Chapter 73: Multilateral Negotiations and an Upgraded Competition Format

Because Fang Xing had surged to second place on the popularity charts and was starting to threaten Wu Junchen's position at the top, and because the official account of the show had reposted "Youth Speaks for China," Tong Fei had already decided to accept Fang Xing's proposal and upgrade the competition format once again.

However, changing the format required negotiation with Chao Yin Culture, Bai Chuan Entertainment, and other such companies, since many of the trainees on "Tomorrow's Star" had been recommended by these entertainment firms. Naturally, any change to the competition's format needed to be discussed with them. The specifics of the new format would depend on the outcome of these negotiations.

Regardless of how the talks concluded, Tong Fei was determined: even if it meant breaking ties with Chao Yin Culture, she would never eliminate Fang Xing. From the moment the official account reposted "Youth Speaks for China," she realized the song had taken on a new significance. In truth, the program owed its rising fame to the song's association with "Tomorrow's Star."

The following day, Tong Fei invited the relevant representatives from Chao Yin Culture, Bai Chuan Entertainment, and another entertainment company to discuss the modification of the competition rules. All three companies had trainees in the top ten rankings.

"Gentlemen, I've invited you here today to inform you that the competition format of 'Tomorrow's Star' will be upgraded. The next performance will be transformed into the Group Formation Night, during which the final lineup will be determined," Tong Fei announced with a poised, alluring smile and a forceful tone, making it clear this was not a negotiation.

Her manner was firm, but left the men present no room for anger. When dealing with these industry giants, she knew a strong stance was necessary to achieve her goals.

Sun Mingyi, the artist director of Bai Chuan Entertainment, replied with a stern face, "So President Tong is just informing me, then?"

Tong Fei shook her head, "I'm inviting you to discuss this, aren't I?"

The head of Blue Ocean Music steered the conversation to the main topic, "Tell us, President Tong, how do you plan to change the format?"

"The next performance will be the Group Formation Night; we'll directly decide the final lineup," Tong Fei repeated.

Liu Rongxuan frowned, "If the group forms after the next performance, the show will only have eight episodes at most, not enough for a full season."

Normally, variety shows air in seasons, one season spanning three months, with four weeks each month. So, a standard season should consist of twelve episodes. If filming schedules are tight, some shows may be cut down to ten episodes, but ten is generally the minimum; few seasonal shows have less.

Even when content is thin, the production team will cobble together enough material to reach ten episodes. However, these filler episodes are inevitably dull and cause the show's popularity to plummet. For this reason, investors would never agree to such a strategy.

Tong Fei smiled and explained, "Don't worry, I'm only saying the next performance will determine the group lineup—I'm not saying it's the finale."

"What do you mean? Group formation isn't the finale?" Sun Mingyi's brow furrowed.

Tong Fei finally revealed her true decision, "Exactly. The finale will be held after the group forms—a showdown between two major camps, the ultimate team battle."

Everyone present was a high-ranking executive from the entertainment industry; they immediately grasped the implication. Fang Xing's contract with Songshi Records was no secret among these companies. They also knew Fang Xing refused to sign a limited-term group contract, and that Chao Yin Culture had hired fake fans to smear him.

So, the executives of Bai Chuan Entertainment and others instantly understood: this new format was designed for Fang Xing and Chao Yin Culture. The so-called ultimate camp battle was clearly a showdown between the limited-term group and Fang Xing's camp. Or, more bluntly, a final duel between Chao Yin Culture's camp and Fang Xing's.

If it had been before, in such a situation, a troublemaker like Fang Xing—unwilling to bow his head—would certainly have been ousted by capital. But Fang Xing's popularity had risen so quickly that, by the time the major companies reacted, they could no longer suppress him.

If they wanted Fang Xing out, their only option would be to find a pretext for him to quietly withdraw from the competition. But without him, "Tomorrow's Star" would inevitably lose much of its heat.

Tong Fei had already seen the makings of a phenomenon-level variety show; to give up now? Impossible.

Liu Rongxuan said gravely, "President He means to kick Fang Xing out directly."

Tong Fei glanced at him, "Let He Hongtu come say that to me himself, if he dares to bear the consequences."

She could already envision what would happen if Fang Xing were eliminated now: he would likely ascend to the stage of the Spring Festival Gala with "Youth Speaks for China," and Feifan Entertainment would become a laughingstock in the industry.

On one hand was the chance for a phenomenon-level show, on the other, the risk of ridicule. Even if her mind were flooded with the Arctic Ocean, she couldn’t possibly make the wrong choice.

In truth, Chao Yin Culture had long since discussed this matter internally and made several contingency plans.

After some consideration, Liu Rongxuan said, "If you insist on a camp battle after group formation, that's possible—but for the Group Formation Night and the camp battle, we want more say in the rules and themes!"

Tong Fei had been waiting for this. Getting Chao Yin Culture to agree to change the format was no small feat. Since they were on board, she would have to grant them more control elsewhere.

Tong Fei was straightforward, "What kind of say do you want?"

Liu Rongxuan interlaced his fingers, thought for a moment, then made his proposal: "For the Group Formation Night, let's invite guest singers, and the theme should be 'Ancient Style.' Also, for all subsequent matches, the winner should be determined by popularity rankings."

Tong Fei immediately understood. This theme wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision; it had undoubtedly been discussed internally at Chao Yin Culture. She suspected they had high-quality songs fitting this theme, ready for competition.

From Chao Yin Culture's perspective, they naturally hoped to eliminate Fang Xing. But since Tong Fei was adamant about changing the competition format, Chao Yin Culture had no choice but to present this plan, aiming to regain ground during Group Formation Night and the subsequent camp battles.

They were confident. As a major company, they possessed abundant resources: not only had they hired a production team from Korea, but they had also reached out to several renowned domestic music producers. Their goal was to raise the quality of their music and defeat Fang Xing head-on.

In Chao Yin Culture’s view, Fang Xing was just one individual. Even if he had material in reserve, it would eventually run out. But Chao Yin Culture could employ multiple music production teams; if one wasn’t enough, they’d hire two, three. He Hongtu refused to believe that, with so many teams crafting songs, they couldn’t best Fang Xing.

Moreover, adding the ultimate camp battle after group formation would further boost the show’s popularity. If Wu Junchen, Liu Yichen, and other trainees formed a group and then won the final camp showdown, their popularity would skyrocket.

Chao Yin Culture would never miss such an opportunity to create new idols.