Chapter 140: A Generous Tip

The next day, which was supposed to be a rest day, Tang Zhichu headed to the recording studio as soon as he woke up and spent the entire day there.

Halfway through, he received a phone call from Zhou Yun. She mentioned that while one of their influencers, Gu Yu, was livestreaming, she had received a staggering 900,000 yuan tip from a mysterious wealthy patron. The patron’s Douyin consumer level was 55, and he had even claimed to know her boss.

If it had been anyone else, it might have been fine, but Gu Yu was the lowest-performing influencer under Zhou Yun’s management, which made the situation rather unusual. Zhou Yun called to see what was going on.

Even Tang Zhichu was stunned for a moment before he realized what she meant. He told Zhou Yun not to worry, assuring her that the patron was one of his own people. He didn't let the incident distract him, and he only left the studio after finishing two songs.

When he stepped outside, it was already dusk, and the sky was growing dim. Tang Zhichu froze. A flashy, bright red sports car was parked right in front of the studio entrance, its doors open like wings.

Zhu Yiyang stepped out of the car and smiled as soon as he saw him. "Brother Tang, I knew you’d be here. I just picked up this car on a whim—want to take it for a spin?"

Without waiting for Tang Zhichu to respond, he tossed the keys over with the casual air of a friend sharing a new toy.

"You certainly do things on a whim!"

Tang Zhichu caught the keys; the keychain featured a rearing horse, simple yet elegant. He didn't show any hesitation. In this life, he hadn't even sat in such a car, let alone driven one, but in his previous life, he had tried one after his company took off and one of his major influencer musicians had bought one.

Tang Zhichu sat in the driver's seat, feeling the texture of the steering wheel and the snug fit of the bucket seat. He laughed and chided, "You rich playboy."

Zhu Yiyang burst into laughter.

As soon as his toe touched the accelerator, the mechanical beast roared in response, and his adrenaline surged involuntarily.

"I’ve grown quite fond of Chuan-Yu; I don't plan on leaving anytime soon, so I just had a car sent over," Zhu Yiyang said with a smile.

Tang Zhichu nodded and started the engine.

...

By the lake, after taking a drive, the two sat on the grass, facing the water. The sky had almost darkened, and as the streetlights flickered on, they looked like tiny suns breaking through the gloom. Zhu Yiyang felt relaxed enough to lie back on the sloping grass.

"Thanks," Tang Zhichu suddenly said.

Zhu Yiyang rested his head on his arms and smiled. "It’s nothing. If it weren't so inconvenient, I have an even wilder one, but I was worried about getting it scratched. If you want to drive this one, feel free to borrow it anytime."

"It’s not about the car."

Tang Zhichu’s remark caught Zhu Yiyang off guard. He hadn't expected Tang to be so direct. Indeed, even though Zhu Yiyang acted like a fool with money in front of Tang, it didn't mean he was dense.

He had used the livestreaming platform to show Tang Zhichu his "foolish spender" persona, but he hadn't expected such an unexpected gain. He had discovered that the influencer known as "Xiao Xiao Yan" had appeared on the dating reality show Tang Zhichu participated in. Having accidentally stumbled upon this, Zhu Yiyang had someone look into her. To his surprise, the company behind her—Zheguang Culture—was actually owned by Tang Zhichu.

Zhu Yiyang had tossed and turned late into the night, trying to figure out how to leverage this to build a connection with Tang Zhichu. The simplest way was through tipping, but that was a blunt instrument. It made the "sugar daddy" persona public; for a minor influencer, it was a dream, but for a major one, it could be a headache.

For example, if an influencer was beautiful and talented, people would like her. But if an account suddenly tipped her a million, people would start looking at her through colored glasses.

Xiao Xiao Yan’s style wasn't loud; her streams were just a medium to consolidate her fan base, and sometimes she didn't even show her face, just singing. So, Zhu Yiyang avoided her and instead chose an influencer under Zheguang Culture with the fewest followers and tipped 900,000.

Why 900,000? Because a million was a threshold that would attract media attention, which might end up ruining the person. Zhu Yiyang wanted to show Tang Zhichu that he knew about his business, but he was just playing around and wouldn't be foolish enough to interfere with his operations.

As for the influencer Gu Yu, she would probably never know that she received such a generous tip simply because she had the fewest followers at Zheguang Culture.

Tang Zhichu’s directness made Zhu Yiyang a bit nervous, unsure if the result was good or bad.

"Did you major in directing?" Tang Zhichu suddenly asked.

"Screenwriting and theatrical performance."

Tang Zhichu was surprised. "A double major?"

Zhu Yiyang smiled sheepishly. "That’s why my family was against me pursuing music."

"That's impressive. How about this? Do you want to collaborate on something?"

Hearing this, Zhu Yiyang perked up, and the weight on his heart lifted. It seemed the strategy had worked.

"How should we play it?" Zhu Yiyang sat up.

Tang Zhichu thought for a moment. "I'll tell you a story, and you help me summarize it into a screenplay. If it works, we can find a director to talk to."

"Deal!"

Zhu Yiyang agreed without even asking what the story was. He had inherited his father’s boldness in investment—if the person was right and the project was sound, he would just pay.

Tang Zhichu had indeed thought about entering the film industry; it was the most direct expression of an entertainment company’s value. But lacking experience in screenwriting and directing, he hadn't known where to start. A screenplay was different from just telling a story. With a professional like Zhu Yiyang, he figured he would give it a try—if it didn't work out, he could always find someone else.

Once decided, the two moved quickly, returning to the dorm and opening their laptops. When Luo Xiujie came downstairs to head to the cafeteria, he was surprised to see Zhu Yiyang and Tang Zhichu sitting together, each with a computer. He was puzzled—without him as a middleman, how were these two already working together?

"Whoa, you guys are already hanging out?"

Tang Zhichu gave a slight nod.

Zhu Yiyang smiled. "Brother Jie, haven't you eaten yet?"

Luo Xiujie nodded.

"What a coincidence, neither have we. But we’ve got work to do—would you mind grabbing us some food?"

Luo Xiujie nodded and agreed. As he walked away, he realized he wasn't very good at the social game. Brother Yang had gotten close to Brother Tang without a word, while he still felt nervous and reserved around him.

...

July 15th, dusk.

The recording site for the eighth episode of the competition. The losers from the previous round were the Stellar Alliance and the Sunflower Alliance. After losing several times in a row, the Stellar Alliance’s score had hit rock bottom.