The Unexpected Rise Before My Exit from the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 178

Qin Wei was indeed unable to accept it, but at the meeting she had tried her best to restrain herself. It was only after the meeting that she stayed behind alone and said she wanted to have a good talk with the program team.

She also called Xu Mingchuan and Li Yao over.

When they arrived, the director had been sitting next to Qin Wei the whole time, trying hard to communicate with her, but judging from his worried expression, their conversation did not seem to be going smoothly.

"Teacher Qin, no one dislikes having too much money, especially when it comes legally and reasonably. You've also seen your rising popularity recently. Although there are indeed many people scolding you online, your fans have also been increasing. Naturally you won't get a small share for the voting.

You really don't need to feel bad for the fans about the voting. I've explained it to you so many times..."

As the director spoke, he sighed helplessly in resignation. Why is this girl so stubborn? For fans who chase stars these days, who cares about spending 1,800 yuan on votes?

When both sides are willing, why can't it happen with you?

Are you the only one who thinks there's too much money?

But the director didn't dare speak too bluntly. Qin Wei was already in a bad mood today. If he pushed her too far and they tore all ties, then no one would be making any money.

Qin Wei also felt a headache coming. She had seen the contract, which didn't mention anything about voting. But halfway through the competition, suddenly requiring the audience to spend money, she just felt uncomfortable.

"Let me say it again, the advertising fees for this show have been increasing, and the frequency of artist endorsements has also increased a lot compared to before. Not to mention there is also a members-only premium version and early-access super members version, which are already considerable sources of income.

On top of that, you and the executives went around before securing a few investors. Preparations have already begun for the next season's sponsorship roadshow. Don't tell me that fleecing the fans is necessary because the things I mentioned aren't making money!"

The director was at a loss for words:

"Teacher Qin, we've been going in circles with this. Are you tired? Because I'm tired. I didn't say we're not making money, just that we should be making more money. Do you dislike money? You can still do charity work after getting the money!"

"Those are two separate things, don't mix them together.

Director Li, paid voting with no spending limit means we have no moral bottom line as people. If you insist on paid voting, then do real-name registration, one vote per person, and control the price with no brush voting or invalid votes from brushing."

The director gritted his teeth. They wouldn't make much money that way and it wouldn't be worth the effort.

So the talks fell into deadlock again.

Xu Mingchuan and Li Yao stood at the door. After catching the gist, they knew what was going on before entering.

After a simple greeting, Xu Mingchuan also stated his stand:

"I understand what the program team is thinking. We all want to make money. I can understand that, but I also understand how my artiste feels. She wants to build a good and healthy relationship with her fans. Once she accepts fans campaigning for her, that relationship will become very delicate. I'll think more about this when I get back, then communicate with the artiste.

But before that, let me state my stand. No matter how this ends up, the final decision must be one that my company and artiste come to together. If she wants to quit the competition, I won't object."

The director gritted his teeth. Now he understood why Qin Wei was being so stubborn. Turns out the boss was backing her!

"Mr. Xu, you need to understand one thing. Our contract states that quitting the competition requires agreement from both sides, otherwise it would be considered breach of contract. This show isn't one you can just come and go from as you like. I don't plan on severing ties with you, but our TV station isn't some no-name little station either. You can't just bully us like that, right?"

"Of course."

Xu Mingchuan remained very calm. He stood up straight and slowly said,

"I came in person precisely to negotiate. Not only does my artiste feel this kind of campaign method is unreasonable, the other agents also have some opinions to a certain degree. Of course, I won't say anything too blunt now. Let's all calm down. You come up with a proposal as soon as possible. I have other matters to attend to and can't stay long. Excuse me."

Qin Wei looked at Xu Mingchuan in surprise. She didn't expect Boss Xu to have such a sense of honor!

Qin Wei secretly made up her mind—— Aside from refusing to fleece fans, she would definitely keep working hard to earn money for Boss Xu in other areas!

Boss Xu turned to look at her, his previously cold attitude vanishing. He said gently to her,

"I have something to attend to and need to leave early. Would you mind sending me off?"

Qin Wei nodded and left with him.

The two of them walked side by side in the hallway. Since they were outside the filming area, there were no cameras around. Xu Mingchuan said to her,

"Let me be direct. The voting is a delicate matter. There's no real right or wrong inherently - capitalists want to fleece consumers; you don't want to deplete your fans' goodwill towards you. As I see it, it's merely a difference between short-term and long-term perspectives.

Rest assured though, I don't think you're in the wrong, so to me, you're right. Once you've thought it through, just quit the competition and we'll bear the consequences together."

"Wouldn't the penalty fee for breaching the contract be quite expensive? An 8-digit sum, right..."

Speaking of this, Qin Wei started feeling a headache coming. While she did earn quite a bit recently, her actual take-home portion wasn't all that much either, and she had spent a fair amount too. To pay compensation entirely out of her own pocket...she'd have to work for free for a very long time!!

Xu Mingchuan laughed. "The penalty can be covered by my personal account. I'm still..."

"Wouldn't we be fine as long as we just get eliminated?"

"Hmm?"

Qin Wei clapped her hands. "The contract says we can't take negative actions during competition, but it doesn't say anything about getting eliminated!"

Xu Mingchuan was taken aback for a moment. "We can't cause trouble on stage, you still need to protect yourself..."

Worried that she might really stir up some trouble, Xu Mingchuan went on, "Let's do this - don't overthink things for now. I'll handle this matter. The voting hasn't been announced yet and the channels aren't open either. Also, due to some reasons, the performance schedule is quite late. Leave all this to me and just focus on your own matters."

When they reached the entrance downstairs, Li Yao was already waiting in the car for Xu Mingchuan. He hadn't gotten to speak with Qin Wei earlier, so now he said to her,

"You don't actually have to treat your fans so well. If they spend money chasing stars for you, that money would just get spent on other artistes otherwise... A fan's feelings for you may be genuine, but they are not enduring. Turning that into money without damaging your reputation isn't necessarily a bad thing...

However, I won't pressure you to accept my perspective for now if you haven't thought through this issue yet. I also can't fully explain it clearly to you in a short while. For now, don't reject what I've said. Go back and think it over calmly since you have no work arrangements these next few days anyway."

Qin Wei didn't refuse. It was true such matters couldn't be resolved in one or two conversations. She did need to calm down and sort out her thoughts before discussing it again.

...

Back at the practice room, Youyou came over worriedly to ask Qin Wei what the outcome was. Qin Wei shook her head and said she didn't know for now so they would just focus on practicing while waiting for the new proposal.

Youyou gently patted Qin Wei on the back and turned off the mic to whisper,

"If it really doesn't work out, we'll just quit. Didn't we just land an endorsement deal with Tianshi Watch? That endorsement fee isn't low. And I have some savings left over from my previous contract termination.

I'll support you no matter what, senior! If you quit, I quit too."

Qin Wei felt a bigger headache coming on. If everything in the world could be smoothly done or avoided based on preference, that would be great. But she was no longer as free and untethered like when she first started out with nothing. Even if she withdrew, she shouldn't leave the mess for her supporters.

"If both of us withdraw, Boss Xu would be paying the price to the point of tears."

Qin Wei stroked her hair.

"Let's take it step by step! We'll see when the new proposal comes out in a few days."