Chapter 26

In the capital city, at the headquarters of Changsheng Records.

Liao Liao pushed the door open and plopped down on the sofa, her face a picture of worry.

Shortly after, her assistant Huang Wenjuan also entered, glanced at her, and didn't dare to say anything. She first ran to the water dispenser to get a cup of warm water, then carefully brought it over and placed it on the coffee table.

"What did President Zheng say?" she asked.

"No chance!" Liao Liao replied.

Huang Wenjuan let out an "oh" but didn't dare to ask further, instead, she cautiously walked to the side and sat down with her.

Ever since Liao Liao released her first single, Huang Wenjuan had been her assistant. After a year of working together, both being in their early twenties, they got along well, and their relationship was quite good. Moreover, she knew that Liao Liao's mood recently wasn't exactly great.

Her first single sold well, especially her unique voice and wide vocal range, which received high praise from music critics. As a result, the company was very enthusiastic about producing her album, and even the president personally approved an 800,000 yuan production budget, just a notch below the four major stars in the company, clearly grooming her as a future star. This caused a lot of gossip within the company, with all sorts of comments being made. However, even after eight months of preparation, they had only collected 50 to 60 songs, and the album was still far from completion—only five songs had been finalized!

At this rate, completing the album by the end of the year would be considered highly efficient!

All sorts of rumors had already been flying around the company. To be honest, those waiting for her to fail far outnumbered those hoping for her success, and by a significant margin!

Who wouldn't be worried in this situation?

Actually, Liao Liao herself admitted that President Zheng had treated her well. She also understood that the company's upper management's favor, the support from the album producer Zhao Jie, and the 800,000 yuan production budget personally approved by President Zheng, were rare opportunities for her to rise.

The reasons were simple.

First, Changsheng Records was just a medium-sized company in the industry. Although the so-called four major stars each had at least one platinum-selling album, they were all male singers. Before Liao Liao signed with the company, none of the female singers had made a name for themselves, leading to a severely imbalanced development of the company.

Second, the current structure of the company, besides President Zheng, was led by Artistic Director Du Xiaoming, Deputy Director Zhao Meifeng, and Deputy Director Sima Jie, known as the "three horses" of the company, managing nearly twenty singers of various sizes. However, among the "three horses," Director Du Xiaoming alone managed three of the four major stars, making him extremely powerful. Sima Jie, aside from managing newly signed artists, had almost no power and was like a general laborer, leaving no room for competition. However, Zhao Meifeng, who had a platinum-selling artist under her, still wanted to compete.

Thus, after Liao Liao signed with the company and released a single to test the waters, she was spotted by Zhao Meifeng. Not only did Zhao Meifeng help her secure the 800,000 yuan production budget from President Zheng, but she also personally took on the role of producer for Liao Liao's new album, clearly determined to fully support her.

However, the problem was that Liao Liao was clearly not a very obedient person.

Moreover, she had her own unique standards for song selection, and no one could persuade her otherwise!

Thus, her album got stuck.

She refused to compromise, no matter what the producer said, and would rather die than give in!

...

Neither of them spoke, and the silence in the lounge was so deep that a pin dropping could be heard.

After a while, Huang Wenjuan couldn't bear it anymore and had to speak up, saying, "Why don't you, Sister Liao Liao, lower your standards a bit?"

Liao Liao turned to look at her, her mind elsewhere.

But the assistant couldn't help but continue, "Look, the company has already collected so many songs. Are there really only five that can be used? I know, I know, your standards are high, and you choose only the best. But see, we can't keep stalling like this. I've heard that not only are the others in the company, but even President Zheng and Director Du have a lot of complaints about you. If this drags on, it might end up being a disaster..."

Liao Liao took a deep breath, got up from the sofa, and started pacing around the lounge.

As soon as she stood up, Huang Wenjuan quickly followed, saying, "We already have five top-quality songs as a foundation, all personally chosen by you. Any one of them can guarantee high quality, so... why don't we just pick a few more from the rest, make up the numbers, and release the album first?"

Liao Liao turned to look at her, clearly somewhat tempted.

Huang Wenjuan knew the current situation in the company, and she knew it well.

Moreover, she knew that continuing to drag on was clearly not an option. If President Zheng got upset one day and canceled the album project, it would be a real embarrassment.

Thus, she encouraged Huang Wenjuan to continue.

Huang Wenjuan, encouraged by the signal, gained confidence and quickly continued, "Once our album is released, with the five top-quality songs as a foundation, the sales won't be bad. By the time the next album is released, you'll have the sales of the previous album to back you up. Even if it takes three years to produce, no one will say anything, right?"

This line of thinking... was clearly very reasonable.

Liao Liao nodded at first, but soon she couldn't help but shake her head.

At the same time, the feeling of anxiety reappeared on her face.

Pacing a few steps in the lounge, her eyes met the assistant's expectant gaze, and she suddenly said, "I just can't understand why it's so hard to find a good song."

Although she was just a small assistant, they had become quite familiar. Once the conversation started, her courage grew a bit. At this moment, Huang Wenjuan couldn't help but pout, "Sister, we've already collected 73 songs, and you don't know how many people in the company are envious. I even heard someone blowing in the wind to Director Du, saying that we're hoarding so many songs and not using them, and it would be better to give them to other singers! If it weren't for Zhao Jie's protection, I think those songs would have been snatched up long ago... If everyone is fighting for them, are they not considered top-quality?"

Liao Liao shook her head and said, "You don't understand!"

Pacing a few more steps, she said, "There are good songs among those, but the problem is... I always feel something is missing. So, while there are a few good songs, they can't be considered top-quality!"

"Is Cotton's 'Overcast' not considered top-quality? She's a big name in the industry, and I heard that even President Zheng personally intervened to secure this song. It's the most sought-after song in the company!"

Liao Liao shook her head, "That song is too feminine, it's not suitable for me. You don't understand, I've already told Zhao Jie I don't want it. She's keeping it for someone else, it has nothing to do with me!"

Huang Wenjuan was at a loss. She knew this involved internal company politics and resource struggles, which was not something she, a small assistant, could comment on. Thus, she avoided the topic and said, "But now, we really don't have any other songs to choose from! When you went to see President Zheng just now, he also said there was no chance, right?"

Liao Liao walked back and sat down, saying helplessly, "President Zheng said that these are all the songs we can find. If I'm not satisfied, he told me to go out and find songs myself!"

Huang Wenjuan was speechless.

Telling her to go out and find songs... that was essentially letting her fend for herself!

Although she had only been Liao Liao's assistant for a year, she had learned a lot about the music industry through her work.

Actually, strictly speaking, this industry is not very large.

Top producers, lyricists, and composers in the industry have fixed collaborators. These producers often only produce albums for a few or even one person, and top lyricists and composers often prioritize their old acquaintances when they have new works. Only when the old acquaintances determine that the style doesn't fit and don't want it, will the works circulate among various music and record companies, like the song "Overcast" by Cotton that President Zheng personally secured.

Moreover, it is said that once top producers, fixed collaborators, lyricists, and composers reach a certain level, they don't just receive fixed royalties and production fees; they can even participate in the sales profits of the albums.

Therefore, the industry norm is that behind every popular singer, there is often a powerful producer and a nearly fixed circle of lyricists and composers.

Thus, there are only so many good works, and the number that can circulate is very limited.

Of course, it's not that those who haven't reached that level don't have good works; they do. Among the best works that appear in the industry each year, top lyricists and composers account for at most half, and the other half are occasional inspirations from ordinary authors, or even new authors.

However, the problem is that, first, those good works may not be available for you to choose. By the time you know about them, they are often already reserved or bought by others, and some have even been released as albums. Second, even if the songs are submitted to your company as soon as they are created, can the person selecting the songs really pick them out immediately? In this industry, there are many good works that were initially overlooked and later discovered.

Moreover, once a work becomes popular, the status of the lyricist and composer will naturally rise, making it harder to invite them to write songs.

To put it bluntly, even if they have good works, they will first offer them to major stars, hoping to sell them for a higher price and also hoping to use the fame and influence of major stars to make their works more popular.

So, how many opportunities does a new singer like Liao Liao, who is just starting out, have to get works that satisfy her, especially when her standards are so high?

Too mainstream... no.

Lyrics and music not reaching a certain level... no.

Not fitting her aesthetic style and taste... no.

Thus, in eight months, out of 73 songs, she only selected four. Adding one from her own dozens of compositions, she only had five in total.

Wanting more... none.

Producer Zhao Jie couldn't find any more, and even President Zheng, the big boss, had let her fend for herself.

...

Walking a few more steps in the room, Liao Liao suddenly stopped and turned to look at Huang Wenjuan, asking, "Do you have paper and a pen?"

Huang Wenjuan was taken aback but quickly took out her work diary and a pen from her pocket and handed them over. Liao Liao took them, flipped to a blank page, hesitated for a moment, and started writing.

At first, Huang Wenjuan was a bit excited, thinking she had suddenly been inspired, but when she looked closer, she saw that it was all... names.

She quickly wrote down over a dozen names, then slowed down, thinking for a moment before writing a few more—Huang Wenjuan, having worked as an assistant for a year, had learned a bit about the industry, so she quickly understood what these names were for.

They were all lyricists and composers.

And they were all famous in the industry.

Thus, she was a bit stunned.

After about ten minutes, the small notebook was filled with nearly 20 to 30 names. As far as Huang Wenjuan knew, almost all the top lyricists and composers in the industry were included.

Then, holding the notebook in her left hand, Liao Liao started biting the pen.

After a while, she crossed out a name, then after a bit more, crossed out another.

Soon, the 20 to 30 names were reduced to just 7 or 8.

Huang Wenjuan secretly watched and quickly understood: those who were impossible to get songs from, those who had retired or semi-retired, or those who had already received works but didn't plan to use them—like Cotton—were all crossed out by Liao Liao.

After a bit more thought, Liao Liao spread the notebook on the coffee table and said, "These are the ones!"

Huang Wenjuan felt a bit overwhelmed and asked, "Sister, what are you planning to do?"

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