This celebrity is absolutely wicked.

Chapter 38 Theme Song: Spring Festival Gala! (Please continue reading, please vote with monthly tickets!)

Zhou Ruiyang held the lyrics in his hand and divided the thirty-nine people into several groups.

"Alright, let's begin now."

As soon as the words were spoken, the first group of contestants began to sing.

The song has been lowered in key, making it less suitable for tenors and easier to sing.

One group sang well.

Zhou Ruiyang nodded.

The second group's performance had some flaws, but it was still alright.

When it came to the third group, Zhou Ruiyang interrupted them directly.

"What's wrong with you guys? Why are you singing off-key?"

This group has four people.

Even a good song won't become popular online if the performance isn't good.

This is why many cover singers can't compare to the original singers, or the original singers can't compare to the cover singers.

"Teacher Zhou, we haven't quite grasped this song yet," one of the contestants said.

Zhou Ruiyang didn't know what to say, so he let him continue singing.

I spent the whole morning trying to get the song right, but I couldn't even get it right the first time.

At noon, Lu Ran and the others went directly to the TV station's cafeteria for lunch.

Zhao Long cursed, "I feel like those people are deliberately not singing properly."

Wang Jiayue asked in confusion, "What benefit does this bring them?"

“Sometimes they target you not because it benefits them, but because it might harm you,” Lu Ran said.

Zhao Long nodded: "These people are all close to Fei Lingyun and are backed by big companies. They don't care about the exposure of the theme song. They'll do anything to affect the exposure of the theme song after its release. But most likely, it's the company's doing. Even a small amount of exposure is still something."

Wang Jiayue's mouth dropped open: "There are people like this?"

Zhao Long: "In the entertainment industry now, it's very normal. There are some contestants that the production team can't do anything about, so in the end they just record a random version and that's it."

Both of them looked at Lu Ran.

The person most affected is definitely Lu Ran, because this is his song.

What this group of people are doing is harmful to others and doesn't benefit themselves.

Lu Ran asked, "Which of these contestants were you referring to as a rich kid?"

“There aren’t many second-generation rich kids. The real second-generation rich kids go straight into filming. It’s so much slower to become famous as a singer, and it’s easy to have a scandal,” Zhao Long said.

Lu Ran nodded: "In other words, most people actually follow the company's arrangements and can't make their own decisions."

"Yes, not only do they have to follow the company's arrangements, but they also have no say in many things. It's pitiful."

Zhao Long even sighed.

He has seen many minor artists who are not in control of their own lives.

Fortunately, the company he signed with was his own, so he wasn't bound by any restrictions.

His family is involved in traditional opera; his elders were once leading actors.

"I feel alright," Wang Jiayue said softly.

"What's so great about it? Just tell me you signed a ten-year contract, didn't you?" Zhao Long said.

Wang Jiayue nodded.

"Ten years?" Lu Ran was shocked.

"For the past ten years, her income has been inverted. Even if Wang Jiayue becomes a pop diva, it will still be inverted. The company takes the lion's share, and she takes a small share, unless Wang Jiayue can renegotiate her contract with the company."

Zhao Long then whispered, "Do you know why our mentor, Lin Xingchu, terminated her contract with the company? One reason is that she was dissatisfied with the arrangements the company made for her. For example, would you be happy if your company made you perform in women's clothing?"

Lu Ran shook his head.

This is definitely not something they'd be happy about.

"Yes, but you have no choice after signing the contract. You have to do whatever they tell you to do. You're almost exhausted, but they keep giving you gigs. What's most infuriating is that you earn a million, but you only get 100,000. My mentor had to terminate his contract with the company for similar reasons and had to pay a huge penalty."

"Actually, many unknown artists work hard for several years without earning a penny, and even lose money. Except for those 208s."

Zhao Long was quite enthusiastic about what he was saying.

Lu Ran didn't say anything more. There were some things in the entertainment industry that he only learned after he arrived.

The lowest rungs of society are exploited wherever they go.

After everyone finished eating, they returned to the rehearsal room.

Fei Lingyun and the others sat in their chairs, leisurely sipping their coffee.

Seeing Lu Ran walk in, Fei Lingyun glanced at him.

Lu Ran didn't even look at him; instead, he clapped his hands.

Immediately, everyone in the rehearsal room turned their attention to this.

Lu Ran said slowly, "This morning during the theme song rehearsal, I noticed that a few contestants were a bit uncooperative."

He made his point clear from the start.

Fei Lingyun was somewhat surprised, but he didn't know what Lu Ran was planning to do.

Should we just start arguing or fight?
We're all young and hot-blooded, who's afraid of who?

Lu Ran glanced at the many contestants.

“I know that many people are not doing this voluntarily, but are ordered by the company.”

These words struck a chord with some of the contestants.

Some contestants had no choice.

Everyone wants such a great opportunity for exposure.

But the company told them last night that they should try to influence the exposure of the theme song.

Zhao Long and Wang Jiayue were somewhat surprised, as they had no idea what Lu Ran was planning to do.

"I, Lu Ran, am upright and honest in my actions. I'm not afraid that this theme song won't get much exposure. Anyway, I will keep winning on the performance stage. But what about you guys?"

"You obeyed the company's orders and gave up this opportunity to be featured in the theme song. What will you get in return? A word of praise from the company leaders? I don't think you'll even get a word of praise."

Some contestants' expressions changed slightly because what Lu Ran said was true.

To today's entertainment industry capital, the so-called "seed players" of a certain company are nothing more than commodities.

It's just a product that can be copied.

Ultimately, it's just a tool for making money.

“I know that some people may tell you that singing this song well is like doing a favor for me, but the audience will always remember the person who shines on stage. If you don’t shine, don’t blame the audience.”

“I’m withdrawing from the recording of the theme song and giving my lyrics to other contestants. I will also share the singing techniques of this song for free. If your company asks about it, just push the responsibility onto me. I hope everyone can cherish this opportunity for exposure. Do you choose to be remembered by the audience or by your boss?”

Lu Ran said that these were well thought out.

The song sold for 300,000 and the camera work guaranteed it, so it really has nothing to do with him.

But he felt that since he had taken on this task, he had to be responsible to the audience and to the work itself.

If you're going to sing, sing it properly; if you're not going to sing, then don't sing.

[20 points earned.]

Lu Ran was somewhat surprised to hear the system notification.

How can you actually earn points like this?

Many contestants fell into deep thought after listening to Lu Ran's words. "Ahem."

At this moment, Zhou Ruiyang came in from outside.

He had actually been listening outside the whole time, but he hadn't come inside.

Zhou Ruiyang never expected that Lu Ran would have such an upright side.

The entertainment industry is full of people who act one way in public and another way in private.

Lu Ran was much more candid.

This child is so kind.

Jiang Yaofeng must be blind to have rejected Lu Ran.

Lu Ran said directly, "Teacher Zhou, please distribute my lyrics to the other contestants."

As the original singer, he has a solo part.

This thing is indeed not important to him.

The main reason was that he knew this song would definitely become a hit.

Upon hearing Lu Ran's words, even those contestants who initially thought he was just putting on a show showed admiration in their eyes.

He wasn't just talking; he was serious.

Bro, you're really awesome!

Zhou Ruiyang said slowly, "As the original singer, you can't not participate in the recording. I'll adjust the lyrics distribution so you can sing along with everyone."

Lu Ran nodded.

When they rehearsed again, the effect was much better.

Only a few individuals remained, such as Fei Lingyun and Chen Yinan, who were still slacking off.

If there are fewer people, you'll become a special case.

In the end, Fei Lingyun and the others had no choice but to continue recording the song properly.

Go ahead and sing.

They were thankful that they didn't have to film an outdoor promotional video, otherwise it would have been even more embarrassing.

During the break, Chen Yinan frowned and said, "Don't you have this feeling that Lu Ran has never taken us contestants seriously?"

Fei Lingyun frowned and pondered, remaining silent.

After finishing his work, Lu Ran leisurely sat down and played on his phone.

When he was browsing his WeChat Moments, he saw a post from Zhou Ruiyang.

"There's an online movie called 'Hear the Voice of Home,' which needs a theme song. The song should mainly express the message of encouraging everyone to go home and visit their families often. If anyone has a suitable song, please contact me. It's urgent."

This post on WeChat Moments was made at noon.

"Isn't this my movie? Director Meng's advertisements are even here?"

That's normal, though. Zhou Ruiyang has his own music company, so he naturally takes on songwriting and composition work.

Lu Ran was thinking about how to give "Come Home Often" to Meng Yichuan.

He mainly wanted to use the name "Shunqi" (meaning "go with the flow") to release the song, which would directly offset one song slot and allow him to complete the hidden task as soon as possible.

He felt that the rewards for this hidden quest must be very generous.

"Perfect timing, let's find Zhou Ruiyang."

By 5 p.m., the recording of the chorus version of the theme song for "The Future King of Singers" was completed.

After Zhou Ruiyang dismissed the other contestants, he kept Lu Ran behind.

Zhou Ruiyang looked at Lu Ran as if admiring a piece of unpolished jade.

"Lu Ran, your upright personality might limit your development," Zhou Ruiyang remarked.

In the entertainment industry, blending in with the crowd is the key to success.

Lu Ran said slowly, "Live with the grass and trees, but do not rot with them."

Zhou Ruiyang was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter.

He understood what Lu Ran meant.

"It's good that you know what's going on. Go back and rest."

Lu Ran said directly, "Teacher Zhou, I have a song I want to release, and I need a female singer to sing it."

Zhou Ruiyang's expression froze.

Do you never hit a creative plateau in your daily creative process?
Are you trying to crush us old fogies?

"Wait, why are you releasing another song?"

In just half a month, Lu Ran has written three songs, averaging one song every five days.

Lu Ran told him about what he saw on Zhou Ruiyang's WeChat Moments.

Zhou Ruiyang looked at Lu Ran suspiciously: "Wait a minute, isn't this your company's movie? If you want to release a song, you can just contact your company directly."

"I want to release a song under the name 'Let Nature Take Its Course'."

Zhou Ruiyang thought for a moment and said, "Your thought process is so complicated, you don't want to take any of the extra traffic from outside the venue."

According to Meng Yichuan's quote, "Come Home Often" could be sung by a second-tier female singer from the Chinese entertainment industry.

Second-tier female singers may not have the same level of popularity, but they still have their own fan base.

Singers of this caliber are the kind whose names are known and whose songs are familiar to many, but who don't frequently trend on social media and don't have many representative works.

“Don’t underestimate this song. These kinds of heartwarming songs are the hardest to write. Send it to me when you’re done,” Zhou Ruiyang said.

"It's already been written."

Lu Ran sent the "Come Home Often" document directly to Zhou Ruiyang.

Zhou Ruiyang's phone rang.

He shuddered all over.

"What the hell? You can prepare these custom-made songs in advance?"

He opened the sheet music file on his phone.

The song title is "Come Home Often".

He stared at the lyrics for a while.

The lyrics are short; you can read them in a flash.

Zhou Ruiyang carefully savored the lyrics and exclaimed, "Great skill lies in simplicity, and the lyrics are quite good."

In his heart, he was cursing Jiang Yaofeng.

If this idiot were to invite Lu Ran to his team, it would be a powerful alliance.

If Jiang Yaofeng knew how awesome Lu Ran was, he would probably regret it to the core.

All I can say is that they were blind.

"How much do you want to sell it for?" Zhou Ruiyang asked.

Lu Ran said, "We're all on the same side, so I'll give you a discount. But I have to add one condition: if this song is featured on next year's Spring Festival Gala, I demand 5% of the film's box office revenue."

Zhou Ruiyang thought it was normal when he heard the beginning, but he was dumbfounded when he heard the end.

To appear on the Spring Festival Gala?
Still taking a cut of the profits?

You must be dreaming.

(End of this chapter)