Chapter 30: Face Value and True Worth

Chapter 30: Face Value and True Worth

So Zheng Rou still wanted to plead Mai Hui’s case.

She hoped Chen Feng and Mai Hui could let bygones be bygones.

If possible, she also hoped Chen Feng could make a demo of the new song he previously intended to sell to He Jiaqi for her to listen to.

If it were Chen Feng’s old self, he would definitely make excuses to avoid dealing with Mai Hui again, but this time it wasn’t an option.

This was exactly why he disliked asking for favors.

Once you opened your mouth to someone, you would owe them a favor and lose control.

The older you grew, the less you lived as your true self.

“No problem, Sister Rou. Once I polish this song, I’ll definitely find He Jiaqi.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Actually, Zheng Rou also did something slightly improper.

She let Mai Hui and He Jiaqi listen to the demo of “Dullness.” Mai Hui was filled with deep regret at that moment.

Usually, singers held more power than creators.

But when a creator’s skill reached a certain level, their dynamic would reverse.

A top-tier song could make a new singer an overnight sensation or revive a faded star.

This was also why Lu Wei, who didn’t currently need a song from Chen Feng, still had Zheng Rou maintain the relationship with him.

He Jiaqi wasn’t exactly young anymore. Her career had already shown signs of decline this year, hence her three-day stay at nightclubs in Hanzhou.

If she could get a work of the same caliber as “Dullness,” if not elevate her status further, she at least wouldn’t have to work so hard running promotional activities to maintain her popularity within the year.

Chen Feng asked for a favor and also gave one.

He reconciled with He Jiaqi and Mai Hui out of respect for Zheng Rou’s face, so they now owed Zheng Rou.

This was a transaction.

There was another reason Chen Feng wasn’t in a hurry to sell the song now and wanted to keep delaying.

Although his “talent” was strong, he hadn’t yet proven himself in the industry.

If he signed now, even if the other party was begging him, the offered price probably wouldn’t be very high.

Chen Feng wanted to wait until “Dullness” was officially released and the outside world heard it. By then, He Jiaqi would have to pay a hefty price if she wanted to buy “Night Has Grown Deep.”

Chen Feng only said he would let her listen to the demo; he never said he would definitely sell it.

The next day, Zhong Lei got up earlier than Chen Feng.

Anyway, being anxious today was useless; they had to wait until afternoon for news. To control costs, the two chose to take the bus to Q Music’s headquarters.

As a key division under the current top internet company in the country, Q Music’s office was also located at the company’s headquarters.

When they arrived, they were awed by the giant headquarters complex consisting of six massive buildings.

These six buildings were each at least fifty stories high on average, featuring glass curtain walls throughout. The design was exquisite, both grand and imposing, filled with a strong sense of modern technology and overwhelming artistic design.

It was said the design fees for this headquarters alone cost this internet giant a nine-digit figure.

Even the usually fearless Zhong Lei shuddered.

“Do you think we can even get through the main gate?”

she asked.

Chen Feng glanced at the eight uniformed security guards standing stiffly by the entrance and decisively answered, “Definitely not right now. But by this afternoon, someone will come out to invite us in.”

Zhong Lei was shocked. “Why?”

“No reason. I told you, you just need to listen quietly.”

Zhong Lei shook her head repeatedly. “I don’t believe it.”

This time it was Chen Feng’s turn to roll his eyes. “Look, beautiful, you’ve already lost two bets to me in a row. I suggest you think carefully; I’ll give you a chance to rephrase that. Because you really don’t have anything left to wager right now.”

Zhong Lei felt uncomfortable for a long time and said quite pitifully, “I believe you.”

“See? That’s better.”

At 2 p.m., Chen Feng’s phone finally rang.

“Hello? Is this Mr. Chen? I’m Ma Tianhua. Yes, have you arrived outside the company now? That’s great. Wait for me ten minutes; I’ll be right out.”

Having connections on the inside really made things easier.

Chen Feng gave face and finally gained respect.

Ma Tianhua also showed great respect for Zheng Rou’s face, speaking with utmost courtesy.

“This… this is happening? Did you know this person before? You should have said so earlier!”

Zhong Lei, trailing behind Chen Feng, was utterly speechless.

Chen Feng shook his head and didn’t explain.

After meeting, Ma Tianhua skipped any formalities. He directly escorted them inside, asked his secretary to take them to a meeting room to wait, and said he would immediately gather colleagues from the copyright department to discuss contract details.

It was that fast, that efficient.

Ten minutes later, the formal discussion began. Everyone introduced themselves, and then they proceeded to listen to the song.

Chen Feng took out his player and copied the demo for the deputy director specifically in charge of reviewing songs.

Before joining Q Music, this deputy director was also a renowned creator and critic in the domestic music scene.

It was said his music appreciation ability ranked at least top five in the country—a true heavyweight.

The deputy director didn’t shy away either. He put on headphones and listened on the spot.

After finishing, his face showed no expression. He waited a few more minutes before opening his eyes. Then, instead of rushing to comment, he gave Ma Tianhua a look.

Ma Tianhua smiled apologetically. “My apologies, I forgot something. In such cases, we usually need some internal discussion first. Please wait a few minutes.”

Eight minutes later, Ma Tianhua and the deputy director returned with their team.

Sitting down again, Ma Tianhua said, “Mr. Chen, Ms. Zhong. The quality of this song indeed fully meets our company’s new song signing standard. Please take a look at this contract.”

Chen Feng took the contract and was about to open it.

But Ma Tianhua added, “Of course, although the song is very good, you both presumably know our company is large-scale, so naturally we have a strict internal management system. Everything must follow rules and regulations. Although the song is good, both Mr. Chen and Ms. Zhong are newcomers to the industry, so we can only offer a Grade C contract for now.”

Chen Feng frowned.

Although he had anticipated this, when Ma Tianhua actually said it, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

Seeing this, Ma Tianhua smiled. “Don’t worry, both of you. Gold will always shine. After this song is released, as long as it achieves the required performance metrics, we will continuously allocate more promotional resources.”

Chen Feng silently nodded, not committing either way for now, and just lowered his head to read the contract.

Four key points.

A 70/30 profit split, preliminary Grade C resources, no binding for follow-up new songs, and a five-year lock for the streaming copyright of “Dullness.”

These terms were basically within Chen Feng’s expectations.

He could sign, but it wasn’t necessary.

Fortunately, Chen Feng had prepared a backup plan.

He opened his briefcase and took out a printed document. “Mr. Ma, to be honest. Before coming to Yucheng, KuGe from our local Hanzhou had been actively contacting us. But we believe more in Q Music’s strength and reputation, so we specifically flew here. Mr. Ma, please take a look. This is the contract KuGe offered us. We truly came with sincerity this time, very eager to achieve a genuine collaboration.”

Chen Feng’s move was unexpected by Ma Tianhua. He picked up the contract with surprise, quickly skimmed through it, and couldn’t help but secretly click his tongue in amazement.

Later on, he occasionally stole puzzled glances at Zhong Lei.

Ma Tianhua was a bit confused.

The terms of this KuGe contract were too favorable!

If not for the company seal on the printed document, Ma Tianhua might not even believe it was real.

Completely unreasonable!

Not at all the treatment for newcomers!

Earlier, the deputy director said the female singer’s vocal timbre was indeed very unique.

Purely from a quality perspective, this song was not inferior to those sung by A-list superstars under Grade A contracts, perhaps even better.

However, newcomers inevitably had to suffer some disadvantages; it was the norm.

Moreover, although the song was good, it hadn’t proven itself yet. Offering a Grade C contract was safe and not disrespecting anyone; it was a reasonable market practice.

But now it seemed this same uncut gem had already caught the attention of KuGe over there, and they were even preparing to place heavy bets on it!

“Please wait a moment, you two. I just remembered I need to report something to my supervisor.”

Ma Tianhua left the room again.

This was, of course, an excuse. He actually went out to contact his insider planted in KuGe, asking that insider working in KuGe’s copyright department to verify if this was indeed true.

Three minutes later, he received a reply.

It was true!

Ten minutes later, Ma Tianhua returned to the meeting room, his attitude three notches more enthusiastic than before.

This time he listened to the demo once more himself, solidifying his judgment further.

Ma Tianhua absolutely refused to admit that Q Music was inferior to KuGe in discovering potential talent.

But this time, he had to admit defeat.

Damn that Lin Youyi had guts!

But luckily, the other party valued Q Music more.

“Mr. Chen, Ms. Zhong, please look at this contract now.”

This time, he finally presented a Grade B contract.

Strictly speaking, it was a Grade B+.

Apart from the mandatory resource allocation reaching Grade B level, the revenue split also directly matched the Grade A standard—50/50!

Furthermore, it unexpectedly included a one-time signing bonus payment of fifty thousand.

This amount wasn’t much, but it was a symbol of status.

Typically, only Grade A contracts came with signing bonuses.

But this was a special case.

Though it was a small sum for a behemoth like Q Music, for the current Chen Feng and Zhong Lei, it was a fortune that could solve their urgent needs!

They were genuinely too embarrassed to admit it, but they were truly poor right now.

So poor their socks had holes and their big toes felt the breeze.