Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

Chapter 1 The Five Returning Sons
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2014 year 9 month 1 day,
——Parallel World,

Hua Guo and Su Hang.

[Breaking News!! Following Wu and Lu's return to China, the other two members have also been embroiled in contract disputes with SM Entertainment!]

SM Entertainment is furious and has dismissed all its Chinese trainees!

[Gu Qing, China's most handsome trainee, suffered an undeserved misfortune. Four years of hard work went down the drain, and the youth and efforts of these young people were wantonly trampled on. Who should be held responsible for this?]

[Breaking news!! SM's fugitive visual member 'Gu Qing' has returned to China, causing a sensation at the airport. He politely advised fans and maintained order at the airport – highly commendable!]

[SM Entertainment's top trainee, Gu Qing, has been signed by a Chinese entertainment company and will be making her re-debut soon!!]

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"They call themselves the strongest and have the best looks, but they also try to put down and ride on the coattails of the four returning idols. Is the company planning to let me die from the spittle of their fans?"

As Gu Qing, sitting in the back seat, scrolled through one exaggerated press release after another and the trending topics on social media, she felt like jumping out of the car.

Is it too late to run now?

"Boss, what's wrong with what's written above? You're the one who got scammed."

The assistant, Zhao Ya, stood up for them, saying, "After those guys were made famous by SM, they immediately chose to terminate their contracts. Isn't that just making things difficult for you trainees who haven't even debuted yet?"

"And...you're really beautiful."

Zhao Ya's voice gradually lowered, and her gaze involuntarily lingered on Gu Qing's face.

Her heart beat slightly faster, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks. As if drawn by some invisible force, she couldn't look away.

Gu Qing's profile appeared exceptionally soft in the sunlight streaming through the car window. Her skin was as white as jade, her eyebrows and eyes were exquisite, her nose was high and straight, and her lips were clearly defined, as if every feature had been meticulously sculpted.

Most notably,
Nothing could be more striking than her almond-shaped eyes, round, clear, clean, and bright. Her soft bangs slightly obscured her eyes, making her look like a 'beauty' stepping out of a painting in the morning light.

It is precisely now that...

The most popular 'androgynous pretty boy' aesthetic.

Zhao Ya was somewhat mesmerized, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart: "To meet such a beautiful young boss right after joining the company, I really made the right choice by joining the entertainment industry."

"That's only part of the story."

Gu Qing frowned slightly, her gaze still fixed on the content of her phone. She felt somewhat uncomfortable looking at the sympathetic comments from passersby.

"While my departure from SM Entertainment was partly influenced by them, the main reason was that the contracts were too harsh."

Through the original owner's memories,
He knew perfectly well that the debut contract offered by SM Entertainment had an outrageous profit split of 9.5:05.

In other words, artists can only receive 5% of their commercial performance income, and they have no choice but to follow the company's arrangements, accept unscrupulous exploitation, and end up with a host of illnesses.

Who could accept this?

If he were Wu or Lu, he would definitely choose to leave too!

Even though Lay didn't leave SM Entertainment later, he still developed his career in the Chinese entertainment industry, had his own independent studio, and didn't have to follow the company's arrangements.

Now things have turned out badly.

The company's incredible marketing has planted four bombs in Gu Qing's life before he even debuted!

The popularity of the four returning idols
He, a small-time content creator who relied on covering popular internet songs in his previous life, was well aware of this.

2014 was the year of the rise of massive online traffic in the Chinese entertainment industry.
Of the famous "Four Big and Three Little" idols, two are from the "Four Returned Sons," dominating a large portion of the Chinese entertainment industry's traffic circle.

Don't be fooled by the fact that he's currently attracting a lot of sympathy from casual fans of good looks thanks to his company's marketing of his stunning appearance.

But if even a small mistake occurs in the future,
They could be attacked hysterically by the four fans who are currently lurking and unhappy!

at this time,

The phone rang abruptly, breaking the silence inside the car.

Gu Qing glanced at the screen; it showed the agent the company had assigned to him: Li Li, a middle-aged woman deeply involved in the entertainment industry.

He pressed the answer button.

“Baby, did you see today’s press release? Many people are sympathizing with you.”

Li Li's voice was filled with pride. This was a marketing plan she had meticulously devised, and its remarkable success made her extremely happy.

Why are people in the entertainment industry acting like lunatics? They call everyone "baby" or "darling," don't they get tired of it?
Despite the discomfort of the title, Gu Qing asked, "Sister Li, I've read the press release, but won't it have a negative impact if we directly use someone else to promote ourselves?"

There was a second of silence on the other end of the phone.
Then came Li Li's slightly mocking laughter: "But isn't this the survival rule of the entertainment industry? If you don't market yourself and put down your rivals, who will notice you?"
You think those fans just appeared out of thin air? Those airport pick-ups, those trending topics—weren't they all meticulously planned by us?

"The entertainment industry has never been about talent; it's about popularity and buzz. Without exposure, no matter how talented you are, it's useless!"
Besides, if it weren't for this press release, would you have gotten the invitation to record "Running Man" on TVB?

Gu Qing was taken aback, her tone hesitant: "Running Man? Sister Li, you mean..."

"Yes."

Li Li's tone softened again, "This is a great opportunity. Remember, when you get to the recording studio, don't stand there like a puppet."

Smile more, greet people proactively, and make the most of your pretty face, understand?

"Okay, don't think too much about it. Just do as I say. I'll come find you after I finish my work."

Remember, in the entertainment industry, there's no right or wrong, only success or failure. If you want to survive in this industry, you have to learn to adapt to the rules.

After saying that, Li Li hung up the phone.

Hearing the busy tone coming from the phone.

Gu Qing took a deep breath and put down her phone.

If the original owner hadn't already signed a six-year contract,
I'll adapt to your dam!

Zhao Ya carefully observed his expression and asked softly, "Boss, what did Sister Li say?"

"It's nothing, just that I need to prepare well for the upcoming variety show recording."

Gu Qing shook his head in reply.

Zhao Ya blinked, seemingly noticing Gu Qing's worry, and comforted her, "Actually, Sister Li is doing this for your own good. That's how the entertainment industry is; sometimes you have to do things you don't like."

However, I believe that with your talent and looks, Qingqing, you'll definitely make a name for yourself in the Chinese entertainment industry!

Gu Qing did not reply.

Are you forced to do things you don't like?

To what extent should it be done?
He's not an idiot!
Before time travel,
Gu Qing was a semi-expert at surfing the internet, and he had seen his fair share of trending topics about celebrity scandals.

So-called unspoken rules and sugar daddies are commonplace; there are even more perverse practices.

To become famous, you either need a wealthy backer or a powerful background!
But what about his original form now?
He was penniless, his parents died early, and he lived with relatives. He was able to study in the Peninsula thanks to the fact that most of his expenses were reimbursed by participating in a talent show.

Even so,
Five years of training had exhausted the savings left by the original owner's parents.

Otherwise, his predecessor wouldn't have heard that an entertainment company was willing to give him 50% of his salary just before he was about to return to China.

They even offered him a monthly salary of 2 yuan, so he impulsively signed this contract of servitude.

"The contract doesn't guarantee how many films you'll make each year or how many resources you'll be given. What's the difference between this 50% salary split and just a decoration?"

Gu Qing felt a headache coming on, especially when she thought about the harsh conditions attached to the contract.

For example, things that cannot go against the company's wishes or damage the artist's moral image.

If losses are incurred, the artist will bear all the losses and will also have to pay the company a huge penalty for breach of contract.

That alone would be fine.

The company also considered that,
The original owner of this body was, after all, a top student who 'graduated' from SM Entertainment, so it's no surprise that she had some musical talent.

Therefore, the contract clearly stipulates that
The copyrights for music released in the future will be used and operated by the company.

Furthermore, the time limit regarding copyright is ambiguous.
It didn't say whether it would be within six years or six years later.

If Gu Qing gets angry and doesn't renew her contract with the company, this is their trump card!
In the entertainment industry,

However, many celebrities have fallen victim to this.
Once a conflict arises with the original company, not only will the copyright of the songs be lost, but even the stage name may be unusable.

This also made Gu Qing temporarily abandon the idea of ​​becoming a legend with just one album.

What if he plagiarizes too many songs, and in the end all the copyrights go to the company? Wouldn't he lose a fortune?
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(End of this chapter)