Wang Tong was practically dragged out of the Chairman's office, his disheveled appearance drawing smirks and laughter from onlookers. His reputation lay in tatters.
"Ye Huanqiu, you're dead to me!" he roared, though his rage was directed at those beneath him. He still clung to the delusion that Ye Huanqiu was the same soft pushover he could manipulate at will.
Meanwhile, the official Weibo account of I Am a Creator issued a public statement clarifying that Ye Huanqiu's status as an independent musician did not violate the terms of his non-compete agreement. Furthermore, he would regain full independence next year!
The post tagged Nuocheng Company's official account, urging them to help clear up the misunderstanding or face a counterclaim.
Almost instantly, Nuocheng Company released its own statement claiming it was all a misunderstanding. A temporary worker in the Legal Department had mishandled an old file, causing inconvenience to the public, the I Am a Creator production team, and Mr. Ye. They offered a sincere apology and pinned the apology to the top of their Weibo feed for a week.
This left many who were eagerly anticipating a dramatic showdown disappointed, and netizens flooded the blog post with comments.
"Ugh, how boring... I was hoping for a juicy feud, but they just immediately groveled!"
"Serves them right, the temp worker tried to pull a fast one and ended up empty-handed."
"Those who slandered Yueyue, claiming she sang a song written by a criminal—come out and apologize! Stop hiding, you keyboard warriors!"
"An independent musician? Amazing! I've never seen one this talented. After watching the show and hearing 'Chinese,' I immediately listened to 'Blooming Life' again. Absolutely a musical prodigy!"
"So... when will the full tracks be released? I want to listen to 'Chinese' again! My little nephew keeps asking to learn it, but we don't have the official version yet."
"@I Am a Creator, release the full tracks soon!"
It was just a minor ripple in the public discourse, but Li Yuanjie, basking in Gou Bing's adoring gaze, retreated to his room to refine his "Music Tailor's Song Library." He was determined to dominate the next episode of the show and avenge his previous humiliation.
At the management company, Yang Chaoyue breathed a sigh of relief for Ye Huanqiu. She had initially assumed he was backed by a major label, only to discover he was an independent musician.
The struggles of independent musicians are well-known. Without the exposure from I Am a Creator, it would have been difficult for Ye Huanqiu to achieve such rapid fame.
In the company van, Sister Zhang suddenly said, "Oh, right! I've contacted Teacher Ye. Our company has acquired the rights to Chinese. It's likely to be performed at this year's Mid-Autumn Festival gala. We need to secure the performance authorization..."
"How much is the company offering?" Yang Chaoyue asked casually.
"One million yuan," Sister Zhang replied earnestly, "and that might not even be enough." Yang Chaoyue sat up in shock.
"The company's being that generous? A Ye's an independent musician—he wouldn't charge that much... Don't slander him!"
Yang Chaoyue spoke objectively. The sum seemed excessive.
"You're right," Sister Zhang said. "I originally thought we could settle for around 300,000 yuan, but as I mentioned earlier, the higher-ups specifically requested this song for the Mid-Autumn Festival gala performance, which changes everything. The song is already excellent, and while they specified the song, they didn't name the singer. That means everyone has a shot. Do you think other management companies would pass up such a high-profile opportunity?"
"No wonder our notoriously stingy company suddenly became so generous," Yang Chaoyue replied. "But I'm an actress, why are we wasting money on a singing career? It's like a dead rat running into a blind cat like A Ye."
Yang Chaoyue felt confident performing on variety shows, but the thought of performing at the Mid-Autumn Festival gala, a massive live event, made her hesitant.
Sister Zhang gave her a pointed look, letting her draw her own conclusions.
"Alright, Teacher Ye will be at the company soon. You... talk to him directly. We don't want to take advantage of him, but securing a reasonable price would be ideal." Sister Zhang's meaning was crystal clear.
Yang Chaoyue felt a bit helpless, but since it was for the company's benefit, she would do her best to negotiate.
Meanwhile, Chen Yihan, who hadn't been paying much attention to the online buzz, decided to investigate when she saw Ye Huanqiu's name trending.
"He's a freelancer... His non-compete agreement expires this year. Let's wait and see."
Ye Huanqiu had already proven his talent with two songs, but the question remained: how long could he sustain it? The music industry was littered with artists who had burned brightly only to fade into obscurity.
When more people learned that Ye Huanqiu was an independent musician, they mostly adopted a wait-and-see approach, observing from the sidelines.
One Sunday afternoon, Yang Chaoyue met Ye Huanqiu at a café downstairs from her office. She seemed hesitant to speak, stammering over her words. Ye Huanqiu cut to the chase: "Chaoyue, you can't hide anything. It's written all over your face. Just tell me what's on your mind."
"Um... our company wants to buy the rights to your song, but they're hoping you'll give us a discount. I want you to think carefully about this. Many others are interested in licensing 'Chinese,' and you could easily fetch over two million yuan later."
Yang Chaoyue spoke frankly, even divulging confidential information.
If anyone else had said this, Ye Huanqiu might have suspected a manipulative tactic. But coming from her...
"Aren't you worried you'll get scolded if the deal falls through?"
"Hmph, let them scold me... I've been scolded before. Once I become famous, they'll stop."
Yang Chaoyue held her ground, delivering the words with feigned indifference. Yet the slight tremor in her body betrayed her true apprehension.
"How much is your company offering to buy the song?"
"They said a little over a million."
"Alright, let's make it a clean 1.2 million, and I'll sell you the song. I can even give you some advice when you shoot the music video."
Ye Huanqiu delivered the million-dollar figure with feigned calmness, but his heart was pounding in his chest.
Don't blame him for being overwhelmed. He hadn't acquired some god-tier system where billions were pocket change—that kind of extravagance was beyond his reach.
In both his past and present lives, he'd never held such a massive sum in his hands. He'd been scraping by on the production team's 100,000 yuan per episode appearance fees for variety shows, and now this sudden windfall felt like a dream.
With over a million yuan about to land in his bank account, his family home back in his hometown would be secure, and his future in the Demon Capital would be comfortable and stable.
"Okay, I'll talk to Sister Zhang about it. Thanks, A Ye."
"I should be thanking you. You're my lucky koi—meeting you was the turning point in my life."
"Ugh, not this routine again."
Yang Chaoyue excused herself to speak with Sister Zhang, while Ye Huanqiu gazed out the café's glass wall at the bustling metropolis beyond.
In this dazzling city, a newfound warmth seemed to permeate the air.
He was determined to carve out his own place in this urban jungle, and at that moment, he knew he was on the right path.