Chinese Entertainment King: Starting as a Fat Boy and Becoming a Singing King

Xu Yao leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and the song "Loneliness Is Not Good" kept playing in his mind.

This song was released in 2019 in the future timeline.

Retro R&B style, with 90s R&B as the main theme.

Cao Ge evolved from a lonely man who felt "nothing he did was right" into Cao Xiaoge, who understood that "loneliness is no good," perfectly embodying the title of "the strongest backup lover on earth."

Despite his desperate desire to get closer to the girl he admires, he can only express his infatuation through every like, every comment, and every opportunity to make his presence felt.

Xu Yao didn't choose this song randomly.

there are many reasons.

First, you can't choose songs that are too popular.

If his debut single happens to become a huge hit, the cost of terminating the contract would be too high.

Of course, becoming a big hit is not an easy thing.

Does randomly releasing a song guarantee a future hit?

The answer is not necessarily.

In 2007, a 20-year-old college student named Lin Youjia covered an obscure song in the challenge round of the Taiwanese talent show "Super Star Avenue".

Released in 2002, the song was the title track of the album of the same name written by blind singer Hsiao Huang-chi to record his daily life. It chronicles the musical journey and daily life of this singer who lost his sight due to congenital cataracts.

The album was nominated for Best Lyricist at the 2003 Golden Melody Awards, but it received a lukewarm reception in the record market, and not many people have heard it.

However, Lin Youjia's cover version completely changed its fate.

His unique voice and understanding of the song made it sound dreamlike and ethereal, leaving the judges with nothing to criticize and awarding him full marks on the spot.

After the show aired, "You Are My Eyes" quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys, becoming a must-sing hit song in KTV that year.

Lin Youjia rose to fame with this song and eventually won the championship of "Super Star Avenue".

Hsiao Huang-chi's version also made it back onto major music charts, and mainland audiences noticed this talented blind singer for the first time.

For example, "Nanshan Nan" is a song that has been around for a long time and is a niche folk song.

It wasn't until Zhang Lei from The Voice of China covered it that it became a huge hit.

This is the result of the subtle interplay of timing, location, and human factors in the market.

However, market forces are not entirely within human control.

The second reason is that the new singer's singing style and approach are key to breaking into the mainstream.

However, developing a singing style requires time and effort; it cannot be rushed.

Hua Chenyu debuted as the champion of the Super Boy competition in 2013, but he was accompanied by extreme labels such as "weirdo", "isolated" and "schizophrenic".

The judges on the Super Boy stage commented on him: "Someone like you is either a genius or a madman."

Many people criticize him for "only hitting high notes" and "exaggerating stage movements," and he has even been ridiculed for singing like a "magician performing rituals."

But years later, thanks to his unique musical aesthetics and personal style, he became one of the best and leading male singers of the post-90s generation.

He held a series of concerts for 10,000 people at the Bird's Nest, and music critics praised him for "breaking down, dissecting, and extracting the essence from every song he hears, so as to serve his personal musical and artistic principles."

Xu Yao wasn't in a hurry.

From his early days as a heartbroken fat guy singing love songs, from "I'm Ugly But I'm Gentle" to "You Got Me Drunk" to "Bubble," and now to "Loneliness Is Not Good," he's been following the same path.

First, win over a segment of the audience and build your initial fanbase, then gradually expand your reach beyond your initial audience.

You have to walk one step at a time, and eat one bite at a time.

Taking too big a step can easily lead to trouble.

The bus stopped in front of the hotel in Zhengzhou.

Xu Yao dragged his suitcase down the bus, and the other trainees also got off one after another.

Xu Jianqiu sent a message in the group chat: "Brother Yao, are you really not coming to Jinan with us tomorrow?"

Xu Yao typed a few words: "I'm not going. I'm going back to Shanghai to record a song."

The group chat was silent for a few seconds.

Then Chen Yongxin posted: "Congratulations, Yao Ge, may you take off soon."

"Thanks."

Xu Jianqiu posted another message: "Brother Yao is awesome. We'll treat you to dinner when you become famous."

Xu Yao smiled: "Absolutely."

Everyone said goodbye to Xu Yao, their eyes filled with reluctance, but even more so with envy.

Zhou Shen was the last to come out. He walked up to Xu Yao and stopped.

"Brother Yao..."

"Hold it back."

Zhou Shen is a very sentimental person. He has a deep brotherly affection for Xu Yao and feels very reluctant to part ways with him.

His eyes had just reddened, and before he could even express himself, Xu Yao rudely interrupted him.

Zhou Shen opened his mouth, reached out his hand, and shook hands with Xu Yao.

Xu Yao comforted and encouraged him, "Just hang in there. Once you get through this, things will be warm and beautiful again."

Zhou Shen nodded: "Brother Yao, you go ahead and get it going, I'm not in a hurry."

Xu Yao dragged his suitcase toward the end of the corridor.

After taking a few steps, I turned around.

In the corridor, a dozen or so people stood there; some leaned against the wall, some carried suitcases, and some looked at their phones.

Youth is a series of non-stop encounters and farewells.

If we are destined to meet, we will meet again.

Shanghai, a photography studio.

Xu Yao pushed open the glass door, and a blast of cold air hit him.

The studio wasn't large, but it was fully equipped with tracks, cranes, softboxes, and reflectors, all scattered haphazardly across the floor.

Staff members were adjusting the lights; some were squatting on the ground connecting wires, while others were walking back and forth in front of the models' positions with light meters in hand.

Xu Yao stood at the door and glanced around.

In the corner, a young man in his late twenties sat behind a monitor, wearing a baseball cap and a black hoodie, holding a walkie-talkie in his hand.

Director at Cat's Tree Studio.

Xu Yao had seen his video in the future; it was a healing short film with beautiful visuals and a warm color palette.

Song Weilong, Chen Duling, and Hu Yitian all worked as his models before their debut.

"Xu Yao?" Cat Tree raised its head, stood up, walked over, and extended its hand. "Hello, I'm Yuan Shuang."

"Hello." Xu Yao shook hands with him.

"You go ahead and do your makeup, the female lead hasn't arrived yet." Cat Tree glanced at her watch. "She said she's stuck in traffic."

Xu Yao nodded and followed the makeup artist into the dressing room.

The makeup artist was a young girl with her hair in a ponytail, holding a row of foundation brushes in her hand.

She looked at Xu Yao's face and tilted her head.

"Your skin is in good condition, so you don't need heavy makeup. I'll just apply a base and fill in your eyebrows."

"OK."

Xu Yao closed his eyes, feeling the brush sweeping across his face.

As the makeup artist applied her makeup, she said, "You've lost so much weight! You're so handsome, you could actually be an actor."

I like to sing.

"With your current face shape, you'll definitely look good on camera. Just wait for you to become famous."

Xu Yao didn't respond, and the makeup artist, understanding the situation, stopped talking and focused on applying foundation.

About twenty minutes later, the door to the dressing room was pushed open.

A girl leaned half her body in, wearing a loose white sweater, jeans, and canvas shoes.

Her hair was loose over her shoulders, and she wore minimal makeup, but her features were very attractive.

It's not the kind of beauty that's stunning at first glance, but the kind that grows on you the more you look at it.

She has two small tiger teeth when she smiles, giving her a friendly, girl-next-door vibe.

Bai Lu. Born in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province in 1994.

At 18, she went to South Korea to participate in SM Entertainment's overseas trainee audition with the dream of becoming an actress. After failing to be selected due to insufficient singing and dancing skills, she turned to Taobao modeling to make a living.

According to the future timeline, Bai Lu should have been discovered by Cat's Tree in 2015, and several short films were made about him, which made him somewhat popular online.

When Xu Yao learned that the company's music video was being filmed by Cat Tree, he naturally thought of Bai Lu.

As a result, Bai Lu's debut was brought forward.

"Hello, I'm Bai Lu." She walked up to Xu Yao, extended her hand, and smiled, revealing her canine teeth. "Xu Yao, you look so handsome after losing weight."

Xu Yao stood up and shook hands with her.

"Thanks."

"I should be thanking you." Bai Lu's eyes crinkled, her tone carrying a natural, unpretentious enthusiasm. "I heard I'm the female lead in your music video, thank you so much. Why did you give me this opportunity?"

Xu Yao looked at her. A thought flashed through his mind.

In the future, this person will become the top female star of Huanyu Entertainment under Yu Zheng's contract, starring in "The Legends", "Arsenal Military Academy", and "Zhou Sheng Ru Gu", rising from an internet celebrity to a leading actress.

He thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Because...aren't you a Taobao model now? I saw you by chance and thought you had a great image, so I chose you."

Bai Lu paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Hehe, let me tell you, when Cat Tree contacted me, I initially thought it was a scam."

"Why?" Xu Yao asked.

"Because I've been scammed too many times."

Bai Lu spoke in a relaxed tone, sitting down in front of the dressing table while counting on her fingers as she continued talking.

"When I was 18, I went to South Korea to audition for SM Entertainment's trainees, but I was eliminated in the first round. After I came back, I wanted to become a model, so I sent out resumes everywhere, but all I encountered were shell companies. Some would ask you to pay to take model photos, and then they would disappear. Others would claim to be talent scouts and offer to sign you, but after you paid the training fees, they would just vanish."

She glanced at Xu Yao in the mirror and smiled.

"I've lost all the money I made from shooting for Taobao models, and now I'm drowning in debt. Seriously, I've refused Cat's Tree so many times; I'm terrified of being scammed again. But they keep calling me, and I've even blocked one number, but they just switch to another and keep calling."

The makeup artist standing nearby was stunned, her brush frozen in mid-air.

Bai Lu turned to look at Xu Yao, his expression becoming serious.

"So after it was finally confirmed that it wasn't a scam, I really, really couldn't believe it. I paced around the house three times. My mom asked me what was wrong, and I said someone asked me to shoot a music video. My mom said, 'Have you been scammed again?'"

"It's not like we've been looking for you all this time," Cat Tree said, standing at the door of the dressing room with a walkie-talkie in his hand, his tone carrying a sense of helplessness that said, "I'm not taking the blame for this."

"Xu Yao specifically requested you, and our boss got angry and said we didn't need you anymore. But when we got the information to Dream Voice, they still specifically requested you. We had no choice but to bite the bullet and keep contacting you."

Bai Lu turned to look at the cat-shaped tree, smiled, and apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Cat Tree walked in, leaned against the dressing table, and looked at Xu Yao.

"So you really should thank Xu Yao; he's your mentor."

Bai Lu turned to look at Xu Yao, her eyes shining, and stretched out her little hand.

"Xu Yao, without you I wouldn't have the opportunity to debut today. Thank you, and please take care of me."

"You're welcome."

Xu Yao smiled in response, and the two of them clasped hands for the first time.

"Hehe, you look really handsome now."

Bai Lu looked a little embarrassed after speaking, but her tiger teeth still looked adorable.

The dressing room was quiet for a few seconds.

Cat Tree clapped his hands: "Everyone to your positions, let's go shoot the music video. We have a big task today, so don't dawdle."