"Good heavens, did Wang Shu finally remember his Weibo password?"
"This plot is a bit too thrilling. I didn't expect Qian Yin to be so shameless, setting a honey trap!"
"The cancer of the music industry, Qian Yin Group, is there no law?"
"I only thought Qian Yin Group was a heartless company before, but now it looks like a mob organization!"
The moment Wang Shu posted on Weibo, many fans flocked to the post, commenting and reposting.
They hadn't seen any trace of Wang Shu since he last opened his Weibo account.
After sending the Weibo post, Wang Shu sat on the bed with satisfaction, watching the increasing number of comments and reposts.
However, Wang Shu knew that mere public condemnation would have no practical effect.
But with his current strength, this was all he could do.
After all, he was just a small singer now, with only a handful of artists under him.
To fight against an entire group felt like trying to hit a rock with an egg at this point.
He could only say that Jiangnan Television had indeed exceeded his expectations this time.
Because under normal circumstances, a television station wouldn't dare to take such a big risk to reject Qian Yin Group's demands.
But since the television station had chosen to stand on the same side as him, he naturally couldn't let the old director down.
Then, Wang Shu immediately dialed Zhang Liangying's number.
"Hello? What's wrong?"
Zhang Liangying was sitting at home, her face etched with worry as she pondered her final performance song.
For several days, she hadn't been able to decide what song to sing for the finals.
Seeing Wang Shu's call at this moment, she couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. Although she didn't have much extra money to buy songs from Wang Shu, finding some inspiration from him wouldn't hurt.
"What are you up to?"
Wang Shu didn't directly state his intentions but started with small talk.
"I'm writing my final performance piece. I have to win against that annoying monkey!" Zhang Liangying replied.
"Have you written it yet?" Wang Shu probed cautiously, surprised by the girl's strong competitive spirit.
"No, I haven't written a single word yet. My hair is almost all falling out!" Zhang Liangying said dejectedly into the phone.
"Then why don't we meet up and chat?" Wang Shu said directly.
Hearing Wang Shu's invitation to meet and chat, Zhang Liangying couldn't help but feel delighted and readily agreed.
Later, they met at their usual spot.
"What's with the sudden sunshine from the west? You actually thought of asking me out!" Zhang Liangying said with a smile in the private room, looking at Wang Shu.
"Is it strange that I asked you out? Actually, I have a few songs that would suit you well. If you sing them in the finals, I won't guarantee you'll beat that 'annoying monkey' you mentioned, but you'll definitely be competitive!" Wang Shu took out a prepared notebook and waved it in front of Zhang Liangying.
"Thank you! I love you so much!" Zhang Liangying's eyes lit up when she saw the notebook in Wang Shu's hand, wishing she could snatch it immediately.
After all, those were Wang Shu's works, and it was thanks to his songs that she had made it to the finals in the previous rounds.
Otherwise, she would have likely been eliminated long ago.
"However, I can't just give you these songs for free!" Wang Shu tucked the notebook back into his chest and said to Zhang Liangying with a serious expression.
"But I don't have any extra money. All my money went to paying my company's breach of contract fee!" Hearing Wang Shu's words, Zhang Liangying's face fell, and she looked disappointed.
She had originally thought she could leave the company once her contract expired, but who knew that the scummy company had tampered with her contract, leading to her losing the lawsuit and having to pay liquidated damages.
This single payment had wiped out all her savings from her years of debut.
Now, she had neither signed with a new company nor had any new work, and she was so broke that she could barely afford next month's rent.
Where would she find the money to buy Wang Shu's songs?
"There are other ways, not just money. For example, you!" Wang Shu had already had Su Yao investigate Zhang Liangying's situation and knew she was short on cash after losing the lawsuit, which was why he had seized the opportunity to meet her.
"Me? That's not appropriate, is it? We are both law-abiding citizens!" Zhang Liangying was taken aback by Wang Shu's words and immediately refused. While she was poor now, she wouldn't sacrifice her integrity.
"No, what are you thinking? I mean you should sign with me and become an artist under me!" Wang Shu was somewhat exasperated by her line of thought and quickly clarified.
"Ah? I thought you wanted me to repay you with my body..." Zhang Liangying's pretty face flushed red, and she awkwardly picked up her coffee to drink.
"So, what do you say? Are you considering it?" After a long pause, Wang Shu asked her with a smile.
"Can I see your contract?" Zhang Liangying nodded. She was still a bit wary about signing anything.
After all, she had just been fleeced by her previous company, so she had to scrutinize the contract carefully this time.
"Su Yao, give her the contract!" Wang Shu instructed Su Yao, who was beside him.
Su Yao then took out the contract that had already been drafted and pushed it towards Zhang Liangying.
Upon receiving the contract, Zhang Liangying carefully reviewed the terms and conditions, afraid of missing any detail.
"This contract of yours doesn't seem like a typical artist contract!" Having finished reading the entire contract, Zhang Liangying looked at Wang Shu with some surprise.
She had thoroughly examined the contract and found its provisions to be very flexible, with artists only having to pay thirty percent of their income to the company.
This was infinitely better than those rapacious, blood-sucking companies.
"I offer the same contract to all my artists. This is my sincerity, so what is your decision?" Wang Shu asked Zhang Liangying with a smile.
"I am willing to join!" Zhang Liangying said seriously to Wang Shu.
She was now free and desperately needed a song to help her win the championship on "King of Masked Singer."
Only then could she secure new work and endorsements, and generate new buzz.
Zhang Liangying then returned the signed contract to Wang Shu.
"Alright, consider these few songs your onboarding gift! And don't forget to pay the company's share for the previous songs once they are released!" Wang Shu took the contract with satisfaction and handed the notebook to her.
Zhang Liangying took the notebook and opened it. On it were written "Hua Xin," "Ru Guo Zhe Jiu Shi Ai Qing," and "Zhong Yu Deng Dao Ni."
Afterward, she carefully read the lyrics of all three songs. The more she read, the more delighted she became, and the more she felt they were perfect for her.
"Are these songs written specifically for me?" Zhang Liangying looked up at Wang Shu curiously.
"If you feel they are, then they are. Remember to perform well in the finals!" Wang Shu replied with a deliberate smile, and then he and Su Yao got up and left the coffee shop.
Zhang Liangying was left alone in the coffee shop, repeatedly poring over the songs in the notebook.
"Then this love that I can't resist, if this love was never fair..."
Zhang Liangying even started humming along to the lyrics unconsciously.
...
"Are you not losing money by giving her so many songs at once?" Su Yao asked hesitantly on the way.
"These songs are an investment. Her future earnings will be immeasurable compared to these songs," Wang Shu said meaningfully.
He could faintly see the makings of a diva in Zhang Liangying.
This was because Zhang Liangying's singing, both in emotion and technique, was perfectly controlled. She could interpret a song beautifully for the listeners with her unique voice.
Therefore, in Wang Shu's opinion, signing Zhang Liangying was worth more than an army.
And if Zhang Liangying grew to the level of He Yue, he could completely rest on his laurels and make money.
If he could sign ten such singers, he would probably never have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of his life.
After all, he had witnessed the immense earning potential of divas.
Upon returning to the hotel, Wang Shu, in addition to finishing the latest chapter updates, began working on writing new scripts.
After all, he was now essentially blacklisted by the entire music industry.
Even if Jiangnan Television hadn't made an official decision yet, he couldn't expect much funding from them.
So, he had to consider a career change. The only direction he could pivot to was the film and television industry.
Fortunately, he was a avid drama watcher in his previous life, and his mind was filled with countless excellent TV shows and movies.
Therefore, he had to make plans in advance, writing a few scripts to keep on hand for emergencies.
Wang Shu's first choices were the sitcoms "My Own Swordsman" and "iPartment."
On Earth, almost everyone in China would have watched these two sitcoms. Although "iPartment" was accused of plagiarizing the foreign show "Friends," it was still a phenomenal work domestically.
Moreover, this was a parallel world where "Friends" didn't exist, so plagiarism wasn't a major concern for Wang Shu.
After spending several hours, Wang Shu completed the writing of the two scripts.
He then directly uploaded them to a platform called "Script Home" for sale, priced at eight million and five million respectively.
Script Home was the largest script trading market in China, where many new and established screenwriters listed their works for sale.
Of course, many film and television companies and directors frequently browsed the platform for scripts.