Later in the afternoon.
After Zhang Ye hung up on Grandma Zhang, he made a few more calls in a row. Through the talent agency, he found his agent, and then the person in question. After a lot of effort, he finally managed to contact the person in question. After explaining the purpose of his visit, Zhang Ye arranged a meeting place with the person and hailed a cab over.
In a neighborhood.
In a villa.
He followed the address and found that the villa's main door was already open. When the male and female owners saw Zhang Ye at the door, they immediately came out to welcome him.
"Teacher Zhang." The man waved.
The woman smiled. "I wanted to meet at a middle ground, but it's not easy to find one here, right?"
Zhang Ye smiled and shook hands with them. "It's best to talk at home. It's more convenient to talk there. If it's outside, there will be people around. It's not convenient for us public figures to talk either. Once, when I was discussing business with someone at a cafe, the staff and customers kept taking pictures of me. There was even a young man who got even angrier and leaned over my table to take pictures of me up close. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so how do you think we should talk business?"
The man laughed. "Teacher Zhang, please come in."
The three of them entered the villa.
The woman went into the house to brew some tea. "Old Chen and I have long heard of Zhang Ye's name. We've always been keeping an eye on you and I really like the songs you wrote. I've always wanted to meet you and have a good chat with you."
Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Me too. I've heard a lot about the Divine Condor Heroes of the music industry."
The man was taken aback. "What's the Divine Condor Heroes?"
The woman giggled. "We even have such a nickname? What's the story behind it? "
Zhang Ye was at a loss for words. He knew that he had said too much. There was no such thing as "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" in this world, so he quickly added, "In any case, it means that we are a model couple, haha."
The man said in amusement, "What model? We quarrel every day too."
Zhang Ye said, "Whoa, that's not what they say on TV!"
The man laughed and said, "If it's a show on TV, then we have to make it sound grander. Actually, in real life, which couple doesn't quarrel?"
The woman added, "If they get anxious, they might even get physical."
If they were talking to outsiders or the media, they would definitely not have said so much. But Zhang Ye was also an industry insider like them. Their popularity was about the same, and they were both B-list celebrities, so there was no conflict of interest between them. Naturally, the topics they talked about were more casual.
The man's name was Chen Guang. He was in his early thirties.
The woman's name was Fan Wenli. She was thirty years old.
The two of them were both top singers in the country. In this world's Celebrity Rankings Index, the two of them were slightly higher than Zhang Ye. One of them was in the middle to lower reaches of the B-list rankings, while the other was in the lower reaches of the B-list rankings. But in reality, the two of them were top-tiered singers in the music industry. Taking Zhang Yuanqi as an example, the sales of a Heavenly Queen like Zhang Yuanqi was only about two-thirds of Chen Guang and Fan Wenli's. Either one of them alone would be a tyrant in the music industry. Naturally, the number of views of their albums was much lower than Zhang Yuanqi's. After all, a Heavenly Queen was still a Heavenly Queen. Even in a downturn, her fanbase wasn't on the same level.
Chen Guang and Fan Wenli specialized in music and rarely acted in movies or television dramas. If one did not consider their popularity in the film industry or hosting industry, then if there was a ranking of singers in the music industry, the two of them would definitely be in the top 20. They could be considered the B-list of the entertainment industry and the A-list of the music industry! That was why Zhang Ye had sought them out today after much consideration. As the two of them were professional singers among professionals, their temperament was most compatible with The Voice. If he really found an A-list celebrity whose main focus was filming and singing, it wouldn't be impossible. But Zhang Ye felt that something was missing. A stage where the selling point was the voice, it would be better if it was more pure. The stage, the contestants, and the coaches should also be the same. What he needed was a famous singer in the music industry, not a popular celebrity in the entertainment industry. These two concepts were not the same!
After chatting for a long time, Zhang Ye and the two of them were quite familiar with each other.
Only then did Zhang Ye broach the topic. "What do the two of you think about the invitation I sent over the phone?"
Chen Guang glanced at his wife and said to Zhang Ye, "Actually, I specially checked online just now. I don't look at looks but only at the voice. I want to know if it's a gimmick or …?"
Zhang Ye said, "It's a gimmick, but it might not be the kind of gimmick that you're thinking of. What I want to create is the most professional singing show, and that's not a lie. The contestants are not limited to those who are good-looking and have the aura of a celebrity. As long as they can sing well, we want anyone."
Chen Guang sighed and said, "The concept of this show is very good. At least I personally agree with it."
Fan Wenli laughed at the side. "Yeah, if you had encountered such a show back then, you wouldn't have been buried for five years. You would have become popular long ago."
Fan Wenli was very beautiful and was a singer with good looks, temperament, and voice. But Chen Guang's looks could only be described as average and not outstanding. There were even a few pockmarks on the left side of his face that looked like they were left behind by acne. That was why Chen Guang's singing career was very difficult at the beginning. It was only in recent years that his perseverance and some fortuitous encounters allowed his career to progress by leaps and bounds. From being gradually accepted by everyone to his current soaring popularity, Chen Guang had put in a lot of effort along the way.
Chen Guang laughed and sighed at the same time. "This singing path of mine is really difficult. I have to put in ten times or even a hundred times more effort than others, yet I can only achieve about the same results as them. It's very difficult for others to understand the feeling of it."
Zhang Ye said, "I can understand it."
Zhang Ye was not someone who was very good-looking.
When Chen Guang saw him, he was amused. "The two of us are different. You have the gift of gab, literary talent, mathematical talent, and musical talent, so don't compare yourself to me. With my looks, I can only walk on one leg in the entertainment industry. Those who are born with good looks can walk on two legs, but you, Zhang Ye, can walk on ten legs. Even those pretty boys from Korea can't compare to you. Our situations are different, hur hur."
Zhang Ye said, "Brother Chen, you're praising me too much. Usually, you praise me first before killing me. Don't tell me you're going to reject my invitation? If that's the case, I won't be able to find anyone else. You and Sister Fan are the most suitable candidates for the role. "
Fan Wenli said, "Can I ask who else will be joining the show?"
Zhang Ye answered, "I've already confirmed one of the coaches. It's Grandma Zhang Xia."
Chen Guang was taken aback. "Grandma Zhang? She's a great artist, a veteran of the music industry. Her high notes are unparalleled. Isn't Grandma Zhang semi-retired? I've never seen Grandma Zhang participate in any variety shows before, yet you managed to invite her out of retirement? "
"I have a bit of a friendship with Grandma Zhang, so Grandma Zhang did me a favor this time," Zhang Ye said.
Chen Guang gave it some thought and looked at his wife. "What do you think?"
Fan Wenli shrugged. "Whatever you say, I'll listen to you."
Chen Guang said, "I think it's not bad. I'm very interested in the show."
"Then shall we talk about the joining fee and the contract?" Fan Wenli looked at Zhang Ye.
Zhang Ye immediately said, "The contract will be a regular one and will last for at most three months. Of course, before the recording and after the competition, the two of you will have to cooperate with our program's promotions and related activities and endorsements. The endorsements within the show will all be included in the joining fee and will not be paid separately. But for the endorsements or extended activities outside of the show, the relevant remuneration will be paid according to the regular contract. We can talk about it later."
Chen Guang nodded.
"As for the joining fee." Zhang Ye smiled and said, "I can say that it will definitely be of the highest quality in the industry. Especially for such heavyweight coaches like the two of you, we can't afford to give any less."
It was easy to negotiate with Grandma Zhang because of their friendship. Besides, Grandma Zhang did not really care about such things. But compared to other people, the joining fee was clearly the most important factor. Money was the most important. If they could not come to an agreement, it would not do even if they thought that the show was good. And Zhang Ye wanted to create a super large-scale talent show that would burn through money. He was not afraid of spending money and it would be worth it no matter how much he spent.
Zhang Ye paused for a moment before giving a figure. "For the two of you, how about a joining fee of 10 million each?"
Chen Guang's eyes flickered.
Fan Wenli was also a little surprised.
Zhang Ye asked, "What do you think?"
The couple looked at each other. Then Chen Guang said, "I really can't reject such an offer." Two years ago, he had participated in a talent show as a guest. The joining fee that the show had given him was only 4 million. Although he was not as famous as he was now and the prices were not as high as they were now, as someone in the industry, Chen Guang knew that the current market was not as prosperous as it was back then. Talent shows were generally in a slump, and the television stations were all trying to lower the joining fee for their guests. But in this sluggish market environment, Zhang Ye was offering the two of them a joining fee of 20 million. This was already a sign of his sincerity. If it were any other program team, they probably wouldn't even get half of what Zhang Ye was offering!
Zhang Ye stood up and put out his hand. "Then let's have a happy partnership?"
"Happy partnership!" Fan Wenli and Chen Guang shook hands with Zhang Ye.
With the intention reached, all that was left was to sign the contract another day.
…
After coming out of the villa, Zhang Ye did not let Chen Guang and his wife send him off. Instead, he strolled out of the neighborhood by himself. His hands were not idle either as he took out his cell phone and scrolled through the numbers.
Of the four people, three of them were settled!
Now, there was only one more coach left!
And this last person would definitely be the last and most famous one. For the sake of The Voice, Zhang Ye had to get it no matter what. But he also knew that it would be very difficult and the chances were not high. That was why he left it until the very end to contact the coach. He was prepared to fight a protracted battle as he knew how important this person was to The Voice. A large-scale talent show like this would definitely need an S-list, big-name coach to oversee it. Only with such a lineup could it be considered a luxurious lineup and make the audience scream in excitement. It would be the opening promotional battle for The Voice, and would also be a highlight on the stage of The Voice from now on!
Who would be invited?
Who would be able to carry the banner of The Voice's coaches?
There was no doubt about the answer — it would be the Heavenly Queen, Zhang Yuanqi!
She had perfect looks, a perfect figure, a perfect voice, and even had the largest fanbase in the country. Other than her, no one else could do the job!
The Voice of Zhang Ye's previous world, from the stage to the equipment to the contestants to the coaches, all had a luxurious lineup. This was also what Zhang Ye was doing now. In order to avoid any accidents and to prevent The Voice from not being able to adapt from one world to another, he had to do his best to restore this legendary show to its original state. That was why he needed a lineup of coaches that was on par with his previous world's, or maybe even better!
Old Zhang had to be won over!
But how could he do it?
It wasn't that easy to invite the Heavenly Queen!
Zhang Yuanqi's focus now was basically on releasing albums, doing concerts, filming movies, and so on. She basically did not take part in the recording of any television shows. This was because the television industry was in a slump, and the pay was low. The recording period for a show was not short either, and the viewership ratings were just average. As the saying went, it couldn't make ends meet. As a result, those Heavenly Kings, Queens, and even A-list celebrities were becoming less and less likely to take part in television talent shows. It was still fine if it was just a normal variety show or interview show, since they only had to take part in a few hours of recording in a day. But it was different for the alternative shows. From the auditions to the top 16, to the top 8, and so on and so forth, the recording period was very long. Hence, the big name celebrities who did not lack any work to do would not waste their time on such shows.
How could he convince her?
Zhang Ye thought for a long time before finally sending a very long text message to Old Zhang. He gave an introduction of his show and the general outline of what he wanted to do.
Di di.
Old Zhang replied: "I'm not going."
Zhang Ye was speechless. "Think about it again. Name a price for the joining fee."
Old Zhang: "I have a lot of work to do, so I don't have the time."
Zhang Ye typed: "It's not like you have to come to Central TV 24 hours a day to record the show. It's only for a few days. Besides, during the recording, we can also take care of your schedule. If you have something to do, you can record a little later. We can wait for you."
Old Zhang: "Find someone else."
Zhang Ye said angrily: "Old Zhang, you're being too boring. My new show has just been launched and it's at a critical juncture. You should at least help me out. Hurry up, or else don't expect me to write songs for you in the future."
Old Zhang replied: "Do you have any good songs? Send them to me. "
Zhang Ye said: "I don't have any right now. Let's talk about the show first."
Old Zhang: "Even if I give you a joining fee, Central TV won't be able to afford it."
Zhang Ye said: "How do you know that I won't be able to afford it if you don't tell me?"
About five minutes later, Zhang Yuanqi replied after a long time. It was unknown if she was busy or doing something else. "The minimum is 40 million RMB, plus two of your new songs."
Zhang Ye: "One song."
Old Zhang: "Two songs."
Zhang Ye: "Just one song, no more."
Old Zhang: "… OK."
Zhang Ye made the decision: "Then it's a deal! It's settled! "
Old Zhang: "Are you sure you can afford the 40 million RMB joining fee?"
Zhang Ye laughed heartily and typed back: "Don't worry about that, I definitely won't be short of your money."
Old Zhang: "OK, about the contract, you can discuss it with my manager. Let me know in advance when you're going to record the catalog promo. Also, think about the new songs."
"I won't forget. Do you think I'll go back on my word?" Zhang Ye said happily.
It was settled!
He had finally planted the flag of the Heavenly Queen in The Voice's program team!
Was 40 million RMB a lot? To others, it might seem like an astronomical joining fee, but to Zhang Ye, as long as he could do a good job on the show, it was not a lot of money. Besides, with Zhang Yuanqi's popularity and status in the entertainment industry, she was at the top of the food chain in the entertainment industry. 40 million RMB to get her to join the show was not a bad deal. At the very least, even if other television stations offered Zhang Yuanqi 40 million RMB to join the show, she would still not go. Those television stations would not be able to take out the promise of just one song from Zhang Ye. Old Zhang was not someone who could be easily invited!
It was done!
Everything was settled!
The four generals were gathered!!
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