Ch39 - Mahjong pop group

Ling Xi jumped out of bed the next morning, full of energy, and stood in front of the mirror, trying on various outfits one by one. He normally dressed casually, and wore a T-shirt and casual pants every time he went to the company. But today he was going to talk with the company’s higher management, so he couldn’t let others dismiss him because of his appearance. He selected the most expensive suit in the wardrobe and pondered for a moment. He chose not to wear the jacket, instead opting for the suit’s pants and a shirt. He smiled and glanced in the mirror, seeing himself as a fair young man who appeared mature and steady. But his solemnity lasted only three seconds before he burst out laughing at his stiff reflection.

Yangtian Media, his agency, paid for a few floors in a community two blocks away to serve as a dormitory for its artists. Ling Xi was allowed to live alone in a small two-bedroom house at first, but as the number of artists increased, the neighboring flats were transformed into partitioned rooms. The company also intended to force him to share his residence with another artist. He was stunned, then clenched his teeth and paid half the rent out of his own pocket to keep his monopoly on the house. He used to be able to happily console himself, “Even if I’m not an artist, I still have to rent a house to do other jobs,” but now he felt that he must have been possessed. 

He made a phone call to An Ruifeng, complaining: “I feel that my current state of mind is a bit like breaking up with a scumbag ex. When I was in love, I felt that everything was great and I could endure anything, thinking ‘isn’t everyone like this?’. Now that I’m breaking up, I’ve suddenly come to see the truth and remembered all my old grudges. The more I think about it, the more I realize he’s a scum who squandered my youth.”

An Ruifeng comforted him: “It’s alright. Even though your ex is a scum, your current boyfriend is a role model.”

“Then I’ll make you a pennant that says, ‘A giant among men, the role model in bed.'”

Ling Xi hung up the phone and hummed a little tune as he headed out, just as joyful as the little girl going out to gather mushrooms. He went to the lobby and waited for the elevator. He assumed he had a ‘luck’ bonus buff because the elevator descended from the upper floor in less than half a minute. 

And the biggest, greatest, bestest coincidence was that when the elevator door opened, the individual standing inside was the man he had missed to death – the former agent he hadn’t seen in more than a month.

Wu Youpeng was conversing with the little women behind him at the time, with his back to the elevator door. Ling Xi had worked with him for eleven years, and the image of his back was practically imprinted in his brain. As a result, he raced inside the elevator as soon as the door opened and hung himself on Wu Youpeng’s back with his arms and legs.

He shouted, “Wu-ge, Wu-ge, Wu-ge, Wu-ge!”

Wu Youpeng was startled by his unexpected leap, and the elevator dipped somewhat as well. But when he heard Ling Xi’s voice, Wu Youpeng turned to face him and casually slapped his buttocks: “Get off and greet your junior sisters. How can you be so dismissive of your image?”

Ling Xi had already noticed the five fashionable little ladies in the elevator. After a brief moment of thought, it was clear that they were Wu Youpeng’s new idol group. He obediently descended off Wu Youpeng’s back and introduced himself normally.

“Hello~~ I’m…”

“Ling Xi!” The little ladies started talking excitedly at the same time: “I recognize you. Even now, when escorting us back to the dormitory, Wu-ge occasionally punches the wrong floor button.” “He always says that male artists are easier to manage because he can spank your ass when you’re disobedient!” “Wu-ge is so fierce! Was he the same when he took care of you?” They encircled him, chirping like a flock of little sparrows.

Ling Xi had never met so many attractive girls with big boobs on the left and red lips on the right before. His eyes couldn’t decide which one to focus on. Finally, after much deliberation, he decided to look at the one with the largest breasts. 

“From left to right, it’s Dongdong, Xixi, Nannan, Beibei, Zhongzhong…” Wu Youpeng introduced them one by one.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Ling Xi said wittily, “I guess their team name must be Mahjong Pop Group.”

Wu Youpeng: “…It’s a combination of directions.”

Ktf ulgir yegra bea ijeutlcu jcv rjlv Olcu Wl kjr tlijglber. 

Wu Youpeng chastised: “Look at how well young ladies can communicate now. People used to remark that you were without tune.”

“Lbk mjc sbe rjs atja? P jikjsr rlcu lc aecf.”

Qtlif kjixlcu ab Tjcualjc Zfvlj, atf ugbeq bo qfbqif yjcafgfv. Ycf bo atf rlz jgalrar kjr cba kfii-xcbkc, jcv atf batfg olnf tjv cba sfa wjvf atflg vfyea, ater atfs vlv cba cffv ab glvf lc j mjg ab jnblv qeyilm rmgealcs. Ktf ilaaif ijvlfr tjv bcis gfmfcais fcafgfv atf lcverags jcv kfgf oliifv klat tbqf obg atf oeaegf. Ktfs qfrafgfv Olcu Wl, jrxlcu tlw j rifk bo defralbcr jybea ilof joafg yfmbwlcu j mfifyglas.

Ling Xi: “If you asked me this question a few months ago, I would have had no idea what to say. But now I am someone who has seen the world – you know An Ruifeng, right? He’s a good brother who shares a pair of pants with me. I get the best treatment when I’m by his side. There will be fans seeing you off at the airport before and after the flight.” 

Wu Youpeng mused, You’re more than just good brothers wearing the same pair of pants. You’re clearly good brothers who wear the same pair of underwear. When others mentioned covert romantic relationships, they racked their brains to be cautious and spoke carefully. Ling Xi, on the other hand, could openly discuss his relationship with a broad smile without making anyone suspect.

When the group arrived at the company, Ling Xi was his most animated and chatty self. Wu Youpeng interrupted his bragging and urged the Mahjong pop group to go upstairs first, saying he needed to talk to Ling Xi about something.

Yangtian Media was a small talent agency. It merely rented two floors of a certain office building. The company occupying the lower floors had no idea that a talent agency was hidden within their office building. When the backs of the girls vanished in the elevator, Wu Youpeng’s wide smile disappeared as well. He turned to face Ling Xi, concerned: “…Did you come to the company today to negotiate with them?”

According to his understanding of Ling Xi, unless the company summoned him, he would not come to the company on his own. He had dressed so formally today and had arrived at the office alone. He appeared to have already made a decision in his heart. 

“It’s not a negotiation. I’ll start by talking with them to get a sense of what they think.” Ling Xi had nothing to hide from him: “I returned from N City yesterday, but the company did not send a new agent to contact me, and I had to order my own plane ticket. I don’t have any nostalgia for Yangtian.”

Ling Xi’s ten-year brokerage contract with the company expired a year and a half ago, and he began to consider retirement. He was just twenty-five years old at the time, and he couldn’t reconcile letting ten years of hard work go to waste. As a result, with Wu Youpeng’s help, he renewed his contract with the company for three years, intending to fight again during that time. It would be fantastic if there was a chance to move a step farther, but if not, he would not regret leaving the circle. Despite the fact that his three-year contract was not at all close to expiring, the company seemed to have a secret agenda towards him, so much so that they’d even transferred his agent away, leaving him alone and helpless.

…….. He came over today, prepared to talk with the company. If the company truly wanted to abandon him, he would not naively serve as their punching bag. He would instead fight for his own rights.

All roads lead to Rome. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t write and sing songs after leaving the company. The Internet was so evolved at the time that publishing digital albums when the time came was a viable alternative. He did not covet having a legion of fans. He only hoped that someone out there would genuinely enjoy his songs. He wasn’t expecting to make money from writing songs. On his left, he held a major celebrity, and on his right, he had a milk tea shop. Writing songs was entirely for the pleasure of it, not for financial gain. 

The two men chatted for a few minutes. Ling Xi explained briefly his thoughts and future plans to Wu Youpeng. After hearing it, Wu Youpeng sighed, half gratified, half despondent, and said: “I always thought you were still a child and that I would look after you like an old nanny for the rest of my life. Even though I handed you over to An Ruifeng, I was worried. I wasn’t expecting you to have matured so much after being away from me for a month.”

Ling Xi stated humbly, “Maturity always follows sexual maturity.”

Wu Youpeng: “……Excuse me, why do you get your sex life involved in any topic we discuss?”

The two men took the elevator together and arrived at the company. “Wu-ge, Dongdong and the other girls went to the dance studio just now, you…” greeted the young lady at the company’s front desk as Wu Youpeng walked in. She noticed Ling Xi, who was trailing behind him at the time, and her face tensed for a second. “Ling Xi, it’s been a long time since I saw you come to the company,” she said after a few seconds of silence. Her tone was overly warm. 

Ling Xi’s heart skipped a beat as he observed her behavior, and he predicted that the conclusion of his visit would be the worst possible – don’t underestimate a company’s front desk personnel. They’re skilled at reading people’s body language to figure out what they’re thinking. From ordinary sweeping aunts to haughty and indifferent chairman’s secretaries, they get along well with everyone. They frequently get first-hand information and are well-aware of changes in the company.

The young lady at the front desk suddenly had a little embarrassed expression, indicating that she had already heard about the company’s decision on Ling Xi’s development direction.

Ling Xi walked through the long corridor to the general manager’s office at the end after bidding goodbye to Wu Youpeng at the company’s door. In truth, he had traversed that hallway many times, from full of hope at the start, to high-spirited later, then to dejected and lonely subsequently… to calm and decisive at the moment, Ling Xi’s mood had changed every time.

When he knocked on the door, the TV in the general manager’s office was still tuned to the entertainment channel, as it had been for the previous ten years. A beautiful and sexy female anchor was reading an entertainment news on the 42-inch LCD TV: “…Today is the commemoration day of the 15th anniversary of movie emperor Andrew’s debut. Andrew’s official translated name is ‘Ān dé lǔ’, and Pizza country accounts for half of his parentage. He was discovered by star scouts while traveling in Panda Country. Since then, owing to his flawless appearance and exceptional acting abilities, he won the title of movie emperor in a single bound, and became the currently popular movie star. Following that, he broke off with the original star agency and invested more than 100 million in Upstart Entertainment. The public was fervently debating his future development path when, at barely 28 years old, he abruptly vanished at the height of his popularity. His agency preferred to remain silent about his departure. Some say that he was critically ill, others say he was completely hidden, and yet others allege he became Upstart’s majority shareholder behind the scenes… Eight years later, just as the public was beginning to forget about him, a netizen shared a candid video yesterday, the content of which is the PhD graduation ceremony in the director major of Eagle National Film Academy. At the ceremony, someone who appeared to be quite similar to Andrew came…” 

The general manager sat on the sofa, eagerly listening to the news. There was no entertainment company that didn’t want a movie emperor or singer like Andrew to be one of its artists. This was similar to how no peasant woman did not want a hen that could always lay golden eggs. When he saw Ling Xi walk in, the general manager awoke from his daydreaming, awkwardly welcomed him, and hurriedly turned off the TV.

“Ling Xi, you’re here? Is that drama’s filming over?” The general manager queried in an official tone.

“I arrived in B city last night.” Ling Xi’s tone was flat. He didn’t complain about the company’s failure to send a driver to pick him up.

“Good, that’s good. I just saw the news on An Ruifeng’s airport pick-up on TV. You appear to have been getting along well with him recently. I see you’ve been by his side continuously…” The general manager looked at him suspiciously: “You don’t have any notion these days, right?” Even if he didn’t value Ling Xi at all, it didn’t mean that he could tolerate his artists’ job-hopping to other companies. 

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of seeking shelter at other companies.” Ling Xi’s response was pragmatic and realistic: “I just get along well with An Ruifeng. We met at the audition.”

By this point, the general manager had made it clear that he had no intention of allowing Ling Xi to sit. If it had been previously, Ling Xi would have stood until he was asked to take a seat, but now he didn’t want to be bothered. He sat down on the sofa opposite the general manager and poured himself a cup of tea.

“Oh… being familiar with each other is also good.” The general manager said perfunctorily. Ling Xi had not expected him to let him off so easily and had prepared his retort in anticipation. If the general manager said, “You have such a good relationship with An Ruifeng, you may let him help you,” he would choke back the words with “Our pure friendship can’t tolerate exploitation.”

The two played Tai chi for a long time. The general manager inquired about his work in the crew before asking if he had recently written new songs. He’d been beating around the bush with Ling Xi, never getting to the heart of the matter. 

Ling Xi ran out of patience and got straight to the point, asking him: “I’d like to know what the company’s attitude is on the direction of my future development. The agent I had worked with for eleven years was transferred away a month ago, and I haven’t been assigned a new agent to date. May I ask what this means?”

The general manager sipped his tea and replied leisurely: “Well…There are two reasons why you haven’t been allocated an agent. One is the shortage of manpower at the moment, and the other is related to your first question.”

Ling Xi’s heart constricted as he realized the most important part was coming up next.

“Ling Xi, we’ve seen your creative brilliance, but the entertainment circle presently has too many talented people. You’ve been in this industry for a long time and know everything there is to know. It is really difficult to make you popular based on our company and your own situation.” 

Just as Ling Xi felt the general manager was about to say something to hide him, the general manager took an unexpected turn.

“So, have you thought about working behind the scenes in the future?”

Ling Xi was dumbfounded. He had previously discussed going behind the scenes with Wu Youpeng. It was the same as being engrossed in creative works. The royalties for lyrics and composition were nearly the same as those of singers, but if you were a singer, you could make announcements and hold concerts to make quick cash. Being behind the scenes, on the other hand, meant you could only receive royalties honestly. Previously, he would have starved to death due to his self-sufficiency and reliance exclusively on royalties. So, as soon as this thought arose, Wu Youpeng nipped it in the bud. An Ruifeng’s private funds, however, were now in his control. He’d rejoice even if the money he earned from writing songs was a pittance.

Ling Xi couldn’t believe the general manager, who was comparable to ‘Zhou the exploiter’ in his eyes, could be so kind. It was almost as if a big pie fell into his mouth with a pow when he yawned. 

“Behind the scenes… means to concentrate on writing music and lyrics?”

“That’s right. Moreover, your skills are pretty strong, and the company is very optimistic about you! The company will not take a commission for music you write for other artists in our company. In other words, you will receive the full royalties that you’re entitled to.” Zhou the exploiter… Oh no, the general manager further stuffed his mouth with pie.

But the more solicitous he was, the colder and more vigilant Ling Xi’s heart became. “…Other artists in the company? What does ‘other artists’ mean?”

The general manager took another sip of tea, set down the tea cup, and said with a smile on his face: “Who else can they be? Our company has recently been working hard to create the “direction combination” idol group. The group consists of the little girls who are currently in the care of your former agent Wu-ge.” He sighed as he said, “Alas! You’re also aware that there are currently a plethora of idol groups. They are sometimes pre-selected for a competition, sometimes there are handshake meetings, they may be virtual idols or champions of the year…it’s difficult to promote newcomers by depending solely on beautiful faces, therefore the company chose to develop them into a “creative team”. Their usp is that all of the songs in the album are written by them……” 

At this point, the general manager cast a meaningful glance at Ling Xi: “I don’t have to say it too clearly, do I?… Because you’re an old artist with the company, we can re-discuss the royalties.”