Chapter 75: The Harder It Is, the Easier It Is to Earn More!

Su Mu put on a wild display of acting, bursting into tears right on cue. Each tear was genuine and convincing. Zhou Wanming was left utterly stunned, unable to utter a single word. His mistake had been challenging a professional with nothing but enthusiasm. Naturally, he was doomed to lose, and lose badly.

After leaving Megalith Company, Su Mu and Qian Jida didn’t linger on the road and headed straight back to their residence. The two were preparing to hold a small meeting. If everything went smoothly, they could finalize the contract termination by the end of the year and formally establish their own studio. This meant their work in the coming months would be even more intense than they’d imagined.

After all, in today’s entertainment industry, both the seasoned veterans and the newcomers were all competing in the same arena. The pace of change was relentless; even the slightest lapse in vigilance could mean being replaced by the next person in line. There were simply too many talented individuals, and new faces popped up in droves. The competition was truly fierce.

...

Inside the room, Qian Jida held a tablet, going over Su Mu’s schedule.

“There are still two more promotional events for ‘Joy of Life,’ one brand event you need to attend, and then the street dance variety show we’re sponsoring. During this period, you’ll need to start learning street dance ahead of time, but at most you’ll have two months, since filming begins in October. There’s also the ‘Summit of Huaxia’ awards gala at the end of the year—you’ll need to attend that. This year, we’ll see if you can win an award; it's crucial for our future path. Once we’re running an independent studio, you’ll have to prepare yourself mentally. Without Megalith Media as our backing, many of those opportunities that used to come our way will probably be cut by more than half.”

Qian Jida was thorough in every detail. Su Mu nodded silently as he listened. He understood that this wasn’t needless anxiety—this was just the reality of the industry.

Su Mu said, “I get it. From now on, we’ll have to rely on our reputation to make it.”

Qian Jida smiled, “As long as you can maintain the dazzling performance you’ve shown this year, I don’t think your future development will be bad at all. In the film and television industry, aside from capital and connections, solid capability still counts for a lot. With these series you’ve done, you’ve already laid a solid foundation. If you can add a few more high-rated works, you could easily win over the box office market.”

Qian Jida’s approach was steady and measured. In fact, given Su Mu’s current popularity and influence, he could already take on a major film and test the waters at the box office. Not long ago, some film producers had even sent him offers. Qian Jida hadn’t given a definite answer, but he hadn’t refused outright either. He understood the importance of careful selection. So, the choice of what projects to accept still needed to be discussed with Su Mu.

Qian Jida continued, “You have no shortage of offers right now, but I think at this stage, quality matters more than quantity. We need to pick good projects, keep building your reputation and public approval. It’s not that we can’t try film, but if it’s something no one will watch, it’s better not to jump in blindly and risk exhausting your reputation.”

Su Mu replied, “Okay, I understand. What about the studio?”

Qian Jida said, “Just focus on your work. As for the studio, it’s just a matter of registration, location, and staffing—I’ll handle that for you.”

Su Mu looked genuinely moved. “President Qian, you’re amazing.”

Qian Jida chuckled, “Then maybe you can give me a raise next year?”

Su Mu grinned, “See, talking about money just ruins the mood. And is money really that important? If we join forces and make our business bigger and stronger, one day we’ll be investors ourselves, putting money into the industry. Isn’t that the best outcome? Oh, and get Little Orange to order takeout—I’m starving.”

...

The next morning.

Su Mu was dragged out of bed by Fan Xiaoju.

“Get up! Su Mu, get up! You’ve got plans today!”

Su Mu, still half asleep, groaned, “Are you kidding? What plans?”

Little Orange replied, “You’re meeting your teacher.”

Su Mu was bewildered. “Teacher? What teacher?”

Little Orange explained, “Your street dance teacher, of course! Qian Jida pulled some strings to find you one.”

Su Mu was surprised, “That fast?”

Little Orange said, “Dear Su Mu, you only have two months to learn—you think we can afford to wait? Or do you really plan to do a square dance on the show?”

Su Mu retorted, “What’s wrong with square dancing? Doesn’t it deserve a stage too? Besides, we haven’t even talked to Liu Qiangxi about getting paid extra yet.”

Little Orange was speechless.

Su Mu said, “I’ll go wash up. Message President Qian and tell him to let Liu Qiangxi know: if there’s no raise, I’ll dance the square dance. If the money’s right, I’ll turn into Nam Hyun-joon in seconds!”

Little Orange asked, “Who’s Nam Hyun-joon?”

Su Mu snapped, “Less talking, more texting.”

Little Orange stuck out her pink tongue, “Blah blah blah.”

...

Two fluffy clouds drifted in the sky, as if brimming with juice and tossing about. Su Mu was filled with emotion. He never thought that after so many years, he’d have a chance to return to the place where his dream began.

To be precise, it was the idol trainee base—he’d once had one foot in the door, but in the end hadn’t been able to step inside. This was where Megalith Company trained new idols, located in the outskirts of Galaxy City. If he hadn’t been unexpectedly pulled into acting back then, he might have been one of them now.

“Look, it’s Su Mu!”

“Huh? What’s Su Mu doing here?”

“No way—I was just watching him in ‘Nirvana in Fire’ yesterday. I wish I could be a big star like him.”

“I heard he used to be a trainee here, but now he’s already a big shot.”

“He’s headed to the dance studio?”

The trainees were all astonished to see Su Mu’s arrival. The company’s top stars rarely came here.

...

In the trainees’ dance studio.

“President Qian already briefed me. For the next two months, I’ll be teaching you some street dance moves. You can call me Fandy,” the instructor said.

Fandy was the dance teacher at the idol training camp. While not specialized in street dance, he knew a bit of everything and was quite well-known in the industry. He’d choreographed for many celebrities.

Su Mu greeted him, “Hello, Teacher Fandy. I’ll be in your hands from now on.”

Fandy nodded with a smile. “Alright, time’s short, so let’s get started. If you want to pick up something quickly for the variety show, I recommend Locking. It has fewer elements to learn.”

Su Mu shook his head, “Teacher Fandy, I don’t want to learn Locking.”

Fandy was puzzled, “Then you want to learn…?”

Su Mu replied, “Popping, hip-hop, or breaking—any of those will do.”

Fandy hesitated, “Uh… well…”

Hearing this, Fandy was completely taken aback. He hadn’t expected Su Mu to reject his suggestion. When Qian Jida had hired him, he’d already thought it through: among the street dance styles, Locking had the fewest elements and was the quickest to pick up. As long as you grasp the feeling of ‘up’ and ‘down’ and practice the hand waves, points, and footwork, you could put together a funky routine—enough to get by on a variety show.

But Su Mu insisted on something else, choosing the more difficult styles instead. This left Fandy a bit confused. Was it ignorance, or just overconfidence?

Fandy said, “Su Mu, maybe you don’t realize—those other styles are all much harder to learn. They’re not so easy to pick up.”

Su Mu nodded and patted Fandy’s shoulder. “I understand, Teacher Fandy. But you don’t know this: the harder it is, the more likely they’ll pay extra.”

Fandy was speechless.