Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

As soon as Lu Jiuge finished speaking, Chen Bin stood up abruptly and stared at him:

"Listening to the Thousand Mountains? What does that have to do with Baidu?"

"We've just offended twelve record companies, and now we've messed with Baidu, the internet behemoth. We're going to be attacked from both sides!"

Liu Sixi's face was also full of worry:

"With twelve record companies still besieging Qianxing Entertainment, you're provoking internet giants at this time? Xiao Lu, that's like lighting a lamp in the toilet—you're asking for death!"

"If Baidu takes action, we won't even have a channel to voice our opinions online!"

"Don't worry, I don't intend to fight back."

Lu Jiuge waved her hand, reassuringly saying:

"It's just a matter of planning ahead; we can't just sit here and wait to be destroyed!"

Chen Bin was still worried:

"You'd better be careful and not cause any more trouble!"

"There are quite a few."

In response, Lu Jiuge changed the subject, picked up the sheet music on the table, and handed it to Liu Sixi:

"Teacher Liu, while I'm in Kyoto, could you and Lao Chen please record these eleven songs? They'll be useful later."

Liu Sixi took the song list and sheet music with a puzzled look:

"Heartbreaking 2005, I got your body but not your heart, forgive me once, wait a minute, damn tenderness, angel wings, making mistakes, has anyone told you, The Old Man and the Sea, love for sale, I loved yesterday to death!"

"Xiao Lu, these songs are all very different in style. Are you going to perform them yourself or sign a singer to sing them? With our current reputation, no singer wants to sign us!"

Lu Jiuge shook her head:

"Let's record the sheet music first. As for who will sing it, my idea is to train new talent. We'll decide on the specific arrangements after I return from Kyoto!"

"Alright, we'll wait for your good news!"

After giving a reply, Liu Sixi and the other two got up and left.

Lu Jiuge spent the night in the office. The next morning, she first bought a carload of daily necessities, rice, flour, and cooking oil, and delivered them to her master on the mountain.

As soon as he returned to the company, he saw Li Huizhen waiting for him in the office.

"Sister Huizhen? What brings you here?"

Upon seeing Li Huizhen, Lu Jiuge was taken aback:

"Didn't I tell Lao Zuo to inform you that the agency contract is void? Qianxing Entertainment is in a current situation; we can't let it drag you down!"

Li Huizhen rolled her eyes at Lu Jiuge:

"You have the nerve to say that? You've really ruined me this time. Just like Qianxing Entertainment, I've been blacklisted by the industry!"

"What's going on? These record labels have also issued blacklists against you?"

This was the first time Lu Jiuge had heard of this, and she asked in confusion:

"That shouldn't be the case. With your status and background in the underworld, Sister Huizhen, how dare they be so blatant?"

He had barely finished speaking when Zuo Wei, pulling a suitcase, came over to explain:

"Mr. Lu, Huizhen hasn't been officially blacklisted, but after this incident, many talent agencies are hesitant to sign her!"

"I've been so busy these past few days, I forgot to tell you!"

After listening, Lu Jiuge looked full of guilt:

"Sister Huizhen, I'm so sorry to have dragged you into this. What should we do next?"

"How about I give you some compensation? Although Qianxing Entertainment has been blacklisted, it still has some money in its accounts!"

Li Huizhen shook her head without hesitation:

"I have decided to continue fulfilling the contract!"

Before Lu Jiuge could speak, she continued:

"These past two days, many friends have been urging me to quickly issue a statement to sever ties with you!"

"But I've thought about it a lot. I've been in this industry for many years, and I'm very disgusted by the so-called rules. I don't want to get involved anymore!"

"Your place is chaotic and risky; it might go out of business tomorrow. But at least you don't have all the tricks up your sleeve; you genuinely want to make music and make a living!"

After a pause, Li Huizhen stared at Lu Jiuge:

"If I lose this bet, I'll accept it. If I win, I'll be able to overcome my inner conflict!"

"Besides, I'm already in a situation where no company dares to sign me, and I won't make any money if I terminate the contract. I might as well stay and see if you can turn things around!"

As she spoke, Li Huizhen's tone changed, and she laughed, half-jokingly and half-seriously:

"If Qianxing Entertainment ever makes a comeback, its traffic will definitely skyrocket, and President Lu will certainly not forget me then!"

"If the company really goes under, I won't lose anything, since I haven't officially made my comeback yet!"

Li Huizhen spoke very bluntly, but Lu Jiuge liked this kind of personality and smiled with satisfaction:

"Sister Huizhen, it won't be long before you're grateful for the choice you made today!"

"Old Zuo and I are going to Kyoto. You go find Teacher Liu. I absolutely love this song; I already gave it to him yesterday. You record it first, and we'll finalize the release details when I get back!"

"Okay, I'm going in then!"

Li Huizhen, being straightforward and without any affectation, answered and walked into the company.

Lu Jiuge didn't delay any longer and rushed to the airport with Zuo Wei to take a plane to Kyoto.

……

Upon arriving in Kyoto, Lu Jiuge and Zuo Wei took a taxi directly to Qianshan Jingyin Company.

The nameplate on room 302 on the third floor of the office building, which read "Qianshan Jingting," had faded. Upon entering the company, the receptionist politely stood up and inquired:

"Hello, who are you looking for? Do you have an appointment?"

Lu Jiuge shook her head:

"I don't have an appointment. I need to talk to Mr. Zheng about a business deal. Is he in the office?"

The receptionist's eyes lit up when she heard there was business coming in, and she quickly nodded:

"General Manager Zheng is in the company, please follow me!"

The receptionist led the two through the slightly messy office lobby and straight to the general manager's office door, where they knocked.

"Enter!"

After a few seconds, when a response came from the office, the receptionist opened the door:

"Mr. Zheng, these two gentlemen say they want to discuss business with you!"

"Lu Jiuge?"

Zheng Lin looked up and recognized Lu Jiuge at a glance, then saw Zuo Wei behind her. He paused for a moment before speaking:

"Come in and have a seat!"

"Mr. Zheng, I apologize for bothering you without an appointment!"

After entering the office and waiting for the receptionist to pour water and close the door, Lu Jiuge continued:

"Mr. Zheng, I apologize for coming today, but I'd like to discuss a business deal with you!"

Zheng Lin stared at Lu Jiuge expressionlessly:

"Mr. Lu, I've done my research on you. You earned tens of millions with just two songs, and even got blacklisted by twelve record companies. Amazing!"

After speaking, he looked to his left:

"The infamous Zuo Yidao is actually one of your men? That surprises me too!"

Being recognized at a glance, Lu Jiuge was not surprised, and explained with a smile:

"Mr. Zheng, Lao Zuo isn't my employee, he's my partner!"

"He and I jointly invested in and established Mirror Media, with the aim of building our own control over the industry's discourse, so we can't always be on the defensive!"

Zheng Lin's expression remained unchanged after listening, but his tone was full of mockery:

"Mr. Lu, you certainly have a big mouth! But it seems you haven't achieved your goals yet, otherwise you wouldn't have ended up in this situation!"

Lu Jiuge smiled:

"Mr. Zheng, we're in the same boat, haven't we? You haven't been having an easy time either!"

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Zheng Lin cut to the chase:

"Mr. Lu, you've come all this way today, not just to see me make a fool of myself and find some psychological balance, right?"

"Of course we're here to discuss cooperation..."

Lu Jiuge was interrupted by Zheng Lin before she could finish speaking:

"Mr. Lu, 'Qianshan Jingyin' is currently also under attack from record companies for copyright infringement. If you're hoping to find a breakthrough in song promotion through me, I can make it clear: it's impossible!"