After taking advice, I became a top male idol.

Monday morning, 9:00 AM.

Top floor conference room of Xinghuang Entertainment headquarters building.

The company's top executives were seated on both sides of the ten-meter-long conference table.

Artist Director Wang Qiang, Publicity Director, Legal Director, Manager of Agents, etc...

At that moment, everyone lowered their heads and dared not utter a sound.

Because Liu Yilong, who was sitting in the main seat, had a gloomy expression.

"Tell me about it."

Liu Yilong lit a cigar, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said, "Who can explain the semi-finals to me?"

Cold sweat beaded on Wang Qiang's forehead. He forced himself to stand up: "President Liu, this was my mistake. Although the media judges scored lower as planned, I didn't expect the public judges to give 99 points..."

"99 points?"

Liu Yilong interrupted him, "Do you know what this means?"

He slammed the ashtray onto the table.

"Bang!"

The loud noise made everyone jump.

The ashtray broke, and shards of glass and cigarette ash were scattered all over the table.

"That means you fucking let him slap me in the face again and again right under my nose!"

Liu Yilong stood up, placed his hands on the table, and looked down at everyone. "How much money did I spend? How many people did I arrange? And what was the result?"

"As a result, Lin Zhixing not only wasn't eliminated, but he became even more popular, and now the whole internet is praising him!"

"What are you people good for? Huh?"

Wang Qiang's face was deathly pale, and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. "President Liu, I..."

"Shut up."

Liu Yilong waved his hand and sat back down in his chair. "What's done is done, there's no point in talking about it. The problem now is how to clean up this mess."

He looked around and said, "I don't care what methods you use, I want to see results before the finals."

"If Lin Zhixing still manages to win the championship, all of you can get out of here."

Everyone's heart tightened.

Liu Yilong is not joking.

This man keeps his word.

"Publicity and Marketing Department." Liu Yilong looked at the Publicity and Marketing Director.

"Here!" The PR director jumped up.

"Keep buying articles to suppress the trending topic. I don't want to see any positive news about Lin Zhixing trending on social media."

"clear."

"besides......"

Liu Yilong paused, a ruthless glint in his eyes, "I'm going to issue a ban within the industry."

"Anyone who dares to sign Lin Zhixing is going against Xinghuang."

"Let all companies know that in this industry, I, Liu Yilong, am the rule."

A collective gasp filled the conference room.

A ban.

This is not a joke.

The entertainment industry may seem glamorous, but it is actually a place of fame and fortune.

Capital is king, and the strong always prevail.

As one of the four major entertainment companies, Star Entertainment's influence in the industry should not be underestimated.

If Liu Yilong wants to blacklist someone, that person will basically be unable to continue working in the entertainment industry.

Other companies would give Liu Yilong face.

After all, if one knew the history of how Liu Yilong started out...

"Mr. Liu..." Wang Qiang hesitated for a moment, "Wouldn't this be too..."

"Too much?" Liu Yilong stared at him. "You think I went too far?"

"No, no, no," Wang Qiang quickly waved his hand. "I just feel that Lin Zhixing is currently generating so much buzz, if we target him too obviously, it might cause a backlash from public opinion..."

"public opinion?"

Liu Yilong scoffed, "What can public opinion do to me?"

"Remember this: this industry has never been driven by public opinion, but by capital."

"As long as we control the resources and channels, no matter how talented Lin Zhixing is, he can't escape my grasp."

He flicked his cigarette ash and said calmly, "It's settled then. There's an industry gathering tonight, and I'll personally make the announcement."

......

7 PM.

VIP banquet hall of a five-star hotel in Yanjing.

This was a small gathering of people from the entertainment industry, and all the attendees were prominent figures in the field.

The owners of several large entertainment companies, well-known producers, directors, investors... mingled and chatted merrily.

Liu Yilong, holding a wine glass, wandered through the crowd.

"Mr. Liu, it's been a long time."

"Mr. Liu, you look great lately."

"Mr. Liu, Xinghuang has recently signed a few new talents, and they're all quite good."

"Mr. Liu, I heard your company is going to launch a few big projects soon? You'll have to bring your guys along when you do."

Everywhere you look, there are sounds of flattery.

Mr. Li, a portly man in his fifties, was chatting with several producers. Seeing Liu Yilong approach, he quickly raised his glass: "Mr. Liu! Mr. Liu! Come, let me toast you!"

"Mr. Li, you're too kind." Liu Yilong clinked glasses with him. "What have you been busy with lately?"

"Sigh, it's all the same old troubles." President Li sighed. "The company is currently preparing for a new drama, and we're having trouble finding suitable actors."

"Oh?" Liu Yilong smiled. "What kind of drama? Maybe Xinghuang can help."

"We need a few young, popular actors for period fantasy dramas," Mr. Li tentatively suggested. "Does Mr. Liu have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

"Yes." Liu Yilong nodded. "I'll have Wang Qiang contact you later."

"That's great!" Mr. Li's eyes lit up.

For a medium-sized company like Huaxing Entertainment, being able to connect with Xinghuang is something they would be extremely happy to do.

"By the way, Mr. Liu," Mr. Li said cautiously, "I heard that Lin Zhixing came from your company? How could you let such a promising talent slip away? Hahaha, our company has been keeping an eye on him too, thinking..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Yilong interrupted him.

Liu Yilong patted him on the shoulder and lowered his voice: "President Li, I need to tell you about this."

"What is it, Mr. Liu?"

Stop paying attention to Lin Zhixing.

Liu Yilong's tone was calm but threatening: "I'm going to blacklist this kid."

Mr. Li's expression changed: "Mr. Liu, this..."

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Liu Yilong looked at him.

"No, no problem." General Manager Li quickly waved his hand. "I understand what General Manager Liu means. Huaxing will absolutely not touch Lin Zhixing."

"That's good." Liu Yilong smiled. "President Li is a smart person, and I like dealing with smart people."

The entertainment company executives present all knew about this throughout the evening.

Although everyone knew that Xinghuang and Lin Zhixing had a conflict, no one expected Liu Yilong to go to such extremes!

Liu Yilong spoke very politely, but his meaning was very clear: anyone who dares to sign Lin Zhixing is going against Xinghuang.

This is a blatant ban!

It's worth noting that the last time Liu Yilong made such a statement was to blacklist a disobedient leading actor.

As a result, that young actor disappeared from the public eye in less than six months, and it is said that he can only perform commercial shows in a small, obscure county to pay off his debts.

In this circle, going against Xinghuang is basically tantamount to courting death.

As an industry giant, Xinghuang Entertainment controls a large amount of resources and promotional channels.

Offending Xinghuang is like losing a leg in the entertainment industry.

Talent is worthless in the face of the pressure of capital.

It's not worth offending Liu Yilong for a newcomer.

Many companies that originally wanted to contact Lin Zhixing while he was still popular have now given up on the idea.

"Don't worry, Mr. Liu, we definitely won't sign a newcomer who doesn't know the rules."

"Exactly, what kind of waves can someone who came out of a talent show make?"

"Our company will absolutely not cooperate with this kind of person!"

"Since Mr. Liu has spoken, let's avoid this minefield."

"Yes, no matter how talented Lin Zhixing is, he's not worth offending Xinghuang."

"What a pity, this kid really has potential."

"What's the use of potential? In this industry, without capital backing you up, no matter how much potential you have, it's all for nothing."

Director Chen of Huayin Entertainment, who originally wanted to sign Lin Zhixing, silently put down his wine glass and sighed.

"What a pity, such a promising talent."

But in such situations, he could only remain silent.

......

Office of the Chief Director at Yanjing Radio and Television Station.

Xia Xue was reviewing the schedule for the next episode when her phone suddenly rang.

She glanced at the caller ID and frowned.

Liu Yilong.

Xia Xue hesitated for a moment, but still answered the phone.

"Hello, Mr. Liu."

"Director Xia, good evening." Liu Yilong's voice came through the receiver, tinged with amusement. "Did I disturb your work?"

"No, is there anything you need, Mr. Liu?" Xia Xue's tone was polite but distant.

"It's nothing major, I just wanted to chat with Director Xia." Liu Yilong paused, "The semi-final episode had pretty good ratings, it broke 4, right?"

"Yes, thanks to you, the ratings are pretty good."

"Congratulations," Liu Yilong said with a smile. "But Director Xia, I have a small suggestion, but I'm not sure if I should say it."

Then you shouldn't say anything more," Xia Xue thought to herself with a chuckle.

"Please go ahead, Mr. Liu."

"Lin Zhixing, this contestant..." Liu Yilong changed the subject, "Shouldn't we consider having him withdraw from the competition?"

Xia Xue's hand tightened.

really.

She knew Liu Yilong had ulterior motives for making that call.

"Mr. Liu, Lin Zhixing advanced through legitimate channels and did not violate any rules. I have no reason to force him to withdraw from the competition," Xia Xue said, trying to keep her tone calm.

"Director Xia, we're both sensible people, so let's stop playing games."

Liu Yilong's tone turned colder. "That kid Lin Zhixing has seriously affected the fairness of the competition. He has no company behind him, no resources, so how did he get this far?"

"Based on his talent." Xia Xue responded bluntly, "The Voice of China is a talent show, not a game of capital. The audience likes him, he has talent, and that's the reason he advanced."

"Ha." Liu Yilong sneered. "Director Xia is right, 'The Voice of China' is indeed a talent show. But don't forget, whose money did this show get to be made?"

"Director Xia should know how much your TV station contributed, how much the sponsors contributed, and how much Xinghuang contributed, right?"

Xia Xue fell silent.

Of course she knew.

Xinghuang Entertainment is not only one of the main sponsors of "The Voice of China", but also responsible for supplying artists and providing publicity resources.

It's fair to say that without Xinghuang's support, The Voice of China wouldn't have reached its current scale.

"Mr. Liu, what do you want to say?" Xia Xue took a deep breath.

"It's simple," Liu Yilong said calmly. "Make Lin Zhixing withdraw from the competition. You can make up your own reasons; I don't care."

"What if I don't want a refund?"

"Then don't blame me for being impolite." Liu Yilong's voice turned cold. "Xinghuang may have to reconsider its sponsorship for the next season. And the supply of artists will probably be less convenient in the future."

Threat.

A naked threat.

She really wanted to yell back at him, and she really wanted to tell Liu Yilong: I'm not putting up with you anymore!

But she couldn't have an attack.

Because what Liu Yilong said was true.

Although "The Voice of China" is very popular now, the capital operations behind it are complicated.

If Xinghuang really withdraws its investment and stops sending artists, the production team will face enormous pressure.

Because it's not just this variety show; the station has several other variety shows that collaborate with Star Entertainment.

Therefore, the station's leaders would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.

"President Liu..." Xia Xue tried her best to keep her voice calm, "I need to discuss this matter with the station."

"Of course," Liu Yilong smiled. "I'll give Director Xia three days to consider. I hope to hear a satisfactory answer in three days."

"Also, Director Xia should know that I, Liu Yilong, always keep my word."

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

Xia Xue looked at her phone, her expression grim.

pressure.

Immense pressure.

This is on a completely different level from Wang Qiang's previous pressure tactics and hiring online trolls to smear Lin Zhixing.

Wang Qiang was just an employee; to put it bluntly, he was just a mouthpiece.

Hiring online trolls to smear someone is just a behind-the-scenes tactic, nothing that can be brought to the table. Whoever has the better methods wins.

But Liu Yilong is different.

He is the boss of Xinghuang Entertainment, a true big shot in the entertainment industry, a person whose word is law.

His words represented Xinghuang's attitude.

Moreover, this time he made the call in person, which means his attitude has been made public.

If you were to stubbornly argue back, it would be like slapping someone in the face, which is inappropriate.

Moreover, Xinghuang's publicity and marketing expenses have always been among the highest in the industry, and the amount spent on TV stations every year is not a small sum.

The station and Xinghuang usually have a lot of cooperation and resource exchange. Although it's not fair to say that one depends on the other, it would still be troublesome to break off relations.

Furthermore, if they really anger him, "The Voice of China" will face a full-scale crackdown from the entire Xinghuang Group.

The consequences...

Although I have a certain status in the industry, it is not a wise choice to go head-to-head with them, and my small stature is not suitable for it.

Withdrawal from the competition?

impossible.

Lin Zhixing is a contestant she favors and is also the biggest highlight of this season of "The Voice of China".

It guarantees high viewership!

Moreover, with such a high level of buzz right now, if someone is easily forced to withdraw from the competition, the reputation of "The Voice of China" will immediately collapse.

The audience isn't stupid; anyone can see what's going on.

What should I do?

How can we protect Lin Zhixing without offending Xinghuang?

The only solution is to find a powerful figure with a strong background and high status who isn't afraid of Xinghuang to stand in front of them.

Thinking about this...

Xia Xue picked up the phone, hesitated for a moment, but still dialed a number.

"Hello, is this Sister Lan?"

"Director Xia?" Ye Lan's voice came through the phone. "What's up so late?"

"There's something I'd like to discuss with you," Xia Xue paused, "It's about Lin Zhixing."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"you say."

"As for Xinghuang..." Xia Xue took a deep breath, "Liu Yilong called me personally, demanding that Lin Zhixing withdraw from the competition."

"Withdraw from the competition?"

"He threatened me that if I didn't comply, there would be problems with sponsorships and artist recruitment for the next season."

Xia Xue smiled wryly, "You know what this means for the production team."

Ye Lan remained silent on the other end of the phone.

Of course she knew.

The power of capital is far more terrifying than we imagine.

"So what are you going to do?" Ye Lan asked.

"I..." Xia Xue hesitated, "I'd like to hear your opinion."

"My opinion?" Ye Lan sneered. "My opinion is to get Liu Yilong out of here."

"But the reality is, we can't afford to mess with him."

"Hehe, if Xinghuang really wants to withdraw, then let him withdraw. Yecheng Entertainment can take his place."

"Yecheng Entertainment?!"

Xia Xue's eyes lit up.

Yecheng Entertainment is another giant in the entertainment industry, with strength no less than Xinghuang, and perhaps even stronger!

Moreover, it is said that the sect leader has a very close relationship with Ye Lan.

Although no one in the industry will say it openly, and various rumors are a mix of truth and falsehood, if Ye Lan can bring in Yecheng Entertainment...

"Really?" Xia Xue stood up excitedly. "Sister Lan, can you get in touch with Ye Cheng?"

"Hmm," Ye Lan said calmly, "I can give it a try."

"That's great!" Xia Xue's hope was rekindled. "Sister Lan, I'll leave it to you!"

After hanging up the phone, Xia Xue leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh of relief.

Hehe, Lin Zhixing, that kid, originally just wanted to give it a try, but I never expected him to actually take it so seriously?

Also.

Liu Yilong, oh Liu Yilong.

Do you think you can control everything?

This circle isn't a place where you can call the shots alone.