A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

After the song "Returning Gun" became a hit, those who had previously clamored online that "Han Tang Entertainment won't last more than three months" fell silent after the song was released.

But netizens weren't going to let them off the hook.

The comment sections of those entertainment bloggers who were the most vocal in their criticism were almost simultaneously flooded with criticism.

"Was 'The Return of the Spear' a good song? Do you want to listen to it again, and hear which direction the spear is thrusting?"

"Where are you? Come out and show yourself. We're still waiting for your in-depth analysis!"

"Weren't you quite the talker back then? Why are you so quiet now? Did you get caught off guard by a surprise attack?"

……

The popularity of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" continues to grow, but Su Fan has stopped focusing on the song.

Ma Xiaoya asked, "Judging from the current online buzz, your first step can be considered a success. When will you move on to the next step?"

Su Fan said, "The next step is to find a suitable person to target. It's not good to have a target that's too big or too small."

Why?

"If the target is too small, it's not interesting, and no one will notice if you take it down. If the target is too big, you can't do anything to it, and you might hurt yourself. So you need to find a target that's neither too big nor too small to make a move on. That way, everyone can see it, but not too many people will protect it."

Ma Xiaoya nodded: "That makes sense. So, have you decided who to chop up?"

Su Fan reached for his phone and said, "Wait while I make a call and ask."

He found Yu Baye's number and pressed the call button.

Yu Ba Ye was having tea with Xiao Yu at home.

Since they decided to side with Su Fan, both of them have felt an inexplicable sense of security.

The phone rang. Yu Baye glanced down, picked it up, pressed the answer button, and blurted out, "President Su, you're truly amazing..."

Su Fan interrupted him on the other end: "Alright, enough with the formalities. I called you to ask about something. Do you know which entertainment companies are targeting us?"

"I know some things, but not necessarily all of them."

"Among the companies you know, is there any that's neither too big nor too small?"

After thinking for a moment, Yu Baye said, "There are only a few top players, and many smaller ones follow suit, but if we're talking about something in between, there aren't many. What kind of company are you looking for?"

"A company that's neither too big nor too small, but one that likes to use contracts to control its artists," Su Fan stated his requirements.

"Basically, every company's contract has pitfalls. It's just that some artists have become more famous and have more resources, so they can have some say. But this say is only useful in small entertainment companies. In large companies, they are still the ones being manipulated. Not to mention some smaller artists, they simply have no choice."

"Let me give you a typical example."

After thinking for a moment, Yu Baye said, "A typical example is a company called Beifeng Entertainment. They had a singer named Deng Xinyao who became famous at a young age, but she suddenly disappeared in the last two years. I heard that she was going to participate in 'Music Pioneer' as a guest singer, but later, for some reason, she was replaced at the last minute. I heard that she was frozen out by the company because of contract issues."

"Okay, she's the one."

"Mr. Su, what are you doing?" asked Yu Ba Ye, puzzled.

"Of course, it's to save people from dire straits."

Yu Baye was confused, but he didn't ask any further questions.

After hanging up the phone, Su Fan asked Ma Xiaoya, "Do you know the singer Deng Xinyao?"

Ma Xiaoya replied, "Of course I know. They were incredibly popular back then, but they seem to have disappeared in the last two years. I heard they were sidelined by the company."

Why?

Ma Xiaoya said with a hint of matter-of-fact: "Why else? They've grown up, become opinionated, and disobedient, so they've been sidelined."

Su Fan suggested, "Then tell me, if I poach her, what impact would it have on that company?"

"Putting aside any potential impact, your actions alone are enough to infuriate that company's boss."

Su Fan nodded: "That's good."

The entertainment industry is a group that is neither too big nor too small. Basically, any artist with a bit of fame can talk to other artists in the industry.

Even if you can't, you can still chat with a couple of friends.

So, Su Fan went to find Jiang Yi.

After Jiang Yi obtained Deng Xinyao's phone number, he didn't ask any questions and sent it directly to Su Fan, saying, "It was given to me by someone in the industry. She herself doesn't know I got it. If needed, I can let her know in advance."

"No need," Su Fan said, then asked, "By the way, Brother Jiang, what do you think of Deng Xinyao?"

Jiang Yi said, "She's a talented woman. If she had continued down the same path, she would have become very famous. It's just... alas, what a pity!"

"Okay, I understand."

After getting the phone, Su Fan made the call.

The phone rang a few times before being answered. The person on the other end sounded tired but polite: "Hello, who is this?"

Su Fan asked, "Excuse me, are you Deng Xinyao?"

"Yes, who are you?"

Su Fan introduced himself, "My name is Su Fan, can we talk?"

Upon hearing Su Fan's name, Deng Xinyao thought she had misheard and asked, "Are you really Su Fan? The singer?"

"Yes, it's me. I also run an entertainment company called Han Tang Entertainment. I'm calling to ask if you'd be interested in joining us."

Hearing this, Deng Xinyao was excited, but she quickly suppressed her excitement: "You may not know my situation. If you did, you might change your mind."

Su Fan said nonchalantly, "My company is currently under attack across the entire internet, and you're being sidelined by your company. Maybe if we team up, our luck will turn around. As the saying goes, two negatives make a positive."

Deng Xinyao was amused and agreed, "Okay, where shall we meet?"

"You decide."

Deng Xinyao thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to your company."

……

After hanging up the phone, Ma Xiaoya said, "So you think you've managed to fool them?"

Su Fan said, "What do you mean by 'deceiving'? This is a sincere invitation. Besides, they haven't agreed to come to Han Tang yet, so we can't say anything too soon."

Ma Xiaoya said confidently, "As long as she's willing to talk, it's basically a sure thing. Then you can just throw out any song; do you think a singer who's been sidelined for almost two years can handle that?"

"What if she remains unmoved?"

Ma Xiaoya replied naturally, "Then let's play another one."

"What you said makes so much sense, I can't even refute it."

……

After hanging up the phone, Deng Xinyao sat on the sofa in a daze for a while.

After a long while, she let out a long sigh: "Going to try my luck is better than waiting here to die."

She has been keeping an eye on news online during this time.

She knew of a man named Su Fan who had written many songs, and every single one of them was beautiful.

She also knew that Han Tang Entertainment was in the eye of the storm.

But she didn't pay much attention to it, treating it as just a pastime to pass the time.

Until today, she received a call from Su Fan.

Whatever her purpose, she wanted to meet this person who had been dominating the trending topics for so long.