Chapter Ninety-One: An Unexpected Visitor

After "Battle at the Forbidden Peak" ended, Zhou Miao dominated the trending searches for quite a while, yet he himself seemed to have vanished into thin air, nowhere to be found. All sorts of invitations sent to Rainbow Records were declined; Zhou Miao's agent explained that he was wholeheartedly preparing for his school exams and had suspended all business activities.

Choosing to halt his activities and prepare for exams at the peak of his popularity meant losses measured in the hundreds of millions. Only Zhou Miao could afford such a decision.

He truly wasn't short on money anymore. Just a few days ago, Zhou Miao's annual income statement up to the end of December was released. The combined post-tax earnings from albums, endorsements, variety shows, and song copyright royalties amounted to 130 million. Of that, copyright income alone exceeded thirty million—something that surprised Zhou Miao.

He had to admit, in the era of short videos, music copyrights were once again highly coveted. As long as someone used your song as background music, the creator received payment; the more users, the more money. Major music platforms were fiercely competing for exclusive rights to famous artists’ works, each offering higher prices than the last. With Zhou Miao's growing catalogue, annual copyright fees alone were enough to make his hands ache from counting.

Despite the seemingly impressive 120 million in income, it wasn't enough to rank him in the entertainment industry's top twenty—largely because he accepted so few endorsements. Currently, he'd only taken one, for Cute Duo ice cream, earning ten million over two years, a bargain price in retrospect.

Zhou Miao lounged in his electric-heated executive chair, scrolling through the latest celebrity income rankings, clicking his tongue. "Hui Yuan is actually double mine? Not bad. Looks like I need to take on more endorsements this year. It’d be a waste not to earn this money."

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, prompting Zhou Miao to sit up straight. He had come to the company today for something very important.

"Come in!"

Gu Zhiyin entered with a middle-aged man bundled in a thick down jacket. "Zhou Miao, Director Wang is here."

Zhou Miao stood and greeted him with a smile. "Hello, Director Wang. Please, have a seat."

Gu Zhiyin left the two to talk alone, heading off to pour tea.

Director Wang's face wore a warm smile. "Xiao Zhou, you can't go home for the New Year to be with your parents this year. You don't blame me, do you?"

Zhou Miao laughed. "It's a pity I can't be with my family for New Year's, but when they heard it was because I’d be on the Spring Festival Gala, they were thrilled."

Indeed, the unassuming middle-aged man before him was Wang Libin, the chief director of this year's CCTV Spring Festival Gala.

It was already January, with just one month left until the New Year. In fact, the Gala's main lineup had long been settled, but after Wang Libin watched "Battle at the Forbidden Peak," he decided on a whim to add Zhou Miao.

The Spring Festival Gala had seen declining ratings and reputation year after year. The elderly found it dull, the young preferred gaming. To save the ratings, Wang Libin resolved to infuse more elements favored by the youth.

What did young people like now? Zhou Miao! No star was hotter this year.

Yesterday, they had a brief phone call to confirm Zhou Miao was willing to perform at the Gala. Today, Wang Libin had come in person to Rainbow Records for a detailed discussion.

"Director Wang, do you have any requirements for my performance? I can start preparing right away," Zhou Miao asked.

The Spring Festival Gala was a solemn, serious stage, with strict requirements for every act. Artists couldn’t simply perform whatever they wished.

Wang Libin sipped his tea to warm up and thought for a moment. "First, it must be positive. No negative influences in the lyrics—so something like 'Actor' is definitely out."

Zhou Miao, a bit embarrassed, nodded. "Of course. What else?"

"And the theme of the song. Ideally, it should praise the country or express gratitude to parents—skip romantic themes, we already have plenty of those."

Here Wang Libin felt a little awkward. "Xiao Zhou, are these requirements too much for you? If you lack inspiration, you can sing an old song on these themes. What matters most to us is you."

Zhou Miao forced a smile. "No, not at all. It’s not a problem."

Now he understood why the Gala's ratings had declined year after year: invite the young people's favorite male singer, then have him sing topics favored by the elderly. The result? Young viewers disappointed, the elderly unable to bear watching, pleasing neither side.

"How about I prepare a demo first? You can listen to it before deciding," Zhou Miao suggested.

Wang Libin nodded. "Alright. One more thing I need to remind you."

"Please, go ahead."

"All performers at the Gala must pass a strict background check. No history of misconduct..." Wang Libin’s face grew serious.

Zhou Miao was well aware. "Don’t worry, I’ve never broken the law in my life. I can assure you."

Suddenly, Zhou Miao wondered: does setting off fireworks illegally count as breaking the law...?

Wang Libin waved his hand. "That’s not what I meant. I trust your character. What I mean is..." He coughed awkwardly. "I’d like you to restrain your temper a bit before the Gala. Don’t get into public spats with other artists or companies. It’s not a good look."

Zhou Miao was speechless, even starting to reflect on what image he actually had in the public eye.

Seeing Zhou Miao silent, Wang Libin asked, "Is that difficult for you?"

Zhou Miao rubbed his hands with a bitter smile. "No, don’t worry. I’m actually quite busy lately, with school exams and all. I hardly have time for arguments."

Pausing, Zhou Miao felt the need to salvage his reputation. "Besides, I’m really quite restrained; under normal circumstances, I never argue."

Wang Libin chuckled. The young man was witty—too bad the comedy slots were already full.

After sending off Wang Libin, Zhou Miao turned to Gu Zhiyin with a serious expression. "Check who’s smearing me online. Send a lawyer’s warning."

Gu Zhiyin sat elegantly on the sofa, stirring her coffee with a small spoon. She merely glanced at him oddly.

"What’s that look for?"

"Nothing. The coffee’s a bit hot."

"Pfft!" Yang Xiaoya, curled up in the corner surfing the web, couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhou Miao felt everyone was acting a bit strange.

"Nothing, just remembered something happy."

"What happy thing?"

"Brother Miao is going to be on the Spring Festival Gala."