CHAPTER 97: CHAPTER 93: THE MISFORTUNATE EDITOR

As soon as this announcement was released, it quickly caused a stir online.

"Quick, look! Xu Qingqiu’s studio has released an announcement; her new songs are online!"

"New songs? Xu Qingqiu has released more new songs?"

"Not entirely new, just the studio versions of those two she sang on the show before."

"That doesn’t make sense. Wasn’t she injured? The photos online looked quite serious, and didn’t ’The Sound of Nature’ say she couldn’t record anymore?"

"Huge news! Only moments ago, she announced needing a long recovery and regretfully withdrawing, and now she’s releasing new songs? Isn’t this a blatant slap in the face?"

"They must have been recorded earlier. Releasing songs and being injured aren’t mutually exclusive—what does this have to do with the production team?"

"Insider news: the songs were just recorded the day before yesterday. They worked overnight on the master tracks and contacted the music platforms. Don’t ask me how I know; an insider can’t say much."

"My best friend works at the First People’s Hospital. She said Xu Qingqiu was discharged the very next day and was in good condition. Except for some difficulty walking, it didn’t affect her work at all."

For a time, the internet was buzzing with loud and conflicting opinions.

’The Sound of Nature’ production team also found themselves in the eye of the storm.

"That Xu Qingqiu! Who gave her the green light to release the songs? Not earlier, not later, but right at this moment! Is she trying to spite me?"

"There’s no need to wonder; it’s clear she’s targeting us!"

"Hah, a mere singer dares to rebel? This was premeditated, wasn’t it?"

"A singer? I doubt it. That agent, Li Chunhua, seems like no ordinary character. Xu Qingqiu couldn’t have pulled off such a clean stunt on her own."

"I didn’t ask you to praise them. Let’s discuss what to do."

"Old Zhang, get in touch with the music platforms and see if you can get her songs pulled."

"Right, don’t we have a contract? It stipulates she can’t release these songs while the show is on. Get someone to sue her for breach of contract and demand damages immediately!"

"Uhm... Producer Liu, our contract with her has already ended. That means the agreement is void."

"Ended?? What do you mean??"

"Regarding her injury, you know her agent made a big fuss and even called the police. To keep things quiet, we terminated the contract early, so the restrictions were naturally lifted..."

"So, what do we do now?"

"There’s nothing we can do. Under these circumstances, we can’t get her songs taken down unless we use personal connections. But at most, I’m only confident I can influence one or two platforms. I’m not familiar with the others. After all, they’re not part of our system; our influence doesn’t extend that far."

"What do you mean? Are you saying there’s nothing we can do?"

"..."

Seeing everyone sitting in silence, the chief producer and director were both livid.

They prided themselves on years of experience in the industry, being well-connected within the system, possessing some power, and maintaining close ties with various companies.

Usually, thanks to the satellite TV station’s resources, they were treated as VIPs wherever they went, with countless stars begging for a spot on their programs.

Who would have thought that after all this, they’d be outsmarted by a minor singer with no background or resources? Were they really about to capsize in their own gutter?

"Who wrote her songs? Isn’t she a singer? Try to get a message to them. Mention those songwriters and their companies."

"Director Guan, no need. Baise Entertainment already spread the word that nobody has written songs for her in over a year."

"Baise Entertainment? What right do they have to say anything? We haven’t even dealt with that scoundrel Ye Zhonghuai yet! We never should have listened to them and gotten into this mess!"

"What good is that crappy company’s word? They’re not even in the top five of second-tier entertainment companies, let alone one of the ’Big Three.’ What weight does their statement carry? Use the station’s name to pressure them!"

"Director Guan... When Baise Entertainment made that statement, they were backed by Goya Records..."

"Goya? How are they involved in this?"

"Last year, Ye Zhonghuai brought Goya into Baise Entertainment. Now, Goya is a major shareholder in Baise."

Goya? One of the top ten global music companies and one of the three leading entertainment giants in the country. It’s located on Bay Island, has Japanese backing, and possesses resources spread across Southeast Asia and North America.

Within the Chinese-speaking community, they could be considered a top-tier presence.

The other two were Huanya Media, backed by traditional capital from Hong Kong Island, and Habes Music in Shen City, which was North American-owned.

In East Asia, among the top ten record companies, North America held two seats, Japan held two, Bay Island held three, Hong Kong Island two, and the mainland only one.

This just went to show how little influence mainland music had.

The moment Director Guan Yongye heard Goya Music was involved, he dropped any talk of a ban. Even with the satellite TV station’s backing, compared to such music giants, he was utterly insignificant.

He might be influential in the mainland market, but outside of it, no one would give him a second glance. A classic case of being a big frog in a small pond.

"Since that’s the case, we don’t need to worry about it. Pass the word to our colleagues: be careful when cooperating with this person in the future. She’s not easy to deal with."

"Understood, I’ll communicate with them."

"Wait, then who wrote these two songs for Xu Qingqiu?"

"It seems to be someone called Youmeng."

"Youmeng? Who is this person? Didn’t Goya make their stance clear? Is there still someone not afraid of Goya’s reputation?"

"I’m not too sure. It seems a lot of people are looking for this person, but there’s been no word. Some have even asked Xu Qingqiu, but she said she doesn’t know."

"Hah, she doesn’t know? Who’s she kidding? Probably some nobody without much backing. Either they’re afraid of being poached, or they’re just ignorant and fearless. Forget it. Let someone else deal with that headache. For now, let’s handle this PR crisis!"

The production team scrambled to manage PR, dealing with posts on microblogs, short videos, and liaising with various music platforms.

Xu Qingqiu’s studio was equally swamped. Releasing songs was no simple matter, involving everything from promotion and operations to various communications.

As her popularity soared, offers for commercial performances and licensing deals poured in. Everyone was swamped.

Chu Tian, however, once again found himself with free time. Just then, his phone rang.

"Hello, who’s this?"

On the other end of the line, Editor Qiu Ye nearly choked at his question.

"Nanmeng Da Da, this is your editor, Qiu Ye. Don’t tell me you still haven’t saved my number?"

Oh? Really? Chu Tian hurriedly checked; indeed, no contact name was listed.

"Oh, how could that be! I was just busy with work and wasn’t paying attention. My apologies."

"No problem at all. Have you checked on your novel lately?"

"Er... sorry, I’ve been a bit busy and haven’t had a chance to check. How’s it doing?"

"It’s doing extremely well!"

As soon as she mentioned this, Qiu Ye visibly brightened.

"Nanmeng Da Da, you have no idea! Your book is about to take the entire platform by storm! I’m calling to discuss putting it up for sale!"

"Up for sale? You mean it can start making money?"

"Yes, that’s essentially it. Going up for sale means enabling paid Chapters. Readers will have to pay to continue reading, and then you’ll start earning an income!"

"Sounds good. Let’s put it up for sale then!"

He wasn’t about to turn down money; he wasn’t an idiot.

"Ah? You agree just like that?"

"Why not?"

Qiu Ye had a whole explanation ready, but it went unsaid. She had planned to mention that because the book was still relatively short, putting it up for sale now was earlier than typical, but he didn’t seem concerned and agreed immediately.