novelraw Chapter 18: After I finished settling the accounts, I wanted to run away, but my sugar daddy wouldn&
Chapter 18: After I finished settling the accounts, I wanted to run away, but my sugar daddy wouldn&
Mr. Wang suddenly jumped up from the sofa.
Her slightly protruding belly swayed violently as she suddenly stood up.
He took a large step forward, almost touching the edge of the coffee table, and slapped his thigh hard.
A startlingly crisp "snap" rang out in the control room.
"This is it! This is the feeling I've been looking for!"
Mr. Wang roared loudly, spittle flying everywhere under the high-wattage overhead light, without even glancing to the side.
Wen Ziliang's mouth was agape, but his smile froze on his skin.
What happened?
Mr. Wang suddenly turned his head: "Xiao Song! Who owns the full copyright to this song now? Name your price!" His tone was extremely urgent.
Standing at the back, Zhang Juan's heart jumped to her throat, and her hands were covered in beads of sweat.
Song Ze, holding his breath, wrote a masterpiece, which ironically became the biggest crisis at the moment—this kid didn't understand the intricacies of the industry at all, let alone the tiered pricing system for film and television OSTs.
If a young man who has just experienced widespread ridicule online, frozen assets, and extreme financial distress gets carried away and asks for millions of dollars, or is pressured by Boss Wang to sell all his rights for a pittance of tens of thousands of dollars, then the song is doomed.
This is not just a song; it's Song Ze's chance to clear his name and make a comeback.
Zhang Juan took a step, her high heels clicking loudly.
In a split second, she completed a full facial muscle control routine, a perfectly polished professional smile appearing on her face: "Mr. Wang, you have excellent taste. Xiao Song is, after all, a newcomer, and her creative process is rather spontaneous—"
She didn't stop, cutting directly between Song Ze and President Wang.
"We at Star Glory Entertainment have a complete and comprehensive legal process regarding licensing agreements and final pricing..."
She had prepared at least three sets of roundabout, bureaucratic rhetoric, which she could use to maximize her profits by steer the conversation toward the company level and exploit information asymmetry.
Song Ze stood in front of the mixing console, a respectful smile on his face, but his mind was racing with calculations.
He remembered it clearly from his past life: "Liang Liang" was a phenomenal hit, with over 130 billion plays across the internet, becoming a national anthem of 2017, and generating over 4300 million in revenue sharing on music platforms alone.
He was the only one who had already lost his chance to compete for the bid.
He knows all of this now, but President Wang doesn't know that he does—an absolute information gap.
300 million before tax.
He quickly did some mental calculations: after deducting his share, taxes, and Lin Shishi's share, he would receive approximately 200 million.
The figure of 200 million is not just a figure of speech.
After retiring from the entertainment industry in his previous life, he studied the cryptocurrency market. In May 2016, he invested 200 million yuan in Bitcoin, which would have turned into more than 8000 million yuan by the end of 2017.
He doesn't need to stay in the entertainment industry for long; he just needs his first pot of gold.
The price can't be too low, or it will arouse Mr. Wang's suspicion; nor can it be too high, or a nobody setting an exorbitant price will make even the most astute person suspicious.
The amount of 300 million is neither too high nor too low, just enough to make the newcomers feel like they got a good deal and the investors feel like they got a great bargain.
Song Ze held up eight fingers: "One price. A minimum of 300 million before tax, plus a share of all subsequent online revenue from this song."
Zhang Juan gasped sharply. Wen Ziliang looked up abruptly, his glasses reflecting a white light.
Song Ze completely ignored the sudden change in atmosphere.
He withdrew his hand and, surprisingly, right under President Wang's nose, began to count the accounts one by one on his fingers:
"Look, 300 million. After deducting the money allocated to Shishi and the agency's cut—"
He broke off a thumb.
"After deducting channel fees, marketing and distribution losses, and other miscellaneous deductions."
He broke off two more fingers.
"Once it's in hand, it's a solid 200 million yuan in cash."
He raised his head, his face filled with an extremely sincere longing, and looked straight at President Wang:
"This money is just enough for me to buy an apartment in my hometown, a small fifth-tier county, outright. With the money I save, I can go to the building materials market and get a set of furniture."
This is Song Ze's extremely clear career plan.
A comeback story to become a movie star?
Is he the top singer in the Chinese music scene?
Making empty promises is useless; art can't put food on the table. The primary task for working people is to make a lot of money.
Once the 200 million yuan in cash arrives, he will issue a statement retiring from the crypto world that very night, buy a train ticket back to his hometown, and plunge headlong into the fledgling cryptocurrency market with his initial capital, going all in on new energy.
From then on, he could lie on the sofa, pick his toes, find a rich woman to have a relationship with without any responsibility, and live a life of leisure while waiting for his assets to increase hundreds of times.
I would never linger a second longer in the chaotic entertainment industry. I wouldn't even consider going out on a day filled with rushing to events, being blocked at the door by stalkers, and being photographed by paparazzi.
Song Ze's mind was racing with calculations. The first step to a perfect life: 200 million yuan, not a penny less.
Standing at the back, Zhang Juan closed her eyes, despair rising to her core.
Damn, this kid must have had a brain fart today. A fringe celebrity with a history of scandals, who just spent two days trying to rehabilitate his image on a dating reality show, is brazenly asking for a guaranteed 3 million pre-tax salary plus a share of the profits in front of the producer of a 300 million yuan project?
Insane behavior.
This is a platinum price that only top-tier artists who have won the Golden Melody Award dare to mention at the dinner table. Top singers can only get a package deal of 100 million for singing an OST, and newcomers may not even get 10.
Offering 300 million plus a share of the profits is practically robbing the production company like an ATM.
The promising negotiation situation was completely ruined by this outrageous quote.
The muscles on the opposite side of President Wang's face twitched violently, and two terrifying furrows appeared between his brows. His face, which was originally flushed with excitement, cooled down at a visible speed, and all his features drooped.
He stared at Song Ze, his chest heaving.
The sound of the imported Finnish air conditioner in the recording studio suddenly became extremely loud, and the cold air blasted against our eardrums.
No one dared to utter a sound, and the chattering of Li Guobin's teeth was especially clear.
The room was eerily quiet, and the temperature plummeted below freezing.
Wen Ziliang's eyes, hidden behind his gold-rimmed glasses, blazed with intense light. He clenched his back teeth tightly, using all his self-control to suppress the overwhelming joy rising in his throat.
He's courting death; he's completely asking for it.
Did they offend the top investor in the production team and think that a random sample they produced by chance could turn the tide?
Faced with a cash flow of 300 million, any talent that defies the rules will be instantly crushed by the giant wheel of capital.
I've seen plenty of newcomers who ask for exorbitant prices, and every single one of them ends up being permanently banned by several major platforms.
He clasped his hands in front of his abdomen, striking the perfect pose of a bystander, waiting for President Wang to erupt in fury, for the briefcase to smash into Song Ze's face, and for this ignorant fool to be thrown out of the office building by security guards.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
Five full seconds passed before Mr. Wang let out a loud, deep snort without warning in the otherwise silent recording studio.
"Three million before tax?" The voice rose sharply, filled with deep dissatisfaction. "After deducting all kinds of taxes, only a measly two million is left?!"
Under everyone's shocked gaze, Mr. Wang slammed his right hand hard on the solid wood edge of the mixing console, the loud "bang" making everyone's heart skip a beat.
"Such an outstanding hit song! And you come to me saying it's only worth 200 million? How can that be!"
The entire audience froze instantly.
The deep-seated, almost bursting ecstasy on Wen Ziliang's face was frozen in place.
Zhang Juan suddenly opened her eyes—what happened?
Isn't it just a one-stop shop of flipping the table, cursing, and banning?
Why are you raising the price instead of accepting a low initial offer?
What a crazy world this is!
Without pausing, Mr. Wang spoke each word with such force that the recording studio buzzed:
"I've made a unilateral decision! A guaranteed cash payment of 300 million after tax! It must be deposited into your Xingyao corporate account by noon tomorrow at the latest! And that's not all—"
His neck was flushed, and he was extremely excited, completely disregarding how outrageous this premium pricing was.
"Plus, 10% of the revenue from all online streaming services and KTV room on-demand services! As for all those miscellaneous taxes and fees you just calculated—"
With a wave of his hand and an air of grandeur, he declared, "It's all for the entire production crew! Young man, I didn't sign your songs, I signed your talent!"
Song Ze was completely stunned.
This has stumped him.
His original intention was to take the money and leave the entertainment industry, disappearing immediately after receiving the 200 million.
If Mr. Wang adds more money, how can he possibly leave the industry?