Chapter 105: A Newcomer Reports—Is This Zhou Buyi?

Seeing Wang Lin sitting in the conference room with a cold expression, Su Bai found it somewhat baffling.

"Mr. Su Bai, do you play *King of Battles* in your spare time?"

Huh?

Hearing Wang Lin's question, Su Bai did not react immediately. He had no idea what she meant by this. Did collaborating with *King of Battles* require him to actually play the game?

But the truth was, he hadn't played any video games in years. He could only shake his head.

Wang Lin explained, "It's like this, Mr. Su Bai. Our company wants to shoot a promotional short video of you playing *King of Battles*. Of course, we can discuss the compensation separately!"

"It will serve as a teaser promo before you attend the league finals!"

"If you know how to play, the final video will look much more authentic!"

After Wang Lin finished speaking, Su Bai fell deep into thought.

Having his song do a dream crossover with *King of Battles* to become its theme song was an entirely different concept from promoting the game by playing it himself. His song "The Lonely Warrior" serving as the battle theme for *King of Battles* had already drawn dissatisfaction from a wave of netizens.

Although he shouldn't be too fragile and care too much about what people said, he still had to consider the feelings of his fans.

Su Bai felt that he could not shoot this promotional video. Otherwise, it might trigger a chain reaction. If news broke that some internet-addicted youth fell in love with gaming just because they watched his promotional video, the negative impact would be massive. By then, things would not be as easy to resolve as they were now.

"I'm sorry, Miss Wang, but I don't think I can shoot this promotional video," Su Bai said. "I can perform live at the venue as a guest singer, but I cannot endorse or promote the game itself for your company. I hope you can understand."

Wang Lin was very surprised to hear this. She had assumed that since Su Bai was willing to license his song to *King of Battles* as their battle theme, he wouldn't care about the comments online. She hadn't expected him to be so cautious.

"Mr. Su Bai, did you make this decision because of the online comments claiming that you are affecting the health and studies of many teenagers nationwide?"

"If that's the case, I don't think you need to worry too much about it. While public opinion can be daunting, online comments can really just be ignored. If you care this much, you'll only bring yourself unnecessary trouble in life!"

"If games were really as harmful as they claim, wouldn't the state have banned them long ago?"

"Besides, some universities have already established esports majors, which shows that the state has recognized this industry. Don't you think so?"

Su Bai simply smiled and shook his head.

He understood everything Wang Lin was saying, but he didn't want to take the risk. He wasn't short on endorsement fees right now. If he wanted to make money from endorsements, there were plenty of other products he could choose from. There was no need to choose a product that caused so much controversy among his fans.

With a smile, Su Bai said, "I'm truly sorry. If your company has promotions related to culture and entertainment, I would be happy to consider a partnership. But as for gaming, I won't be considering it for now."

Hearing this, Wang Lin curled her lips. She wanted to say that she had no say in other departments, and even if they collaborated, it wouldn't count toward her performance metrics. But on second thought, she decided to keep it to herself.

"Alright then. I can report your interest in cultural and entertainment collaborations to the company. As for the details of the league performance, should I contact Director Song later?"

Su Bai nodded.

After Wang Lin left, Song Liang nodded and said, "You did the right thing. We aren't short on endorsements or funds at the moment. We must think about long-term development. We can't ruin your future for short-term gains."

"By the way, Su Bai, the company recently recruited a batch of trainees, and they all came here because of you!"

"Since you're back at the company, why don't you go and meet everyone?"

Su Bai nodded. Song Liang had already discussed the recruitment of newcomers with him over the phone. Even though he was highly famous now, they couldn't just rest on their laurels. After all, a company as large as Shanghai Tiancheng Entertainment Media could not rely solely on him. They had to train new talent.

Zhou Yang gathered everyone in the training room, where they were whispering among themselves, wondering what their boss, Su Bai, was really like in person. Was he truly as easygoing and approachable as the internet made him out to be?

A few female trainees, dressed in youthful outfits, stared at the door with glowing eyes.

When Su Bai pushed the door open and saw nearly ten people in the room, he was slightly taken aback.

"Hello, everyone!" Su Bai greeted them. "We'll be colleagues working together from now on. Let's support each other and grow together!"

A girl dressed in hip-hop style, sporting dreadlocks and various flashy pendants around her neck, spoke up. "Hi, Su Bai! Everyone came here because of you. We all acknowledge your musical talent! I don't know about the others, but my style is hip-hop. Can you write hip-hop?"

"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Dingdang!"

...

After Dingdang finished, the other girls introduced themselves one by one.

Su Bai smiled as he watched them finish. Then, his gaze shifted to a shy boy sitting in the corner. The boy kept his head down the entire time, his face flushing slightly.

"And you? Why didn't you introduce yourself?"

Hearing Su Bai address him, the boy looked up in a panic and said in a soft, quiet voice, "Ah? I... my name is Zhou Buyi. I like to sing."

A burst of giggles erupted from the girls around him.

*If you didn't like singing, why would you even be here?*

At the same time, they wondered how such a shy boy had passed the interview. After all, the interviewer was Director Song Liang, a man renowned in the music industry for his sharp and discerning eye.

Being able to pass Director Song's interview was a badge of pride for all of them. It could be said that they joined this company partly for Su Bai's fame, and partly for Song Liang's reputation. Song Liang was famous for his ability to discover hidden potential in people. The only super A-list singer at Xingyue Media in the past had been discovered by him.

Meanwhile, Su Bai's heart was in absolute turmoil!

Zhou Buyi?

*This* was Zhou Buyi?

Logically speaking, shouldn't Zhou Buyi be incredibly famous by now? What had happened to keep him from appearing on the stage of *Light of Tomorrow*, delaying him for several years? Why had he only just arrived at Su Bai's company now?

Su Bai felt as if he were dreaming; it felt so surreal.

Su Bai had personally witnessed just how insanely popular Zhou Buyi was in his previous parallel world. In his past life, Zhou Buyi had been discovered by Xue Qianqian and became an overnight sensation. In this life, with Su Bai's own interference, things seemed to have been rewritten.

"Regarding everyone's questions, I can only say that I will do my best to help you. I can't guarantee that you will become overnight sensations. Whether it's hip-hop, folk, or rock, I believe music is interconnected at its core. We can always discuss and learn from each other!"