novelraw Chapter 5 Undercurrents and Strategic Planning
Chapter 5 Undercurrents and Strategic Planning
Lin Yi continued, "Last year, my streaming media (lyrics and music royalties) revenue was close to ten million. Spark (recording copyrights) should have received a considerable share, right?"
If these recordings are replaced by the new version, Manager Xu will probably have a big headache.
I wonder how much Xinghuo's stock price will drop then.
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.
Yu Nuannuan stood beside Lin Yi, looking up at him.
The morning light fell on his profile, dividing his face in two, outlining him as half angel and half devil.
Yu Nuannuan suddenly realized that the man who had been with her for nine years seemed so unfamiliar, yet so reliable, at this moment.
"That's all I have to say," Lin Yi warned finally.
"Qi Xue, you know what the consequences will be if Xinghuo's shareholders find out that you caused Xinghuo's stock price to plummet."
After saying that, Lin Yi hung up the phone.
Beside her, Yu Nuannuan hugged Lin Yi and rubbed her face against his chest.
The two nestled together in silence for a moment.
The courtyard quieted down, with only the occasional chirping of insects and birds.
After a long while, Yu Nuannuan finally raised her head, her eyes and face flushed.
She looked at Lin Yi and suddenly smiled: "Honey, you were so handsome just now."
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow: "Really?"
"Mmm." Yu Nuannuan nodded vigorously. "He's incredibly handsome. Qi Xue must be furious."
"Whether she's angry or not is not important." Lin Yi looked down at Yu Nuannuan, a thought flashing through his mind, but he suppressed it forcibly, considering that they were in an orphanage.
"Let's go, Grandma must be getting impatient."
When the two returned to the restaurant, Grandma Yu was reading a newspaper.
Seeing them return, Grandma Yu put down her newspaper and gestured to the covered steamer on the table.
"Lin Yi, I covered your breakfast. Check if it's cold. Do you want it heated up?"
"No need, Grandma, it's still warm." Lin Yi picked up the unfinished breakfast and continued to eat heartily.
Yu Nuannuan sat down next to Grandma Yu, took her arm, and explained the whole story in a low voice.
...
The General Manager's Office of Xinghuo Music.
"Did he really say that?" Manager Xu straightened up, his face grave.
Qi Xue nodded firmly, her tone tinged with a hint of frustration.
"Their attitude was very firm, not like they were just bluffing."
Manager Xu did not respond immediately. He leaned back in his chair and fell into a long silence.
He instructed Qi Xue to sow discord between Lin Yi and Yu Nuannuan in order to prevent the situation like today from happening.
Spark Music is a publicly listed music company controlled by multiple capital groups.
The internal equity structure is complex, leading to slow decision-making.
For a long time, the capital behind the scenes has struggled to reach a consensus on the crucial issue of "how to sacrifice profits to win over core musicians".
Many talented musicians have left because their interests are not protected.
This process is often unpleasant.
In the past few years, more than one singer and songwriter who left Xinghuo has regained the recording copyrights through this or other methods.
The loss of high-quality assets and core talent is directly reflected in the stock price.
Xinghuo's market value, which was once worth billions, has shrunk by more than half.
It is now teetering on the brink of delisting.
Manager Xu knew very well that Lin Yi and Yu Nuannuan were likely the last straw that broke the camel's back.
We must not escalate the conflict any further.
Manager Xu took a deep breath and made a decision.
"Don't provoke them any further for now. Especially Lin Yi, agree to whatever he says and keep them calm."
Manager Xu paused for a moment, then added, "In addition, the news of Yu Nuannuan's contract termination will be kept strictly confidential from the public, for as long as possible."
Qi Xue was somewhat taken aback: "President Xu, are we just going to let it go like this? What about Yu Nuannuan...?"
"Now is not the time to worry about these things," Manager Xu interrupted her, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Do as I say."
Qi Xue turned and walked out of the office angrily.
Manager Xu scratched his head in distress.
He had a very serious idea.
He cashed out and left before the news of Yu Nuannuan's contract termination was revealed.
What Manager Xu didn't notice was that a glint of light flashed in Qi Xue's eyes as she turned around.
The ship was sinking, and she had to find a way out for herself.
(This idea is dangerous; please do not imitate it.)
...
A few days later, Yu Nuannuan stayed at the welfare home to rest, while Lin Yi drove back to Xiaoguwei Island.
Many readers may not be familiar with the name Xiaoguwei Island, so let's use another name for it.
Guangzhou University Town.
It boasts 12 universities and nearly 20 teachers and students, covering all levels and types of talents.
Getting back to the main point, Lin Yi rushed back to the university town because his studio had sent him a QQ message urging him to return.
They said the script and proposal 1.0 were finished, and he needed to go back and discuss and revise them to complete version 2.0.
When Lin Yi returned to the studio, it was noon. The doors and windows were closed, the studio was dimly lit, and all the LED panel lights were off.
It's the lunch break that working people love most.
Lin Yi quietly pushed the door open and went in.
Sure enough, the five workers unfolded the folding beds and lay down under their workstations, with snoring occasionally breaking the silence.
Only one person, who was playing on his phone with his back to the studio door, saw Lin Yi come in and straightened up to get out of bed.
Seeing this, Lin Yi quickly gestured for him to lie back down.
You should rest properly during your rest time.
Lin Yi returned to his office, sat down, and closed his eyes to pretend to sleep.
During this period, he had been thinking about how to get back Yu Nuannuan's recording copyright from Xinghuo Media.
His threat to Qi Xue over the phone that she re-record the video was only a last resort.
This method requires a lot of time and effort and is not very efficient.
He prefers a more dignified and efficient approach.
Purchase the master tape copyright of Yu Nuannuan's songs.
It includes not only the dozen or so songs he wrote for Yu Nuannuan, but also other filler songs used in the production of the album.
In Earth Time and Space, Milk Tea Lun and Wu Gao used this method to reclaim the copyrights to their early recordings.
There's an advantage to doing this: it makes your reputation sound better.
Directly breaking ties and re-recording would damage Yu Nuannuan's public image and her popularity.
Lin Yi doesn't care about his image or public image, but he cares about Yu Nuannuan.
Furthermore, if you can find the right opportunity to buy at the bottom, the cost may not be more than re-entering the record.
This raises a question.
Because of Lin Yi and Yu Nuannuan.
For Xinghuo and other music companies that want to take over, Yu Nuannuan's recording copyrights are high-risk assets that could depreciate significantly at any time.
Once Xinghuo goes bankrupt and restructures, almost no one will compete with Lin Yi for these assets.
While Lin Yi was pondering, his phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang.
A phone call came in; the caller ID showed: XX Business Investigation Agency.
This was someone Lin Yi had specifically hired to keep an eye on Xinghuo after that phone call a few days ago.
The call connected, and a capable male voice came from the other end.
"Boss Lin, the matter you asked me to do a few days ago has been settled."
"Oh." Lin Yi perked up, even straightening his posture a bit. "Tell me in detail."
"The general manager of Xinghuo got divorced. I heard he was caught cheating by his wife."
"It ended up in court, and it seems he was ordered to leave with nothing," the person on the other end of the phone said.
"What's the problem?" Lin Yi asked alertly.
He didn't think the other person was calling just to share gossip with him.