I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

"Huh?...Okay, okay, I don't know either?"

"Please calm down... I really didn't mean any harm to JX..."

"What's wrong with him?... Surely not? I really wouldn't dare, I really wouldn't dare, what are you saying..."

After hanging up the phone, he turned to Secretary Gao.

His eyes were full of unspoken words.

"Boss?" Secretary Gao had barely uttered a word when the boss's phone rang again.

"I'm so ashamed...yes, yes, yes...this is really..."

"Don't be like that... It's really not true..."

"Treason?! What are you talking about?!"

"It really wasn't my intention to ban JX!"

After hanging up the phone, the man walked up to Secretary Gao with a livid face.

Secretary Gao then realized that the man who had always seemed so tall and imposing in his mind was trembling quite badly in the hand holding his pipe.

“Secretary Gao,” the man took a puff of his pipe, “could you please tell me what exactly you’ve done?”

……

On the other side of the mainland, a piece of gossip spread rapidly from top to bottom, quickly becoming the talk of the town.

JX is going back to Europe.

Originally, the mass email was only sent to a few countries, but for some reason, countries like Belgium and Liechtenstein quickly found out about it.

Of course, there's no particularly profound secret involved; it's just that everyone has an intelligence network, and they all coincidentally treated this email, which seemed to be a complaint, as the highest priority to pass on.

So soon, the story of "JX complaining about the difficulty of releasing music in China, and that his 20 timeless albums have not been released yet" became a topic of conversation among industry insiders again.

It is said that the British royal family's princess and duke had a fight over this matter.

When people talk about this, there's always a hint of schadenfreude and a sense of satisfaction at getting revenge: JX, JX, you've finally met your match.

At the same time, there was also a certain degree of disdain for the Chinese music scene—anyone with a bit of musical literacy and knowledge wouldn't have let JX go.

If this were in "our country" (there could be seventeen or eighteen options depending on the speaker's location), music of JX's caliber would have been designated as the national standard prenatal music, played on a loop every day from elementary to high school. Ten years later, the nation's musical literacy would have reached a new level, making it a global cultural powerhouse.

What about China? What are Chinese music companies doing? What are they up to?!

The old scholars of the Vienna Academy were overjoyed at the news, but when they looked back at the list in their hands, they frowned.

For no other reason than that all the music on JX's 20 renowned records must be performed in a grand theater, and at least one of the performers must be of Chinese descent.

These are strict rules set by JX and Langlang, and no one dares to disobey them.

However, there weren't many Chinese people who had the ability to come to Vienna, so Chinese people suddenly became highly sought after, and every band wanted to get one.

Those bands without Chinese members were extremely anxious, but there was nothing they could do—after all, Chinese people are the golden key to unlocking JX-Langlang's timeless classics.

As the biggest beneficiaries, the Chinese people finally held their heads high with pride, gaining countless opportunities to step into the Golden Hall out of thin air, even though many of them were not music students at all, but were just pulled in to make up the numbers and could only stand in the back and play the triangle.

At the Austrian University of Performing Arts, JX once again became a source of laughter during the professors' after-dinner tea party.

"...Can you imagine? That idiotic company actually wanted to sign JX for 20 euros and get all his music, or else they would blacklist him in the industry. How could there be such pigs!"

Anyone with even a slight understanding of the classical music scene who walks into this room at this moment would be astonished by the lineup.

These people defined contemporary music and inspired countless musical geniuses.

Anyone who has received a formal Western music education is bound to recognize these artists.

It's like an old monster.

However, they are all talking about the name JX now.

“20 euros is not a small amount, it just depends on what JX has to give up,” Professor Strauss said. “If it’s just conducting in the theater a few times a year, it’s not bad.”

“Wrong, wrong, wrong,” Professor Ravel said. “Do you know how they sign contracts? Their contracts are like indentured servitude. Once you sign one, the copyright of all the music you have created in the past and will create in the future belongs to that company, and you have to pay a huge termination fee to break the contract.”

Professor Hayden was so shocked his jaw dropped: "There are such contracts? Are you sure you're not talking about slave contracts?"

“I was surprised too, but that’s the truth,” Professor Ravel said, taking a bite of dessert. “Their creators don’t have human rights, and the maintenance costs are even lower than the machines themselves.”

Professor Strauss shook his head dejectedly, then suddenly said, "JX still won't let our record company release it? They'd rather stay in this stalemate? I feel like I'm aging faster because I can't freely hear that music."

“Who isn’t?” Ravel said with a worried look. “But he just won’t listen. What can we do?”

"Why don't we talk to Langlang about it? Isn't he your apprentice?"

"Langlang listens to JX, and he's already the world's number one pianist, so his sights are no longer on Vienna."

Everyone sighed with regret.

They never expected that Langlang, the child they watched grow up, would reach such heights in just a few years.

His current reputation places him among the only living great pianists in the world.

Just a few years ago, there was a suffix "one of," but now that "one of" is no longer needed.

This is all because of JX's music; the piano parts were all played by Langlang herself.

In this way, he became the "original" version of those songs, and everyone else became his imitators—which greatly boosted his status.

Therefore, he naturally became the world's number one pianist.

Several elderly professors looked up to the sky and sighed, "Let JX release a record soon!"

If they don't live to see it soon, they'll die of old age!

When they don't want to mention Beethoven or Mozart in class, they can only hum them!

……

For the "Poetic Life" production team, the long day was far from over.

Jiang Xinhai and the others are still somewhat dazed as they stand inside the private music collection.

Those busy outside told them that the building was listed as a key cultural heritage site and was currently under security restrictions.

Their promotion of the private collection is commendable, so feel free to go in and take as many photos as you like.

So, inexplicably, they returned to the private music archive.

The sun was already gradually setting in the west when Qin Yunshang asked, "Where are Yingzi and Yan Yunzhuo?"

"I don't know," Qin Yunchu said.

Are they still in the room?

“No,” Gao Xiaobo said, “I saw them come out with us.”

“I saw them, they were taken away,” Xu Xiangxiao said. “They were still wearing…”

She stopped halfway through her sentence.

She wanted to say that he was wearing handcuffs, but that was a sensitive topic, and Jiang Xinhai was still live-streaming, so it wasn't appropriate to say it so casually.

“He was still handcuffed,” Jiang Xinhai continued, picking up where she left off. “I saw that too.”

Everyone fell silent.

“Let’s not talk about this,” Cui Dayou said. “Right now, I only care about one thing: is there any more of the Beethoven piece that little Qin Yunshang recorded earlier?”

"Or should we connect with Langlang first?" Qin Yunchu asked.

Chapter 173 Chinese musicians should all thank JX (thanks to Alliance Leader Ye Lanshu)

Connecting with Langlang seems like an obvious choice.

Three hours ago, they had already been unable to contain their strong anticipation and wanted to find out from Langlang what JX had done.

Three hours later, this expectation, like a spark, finally grew into a raging inferno.

We can't keep them waiting any longer.

The news that Jiang Xinhai was live streaming spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the world in an instant. A massive influx of viewers flooded into Jiang Xinhai's live stream.

Open her live stream, and the screen is filled with:

"If I can't watch 'The Poetic Life,' I can use this as a meal replacement. How wonderful!"

"Oh my god! Luckily I followed Xin Hai, is this what fan benefits are like?"

"Brothers and sisters, use your hands to share this live stream so everyone can see it!"

In the live stream's backend, messages like "xx shared your live stream" kept scrolling by, so fast that the naked eye couldn't keep up with the speed of the messages.

Jiang Xinhai's live stream link spread like wildfire across countless chat groups, forums, and social media platforms.

With a large influx of viewers, the Pineapple Pineapple video platform quietly and obediently placed Jiang Xinhai's live stream on its homepage.

This made her live stream even more popular.

"So, I called Langlang?" Xu Xiangxiao asked, holding her phone and seeking permission from the person next to her. "I really called?"

"Attack!" they all shouted in unison.

Xu Xiangxiao took a breath, dialed the number, and pressed speakerphone.

"beep--"

After a long beeping sound, the call was finally connected after three beeps.

"Hey?"

A deep voice came from the other end of the phone.

The viewers in the live stream instantly became excited.

"Holy crap, they really connected with Langlang online!"

"I'm so excited, I'm so excited right now."

"I haven't read 'A Poetic Life,' but I still feel very excited. Why is that?"

"Could I ask, between JX and Langlang, who has a higher international standing?"

……

"Hello." Xu Xiangxiao's voice trembled slightly. "Hello, Langlang, this is Xu Xiangxiao."

“I know,” the person on the other end said. “I’ve read ‘The Poetic Life,’ and I’ve been waiting for you to call me.”

Xu Xiangxiao and the others exchanged glances.

They got excited too.

"That makes things easier. Langlang, can you tell me what's going on with JX and the records you released?" Xu Xiangxiao asked.

Cui Dayou looked at the records in the museum, his heart stirred.

The melody he had just heard was still echoing in his mind.

These are treasures, musical treasures, and their mysteries are about to be revealed.

"call."

The person on the other end of the phone sighed, then slowly said, "Actually, I spent the last three hours recalling what JX and I had experienced before realizing what a magnificent adventure it was."

“Yes, that’s right, it was an adventure,” Langlang affirmed to herself. “It was an adventure that risked the reputation of me and all the musicians in China.”

"Gamble...for your reputation?"

“Yes,” Langlang said, “I think Chinese musicians should all thank JX.”

Everyone frowned.

There were quite a few musicians present.

How could they not know about this risky adventure that would jeopardize their reputation?

And what did JX do that I need to thank?

Although that's what they thought, Langlang's status and position meant she couldn't just say things like that.

Viewers in the live stream continued watching, still puzzled.

"Could you explain in more detail?" Gao Xiaobai asked.