"Lin Yuan."
Seeing Lin Yuan again, Zhao Jue greeted him warmly, "Zhao Yingge has signed a contract with me. She really likes 'Flammable and Explosive.'"
"That's great."
Lin Yuan's original intention was to help Zhao Jue.
Zhao Jue said, "I'll have you sign a contract first, following the usual rules. The company takes 80%, and the remaining two layers are split evenly between you and Zhao Yingge..."
"Okay."
Zhao Yingge wasn't an ordinary workhorse.
So, Lin Yuan was prepared to take a smaller share of the money, and he didn't raise any objections. Half and half, it is then.
Although Lin Yuan felt a bit reluctant, he couldn't help it.
But no matter how grandiose Wu Yong's words were, in Lin Yuan's view, he still belonged to the category of tools. Because, in Lin Yuan's opinion, tools were cost-effective, beautiful, and economical.
"Let's not talk about anything else."
Zhao Jue patted Lin Yuan's shoulder, "This is a grown-up's deal. I will pay you back in the future. In Starlight, I have the confidence to say this."
Lin Yuan said, "You owe me a meal."
Zhao Jue chuckled, "Can a simple meal exchange for a song like 'Flammable and Explosive'? If I treat you to more meals, would that be a direct path to heaven? It's not just about a meal, and I can't take advantage of your generosity for free. If you have any needs in the future, just come to me directly."
Zhao Jue had said this once before.
But saying it a second time carried a completely different meaning.
Lin Yuan didn't think too much about it; he just nodded and said, "Let's go sign the contract."
Zhao Jue nodded.
Five minutes later, Lin Yuan followed Zhao Jue to the vocal department and met Zhao Yingge.
"Hello, Mr. Xianyu."
Zhao Yingge greeted with a smile, but she was somewhat surprised by Xianyu's youth; she had expected him to be at least in his thirties.
"Hello."
Lin Yuan shook hands with her out of politeness.
In fact, Zhao Yingge wanted to chat with Lin Yuan a bit more, but he didn't seem inclined to engage in conversation. She tried several topics, and Lin Yuan only responded politely, so Zhao Yingge had to keep her mouth shut; she had her own pride as well.
The two of them signed the contract.
Zhao Yingge asked, "Is there anything else, Mr. Xianyu?"
Lin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Don't change the version that's being released. You're free to make changes to other versions in the future."
"I haven't planned to change the composition, arrangement, or lyrics," Zhao Yingge replied.
"Okay."
Lin Yuan then took his leave.
After Lin Yuan left, Zhao Yingge muttered, "Are all the people in our company's composition department this aloof?"
"Yes," replied Zhao Jue, unsurprised.
Zhao Jue added matter-of-factly, "Most people in the composition department are aloof. Xianyu's personality is quite good. At least he is polite."
"Alright," Zhao Yingge conceded.
With anticipation, Zhao Yingge asked, "Now that all the contracts are signed, are we releasing the single on the first of next month?"
"Of course," Zhao Jue replied.
Zhao Jue smiled and said, "I told you, our company is highly efficient. From the moment you signed with the company, the PR department has already begun promoting your new song. Your fans now know about your song release next month."
Zhao Yingge was the champion of "Rising Star."
The show had just ended, and Zhao Yingge's popularity as the champion was still high. So, the company wanted to capitalize on this and release the song while the iron was hot.
If they waited too long, this champion's popularity would wane.
At that moment, Zhao Jue's phone suddenly rang.
After a brief conversation, her face darkened, and she spoke with a hint of coldness, "Dazzling Silverfire and Sahara are teaming up, aren't they?"
After a while, Zhao Jue hung up the phone.
Confused, Zhao Yingge asked, "What's happening?"
Zhao Jue was somewhat agitated as she replied, "Next month, Sahara and Dazzling Silverfire have scheduled two A-list singers to release songs on the first. Originally, these two singers were supposed to release their songs in March next year, but they suddenly changed their schedule, clearly targeting you."
"So, do we need to reschedule?" Zhao Yingge furrowed her brow.
Although she had confidence in "Flammable and Explosive," the fact remained that Dazzling Silverfire and Sahara were sending two A-list singers.
What are A-list singers?
A-list singers are those who, even if their songs aren't the best, have a massive fan base.
Just like Qian Xingyu on the Newcomer Rankings.
Even though everyone knows that Qian Xingyu's song might not be the best on the rankings, his popularity alone can significantly boost the song's success.
"It's not that simple," Zhao Jue said, shaking her head. "Under normal circumstances, we could change the schedule, leaving them with empty hands and having them compete with each other on next month's new music chart. But the problem is, you can't afford to delay! Your popularity comes from being the champion of 'Rising Star,' and if you delay by a month, your popularity will drop by one-third."
Gritting her teeth, Zhao Yingge said, "I can endure a one-third drop."
These two companies teaming up to block her was clearly in retaliation for not choosing them.
In harsh terms, if Zhao Yingge had signed with Sahara earlier, today's collaboration would have been between Starlight and Dazzling Silverfire instead.
Therefore, while Zhao Yingge was understandably angry about the situation, she also understood the reasoning behind it.
"It's not just one month."
Zhao Jue's gaze flickered with a cold light. "If you don't release a song in January, it'll be even harder in February because February is Blue Star's Spring Festival."
"Spring Festival..." Zhao Yingge's face changed.
She had forgotten about that!
Every December, the Newcomer Rankings were a fierce battleground, and although the competition in the month of the Spring Festival was not as intense as in December, many big stars still released songs during that time due to the Blue Star people's special affection for the Spring Festival. So, choosing February was not a better option than January.
As for moving the release to March, that was even less favorable. By March, it would have been several months since "Rising Star" had concluded, and Zhao Yingge's championship popularity might have waned.
"Does that mean we have to go for it?" Zhao Yingge asked with some unease.
She had confidence in "Flammable and Explosive."
But the situation on the Newcomer Rankings was too complicated.
Take the December Newcomer Rankings, for example. Because many fierce competitors entered the scene in December, even a song like "Big Fish" couldn't make it into the top ten.
Of course, this was partly because "Big Fish" entered the scene midway through the month.
However, this incident indirectly illustrated that a song's ranking depended not only on its quality but also on factors like the fame of the performer and the composer.
Xianyu already had some fame, but there was still a gap compared to ace composers. Zhao Yingge had some fame too, being the champion of "Rising Star," but in terms of fan base, there was still a significant difference when compared to top-tier singers.
"There's no turning back," Zhao Jue squinted. "They dare to send two top-tier singers to target you, knowing that we have no retreat. We have no choice but to face it head-on."
Such targeted competition was rare.
If they didn't compete impulsively, they could simply reschedule the release date. But Dazzling Silverfire and Sahara were shrewd in understanding Zhao Yingge's situation and seized this unique opportunity, leaving Zhao Yingge with no chance to reschedule!
If you can't have it, destroy it.
That's the competition at the top three levels in Qin Prefecture.
Zhao Yingge also understood this principle, so she felt somewhat anxious.