Before the building collapse, Wu Mu had many film contracts with schedules planned until the year after next.
However, after the collapse, all those projects had terminated their contracts with him.
"Right now, movies and TV dramas definitely wouldn't dare to hire me, fearing that they wouldn't be able to release because of me; only variety shows, which have short airing times, still give me some hope."
Wu Mu took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and finally decided on a number belonging to someone named Wu Feng.
Star City TV Station had previously prepared a travel reality show called "Travel Together," and Wu Feng was the producer.
They had previously agreed for Wu Mu to join, and were just short of signing the contract when the collapse happened, after which there was no further movement from them.
Wu Mu made the call.
After two rings, the call was answered.
"Wu Mu, teacher?"
Far away in Star City, Wu Feng felt inexplicably puzzled. Why was Wu Mu calling him when he should be busy managing his crisis?
Wu Mu got straight to the point, "Producer Wu, I want to ask if the cast for that previous show is finalized. I'd like to join."
Ah?
Wu Feng barely suppressed his impulse to blurt out, "Are you okay?" and diplomatically responded, "I'm sorry, Teacher Wu Mu, but our show is already full."
Does this guy have no clue about his current situation? After such a scandal, he still thinks he can enter their show?
His multiple affairs were being reported every day by his wives; who could handle that?
Wu Feng certainly didn't want to get involved with this mess now.
But...
Wu Mu stated, "I don't demand to be highlighted on-screen, and I can cooperate with you on anti-fan marketing."
Hmm?
Wu Feng's heart skipped a beat. This, this could actually work?
What is anti-fan marketing? It's attracting anti-fans through marketing techniques.
In the entertainment industry, what stars fear the most isn't having many anti-fans but having none at all; even anti-fans are valuable.
Dislike and hatred are also forms of attention, which can sometimes even be more binding than affection.
Normally, inviting Wu Mu to their program would undoubtedly lead to harsh criticism and being monitored until suspension.
But if they changed their approach, thought contrarily, and made Wu Mu the villain of the show, harshly exploiting him, wouldn't it actually align them with the anti-fans? Not only would they avoid reports, but they might even be praised for handling it well?
Although this marketing strategy might severely damage a star's image, how did that affect their production team?
Wu Feng was intensely tempted.
Wu Mu added another point, "You should know my current popularity, Producer Wu. Think about how much money you could save on buying trending searches if I joined."
Wu Feng replied seriously, "Teacher Wu Mu, our show really needs a guest with your kind of heat and topics."
He knew too well!
Who in the industry didn't know?
Even losing fans could still result in over one million people buying albums. Wu Feng himself was taken aback; he truly hadn't realized Wu Mu's fans could be so extreme.
With so many anti-fans, if they drew them to their show, wouldn't they constantly top the trending searches?
"However, our 'Travel Together' project really is full. After we couldn't finalize with you, we immediately contacted an alternate guest, and the new contracts are all signed."
Wu Feng paused, then continued, "But there is another program that would be perfect for you."
Wu Mu didn't mind as long as he could appear on a show and gain points from the system, "Which one?"
"The third season of "Singer-Songwriter" is about to start filming, and we still need a few guests."
"Singer-Songwriter"?
Wu Mu recalled that it was a very popular music competition from Blue Star, known for its professionalism and competitiveness, with a brutally harsh elimination system. Any singer who wasn't up to par would be steadily eliminated.
Inviting a popular singer to participate in such a professional competitive stage?
Wu Feng really had no mercy, truly wanting to exploit him to death.
It was obvious that they were setting him up to be the laughing stock, utterly ridiculed for overestimating himself the moment he stepped on stage.
Then, the program team would eliminate him in the first two rounds, not only capitalizing on his controversial popularity but also maintaining their reputation for professionalism and fairness.
The timing coincided perfectly with the explosive sales of Mu's album, truly a crafty calculation.
A normal influencer would never agree to such a humiliating gig.
But Mu had no choice.
He immediately agreed, "Alright, let's go with the singer-songwriter."
With his current reputation, no show would dare to have him otherwise.
And to him, being the laughing stock didn't matter.
Wu Feng thought he was the end of his rope, that the anti-fan's attention would easily dissipate after they had their fun ridiculing him a few times.
After all, it was just like topping the digital cuckold chart, not like committing a real-life murder; their hatred wouldn't last forever.
He assumed Mu wanted to make a last few bucks from the anti-fans before exiting the industry.
But Mu actually only needed points to pull a Performance Card, and then he wouldn't have to worry about lack of popularity.
Once the Performance Card was activated, he could make money effortlessly, unconcerned with anti-fans, fans, or no fans.
As long as he had the Performance Card, the industry would still consider him popular and give him opportunities for other projects.
It was a positive cycle about to start!
Mu smiled particularly joyfully.
"I look forward to collaborating with you, Teacher Mu," Wu Feng was also happy.
After finalizing the details, Wu Feng hurriedly arranged for someone to sign the contract with Mu, fearing he might change his mind.
Then that very afternoon, people from Star City TV Station flew to Mu's hometown.
His manager arrived with them.
He had a manager and a company.
The company's boss was the wicked woman who caused his predecessor's suicide.
The manager was neither warm nor cold, didn't care to ask what Mu had been doing recently or why he had run back home, nor did he question why Mu took private gigs without notifying the company.
He acted completely like a tool, just signing the contract quickly and then taking off.
As the company manager, he was well aware of the complex relationship between Mu and the company's boss, and he wanted no part in it.
The contract paid two million per episode, the normal rate for A-listers; Star City TV Station seemed generous not reducing the payment because of his tarnished reputation, but in fact had ulterior motives.
As fodder, Mu wouldn't last many episodes, at most two or three before getting eliminated. The money they were spending was minuscule compared to the traffic he could bring in.
But he had no standing to negotiate.
...
The program recording would start a week later, but the promotion began the next day.
Star City TV Station was eager; in just one day, the sales of Mu's album "Farewell" increased by one million, reaching frightening popularity.
They were quick to capitalize on the remaining heat.
The promotion started with a "bystander's" revelation.
"Ladies, it looks like Mu is going to appear in the latest season of singer-songwriter. Here's a document our station sent out."
The image showed a work document from the singer-songwriter program, with other singers' names redacted except for Mu's.
The source was a minor account with few followers, which would normally not attract much attention.
But Mu's popularity was high, and the recent collapse incident, combined with "Farewell" album breaking three million, pushed his popularity even higher.
Soon, Mu's fans spotted this revelation and it spread quickly.