Chapter 38

Monday morning.

In the capital, at the headquarters of Changsheng Records, in the general manager's office.

Zheng Changsheng took a few pages of sheet music and glanced at them casually, but his mind was elsewhere. Even his response was absent-minded, “Oh, okay, I know, I’ll take a closer look later… Wait, hold on! How much? How much did you say you spent on these songs?”

Although producer Zhao Meifeng was right there, Liao Liao still felt particularly guilty, especially with Zheng Changsheng’s reaction, which made her even more nervous. She almost didn’t dare to look up and only whispered, “Four hundred thousand.”

Zhao Meifeng, who already knew the details of the situation, sighed imperceptibly and instinctively wanted to cover her ears. Of course, she couldn’t do that in front of General Manager Zheng, so she just turned her face away.

Zheng Changsheng stared with wide eyes for a moment, then slowly took a deep breath.

“Liao! Liao!”

The roar came as expected.

Liao Liao shivered immediately—though she was usually carefree, she was quite afraid of Zheng Changsheng’s roar.

But it was strange.

Back in Jinan, as she woke up, the fiery passion in her heart gradually subsided, and she already understood the situation she would face upon returning to Beijing. From then on, she was filled with anxiety and worry. On the way back to Beijing, she didn’t even bother to look at the sheet music, instead, she kept discussing with her assistant how to deal with General Manager Zheng’s roar. Because of this, she didn’t sleep well last night.

But when the moment finally came, and Zheng Changsheng’s roar actually sounded, she looked up at his red face and suddenly didn’t feel so afraid anymore.

“General Manager Zheng, please don’t be angry, just listen to me…”

“Listen to what bullshit!” Zheng Changsheng tugged at his tie forcefully, then threw the sheet music on the desk, tapping the paper forcefully, “Is he a god? Forty thousand for five songs? Eight thousand per song? How much did Mianmian’s ‘Overcast’ cost? Six thousand! Liao, are you crazy, or am I crazy?”

Although she wasn’t afraid anymore, Liao Liao knew this wasn’t the time to argue, so she just lowered her head and remained silent, putting on a meek and obedient look.

Zheng Changsheng stormed around behind his large desk, then suddenly looked at Zhao Meifeng, “Has the contract been signed?”

Zhao Meifeng shook her head but didn’t wait for Zheng Changsheng to say anything before adding, “It’s no use. Liao Liao has already given them the check. I called the finance department before coming here, and they’ve already cashed it.”

Bang!

Zheng Changsheng slammed his fist on the desk.

“You… you’re great! Liao Liao… you’re really something! You’re really generous! You’re really awesome! I have to think three times and five times before buying a song, but you, with an eighty-thousand production budget, you spend it like this? Writing checks, tearing checks, acting like a big shot, feels good, right? That’s four hundred thousand! You bought just a few lousy songs? Do you want to quit?”

Liao Liao continued to keep her head down, saying nothing.

Zheng Changsheng turned back to his chair, sat down, and, annoyed by his tie, loosened and removed it, throwing it on the desk. He tapped the desk for a few seconds, then suddenly said, “Alright, I’ll call Lawyer Gu right away and have his law firm take over. Since no contract has been signed, we can sue for fraud, and he won’t dare not return the money!”

As he spoke, he picked up the phone and started to dial.

Hearing him mention the lawyer, Liao Liao looked up in surprise and quickly ran over, pressing the phone, “General Manager Zheng, please don’t…”

Zheng Changsheng frowned and looked up at her, his eyes suddenly sharp.

If there was nothing wrong, he could certainly joke and chat with his artists, and when he was angry, he would yell, but he always stuck to the facts and never made the person he was yelling at truly resentful—after all, he was only in his thirties, and he had built Changsheng Records from scratch in just four or five years. How could he lack the ability to win people over?

However, he could be friends with artists, and in fact, with anyone, but his authority within the company was absolutely not to be challenged.

For example, no one should dare to stop him from making a phone call!

He looked at Liao Liao, his gaze sharp, but his tone suddenly gentle, “Liao Liao, listen to me, let go!”

Liao Liao didn’t dare to let go, but she also didn’t dare not to. She said, “Please, General Manager Zheng, just look at the songs first. If they’re not good, then you can make the call… No, you don’t even need to call and ask for the money back. I’ll pay the four hundred thousand myself, okay?” She looked back at Zhao Meifeng for help.

Zheng Changsheng frowned and also turned to look at Zhao Meifeng.

Zhao Meifeng slowly said, “Although the price is definitely outrageous, I’ve seen the songs. While they may not be worth that much, their quality is still acceptable, at least above average. So, I think… it might not be a good idea to involve a lawyer. It’s just a small author, and offending him might not matter much, but if the news spreads, it could damage the company’s image. You know, in this industry, contracts are often signed after the fact. Since it’s a common practice, and the industry is so small, no one dares to mess with it. So…”

Hearing this, Zheng Changsheng took a deep breath and turned to look at Liao Liao, who was just a few steps away.

Liao Liao looked at him hopefully, and when he turned his gaze to her, she quickly showed a pleading look and said, “Really, General Manager Zheng, I swear, I’m not being reckless. I really, really like these songs!”

Zheng Changsheng’s gaze shifted between Liao Liao and Zhao Meifeng several times, then he slowly put down the phone. Liao Liao quickly let go of the phone and even took a few steps back.

Taking a deep breath, Zheng Changsheng picked up the sheet music on the desk and forced himself to look at it, but he really had no good feelings about these so-called masterpieces bought at such a high price. He just glanced through them—after all, he knew his limits. When it came to selling records, promoting songs on music charts, and winning the hearts of his artists, he considered himself an expert, but when it came to judging the quality of a song, he could only give a rough idea by listening, not by looking at the sheet music.

So, after barely finishing the first page, he threw the sheet music back on the desk, opened a drawer, took out a cigar, smelled it, and then carefully put it back.

Then, he said, “Liao Liao, since you joined the company, you know how I’ve treated you, how I’ve valued and supported you! So… I don’t want to say more about this. Just one thing: this is the only time, no more!”

Liao Liao quickly nodded, “I promise, just this once, just this once!”

Zheng Changsheng looked at her quietly, nodded, and said, “The eighty thousand is your production budget. Fine, I won’t interfere, I’ll just look at the final product. So, whether you bought masterpieces or a high schooler’s garbage, you better make this album good!… Alright, both of you, get out!”

……

Carefully stepping out of the door and carefully closing it, Liao Liao let out a long breath, then suddenly clenched her fist and waved it, “Finally got through!”

Zhao Meifeng looked at her helplessly, “Let’s go back to the lounge.”

So, the two walked back together. After a few steps, Zhao Meifeng said, “I’ve seen those songs, and they are definitely above average, but I don’t think they’re much better than the ones I’ve arranged for you. Are you really that confident? To the point of spending so much?”

Hearing this, Liao Liao stopped and said with great confidence, “Sister Zhao, trust me, those songs are definitely worth it!”

Zhao Meifeng also stopped, looked at her, and shook her head with a bitter smile, “I trust you? What can I do if I don’t trust you? You’ve caused such a fuss, and the songs can’t be kept secret. You know, Sister Zhao never hides anything from you. Although I had a few songs set aside for Lele, who is about to release an album, they were mainly for you…”

“Now, it won’t take an hour for the news to spread throughout the company. Liao Liao spent four hundred thousand on a few songs from a high schooler. Without anyone saying anything, you’ll see, General Manager Zheng will take those songs back today. As for your album… you spent four hundred thousand on them, you can’t not use them!”

“What’s the point of trusting or not trusting you now? I’m telling you, from today on, the entire Changsheng Records will be waiting to see your failure! Even when the news spreads, the entire music industry will be watching!”

Saying this, she raised her hand to pat Liao Liao’s shoulder, her eyes full of undisguised disappointment, “You… work hard! If this album fails… sigh…”

After saying this, she turned to leave but suddenly stopped and asked, “By the way, who will do the arrangements? Me, or you? Or should I find someone for you?”

Liao Liao shook her head, stepped forward, and said sincerely, “Sister Zhao, thank you. I know what you’ve done for me, so rest assured, I won’t let you down!… As for the arrangements, the four hundred thousand wasn’t spent in vain. The original author has agreed to do the arrangements first. We’ll see how they turn out.”

Hearing this, Zhao Meifeng nodded, wanted to say something, but held back, smiled at Liao Liao, and walked away.

What she wanted to say was: He’s just a high schooler!