Chapter 719: Planning a Variety Show

All eyes in the office were on Liu Yutong, waiting for her decision.

Liu Yutong thought for a moment, then called out a name: “Xue Qian.”

“Present.” Xue Qian immediately sat up straight.

“What’s your take on being barred from variety shows?” Liu Yutong asked.

Xue Qian pondered briefly, then said seriously, “Chairman, honestly, the impact will be significant. Several of our company’s artists were really looking forward to appearing on Happy Camp to gain some exposure, but they were all cut. I’m not as affected—I rarely do variety shows anyway—but…”

“But you feel frustrated about it, right?”

Xue Qian gave a bitter smile and nodded. “Yes, a bit.”

Liu Yutong nodded, then suddenly shifted gears, asking a seemingly unrelated question: “Do you like singing?”

The question made Xue Qian blurt out, “Of course I do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have chosen this career.”

“Then would you be willing to be a mentor on a music show?”

“Huh? Me, a mentor? I’ve only been in the industry a few years.”

Liu Yutong didn’t elaborate, instead turning her head to look at Lin Muyang. “Muyang, what’s DragonPanorama Vision’s biggest need right now?”

“Content,” Lin Muyang replied without hesitation. “Specifically, hit content that can be produced consistently, generates buzz, and pulls in new users. Right now, the major satellite stations have locked down all variety show rights. Even if we’re willing to pay top dollar, it’s nearly impossible to buy a suitable program.”

“Then we’ll make our own.”

The moment Liu Yutong said this, everyone in the office felt that familiar sensation—as the thought popped into their heads: The Young Mistress/Chairwoman was about to stir things up again.

Lin Muyang was slightly taken aback, then clarified, “Chairman, do you mean we should produce our own variety show?”

“Yes.”

Liu Yutong nodded slightly, then had Yu Xin bring over a notebook and pen, speaking as she wrote.

“We’ll call it Dragon Nation’s Good Voice—a music talent show. DragonPanorama Vision will be the primary platform, with simultaneous satellite broadcast rights granted to Lucheng Satellite TV. The core format of this program can be summed up in two words: blind audition.”

“Blind audition?”

Everyone was intrigued by the new term.

Liu Yutong explained, “Four mentors will sit with their backs to the stage, listening only to the voice, not the appearance. If a mentor is moved by a voice, they press a button and their chair turns around. If multiple mentors turn, the power shifts—the contestant chooses which mentor’s team to join.”

“Remember, this isn’t a beauty pageant. We’re selecting voices. Contestants don’t need to be handsome or beautiful, they don’t need to be people-pleasers, they don’t even need to be articulate. As long as they have a good voice, they deserve a spot on this stage.”

After hearing this, Xue Qian fell into serious thought.

He knew exactly what this meant.

Dragon Nation’s talent shows had been running for over a decade, from the early Super Girl era to later programs. They’d all been about selecting idols, not real singers.

Too often, a contestant’s looks, stage presence, popularity, and buzz mattered far more than their voice. Many truly talented singers didn’t even pass auditions because they didn’t meet appearance standards.

The Chairman’s blind audition format completely upended traditional talent show logic.

But would this really work?

However, Lin Muyang and the others had a completely different reaction from Xue Qian, the industry insider.

“Genius!”

“Brilliant!”

“Chairman, this format is incredibly fresh! Audiences have seen every trick in current music shows, whether they’re cover contests or singing competitions. Just the concept of mentors turning their backs builds immense suspense.”

“And the buzz will be huge—who gets fought over by several mentors, who gets no turns, why a mentor turned, why a contestant chose one mentor over another… these are all viral moments. As long as the production quality holds up, this will be a hit!”

The others nodded, their thoughts mirroring Lin Muyang’s.

The key would be mentor selection—because in this blind audition format, the mentors would be the true stars of the show.

Liu Yutong had clearly anticipated this, jotting down a few more names in her notebook.

Xue Qian curiously leaned over to look and gasped, “Good lord!”

“J Lun, Brother Huan, Fei Fei… and me?”

Liu Yutong looked up at him. “Thoughts?”

“Chairman, that’s a star-studded lineup—a pop king, a diva, a legendary singer… With my current caliber, I’m not sure I’m qualified to be a mentor alongside them.” Xue Qian wasn’t being modest; he was stating facts.

“That’s not an issue,” Liu Yutong replied. “We decide who’s qualified. We’re the ones with the money.”

She said to Lin Muyang, “Get those three as mentors. Money is no object. Make it clear that this is a pure music show—no backroom deals. I can guarantee that.”

“Also, I’ll personally handle Lucheng Satellite TV. They’ve been wanting a phenomenal variety show. If we fully fund the production and only borrow their satellite channel, they won’t refuse.”

“As for the budget—four words: the sky’s the limit!”

“Director Zhang, Weibo should be fully involved to maximize buzz. The finals voting will happen on Weibo, but you must maintain strict control. Prevent vote manipulation and eliminate any opportunity for backroom deals.”

Zhang Dalong replied, “Understood. I’ll have my team coordinate with Director Lin.”

Liu Yutong turned to Zhao Tianyi: “Tianyi, those platforms want to crush us? Keep hitting them hard. Your firm will also handle all contracts for the new variety show.”

Zhao Tianyi nodded. “Yes, ma’am!”

“Young Mistress, since we’re producing this show ourselves, shouldn’t we implement a ‘pre-competition exclusive talent contract’ clause? All contestants who pass auditions must sign a five-year full contract with Dragon Entertainment Media before the blind audition recording. Breach of contract penalties should be set at the industry maximum.”

“Isn’t that too harsh?” Yu Xin interjected. “What if contestants consider it a predatory clause and refuse to sign?”

“This contract is necessary,” Liu Yutong replied. “It’s not mandatory during the audition phase—they can opt out. But if they don’t sign, they don’t proceed to the blind auditions. We pay to build the stage and invest resources to promote them. We’re not doing charity work so another agency can poach our stars.”

Season one would be fully funded by Wanlong Society Group. Not counting venue rental, equipment, and other expenses, just hiring those three mentors would cost a cool fifty million. The total production and marketing costs would easily hit a hundred million.

Under these circumstances, not signing contestants to contracts would be no different from running a charity.

Xue Qian nodded in agreement. “This absolutely must be signed. Five years is more than fair.”

He’d come up from nothing and knew the industry’s shady practices all too well. Most talent shows locked contestants into eight- or ten-year contracts they couldn’t refuse. Five years was truly exceptional.

Besides, the top boss at Dragon Entertainment was Liu Yutong. Based on what he knew of her, she’d never stoop to underhanded dealings or deliberately exploit artists. If an artist wanted to leave and followed the contract, she would never stand in their way.

By the way, Dragon Entertainment’s predecessor was Xue Qian Studio, which was renamed after Wanlong Society Group took a controlling stake.

Indeed, just as Xue Qian was thinking this, Liu Yutong brought it out into the open.

“Tianyi, all show contracts must be clear and transparent. No hidden clauses. We don’t cheat people, and we don’t need to. Additionally, ban all forms of backroom deals and pre-determined advancement slots or champions. Violations will be severely punished!”

She emphasized this not only because she disliked such practices but because she herself enjoyed watching these shows—in her past life, she’d watched several seasons of The Voice, though she’d stopped watching later seasons.

As a viewer, discovering backroom deals or a pre-determined champion would definitely upset her. And if she, as a viewer, was turned off, others would be too.

Zhao Tianyi replied, “Understood, Young Mistress!”

Liu Yutong looked at Xue Qian again. “Xue Qian, you’re the junior mentor, but you’re one of us. Keep a close eye on the auditions. Give those truly talented but unpolished amateurs a chance. Remember, we’re creating content, and the premise of good content is that it must be authentic.”

Xue Qian nodded vigorously. “Understood, Chairman!”

Lin Muyang thought of another question. “Chairman, who should be the host?”

Liu Yutong considered briefly. “Find a fast-talker.”

“Huh?”

“The blind audition format needs a tight pace. The mentor turn and talent-scouting segments require a host who can transition quickly, manage the stage, and cue the流程. No slow ad-readers. We need someone quick-witted, who can keep up with the banter and doesn’t get flustered.”

“Understood.”

“Chairman, when should we launch the show?”

“As soon as possible. We need to make the summer season.”

“Also, all judging rounds must be fully recorded and archived for review.”

“Understood!”

With the show more or less set, Lin Muyang brought up the critical issue again. “Chairman, you’ve sorted out the new variety show, but we still have that killer approval problem on our end.”

“The web drama was held up. What if our variety show gets held up too? If those Imperial Capital princelings are determined to make trouble for us, we can’t handle that.”

This was the real crux of the matter. No matter how strong their local connections, the game changed at the Imperial Capital level. If they couldn’t smooth things over with that crowd, all this planning was a waste of time.

Yet Liu Yutong never seemed worried. “I’ll handle it. I’m making another trip to the Imperial Capital in a couple of days.”

Hearing this, Lin Muyang and the others were instantly reassured. It seemed there was nothing she couldn’t handle.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

“Come in!”

Cheng Gang opened the door from outside. Zeng Jin and Liang Mengsong—who had just finished touring the Wanlong Society company—walked in.

Seeing this, Liu Yutong asked Su Mansu, “Is Ma Da ready?”

Su Mansu immediately replied, “Boss, Brother Ma messaged ten minutes ago saying everything’s set. They’re just waiting for you to bring the guests over.”

“Good.”

Liu Yutong stood up, picked up the black windbreaker draped over her chair, slung it over her shoulders, and walked straight toward Zeng Jin and Liang Mengsong.

Everyone else in the office stood up as well, falling in behind her.

“Director Zeng, Engineer Liang, now that you’ve seen the company, let me take you for some late-night food. The late-night spots are bustling at this hour.”

For some reason, when Zeng Jin heard this, he felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest.