bookmarkrole Chapter 203 Let's go, and don't even think about coming back once we're gone.
Chapter 203 Let's go, and don't even think about coming back once we're gone.
"Bang!"
As the heavy solid wood door was slammed shut by the three furious figures, silence returned to the CEO's office.
The pungent smell of cheap perfume in the air hadn't dissipated yet, but the nauseating, oppressive feeling had been completely swept away.
Lin Zhou threw the used disinfectant wipe into the trash can, clapped his hands, as if he had just finished a thorough cleaning.
"It felt great..."
Sister Hong collapsed onto the sofa like a lump of mud, rubbing her throbbing temples.
She stared at the empty doorway, her earlier bravado completely vanished, replaced by deep despair.
"But Lin Zhou, you've really turned our Starry Sky empire upside down this time!"
Sister Hong suddenly sat up straight, grabbed the newly drawn-up national tour plan on the table, and was so anxious that tears were about to fall.
"With those three ungrateful wretches gone, our artist department is completely drained!"
"What if we breach the contracts for the next three major commercial performances? Who will take the two S-level variety shows that have already been arranged?"
"The worst part is the selection slots for next month's Spring Festival Gala! The organizers specifically reserved two slots for language-based and song-and-dance categories because of our company's strong performance over the past two years. Now, we don't even have anyone breathing on stage. What are we going to submit for review?"
Su Qingge leaned back in her executive chair, her brows furrowed tightly.
Although she supported Lin Zhou's actions and felt relieved to see the three people slink away, as the head of Starry Sky Media, she had to face the extremely harsh reality.
"Sister Hong is right, honey. We might have acted a little impulsively this time."
Su Qingge sighed, her slender fingers kneading her brow.
"Although my dad helped us cover the bank's losses with his funds, an entertainment company without core artists who can continuously generate revenue is just an empty shell sitting on a gold mine."
"Zhou Lixing's move to undermine our foundation is too ruthless."
"He just wants to see us holding a ton of money, but unable to make a ripple in this industry."
Seeing the two women's gloomy and dejected expressions, Lin Zhou smiled without caring at all.
He walked to the water dispenser, slowly filled two glasses with warm water, and handed them to Su Qingge and Sister Hong.
"Wife, Sister Hong, this is a typical example of ingrained thinking."
Lin Zhou pulled up a chair and sat down, crossing his legs and relaxing as if he were sunbathing in his own backyard.
"Do you really think that by keeping those three time bombs, Starry Sky will become bigger and stronger?"
"What do you mean?" Su Qingge looked up at him, puzzled.
"Out with the old, in with the new. These people are only good at talking and have a glamorous image; their character is terrible at heart. Keeping them around is the real scourge."
Lin Zhou held his water glass, his eyes becoming deep and thoughtful.
"Li Tian likes to drink and race cars, Zhao Xu has a messy private life, and Wang Mengmeng is a snob who will do anything to get ahead."
"Now that our company has money, if we continue to pour resources into them, pushing them to the top or even the very top, what if one day they break into a huge scandal?"
"By then, it won't be a matter of just 200 million in breach of contract fees. They'll smash the entire Starry Sky Media brand to pieces, leaving them no chance to recover."
Lin Zhou's words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly waking Sister Hong up.
Sister Hong shivered.
Having been in this industry for so many years, she knows all too well how devastating a disgraced artist can be to a company.
Lin Zhou was right; these three people were never good people to begin with.
"Now that they've proactively terminated the contract, and the Dynasty is even paying their breach of contract fees like a sucker, we're practically making a killing here, aren't we?"
Lin Zhou chuckled and drank the water in his cup in one gulp.
"Go, and don't even think about coming back. Do they really think the stars and the Earth will stop turning without them?"
"But..." Sister Hong was still somewhat anxious, "I understand the logic, but how do we fill this hole? Where are we going to find someone temporarily who can hold the fort?"
"Aren't there still a group of trainees in the company?"
Lin Zhou stood up and straightened the collar of his trench coat.
"Come on, take me to the practice room. With me, the newly crowned King of Singers, personally handling things, even a rough stone can be sculpted into a piece of jade."
Looking at Lin Zhou's confident back, Su Qingge felt all the gloom in her heart vanish.
Yes, how could she forget that her husband is an all-powerful devil?
The three of them walked out of the president's office and took the elevator to the artist training department on the third floor of the building.
The departure of key artists has created a climate of anxiety throughout the training department.
Through the huge one-way glass, Lin Zhou saw several young men and women sweating profusely in the practice room.
Hongjie pointed to several young boys dancing in practice room A and introduced them in a low voice.
"Director Lin, these are the boy group talents that our company is focusing on developing this year. They have good looks and dance skills. The long-haired girl next door is a professionally trained vocalist; her high notes are very stable."
Lin Zhou stood outside the glass wall, arms crossed, and quietly observed for a full five minutes.
Then, he shook his head in utter disappointment.
"no."
"Huh? None of them work?" Sister Hong was stunned.
"It's too mechanical."
Lin Zhou sighed and pointed out the problem incisively.
"Their singing is like that of emotionless vocal machines, and their dancing is like that of industrial products on an assembly line. Every movement, every note transition, is something that has been mechanically copied and distorted by the teacher."
"If you throw these kinds of people into the market, they'll be nothing more than a flash in the pan, like artificial sweeteners. They can't even produce a single memorable hit. You think you can rely on them to carry our national tour next month? That would be ruining our own reputation."
Sister Hong immediately deflated like a punctured balloon.
"What should we do then? All the promising talents our company has signed are here; we can't just go out on the street and recruit people on the spot, can we?"
Lin Zhou did not answer.
He frowned and continued walking down the corridor, trying to find even the slightest glimmer of light in the pile of sand.
Until they reached the vicinity of the safety passage at the end of the corridor.
A faint humming sound, yet carrying a profound sense of vicissitude that struck the soul, suddenly entered Lin Zhou's ears.
There was no accompaniment.
There were no flashy high notes or technical virtuosity.
It's a kind of humming that's almost like murmuring, but it carries a grainy quality that's been roughened by time, like a bowl of strong Northeastern Chinese liquor—pungent, but with an endless aftertaste.
Lin Zhou suddenly stopped in his tracks.
A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he even softened his breathing.
Who's singing?
Lin Zhou turned to look at Sister Hong, his tone carrying an undisguised urgency.
"Singing? No, this is a blind spot in the corridor, there aren't even any security cameras..."
Hongjie looked in the direction Lin Zhou was looking, completely bewildered.
The door to the emergency exit was half-open.
A woman wearing a faded, even slightly ill-fitting, blue cleaning uniform was bending over, holding a mop and wiping the floor tiles one stroke at a time.
The woman was around fifty years old, and her temples already showed obvious signs of gray hair.
His face was etched with the marks of life and deep wrinkles.
That evocative and penetrating humming voice came from her withered lips.
Su Qingge was also stunned. She never expected that Lin Zhou would stop here because of a cleaning lady.
"That's Aunt Wang."
Sister Hong explained in a low voice.
"I've been with the company for three years. I'm very efficient at my work and don't talk much. I heard that I had a family tragedy a few years ago and raised my sick son alone. It must have been tough for me."
Sister Hong was still rambling on about the cleaning lady's tragic life story.
But Lin Zhou could no longer hear anything.
In his mind, he quietly activated the system's [Artist Potential Radar Detection].
[Target identified: Wang Guihua.]
Vocal technique: Grade D (no professional training).
Stage presence: F grade (no experience).
[Appearance rating: F.]
Looking at these appalling data, the system didn't even bother to provide a comprehensive evaluation.
However, at the very bottom of the panel, there was a piece of extremely hidden data that made Lin Zhou's heart skip a beat.
[Emotional resonance (soul penetration): SSS level (off the charts)!]
What the hell does this mean?
Of all the top singers Lin Zhou had ever met, including himself when he was using the trial card, the highest level of emotional resonance he achieved was only S-level.
And this middle-aged woman holding a mop is actually at max level!
As soon as she opens her mouth, without any skill required, that deep, earthy vitality can directly tear the audience's emotional defenses to shreds!
Is God feeding her while chasing after her, or did He just dump the food bowl on her face?
"Found it."
Lin Zhou took a deep breath, and a bright, even somewhat crazy smile appeared on his lips.
He turned his head, pointed to the cleaning lady in her fifties who was still bending over mopping the floor in the corner and had no idea about the future, and said something surprising.
"Sister Hong, sign her."
"I want her to be on the Spring Festival Gala."