The man returned to the stage once more.
Then, he slowly took off his werewolf mask.
Afterward, a gaunt face appeared before all the audience members.
"Isn't that Bian Yuan? He's participating in this show too?"
"I thought he had retired. I remember he was once suspended after getting drunk and failing to perform."
"What a shame. He could have been an excellent singer, but who would have thought he'd end up like this!"
As many audience members saw the face beneath the mask, they couldn't help but sigh.
Bian Yuan, the most popular contestant on a certain talent show five years ago, had a very high chance of winning the championship and becoming the new sensation in the music industry.
But for some reason, he was utterly drunk on the night of the finals and missed the performance.
This act angered the company's upper management, and they immediately blacklisted him.
Five years have passed since then, but many audience members still remember Bian Yuan.
It was just unexpected that his comeback would be so pathetic.
Appearing in the public eye as a loser.
"Five years later, he still hasn't moved on!"
Backstage, Zhang Liangying sighed when she saw Bian Yuan's expression.
"What do you mean? You know him?"
Wang Shu asked, also confused.
"Five years ago, we were all unknown singers. Only he became famous and signed with a company.
But later, his girlfriend, who was my best friend, was diagnosed with a terminal illness. He was refused when he asked the company for money. After his girlfriend passed away,
He got into a dispute with the company and directly missed the finals of a show. This caused the company significant losses, and he was consequently blacklisted."
Zhang Liangying explained patiently, her tone filled with regret and sadness.
"No wonder he was staring at you earlier!"
Wang Shu finally understood why that guy had been staring at Zhang Liangying since the beginning.
He never expected such a connection between them.
However, this guy was indeed quite miserable. Not only did he lose his girlfriend, but his career also plummeted.
Still, Wang Shu deeply admired such a devoted man.
...
After the show, Wang Shu returned directly to the hotel.
However, as soon as he reached the hotel, he saw Xiao Su waiting for him at the entrance.
"What is it?"
Wang Shu asked.
"I have something to tell you!"
Su Yao said with her head down, sounding a little shy.
"What's wrong?"
Wang Shu looked at his little assistant in confusion.
"My dad wants to meet you!"
Su Yao said in a low voice, sounding a bit guilty.
"Your dad? Meet me? Why would he want to see me?"
Wang Shu was instantly bewildered. What did Su Yao's father want to see him for?
"No specific reason, he just wants to meet you. The time is set for the weekend."
Su Yao said, fidgeting with her fingers and looking down.
"Maybe I should fire you? You're already so rich, why do you still insist on being my assistant?"
Wang Shu felt a headache coming on. It was too difficult for him, a poor singer.
Not only did he have to pay social security and housing fund for a rich heiress wealthier than himself, but now he also had to meet her billionaire father.
Anyone who didn't know better would think he was a gigolo who had tricked the rich girl.
"No, I want to work for you!"
Upon hearing that Wang Shu wanted to fire her, Su Yao immediately looked displeased.
"You have to reimburse my airfare. I finally escaped from the capital, and now I have to go back. I'm really speechless!"
Wang Shu mumbled and turned back into his room.
"I'm such a clever girl. I was supposed to go to the capital to sign a contract this weekend anyway. This way, I save on airfare. It's wonderful!"
Wang Shu thought proudly.
"Ding-ling-ling!"
Just as Wang Shu was feeling smug, his phone rang.
Seeing the unfamiliar phone number, Wang Shu felt a bit confused.
However, upon seeing that the area code was from the capital, he decided to answer it. After all, what if the director's team had something to contact him about?
"Hello! Brother Wang Shu, I'm Lu Nan from last night. Do you remember me?"
Lu Nan's voice came from the phone.
Wang Shu quickly searched his memory and recalled that the man he met while racing in the capital last night was indeed named Lu Nan.
And this guy seemed to be closely connected to Su Yao's family.
"Young Master Lu, is there something I can help you with?"
Wang Shu asked curiously.
"It's like this, this weekend, our Capital Speed Club is holding a friendly match. Last time you left in a hurry, and many of our members want to see your driving skills. Also, the contract for you has been drafted, and you can come and sign it."
Lu Nan said on the phone.
"It's also on the weekend?"
Wang Shu couldn't help but ask, as he found it too coincidental.
Everything was happening on this weekend.
However, this was convenient, saving him the trouble of flying back and forth.
Most importantly, it saved him airfare.
In the following days, Wang Shu was mostly busy with his novel.
However, the singer named Bian Yuan did not contact him to buy a song,
which left him feeling quite disappointed.
But he figured that the guy probably didn't have much spare cash to buy a song from him.
After all, a singer who was on the verge of fame and fortune suddenly being blacklisted for five years would surely not have much money.
It was likely that even his daily living expenses were a problem.
"Xiao Su, can you help me find Bian Yuan's contact information?"
Wang Shu called Su Yao over.
"Bian Yuan? What are you looking for him for?"
Su Yao naturally knew Bian Yuan, but she was puzzled as to why Wang Shu would be looking for a singer who had been blacklisted for several years.
"I want to sign him!"
Wang Shu said to Su Yao.
"Okay, I'll go find it right away!"
Su Yao immediately ran back to her room. After a while, she returned to Wang Shu's side with an excited expression.
"I've found Bian Yuan's phone number. Here!"
Saying that, Su Yao handed Wang Shu a piece of paper with the phone number written on it.
"Well done, I haven't been raising you for nothing!"
Wang Shu said to Su Yao with a bit of pleasant surprise.
"Of course, if I didn't have these skills, how could I be your assistant!"
Su Yao said with a little pride.
Then Wang Shu directly dialed the phone number.
However, it went unanswered for several times.
Wang Shu was about to give up, but then he called again.
Fortunately, this time, the call was finally connected.
"Hello!"
Bian Yuan's cold voice came from the phone.
"This is Wang Shu, I'd like to talk to you!"
Wang Shu directly stated his identity.
"I don't have money to buy songs."
Bian Yuan said.
"Money isn't important. Do you still want to be famous? Are you willing to just let things be?"
Wang Shu questioned directly.
Bian Yuan, who was about to hang up, was stunned by Wang Shu's questions.
For the past five years, he had lived in a daze.
Due to his contract, he couldn't develop with other companies.
And the company he was signed to simply didn't give him any performance opportunities.
Even when they did, they were for street performances or, even worse, for weddings and funerals.
To resist the company to the end, he hadn't taken a single cent from the company for the past five years.
Instead, he worked as a delivery driver and took on temporary jobs to support himself.
It was only recently that he was finally free from that contract, but no company was willing to sign him anymore.
It wasn't until director Gong Tao found him a few days ago and gave him a chance to participate in "Masked Singer."
But he lost to someone else.
He had considered buying a song to make a comeback.
However, he currently only had a few thousand yuan to his name.
He had previously inquired about the price of Wang Shu's songs and found that one song cost five hundred thousand yuan.
But he didn't have five hundred thousand yuan, so he had never dared to make that call.
He never expected Wang Shu to find his number, call him personally, and even ask such questions.
"Of course, I'm not reconciled, but what does it matter? I'm just a useless person who is old, accomplished nothing, and is not even as good as a newcomer!"
Bian Yuan said with despair in his cold tone.
"I can give you an opportunity. As long as you are willing to become my signed artist, I will write songs for you for free. Of course, I won't pay you much salary."
Wang Shu directly stated his intention.
"Become your signed artist? Do you think I still have the value to be signed?"
Bian Yuan even felt like he was hallucinating. Someone was willing to sign him in his current state.
"As long as you don't give up, I guarantee you will become a Heavenly King level singer in the future!"
Wang Shu said with great certainty.
"Me? A Heavenly King? Is that really possible?"
Bian Yuan's mind began to wander at this moment.
"You can consider it yourself. You don't need to give me an answer now. If you come to your senses, you can call me back."
Wang Shu did not force the other party to answer immediately.
After hanging up the phone, Wang Shu felt very anxious.
Bian Yuan had a good foundation and decent looks. Even after five years in black, he didn't appear old.
According to the information, he was only twenty-five years old. Some of the contestants from the same talent show were now well-known singers.
Among them was an acquaintance of Wang Shu's, Hua Cheng Yu, who had always disliked him.
It was known that Bian Yuan was ranked first among the contestants back then, while Hua Cheng Yu only debuted at fifth place.
Hua Cheng Yu's current status was half due to his family's marketing and the other half due to that talent show.
Therefore, he firmly believed that a talented singer like Bian Yuan, with a suitable song for his comeback,
could definitely regain popularity in the future, and he, as an investor, would also reap significant rewards.