This celebrity became even more popular after being exposed of having multiple girlfriends
Chapter 126: To Sing a Duet with Someone

Chapter 126: Chapter 126: To Sing a Duet with Someone

Wu Mu quickly learned about Xiong Guanglin’s compromise solution.

He was having dinner with Lin Qingyue when Lin Qingyue received a call from Xiong Guanglin, "Mm, I’m off today, okay, I’ll ask him..."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Qingyue thought for a moment and said to Wu Mu across from her, who was curious, "The director said that after discussing with the evening gala director, we can invite you on the show, but you can’t sing solo, you have to perform a group song with a few other popular figures in the industry."

Perform a group song with other popular figures?

Wu Mu found the director Lin Qingyue mentioned to be quite resourceful; singing solo was too conspicuous, which could draw unnecessary attention.

But if he sang with other popular figures, it wouldn’t be as noticeable, and it might even be spun into a positive story about young, popular figures earnestly aligning with the mainstream, thereby earning some favorable impressions.

Wu Mu was indifferent, as a singer could hardly avoid group performances, even for top celebrities, and all the more so for him, a star whose popularity had decreased.

Seeing that he wasn’t opposed, Lin Qingyue nodded and continued, "The song is your ’Misplaced Time and Space.’ If you agree, our station will pay you an additional licensing fee."

Licensing fees weren’t really a concern for Wu Mu; it would at most be a few hundred thousand.

He was more interested in another issue, "Does your station have live vocals for the evening gala?"

Lin Qingyue gave him a look, amused, "Of course, it’s live singing."

Live singing, eh.

That could be a problem.

Wu Mu, curious, asked, "Then how will you deal with the situation if I sing better than the others? You surely won’t expect me to hold back."

Lin Qingyue didn’t quite understand at first, what issue there would be if he sang better than others?

Did such a thing need special handling?

Just tune and edit the vocals, that’s all.

There have been many instances where younger, popular artists performed duets with the industry’s kings and queens, and no fresh-faced pop star ever seemed to get overshadowed.

The TV station wasn’t useless; they could edit the vocals and to the average viewer, there wouldn’t be much of a noticeable difference.

In her mind, she subconsciously didn’t perceive this as a problem.

However, recalling the singing style of the person in front of her, she realized there was indeed a problem.

Wu Mu’s singing had always been noted for its emotional depth, and perhaps that wasn’t something you could simply edit in?

But apart from collaborating with Mo Mo, Wu Mu hadn’t really duetted with anyone else before, had he?

Would the difference in quality really be that noticeable?

Seeing the confusion on Lin Qingyue’s face, Wu Mu smiled and said, "I think there might be some difference in quality."

He was aware of the other popular artists’ levels; even with tuning and editing, they probably wouldn’t measure up to him, who had "Skills" unlocked.

Lin Qingyue looked at him, thought for a moment, then decisively said, "I’ll ask what our director thinks."

She called Xiong Guanglin.

Xiong Guanglin clearly hadn’t considered this problem either.

After pondering for a while, he finally said, "No problem, just let Wu Mu sing normally."

Hmm, what did it matter to their station if the other younger artists were outperformed? They’d do the usual vocal editing, and if those performers still showed a clear inferiority, then it could only be attributed to a lack of talent.

Since Xiong Guanglin didn’t mind, Wu Mu certainly didn’t care even less, "Okay then, a group performance it is."

That was essentially the negotiation concluded; the specific details and contract signing required the evening gala director’s representative to discuss further with Wu Mu.

...

Very soon, the evening gala director sent someone to discuss the specifics with Wu Mu and the contract was signed.

Beijing TV Station’s offer to Wu Mu was 1.2 million, plus 300,000 for song licensing, totaling 1.5 million.

It was much less than his usual appearance fee, but it was normal to lower the price for such galas, plus he was part of a group performance.

With the new program’s negotiations settled, Wu Mu’s matter of moving and buying a house was also taking shape.

After checking out several properties in Beijing, he ultimately felt that Lin Qingyue’s Qingyun Mountain Villa was more appropriate.

He eventually chose a fully furnished, standalone villa not far from Lin Qingyue’s home—over 500 square meters, totaling more than seventy million, and with various miscellaneous expenses, roughly eighty million in all.

It happened to be about the same price as the villa he had sold to Liu Lan.

After selecting the house, the next step was to go through the procedures for the transfer of ownership. He didn’t have a Beijing residence permit, nor had he been tax-domiciled in Beijing for over five years, so he wasn’t eligible to buy a property; he had to purchase it in the name of his company first and then transfer it to his personal name later.

Fortunately, the villa he had previously owned with Liu Lan had been bought in the same way, and his company was already established, saving him the hassle of starting a new one from scratch.

Even so, the process was not easy, and even before his house purchase was finalized, rehearsals for the Beijing TV Station’s New Year’s Eve gala had already begun.

...

Beijing TV Station, behind the scenes at the gala rehearsal.

The several big names who had arrived early were gathering, greeting each other, and engaging in polite conversation.

They chatted casually about recent industry work and the acts they were planning for the gala, occasionally kindly responding to greetings from younger performers who approached.

"Hey, is that Wu Mu?"

They were in the midst of conversation when someone exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone instinctively turned their gaze and did indeed spot an excessively handsome face.

It really was Wu Mu.

He was participating in Beijing TV Station’s New Year’s Eve gala too?

They were all inevitably astonished.

Was Beijing TV Station being too daring, inviting Wu Mu to such an event so soon after his fall from grace?

As they watched Wu Mu, they were all wondering how to respond when he came over to greet them.

Should they be enthusiastic or aloof?

Although Wu Mu had dropped to a second-tier status after his fall, his rise seemed promising, and he might return to the top anytime.

They were mulling over the appropriate attitude to adopt later on.

But...

When Wu Mu arrived backstage at the venue, he glanced around and casually took a seat in an empty spot.

There was no sign that he intended to come over for greetings at all.

This act certainly wrinkled many brows in an instant.

What was this? Was Wu Mu acting even more aloof than before his fall?

They had interacted with Wu Mu before when he was at his peak; even then, he would come over politely to greet them.

Now that his popularity had waned, his demeanor seemed even more distant?

Clearly, everyone was feeling a bit miffed.

Surely Wu Mu wasn’t getting carried away with his recent spike in popularity, losing track of his position?

Indeed, relying on variety show popularity has its limits, no matter the hype.