Chapter 154 Withdrawal from the Competition

“Parental love is truly great, and this child is quite pitiful,” Yang Feifei remarked as she watched the news, unable to hold back her sigh.

After finishing the report, Su Tong immediately went into the music room.

Half an hour later, he emerged and told Sister Yaya and Yang Feifei, “I’m going home tomorrow.”

Yang Feifei was surprised but still reluctant to speak with Su Tong. Sister Yaya asked, “Is something wrong at home?”

“No, I’m just going back to teach Xiaoyu a song,” Su Tong replied, then called Zhang Xin to book a plane ticket.

The Nian Nu Jiao Studio was managing Su Tong’s copyrights and online store. Despite being relatively new in the online literature world, thanks to the quality of "Coiling Dragon" and Su Tong’s reputation, his copyrights and popularity had reached a pinnacle.

The “Coiling Dragon” game, the “Coiling Dragon” comic, simplified and traditional Chinese publications, and related merchandise—all were launched.

Given Nian Nu Jiao’s current popularity, selling the rights to "Wukong Biography" had been a huge loss in hindsight.

Fortunately, only the simplified version had been sold; the others remained under their control and were still being operated.

Although “遮天” was not published under the pen name Nian Nu Jiao, even if it had been, combined with the studio’s management, it had already become the second most popular original work on the second largest online literature site.

“遮天” was grand and magnificent, filled with divine story arcs that distinguished it clearly from “Coiling Dragon.” Many readers never doubted it was by the same author.

“Following the trend is great. Even the pen name riding the wave catches some divine light, making the book popular,” some said.

“I want to merge the most famous god-tier pen names and create an awesome new one,” someone chuckled, but the next day when he went to register, he found his idea had already been taken.

“Damn, who stole my pen name?”

“Haha, I saw your post last night and immediately registered it. Didn’t expect no one else thought of it.”

“...”

The person who took this merged pen name later became hugely popular, becoming the next rookie king after Nian Nu Jiao.

“遮天” had over five million words. Su Tong updated it thrice daily on a fixed schedule and no longer meddled. The studio and readers handled the rest.

There was still much work to do on “Love Apartment” in its later stages—theme song, soundtrack, and some voice acting needed to be finalized.

For over a month, Su Tong barely returned to school, overwhelmed by work.

Two days after returning home, Su Tong headed to Magic City.

This time was for the recording of the “Six to Four” episode—the last pre-live recording before the live broadcast to determine the overall champion.

At this stage, the production team was truly worried. By the unspoken rules, Su Tong could only advance so far.

Yet this season’s top contestant in popularity was undoubtedly Su Tong, and his talent was undeniable. If he didn’t make the top three, the audience would suspect foul play.

The four mentors felt the greatest pressure. During the recording phase, decision-making power was ostensibly theirs.

The chaotic pre-finals recording placed great weight on the mentors’ scores.

“Xiao Tong, we’re in a tough spot. The first season was better—there was some behind-the-scenes maneuvering, but not as much. Now, we’re really stressed out,” Najie said wearily. At this point, she openly acknowledged the backstage rules and confronted Su Tong.

“No need to worry so much. The main reason I’m here is to give each mentor a song. I’ve decided to withdraw from the competition,” Su Tong smiled.

“What?”

“Withdraw from the competition?”

Alin and Linyin nearby were shocked.

Su Tong had never hinted at this before—now suddenly announcing withdrawal?

The producers and director of the show, Li Guowei, rushed over upon hearing the news.

“Su Tong, you can’t just quit like this,” Li Guowei said anxiously. The production team had noticed that whenever Su Tong appeared, the ratings surged significantly.

If Su Tong skipped the “Six to Four” recording and quit outright, the impact would be huge.

After these episodes aired, Su Tong was bestowed with numerous titles by fans online: “Nation’s Little Husband,” “The Most Charming in History,” “Universe’s Handsomest,” “Universe’s Number One Male God,” and many more.

“Quitting outright is better than being eliminated on stage—it gives you a graceful exit,” Su Tong said earnestly.

Indeed, if he performed, it was impossible for him to make a mistake on purpose. With normal performance, as long as he didn’t intentionally sabotage himself by choosing the wrong songs, he would surely reach the top four.

“Su Tong, you’re putting us in a difficult position. You don’t realize how popular you are. If you announce your withdrawal, everyone will speculate wildly, and ratings will drop,” Li Guowei lamented.

“There’s no perfect solution,” Su Tong replied helplessly. “They want me to perform but not advance; they want high ratings but no interference.”

Li Guowei pulled Su Tong aside. “How about signing with Xinghang Satellite TV? You’d have complete freedom and could truly win without interference. The top four compete fairly under everyone’s rules.”

“I have a studio and a film company. I can’t sign a contract,” Su Tong said, but then suddenly paused, thinking, “Well, signing isn’t impossible.”

“Really?” Li Guowei was overjoyed. Signing a future star like Su Tong, on the level of a future music king, was crucial for the station’s growth.

Several major commercial TV stations were still struggling to break free from the decades-long dominance of the three major entertainment companies.

“I’ve already told you my situation. Signing would be a disadvantage—I can’t be too constrained,” Su Tong said. “Besides, I want to cooperate with Xinghang as a producer.”

“Producer? Cooperation?” Li Guowei was puzzled, trying to understand Su Tong’s meaning.

Su Tong explained in detail, “I want to produce a reality show. I have a team but not enough people. I need your station’s support…”

Li Guowei’s eyes widened. He knew Su Tong wrote songs, sang, wrote novels, livestreamed, and even directed and starred in dramas, but he hadn’t expected Su Tong to want to venture into reality TV.

Commercial TV stations were quite open now—not the old state-owned enterprise iron rice bowl. They employed diverse forms and had varied cooperative models.

Su Tong’s idea of cooperation was not unusual.

“I’m just throwing out ideas. My agent knows my thoughts. The director can connect my agent with your station to discuss further,” Su Tong said, aware that this kind of contract cooperation exceeded Xinghang TV’s expectations, so Li Guowei’s stunned reaction was understandable.

“Well, you say you’re a producer. You’ll have to convince our variety show supervisor first. If she finds the concept and proposal feasible, then a contract cooperation might happen,” Li Guowei said.

“Ha! That’s doable,” Su Tong laughed. “Director, let’s first talk to your supervisor about the reality show, then discuss whether to record the ‘Six to Four’ episode.” (To be continued...)