They’re all reborn, what’s wrong with being a little more almighty?

Chapter 291 A Counterattack
Zhang Wei had a lot of great songs in his mind. When he was thinking about which one to choose, Hu Li came to him again with a contract in her hand.

"Zhang Wei, even though you ranked last in this week's quiz, I still think you have potential, so I recommended you to the company, and the company finally decided to give you a contract."

Hu Li said as she handed the contract to Zhang Wei.

"Director Hu, thank you so much!" Zhang Wei pretended to be grateful.

Then he took the contract, opened it and started reading it, thinking to himself, "I was just ranked last in a small test, and now I'm signing a contract. Do you really think I'm a rookie?"

Zhang Wei skipped over the various details mentioned above and focused on the contract term and income distribution.

The contract is for eight years, which means that if it was signed in 2007, it would expire in 2015.

After seeing this length of time, Zhang Wei felt that there was no need to read any further. An eight-year indenture was really too long.

As a singer, there are generally three types of contracts: three, five, and eight years. In Hong Kong and Taiwan, there are ten-year contracts.

The first contract for a new singer is usually between five and eight years. Three-year contracts are very rare because when a new singer debuts, the company has to spend money to package him. It takes two years for a new singer to become popular, so it is impossible to sign only a three-year contract.

Hu Li got an eight-year contract, which was reasonable, but it was already the upper limit in the entertainment industry.

This is probably equivalent to you going to work and the company paying your social security according to the minimum standard. You say it is illegal, but the company is indeed not breaking the law. You say you are willing to do so, but you are definitely not willing to do so.

But what if you are unwilling to accept it? You don't have a higher ability to get a better salary. Your job has a low threshold and your labor output is low, so you deserve to be exploited, because there are many people who want to be exploited. There are 1.4 billion people, and every industry is very competitive. You have no bargaining power.

If your job has high requirements and high labor output, such as being a first-class algorithm programmer or a first-class chip engineer, how dare the company not pay your full social security? If the year-end bonus is even a little less, you won't be able to keep the employee!
So compensation depends on the value of your labor and the threshold of your job.

If this rule is applied to Zhang Wei, he will definitely be dissatisfied!

All the songs I bring out are divine songs. Any one of them can be popular all over the country and stay on the Golden Melody Chart for a long time. This means that the value of my labor is higher. If you pay my social security according to the minimum standard, I will definitely not accept it!
Eight years is not impossible. I can give him a signing fee, a higher share of the record revenue, as well as greater autonomy and more resources.

For example, if I don’t want to attend a certain event, I don’t have to go; if I want to attend a certain event, the company has to get me an admission ticket, and the event venue cannot be low-profile; if there are certain awards, or there are some good performance resources, such as the Spring Festival Gala that can enhance the company’s status, the company has to use its resources to fight for me.

In other words, Zhang Wei wants the treatment of a big shot.

However, it is definitely impossible for the current Xiaoxiang Entertainment to give Zhang Wei big-name treatment, and Zhang Wei is well aware of this.

So Zhang Wei laughed and said, "Director Hu, this contract has so many pages. I need to read it carefully. How about leaving the contract with me first? I will reply to you after I finish reading it?"

"When can you finish reading it?" Hu Li asked immediately.

"I definitely can't finish reading it in such a short time. I still have to prepare for the competition, attend group rehearsal tomorrow, and record the MV for the song. I definitely don't have that much time to read the contract. I will probably have to reply to you by next week at the earliest!" Zhang Wei said with a smile.

"Next week?" Hu Li frowned slightly and continued, "You ranked last in this week's quiz, which means you are on the verge of elimination. You have to understand that if you are eliminated in this week's competition, your commercial value will be greatly reduced. It is hard to say whether the company will still be willing to sign you at that time. If I were you, I would sign you now while the company is still willing."

"Thank you for your reminder, Director Hu. However, contracts should not be signed carelessly. If your company is ultimately unwilling to sign me, then you can only blame me for my lack of ability and limited level!"

Zhang Wei deliberately put on a low profile. His purpose was to paralyze Hu Li and make her feel that according to the existing contract terms of Xiaoxiang Entertainment, it was still possible to sign her.

After all, when it comes to the national finals, if Zhang Wei participates in one more competition, his commercial value will be higher. If he shows his refusal to sign the contract now, the program crew may really give up on him completely and eliminate him through shady dealings.

By then, Zhang Wei will lose the stage to continue to show himself, and the fairness of the program will also be questioned. In this situation, Zhang Wei will not benefit from it.

Therefore, at this stage, we need to give the entertainment companies some hope and keep them hanging. Zhang Wei can also participate in more competitions and show more amazing songs. Only after he becomes famous will he have the capital to demand better contract terms.

……

The next day was the stage rehearsal for the show. According to the arrangement of the show, the thirteen contestants had to sing a song together at the beginning. The song was called "Hello! Mr. Superboy". Zhang Wei listened to it once and found the English mixed with Chinese, which did not sound pleasing to the ear.

Speaking of Chinese lyricists, if you have nothing better to do, don’t try to write English lyrics, it will just look weird. Wouldn’t it be better to learn more from Fang Wenshan?

The other song is "I'm the Brightest", which is the theme song of this talent show and will be sung by all contestants after the first round of performances.

What made Zhang Wei feel most uncomfortable was the performance costumes, which were too non-mainstream. The white top was matched with a silver oversized lapel, and the pants were also silver. The silver here is the kind of bright silver that you wouldn't be embarrassed to put on a car film.

In Zhang Wei's opinion, wearing this outfit and singing and dancing on the stage not only looks cheap, but also really like a Shamatte performance.

However, the aesthetic level in that era was just like that, and even the host of the show wore clothes of similar colors.

Moreover, the makeup level at that time was not good, and the camera had no beauty and filter effects. In addition, the lighting effect on the scene was also average. Even people with fair skin would look a little dark in this outfit. If they were thinner, they would look like Song Xiaobao.

But to be honest, this kind of stage effect really makes the amateur look full. The so-called peasant singers packaged in the Avenue of Stars, wearing sheepskin waistcoats and big straw hats, don't look as amateur as this one.

……

"Director Hu, take a look. These are the competition songs submitted by the thirteen contestants." A song list was handed to Hu Li.

"I miss you every day, love everything about you, tuberose, kiss goodbye, never say goodbye..." At a glance, they are all familiar songs.

Finally, Hu Li saw an unfamiliar song title: "It's a pity there is no if", and then looked at the contestant who had registered, it was Zhang Wei.

"Zhang Wei's song, is it another original song?" Hu Li immediately had a hunch that this might be another top love song.

"Have the music and lyrics been delivered?" Hu Li asked.

"It has been delivered. After all, it's a live broadcast, and original songs need to be reviewed in advance." The man said as he took out a brown paper bag, took out a piece of paper and handed it to Hu Li.

As a music director, Hu Li must have professional musical attainments. She hummed a few lines at the music score and felt that the song was really well written.

The melody is melodious and infectious, and the rhythm is not fast, but it has a sad atmosphere, which is very suitable for lyrical songs. The octave jump in the climax instantly enhances the infectiousness, which makes the emotional expression very strong and direct.

Just by humming the music score, Hu Li judged that the rhythm of the song, from the atmosphere in the beginning to the tension expression in the climax, should be very suitable for singing a love song.

After all, it was composed by JJ Lin, so the level must be top-notch, at least several levels higher than Hu Li.

As for the lyrics, they are traditional love song lyrics, which are between passing and good, not particularly amazing.

After all, it was 2007, an era when great songs were produced in large numbers. Looking back at the top lyricists at the time, they all wrote classic and great lyrics. The musicians of that era were all tasting the finest.

Lyrics like "It's a pity there are no ifs" sound very beautiful now and can definitely be called excellent, but in 2007, lyrics of this level could not really be given high marks and were just ordinary love song lyrics.

Just that line, "The sky is blue waiting for the rain and I am waiting for you, the smoke from the cooking stove rises thousands of miles across the river." This is the lyrics from 2007. What can you use to compete with lyrics of this level?

After reading the music score and lyrics, Hu Li sighed slightly, but after watching the song "It's a pity there is no if", she was already sure that Zhang Wei would definitely advance to the next round.

"This won't do. We need him to sign the contract quickly."

……

At eight o'clock in the evening, the competition officially began, and this time it was still broadcast live.

After the thirteen contestants finished their opening performances, it was time for the hosts to start introducing the rules of the competition.

Today's match is 13 to 11, which means two players will be eliminated.

Zhang Wei, who ranked last in the quiz, had to go to the waiting area and wait after singing the self-rescue song, and then enter the mid-field PK.

The other twelve contestants will be divided into two teams to compete against each other. Then, based on the audience's votes, the six people from the team with the highest number of votes will advance directly, and the six contestants from the team with the lowest number of votes will also enter the mid-field PK.

Among the seven people in the mid-field PK, the one with the highest votes can advance directly, and then several judges can also choose one person to advance directly, and the person with the lowest votes will be eliminated and become the thirteenth place.

The remaining four people will enter the next round of PK, and then one person will be eliminated. Finally, there will be 11 people left, which are the top 11 in the country.

But there is also good news for Zhang Wei, that is, he will sing a self-help song first, and then it will be the turn of other singers to be divided into two teams for a competition.

The earlier you appear on stage, the sooner you can show yourself, and the longer you will have to canvass for votes, which is considered to be more advantageous.

The weekly quiz champion has an opening bonus, where he can sing a song first. After he finishes singing, it is Zhang Wei's turn to perform. Standing in the center of the stage, Zhang Wei adjusted his breathing and quickly entered the singing state.

When the piano prelude ended, Zhang Wei began his singing in a soothing voice:
"If you make all the mistakes you can afford, you should still have time to repent. If you don't reveal everything, you can just laugh off the small storm. When it comes to love, why talk about yourself? You should just muddle through, that's better..."

The first few lines of the song had already mesmerized the audience. At the same time, Zhang Wei's voice changed and the song entered its climax.

"It's all my fault. I was silent when I shouldn't have been silent, and I was weak when I should have been brave. If it weren't for me, I would have misunderstood myself as being free and easy, and made us sad. But you back then, and I now, if it had never happened..."

After the climax, the audience was already silent. Everyone was deeply immersed in the song, with no other distracting thoughts in their minds.

After the first paragraph was sung, orchestral music suddenly appeared in the simple piano accompaniment, interweaving with the piano melody. The whole song became instantly enriched, and the sense of layering of the music was also enhanced by several dimensions.

At the same time, in the interlude, the drummer also started to move. With the classical beating, the mood of the music began to brew, paving the way for the climax later.

As the interlude ended, Zhang Wei sang again: "If I had known you earlier, I would have been a straightforward person, or if I had met the mature me later, but, OH!"

This time, the song reaches its climax with only four short lyrics, but unlike before, there is a richer accompaniment, the melody of the song becomes more infectious, and the music becomes more tense.

This makes the song more emotional, and the listeners seem to be brought into a romantic yet sad story, with a sense of empathy and immersion.

This is the power of love songs!

Love songs can often express complex emotions such as love, heartbreak, and longing through delicate and affectionate lyrics. Love, heartbreak, expectations, and memories are common emotional experiences for humans. Love songs contain these elements and are more likely to reach the hearts of the audience and resonate with them.

Also, because love songs can express basic human emotions, they are more likely to trigger the listeners' personal memories and make them think of their own love stories or experiences.

Over the decades of life, there are many common experiences.

For example, when you were in school, you would cheer for not having homework today, complain about the teacher keeping you in class longer, and make excuses not to do exercises during breaks. You and your deskmate might even get the same question wrong in the college entrance examination.

Another example is when you are working, you are criticized by clients, given difficult tasks by supervisors, and tripped up by colleagues, and you may even want to find an excuse to take a leave of absence. Office workers do different jobs, but they always find the same clients, supervisors, and colleagues.

But everyone's emotional experience is different and unique. It is different from other experiences and is unique to oneself.

So a good love song can always make people recall those unique and most unforgettable experiences!
And in this kind of competition, once you resonate with the audience, it means votes will come in droves.

Listeners may not vote for this song, but they will definitely vote to commemorate that memory that belongs to them alone!
Finally, the song ended with the line “It’s a pity there is no if”, but the audience was filled with expressions of people immersed in memories.

Obviously, the audience was still immersed in the song and had not yet recovered.

Seeing the reaction of the audience, Zhang Wei took a deep breath. He already had a feeling that he would surely advance.

This is JJ Lin’s hit song. It would be really unfair if he couldn’t advance in a competition like this!
When asked whose song is guaranteed to advance in this kind of talent show, Zhang Wei's first reaction only brings to mind two people: Jay Chou and JJ Lin.

Among the male singers in the Chinese pop music scene, apart from those veteran singers, Jay Chou is the only one who is the best. This should not be controversial. In the era when Jay Chou dominated the major charts, the only one who could get a foothold on the charts was JJ Lin.

JJ Lin's love songs are always able to delicately capture the subtle changes in human emotions. Whether it is sweetness, sadness, nostalgia or relief, you can find resonance in his singing.

Simply put, it's very heart-wrenching!
His love songs, the sweet ones can make people feel the sour smell of love, and give goose bumps all over the floor after listening to them; the sad ones can make people cry immediately, and give goose bumps all over the floor after listening to them.

This song "It's a pity there are no ifs" is the culmination of JJ Lin's love songs. When this song was released, it directly dominated many charts and won many song awards.

Zhang Wei brought out this song not only to advance, but also to leave a deep impression on the audience. After all, this is the first game of the national finals, and it is important to let the audience remember him.

In this regard, Zhang Wei's name has an advantage. After all, everyone knows a few people named Zhang Wei.

But the key still depends on whether the song is good.

JJ Lin has many good love songs, but among those that make people feel heartbroken, "It's a pity there are no ifs" should be one of the top ones.

There is no deeper impression than the feeling of heartbreak!
……

Backstage, the other twelve contestants who were preparing to go on stage all had solemn expressions on their faces. Zhang Wei's magical song instantly made them realize that this was an extremely powerful opponent.

In the previous 48-hour breakout competition, all other contestants in the Beijing region had been eliminated. Zhang Wei was the only one left in the Beijing region. Therefore, the other twelve contestants had never competed with Zhang Wei on the same stage, and naturally had not felt the pressure brought by the divine song.

Moreover, Zhang Wei was the last one to arrive at the boys' college. He did not form any cliques and was not familiar with others, so he was naturally classified as a marginal person.

But now everyone realizes that the marginalized person may be the most powerful one among them.

Among these twelve contestants, there are many original singers and veterans of talent shows. They know very well how much fans they will attract if they bring original songs of this level.

And this is a talent show that relies on text message voting to decide the promotion, and attracting fans also means that the number of votes will be very high!

……

At the same time, countless viewers in front of the TV were also captivated by this song.

A program director from the neighboring TV station stared at the TV with a shocked expression on his face.

"Fuck! Are the entry standards for "Up and Coming Boys" so high? The show starts with original songs of this level. If you don't know, you would think it's the Golden Melody Awards ceremony! If Xiaoxiang TV plays it this way, how can we run talent shows in the future!"

The show started off with a big hit, which obviously surprised the program director.

"Just watch TV, why are you swearing? You've led the children astray!" A woman's voice sounded from the side. It was the old woman at home, who walked out of the bedroom with a facial mask on.

Looking at the yellow-faced woman who was talking to him, the program director's mind flashed with the last sentence "It's a pity there is no if", and at the same time, his first love also appeared.

"It would be nice if it could have happened all along, but unfortunately there are no ifs..." The program director subconsciously picked up his phone and voted for Zhang Wei.

……

The program director was just one of the people who were moved in front of the TV. Besides him, millions of viewers were also moved by the lyrics.

Before this, they didn’t know Zhang Wei, or rather, the Zhang Wei they knew was not the Zhang Wei on TV.

But after singing "It's a pity there are no ifs", they remembered the most common name "Zhang Wei", then took out their mobile phones, edited the contestant number "13", entered the number, and clicked send.

This vote is not only for the song "It's a pity there is no if", but also for my past self, for my silence that should not have been there, for my weakness that should not have been there, for the immature self I once was, for the free and easy self I once mistakenly thought I was, and for the if that did not exist!

……

The scene entered the stage where the judges gave their comments.

"Zhang Wei, you really did not disappoint us. You really did bring us new surprises!" One of the judges looked very happy.

In the previous quiz, the judges, under the request of the program team, gave Zhang Wei the last place. It is impossible to say that the judges were so calm about it.

Although colleagues are enemies, when you really meet a junior with outstanding talent, you will still have some love for his talent.

What's more, no one wants others to tell them what to do. If the program team is shady and interferes with the judges' decisions, the judges will definitely be unhappy even though they can't resist!

Even Emperor Jiaqing did not like his father, the Emperor Retired! If the emperor was like this, how much more so would we mortals?

Now Zhang Wei has made a big comeback with a magical song, and the judges also feel a sense of pride after being suppressed.

The judge then continued, "Every note in your song seems to be endowed with a soul, and it can touch the softest part of my heart. Every turn and every ups and downs in your song are irresistible to me. If you ask me to evaluate it, I can only say two words: perfect!"

Another judge immediately said: "Zhang Wei, this song of yours is not only a musical interpretation, but also a dialogue of the soul. The piano music in the beginning is as delicate as silk, and the strings in the end are as passionate as fire. I have been completely conquered by you!"

The judges' praise drew cheers from the audience. Such comments coming from professionals are an advertisement in themselves, and give the audience in front of the TV the motivation to vote.

Behind the vote counting, Zhang Wei's votes soared rapidly, and in the blink of an eye it had exceeded 200,000 votes!
(End of this chapter)