Entertainment Industry's Golden Couple

Shen Jianbin had sent both a beautiful woman and gold bars. He definitely wanted something.

Shen Jianbin said, "I'll get straight to the point. Da Fei's a heartless bastard. We absolutely can't let someone like him get ahead."

"I'm asking you all to put a lid on things and keep his popularity from rising any further."

No matter how many songs a singer released, their popularity wouldn't suddenly skyrocket.

The main reason Lin Chudong was so popular now was his feud with Da Fei Band.

If he were just an independent musician with no news coverage and only a few songs out, he wouldn't be this popular at all.

As long as Da Fei Band didn't respond, his popularity wouldn't be so easy to build.

This time, their appearance on the same stage had been a coincidence. They absolutely couldn't let anything like this happen again.

Li Fugui said, "I thought it was something serious. That's all? No problem. Don't worry. With me around, he won't get on any music variety shows."

Shen Jianbin was delighted. "With that promise from you, Mr. Li, I can relax. Let me toast you!"

Xu Mingde had also put an arm around the young model's waist, his face beaming.

"Since Manager Shen has asked, I have to help. I may not have much influence, but none of the music festivals in the three provinces around here will invite him!"

Shen Jianbin quickly stood up. "Then I owe you one, Mr. Xu. Let me have another drink!"

"Manager Shen, you can really hold your liquor!"

Shen Jianbin downed two drinks in a row without so much as a change in expression.

He filled his glass for the last time and turned to Sun Xuan.

"Director Sun, what's the matter? Not happy with the girl? Should I get you another one?"

Sun Xuan shook his head. "I'm not into that. My wife keeps a close eye on me."

"I don't want the mooncakes either. My workplace has rules, and I'm too chicken to risk getting into trouble."

Shen Jianbin paused, then said, "All right, I won't put you on the spot. That kid Da Fei is ambitious, and the Magic City Mid-Autumn Festival Gala is less than a month away. I just want to make sure he doesn't get on the program."

Sun Xuan kept a straight face. "With his current popularity, he's not quite big enough for the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala. Besides, it's not up to me alone who gets on the show."

"But for the sake of our many years of friendship, I'll do my best to turn him down. Your Da Fei Band will definitely get on."

Shen Jianbin said, "With that promise from you, I can relax. Come on, let's drink!"

Sun Xuan said, "I'll have one drink, then I'm off. You're not at ease with me here, and neither am I."

Sun Xuan downed his drink, said he had something to take care of, and took his leave.

After Sun Xuan left, Li Fugui pulled the young model into his arms, growing even more brazen.

"Old Sun's just henpecked and putting on airs. Everyone at the TV station is like that. I hate dealing with them."

Xu Mingde said, "Don't worry, Manager Shen. TV programs aren't really suited to Da Fei. As long as you don't respond to him or give them the time of day, they won't get any attention."

The executives were sharp-eyed. They'd immediately spotted the crux of the problem.

Lin Chudong couldn't get on any programs now. As long as Shen Jianbin ignored him, he'd be completely forgotten.

"All right, thank you, gentlemen!"

Two days later, Lin Chudong's popularity had indeed dropped a little.

"No Hesitation" and "The You of the Past" quickly broke into the top ten on the Hot Song Chart, but "Chengdu" was pushed out and fell to fifteenth place.

Songs were always going viral on the various short-video platforms. Whenever a new one took off, another was bound to get pushed out.

The buzz around Lin Chudong and Da Fei Band had mostly died down, too. It wasn't a major story, after all. If there'd been some gossip involved, it might have stayed popular longer.

Liang Yin returned to the music shop dejectedly, and Wang Zhi hurried to hand her a glass of water.

"Boss, how did the talks go?"

Liang Yin shook her head. "I talked to a few variety shows. They gave me the same four-word answer: not popular enough."

"These variety-show people only care about popularity and buzz. They don't care about a singer's talent at all."

"And the music festivals were even worse. Those companies sent interns to brush me off. I spent the whole morning talking, and got nowhere."

"The TV stations were the same. As soon as they heard I was with Liang Yin Band, they wouldn't even let me in!"

Wang Zhi furrowed his brow. "What's going on? Our songs are so popular. Can't they even see the charts?"

Lin Chudong said, "A hit song doesn't prove anything. My old songs were popular, too, but nobody recognized me when I walked down the street."

"The most important thing in the entertainment industry is buzz. Songs only play a supporting role."

Liang Yin looked dejected. "Why have things gone so badly for us right from the start? I thought we'd become an overnight sensation."

Lin Chudong gave a cold laugh. "It's obvious Shen Jianbin has made his move."

Everyone froze for a moment. "You're saying Shen Jianbin did this?"

"Yeah. With our current profile, we should definitely be able to get on music festival lineups. The Magic City Music Festival was such a success that other organizers would surely want to recreate it."

"But with things as they are, even the music festivals don't want us. Shen Jianbin must have put in a word."

Chen Jianguo said, "Does he really have that much influence?"

"Heh. Money makes the world go round. If it means he can deal with me, he won't hesitate to spend a few hundred thousand."

Wang Zhi said, "Damn, what a fucking sleazebag!"

Their faces all grew solemn. They'd been free to make their own way, but now Shen Jianbin was targeting them. Wouldn't things only get harder from here?

Lin Chudong said, "Let's practice for now. Where there's a will, there's a way. I'll think of something."

In the past, the system had kept Lin Chudong in check, so he'd never given popularity a thought. Now, however, he had no choice but to consider it.

Just then, Lin Chudong's phone suddenly rang.

"Hello? You're getting married? So soon! Congratulations, congratulations! I'll definitely be there! You want to come see me? Sure, I'll send you the address!"

After he hung up, Liang Yin asked, "Da Fei, who was that?"

"You know Zhang Yao and Li Dan, right?"

Jia Lu raised her hand. "I do! They're singers and a couple. They're so sweet together—it's adorable!"

"I've written a few songs for them. We go way back. She said they're getting married."

Jia Lu froze. "I remember Li Dan posting on Weibo that getting married would be the time for them to leave the industry. Could they really be quitting the entertainment industry?"

Lin Chudong frowned. "Hard to say. They're coming to see me in a bit, so let's get ready. I don't have many friends in the industry who'd come see me these days."

Anyone who got close to Lin Chudong now would be offending Shen Jianbin. Shen Jianbin still carried a lot of weight in the music scene, so apart from his true friends, no one would come see him.

Liang Yin said, "Let's tidy up. I'll go to the restaurant and order a few dishes for them."

"Sure!"

Half an hour later, a young couple sat at the table in Liangyin Music Shop.

Zhang Yao and Li Dan were the entertainment industry's golden couple, the model celebrity couple—a perfect match, both talented and beautiful. They looked even better in person than on TV.

Li Dan, with her short hair, sighed with emotion. "Da Fei, the last time we met was when we guested at your concert. We had no idea things had gotten so serious. We only just found out."

Lin Chudong smiled. "Life is full of surprises. But I'm doing all right now. I've started a new band, too."

Li Dan sighed. "I've heard some rumors. Shen Jianbin wants to come after you, and he's spoken to a few executives. You can't get on any programs now, can you?"

Liang Yin clenched her fist. "So it really was him! What a bastard! Da Fei, what do we do now?"

Before Lin Chudong could reply, Li Dan said, "There's only one way for you to turn things around: you need a topic big enough to trend. Those executives may have promised Shen Jianbin, but they won't turn down money."

Lin Chudong gave a bitter smile. "It's not that easy. Celebrities in the entertainment industry are always thinking about how to create buzz and get popular. I don't have an opportunity."

Li Dan glanced at Zhang Yao, then said, "Da Fei, I have an idea."

"What idea?"

"Fake a scandal."

"A scandal? With who?"

"With me."