Chapter 172: Wait and See

Recently, an entertainment news story sent shockwaves through the entire industry.

[Qiu Mingbo has resigned from World Vision Entertainment and joined Legend Entertainment.

It is understood that Legend Entertainment is a recently emerged newcomer in the entertainment circle—a company co-founded by Lu Zhou and music producer Pan Chengyi, with Lu Zhou as the majority shareholder.

Reports indicate that Legend Entertainment currently has only one artist on its roster, which is Lu Zhou.

In this job hop, Qiu Mingbo did not take any artists away from World Vision Entertainment; instead, he chose to join Legend Entertainment completely alone. This move is entirely out of character for Qiu Mingbo.

What is the immense charm of Legend Entertainment that could attract Qiu Mingbo to leave a top-tier entertainment company and join a newly established micro-enterprise whose future fate is yet unknown?

Could that massive charm possibly be Lu Zhou?

Has Qiu Mingbo actually staked his professional career entirely on Lu Zhou alone?

The entertainment industry's most dazzling recent newcomer paired with the veteran agency king Qiu Mingbo—will their cooperation lead to new heights of brilliance? Let us wait and see.]

Shortly after this entertainment report came out, discussions about the matter flooded the entire entertainment industry.

World Vision Entertainment—

"When Brother Bo submitted his resignation, I thought some major company had poached him with a high offer, just like our company did back in the day. I was even guessing if it might be Huaxuan Music, but it turns out he actually went to a small company started by an artist himself? Doesn't that just amount to a tiny studio?"

"Right, that choice is somewhat absurd. Is Brother Bo getting old, and has he lost his ambition? If I had to choose, I would never pick a freshly started celebrity studio; for someone of his status, it's far too degrading."

"The upper management has been so nervous lately, terrified that Brother Bo's resignation this day would be like his departure from Tanyin back then, taking half the artists with him. During the handover period, they repeatedly ordered us to keep a tight leash on the artists under our care, yet this time he didn't take a single one."

"Brother Bo's power in our company had already been whittled down quite a bit, so he wouldn't have been able to take many artists anyway. Artist contracts are locked down tight; unless they're close to expiration, it's basically hard for anyone to follow him."

"I think nobody was willing to follow him, right? People would only be glad to follow him if he went to a large company. Go to Legend Entertainment??? What kind of company is that? I've never even heard of it. Going there means no resources; who would follow him?"

"I actually feel it's not that simple. You shouldn't underestimate Brother Bo; his capability and resources are still top-tier, otherwise the company wouldn't have suppressed him. Choosing to go to Lu Zhou's company might be his way of blazing a new path. From this perspective, I still admire him greatly. Brother Bo will always be the role model I look up to."

"I just feel that this Lu Zhou isn't simple either. Let's just watch their subsequent development. Right now, we look down on their collaboration, but who knows, they might just slap us hard in the face in the future."

"I don't know about the others, but I bet the upper management is probably laughing today."

"Not necessarily, they might be crying too. I still feel that with Brother Bo defecting to Legend Entertainment, World Vision Entertainment has been utterly insulted."

...

Jinhua Entertainment—

Liu Yali, Xu Mengdan, and the Chasing Light Youth Group were in a meeting to discuss recent development plans and review activities from the previous period.

As the meeting was drawing to a close and preparations were being made to adjourn, Xu Mengdan saw the content pushed by the entertainment express and was instantly dumbfounded.

"Qiu Mingbo joins Legend Entertainment, officially establishing a partnership with Lu Zhou."

Xu Mengdan read out parts of the content, her lips trembling slightly as she looked at the head manager, Liu Yali. "What... is going on here?"

Liu Yali hadn't had time to check the news yet, and upon hearing this, she was similarly stunned.

"What did you say?"

"The news says Qiu Mingbo has become Lu Zhou's manager," Xu Mengdan simplified the content and repeated it.

Liu Yali: "???"

The five members of the Chasing Light Youth Group, who had been chatting amongst themselves nearby, only then noticed what their manager had just said. Their eyes widened one after another, and then they successively pulled out their phones to check the news.

Qiu Mingbo's reputation within the entertainment industry was quite formidable.

He was a decisive manager with immense strength. His ability to analyze the development direction of artists and negotiate top-tier resources for the talents under his wing was exceptional. Crucially, he was considered the premier figure among veteran managers, and the personal network of connections and resources he held was simply heaven-defying.

Among artists wishing to make a breakthrough, who wouldn't want to work under Qiu Mingbo?

Therefore, upon hearing the contents of this news, the feelings within the hearts of the five members of the Chasing Light Youth Group were simply indescribable.

What kind of ungodly luck had this kid Lu Zhou stumbled upon? It was one thing for his career development to be smooth sailing recently, but how could he actually win the favor of Qiu Mingbo?

In that instant, to say they weren't envious would be a lie.

"Qiu Mingbo actually left World Vision?" Liu Yali checked the news and still found it somewhat startling. "To actually go to such a small company."

"He really creates a huge stir every time he resigns," Xu Mengdan couldn't help smiling and complaining.

"Ain't that the truth..." Liu Yali also smiled and shook her head. "After all, his behavior upon every resignation always drops people's jaws. I think his life motto is likely: 'Me, a different kind of me.'"

The Chasing Light Youth Group was amused by Liu Yali's teasing.

"I can only say Lu Zhou is truly lucky," sighed Ling Jie, one of the members of the Chasing Light Youth Group.

"Not necessarily. Stripped of the platform of a major company, Qiu Mingbo fighting alone might not necessarily be able to unleash his true strength. Furthermore, Qiu Mingbo is very assertive; he might not necessarily suit Lu Zhou. Whether it's good luck or not remains to be seen," Xu Mengdan interjected.

Was Lu Zhou lucky, or were there other reasons? Liu Yali recalled how Lu Zhou had stubbornly refused to sign back with Jinhua Entertainment, and she let out a wistful, wry smile. "Let's wait and see."

...

While most people in the industry maintained a wait-and-see attitude toward the partnership between Qiu Mingbo and Lu Zhou, Lu Zhou's fans were in an entirely different state.

They were ecstatic, celebrating wildly.

[Qiu Mingbo truly possesses the discerning eye of a master!]

[As expected of my Zhou, someone with real talent will eventually be seen. You're definitely going to take off from now on!]

[Happy collaboration! Looking forward to the resources the new manager will bring to Lu Zhou.]

[Cataloging the first- and second-tier artists brought up by Qiu Mingbo—I believe Lu Zhou will soon step into those ranks.]

...

Outside, the commotion was loud, but inside Legend Entertainment, things were very calm.

Releasing the news of Qiu Mingbo joining Legend Entertainment was a move pushed by Qiu Mingbo himself. He used his own reputation within the circle to cast a small halo around Lu Zhou, which could also be considered the first wave of resource advertising he rolled out for Lu Zhou in the industry.

A meeting was underway right here, with Qiu Mingbo acting in his capacity as a manager to arrange and adjust Lu Zhou's recent work schedule.

Linda reported Lu Zhou's itinerary with trembling trepidation. She felt inexplicably intimidated by this newly arrived superior, but deep inside, she felt mostly admiration and an intense thirst for knowledge.

The kind of manager she wanted to become in the future was someone exactly like Qiu Mingbo.

Linda hadn't expected the boss to recruit a manager of master-class caliber for her to learn from. From now on, she believed she would be able to learn even more.

After listening to Linda's report, Qiu Mingbo picked up his pen, pointed at the projection area, and said:

"The scheduling of the shooting times for these advertisements is unreasonable. These are minor collaborations; planning them this way wastes so much time. Find a way to renegotiate and intersperse all these shooting times into the rest periods of other activities."

Upon hearing this, Linda subconsciously glanced at Lu Zhou and said, "Shoot them during rest periods? That will squeeze the boss's rest time, and he won't be happy."

"If he wants greater development, he won't be unhappy." Qiu Mingbo didn't even look at Lu Zhou as he kept his eyes fixed on the schedule, analyzing it.

Lu Zhou smiled faintly and kept quiet.

Linda blinked, thinking to herself: So you can be this assertive? Learned another trick!

"Then what should those freed-up time slots be used for?" Linda asked.

"Anything is fine—resting, honing skills, writing songs, finding inspiration... You can make efficient use of his busy day, but you cannot fill every single day with work. You must give him breathing room; his current focus needs to be placed on researching his works. As a singer, his body of work is currently far too sparse."

Qiu Mingbo wore a stern expression.

With that, he looked toward Lu Zhou.

"Even if an album could be produced today, the works still need to be verified by the market, and all of that takes time. So don't dawdle, and don't just sit around waiting; hurry up and get to work on music, whether original or covers, get on it immediately."

Qiu Mingbo repeatedly emphasized the importance of works.

His gaze swept over Lu Zhou and Pan Chengyi as he said:

"If you want to quickly gain a firm foothold in the circle, you must produce as many high-quality, hard-hitting works as possible, and shorten this cycle. I believe that with your abilities, you should be able to do this, right?"

"You can even play classical music arrangements to that level; taking that solid foundation and making pop music, I imagine you should handle it with ease, right?"

Qiu Mingbo asked.

Lu Zhou and Pan Chengyi exchanged glances, smiled faintly, and replied, "The album is already in the preparation stage, we just need to wait a bit longer."

"Are you planning to release a full-length album or a mini-album?" Qiu Mingbo asked.

Lu Zhou: "Full-length."

Qiu Mingbo: "A debut album can start with a mini-album first, pushing three songs into the market to make a splash and gauge the feedback. Once things are more mature, it won't be too late to release a full-length album."

"Your previous 'First Love' can be included in the mini-album, and then you just need to write two new songs. I believe that with the collaboration between you and Chengyi, two songs shouldn't take too long."

Pan Chengyi smiled and chimed in, "I suggested the exact same thing earlier. But he said the variety show 'Star Motion 1+1' is about to start filming, and he wants to use that period to slowly write a full-length album, releasing it after the variety show recording wraps up."

Having heard this, Qiu Mingbo pondered for a moment and felt that this plan was not entirely out of the question.

"When does 'Star Motion 1+1' start filming?" he asked.

"It should be quite soon. We're still waiting for the final notification from the production team," assistant Linda replied.

"That's not unfeasible either. Taking advantage of the program's airing period to build up some buzz and gain a few more fans will make the album sales look even better when it's eventually released," Qiu Mingbo said thoughtfully.

Lu Zhou nodded. "That was precisely the plan."

"However, 'Star Motion 1+1'..." Qiu Mingbo flipped through the materials in his hands, appearing to have reservations. "...is a newly launched variety show without any prior accumulation of heat. How its market performance will turn out remains an unknown variable."

"If this variety show can generate decent buzz, then drawing out this timeline is meaningful."

"But if this variety show fails to take off... not only might we miss out on generating buzz, but a lot of time will also be wasted."

Taking the show profile handed over by Linda, Qiu Mingbo read as he spoke: "'Star Motion 1+1' is directed by Director Chen Xiangxin. Director Chen..."

As he spoke, he furrowed his brow slightly, searching his memory for Director Chen's career track record.

"He's a variety show director with a very distinct personality, always wanting to play with things different from everyone else. He has self-pursuit, won't easily bow to capital, and sticks stubbornly to his own ideas when making shows."

"That is his strength, and also his weakness."

"The two music variety shows he primarily directed in the past two years were quite unconventional, but the market feedback was mediocre, and the viewership ratings were less than stellar."

"Whether this program can take off this time around, I'll reserve my judgment."

Qiu Mingbo shared his understanding of Director Chen Xiangxin.

"Is this a show you chose to take on yourself?" he asked, looking at Lu Zhou.

Lu Zhou gave a slight nod. "I took it on myself."

"Did you take it on back then because you lacked other good resources, figuring that any show is better than none, and that an extra opportunity for exposure would be good?" Qiu Mingbo continued to probe Lu Zhou's mindset.

Pan Chengyi was also quite curious. When Lu Zhou initially signed up for "Star Motion 1+1," he had been filtered out once by the celebrity casting director, yet he stubbornly persisted through the auditions to get in. It didn't look like he was joining blindly; rather, he might have genuinely been optimistic about the show.

Lu Zhou couldn't very well say, "I knew it was going to blow up," so he altered his phrasing in response: "No, I was interested in the format of this variety show and had a premonition that it would achieve decent results, so I signed up to participate."

Qiu Mingbo nodded and said, "Looking at this show profile, it indeed differs from past music variety show formats and is somewhat interesting. But whether Director Chen can make it a success is another matter entirely. My prediction for its success rate is fifty-fifty."

"If I can secure another music variety show for you that is guaranteed to have high traffic and high ratings, would you be willing to give up this show and switch to the other program?" Qiu Mingbo suddenly shifted gears and asked.

Lu Zhou raised an eyebrow and asked with growing interest, "Which variety show?"

"King of Masks," Qiu Mingbo said.

Upon hearing this, Pan Chengyi's eyes widened slightly. This music variety show was the hottest music program of the past two years.

The production team was making an absolute killing.

The second season was about to start this year, and the lineup of guest performers for the second season was rumored to be formidable.

In previous music variety shows, the production team had to enthusiastically invite singers from all walks of life to participate, distributing different resources based on their standing, and even then, they weren't necessarily able to secure their ideal guests.

Yet for the second season of this show, it was rumored that industry-renowned powerful singers knocking on the door to participate had given the casting directors a severe case of decision fatigue.

At this level of popularity, without a certain level of fame, vocal strength, and a body of work to back you up, applying to participate might mean failing to clear even the preliminary casting threshold of the show.

Furthermore, Pan Chengyi had heard that the casting phase for regular challenging contestants had concluded long ago.

Yet Qiu Mingbo had just spoken with such confidence that he could help Lu Zhou secure an opportunity to participate in "King of Masks"?

Awesome! This was the strength of a legendary gold-medal manager!

"Has the casting for this show not ended yet?" Lu Zhou asked.

Lu Zhou searched his memories, but because he hadn't participated in his past life, he had no impression of it. However, he recalled that this show's timeline didn't seem far removed from "Star Motion 1+1"; back then, they were considered competing music variety shows.

"Logically speaking, it should have ended long ago," a confident smile played on the corners of Qiu Mingbo's lips. "But I have my own methods. Just tell me whether you want to participate in this variety show or not, and whether you have enough confidence in your own vocal skills."

Watching Qiu Mingbo's beaming confidence, Linda's eyes instantly lit up. Oh mama, she was going to become such a badass gold-medal manager in the future too!

"If you can secure it, I'll participate," Lu Zhou smiled and said.

At this point, Pan Chengyi chimed in, "For this show, your singing strength has to be rock-solid for participation to yield results. I heard that many heavy hitters are coming this season. If your vocal strength isn't enough..."

He twitched the corners of his mouth, wearing an "you-know-what-I-mean" smile.

"As the saying goes, comparisons breed agony... If you're not careful on a hit music variety show like this, it could very well backfire..."

Pan Chengyi voiced his concerns.

Qiu Mingbo agreed with his assessment. "Indeed that's the case, which is why I just asked if he has confidence in his vocal strength."

Lu Zhou hadn't showcased his singing level much. The breakout stages he performed on the romance reality show previously were either primarily instrumental performances or casual stage numbers, meaning his true vocal prowess wasn't really visible.

They all knew his songwriting ability was formidable, and they knew his mastery of instruments was vast and slick, but just how well could he sing? They had no bottom line to judge by.

After all, that original song of his, "First Love," didn't require any crazy vocal skills; it was simply a pop song that leaned toward being easy to learn and sing.

Therefore, it was completely normal for them to harbor doubts about Lu Zhou's strength.

Lu Zhou said, "As long as there's an opportunity, I can participate. Don't be afraid of comparisons. Aside from chasing fame on a show, sparring with heavy hitters can also improve my own abilities, can't it?"

"Brother Bo, help me fight for it."

Lu Zhou's expression was resolute.

Qiu Mingbo: "It's great that you have this mindset. Naturally, I would prefer for you to do this music variety show. Since that's the case, I'll nail this down as quickly as possible. Once it's secured, we'll drop 'Star Motion 1+1'?"

Lu Zhou shook his head and said, "Don't drop it. It's best if we do both shows."

Qiu Mingbo: "The schedules might conflict then."

Lu Zhou: "Everything can be coordinated. Isn't that your specialty?"

Qiu Mingbo smiled. "Alright. I'll arrange it."