Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

Noon, in the meeting room, the entire production team gathered for a meeting.

The assistant stood to the side, shivering.

"The response from the other side is that Lin Wanzhou has to drop out of the competition due to health reasons... That's the exact wording. They told us to prepare in advance and find a replacement," said the assistant.

"Motherfucker, damn Wen Yun really burns bridges after crossing. What does she think my show is?"

The temperaments of variety show production teams were generally explosive. After all, variety shows are expensive to produce and have short release cycles, often requiring overnight work.

The director seldom got much sleep, too tired for even the unspoken rules of the industry. Caffeine, betel nut, and cigarettes were all used to stay alert, which naturally made their language cruder.

In the new era, there were amiable directors, but behind closed doors, things were different.

"What health issues? Would it kill them to find a better excuse?" The associate director cursed loudly, "Now they're asking us to find someone in just three days!"
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Lin Wanzhou's sudden withdrawal was a surprise to the production team. Time-wise it was okay; they could arrange for another singer to step in and save the day at the last minute.

But having a singer who had just advanced as the top performer suddenly drop out would undoubtedly create pressure in public opinion. It had always been the production putting pressure on the singers; this was the first time the tables had been turned.

The hunter is blinded by the eagle he hunts every day.

"Why is he dropping out?" the executive producer asked with a confused look, retracting his neck, "Is it because he won first place and now is using withdrawal as a negotiation tactic for more money mid-way?"

The contracts with the other singers were signed for a minimum of two episodes, but only Pei Muchan and Lin Wanzhou signed for one episode at a time—take it or leave it.

Initially, they were specially invited as challenge singers to create hype. No one expected them to be so fierce; Lin Wanzhou even took first place this time.

Since the withdrawal notice was given in advance and he left enough response time for the production team, it wasn't even unethical, just a bit unconventional.

"Who knows, his damn brain is sick!"

"Can't handle the win, probably scared of being eliminated in the next round. Some female singers are just like that, fragile and can't handle the game," someone suggested, "It might be a mental thing."

"Should we contact Lin Wanzhou again?"

"Contact my ass! What's he so proud of? Thinks he's irreplaceable? Fuck that! Get a replacement, call Zhang Yuqi over, and issue a statement afterward."

"Director, I checked Sister Yuqi's Weibo. She just flew abroad yesterday."

"Fuck...! Singers these days have no sense of responsibility." The director cursed. In five seasons of this show with three different directors, trouble seemed to find him when it was his turn to take over.

First, it was that washed-up Pei Muchan, who, despite being asked to withdraw, insisted on participating. Then, there was some ignorant songwriter who lacked any EQ.

Now, Lin Wanzhou, who just won first place, was withdrawing, causing the production team's workload to multiply exponentially.

They not only had to find someone on short notice but also had to redo the plan. Planning, shooting, paying for articles—it was unclear how many nights they'd have to stay up to finish the plan before Friday.

"Shall we contact Pei Muchan to see if she can step in?" the assistant suggested.

"As if she would come!" the director yelled, "We just turned her away last week, and now if we change our tune 180 degrees, wouldn't that be like asking to be slapped?"

"Besides, there's something fishy about Lin Wanzhou's withdrawal. There has to be some promise made to him. If it has nothing to do with that Xu surname guy by his side, I'll eat the table."

"That's unlikely, right? Lin Wanzhou is somewhat known; he can't be that stupid," the associate director said, "But I don't get what Wen Yun is thinking."

"Old and can't even control her little girl group," said the director, his tone ominous.

"Director, could it be that they've already found a new backer?"

Hearing this, the director abruptly looked up from his seat. He frowned for a few seconds at the assistant, then nodded with a thoughtful expression.

"It's possible, that Wen Yun woman really might pull something like this."

"Director, let's ban her!"

"Ban my ass! Do you think I'm the fucking emperor?" The director was still pondering a solution and nearly lost it at the suggestion, "Is Lin Wanzhou some small-time artist?"

"Is this your first day in the business? Are you stupid or do you not know Wen Yun?"

Industry bans aren't easy; they rely mostly on two forms. One is a contract ban, where the same company puts the artist on ice or has them sign a non-compete agreement, preventing them from performing.

The other is resource dominance, where an official labels someone as a miscreant artist. Then, that person can't get any resources, including stage performances or endorsements.

Or when a certain entertainment company announces a perpetual non-collaboration with a certain artist.

If that company has a significant industry standing and is known for its domineering style, when it has projects, other companies' artist management will specifically avoid the banned person.

To put it simply: it's about blocking resources and making an artist fade from public view. If one day there is a flood of articles saying an artist hasn't been seen for a long time,

Don't hesitate—it's definitely not a ban.

After much discussion, they ultimately didn't take action against Lin Wanzhou's side. Even a soft persimmon knows to pick a soft one; the backing of Wen Yun behind Lin Wanzhou was no soft persimmon.

She had real resources, so banning be damned.

In the end, the director decided to invite back Wen Shuangjiang, who was the last-place performer from the previous episode. The reasoning was for a return performance on a delay, but this would inevitably cause ratings for the next episode to plummet.

The audience of "I Am the King of Songs" was mostly not die-hard fans of any specific singer; they just turned on the TV for some variety shows and casually listened to songs while dining.