Chapter 8

The morning sunlight was really blinding, and Li Jingming was someone who had a bit of a temper when waking up. Countless mornings he had pondered why he was reborn rather than transported to another world. If he had been transported to the Dragon Ball universe, he would have used some kind of fist to blow up the sun. The sun exploding continuously? What did that have to do with him?

"Let's go, I have a business meeting." Li Jingming kicked each of the others to wake them up.

Except for An Hanjian, the other three were all lazy and sluggish.

"I haven't even had breakfast, and you want us to work already?" Bai Jieqian mumbled with his eyes half-closed.

Hearing this, Li Jingming felt his blood pressure rise. He had endured the anger of having to wake up early every morning just to get them up, and they still dared to complain! He was scared of his own temper, and these guys were really fearless. Didn't they know he was Korean?

On a certain day in 1987, a Korean man, enraged because his girlfriend had slapped a fly on his chest while he was sleeping, killed 57 people within eight hours (whether this is true or not, I don't know). This clearly shows how bad Koreans can be when they wake up. As a member of the Korean royal family, Li Jingming's temper when waking up wouldn't be any worse than that of ordinary people. Every time he woke up and felt his blood boiling, he would play "Dynasty Warriors" until he achieved a thousand kills to calm down.

After a noisy and chaotic morning, they finally left the Montage Hotel at eight o'clock.

Sunset Boulevard, a 27-kilometer-long street, lived up to its grand name. To the south was UCLA, where Jin Zaiyoung was studying. Li Jingming had a meeting with a client today at his old small studio.

Sunset Boulevard is one of the most musically rich streets in the world, often referred to by Hollywood as a "row of guitars." Li Jingming's small studio was located here. This place is the birthplace of countless music legends, with famous studios like Sunset Sound and Westlake Recording Studios situated here. Li Jingming chose this place mainly to borrow some of its aura. Although he was a staunch atheist, he himself was an unscientific existence, so he now held the attitude that it was better to believe in the supernatural than to disbelieve. Perhaps there was no such thing as aura, or perhaps there was an indescribable magnetic field. Who knew?

iTunes had already become widespread in the United States, especially after the fourth version opened up the platform store, showing a rapid rise. By 2007, the seventh version of the iTunes Store had started selling videos online. Li Jingming, not only a shareholder with 5% of Apple's shares, was also the head of Apple TV and CoverFlow. Although he still had little say in the film industry, he knew how powerful the internet's impact on the big screen would be in a few years. The other shareholders of Apple didn't understand or see the potential of these virtual things, focusing only on the physical product market, but Li Jingming, who was already twenty years ahead of the world, couldn't be blind to it.

After the leader of Google joined the Apple board, Li Jingming's status also improved. He was already a significant shareholder in Google and had played a role in Eric Schmidt joining Apple, benefiting from both sides. To quickly rise in the entertainment industry, he needed to leverage the power of companies like Apple.

This music studio originally belonged to an independent music producer of Czech nationality. This rich second-generation immigrant, disillusioned by reality, had returned to enjoy his luxurious life, leaving the studio as an empty shell after several changes of hands. Li Jingming had bought it six months ago, cleared out all the old equipment, and replaced it with the latest, best, and most expensive gear. Apart from his team of investment managers in the United States, Li Jingming had no other employees, so the studio was empty, waiting for him to infuse it with energy after the renovation and installation were completed a week ago.

Li Jingming was very satisfied with the "Light Kingdom Music" sign at the entrance. He had his father acquire and register trademarks and domain names related to "Light" a decade ago. Now, seeing them put to use, he felt a sense of pride. He originally didn't plan to add the word "Kingdom," but "Light Music" would give people a preconceived notion that wouldn't be beneficial for the company's development.

Li Jingming first brewed some coffee, then took his team on a tour of the studio. The studio wasn't large, but it was just the beginning, and Li Jingming was confident that it would become a new legend on Sunset Boulevard, starting today.

At 8:50, a middle-aged man in a black T-shirt walked into Li Jingming's studio. Americans are casual, but very serious about time. Being late would be a serious matter. The meeting was scheduled for 9:00, and this man arrived ten minutes early, a common "American custom."

"Hello," Li Jingming greeted the man, who was older than his father, very politely.

The middle-aged man also greeted him politely and began to size up Li Jingming. Li Jingming was extremely handsome, to the point where countless girls were madly infatuated with him, and countless boys were madly jealous. However, the man frowned, not out of jealousy, but because he thought Li Jingming was too young. Li Jingming wasn't a typical baby face; on the contrary, his features were very strong, with a chiseled jawline that exuded authority. His demeanor and presence from his previous life, where he held a high position, were far beyond the ordinary, but he was only 22 years old, and his cultivation in the "Mixed Essence Qi" made him look even younger. His Asian face was very exotic in the United States, and when he first saw the surname "Lee," he didn't think much of it, as it was a common surname in the U.S. (a joke).

Li Jingming noticed the man's surprise but wasn't bothered. "How about it, Mr. Carey, the coffee here is pretty good, right?"

Ken Carey nodded. "Yes, it's very good. But you didn't invite me here just to have coffee, did you?" He had some idea of Li Jingming's intentions.

"Not in a hurry," Li Jingming stood up. "Mr. Carey, would you like to take a tour of the studio with me?" Li Jingming was very polite, not just to win the man over, but also because the man was older than his father. As a Korean, he wouldn't show arrogance just because of his wealth and social status.

A normal person might think there wasn't much to tour in a music studio, especially one that was only 50 square meters, but a musician would be very interested. Each studio had different equipment and styles, and these differences would pique a musician's interest. Musicians always pursued the best equipment and instruments because their innermost desire was "perfection." They wouldn't allow their music to be ruined by subpar equipment. Ken Carey was a true musician, at least in his own mind.

In terms of history, this was a new studio, so it didn't have much depth. Li Jingming simply took Mr. Carey to see the equipment. After a tour, seeing the admiration in Ken Carey's eyes, Li Jingming knew the time was right to make his move.

"How about it, Mr. Carey, do you see anything special?" Li Jingming asked with a smile.

Ken Carey nodded. "Very good, all the latest and best equipment."

Li Jingming shook his head mysteriously. "Is that all you see?"

"You're very rich?" Carey said uncertainly, knowing from his friend's introduction that the person he was meeting today was a shareholder in Apple, Facebook, and Google, and naturally assumed the other party was showing off.

"No, no, I might have some money, but I wouldn't say 'very rich.'" Li Jingming smiled and shook his head. "Mr. Carey, haven't you noticed that this studio is missing a master?"

Ken Carey, though prepared, was still deeply moved when he heard this. His glory days were long past, and his era was 1977, exactly thirty years ago. "You're joking, aren't you? The master of this studio isn't you?"

"The company belongs to me, but the music that will be born in this studio, and the honor that Light Kingdom Music will gain, still needs a master."

"I appreciate that you thought of me, but you can't expect me to give up everything I've achieved at Warner to start from scratch with you. I may not have all the honors a producer should have, but I'm not inferior to others. I don't have the passion and energy of 1977 anymore. You're looking for the wrong person, friend."

Ken Carey, a once-famous music producer and Warner's distinguished veteran, had won a Grammy for Best Album with Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors." He no longer produced music at Warner, but his status remained solid.

When Ken Carey spoke, Li Jingming didn't show any disappointment. "Mr. Carey, you're right, and the soul of this studio won't be you. But compared to 1977, your biggest difference isn't your passion and energy, but that you have a daughter, the lovely Kebi Carey (not a different surname, just a personal habit to add a grass radical to women's names, please understand)."

Seeing Ken Carey's shock, Li Jingming pressed on. "Kebi is the most talented female singer I've ever met. She shouldn't be limited to a small stage. I don't think you would let her waste her life. You might know that I'm a shareholder in Apple, Google, and the largest shareholder in Facebook (acquired through dilution from Mark, don't take it too seriously). Your daughter has achieved some success online, and I've been interested in her since then."

"Unfortunately, I've already convinced Warner's executives to help Kebi release an album. You can't think you're more attractive than Warner. And I still have some say at Warner," Ken Carey said dismissively.

Li Jingming laughed coldly. "It seems you don't care much for your daughter, pushing her into a fire pit so calmly."

"What? How dare you say that?" Ken Carey hated anyone questioning his love for his daughter as much as he hated anyone questioning his music.

Li Jingming remained calm. "I'm not wrong, Mr. Carey." He smirked. "Poor Kebi is being pushed into a fire pit."