Is He Always This Brave?!

Having one's talent acknowledged sounded a little absurd.

Something either existed or it didn't. It wasn't that hard to tell.

But the Debuff clinging to Bai Youlou made many people who already knew he had real talent feel uncomfortable.

Anyone would have been fine. Why did it have to be you?

Once something or someone had been defined, breaking that definition was incredibly difficult—especially when you had to do it yourself.

That was called a stereotype.

If Bai Youlou had only come up with one or two high-quality songs, it would have been fine. Who didn't get lucky once in a while?

But this guy kept churning them out nonstop. That was a little ridiculous.

Even Long Ziqiang finally got more screen time.

Who could blame them? The songs he sang were written and composed by Bai Youlou too.

Amateurs watched for the spectacle and thought that Bai Youlou's cheesy pop songs were pretty catchy. But this guy was seriously shameless—he refused to sing cheesy pop himself and made other people do it.

The professionals, however, were stunned. Damn, was this guy creating songs tailored to the singer?

Sister Hong was both a professional and privy to more inside information.

Bai Youlou hadn't merely tailored a song for Long Ziqiang. Zhang Xiaorong was waiting in the wings too.

Once "The Voice" aired, Zhang Xiaorong's figure and looks would definitely kick off another wave of attention and discussion.

"Sister Zhang's song hasn't been announced as his yet. It's still being kept secret," An Luning reminded her eagerly.

Sister Hong shook her head with a sigh. "All I can say is that this kid knows how to market himself. How did I never notice it before?"

Exactly~

No one had noticed it before.

An Luning felt that she had every right to comment. She had always thought Bai Youlou was a silly, rather adorable guy.

A pure and innocent young man.

But then he had turned around and started seducing his second sister-in-law, while his talent erupted like a volcano.

Did young men also change completely at eighteen?

An Luning shook her head and stopped thinking about it. There was no way to figure him out.

But she was more concerned about something else. "Sister, didn't you say you wanted the company to sign Sister Zhang and that other person too? Have you talked to our boss?"

Sister Hong glanced at her. "No."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Why are you in such a hurry? The timing wasn't right before. Besides, if you're so anxious, wouldn't you have more success asking him yourself than I would? Given your relationship with the boss."

"Stop!" An Luning hurriedly called for a halt, then defended herself. "I just want Sister Zhang to join our company sooner. Is the timing right now?"

"More or less. I'll go talk to the boss later." Sister Hong gave her a firm answer.

"That's great!"

"What's so great about it? Have you finished reading your script? It's been two hours, sweetheart! This is the carefully selected historical drama with a strong female lead that I found for you. The project is urgent. If you like it, I need to negotiate with them right away."

"Hehe, I do like it~ But when can I act in a movie?"

"There aren't any suitable movie scripts for you." Sister Hong spoke as if she were coaxing a child.

An Luning frowned. "I think that new movie by the international director is pretty good."

Her tone was incredibly confident, as if she could act in anyone's movie simply because she wanted to.

But even though she was a top-tier celebrity with immense popularity, she still had to humble herself before a great director. That was simply how the entertainment industry's hierarchy worked.

Clearly, An Luning's attitude in this regard was completely upside down.

Sister Hong, however, didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with it. She merely placated her. "Good girl, stop fixating on throwing money at movies. We have to see whether it's suitable and whether you can pull it off. Otherwise, we'll just waste the money without getting the results we want. Why bother?"

"That's true~ I'll listen to you, then, Sister!"

Good girl. She knew how to take advice!

Sister Hong knew perfectly well that without her holding this little brat back, An Luning might already have been scattering money everywhere and funding projects left and right.

Because in addition to her widely known image as the National First Love, An Luning had another hidden image in the industry—

Flower of Riches and Honor.

--

Lin Juntao, the boss of Huaxing Entertainment, was a legendary figure in the industry.

He had been running his business for more than a decade, leaving behind countless stories in the entertainment world. He had launched how many celebrities to fame, produced countless blockbuster projects, and been involved in scandals with this or that female artist in his early years. Oh—even male artists too.

For a big shot in the entertainment industry, what kind of big shot would he be if he only had scandals with female artists? He had to have some explosive stories that went against the norm.

Only when truth and fiction were mixed together did he fit the public's imagination of a behind-the-scenes industry kingpin.

But when Sister Hong went to his office, she unsurprisingly found that this forty-something entertainment-industry tycoon was tugging at his tie while eating beef hot pot.

"Boss? Why are you eating hot pot in the office again?"

"I'm fond of this sort of thing~"

It seemed she had seen this scene too many times. Sister Hong merely made that one complaint before getting straight to the point.

After hearing her out, Lin Juntao furrowed his brow. If he hadn't still been holding his chopsticks, his domineering-boss aura would have fully emerged. "I've heard about it too. That kid really is talented, but I'm more curious about his relationship with our company's little ancestor—"

"There's absolutely nothing going on between him and Luning. After that incident, the two of them haven't even spoken once. I can guarantee that!" Sister Hong hurriedly emphasized.

Hearing that, Lin Juntao's brow relaxed. "Then handle it as you see fit. But that kid's reputation is so bad..."

To be honest, Sister Hong was also quite annoyed by Bai Youlou's infamous attempt to seduce his second sister-in-law.

It was like a rising star had been smeared with a lump of shit. But she had to admit that this particular star was blindingly bright!

Today, Sister Hong had gone to watch "Whiplash." The film had been distributed through their company, so of course she had a copy.

She had simply been too lazy to watch it before.

Afterward, even as someone who didn't smoke, she had felt like lighting a cigarette.

Combined with his Cannes nomination and Bai Youlou's explosive performance over the recent period, it gave her the distinct feeling that she had no choice but to acknowledge him.

Even if he had been smeared with a lump of shit, she was willing to hold her nose and swallow it!

So what if he had scandals? Spend a little more, put more effort into public relations, and there was no way they couldn't wash it away!

It didn't have to be washed completely clean. They only needed to downplay the matter and focus the public's attention on Bai Youlou's talent.

Huaxing Entertainment absolutely had the strength and resources to make that happen—provided Bai Youlou was worth it.

Faced with her boss's reminder about Bai Youlou's reputation, Sister Hong thought for a moment. "Boss, have you watched his movie or the several programs he's appeared on recently?"

"How would I have the time? But he's on the hot searches every day. It's impossible not to know."

"I think the latest episode of his 'Tomorrow's Star Show' is airing today. Why don't we watch it now?"

"Sure. It'll be just the thing to accompany dinner. Come, come, sit down and have some too. The beef was air-freighted from my hometown." Lin Juntao warmly invited her.

Sister Hong didn't refuse. After all, the beef hot pot really did smell delicious.

She opened the latest episode of "Tomorrow's Star Show" on the computer and began enjoying Bai Youlou's "performance" with her boss.

"So maybe those things weren't true, Miss Dong

You're not a female classmate without a story

I fell in love with a wild horse, but my home has no grassland

This left me feeling desperate~ Miss Dong"

Clack~

The sound of chopsticks hitting the floor.

Sister Hong was dumbfounded. Lin Juntao was dumbfounded too.

The hot pot continued to bubble, and the thinly sliced beef inside had already finished cooking, but no one moved to eat it.

Bai Youlou's move of going right up to Zhen Dongjun onstage and unleashing a point-blank attack had shocked the entire world!

Lin Juntao had been in the industry for nearly twenty years! He had truly never seen a scene this explosive.

At that moment, his domineering-boss aura had vanished completely. He stiffly turned to Sister Hong. "Are you sure you want to sign him to our company?"

Sister Hong: .

She had been quite certain before. Now, she wasn't so sure.

Even though she had prepared herself to hold her nose and swallow the stink, she had never imagined that Bai Youlou would drop an even bigger bomb here.

No, from the perspective of the song alone, he had actually brought another stunning folk song.

But!

"Is he always this brave?!" Lin Juntao added in disbelief.

Sister Hong hesitated, unable to speak. Maybe the issue with Bai Youlou isn't whether he's brave or not.

I'm starting to think this guy is a little unhinged!