But making money was still difficult. He'd only earned a hundred thousand from today's performance, and he'd only get fifteen thousand before taxes.
If he could perform at events like this ten times a month, that'd be pretty good. But right now, there simply weren't any opportunities.
With this success under his belt, perhaps music festivals in other places would invite him. That was, if his popularity kept rising.
For now, all he could do was hope it wouldn't fade too quickly!
The time was up. The Treasure Chest opened!
One chest, one item—a chest inside a chest.
[Red Treasure Chest x1] [Advanced Director Skill]
The skill made Lin Chudong's eyes light up. This was the most useful thing he'd gotten from a Treasure Chest so far.
At least it had something to do with the Entertainment industry. Could directing count as a life skill, too?
Given how the system worked, anything unrelated to music probably counted as a life skill, right?
Those hundred-plus hours of waiting hadn't been in vain. What a great item!
Use!
A flood of information poured into his mind, and even the cells on Lin Chudong's scalp seemed to buzz with excitement.
Open the next Treasure Chest.
[191:59:59] [Amount required to accelerate]: 50000
It was a full twenty-four hours longer than last time—an extra day—but the amount needed to speed it up hadn't changed.
Fifty thousand yuan. Lin Chudong really wanted to give it a try and see if the chest would open right away.
But after thinking it over, he decided against it. He needed money right now and couldn't afford to waste it.
With the Director Skill in hand, Lin Chudong could consider branching into Film and Television, earning more money for the company so they could keep making music.
But making films required capital. The money they had now was nowhere near enough.
Meanwhile, Dafei Studio was holding a meeting.
Shen Jianbin sat in the Conference Room. The people who had performed that day were waiting to be chewed out.
Shen Jianbin tapped the tabletop with his finger. "Wu Bo, your performance today was downright terrible. You didn't earn your million-yuan annual salary."
"A band's lead singer can't just sing."
"You saw Da Fei's performance. At the height of the excitement, he got the whole audience shouting the musicians' names. Then, at the end, he told everyone to follow the band's official Weibo account."
"These are things a lead singer should do. But you didn't even mention them. No matter how famous you are, if you don't help the band, you won't get anywhere either. Understand?"
To put it plainly, Wu Bo was just an employee. If he had no sense of the team's interests, then they had no need for him.
Wu Bo nodded. "I understand, Brother Bin."
Wu Bo clenched his fists, jealousy churning ever more fiercely inside him.
Shen Jianbin glanced at Sun Jie and gave him a look before speaking.
"If there's nothing else, everyone can go. We've got a Variety show to do in a few days, so we'll be busy. Get some rest."
After Shen Jianbin finished speaking, everyone filed out one by one.
Sun Jie stayed behind. "Brother Bin, did you need something?"
They'd worked together for years; a single glance was enough for them to understand each other.
Shen Jianbin said, "Da Fei's popularity is taking off. We can't let him make a comeback, or it'll be bad for us."
Sun Jie nodded. Public opinion always sided with the winner. If Da Fei really rose to fame, they'd inevitably become targets.
"Brother Bin, what do you think we should do?"
"Suppress their buzz. Tonight, I'll have dinner with a few executives and make my position clear. You prepare a few boxes of Mooncakes and put some Gold Bars inside. Make each box worth around a hundred thousand."
"Get in touch with a few models. They can keep us company tonight. Don't bring those tacky types—find some high-class ones who can really take care of these bosses."
Sun Jie nodded. "Don't worry, Brother Bin. Give me a few hours and I'll have everything arranged perfectly!"
Sun Jie was quick and efficient, and they were all very experienced with this sort of thing. Back when Da Fei Band was first starting out, they'd done plenty of the same—always behind Lin Chudong's back.
Shen Jianbin held a cigarette in his left hand and made call after call with his right.
"Mr. Sun, how about dinner tonight? I've got a favor to ask."
"Hahaha, what celebration? You're making fun of me. I've booked a private room for eleven tonight. Mr. Li and the others will be there too. Come along!"
"Mr. Li, I've invited a few young ladies tonight. We can all get acquainted. I know what you like, so don't worry—I'll make the arrangements!"
"Mr. Xu..."
"..."
Eleven that night.
A private room on the third floor of Tiandingxuan.
Several middle-aged men sat around the dining table. Some were stout from middle-age spread, while others had receding hairlines and bald patches. They all looked rather greasy, but every one of them was loaded.
Shen Jianbin stood to greet them. "Mr. Xu, Mr. Li, you finally made it! I'm truly grateful you could make time for my dinner despite your busy schedules!"
Xu Mingde was the deputy general manager of Youyou Culture Group Company in Magic City and an old friend of Shen Jianbin's.
Li Fugui was the head of Fugui Media Co., Ltd. The company had planned all the popular music Variety shows.
Sun Xuan was the chief director of Magic City TV Station.
Besides these three influential figures, a few other executives were there as well, all powerful backers with resources in their hands.
Shen Jianbin said, "Sun Jie, call our friends in and introduce them to the bosses."
Sun Jie opened the door, and several young women came in. They were all tall, beautiful, and fair-skinned, with long hair and lovely faces—each one a stunning beauty.
"Come on, ladies, take a seat and get to know everyone. This is an opportunity for you, so make the most of it. This dinner is basically a business meeting, right?"
Li Fugui laughed. "That's right, that's right. It's mainly about business."
He took the hand of the model beside him and said with a smile, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Let's eat first. We can talk after a few bites."
The model had long since accepted this unspoken rule. Her hand slid casually down from his chest and rested on his flat stomach.
"I don't eat much. I'll just have a few bites with you. Let me get you some food!"
These women weren't KTV hostesses. They were much more sophisticated socialites, skilled at reading people and experienced in many things.
Sun Xuan frowned. He wasn't fond of this kind of socializing.
"Manager Shen, just say what you need to say."
Li Fugui paused, then said, "Right, let's talk business first. Why isn't Manager Meng here?"
At the mention of Meng Wenxiang, Shen Jianbin looked helpless.
"Manager Meng couldn't get done what he promised me today. He was too embarrassed to come."
They exchanged glances. Li Fugui asked, "Is this about the music festival?"
Shen Jianbin nodded. "Yeah. You've all seen it. Da Fei's bullying me. I helped build him up, and now he's turned around and bitten me. You've all heard the story of the farmer and the snake. Well, it's happened to me in real life!"
The others hurriedly chimed in. "That's right. He's gone too far. What a turncoat."
Shen Jianbin gave Sun Jie a look, and Sun Jie quickly picked up a few boxes of Mooncakes.
"The holiday's coming up, so let me give you all a taste of the Mooncakes from my hometown. They're filled with hyacinth beans."
Li Fugui frowned. "My blood sugar's high. I can't eat Mooncakes."
When he picked one up, its unusually heavy weight made him pause.
He opened it slightly, and a golden gleam shone straight onto his face.
Li Fugui smiled. "Hyacinth bean Mooncakes, huh? I really haven't tried those before. Hahaha..."
"Manager Shen, just come right out and tell us what you're planning."
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