Chapter 058 Pride
"In fact, Mr. Xu has been secretly keeping an eye on you these years..." Uncle Wu blurted out, and then he realized that he had said something wrong when he remembered Xu Sheng's advice many years ago, so he changed the subject: "Since Chi Ran already knows what's going on, I won't say any more..."
Lin Chi Ran did not let go of that sentence and raised the question in his mind: "Has he been paying attention to me...? Isn't my grandfather quite opposed to my activities in front of the stage?"
As expected, he was noticed by him. Uncle Wu said awkwardly: "Boss Xu said not to talk to you about this..."
Seeing that Lin Chiran was very concerned, Uncle Wu didn't want him to be kept in the dark and create a rift between him and Mr. Xu, so he revealed: "Since you left home at the age of 17, Mr. Xu has been paying attention to your movements. Although he always said that he didn't want you to be too active in front of the stage, he is actually proud of you for making a name for yourself..."
Long after hanging up the phone, Lin Chiran was still thinking about what he had just said. He gave a helpless smile and decided to go back to the old house in the evening to talk to his grandfather. He shook his head slightly and continued to devote himself to his work.
According to the plan, Lin Chiran personally sent a message to the instructor of the Xingye Choir to explain the situation and ask if there was any intention to cooperate.
The Xingye Choir is affiliated to an ordinary high school in Jiangming Island, which is under the jurisdiction of this city and is geographically across the river from City A.
The only way to enter and exit Jiangming Island is to drive across the river bridge or take a ferry. If there is fog or typhoon, the ferry will be suspended, making transportation very inconvenient, causing the economy to lag far behind that of City A.
The Xingye Choir was born on this small island. The history of the choir has been lost due to the rapid changes of the times. The name was passed down through extracurricular club activities in high school and has suddenly come into the public eye in recent years.
All members of the choir are students. They insist on training in addition to their busy schoolwork and occasionally participate in social welfare performances. It was at this time that they were discovered by the public.
The graceful and holy singing voice touched every listener. The breath of youth and vitality came to the face, like the embodiment of all the beautiful things in the world, adding a bit of vitality and hope to the ordinary life.
The choir's instructor is a very responsible female teacher. After receiving Lin Chiran's invitation, she said that she would first confirm with the choir's students and their parents and then make a decision after getting the results.
"Thank you for your invitation. We will give you a reply as soon as possible." It was the first time that someone invited them to participate in the recording of a record. The instructor, Mr. Sun, was also surprised: "Also, thank you very much for your previous help. After that incident, the students still love music."
"I'm glad to help you." Lin Chiran said with a warm smile: "There is no need to feel pressured about cooperation, just look at everyone's willingness."
Teacher Sun listened to the thoughtfulness and gentleness in the words, responded seriously, hung up the phone and began to gather the students for a discussion.
*
When Lin Chiran returned to the old house, it was dinner time.
When Butler Qu saw him suddenly come back, he was very happy: "Young Master, how come you suddenly have time to come back today? Please sit down and wait. I will ask Auntie to add a few more dishes."
Lin Chiran greeted him: "Uncle Qu, I'll just eat something casually. Where's my grandfather?" After entering the door, there was no sign of Xu Sheng for a long time.
"Master..." Butler Qu looked upstairs: "He is probably still talking to Mr. Wu."
There was some surprise in Lin Chiran's eyes. What a coincidence, they just called each other during the day and met each other in the evening.
"Uncle Qu, I'll go upstairs to see my grandfather and the others." Lin Chiran walked upstairs with ease, and sure enough, he heard two people's voices outside the door of the reception room.
"General!" Xu Sheng's voice was full of energy.
"Wait..." He seemed to be thinking about something.
"Don't regret your move."
When Lin Chiran walked in, he saw this scene: two people were playing chess around a chessboard. Uncle Wu's chess pieces were being killed and he was wondering what to do.
Xu Sheng heard the noise behind him and looked up at the person who came: "Why did you come back suddenly?" Then he continued playing chess.
"Come back and take a look." Lin Chiran walked behind Uncle Wu, looked at the situation on the table, and pointed his finger calmly at a location.
Uncle Wu thought about it for a moment after seeing the hint, and then he showed a look of joy and decisively moved the chess piece over: "Chi Ran is back, what a coincidence, we just talked on the phone during the day."
Lin Chiran replied with a smile, avoiding his grandfather's sight and continuing to give hints quietly.
The two of them suddenly became evenly matched, with Xu Sheng even having the feeling of losing. He frowned and glanced at the other side, and immediately noticed Lin Chiran's action: "No more."
"Mr. Xu, aren't you going to finish this game?" Uncle Wu was about to complete the layout with the help of Lin Chiran, and he felt a little regretful when he saw that Xu Sheng was unwilling to continue.
Lin Chiran smiled and found an excuse for both of them: "Grandfather and Uncle Wu haven't seen each other for a long time. Maybe they want to use this time to chat more."
Xu Sheng looked at Lin Chiran's calm expression as if nothing had happened, and suddenly said: "If you were like this outside, you wouldn't have encountered these troubles."
When Lin Chiran heard this, he looked at Uncle Wu. Did he tell his grandfather about this?
Uncle Wu was a little embarrassed. This was not something he said on his own initiative: "Chi Ran, Mr. Xu heard about this and asked me about it. He cares about you very much..."
"Ahem." Xu Sheng made a deliberate sound.
Uncle Wu was tactful and said nothing more.
Lin Chiran's eyes wandered between the two of them, and he smiled helplessly: "Let's go downstairs to eat first, Auntie has prepared it."
After dinner, Uncle Wu said he had something else to do and said goodbye and left, leaving only Lin Chiran and Xu Sheng in the living room.
Seeing Lin Chiran seemed to be hesitant to speak, Xu Sheng asked, "Are you back today for the Honeydew Channel event?"
Yes, but not entirely. Lin Chiran felt a little complicated: "Does grandpa know anything about this?"
Xu Sheng looked at Lin Chiran's expression quietly. In the ten years since he left home, he had been alone in the entertainment industry and had long since grown up to be able to stand on his own.
"The PR department received news that someone is digging into your background."
This one sentence forced Lin Chiran to take it seriously.
"I asked someone to cover up the situation and spread fake news." Xu Sheng could see his nervousness: "After investigation, we found out that it was someone from Honeydew TV who just wanted to expose the news. I don't know anything else."
Lin Chi Ran breathed a sigh of relief, but when he thought about how the other party was holding on so tightly, his face didn't look good: "It's probably Mr. Li from Honeydew TV. I had some conflicts with him because of a variety show before."
There was a scrutiny in Xu Sheng's eyes: "And what are you going to do about what your Uncle Wu mentioned?" If it were Xu Sheng, he would never leave such a hidden danger.
Lin Chiran was silent for a moment and made a decision: "I want to use the power of the company."
Even if we only consider the future development of the group, we cannot let this go on. What's more, all these operations have touched the bottom line.
"Meigua TV and Shenghuang have cooperated for many years. If the relationship breaks down because of these things, they definitely don't want to see it." Lin Chiran sorted out his thoughts and continued, "If you want to completely solve the problem, your attitude must be reasonable and tough."
Xu Sheng nodded secretly. Entertainment companies need exposure from TV stations, but at the same time, TV stations cannot ignore the ratings brought by the artists. For a company like Shenghuang that has top artists in various fields, TV stations don't want to make enemies, and their status in the industry gives them reasons to be tough.
Lin Chi Ran thought about it and said, "The production team was at fault for what happened before. What we need is an attitude to make the people at the TV station realize how much Sheng Huang values the Wax & Wane group and... me."
To put it bluntly, it means to let the people who are making moves behind the scenes know that they are not dealing with a soft persimmon, but a raging fire that can burn them to ashes. Naturally, there will be no one so blind as to bump into them like flies in a line.
Xu Sheng got a satisfactory answer and said directly: "The company will put pressure on this matter. If you encounter similar situations in the future, don't worry. Shenghuang will always stand behind you."
A question suddenly came to his mind, and Lin Chiran said bluntly: "If it was just an ordinary producer, would the company make a big fuss about it?"
Xu Sheng answered decisively: "No." Not everyone can make the company fall out with its partners because of him. This is not charity.
If it were the usual Lin Chiran, he would definitely want to refuse at this time, but he is different now. Just like usual, he doesn't have any special reaction.
Seeing his calm reaction, Xu Sheng felt relieved for Lin Chiran's maturity, but also a little emotional.
Human growth is always accompanied by gains and losses. If one acquires a mature and rational attitude towards dealing with things, one may lose the unique light of idealism that one has when one is young and vigorous.
Xu Sheng thought about his youth and all the things he wanted to do. Now, everything was easy, but the meaning had changed.
But for the sake of the company, he had to push this huge snowball and keep moving forward. If he was not careful in one step, the whole snowball would collapse.
Gradually, it was no longer him who was pushing the snowball, but he was being pushed by the snowball. Over the past few decades, the snowflakes melted into water, then froze into ice, becoming as hard as they are today.
As one gets older, one is always reminiscing. As Xu Sheng was thinking about this, he suddenly heard Lin Chiran’s voice.
"I hope that in the future, young artists can be upright in their work and conduct themselves even if they have no background, without fear of false accusations... I will pave the way for this."
Xu Sheng was stunned. Age had left traces on his face. The wrinkles around his eyes seemed to have relaxed a little. He heard the still young voice in his heart saying "OK".
The heavy and biting coldness pressing on my back is gradually melting away. If I touch it with warm hands, the outer shell of the snow will be soft and easy to melt, and perhaps it will melt away one day.
Xu Sheng felt that Lin Chiran and Xu Wanqing were very similar when they were young. They were proud and never bowed their heads even when faced with reality, and always maintained their enthusiasm, whether it was achievement or destruction.
*
Honeydew Channel is holding a meeting to investigate the sudden pressure and demands from Shenghuang Entertainment.
Mr. Li leaned stiffly against the chair, his fingers crossed and clasped tightly. He had finally gotten into this position, but now he was feeling very uncomfortable.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com