Chapter 14

Fuming, George returned to the TV station and exaggeratedly recounted Ye Ming's performance.

Then he said no more, for he had been with Mao Duoduo for quite some time and knew very well that it would be strange if Mao Duoduo could swallow this insult.

In other words, Ye Ming was in for trouble. Mao Duoduo would not rest until Ye Ming was completely blacklisted.

Sure enough, Mao Duoduo, who had been calmly reading a fashion magazine, threw it aside the moment he heard that Ye Ming had actually rejected his kindness. His eyes turned fierce, and his face twisted as he said, "A newcomer dares to reject my kindness. What a bold move. It seems I need to teach him how to respect his seniors. Go and call Director Fang; tell him I need to see him."

Mao Duoduo's anger was like a volcanic eruption. Given his status in the music industry, it was a huge embarrassment to be snubbed by a newcomer. If this got out, it would be a laughingstock.

Who would still fear him in the music industry after this?

To set an example, Ye Ming was the chicken, and Mao Duoduo's knife was already sharpened, ready to strike.

Hearing this, George knew the matter was settled. Ye Ming was in for trouble.

Don't think that just because Ye Ming made it to the finals of the original song competition, Mao Duoduo couldn't make his efforts come to nothing. It would be very easy for Mao Duoduo to do so.

After George left, Su Xiuxiu secretly rejoiced. "Ye Ming, now that Mao Duoduo has decided to blacklist you, what future do you have? You'll soon see what happens when you offend a top star."

At this moment, Su Xiuxiu fanned the flames, saying, "Ye Ming has always been arrogant and conceited. In the company, he was very disrespectful to me, his senior. I could tolerate that, after all, we were all newcomers. But I never thought he would dare to disrespect you, Mao Mao. This time, he can't get off lightly."

Mao Duoduo, a top star in the music industry and a rising star in TV dramas, was said to be on the path to becoming a triple threat. Compared to Ye Ming, he was a towering presence. A strong blacklist was about to come, like a storm. Although Mao Duoduo seemed calm, he would not hesitate to crush Ye Ming when the time came.

The calmer he was, the more intense his anger, and the more severe the crackdown would be.

Ye Ming quickly left the cafe. One reason was that he didn't want to see George's condescending face, and the other was that he saw someone he knew, or rather, someone he was somewhat familiar with.

Zhao Wei, with her big, sparkling eyes, was waiting on the other side of the road with two young men.

Her eyes, like stars, were hard to ignore.

Ye Ming crossed the road and greeted her early, "Zhao Wei, I didn't expect to see you here. Did you also participate in the original song competition?"

Zhao Wei was taken aback for a moment, then she saw Ye Ming and immediately smiled, waving, "Ye Ming, 'Rats Love Rice' is great. I really like that song. Let me introduce you to these two. This is Huang Xiaoming, my classmate, and this is my senior, Liang Dong. I'm not here to participate; I'm here to support my senior, who is in the competition."

The straightforward Zhao Wei continued, "Let me introduce you. This is Ye Ming, an actor from the same production as me. He will be playing the role of Fu Erkang in Auntie Qiong Yao's production."

The carefree Zhao Wei didn't doubt why Ye Ming recognized her. They were in the same production, and the production team would naturally introduce the main cast.

In fact, Zhao Wei had gotten Ye Ming's information from the production team.

Huang Xiaoming, who would later become a popular young actor, still had a youthful air about him. At this point, he was a young, somewhat arrogant freshman.

Liang Dong's expression wasn't very good, but he had some experience and greeted Ye Ming politely.

Huang Xiaoming, on the other hand, simply nodded without saying anything, showing that he wasn't very good at talking to strangers. He was far from the confident and articulate person he would become in front of the media.

Everything comes with practice, and Huang Xiaoming still lacked it.

Ye Ming looked at the three of them and sensed something was off, as if there was a bit of tension.

Zhao Wei seemed to notice Ye Ming's confusion and said, "Since we can't decide, why don't we go have a cup of coffee and discuss how to handle this?"

Back at the cafe, Zhao Wei explained the situation. It was related to Liang Dong's participation in the original song competition.

It turned out that Liang Dong had used connections to participate in the competition, with the promise of a top ten finish in the preliminaries and a good performance in the finals.

Although Zhao Wei didn't say it outright, Ye Ming could tell that Liang Dong had spent a lot of money to smooth things over with Assistant Director Fang.

However, the results were not as expected. Liang Dong barely made it to the finals with a sixteenth-place finish. Only sixteen people made it to the finals, and Liang Dong was the last one.

While the rules stated that the preliminary scores did not carry over to the finals, a poor impression in the preliminaries would make it very difficult to do well in the finals.

A competition champion would never come from the bottom of the preliminaries, or it would suggest foul play.

No one could afford to take that blame.

Therefore, with a sixteenth-place finish, Liang Dong's chances of a good ranking in the finals were slim.

Liang Dong said resentfully, "I didn't ask for much, just a top three finish. If I could get a top three, I could stay in school. Otherwise, I'll have to go back. That's why I spent 30,000 yuan to smooth things over. It's almost all the money I've saved from part-time jobs over the years. But Assistant Director Fang promised me a good ranking, and I ended up sixteenth. How can I get a top three now? It's almost impossible."

He then added, "But you, Ye Ming, made it to the finals with a second-place finish. I've heard 'Rats Love Rice,' and it should have been first. Someone must be suppressing you. You have a bright future ahead. And you even have a role in Auntie Qiong Yao's production. I'm really envious."

Liang Dong wasn't a small-minded person. He had heard 'Rats Love Rice' and felt that even second place was a bit unfair.

At this point, Ye Ming smiled bitterly and said, "Everyone has their own difficulties. A good preliminary score doesn't guarantee a good final score. This competition is deep."

Naturally, Ye Ming wouldn't mention that he had offended Mao Duoduo and was destined to fail, even in the preliminary rounds. That was a certainty, or Mao Duoduo wouldn't be a top star.

Ye Ming wasn't close enough to Zhao Wei and the others to share such deep concerns.

Huang Xiaoming then said, "That's true. Anything can happen in a competition. Maybe you'll do well in the finals and get a good ranking. A good preliminary score doesn't mean much..."

At this, Zhao Wei pulled Huang Xiaoming's sleeve, signaling him to be careful.

Ye Ming could say it, but saying it to Ye Ming's face could be offensive, especially since Ye Ming had a second-place finish.

In the entertainment industry, offending someone can sometimes be just a matter of a few words.

Huang Xiaoming seemed to realize his mistake and stopped talking, focusing on stirring his coffee as if it were the most important thing in the world.

No wonder he was studying acting; he could control his emotions so easily.

Zhao Wei quickly took over, "Actually, we were discussing what to do. Liang Dong's idea is to talk to Director Fang and find out what's going on. My and Xiaoming's opinion is to wait and see. The finals haven't started yet, and anything can happen. We should wait for news."

Because of this, the three of them had been arguing on the street.

Ye Ming thought for a moment and said, "This has nothing to do with me, but I understand. The unspoken rules can't be openly discussed. If you break them, you'll be blacklisted. This is a price Liang Dong might not be able to afford. Unless you never want to enter this industry and are content to teach at school, you should think carefully."

In the entertainment industry, the unspoken rules are rarely broken, even if everyone knows they exist. Breaking them means you don't want to stay in the industry.

But Ye Ming believed Liang Dong wouldn't think that way, or he wouldn't have spent 30,000 yuan to get a good ranking.

Everyone in the industry has a star dream, and Liang Dong was no exception.

Liang Dong said reluctantly, "If I just give up, and I don't get a good ranking, it will be too late."

With his experience, Ye Ming understood the situation. He said firmly, "If you don't break the unspoken rules, you might not get a good ranking, but if you expose them, you'll be blacklisted. Breaking the rules means you won't last long in this industry."