From unemployment in crosstalk to top star in Chinese entertainment

"I know," Yu Liang withdrew his hand, "but I prefer to secure my gains."

He said this in a very casual tone, as if he were just talking about how nice the weather was. But only he knew that he wasn't calculating the immediate consequences.

Three years later, when Kris Wu gets into trouble, this song and all related buzz will be removed from all online platforms. By then, the copyright will be worthless regardless of who owns it.

Whether it's 10% or 5%, whatever I get is what matters. The important thing is to pocket the 5 million buyout fee first.

Sister Chen glanced at him, sensing that there was something more to his words, but she didn't press him further.

She tidied up the contract, stood up, walked to the door, then turned back: "Oh, right, Teacher Wu said that next time I write a song like this, I should let him know first."

Yu Liang smiled but didn't reply, only thinking to himself: Next time I write, it will be more than five million.

The following day, Wu Yifan's studio and Yu Liang's social media accounts simultaneously released a brief statement:

Following friendly negotiations, Mr. Wu Yifan has exclusively acquired the copyright to the lyrics and music of "Big Bowl Wide Burmese," while Mr. Yu Liang retains the composer's attribution and some public performance rights. Both parties will continue their collaboration in the field of music creation.

The comment section below the statement garnered over 10,000 views in three minutes.

So, did Fan Ge really buy this song?

[Yu Liang really hit the jackpot this time: his debut performance went viral, plus royalties, credit, and revenue sharing. Is this the kind of treatment newcomers get?]

Am I the only one who noticed the "partial public performance rights"? Will they sing this song together on stage in the future?

Yu Liang, who had already returned to Beijing, scrolled through the comments section and saw a top-rated comment:

From an unemployed crosstalk comedian to a creative variety show personality, this man's resume updates faster than I can keep up with the latest developments.

He liked the comment, turned off his phone, and got up to change his clothes.

Wu Yifan's studio was much more efficient than he had expected; the payment arrived the day after the announcement.

Not long after, a brand called A-Kuan, specializing in red oil wide noodles, contacted Yu Liang through the Douyin platform.

The other party was quite frank, revealing the truth over the phone: they originally wanted to contact Wu Yifan, but Wu Yifan's quote was too high, and their budget simply couldn't cover it.

Then I thought of coming to you to cooperate.

Yu Liang was left speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

However, there's nothing wrong with being a dupe. This is his first commercial endorsement, and although the price is only a fraction of Wu Yifan's, for a newcomer just starting out, having a brand actively seeking him out is a positive sign in itself.

He sent the documents to Li Xiaoran and asked her to have her agent check the contract details. There were no problems, and they signed it the next day.

After finishing all that, he lay on the sofa and scrolled through his phone. Several more collaboration invitations from brands appeared in his private messages, mostly in the fast-moving consumer goods and food categories, clearly all drawn by the popularity of "Big Bowl Wide Mian".

In the evening, Yu Liang finished washing up and sat on the sofa.

Li Xiaoran sent herself a message:

"Yu Liang, I've listened to all your crosstalk compilations these past few days. I can't sleep at night without listening to them."

"So, in that case, I'm doing you a favor by sleeping with you."

If it were Wang Churan on the other side, Yu Liang would never have said those words.

Even though the girl, a freshman in college, chatted with him every day, their conversations were mostly limited to "Are you there?" and "Have you eaten?"

That silly girl is always so shy, which sometimes makes Yu Liang feel sorry for her.

If Yu Liang said something like that to her, she would blush deeply and be too embarrassed to speak to him for days on end.

Li Xiaoran was different. Yu Liang never drafted his messages to her; every sentence seemed to be a test or a flirtation, yet he always managed to strike the perfect balance.

She wouldn't spell things out; instead, she would sometimes tease him like Yu Liang did.

Just like that night in Duyun, she had just finished showering and stood in front of Yu Liang, her eyes fixed on him. Although she didn't say anything, Yu Liang knew that as long as he made his move, he could get what he wanted.

-

Xinli Media Building, Brokerage Department.

Director Zhao Mingyuan sat in his office, tapping his fingers on the table. Spread out in front of him was Yu Liang's personal file, a document he had already reviewed several times.

He had followed Yu Liang on Douyin six months ago. At that time, Yu Liang had just become a sensation for her fashion sense and her "extremely obedient" persona was all the rage. The comments section went from being full of criticism to being filled with "requests for advice".

Zhao Mingyuan immediately thought this person was interesting, had a knack for online trends, and was easily recognizable.

At that time, I was only paying attention to Yu Liang to analyze his path to fame, and I didn't consider signing him.

Half a year has passed, and I never imagined that Yu Liang would change so much.

Zhao Mingyuan watched the promotional video for the Niulan Street scene in "Joy of Life" no less than five times. Every look and movement of that character before his death was superfluous.

The first dubbing competition of "The Actor's Singing" featured a medley of six lines, with one person playing all six roles.

In the second round of the "Crossover Singer" competition, a song with lyrics by Kris Wu and music composed by him actually crashed the Douyin server.

There are works,

Has variety show appearances,

It has many memorable moments.

It has the endorsement of a top celebrity.

Zhao Mingyuan closed the file and leaned back in his chair.

The outside world knows that Xinli is a leading production company for TV dramas and movies, prioritizing content and representing the pinnacle of high-quality dramas. However, few outside the industry know that variety shows, commercial endorsements, and idol-making have always been Xinli Media's weaknesses.

In particular, there are rumors within the company that Tengxun's subsidiary, Yuewen Group, is going to acquire Xinli Media in its entirety, and that Chairman Cao Huayi is going to sign a performance-based agreement with Yuewen in order to cash out as soon as possible.

Sometimes rumors don't come out of thin air.

In particular, Tengxun had already invested 33 billion yuan in March of this year to become the second largest shareholder of Xinli.

As the economic director of Xinli Media, Zhao Mingyuan knew that if a performance-based agreement were to be signed, simply producing TV dramas would not be enough; they would have to expand into other business sectors.

To expand into these sectors, you need artists who can generate buzz, especially those who can appear on variety shows, secure commercial deals, and create buzz on short video platforms.

Such artists are extremely rare in the entertainment industry, and Yang Mi, who just completed the bet for Jiahang, is one of them.

Li Yifeng, who just left Huanrui, is another one.

He had considered signing Li Yifeng, but the cost was too high. If it were a real gamble, the company wouldn't let him pay such a high price to put Li Yifeng on the table.

So Zhao Mingyuan has changed his mind and is now going to cultivate an artist from Xinli who fits these criteria.

He wanted to use Yu Liang as an anchor point.

Use him as the path for reforming Xinli's artist management business.

Yu Liang started his career with Xin Li's film and television resources, and with his acting skills and variety show sense, he paved the way for Xin Li to expand into variety shows, short videos, and commercial endorsements.

Compared to signing top celebrities at high prices, signing new talents and cultivating them independently is the least costly and least risky approach.

If he succeeds in training someone, it's because he has unique vision and foresight; even if he ultimately fails to meet expectations, the company won't suffer significant losses, and he can easily distance himself from the situation.

Moreover, Yu Liang became a sensation on Douyin, confidently answered jokes on "Roast Conference," and blew the audience away on "The Voice of the Actor." Every step she took addressed the shortcomings that Xin Li needed to improve.

None of Xinli's current artists possess this quality.

Xin Zhilei has the potential to be a veteran actress, but she's not a traffic star.

Although Li Lin is a popular actress, her quiet personality makes it difficult for her to achieve good results on variety shows.

Zhang Jiayi has the star power, but his age is a factor.

As for the younger generation of signed artists, not only are they unknown, but most of them are still struggling in supporting roles.

After much deliberation, Zhao Mingyuan finally picked up his phone and dialed Yu Liang's number.

"Hello, Ms. Yu Liang. This is Zhao Mingyuan, the talent agent director of Xinli Media."