Chapter 149: The Eve of the Finals

In Liao Yuan's memory, this uncle of his was exceptionally intelligent. According to the elders, the uncle had been renowned for his sharp tongue since childhood. All Liao Yuan knew was that Dong Qiusheng had spent a decade studying and working overseas before returning to China to start a business, though the specific details remained unknown to him.

Never did he expect that a few years later, in the blink of an eye, Dong Qiusheng would reappear before him as an angel investor, handing him a contract worth a staggering 120 million.

Five days later, just as fans across Asia were passionately focused on the grand finale of Produce 101, a sudden bombshell dropped in the media: Xinyuan Talent Agency had transferred Liao Meiqi’s contract to an obscure little company for a sky-high price of 150 million RMB over five years.

This incident caused an immediate sensation.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

"150 million? That much?"

"A show that only blew up three months ago, and the C-position contestant's market value has already hit 150 million!"

"Terrifying!"

"It's hype, definitely hype!"

"Actually, thinking about it carefully, this price isn't that outrageous. 150 million for five years averages out to thirty million a year... Holy crap, thirty million a year is still a ton!"

"This price is a bit wild. Not only is the price wild, but the boss of Xinyuan Agency is crazy enough too, actually transferring Liao Meiqi away right on the eve of the show's live grand finale. Why didn't they wait two more days? Once Liao Meiqi debuted in the C-position, the price probably could have gone even higher."

"What if she didn't get the C-position? Then there wouldn't be 150 million!"

"Trading her out now is the safest bet. I looked up Xinyuan Agency—it's the company Zhang Ziming is with, and their influence is very weak. They basically have no capacity to manage Liao Meiqi."

"That's nothing. I looked into that Little Yellow Croaker company that made the 150-million offer. The artist with the highest value in that company is a singer named Song Bailing, the one who sang *Fairytale Town*. Aside from Song Bailing, the company is completely flat broke, even more pathetic than Xinyuan Agency. I seriously doubt they even have 150 million."

"I heard that company is run by Director Fu Yuntao's younger sister, so... you know..."

"What the hell? Director Fu's company? Then it all makes sense!"

Breaking such major news on the eve of the grand finale not only left fans and the media in an uproar, but even the production team of Produce 101 found it hard to believe.

Fu Yuntao, who was supervising the show's rehearsals on the grand finale stage, looked at the news spreading across Weibo with a trace of astonishment.

150 million?

Are you kidding me!

Where on earth did Liao Yuan get that kind of money?

More importantly, since when did Little Yellow Croaker become his company?

Fu Yuntao grimaced, "It seems this Liao Yuan is pushing me to the front lines to draw the fire."

"If I were him, I'd probably do the same."

Wang Rui, head of one of the major video streaming platforms, took a sip of canned coffee and laughed, "What surprises me, though, is where Liao Yuan got so much money. Although I've never met Liao Yuan, I'm pretty much aware of all his movements since he rose to fame, and his assets simply do not reach a scale of hundreds of millions."

"I'm surprised too, but facts are facts."

Fu Yuntao looked at the updates on Weibo and clicked his tongue in wonder, "Liao Meiqi's contract price is pretty clearly established in the industry; it's definitely worth over a hundred million. Even if Liao Yuan exaggerated the transaction price outwardly, it wouldn't deviate too far from this figure. And Xinyuan Agency has no reason to pass up a hundred-million-dollar transaction fee and choose to sell her off cheaply to Liao Yuan. Even though Liao Meiqi and Liao Yuan are biological siblings, in the business world, people will draw swords and fight to the death over a tiny bit of profit. That kind of relationship doesn't hold up here."

"So, in that case, there really is a chance it's 150 million."

Wang Rui smiled in pleasant surprise, "I completely didn't expect this."

"I feel like it's a bit of a loss." Fu Yuntao popped open a can of coffee, pondered for a moment, and shook his head, "Liao Meiqi's contract price is somewhat inflated. Even if she debuts in the C-position, according to the contract signed between Xinyuan Agency and the production team, all activities of the entire girl group will be handled by the production team for the next two years following her debut. In other words, over those initial two years, Liao Meiqi's popularity might suffer from over-consumption. After two years, she will either become a heavenly queen or slide down to a regular first-tier artist."

"Do you think she'll become a regular first-tier artist with Liao Yuan's help?" Wang Rui asked with a chuckle, "Doesn't it terrify you to have him toss songs like *If There's an Afterlife* at you day after day?"

"Terrified, utterly terrified!"

Fu Yuntao sighed deeply.

Wang Rui's words were not unfounded.

A week ago, the South Korean electronic giant Samsung Group's mobile division had contacted the production team, deciding to use *If There's an Afterlife* as an advertising song for their newly produced Galaxy series of smartphones.

This matter had not yet been made public; only the top executives of the production team knew about it.

In addition, the song *Years Later* had also caught the eye of a domestic television drama production team, and discussions were currently underway with the production team to use it as the theme song for a new drama.

"Compared to the copyright price offered by Samsung, my song *Stargazing* is really dirt cheap!"

Looking at the twenty-two girls rehearsing *Stargazing* on the stage, Fu Yuntao wryly smiled, "You're right. If Liao Yuan truly transforms into an overprotective brotherly shield, relying on his talent, with dozens or hundreds of songs thrown her way, no matter how mediocre Liao Meiqi might be, she will probably always stand firm at the pinnacle of the music scene. Her future really holds the possibility of becoming a heavenly queen."

What is the value generated by a heavenly queen?

It amounts to far more than ten instances of 150 million.

Therefore, not only Fu Yuntao, but even Wang Rui looked at Liao Meiqi with the illusion that they were gazing at a precious gemstone.

Meanwhile, on stage, Liao Meiqi and the others were rehearsing the song *Stargazing*. They had already memorized the lyrics and melody by heart, and now the focus was mainly on rehearsing their formations.

Tomorrow night was the day of the Produce 101 grand finale.

Every single one of the twenty-two girls on stage was filled with excitement and nervousness deep in their hearts.

By now, regardless of whether they possessed the ability to debut as part of the group, having reached this point, everyone had already emerged a winner.

The final eleven girls chosen for the group would naturally capture immense spotlight and focus, along with countless pooled resources.

Yet the other eleven girls would similarly reap rich rewards across various aspects. As long as they persisted in walking this path within the industry, what awaited them next would be the favor of countless capital heavyweights in the business.

Especially a few contestants with distinct characteristics; many variety show productions and TV drama crews had already set their sights on them, and were even holding preliminary discussions with the production team, ready to carve up these popular contestants who missed the group debut the very moment the grand finale ended.

Everyone wanted to capitalize on the moment when the girls' popularity was at its peak to harvest a wave from the profit chain.

Of course, their market value would ultimately be decided by their rankings on the voting leaderboard.

And everything would be unveiled tomorrow night.