Huayu 02: The Days of Extreme Pulling and Rolling with the Fairy

Xie Jin looked at Liu Yifei with a half-smile.

The little hamster's mouth was full.

The small potato chip in my hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

"So eager?"

"Did Yifei rest well last night?"

Miss Liu was going crazy. What was he doing here?!

You're like a persistent ghost, aren't you!

She could tell from Xie Jin's meaningful look.

I've been seen through...

Clutching potato chips and instant noodles tightly in her hands, she kept her head down, avoiding eye contact.

"Hmm...it's...it's alright."

Xie Jin smiled and stopped teasing her. Instead, she said, "Auntie, I'll sit in the passenger seat and keep an eye on things for you. If you get tired, I'll take over."

Throughout the journey, Xie Jin did not torture her, but for Xiao Liu, every minute and every second was filled with torment.

"Xiao Jin, are you going back to your hometown for the Chinese New Year? It must be very lively there."

"Yes, we might go back to Shanxi. There aren't many people in our family, so it's not very lively. I was thinking of taking my parents on a trip during the Spring Festival so they can have a good rest."

  

Liu Xiaoli glanced at Xie Jin and said, "What a good child! She knows how to care for her parents, unlike our carefree one who does nothing but eat and sleep."

Feeling embarrassed, Liu Yifei retorted in a low voice, "There's nothing wrong with liking to eat."

The car soon arrived at the service area. Liu's mother got out to use the restroom, leaving only Xie Jin and Miss Liu in the car.

After a long silence, Liu Yifei couldn't stand the awkward atmosphere and decided to bury her head in the sand.

Xiao Liu mumbled something, his toes digging into the ground, and gently tapped Xie Jin, who was feigning sleep, with his finger.

"Xie...Xie Jin, I blacked out yesterday...I remember drinking a bottle of beer, and I don't think I did anything afterwards."

"Did you really black out?"

"Yeah, it's really... really broken."

Xie Jin's voice was surprisingly soft this time.

"No fuss at all, which is quite endearing. You only had a little drink and then walked back with me by yourself."

Miss Liu blushed: "Well...that's good then, please don't tell my mother."

No, it won't.

"Xie Jin, where are you going for the Chinese New Year?"

"It's still uncertain. I might help out at my family restaurant, but even if business is good during the Lunar New Year, I might not be able to go out."

Xiao Liu felt relieved; thankfully, he didn't torture me...

Ms. Liu felt much better.

"Then remember to take a picture and send it to me, so I can see the food you made."

"Okay, I'll send it to you on QQ."

"Happy New Year"

"Happy New Year"

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With only a few days left until the Lunar New Year, schools are currently on winter break.

Fortunately, Xie Jin had obtained a certificate in advance, so she could still stay at school during the holidays, live in the dormitory, and use the school's post-production equipment.

While alone in her dorm room, Xie Jin made a phone call home.

"Dad, are you busy?"

"Busy, busy, busy! Let me tell you, kid, our business is booming! Your New Year's Eve dinner set menu was a perfect choice; we've booked tables from the 28th of the lunar month all the way to the 8th of the new year."

"So popular?"

"Of course! I specially ordered the ingredients from Shandong! Let me tell you, I even changed the name of our restaurant to Xie Jin's Private Kitchen! I'm going to make this New Year's Eve dinner a resounding success!"

Hearing her father's strong voice, Xie Jin felt at ease.

"Dad, during the Lunar New Year holidays, could you set up a dumpling-making station on the first floor and prepare extra fillings? Don't charge for the dumplings; let the guests make them themselves, and we'll cook them for them. It'll be a lively occasion."

"If you want to become a long-established business, you have to be more people-oriented. Giving customers some discounts is never a bad thing."

"Okay, okay, don't worry. If you say so, I'll order two more sheep from Inner Mongolia. Sheep dumplings are delicious too!"

Listening to Lao Xie's rambling, Xie Jin learned that Lao Xie had gritted his teeth and used the 300,000 yuan he had sent back last time to buy a shop in the suburbs of the provincial capital and renovate it nicely.

Although the prices of the dishes are higher than in the county town, they still follow the home-style cooking approach in the provincial capital.

With affordable prices, generous portions, and above-average taste, business is never bad.

"When should I go back?"

Old Xie was in a dilemma. Both his mother's clothing store and his restaurant were busiest during the Chinese New Year.

"You coward, why don't you come back after the New Year? Your mom and I can't take care of you."

???

"Dad, do you want to hear what you have to say?"

"I'm Xie Jin! Your only precious son, and you two can't even take care of me during the New Year?"

Old Xie lit a cigarette and laughed heartily: "You coward, when can't you come back? Are you making money now? Do you think getting married or buying a house doesn't cost money?"

"Your mother and I have already agreed that next year we'll save up some money and buy you a small house in the capital so you can get married in style."

"Our family is no worse off than others. Your dad has earned everything that others have. Just work hard, you have your dad."

Listening to the old man's rambling, Xie Jin felt a lump in her throat and rubbed her eyes. Sure enough, the old man's biggest concern was whether she was doing well.

"You little wimp, why are you crying again? Let me tell you, you're just like your mother. Crying like this is nothing like a kid from Northwest China."

"I'm asking you, do you have a girlfriend?"

Hearing her father's excited and expectant voice, Xie Jin didn't want to disappoint him.

"Soon, soon. We can't bring them back this year, but next year or the year after should be about right."

"May our ancestors bless us, may our ancestors bless us. You know what I mean, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. I'm going to take some people to hang up the lanterns. You tell your mom."

The moment my elderly mother answered the phone, she started nagging, telling me to make more friends while I was out, and not to rush when I crossed the street—she just kept repeating the same things over and over.

But Xie Jin wasn't impatient; instead, she enjoyed her mother's nagging, which she could listen to endlessly.

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After hanging up the phone, Xie Jin stretched her back and prepared to get to work.

We can't get to work properly on post-production right now because everyone's gone home for the Lunar New Year.

Xie Jin decided to take advantage of these few days to think about how to make some money.

With a few days left before the Chinese New Year, Xie Jin contacted her senior from the recording department again and recorded a few more songs. Unlike the last time she got them for free, this time she paid him.

There's a reason why the songs I recorded before haven't been released yet; Xie Jin has oversimplified things.

In 02, when ringback tones first appeared in South Korea, China Mobile was the first to negotiate with South Korea.

News about mobile technology research and market assessments also appeared online and in newspapers.

But it still didn't happen in 02, so even though Xie Jin saw the newspaper, she couldn't find out that ringback tones weren't available yet.

The real implementation of ringback tones is just recently.

However, before 06, the management of ringback tones in various provinces was quite chaotic, with each province acting independently.

...........

...........

With her musical works in hand, Xie Jin, through Yu Dong's connections, made contact with leaders of the Mobile Capital and the Hebei Provincial Data Value-Added Services Department.

The head of the Value-Added Services Department introduced the new head of the Ringback Tone Department.

Yu Dong was surprised that Xie Jin would pay attention to this, but it wasn't a big deal, so he made a phone call to contact her.

Before I came, Yu Dong said that things weren't going well for the ringback tone team in the value-added services department, as their ringback tone department had just been split off.

Business is slow, and most singers are taking a wait-and-see approach.

On the seventh floor of the mobile building, Xie Jin searched for a long time before finally finding a particularly inconspicuous office in a corner.

Xie Jin knocked on the door, and a bald, chubby man opened it. The room was a dozen or so cubicles crammed together.

The man, with a beaming smile, led Xie Jin to a small office inside.

"Is this Director Xie? I didn't expect him to be so young."

"Hello, Minister Huang"

"No, no, no, don't be so polite. This is a stepchild's department. Just look at how many people are crammed into this office. Don't call me 'Minister,' just call me 'Old Huang.'"

"Director Xie, did you bring a work with you this time? I heard from General Manager Yu that it's a rare masterpiece."

Xie Jin nodded and, without further ado, let Lao Huang listen to the song.

As he listened, Minister Huang's expression changed. "Director Xie, you're so talented! This song, 'Seeking Buddha,' has such a catchy melody. Are you really sure you want to give it to us?"

"Of course, but it also depends on the revenue sharing. I heard that you give artists 5%-10% of their revenue. Minister Huang, which category do you think I fall into?"

Minister Huang remained silent for a long time before saying, "6% is very high. After all, you're a newcomer to this field; this is really quite high."

Xie Jin shook her head: "There's no third party involved, no record company participating in the profit sharing. Mr. Huang's offer of a share isn't very generous."

Minister Huang smiled wryly, "But we also have to share with the TV stations, and their share isn't small."

.........

.........

After much back and forth, Xie Jin was finally satisfied with the result.

The ringtone for "Seeking Buddha" will receive 8% of the revenue, and the contract will be signed for three years in the capital and Hebei Province.

The other party can use their own music videos on televisions in Hebei Province and the capital, but for the first two months, they cannot sign contracts with mobile companies in other provinces.

Xie Jin left the office, while Minister Huang was still inside, humming, "Can we...can we ever meet again...? I'm here..."

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29th day of the Lunar New Year

Ms. Liu was lounging on the sofa at home, watching TV with her cat in her arms, when one GG message came up.

-- "Call now! Acorn International 800-810-8888!! A Miao ethnic minority doctor has created a revolutionary waist belt using American magnetic thermal technology. Treats femoral head necrosis, lumbar disc herniation, rheumatism, and musculoskeletal disorders. Full refund if no results after six months!!"

--「800-810-8888！800-810-8888！」

Just when Ms. Liu was getting fed up with Acorn International, a familiar figure suddenly came into her view.

Hey~

Why did Xie Jin start twisting her body on TV?