Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

The ban on Zhou Hongxing had just been issued by Hongxing Film and Television, and before the fax had even reached the major record companies, Qianxing Entertainment had already launched a nationwide signing campaign.

The news of their "shopping spree" signings completely shattered the tranquility of the Chinese music scene.

Chen Bin and Zuo Wei took the list and went their separate ways, one heading north and the other south.

Both of them were members of Lu Jiuge's entrepreneurial team and shareholders of Qianxing Entertainment. They spared no effort in their work, working tirelessly day and night, either negotiating contracts or on their way to negotiate contracts.

In just five days, they have already signed a total of thirty singers.

Looking at the data compiled by the two, Lu Jiuge was sorting out the song allocation issue in the office when Liu Sixi walked in with a worried look on his face.

"Teacher Liu, what are you doing?"

After asking a question, Lu Jiuge led him to the tea table and asked with concern:

"Have you been working too hard lately and are you exhausted?"

"You need to hurry up and expand your team. We still have dozens of songs to record, and the recording studio only has eight people, which isn't enough!"

"That's not the reason. I've already added nine top-notch artists to the recording studio; we have enough manpower!"

After explaining, Liu Sixi said guiltily:

"Yesterday I was drinking with an old friend from the Central Academy of Drama and his star pupil, and we did something stupid!"

Lu Jiuge looked at Liu Sixi with a playful expression and teased him:

"Is your friend's disciple a woman?"

Liu Sixi was taken aback by the question, and it took her several seconds to react before she rolled her eyes at Lu Jiuge:

"We're talking about serious matters, don't interrupt!"

"Okay, what problem have you encountered? Tell me about it!"

Liu Sixi paused for a moment before speaking:

"I was quite drunk at the time, and the old professor's praise made me a little cocky, so I agreed to sign him as my student!"

"When I looked at the resume this morning, I discovered that his so-called star pupil was just a student at the Central Academy of Drama, majoring in acting, which is completely inconsistent with Qianxing Entertainment's plans!"

After listening, Lu Jiuge looked at Liu Sixi with amusement:

"I thought it was something serious. You can just make the decision yourself!"

Liu Sixi sighed:

"If it were that simple, why would I have bothered you? But back then, he knew that we had helped Liu Yifei establish herself in the music industry with just one song."

After a barrage of flattery, I got so excited that I guaranteed I could make my friend's student a top star!

After hearing Liu Sixi's words, Lu Jiuge's expression also turned serious:

"Teacher Liu, Qianxing Entertainment is developing rapidly. As the founding team and shareholders, we can't just make promises to others casually!"

"I'll let it slide this time, but you need to study this and put this bottom line in writing. Everyone in the company must abide by it!"

"Anyone who crosses the line, get out of here!"

Lu Jiuge was angry not because she was worried about not being able to make a newcomer famous, but because she didn't want this kind of trend to become an unspoken rule at Qianxing Entertainment and affect the company's strategy.

Liu Sixi wholeheartedly agreed.

"Xiao Lu, you're absolutely right. Most of us started our companies from very humble beginnings. If we don't set clear red lines, we'll run into problems sooner or later!"

Seeing that Liu Sixi realized his mistake, Lu Jiuge didn't pursue the matter further and changed the subject:

"Let me see that person's resume, I'll figure out how to handle it!"

"If you've promised someone, you have to keep your word!"

Liu Sixi's face lit up with joy, and he handed the resume to Lu Jiuge.

"Tang Yan?"

"Your friend's star pupil is Tang Yan?"

Upon seeing the name on the resume, Lu Jiuge exclaimed in surprise, piquing Liu Sixi's curiosity:

Do you know this girl?

Lu Jiuge nodded:

"We met once; I was on the set of 'The Song of Zhenguan' and even gave her some acting guidance!"

Seeing the displeasure on Lu Jiuge's face disappear, replaced by surprise, tinged with anticipation, Liu Sixi's eyes lit up:

"It seems you two are truly destined for each other. Tang Yan is a very talented girl; you should mentor her carefully, and who knows, you might even spark something!"

Lu Jiuge glanced at Liu Sixi, who was giving her a pointed look, and retorted irritably:

"I'm just cleaning up your mess, how did this get so out of hand!"

After speaking, Lu Jiuge pondered for a moment and then said:

"Just follow the normal procedure, sign it when it's due! I happen to have a song on hand, I can sing it for you then!"

"Once this busy period is over, I will expand the company's film and television business. It's a good thing to build up talent in advance!"

"Xiao Lu, thank you! I'll finish it!"

Liu Sixi assumed that Lu Jiuge was doing this to save face, so he picked up his teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and got up to leave.

"Teacher Liu, don't worry! I have something else to tell you!"

Lu Jiuge stopped him and handed him the fifty songs she had compiled:

"Record these songs as soon as possible! Old Chen and Old Zuo have almost finished signing the singers. Once all the singers arrive, I want all fifty songs released simultaneously, to blow up the Chinese music scene!"

After a pause, Lu Jiuge continued:

"There's one more thing. This building isn't big enough for our company's expansion. Go talk to the landlord and buy this building and the ten-story building next door for our office and residential use!"

When the matter was brought up, Liu Sixi sat down again and raised a question:

"Buy it directly? Isn't that too risky? The film studio is also quite remote; would it be unsuitable as a company headquarters?"

Lu Jiuge shook her head:

"There's no risk. Housing prices are cheap now, and the film studio will definitely develop into a national film and television shooting center in the near future. Buying property now is a great deal!"

"Okay, then I'll do both things at the same time, I promise it won't delay the progress!"

After several months of cooperation, Liu Sixi trusted Lu Jiuge completely, asked no more questions, and left the office with the sheet music.

……

As Qianxing Entertainment accelerated its actions, the entire Chinese music scene was thrown into turmoil.

Seven days later, forty singers arrived at the Qianxing headquarters on the same day.

There was no grand welcoming ceremony; Lu Jiuge simply placed forty neatly folded copies of lyrics and music in the conference room.

He stood at the very front, his gaze sweeping over the expectant yet nervous faces, and raised his voice:

"Many of you have no background, no resources, no platform, are looked down upon by the mainstream music scene, and are exploited by management companies."

"From today onwards, none of these things exist in Qianxing."

"I'll give you songs, I'll give you distribution channels, I'll give you a stage."

"Whether you become famous or not depends entirely on yourselves. No one at Qianxing Entertainment, including myself, will interfere!"

As soon as he finished speaking, forty copies of the lyrics and music were distributed to everyone.

Heartache 2009, I Got Your Body But Not Your Heart, Forgive Me Once, Wait a Minute, Damn Tenderness, Angel's Wings, Making a Mistake, Has Anyone Told You, The Old Man and the Sea, Love for Sale, It's Not Because I'm Lonely That I Miss You, You'll Always Be in My Heart, Flying Freely, All About Love, Temptation of the Man...

Every song is tailor-made for me.

Every melody perfectly captures the aesthetic of the ringtone era.

The moment the song was received, the entire conference room fell silent.

The moment the sheet music landed in his hands, the entire conference room fell into a deathly silence.

Huanzi clutched "Heartache 2009" tightly, her knuckles turning white, and her eyes instantly reddening.

Murong Xiaoxiao hummed the melody softly as she sang "Love for Sale," becoming more and more excited as she sang, her eyes burning with passion.

When Chen Chusheng received the song "Has Anyone Told You," he was moved to tears upon reading the lyrics, as the song was about his own life.

Without uttering a single superfluous word, everyone looked at Lu Jiuge with nothing but awe and fervor.

"Once you're in Qianxing, I won't let you suffer any more grievances."

Lu Jiuge's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an aura that swept everything away:

"Your first song is directly comparable to top-tier singers. It will be released online in three days, and I want the entire music industry to remember your names."