite throughout, very patient with the staff and fans, and her performance was very stable."

Tan Yue clicked on the clip and watched Su Xiaoyu's composed singing on stage, her sincere statements in the interview, and her gentle demeanor when interacting with fans. A hint of approval flashed in his eyes.

He didn't reply to the message, but simply put his phone back in his pocket, turned around, and walked out of the editing room.

Currently, Su Xiaoyu's performance is acceptable, but further evaluation is needed. Only by withstanding the test of public attention can she truly shoulder the company's training resources.

Back in his office, Tan Yue received a call from Qin Tao, who reported the results of the program invitation screening: "President Tan, we have selected three programs, and turned down the rest of the invitations on the grounds that we are focused on album preparation."

“Okay,” Tan Yue replied. “Send the schedule to Su Xiaoyu’s agent and make sure to coordinate the recording time so it doesn’t conflict with her practice and rest.”

It was evening.

Su Xiaoyu returned to the company and went straight to Wei Yu's office.

"Director Wei, I'm back," she said with a smile, her face still flushed from the recording.

Wei Yu looked up at her and handed her a glass of warm water: "Thank you for your hard work. Did the recording go smoothly? President Tan just came to the music department and asked about your situation."

Su Xiaoyu took the water glass, feeling a warmth in her heart: "The recording went smoothly, and the production team was very satisfied with my performance. Did President Tan... say anything?"

"President Tan wants you to rest well, hone your singing skills, and not let the current popularity affect you," Wei Yu said solemnly. "You must remember that the current popularity is only temporary. Only by producing more good works can you gain a firm foothold. President Tan has high hopes for you, and you cannot let him down."

"I understand, Mr. Wei."

Su Xiaoyu nodded firmly, her eyes resolute, and continued, "I won't get arrogant. No matter how famous I become, I will continue to practice every day and sing every song well. I know that everything I have today is thanks to the company and President Tan, and I will always remember my original aspirations and repay everyone with my work."

Wei Yu looked at her determined expression and nodded in satisfaction. (End of Chapter)