Chapter 167 Shocking News
"What do you think of your future development?"

Chen Mo asked, "Step towards the actor?"

In today’s entertainment industry, actors are like buses that pass through all stops and anyone can get on.

Singers, crosstalk performers, talk show hosts, models, internet celebrities. Anyway, traffic is a universal ticket, you can get on it if you can get it.

Idols are basically synonymous with traffic, so transforming from idols to actors is a relatively common development path.

Some of Ning Zhihe's teammates have already entered the acting field.

However, because of Ning Zhihe's foreign status, he does not have any film and television resources in South Korea.

Ning Zhihe thought about it seriously and shook his head, "I don't have a strong desire to be on the big screen. If I have the opportunity in the future, I would like to try it, but I am actually more inclined to music and the stage."

If developing in South Korea, idol artists will basically want to become actors.

Because in South Korea, the status of idols in the circle is not high, it can even be said to be a bit low.

Due to the influence of unique cultural concepts, the status contempt chain of South Korean artists is a deep-rooted phenomenon.

At the top of the list are movie actors, followed by TV actors, then singers and hosts, and finally idols and comedians.

Actors in movies and TV series are more respected by mainstream society because of the cultural influence of their works.

Idols are more often seen as "commodities", relying on company packaging and fan economy, and are highly replaceable. Their music and images are also considered to lack depth.

Therefore, there have been cases in previous award ceremonies in South Korea where idols were performing on the stage while the actors sitting in the audience all watched with expressionless “cold eyes”. Even though they knew there were cameras present, they were too lazy to even pretend to be polite and supportive.

However, in recent years, with the rise of streaming media platforms, some idols and comedians have successfully transformed across industries, and some movie actors are willing to "lower their status" to act in TV dramas for higher pay. These "interactions" between high and low levels have begun to loosen this structure.

But our domestic entertainment industry is not so "class-divided". Our main idea is "laugh at the poor but not at prostitutes". Everything is judged by "money", and whoever has more money is the boss.

"That means I'll go the singer route."

Chen Mo nodded, thought about it, and said tactfully: "However, singers must be able to sing with the microphone on."

Idols are not the same as singers.

Although idols seem to be able to sing and dance, and seem to have one more skill than singers, in fact, most of the time, the stage performances of those boy and girl groups are done without microphones or with half microphones.

Those who are a little better can do "cloze exercise", singing part of the song and part of the backing vocals.

If you really don't have any luck, just rely on pre-recording and then lip-sync the dance moves.

As for why they don't sing with the mic on? Because not all members of the group can sing.

The main requirement to become an idol is still appearance. As long as one has decent looks, one can get away with it even if he or she is tone-deaf.

If you see a member of a group only singing one or two lines of lyrics in a song, or they are half-reading and half-shouting rap, it means they basically can't sing.

So in Chen Mo's opinion, among those South Korean idol groups, except for a few lead singers whose singing skills are really good, the others are just so-so. Most of them are just at a passing level, and it's good enough if they can sing in tune. There is no singing skill to speak of at all.

It is because the performances of these idol groups focus more on stage effects that they dare to do this blatantly.

If a professional singer dares to do this, let alone lip syncing, even if he uses "backing vocals", it will easily cause controversy and he will be accused of lip-syncing in minutes, just like a certain Juneday.

Chen Mo had never heard Ning Zhihe perform live, so he didn't know what Ning Zhihe's true strength was.

Ning Zhihe naturally understood what Chen Mo meant and raised his eyebrows, saying, "My position in our group is the lead singer, the main lead singer."

Hearing the emphasis at the end of the words, Chen Mo couldn't help but smile, and he felt a little relieved.

There must be a group that doesn't have a single person who can sing. Since he can be the lead singer, at least he won't be a studio singer.

Chen Mo thought for a moment and said, "With your current position, the company should actually set up a personal studio for you, but you have been developing overseas before, and there are too few resources you can connect with in China."

"So my suggestion is that you sign a two to three-year transition contract with the company. During this time, you can complete the transformation and slowly build your own network of contacts. After that, the company will help you set up your own studio. What do you think?"

"Of course, if you want to set up a personal studio directly, that's fine too. The company will also provide you with some channel support."

Before Chen Mo finished speaking, Ning Zhihe said without hesitation: "I'll listen to you, brother. I'll sign with the company first."

Ning Zhihe believed in Chen Mo and knew that Chen Mo was thinking about her.

Although a personal studio has a high degree of freedom, on the other hand, you have to rely on yourself for many things.

Although she came back to develop her career, she didn't know many people there. If she had a company to pave the way for her in the early stages, it would undoubtedly make things smoother and less stressful.

Chen Mo smiled and said, "Okay, don't worry about the contract. I will definitely give you the highest level in the industry."

"With you here, I'm not worried about that." Ning Zhihe smiled, "But I may still renew my contract with my current company."

"That's no problem." Chen Mo nodded. "Your group's fan base is still considerable. It would be a pity to just give up."

The individual contract and group contract of Korean groups can be separated.

Generally speaking, idols sign a seven-year contract with the company when they debut.

After the seven years expire, because the "IP" of the group belongs to the company, if the artist feels that his or her personal development is limited and wants to leave, but does not want to withdraw from the group, he or she can choose to only renew the group contract.

Afterwards, group members will agree to return together at a certain time and continue activities as a group.

This "group + individual parallel" model allows members to maximize their personal value while continuing to have the influence of the group.

Of course, this requires artists to balance group and personal interests between the new company and the previous company, because the interests of the two companies are not necessarily the same.

Chen Mo asked: "Are there any other questions?"

Ning Zhihe pondered: "Well, most of my current works are done together with the group members. After I leave the group, although I can sing these songs by myself, I will never be able to sing the 'complete version' by myself." Some things are about feelings and memories, which has nothing to do with other things.

Even for a group with an absurd popularity gap, such as a group nicknamed "So-and-so and her dancers" by fans, if these low-popular "dancers" were really replaced with "ordinary dancers", fans would immediately say "the product is not the same as the picture".

Chen Mo understood, "So you want to prepare your own solo album first?"

Ning Zhihe nodded first, then shook his head.

Chen Mo was puzzled, "What's going on?"

Ning Zhihe blinked and said, "I want you to help me produce an album."

Chen Mo's creative ability is obviously well-known in the industry, and his achievements are obvious to all. If Chen Mo's identity was not inseparable from Fuyun Entertainment, he would have been knocked on the door by many singers seeking cooperation.

Hearing Ning Zhihe's "request", Chen Mo was speechless.

Chen Mo thought about it, shrugged and said, "I feel embarrassed to refuse you since you keep calling me brother."

Ning Zhihe smiled immediately, "Hey, thank you brother!"

After confirming the contract, Chen Mo and Ning Zhihe left separately.

When coming out of the door, Chen Mo saw two little guys squatting beside a pillar.

"Why are you two still here?"

When Fang Taichu and Chen Yuexi saw Chen Mo coming over, they quickly stood up.

"Uncle Chen Mo, Yuexi said she was too excited just now and forgot to say thank you, so we are waiting for you here."

Fang Taichu pulled Chen Yuexi next to him, and Chen Yuexi nodded repeatedly.

Chen Mo glanced at her and said, "Are you afraid that I'll forget about the album, so you're here to 'block me'?"

Chen Yuexi waved her hands quickly, "No, no, I really want to express my gratitude to you, brother."

Chen Mo raised his eyebrows slightly, "Now you're calling me brother instead of uncle?"

Chen Yuexi smiled flatteringly and said, "I am slightly nearsighted, so I didn't see it clearly before. Now I realize that you are more handsome than those boy band idols.

Before Chen Mo could say anything, Fang Taichu on the side was already unhappy, "I call you uncle and you call me brother, are you taking advantage of me?"

Chen Yuexi explained: "My sister Ning calls me brother, so I must follow suit. We each have our own opinions, and we are just people of the world, so we shouldn't be too fussy about trivial matters."

Fang Taichu disagreed, "No, you can't call me that, you have to call me uncle."

Chen Yuexi rolled her eyes, "How about I call you Oppa? That way you won't feel uncomfortable."

Chen Mo's eyes twitched. "There are so many Chinese words, aren't they enough for you?"

Chen Yuexi bit her lip and thought for a moment, then clapped her hands and said, "I got it, then I'll call you big brother. Big brother, you've been so kind to me today, I won't, but I'll remember it in my heart."

Chen Mo asked curiously, "Where did you get all these words?"

Chen Yuexi chuckled, "My dad likes martial arts novels, and he always told me martial arts novels as bedtime stories when I was a child."

Chen Mo waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, I received your thanks. If there's nothing else, I'll leave."

Having said that, Chen Mo made a gesture to leave.

Chen Yuexi tilted her head back and stared eagerly.

Chen Mo pretended to be confused, "Anything else?"

Chen Yuexi poked two fingers at each other and said hesitantly: "That is..."

Chen Mo said with a smile: "Okay, I will put the album at the front desk of my company, and you can ask Taichu to help you get it then."

Seeing that the little girl had been squatting at the door for more than an hour because of this matter, Chen Mo didn't tease her anymore.

Chen Yuexi's eyebrows suddenly raised, "Thank you, brother!"

Chen Mo shook his head. "Let's go. It's getting dark. I'll take you two back."

Fang Taichu still wanted to refuse, but Chen Yuexi had already obediently followed him.

Chen Mo turned around and waved, "Let's go, Taichu."

Fang Taichu stamped his feet and hurried to follow.

There is a windy courtyard in Dali, Yunnan.

"Hua hua hua~~"

In the bathroom, the mist was thick and water droplets slid down the cream, revealing a white and greasy surface.

"Ring~Ring~"

The phone on the table outside rang for the third time.

The sound of water stopped, the jade feet stepped lightly, and the waves rippled.

After a while, Xu Hongdou came out wrapped in a bathrobe and answered Chen Mo's call.

"Hey, what's wrong? What's the hurry? What?!"

(End of this chapter)