"Chapter 007 Beauty Doesn't Equal Kindness
In Gao Tingting and Wang Fujia's eyes, Zhang Songsheng's words had no credibility. They glanced at Li Ziran, who nodded and said, "Although Liu Shiqing isn't the worst singer in our class, he's not far off."
Liu Shiqing mumbled, "Class President, is this one flaw of mine really worth proclaiming to the world like this?"
Gao Tingting and Wang Fujia looked at each other, "Ziran, can we discuss this between us and give you our answer afterwards, okay?"
Li Ziran was in no position to decide, so she looked towards Liu Shiqing, who nodded without hesitation, "Whatever."
Gao Tingting and Wang Fujia went onto the balcony and closed the door behind them. When they returned to the room after discussing for fifteen minutes.
"Liu Shiqing, Fujia and I have discussed, we can help you record and perfect this song. But we have a request, our names should be credited on this song. Of course, we don't demand that our names come before yours; behind yours will suffice," Gao Tingting proposed solemnly.
Before Liu Shiqing could respond, Zhang Songsheng jumped in as if his butt was on fire, "This song is from Shiqing's dream, it belongs to him alone. By attaching your names to it, aren't you planning to split my buddy's property? No, absolutely not."
"If that's the case, we can only express our regret," Gao Tingting had no intention of backing down. Both she and Wang Fujia had a deeper understanding of music than Li Ziran, Zhang Songsheng, and Liu Shiqing. Intuition told them that even if this song couldn't be chosen as the theme song for the Fog City Olympics, as long as it was spread around, it would certainly become popular nationwide, even globally. Then they, who had ambitions in music, would gain recognition sooner than others. Perhaps, a golden road of sunshine was waiting for them ahead.
Gao Tingting and Wang Fujia picked up their violin cases and decisively started to leave. Li Ziran became anxious, "Tingting, Fujia, what's wrong with you? Didn't we agree on everything before we came?"
Wang Fujia said, "Ziran, we originally thought it was just an ordinary piece, which we could simply record and organize. But now it seems that even a day's time might not be enough to perfect this piece. We put in all this effort, asking to have our names printed on the score doesn't seem too much, right?"
Before Liu Shiqing could speak, Zhang Songsheng rushed in, "You two ladies, you're pretty, but beauty can't feed you. Don't you think you're going too far? Nowadays, there are plenty of people who know music. With a thousand or eight hundred bucks, you can hire a few decent musicians. Once they see the money, they'll work obediently. Who would dare ask for the naming rights?"
Li Ziran also said, "Tingting, Fujia, you're both my best friends, and I trusted you, which is why I invited you here. I didn't expect you to make such outrageous demands. If I had known this, I wouldn't have invited you. If you continue to insist on such outrageous demands, we can't even be friends."
Zhang Songsheng and Li Ziran may not know much about Chinese Copyright Law, but even based on their knowledge, they judged that Gao Tingting and Wang Fujia's request for a credit would at least divide the honor that should belong to Liu Shiqing alone among three people.
Gao Tingting was clearly someone who could make decisions. She said, "Ziran, I don't think our request is excessive. Putting aside our professional identities which can't be simply replaced by any random person, even if we talk about the song hummed by your classmate, though it's good, there are many flaws when seen from our professional perspective. We'll have to put in a lot of effort to arrange and modify it before it can become a more complete and perfect piece. The efforts we invest are no less than creating an entirely new piece, thus we think asking for crediting our names is not too much. Besides, we're only asking for credit. Furthermore, if this song is successfully selected as the theme song for the Fog City Olympics, we are willing to give up all the revenue."
Zhang Songsheng categorically said, "No way, if you're that capable, compose your own song and send it to Fog City. Don't think about reaping rewards off my brother."
Wang Fujia said, "If you guys keep being so inflexible, then forget it. Didn't you say that you could get anyone off the street to compose for you? Well, go for it. Ziran, I'm sorry but Tingting and I have got to go, we have other things to do."
Wang Fujia aspired to carve her own path in the music industry, and would not let any opportunity for fame slip away. After winning second place in the National High School Folk Music Competition, China Music Academy, China's top music school, approached her with an offer to study there once she graduated from high school. So, one could only imagine the golden opportunities that would open up if Wang Fujia's name made it to the creators list for the Fog City Olympics theme song.
Just as Gao Tingting and Wang Fujia were about to leave, Liu Shiqing suddenly rushed forward and blocked the door. "You two, wait a moment. Give me some time to think."
Zhang Songsheng anxiously said, "Shiqing, their demands are absurd. We've already shown them face by not kicking them out immediately. Why are you still considering their demands?"
Liu Shiqing waved his hands, "Songsheng, Captain, let's talk on the balcony."
Once they were on the balcony, Zhang Songsheng asked, "Shiqing, what in the world are you thinking? We absolutely cannot agree to their demands."
Liu Shiqing ignored Zhang Songsheng and turned towards Li Ziran, "Captain, tell me honestly, what are these two friends of yours like?"
Living up to her reputation as a smart woman, Li Ziran instantly understood his question, "You're afraid that they will broadcast your dreamt tune everywhere?"
Liu Shiqing nodded, "These two students from City No.1 Middle School claim to be your sisters, but in your presence, they explicitly demanded for the rights to the signature. This shows that they would rather ditch sisterly affection to get hold of the rights. There's no telling what they may do once they leave. If we cannot meet their demands, and they start announcing the tune, the Olympic Committee might disqualify our entry due to its spread. After all, we all know how strictly the International Olympic Committee keeps things under wraps before the Olympics. We have to appease them to some extent to ensure their cooperation."
"Liu Shiqing, shall I take Gao Tingting and Wang Fujia away, and act as if nothing has happened? As for them potentially spreading the tune, I think we don't have to worry. They might not have such impeccable memory to remember the music score after just one listen." Li Ziran suggested.
"Yes, Captain, we can't be sure that your friends didn't remember the music, but neither can we be sure they did. We can't exactly ask them, can we? If we ask them, isn't that flagging our concerns about them leaking the song? Once they catch on, they would become more demanding. " Liu Shiqing has thought through this much more deeply than Li Ziran.
"So, we have no other choice than to give in to their demands?" sighed Li Ziran.
"I disagree, Shiqing, this song came to you in a dream. What gives them the right to claim credit for it?" Zhang Songsheng retorted discontentedly.
"Apart from this, do you have any better solutions?" Liu Shiqing challenged Zhang Songsheng with a glance, "To know what kind of person you're dealing with should dictate how you handle them. These two pretty classmates of ours aren't all show, unlike some pretty but useless people. If they genuinely want to break the net after catching the fish, we don't gain anything."
"Captain, how did you end up with two femme fatales? They're gunning for Shiqing's bones on first meeting. These two friends of yours are quite something. Who does that? " Zhang Songsheng complained.
"I didn't expect Tingting and Fujia to act like this. If I had known they would claim the rights to the signature, I wouldn't have brought them along." Li Ziran said embarrassedly, "I've been friends with them for several years, and I thought they were above such things. I can't believe they've shown such a vulgar side. I feel really blind. Liu Shiqing, I'm sorry."