This Star Only Wants More Money - Chapter 11
Translator: Diviner
Xu Feng’s tense mood instantly relaxed, and he slept soundly until noon the next day.
When he finally woke up, he glanced at his phone and, as expected, saw an entire page full of missed calls.
There was also a friend request on WeChat.
Why were they more anxious than he was?
Xu Feng took his time washing up before accepting the friend request.
Almost immediately, a long string of messages arrived—clearly, the sender had been waiting by their phone for a long time.
“Mr. Xu Feng, we apologize sincerely! Yesterday, a temporary staff member failed to express things properly, leading to some misunderstandings.”
After Xu Feng’s cold and firm refusal to pay up yesterday, the internal team at Tomorrow’s God of Song held an emergency meeting, an unprecedented move.
It wasn’t because they were weak; it was because Xu Feng’s commercial potential was too great. Signing him would bring enormous benefits to the company.
This young man, so talented and having just overshadowed other contestants, was also very handsome. A little arrogance was nothing.
These under-the-table transactions were somewhat known to the judges, but most of them weren’t directly involved.
There had been instances where a judge nearly fell out with the show because their favored contestant was eliminated over such matters.
Making a big fuss was bad for everyone.
After an intense discussion throughout the night, the production team made an unprecedented concession—if Xu Feng wanted to take first place, he wouldn’t need to pay, as long as he signed a contract with their agency. Everyone would be happy.
Xu Feng, still in his bathrobe, leisurely responded after ensuring there were no issues with the copyright for Ugly Monster, “It’s fine. I’ve already withdrawn from the competition.”
This “It’s fine” was more like a police officer’s mocking “It’s fine; I’m a cop” when catching a criminal, rather than a genuine expression of forgiveness.
The variety show staffer, who had waited all morning, was left with a bitter face and restrained himself from smashing his phone. He explained once again, “Xu Feng, we mentioned the high operational costs yesterday just to show our sincerity, nothing else.”
Did this guy not understand either good or harsh words?
Such opportunities were rare, something people couldn’t buy even with money, and now it was being given for free, yet he still had the audacity to haggle?
If he wasn’t afraid of being exposed and causing negative publicity for the show, he would’ve long adopted his senior’s stance to start lecturing.
Xu Feng casually typed a response with one hand, “I’m not bargaining, nor am I negotiating with you. I’m just stating a fact—I, Xu Feng, have withdrawn from the competition.”
Whether they charged money or not, whether the production team cared or how the public speculated, it didn’t matter. He had already done everything he needed to, and everything else was irrelevant.
The person on the other end was clearly at their wit’s end, seeing that nothing they said could trap him. Finally, they dropped their already reluctant pretense, “Xu Feng… you are indeed very talented, but even the best wine can remain unsold in a deep alley. Even the best book won’t sell without a bookstore. Do you understand this?”
What kind of place is the entertainment industry?
It’s one of the murkiest circles, to say the least.
When encountering someone talented, the first instinct of the big shots is to bring them in and squeeze out their economic value. If that’s not possible, they’ll think of every way to suppress them to prevent their rivals from getting them.
If they can’t use you, they’d rather destroy you.
All sorts of obstacles, negative rumors, slander, and accusations would pour down on a person before they even had a chance to flourish, forcing them to quit before their talent could bear fruit.
The market is only so big; there are only so many resources. If you eat more, I eat less—why wouldn’t they fight tooth and nail to suppress you?
Without momentum, a dedicated fan base, or a few solid works, this kind of suppression could be fatal for a singer.
Unless that artist is so strong that, even without resources, popularity, or anyone’s help, they can still produce a series of high-quality works and perfectly showcase their inspiration and talent, becoming a “resource” themselves.
Many people think they have this talent.
But over the past few decades, people like this can be counted on one hand, and their numbers have dwindled as time progresses.
How could one person stand against countless teams backed by money?
Under systemic pressure, the production team believed Xu Feng would eventually give in—it was just a matter of making some concessions. Besides, these concessions would ultimately come from Xu Feng’s pockets anyway.
However, Xu Feng, whose mindset had completely shifted, didn’t bother engaging with them.
He threw the empty Coke can into the trash and typed out a new message with both hands, “I will announce my withdrawal from the competition on all major social platforms soon. And please don’t contact me again; I’m busy.”
With that, he immediately blocked the contact on both WeChat and his phone.
Xu Feng, of course, understood the show’s threats but didn’t care in the slightest.
Slander? Smeared reputations?
As a mercenary, Xu Feng was only responsible for his employer and the commissioned project. Everything else was outside his concern. In other words, they were just a bunch of “irrelevant people.”
After blocking the irrelevant people, Xu Feng registered personal accounts on major platforms like Bilibili and Weibo and submitted verification requests.
“For personal reasons, I’ve decided to withdraw from the current Tomorrow’s God of Song competition.”
Just a simple sentence. After sending it, it disappeared into the vastness of the internet without causing a ripple.
But Xu Feng didn’t care. He never intended to manage his social accounts; the announcement was just a formality. He might not even post anything in the future.
“Alright, now that all the trivial matters are handled, I’ll just upload the live version of the song to various platforms and wait for the earnings to come in.” Xu Feng lowered the air conditioning by two degrees with the remote control. “Even if 90% of the income is cut, with the quality of this song, the remaining 10% should cover my daily expenses.”
“Three years without business, but once you start, you can eat for three years—this is what being a mercenary is all about… not bad, quite enjoyable!”
Just then, Xu Feng’s WeChat received several messages in quick succession.
Before he could open the message box, the person on the other side directly initiated a voice call.
Seeing the familiar avatar, Xu Feng chuckled and pressed the answer button. Lin Shenghuan’s familiar voice came through urgently, “Xu Feng, I heard you withdrew from the competition? Is that true?!”
For once, there was a hint of restrained anger in her voice.
Of course, this anger wasn’t directed at Xu Feng.
Xu Feng felt some gratitude towards this beautiful and kind-hearted superstar, so he didn’t intend to hide anything, “Yes, it’s true. But Sister Huan, let me explain…”
Upon getting a clear answer, Lin Shenghuan tried hard not to let her anger seep into her words. “Xu Feng, don’t act rashly. Wait, I’ll help you get an explanation.”
How dare they?! Xu Feng performed so well in the top-8-to-5 round, and yet the production team still dared to pull such blatant tricks!
Lin Shenghuan had high hopes for Xu Feng but had only given him an opportunity. Everything else was up to Xu Feng to fight for himself. In no way could he be considered her protégé.
But now, Xu Feng had earned his place through his efforts, only for it to be compromised by external factors!
Of course, she was angry. Of course, she wanted to stand up for her contestant.
Xu Feng rubbed his forehead helplessly. “Sister Huan, just listen to me first.”
“I’m not listening!”
Lin Shenghuan was even more furious now. This was a big deal, but Xu Feng didn’t seem to grasp the seriousness of it!
Is this a case of the eunuch worrying more than the emperor?