Chapter 146: Shameless, Utterly Shameless

After parting ways with Zhao Qingqing, Chen Qi went straight back to the studio.

The first thing he did upon returning was to take out the list of singers he planned to invite.

He then began calling them in the order listed.

He had meticulously categorized the list.

He even outlined the ideal initial lineup.

This initial roster included singers of various ages and styles.

If any singer in the initial lineup declined, he would find another singer of the same age group and style to replace them.

He was determined to ensure the show’s diversity; it could not be dull or monotonous.

The first call he made was to a relatively young female singer.

“Hello?” The call was answered quickly.

“Hello, is this Miss Zhang Xiyan?”

“Yes, who’s this?”

“Hello, I’m Chen Qi, the Chen Qi who sings ‘For You.’” When introducing himself to these singers, Chen Qi replaced his usual reference to “Unexpected” with “For You.”

“Oh, hello, hello.” Upon hearing Chen Qi’s introduction, the tone on the other end immediately became more polite.

‘For You’ had caused quite a stir in the currently bleak music scene. It was no exaggeration to say that any singer still struggling in the entertainment industry had certainly heard this song recently.

Miss Zhang Xiyan had not only heard it, but she also knew that Chen Qi was the songwriter and composer.

“Here’s the thing, I’m collaborating with Jingcheng Satellite TV on a music show and would like to invite you to participate. Are you interested?” After a brief polite exchange, Chen Qi got straight to the point.

He succinctly delivered the key information: Jingcheng Satellite TV and the music program.

“A music show? Collaborating with Jingcheng Satellite TV?” Miss Zhang Xiyan was taken aback by Chen Qi’s words.

She hadn’t expected anyone to dare produce a music show at this time.

“What kind of music show is it?” she asked.

“It’s a competition featuring well-known singers on the same stage,” Chen Qi briefly explained the format.

“Competition?” Hearing that word made Miss Zhang Xiyan’s heart race.

Then she heard there would be rankings.

And then Chen Qi mentioned eliminations...

“Uh... I’ll have to think about it.” After a half-minute silence, she politely declined.

“Alright,” Chen Qi smiled and hung up.

He wasn’t naive—he knew this was a face-saving refusal.

But he didn’t get discouraged and immediately dialed the second number.

There were dozens on his list; he was confident he could secure five or six willing participants early on.

With the music market in such a slump, many singers had been living off old reputations for years. Now that a chance to earn money finally appeared, only fools wouldn’t seize it.

“Hello?” The second call was answered quickly as well.

“Hello, is this Mr. Qin Mengxue? I’m Chen Qi...”

The same introduction as before.

Unlike Miss Zhang Xiyan, Mr. Qin Mengxue, a veteran singer who was familiar with Chen Qi, showed a bit of interest when he heard it was a collaboration with Jingcheng Satellite TV.

“Appearance fees will be calculated by episode. You get paid for each episode you appear in. If you’re eliminated mid-way, you’ll be paid after elimination. If you make it to the end to compete for the title of King of Song, payment will be settled after the show ends.” Chen Qi shamelessly employed a little trick since he was short on funds.

If he could delay paying the appearance fees, he would.

“We’re offering 600,000 yuan per episode,” he said.

Hearing this offer, the seasoned Mr. Qin Mengxue was tempted.

“May I know who else has agreed to participate?” he asked.

“Sorry, to maintain confidentiality, I can’t disclose other contestants’ identities,” Chen Qi refused directly. “You’ll only meet each other on stage after the official recordings start.”

Then, Mr. Qin Mengxue fell silent.

Chen Qi waited patiently.

“Hmm... I need to think it over carefully.” After a few minutes of silence, Mr. Qin finally responded.

“No problem, but please get back to me by tomorrow. The schedule is tight, and I need to confirm the first batch of participants as soon as possible.”

“...Alright.” After a moment’s thought, Mr. Qin agreed.

Hanging up, Chen Qi continued dialing the next number.

With a bit of experience, he grew less formal and got straight to the point.

“I’m Chen Qi. I’m working with Jingcheng Satellite TV on a music program and would like to invite you to participate. The appearance fee is 450,000 yuan per episode. Are you interested?”

Whether it was Chen Qi’s direct approach or the fact that these musicians hadn’t received decent offers in a long time, the calls that followed went surprisingly smoothly.

Out of a dozen or so calls, more than half showed some interest.

Whether their interest was in the show itself or the appearance fees...

That didn’t matter.

What mattered was that they were interested.

However, although many expressed interest, none confirmed participation outright.

They all wanted to think it over.

Chen Qi had no objection, but for some participants he was especially eager to recruit, he patiently analyzed the pros and cons.

He painted vivid pictures: this show would surely take the nation by storm; participating would boost their fame; the initial lineup would leave a more lasting impression on the audience than latecomers; and after the show, they’d undoubtedly receive more commercial performance invitations, and so on.

With a mindset of painting grand dreams without cost, Chen Qi went all out.

A few passionate calls stirred several on the other end.

After confirming that ten people had shown interest, Chen Qi paused and patiently awaited their replies.

By evening, the response calls started coming in.

As Chen Qi expected, most still had various reservations.

Their biggest worry was the embarrassment of being eliminated on the show and the possible damage to their reputation.

Of course, while voicing these concerns, they all simultaneously tried to find out who the other contestants were.

How shameless was Chen Qi?

Having not yet secured a single participant, he shamelessly used “confidentiality” to refuse their inquiries.

Not only that, he shamelessly told them over the phone that four participants had already been confirmed.

He said only two spots remained in the initial lineup!

Just as he expected, hearing this made those who initially wanted to refuse hesitate.

Seizing the moment, Chen Qi pressed on, offering to visit them for face-to-face discussions.

For those outside Jingcheng, he straightforwardly invited them to come to Jingcheng for meetings.

They... agreed.