Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

```

Editing Studio.

Zhao Guangzhi, an editor with five years of experience, tiredly turned on his computer at 9:41 am, and two messages from the client popped up on his phone.

"Overall, it feels pretty good, just change the music and it should be fine."

He glared at his nearly exploding screen, wishing he could give the client a new mother. Gritting his teeth, he hammered out a long string of greetings on the keyboard.

A minute later, he deleted it all and sent a cold reply.

"Okay, got it/Handshake!"

Half a day later, the client sent another message.

"Sigh, I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's missing a little something. If the editing teacher could add a touch of high-class flair, that would be great."

"Can't you speak human? High-class my ass..." He grimaced, having planned on watching a variety show after finishing work on Friday — "I Am the King of Songs" was broadcasting at 8 pm.

Working was already tough enough; not being able to rely on his father's name made it even harder. He could only toil away day after day, with the only way to save money being too busy to spend any.

After sending a received message to the client, he turned to see his colleague leisurely getting ready to head out for lunch, remembering that the colleague had just taken on a small MV project the day before yesterday.

"Hey, Li Mensheng, did you finish that project?"

"Yeah, it's done."

"I remember you just took it on the day before yesterday, didn't you also complain about having too much material?" Zhao Guangzhi was slightly surprised.

Edit projects are billed by the second, with different rates for editing, color grading, and finalizing. There's generally an estimate, and the final price depends on the cost and time spent.

An MV edit usually takes about a week's time; their studio finishes professional singer MV projects in five to eight days, with a surcharge for rush jobs.

The colleague stopped and looked uneasy, scratching his head for a long time before squeezing out a sentence.

"That's true, but you can't deny the director is damn skilled."

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"Other directors need to think about the footage or just find an editing advisor to act as a translator. He just takes a look and makes a decision, usually nailing the edits on the spot."

"That director you're talking about, was it that young guy from yesterday?" Zhao Guangzhi was confused.

"Yes, look, I even added him on WeChat. His name is... Xu Qingyan." The colleague moved his phone over and handed it to Zhao Guangzhi.

Editing work doesn't require a director to personally handle it; the studio they work with employs professional editors. The director needs to provide ideas—it's not tiresome, just high-pressure.

Editors make simple cuts in the early stages to sort out the complex scenes. After rough and fine cuts, the director is needed for side-by-side editing.

An MV that's less than five minutes long isn't complicated to lay out.

Li Mensheng clearly remembered asking that young director what kind of effect he wanted. But the director didn't say anything, just told him to carry on with the footage.

The guy had an eye like a ruler, making editing decisions the moment he saw a clip. It amazed everyone, finishing the job in just two days, and even adding him on WeChat in the end.

It wasn't for any other reason, just curiosity about what this amazing young director was all about.

"Xu... Qingyan?" Zhao Guangzhi stood up, looking at the contact name, feeling like he had heard this name before, "Are his MVs high quality?"

Read latest chapters at empire

"Man, I can't say, have to keep it confidential for the client," Li Mensheng said, "but I heard it's coming out tonight, and both the lyrics and the quality are really something."

"One word—amazing!"

"Lyrics?"

Zhao Guangzhi felt a shiver run through his brain, his pupils dilated. It all came back to him; the guy's name was Xu Qingyan, he was also a lyricist, hadn't he just seen that on a show last week?

Two guest stars on "Challenging a Diva", both songs by the same person, the lyricist Xu Qingyan.

What the fuck! When did he start directing MVs too? Although the industry indeed has no barriers, letting non-professionals join, does he have to be good at everything?

The colleague left, and Zhao Guangzhi couldn't resist searching Xu Qingyan on his phone. He ended up with a few songs and a pile of marketing accounts all spreading rumors.

"MV?" he muttered to himself, scrolling through his screen, "those small projects worth tens of thousands, the only really standout MV was 'Wind' directed by Wang Xin."

"Nowadays, MVs don't have as much impact as before; they're outdated. Few singers are willing to put effort into making MVs anymore, let alone low budget, big production ones."

"Ever since the 'Gangnam Style' video from South Korea went viral, it has accelerated the era of streaming, turning MVs into nothing more than tools to please fans."

"But putting his character aside, the songs written by Xu Qingyan are quite good."

With that thought, aside from looking forward to "I Am the King of Songs" tonight, he found himself curious about what that MV would look like.

....

After Xu Qingyan got the final cut last night, he went to sleep for fifteen hours straight.

When he woke up, it was already noon, and he still hadn't gone to the studio, feeling a bit out of it. Though he hadn't stayed up late working for the past few days, he still felt exhausted.

Even though the editing of the MV "Riding a White Horse" went very smoothly, completing the color grading and mixing on Thursday afternoon and syncing it with the original music in the evening, every step was extremely compressed with practically every minute stretched into half an hour of work. Two whole days of intense focus, enough to wear anyone out.

But it was a rush job; if the video wasn't uploaded by Friday to capitalize on the traffic, the whole week's work would have been for nothing.

```

He sat up from the bed, not very hungry, his mind still in a haze. Sunlight hovered at the hem of the heavy curtains, as if it had grown glowing feet.

The room was dim, he covered his face with both hands and rubbed them together, trying to make himself more awake.

The pace of life for the past two months had been too fast, with various things to deal with from the moment he opened his eyes. It was like climbing a mountain, only to find another peak after each ascent, with no time to think.

Now that everything had suddenly paused, he was a bit unaccustomed. He had never thought about it before, but now, upon reflection, he realized that the past two months had passed like a dream.

Through an unforeseen twist of fate, he ended up on a dating reality show and squeezed in time to learn music theory and composition. He had used his earnings to pay for a surgery, which rapidly pulled his fragmented life back together.

As for income, apart from the "Fragrance of Rice" he gave to Lin Wanzhou, the recorded and profitable songs, not counting dividends and live performance revenues that hadn't been deposited,

all things considered, he had earned a total of one million in two months. Subtracting the several hundred thousand he had gradually sent home, he still had four hundred thousand on him. It was hard work, indeed, but the money came swiftly.

This income placed him roughly on par with fifth or sixth-tier celebrities in the entertainment industry.

At first glance, his earning speed seemed truly frightening, yet in reality, he had simply completed in two months what it would take others two to three years to do.

A good half of this achievement was due to the memories from the two libraries that had burst forth in his mind. For him, it was akin to a windfall when in need of money.

The other half of the achievement was thanks to Pei Muchan and Lin Wanzhou; without the channels of these two little queens, he couldn't have focused on writing songs and making money in such a short time.

It was a mutually beneficial and enhancing relationship.

Eight songs in two months, this pace was already enough. It had helped Pei Muchan regain exposure and allowed Lin Wanzhou to rise quickly after parting with the company.

Xu Qingyan spaced out for a while, then quietly got out of bed and walked to the balcony in his slippers, abruptly pulling open the curtains.

The golden, heavy sunshine was dazzling, prompting him to shield his eyes with his hand.

In his heart, he mused that it was fair to say that the past two months had been worth the effort.

Two months ago, the situation for the three of them wasn't too good, each with their own difficulties. But now, whether it was Xu Qingyan or the two women, they had all swiftly turned the tide with those few songs.

Lin Wanzhou proved with "The One I Miss" that Cloud Wing Entertainment was a shackle rather than a boost. Breaking free to work independently was the most prudent and correct decision.

Pei Muchan became famous again, regaining popularity, and her studio resumed normal operations.

As for Xu Qingyan... he gained too much. The newbie from the starting village took a two-month journey to the edge of the village, looking back to see himself as a big shot.

He assigned himself the role of a mini-boss in the newbie village. At first glance, writing eight good songs in two months might seem impressive, which actually was indeed impressive; he could already be considered a genius.

If he became famous one day, he would certainly become an insurmountable monument for newcomers to the village.

By the time he returned to the studio, it was already the afternoon.

Xu Qingyan habitually headed to the second-floor office where Pei Muchan and Shen Jinyue were. They were huddling together over something, with Shen Jinyue chattering endlessly.

He had no particular thoughts, simply wishing for some peace for his ears. Therefore, he didn't go to his workstation but instead sat down on the sofa in the middle of the office, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Shen Jinyue seemed to be in a very good mood, not content with just talking to Pei Muchan in surprise; she had to gesture dramatically, with bursts of clear laughter.

College students sure are a hassle, he somewhat regretted agreeing to bring Shen Jinyue back.

If you're really that bored, you could work the night shift at an electronics factory!

It was only two in the afternoon, still a long way from nightfall.

His main purpose in coming to the studio was to transfer the MV video from his hard drive to the studio's computer, edit the post, and set a timer for its release.

At eight forty tonight, Cicada Studio will release an MV, and then all he had to do was wait for the explosion to happen.

"Lin Wanzhou withdrew from the competition, Pei Muchan at the bottom of the rankings—let's see how the show's production team boosts their favored contestants now." He looked down at his phone, murmuring, "Stepping on faces is essential for climbing to the top."

Shen Jinyue seemed to finally notice someone, moving to the edge of the sofa, trembling like a timid rabbit.

"When did you get here?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Just arrived. I'm sorry if I interrupted your stand-up comedy; that was my mistake," Xu Qingyan replied without looking up. "If you feel offended, I could buy you some online courses to make it up."

"No ivory comes out of a dog's mouth!" Shen Jinyue huffed and walked away.

In the afternoon.

Pei Muchan was dragged off shopping by Shen Jinyue, so she could only send Xu Qingyan a message to let him know. When she learned that he had returned to the office alone, she immediately felt the urge to go back.

Later, when she found out that Shen Jinyue had also invited Qi Ting and Lin Wanzhou, Pei Muchan really wanted to find a place to hide. Although there wasn't too much conflict, but...

Right, Pei Muchan suddenly realized Shen Jinyue was quite wealthy. Perhaps it made some sense that college life was a bit harder for her than for most people.

That girl was too naive, her mind not bothered by any convolutions at all.

Thus, the odd shopping formation emerged: Qi Ting and Shen Jinyue were arm in arm like long-lost sisters. Pei Muchan and Lin Wanzhou walked on either side, wearing masks and playing with their phones.

The two exchanged awkward glances occasionally, then silently looked away, pretending nothing had happened.

Suddenly, Shen Jinyue made a surprised noise.

"I asked Xu Qingyan why he didn't come shopping, and after I told him who else I invited, he stopped talking. Ting Ting, do you know what happened to him?"

Qi Ting sniffled, "Maybe Teacher Xu isn't feeling well."

Xu Qingyan was more than just not feeling well, he was practically uncomfortable as a corpse. Right after replying to Shen Jinyue, he turned his head only to be informed by Zhou Mian that the fifth episode of "Love Hunter" was about to air.