Chapter 1: The Five Returning Sons

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September 1, 2014,

——Parallel World,

China, Suhang.

【Shocking News!! Following the return of Wu and Lu, the other two members have successively entered into contract disputes with SM Entertainment!】

【SM Entertainment is furious, purging all Chinese trainees under its banner!!】

【China’s strongest "God-tier" visual trainee, 'Gu Qing', suffers an unprovoked disaster. Four years of sweat and toil have gone down the drain. The youth and hard work of these boys have been wantonly trampled upon. Who should be held responsible for this?】

【Startling News!! SM’s runaway visual 'Gu Qing' returns to the country, causing a sensation at the airport. He politely advised fans and maintained airport order—highly commendable!】

【SM’s strongest trainee 'Gu Qing' has been signed by a domestic entertainment company and will soon make his re-debut!!】

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"First 'the strongest,' then 'God-tier visual,' and while they're at it, they're stepping on the 'Four Returned Sons' to leech off their traffic. Is the company trying to get me killed by their fans' spit?"

Scrolling through the exaggerated press releases and trending topics, Gu Qing, sitting in the back seat, felt like jumping out of the moving car.

Is it too late to run now?

"Boss, what’s wrong with what they said? You really were the one who got screwed over."

His young assistant, 'Zhao Ya', stood up for him. "After those guys were made famous by SM, they chose to terminate their contracts immediately. Doesn't that just make life miserable for you trainees who haven't even debuted yet?"

"Besides... you really are very good-looking."

Zhao Ya’s voice gradually lowered, her gaze involuntarily lingering on Gu Qing’s face.

Her heartbeat quickened slightly, and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks, as if she were being pulled by some invisible force, unable to look away.

Gu Qing’s profile looked exceptionally soft under the sunlight filtering through the car window. His skin was as fair as jade, his brows and eyes were like a painting, his nose bridge was high, and his lip line was distinct, as if every feature had been meticulously carved.

Most striking of all,

Was that pair of almond eyes—round, clear, clean, and bright. The soft bangs on his forehead slightly obscured his gaze, making him look like a 'beauty' who had just stepped out of a painting in the morning mist.

It was exactly the kind of,

'Androgynous flower boy' aesthetic that was most popular right now.

Zhao Ya was somewhat dazed, thinking to herself, "I just started this job and I already met such a pretty little boss. I really came to the right place in the entertainment industry."

"That’s only part of the reason."

Gu Qing frowned slightly, his eyes still fixed on the content of his phone. Seeing the sympathy in the comments from passersby made him feel quite uncomfortable.

"My departure from SM was certainly influenced by them to some extent, but the main reason was that the contract was too harsh."

Through the original owner's memories,

He clearly knew that the debut contract offered by SM had a split of an outrageous 9.5:0.5.

In other words, the artist only received 5% of the income from commercial performances, and they had to obey the company's arrangements, accept unscrupulous exploitation, and end up with a body full of illnesses.

Who could accept that?

If he were Wu or Lu, he would definitely choose to leave too!

Even if the 'Little Sheep' who left later didn't leave SM, he still developed in the domestic industry and had an independent studio, not having to listen to the company's every arrangement.

But now,

The company's insane marketing had directly planted four bombs for Gu Qing, who hadn't even debuted yet!

As a former small-time UP creator who relied on covering viral songs in his past life,

He knew exactly what the traffic of the 'Four Returned Sons' meant.

2014 was the era when domestic entertainment traffic was on the rise.

Of the famous 'Four Greats and Three Smalls,' the 'Four Returned Sons' occupied two spots, dominating most of the domestic entertainment traffic circle.

Don't look at how he was currently attracting a wave of sympathy from passersby who were just there for his looks thanks to the company's marketing.

If he made even the slightest mistake in the future,

He could be hysterically attacked by the fans of those four, who were currently lurking and feeling disgruntled!

Just then,

The phone rang abruptly, breaking the silence in the car.

Gu Qing glanced at the screen; it was the manager the company had arranged for him: Li Li, a middle-aged woman steeped in the entertainment industry.

He pressed the answer button.

"Baby, did you see today's press releases? Many people are sympathizing with you."

There was a hint of smugness in Li Li's voice.

This was her meticulously planned marketing strategy, and it had been highly effective, so she was naturally full of joy.

Why are people in the entertainment industry like lunatics? Calling everyone 'baby' or 'darling'—isn't it nauseating?

Gu Qing suppressed his discomfort with the term of address and asked, "Sister Li, I saw the press releases, but won't using others to hype myself up like this cause a negative impact?"

There was a second of silence on the other end of the line,

Followed by Li Li’s slightly mocking laughter: "But isn't that the survival rule of the entertainment industry? If you don't market yourself and step on your competitors, who will notice you?

Do you think those fans just appeared out of thin air? Those airport pickups, those trending topics—which one wasn't meticulously planned by us?"

"The entertainment industry has never been about strength; it's about traffic, it's about topics. Without exposure, it doesn't matter how talented you are!

Besides, if it weren't for this press release, would you have been able to get an invitation to record for Moon TV's 'Keep Running'?"

Gu Qing was stunned, his tone hesitant: "'Keep Running'? Sister Li, you mean..."

"That's right."

Li Li's tone became gentle again. "This is a great opportunity. Remember, when you get to the recording site, don't just stand there like a wooden puppet.

Smile more, take the initiative to greet people, and play to the strengths of that pretty little face of yours. Do you understand?"

"Alright, don't think too much. Just do as I say. I'll come find you once I finish the work on my hands.

Remember, there is no right or wrong in the entertainment industry, only success or failure. If you want to keep working in this circle, you have to learn to adapt to the rules."

With that, Li Li hung up the phone.

Listening to the busy signal from the phone,

Gu Qing took a deep breath and put the phone down.

If the original owner hadn't already signed a six-year contract,

I'll adapt to your—!

Zhao Ya was observing his expression cautiously from the side and asked softly, "Boss, what did Sister Li say?"

"Nothing much, just told me to prepare well for the upcoming variety show recording."

Gu Qing shook his head and replied.

Zhao Ya blinked, seemingly sensing Gu Qing's anxiety, and comforted him: "Actually, Sister Li is doing this for your own good. The entertainment industry is just like that; sometimes you have to do things you don't like.

But I believe that with your talent and looks, Qingqing, you will definitely be able to make a name for yourself in the domestic industry!"

Gu Qing didn't reply.

Have to do things he doesn't like?

To what extent?

He wasn't an idiot!

Before he transmigrated,

Gu Qing was somewhat of a veteran internet surfer, and he had seen plenty of trending topics about stars falling from grace in the entertainment industry.

So-called 'hidden rules' and being kept were the norm, and there were plenty of even more twisted things going on.

If you want to be famous, you either need a benefactor behind you, or you need a background of your own!

But what about this original body of his?

Penniless, parents died early, living under someone else's roof at a relative's house. He was only able to study abroad in the Peninsula because he participated in a talent show that reimbursed most of the expenses.

Even so,

The five years of training had exhausted all the savings his parents had left behind.

Otherwise, the original owner wouldn't have been so impulsive as to sign this 'indenture' just before returning to the country, upon hearing that an entertainment company was willing to give him a 50% salary split and a monthly salary of 20,000 yuan.

"The contract doesn't guarantee how many shows you can film or how many resources you'll be given each year. What's the difference between this 50% salary split and a decoration?"

Especially when thinking about those harsh auxiliary conditions in the contract, Gu Qing felt a headache coming on.

Like the clauses about not being able to go against the company's will, not being able to do anything that damages the artist's moral image—

If any losses were caused, the artist would have to bear the full cost themselves and pay the company a huge penalty for breach of contract.

If that weren't enough,

The company also took into account that,

Since the original owner was a 'graduate' from SM, he inevitably had some musical talent.

Therefore, the contract explicitly stipulated that,

The copyright of any music released in the future would be used and operated by the company.

And the time limit for the copyright was ambiguous,

It didn't say whether it was within six years or after six years.

If Gu Qing became famous and didn't renew his contract with the company, this would be their trump card!

In the entertainment industry,

There are quite a few artists who have fallen because of this.

Once a conflict arises with the original company, not only can they not get the copyright to their songs, but even worse, they can't even use their own stage names.

This also made Gu Qing temporarily abandon the idea of releasing an album that would immediately make him a legend.

What if he plagiarized too many songs, only for the copyright to belong to the company in the end? Wouldn't he lose everything?

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(End of chapter)