Marry a female star at a bargain price

Chapter 228 227. Confrontation and the Truth

The dressing room is very close to the stage.

It only took Han Xixi two minutes to walk to the side stage.

Before arriving, I could hear the familiar melody of "The Magic of Love" from afar, along with the sweet duet between Zhong Jiawen and Dong Li.

This is a very interesting adaptation.

Because although this song was written by her and Lin Xiao, the lyrics are actually completely from a girl's perspective, describing the little thoughts of girls when they fall in love.

The audience of this song is almost entirely girls.

Even Han Xixi had never thought that this song could be sung by a boy, let alone a duet between a man and a woman.

It’s not about whether it’s suitable or not.

At the very least, this adaptation and combination is very unexpected and eye-catching.

Han Xixi became more and more upset as he listened.

After she walked to the side of the stage and saw the truth instead of hearing it, her mentality became even more unstable.

On the stage, Zhong Jiawen and Dong Li not only sang sweetly and heartily with each other, they also made a huge change to the song - they added dance.

And this dance is none other than the Li Xicheng March which has been extremely popular on Tik Tok recently.

Although this dance only has a few short steps.

However, because of its leisurely, loose and casual dance steps, it attracted many bloggers to imitate it, and it set off a wave of Internet craze that is still continuing.

Logically speaking, the style of "The Magic of Love" is completely different from Li Xicheng's March. The styles are very different and the rhythm is much faster, so the dance moves should not match.

But in order to promote Zhong Jiawen, the program team has put a lot of effort into this.

The dance was adapted by a professional teacher. While retaining the essence of the short steps of Li Xicheng's March, the dance rhythm was accelerated, and the steps were extended and spread out. The most core steps were mirrored and placed on the male singer Dong Li.

Then the main song came, and the two of them danced happily while flirting with each other.

In the chorus, the girls go in and the boys go out, then the boys go in and the girls go out.

With just a few short steps, the song and dance convey a feeling of ambiguous temptation and emotional tug-of-war, where you advance and I retreat, and I attack and you defend.

Even though Han Xixi felt resentful about being kept in the dark, she had to admit that the program team's adaptation of the song was very interesting, Zhong Jiawen's singing was very sweet, and Dong Li, as the hottest young singer in Taiwan, also had excellent performance.

The two people's stage cooperation achieved an effect where one plus one was far greater than two.

This can be seen from the applause and cheers that came from the audience.

Han Xixi became more alert.

But this was not the time to act on impulse or worry about trivial matters. She tried hard to adjust her breathing and quickly calm her emotions to make full preparations for singing on the stage in a while.

Soon, the singing of "The Magic of Love" ended.

The host came on stage to warm up the audience and interacted with netizens for a while before he shamelessly called out Han Xixi's name.

Xixi could imagine the excitement on the live broadcast page at this moment - Han Xixi's work was sung by others, and then Han Xixi himself went on stage to sing other people's works. The program crew was simply too crazy.

But she was not in the mood to think too much. She lifted the hem of her long skirt and slowly walked into the dazzling spotlight.

As the final song of the entire season.

Han Xixi once again got the chance to sing solo, and this time, she chose an old song with a similar style to "Not That Simple".

It's not very famous, but she personally likes it very much.

After the stage was handed over to her, the audiences in person and online were still immersed in the sweet and passionate love atmosphere created by "The Magic of Love", and it was really difficult to put themselves in the role.

But with just two gentle and affectionate recitations, Han Xixi successfully regained his home ground and attracted everyone's attention.

A song slowly comes to an end in the calm and low humming.

There was warm applause.

Backstage, Lin Xiao returned to his corner and stared at the live screen without blinking.

He didn't breathe a sigh of relief until his wife sang the last note, and then he found himself sweating all over his forehead.

Of course, Lin Xiao did not disbelieve in Xixi's ability.

On the contrary, he admired his wife's singing skills very much. She had both the solid basic skills and qualities of a music student and the physical strength and explosive power of a young person. Ordinary love songs were easy for her and not a big challenge at all.

This is also the secret of Han Xixi's winning the championship in "The Voice of China". After all, at that time, she did not have teacher Ma Yao chasing her to write songs, but she won the championship entirely by her own strength.

The reason why Lin Xiao was so worried this time was that he was afraid that she would fall into the trap of the program crew, be affected by the song "The Magic of Love" and make a fool of herself on the stage.

If I had recorded it before, it would have been embarrassing, but I could always re-record it if I messed it up.

But not today.

Because today is the last episode and it is live broadcast, there are tens of millions of netizens watching this performance in front of the screen.

If she had a bad singing today, it would be a disaster and a black material, which would be recorded in a short video "Highlights of Female Singer's Car Accident Scene" and would be toured all over the Internet and repeatedly criticized.

It was hard for Lin Xiao not to worry.

After all, my wife is pregnant now, her hormone levels are volatile, and she can't control her emotions at all.

Fortunately, after singing the song, Xixi was not affected by the bad guys at all and completed her performance at an excellent level.

But the story doesn’t end there.

Lin Xiao knew that Han Xixi still had to pass one last hurdle, which was the interaction and interview with the host.

According to the program crew's secret arrangements and sneaky nature, they are definitely going to carry out "making trouble" to the end today.

This can be seen from the fact that Han Xixi was arranged to appear after the combination of Zhong Jiawen and Dong Li.

It is clear that the intention is to put the original song and the original singer together for the most direct comparison, in order to arouse the greatest heat and discussion.

In fact, this arrangement by the program team was a great success.

Just in the past ten minutes or so.

The real-time number of online users and the number of people interacting backstage monitored by the program set the highest peak for the entire night's performance, even far higher than the data when several superstars appeared on stage, and higher than several top stars who were specially invited to support the show.

It is clear that these days, strength, status, and popularity are not the most important things, and making trouble is always the way to go.

The program team is well aware of this.

Therefore, Lin Xiao didn't believe that they would stop there and let Han Xixi get away safely.

If it weren't for my wife's strong psychological quality, if she had broken her voice, sang out of tune or made other mistakes during the performance just now, the contrast with the previous group would have been more obvious, and the topic created would have been more interesting. There wouldn't be enough space on the entire Weibo hot search page to write about it.

Lin Xiao sneered and stared at the screen intently.

It was just as he expected.

After a few words of interaction, the host began to stir things up by asking, "Xixi, as the original singer, can you comment on the song "The Magic of Love" that was just performed by Zhong Jiawen and Dong Li?"

The topic was changed very suddenly. Han Xixi's face flashed with unnaturalness, but then he quickly switched back to a decent smile.

"The singing was great. The solo was changed to a duet, and dance elements were added. It was very fresh and interesting. I was fascinated by it just now!"

Han Xixi responded with a sweet smile.

Lin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. His wife's answer was given in a relaxed tone and with a natural attitude. Even if it didn't get full marks, it definitely got 90 points.

Actually, this question is quite difficult to answer.

If you praise Zhong Jiawen and Dong Li's adaptations too much, you will easily set yourself up for failure and fall into the trap of "the original version is not as good as the cover version."

If one keeps finding fault with the cover in order to maintain the authority of the original singer, netizens may easily accuse him of being narrow-minded, jealous, etc.

After all, facts speak louder than words, and the cover just now was indeed refreshing and interesting.

Fortunately, Han Xixi's answer escaped the trap set by the host.

She did not hesitate and gave a direct affirmative answer after hearing the question. However, she used language skills to quietly shift the focus of the affirmation from the "singing skills" to the innovation of the dance and duet. Her tone was natural and not pretentious.

Her answer is equivalent to saying: The duet is interesting, the dance is interesting, but I won’t comment on your singing skills, and you won’t be able to compare them with me, the original singer!

Very clever, and very thrilling.

The mature and steady host was also amazed by her quick reaction. After all, he saw that Han Xixi was so young, and young people should be full of energy and would fall into the trap if provoked.

But I didn't expect Han Xixi to be so calm, more decent, calm, confident and generous than many veterans in the entertainment industry.

The host's desire to win came up and he refused to let her go. His covert attempts to trap her turned into blatant attempts to find fault.

"Then Xixi, who do you think sang better, the one just now or your original version?"

"..."

Han Xixi narrowed his eyes but kept smiling.

She was in a very bad mood and wanted to poke the microphone directly into the greasy man's face, but she couldn't do that because she had to remain decent.

Fortunately, this pit is much more obvious and simpler than the previous one.

"Hmm... why do we have to compare which one is better? I think both versions have their own advantages and disadvantages. I really like the duet between Jiawen and Teacher Dong just now!"

Han Xixi responded in a sincere yet playful tone.

He avoided the traps and used little force to achieve a great result, which even made the host angry.

"Xixi doesn't seem to have confidence in her version. Is she afraid because she thinks Jiawen and Dongli's duet is too perfect?"

The host blatantly misrepresented her meaning in a joking tone.

Han Xixi was already very impatient at this time, but she still had to remain calm and smile, then she made up her mind and cut the Gordian knot.

"If you must say so, then yes..."

"oh?!"

The host's eyes lit up, thinking Han Xixi had taken the bait, "So the original singer is afraid?"

Han Xixi met the man's smug gaze, smiled calmly, and pretended to be wronged: "Of course I'm afraid. As the old saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands. I'm alone and there are two of them. In terms of skills, I can't beat them..."

The cute tone combined with the exaggerated acting skills immediately made the audience on site and online burst into laughter.

Another example of using little force to achieve great results!

Han Xixi quietly turned the trap of "singing skills comparison" into a difference in physical combat, and by unexpectedly admitting defeat, she aroused the joy of netizens.

The host was so embarrassed that he choked.

Only then did I realize that the girl in front of me was not a pushover. Although she looked weak and vulnerable, she was actually quick-witted and calm, and was far from being as delicate as she appeared.

The host then realized that he had made a mistake.

In front of millions of viewers.

Even though he was not convinced, he had to give up. He laughed awkwardly a few times and quickly ended the topic.

……

After walking off the stage, Han Xixi felt his legs a little weak.

Just now, he was able to keep his composure on the stage, perform the song he had prepared perfectly, and avoid the host's attacks calmly and gracefully.

But now we are outside the spotlight and camera.

She realized that her heart was beating very fast, and her body was even shaking with anger because of this shocking scam.

She doesn't take the bullying from the program crew or the targeting from the host to heart.

She could even ignore the fact that Dong Li, that greasy guy, sang her favorite song for no apparent reason.

But there was one person involved in this outrageous incident that she was unable to face calmly and remain calm - that person was her agent Zhou Hui.

This is a live broadcast.

Since the program team arranged for Zhong Jiawen and Dong Li to sing "The Magic of Love", they had to obtain the copyright of this song in advance.

But as the original singer and author who also participated in the composition of the lyrics, Han Xixi knew nothing about the sale of copyright.

Then the only person who could bypass her and sign a contract with the program team is her agent Zhou Hui.

Although Han Xixi was very reluctant to believe this.

So she thought about it over and over again, thinking of countless possibilities, but finally she angrily discovered that it was only her!

The betrayal by the person he trusted the most was the reason why Han Xixi was so heartbroken and angry.

She passed by Lin Xiao who had been waiting for her on the side stage.

Han Xixi walked directly to assistant Chen Jiajia and asked, "Where is Sister Hui?"

Chen Jiajia has realized that something big has happened.

She couldn't guess anything else, but Han Xixi's representative work was sung by someone else on this stage, and Sister Xixi herself was completely unaware of it.

This is obviously unreasonable.

When Chen Jiajia heard the melody of "The Magic of Love" sounding on the stage just now, she was completely confused. She subconsciously thought that she had made a mistake at work. As an assistant, she did not remind Han Xixi to go on stage in time.

Later they found out that it wasn't her problem, but they were tricked by the program crew.

Now facing Han Xixi's cold question, Chen Jiajia immediately figured out the key and quickly replied: "Sister Hui is in the dressing room... She should be waiting for you."

Han Xixi nodded and strode backstage in her high heels. Because it was a live broadcast.

There will be no camera following her once she leaves the stage because the camera has to focus on the stage, so Han Xixi is now in a relaxed state.

Lin Xiao and Chen Jiajia hurried to catch up.

When they arrived at the door of the dressing room, Lin Xiao grabbed his wife's arm and signaled her not to be impulsive. Han Xixi gave him a faint smile, meaning, don't worry.

Of course Lin Xiao trusts his wife. Although she is young, she is very calm and clear-headed when it comes to major issues and never acts on impulse.

But nevertheless.

Faced with Zhou Hui, a veteran who has been working in the entertainment industry for more than ten years, Lin Xiao was still afraid that his wife would suffer, so he followed her in, ready to lend a helping hand when Xixi was alone and helpless.

Chen Jiajia tactfully stood outside the door to prevent outsiders from accidentally entering.

When Lin Xiao and Han Xixi entered the room, they saw Zhou Hui sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, playing with her cell phone.

While sitting in a relaxed position.

But her whole body was tense, her brows were tightly furrowed, and her eyes were vague as she looked at her phone, obviously she had been distracted for a long time.

It was not until she heard the door open that she shuddered and raised her head slightly.

Then he quickly returned to his cold and calm appearance.

Han Xixi looked at her, but she did not respond to his gaze. The two of them looked like a couple having a conflict. Lin Xiao, who was standing next to them, seemed redundant.

There was silence for a moment in the small dressing room, and no one spoke.

Time passes by second by second.

Finally, Han Xixi lost her temper and asked with suppressed anger: "Sister Hui, Zhong Jiawen and Dong Li just sang "The Magic of Love" on the stage. Did you know about this?"

Han Xixi actually already knew the answer.

In fact, before entering the door, she still had some expectations for Zhou Hui, thinking that she might also be kept in the dark by the program crew and had no idea about this at all.

The situation today was entirely caused by the production crew's decision to gain popularity without first reporting the situation to the production crew, who concealed the situation from everyone including her and Sister Hui.

Han Xixi thinks this is possible.

But if this is true, Zhou Hui should not be sitting in the dressing room at this moment, but should go and fight with the people from the program crew. She needs a reasonable explanation both morally and legally.

But she didn't.

She didn't react at all, just like an irrelevant passerby, sitting there indifferent and calm.

This is enough to show that she is not an outsider, but an insider, and may even be the mastermind.

Thinking of this, Han Xixi became angry again, but forced himself to suppress his emotions.

before.

Faced with her questioning, Zhou Hui remained silent for a moment, but ultimately did not choose to avoid it.

Instead, he nodded calmly: "I know!"

Such a straightforward admission stunned Xixi, and she didn't know how to react for a moment.

Lin Xiao was afraid that his wife's anger would affect the fetus, so he quickly stepped forward to take charge of the situation.

But Xixi stopped him with a look - she wanted to solve it herself.

Lin Xiao can only be left to her.

Han Xixi took a deep breath, calmed down, and asked calmly: "Sister Hui, can I ask why?"

Zhou Hui smiled coldly and said in a teasing tone: "Which aspect are you asking about? Why did I know about this but didn't tell you, or am I asking if I know that this operation of the program team will have a negative impact on you?"

Han Xixi calmed down instead.

"Neither. I want to ask you why you did all this behind my back. Have I ever let you down?" she asked.

"..."

Zhou Hui was stunned for a moment, a trace of guilt flashed across her eyes, "You have never done anything wrong to me!"

Han Xixi asked: "Then why did you cooperate with the program team and set me up like this? You clearly know that the program team arranged this to use my popularity to promote Zhong Jiawen. It doesn't matter if she is out of the circle, but after what happened today, I will be completely tied to her from now on!

"We are of similar age and have similar music styles. Netizens will continue to compare us, and even her team will continue to target me... You are a professional agent, you should be able to see these things more clearly than me, right?"

Listening to Han Xixi's questioning, Zhou Hui just smiled coldly: "Why, haven't you always been confident in your singing skills and works? Why are you afraid of being compared with a rookie? Are you afraid of being outdone by Zhong Jiawen?"

Han Xixi was not led astray by the sarcastic tone, but questioned: "Sister Hui, you are my agent, you should solve problems for me instead of creating them, and you shouldn't be here to watch the fun and play tricks on me after something goes wrong... Forget about all that. Now I just want you to tell me the truth - how did I let you down to help the program team and outsiders to frame me?"

Han Xixi's tone was calm and not aggressive.

But her straight gaze and calm emotions were enough to expose Zhou Hui's true colors. Finally, she could no longer maintain her airs as an industry leader and revealed her resentful nature.

"You have never done anything to offend me!"

Zhou Hui stood up and looked Han Xixi in the eye, her tone already filled with excitement.

She paused for a long time and then added: "But you have never looked down on me and never treated me as an agent!"

Han Xixi was completely confused.

"Sister Hui, where do you get this from? Have I ever scolded you or insulted you?"

"..."

"Have I ignored you, disrespected you, or treated your words as nothing?"

"..."

"Do I do what I want, arrange my own schedule and work, and completely ignore your advice?"

"..."

Faced with the continuous questioning, Zhou Hui remained speechless throughout.

Han Xixi was even more helpless: "None, right? Then you said that I never looked up to you and never treated you as my manager. How can you say that?"

Zhou Hui was speechless and even felt a little embarrassed.

She tried hard for a long time, her face flushed, before she finally let out the emotions that had been pent up for many days.

"Yes! You, Han Xixi, come from a good family, you have strength, education, and emotional intelligence!"

Zhou Hui sneered repeatedly, "You are very polite and respectful to me. You are never like those small-minded celebrities who get rich overnight and become arrogant as soon as they become famous. You insult your agent like a slave! In this regard, you are indeed impeccable and a very cultured person.

"But being well-mannered is just a habit you developed since childhood. It doesn't mean you look up to others! I've been your agent for almost a year. When have you ever really listened to me?

"I asked you to downplay your married persona, but you didn't listen and you and your fake husband turned the fake play into a real one!

“I told you to take more variety shows and performances while you’re still popular, and that young people shouldn’t be afraid of being tired. But you didn’t listen. You needed to take a break every few days. There were so many variety shows that offered easy pay, but you didn’t go, as if you had a grudge against money.

"During the time since you debuted, except for the first time when I told you to find a man for a fake marriage, you never listened to my other suggestions.

"And the reason you listened to me about the fake marriage was because you hadn't officially debuted at the time and had no way to deal with the overwhelming abuse, so you were forced to put aside your pride as a young lady and accept my bad idea.

"Later, your position in the circle gradually became stable, and you no longer needed me, so you kicked me away. Not only did you listen to this man in your love and life, but you also had to give in to this man in your career, which was at its peak..."

The more Zhou Hui spoke, the angrier and more unwilling she became. Later, she looked past Han Xixi and glared at Lin Xiao several times with murderous eyes.

Lin Xiao was stared at helplessly: Damn it, why do I feel like they are a couple and I am the third party?

Zhou Hui finally said angrily: "I have been a manager for more than ten years. The artists under my management have been popular and unpopular, which is normal. In terms of the speed of becoming popular and the status in the industry, you are the most promising artist under my management. But you have brought me an unprecedented blow - you make me feel dispensable and like a joke, you know?"

When Zhou Hui asked the last question, her lips trembled, and her face showed great grievance and unwillingness.

Lin Xiao watched coldly and felt a little bit sorry for it.

He seemed to understand the logic behind Zhou Hui's sudden betrayal, which was because her industry value was hardly reflected in Han Xixi's popularity!

And this credit was completely taken away by this "third party" like me.

Of course, if something like this happened to someone else, they might not be so angry and might even be eager to reap the benefits.

Anyway, no matter who made Han Xixi famous, Zhou Hui, as her agent, would take a fair share of the money she earned.

Although Han Xixi is more Buddhist when it comes to making quick money.

But even if you only collect copyright fees from releasing songs, and occasionally endorse products or appear on music variety shows, the income is already very considerable.

Moreover, Han Xixi's Buddhist approach has its advantages, which is that she will never change her agent. It is equivalent to her getting a long-term meal ticket. If it were someone else, they would be so happy that they would be at a loss.

Zhou Hui was the only one who couldn't get over it and made herself so angry that she almost died.

The reason is simple, just because she is a person who values ​​her own worth very much.

But in front of Han Xixi, her value is almost zero.

This led to the woman's almost crazy betrayal.

It's weird, but understandable.

At that moment, after listening to Zhou Hui's series of accusations, Han Xixi also understood her.

But understanding is understanding, and anger is anger.

Han Xixi smiled bitterly: "Sister Hui, I can't accept the accusations you just made against me. Maybe I didn't follow your instructions on work arrangements, but I never did it my own way. Even though I was reluctant to do many of your arrangements, I accepted them because of my status as an artist, such as endorsements that had nothing to do with me.

"So, you said I didn't respect you, that's complete nonsense. The reason you said that to me is simply because I didn't listen to you and make quick money, taking advantage of the popularity and doing variety shows to make money.

“I’m sorry, I have my own professional ethics and career plans, and I can’t let my agent control me like other artists.

“Although I didn’t listen to you, I recognized that you were a responsible agent, so I never argued with you about these things.

"I respect you very much and I rely on you to some extent, whether from a work perspective or a personal perspective. I don't agree with what you just said..."

Han Xixi sighed helplessly and said, "Sister Hui, maybe we have misunderstandings about each other's working models. You think artists should be puppets who listen to their agents in everything, but I think that artists and agents should be in a cooperative relationship, and everyone should explore working models based on mutual respect..."

Before she could finish, Zhou Hui sneered.

"Partnership? Mutual respect? And exploration??"

Zhou Hui almost laughed out loud, "Han Xixi, do you really think that just because you are famous now, you can talk about professional values ​​and moral integrity in a superior manner? Come on! If you were not lucky enough to marry a Qu dad by accident, who in the world would know you now..."

Zhou Hui said, as if remembering something, slapping her forehead and laughing, "Oh, that's not right, everyone will still know you. It's just that they won't treat you as a big star, but because of that 'keeping photo', they will laugh at you as a gold digger. When they've laughed enough, they'll forget about you and let you arrogantly talk to me about how artists and managers should get along in a healthy way. It's really hilarious!"

Han Xixi was choked by the sarcasm and ridicule and was speechless.

Because Zhou Hui was not wrong.

From the logic of this industry, becoming popular is rare, metaphysical, and an exception, while not becoming popular is the norm.

Han Xixi was stunned and reflected that he was indeed not qualified to say these things to Zhou Hui as a popular star.

She fell into self-doubt for a moment.

Zhou Hui shook her head and smiled, "Forget it, there's no point in talking about this now. After this incident, our fate has come to an end. What's the point of talking about agents and artists! From now on, whether you continue to be a big star or degenerate into giving birth to children, it has nothing to do with me..."

Han Xixi was stunned, and Lin Xiao was also stunned.

"Sister Hui...do you know I'm pregnant?" Han Xixi asked.

"Ah!"

Zhou Hui shook her head and said, "Among the three of us, I'm the only one who has given birth to a child. Do you think I can't tell that you're pregnant if you don't tell me? Do you think I'm a fool?"

Han Xixi was speechless for a moment.

After a moment of silence, she said, "I want to apologize to you for this matter. But Sister Hui, I didn't mean to hide it from you. I planned to tell you in three months..."

"You can't tell me, but you can tell Chen Jiajia, right?" Zhou Hui interrupted and asked.

"I didn't tell Jiajia. I didn't even realize I was pregnant at the time. It was Jiajia who realized something was wrong first, and then she secretly took me to the hospital for a check-up to confirm it!"

Han Xixi explained seriously, "So, I didn't tell her. We both knew it together!"

Zhou Hui was stunned when she heard this, and then she realized that she had been mean-spirited.

At this moment, his face was blank and he was speechless.

"So, Sister Hui, are you so resentful of me because I didn't tell you about my pregnancy?"

"..."

Zhou Hui looked dazed, and finally shook her head, "It doesn't matter. It has already happened, and there is no point in saying anything more. Anyway, it is impossible for the two of us to work together again. Don't worry, I will take the initiative to resign from the company, and from now on... take care of each other!"

After saying that, she picked up her bag and left.

Han Xixi originally wanted to call out to her, but no sound came out when he opened his mouth. In the end, he forced himself to suppress his soft heart.

However, she didn't say anything, but Lin Xiao stepped forward to block the door, blocking Zhou Hui's way with a smile.

Zhou Hui then became a little flustered.

She knew Han Xixi very well and knew that although this girl was smart and tough, she had a kind heart. Even if she knew about her betrayal, she would not do anything to her because of their friendship of nearly a year.

So she is not afraid of confrontation at all.

But the man in front of him was very successful in the officialdom, and a few of his original songs had caused a stir in the music world. Even his father-in-law, a high-ranking official, and his knowledgeable mother-in-law were coaxed into submission by him... He was definitely a good person.

Even though Zhou Hui was nearly ten years older than Lin Xiao, she still couldn't see through him. She was frightened from the bottom of her heart when facing his obstruction and stare.

"You...what are you going to do?!"

(End of this chapter)