Traffic Star Development Program

Chapter 38 You need to calm down and reflect.

On the morning of the 26th, Zeng Hao did not go to the shed.

He sat in the company, having processed two contract reviews in the morning, and was waiting for Xu Wen's feedback in the afternoon.

Xu Wen's first message came at 1:40 pm: "President Zeng, the rehearsal ended this morning. Xue Zhijian was in good condition, but Xu Jiaying was a little nervous. She answered one question a bit awkwardly during the rehearsal. I told her to relax. The official recording will start at 2 pm."

Zeng Hao replied: I understand.

Then I continued to look at what I had in my hands.

A little after 4 p.m., Xu Wen sent a second message: Recording is finished, went smoothly, but there is something I need to tell you about.

Zeng Hao picked up his phone and said: "Speak."

Xu Wen: About halfway through the recording, Teacher He asked Xue Zhijian, "Your song is called 'Ugly Monster,' do you think you're ugly?" This question wasn't in the plan. Xue Zhijian paused for about two seconds, and then said, "Whether I'm ugly or not isn't important. What's important is whether you feel ugly after singing this song."

Zeng Hao read the sentence over and over.

Xu Wen added: "My heart almost stopped when I was on the sidelines. As a result, everyone on set laughed, and Teacher He laughed too. The atmosphere suddenly became lively, and the recording of the rest of the segment went very smoothly."

Zeng Hao put down his phone and went over Xue Zhijian's words in his mind again.

It wasn't in the contingency plan, but it's more useful than any sentence in the plan.

This line was bound to go viral. It wasn't offensive, it was self-deprecating, and it casually threw the topic back to the audience. A sense of variety show humor is innate, not something that can be trained. When faced with such an unexpected problem, a trained person's first reaction is to look to the contingency plan. Xue Zhijian, on the other hand, directly responded to the situation. The difference between the two is immediately apparent on camera.

He sent Xu Wen a message: If this clip is included in the behind-the-scenes footage, have the publicity team contact Happy Camp and cut this segment out separately. Post it on Weibo a week before the show airs, just the video, no caption needed, and let it spread on its own.

Xu Wen: Okay, I'll contact the Happy Camp publicity team today.

This matter has been pushed forward.

Xu Wen later added: Teacher Xu was much better during the actual recording than during the rehearsal. She was basically no longer nervous. When the host asked her about her creative inspiration, she answered very sincerely and talked about her experience of doing independent music in Taiwan in her early years. Several people listened very attentively, and the atmosphere was good, but her explosive power was not as strong as Xue Zhijian's.

Zeng Hao finished reading this and nodded.

The differences between the two people were very clear during this recording.

Xue Zhijian is expanding his reach, excelling in variety shows, songs, and trending topics; he can succeed in every direction.

Xu Jiaying is going deeper into the music scene; she needs a stage where the audience can quiet down and listen. Happy Camp isn't one, but I Am a Singer is.

The order cannot be reversed, but both paths are viable.

Happy Camp aired in early January.

On the day the show aired, the clip of Xue Zhijian saying "Do you think it's ugly after you finish singing this song?" had been circulating on Weibo for a week, with a single video being forwarded over 20,000 times. The comments section was filled with people saying they were waiting for the official show, waiting for the song, and waiting for this person.

After the show aired, this sentence immediately became a trending topic on Weibo, with the hashtag "Xue Zhijian is ugly or not" appearing on the screen for nearly six hours, bringing the song title "Ugly Monster" into the public eye.

Zeng Hao looked at the trending topics list at the company, put his phone on the table, picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The arrangement for "Ugly Monster" is still being adjusted, and the final version will be available by the end of February at the earliest. The official release will have to wait until the second quarter to coincide with the popularity of the variety show. However, the song title has already entered the public's memory, so there is no need to introduce it from the beginning when the song is released, saving half of the promotion costs.

This is what we call building anticipation; it's not about releasing press releases, but about getting the audience curious on their own.

As for Xu Jiaying, although she didn't generate as much buzz as Xue Zhijian after the show aired, her story about her independent music career was extracted and shared separately by several music-related accounts, attracting a group of viewers who were interested in her. These viewers weren't just general entertainment fans, but people with a certain level of musical taste. This group was highly engaged, and the audience of "I Am a Singer" largely overlapped with them.

This is the right direction.

While the trending topic was still up, Sister Liu knocked on the door and came in, holding a printed remittance slip. She placed it on Zeng Hao's desk and said, "Mr. Zeng, the licensing fee for the Korean version has arrived. It's 1.1 million yuan. It was deposited this morning. The voucher is here."

Zeng Hao picked up the voucher and glanced at it. The amount, the date of receipt, and the remitter were all correct. He pushed the voucher back and said, "Update the books and have the accountant make a record."

Sister Liu agreed and put the voucher away. "There's one more thing. Xu Wen has already booked the venue for the annual meeting. It's in the conference room downstairs from the company. She asked if we want to order food or bring our own."

Zeng Hao thought for a moment and said, "Order it. The standard doesn't need to be high. Just give everyone a boxed lunch. Don't do anything fancy. Once you've paid and eaten, everyone can leave. There's no need for any special programs."

Sister Liu's lips twitched as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't. She just responded and left.

The annual meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on the 28th in a small conference room downstairs in the company building, with a long table and two rows of chairs.

When Zeng Hao entered, almost everyone had already arrived: Xu Wen, Sister Liu, Fang Qing, Peng Bing, and several people from the production and publicity departments, plus the administrative and financial staff, making a total of seventeen people, filling the conference room to about seventy or eighty percent capacity.

There were boxed lunches on the table, not yet opened, still hot, and you could smell the food.

Zeng Hao walked to the head of the table, draped his coat over the back of the chair, and without sitting down, glanced at everyone present. "Today's annual meeting is very simple: give out money, have dinner, and then everyone's gone."

He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out an envelope, and placed it on the table. Then he pulled out another, and another, making a total of seventeen envelopes, which were neatly arranged in a row in the middle of the table.

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

Sister Liu was the first to recognize hers, because each envelope had Zeng Hao's name written on the front in black pen. It wasn't pretty, but it was written steadily. It was just a name, without any title or salutation.

Zeng Hao put down the last envelope. "Take them by name. No need to wait. Count them yourself after you've taken them. If you have any questions, say so now."

No one went to take it immediately; they all exchanged glances.

Xu Wenxian reached out and took his own; the envelope was rather thick.

She squeezed it, felt that there was cash inside, glanced up at Zeng Hao, didn't say anything, and put the envelope into her bag.

The others took theirs one after another, and there were slight rustling sounds in the meeting room, the sound of envelopes being opened.

Peng Bing opened it, glanced at it, paused, looked at it again, and looked up. "President Zeng, this number..."

"It was paid according to the contract performance standards," Zeng Hao said in a flat tone. "The movie 'Diamond Lover' started on time and the budget was not exceeded. This is what we deserve, not a bonus."

Peng Bing swallowed the rest of his words, nodded, and folded the envelope back into his pocket.

Fang Qing also checked it. The filing for "Diamond Lover" was released a week in advance. This performance bonus was included in her contract, so she already knew it would happen.

But when he saw the specific number, he paused for a second, closed the envelope, looked up and nodded at Zeng Hao without saying anything.

Zeng Hao glanced at everyone present. "Did everyone get it?"

Some people said they got it, and others nodded.

"Okay," Zeng Hao said, "Let's eat."

He pulled out a chair, sat down, opened the lunchbox in front of him, and began to eat with his head down. He didn't make any extra movements, nor did he raise his glass to say anything to thank everyone for their hard work throughout the year.

Xu Wen sat next to him and leaned in quietly, "President Zeng, would you like to say a few words? This is the company's first year..."

"What did you say?" Zeng Hao asked without looking up, "Not enough money?"

Xu Wen shut up.

There was a two-second silence in the meeting room, then someone burst out laughing, followed by several others. The atmosphere immediately relaxed, and the sounds of chopsticks clinking against lunchboxes and conversation filled the room, transforming the silence into the sounds of a normal meal.

Zeng Hao kept his head down and ate his food, not joining any conversation, but he noted down the reactions of everyone in the room.

Xu Wen was the first to take the envelope; he reacted quickly and filled it in just as fast. He was a man of good judgment.

Peng Bing's phrase "this number" indicates that this performance exceeded his expectations, and that he did not study his contract terms thoroughly enough. This kind of person is useful and will not ask for exorbitant prices.

Fang Qing was the most restrained one. She opened it, looked at it, nodded, and closed it. This kind of person knows what's going on, and it's easier to discuss future cooperation.

These are the things you need to remember.

Halfway through the meal, there was a knock on the door twice, then it was pushed open. It was the receptionist from the company entrance, carrying a paper bag. "Mr. Zeng, someone at the front desk said they wanted to see you, said... said they were looking for Ms. Yang Shanshan."

The conversation in the conference room paused for a moment.

Zeng Hao didn't look up, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said, "Let her wait."

The receptionist agreed, closed the door, and left.

Xu Wen whispered from the side, "Should I go...?"

"Let's eat," Zeng Hao said.

Xu Wen took back the second half of his sentence and continued eating with his head down.

The voices in the conference room resumed, but were slightly lower than before. Everyone heard the name, and everyone was glancing at Zeng Hao out of the corner of their eye.

But Zeng Hao ate his lunchbox at a normal pace, without any change in expression, as if nothing had happened.

The annual meeting ended in forty minutes.

Zeng Hao picked up his coat, stood up, and said, "Let's disperse."

There were no closing remarks, no "Happy New Year," no thanks, just those two words.

One by one, everyone got up, packed their things, and started to walk out. A few people were talking to each other, their voices not loud, carrying a sense of relief as the party ended.

Zeng Hao walked at the front, exited the conference room, and headed to the end of the corridor. The receptionist was sitting on a sofa at the corner of the corridor, waiting.

Wearing a dark coat and a scarf pulled low, she huddled on the sofa, looking a size smaller than she appeared on TV.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up.

Zeng Hao stopped in front of her. "Come in."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards his office without waiting for her.

Yang Shanshan stood up and followed him; the two of them entered the office one after the other.

Zeng Hao turned on the light, sat down in the chair, put his coat on the back of the chair, and looked up at her.

"Speak."

Yang Shanshan stood across from her for a second, pulled her scarf down a bit, and sat down. "I just... wanted to ask when the suspension of the announcements would be able to resume."

Her voice was lower than usual, but steady. There was no coquetry or accusation; she just asked.

Zeng Hao glanced at her and asked, "Why do you want to recover?"

Yang Shanshan paused for a moment, "I can't just sit around doing nothing. I was doing so well with all my previous gigs..."

"You were running just fine," Zeng Hao repeated, his tone flat. "You've been running for almost half a year, what have you achieved?"

Yang Shanshan placed her hand on her knee, her fingers twitching slightly. "So you mean...?"

"What I mean is," Zeng Hao said, "you still need to calm down, but this takes time and requires your cooperation. It's not you asking me when I'll recover, but rather I'll let you know when the time is right."

After he finished speaking, the office was silent for a few seconds.

Yang Shanshan looked up at him. "What is this 'sediment' you mentioned?"

"It's not decided yet," Zeng Hao said. "I'm looking to see if there are any suitable projects. I'll let you know if there are. If not, we'll wait. If we can't wait, we can terminate the contract. There are corresponding clauses in the contract, and you've seen the penalty for breach of contract yourself."

This is a card, not a promise; it's using vague hope to keep people rooted to the spot.

The amount of the penalty for breach of contract is in the contract, and she knows she can't afford it.

Yang Shanshan pursed her lips, looked away again, remained silent for a few seconds, and then stood up. "Then I'll wait for your notification."

She spoke in a very flat tone, but her hand, which was adjusting her scarf as she stood up, paused for less than a second.

The pause was so short it was almost as if it hadn't happened, but Zeng Hao saw it.

She was unwilling to accept it, but had no way out, because every word he said was within the framework of the contract, and there was nothing wrong with it.

"Okay," Zeng Hao said, "Be careful on the road."

Yang Shanshan walked towards the door, placed her hand on the doorknob, paused, and without turning around, said, "Zeng Hao, you..."

"What's wrong?" Zeng Hao asked.

She paused for almost three seconds, swallowed the rest of her words, opened the door, and went out.

The door closed, and the office fell silent again.

Zeng Hao leaned back in his chair and mentally went through the entire conversation from beginning to end.

Yang Shanshan came to see him not to cause trouble, but to probe his attitude and see if there was any room for compromise.

This suggests that she is still evaluating the situation and has not yet made a decision to terminate the contract.

The penalty for breach of contract is a hurdle, but it's not just about the money; it's about whether it's worth staying.

His answer to her today was: It's worth it, but we have to wait, and it's uncertain how long we'll have to wait.

The answer wasn't sealed off, nor was it revealed; it remained hanging there, enough to keep her agonizing for a while.

The longer the hesitation lasts, the lower the chance of cancelling the contract.

That's the real purpose of this dialogue.

The next morning, Xu Wen sent the boy group's evaluation report and interview videos to his email.

Zeng Hao opened the email, read the report first, and then watched the video.

The reports were compiled by the assistant, one page per person, with a uniform format, including scores for appearance, lines, stage presence, and overall comments, in four lines of data. The last line contained the comments from the person in charge of the initial interview.

Zhou Zhennan: Image 88, Dialogue 79, Stage Presence 91, Overall Opinion: Strong stage presence and good stage presence, but slightly weaker basic dialogue skills, which should be improved.

Chen Linong: Image 93, Lines 85, Stage Presence 82, Overall Opinion: Outstanding appearance, stable lines, slow reaction in variety shows, suitable for idol positioning.

He glanced at the data of the other two people without letting it linger in his mind. He already knew their positions: they were competent and usable, and didn't need much further analysis.

He turned on the video.

Zhou Zhennan's segment came out first. The initial interview took place in a white-walled conference room with somewhat flat lighting, not a ballroom lamp. But when Zhou Zhennan stood there, the way the light fell on him felt different from the other three people. He wasn't just cooperating with the lighting; he was supporting the light himself.

The judges asked a question: If you were standing on the stage and there were 10,000 people in the audience, what would you most want to show them?