Besides, she has already paid such a high price in the early stages, there is no need to fuss over such a trivial matter.
Thus, after paying one percent of the advertising revenue, Shen Huai successfully obtained the rights to Ye Cang's independent songs.
Even a strong woman like Mingwei was somewhat exhausted after this round of negotiations.
Shen Huai seemed completely unaffected. He put away the contract, stood up, and gave his usual restrained and polite smile: "Thank you, Sister Ming."
Just as Mingwei was about to say something, Shen Huai happened to raise his head, a sharp glint seemingly flashing in his eyes. However, before Mingwei could see it clearly, it was obscured by his glasses.
Mingwei didn't say anything more. She watched Shen Huai's departing figure, and for some reason, a sense of regret welled up in her heart, as if she had missed a gold mine.
-
Shen Huai returned home just as Ye Cang came out of his room: "You're back just in time. Come and listen to the song I've chosen for the next performance."
Shen Huai followed him into the room. Over this period of time, his bedroom had been converted into a recording studio, and he had even learned to shop online recently. The room was filled with all sorts of random things.
Ye Cang scratched his head, feeling unusually embarrassed. He kicked aside the clutter on the ground to make way, and then found that there was no place to sit in the room, so he could only let Shen Huai sit on the bed.
Shen Huai was speechless. He realized that Ye Cang was only exceptionally talented in music; he was utterly useless in every other aspect.
Ye Cang coughed lightly, putting these embarrassing incidents aside, turned on his computer, and played the song he had created.
The song doesn't have a very clear main melody; it relies on various instruments and vocals to create an illusory atmosphere. Even though Shen Huai didn't understand what he was singing, he was still trapped in a hazy dream.
To avoid a repeat of the situation with "The Song of Immortality," Shen Huai had meticulously memorized all the songs Lu Yang had ever written, yet he was still clueless: "When did you write this?"
Ye Cang shook his head: "This is not my song."
"This song is called 'Mulholland Drive,' and it's a song by the Flying Birds."
The Flying Birds were a rock band from the same era as Lu Yang, but compared to Lu Yang's fame, this band, like most rock bands, was relatively unknown, and there is very little information about them available online today.
Mulholland Drive is their masterpiece.
Mulholland Boulevard is a famous road in Los Angeles that leads to Hollywood and has appeared in many Hollywood movies. For people at that time, Hollywood represented extravagance and decadence. This is also the theme of this song.
This song is very innovative. Although it may not be considered outstanding, its exploration of music remains ahead of its time.
Shen Huai's musical sense wasn't as sharp as Ye Cang's, but he understood very well that using such a song as a competition piece was far too risky.
However, Ye Cang remained steadfast and had no intention of changing his decision.
He could certainly continue singing his original hit songs. With his abilities, winning first place in this competition would be a piece of cake, and he could even become a superstar again. Even if he doesn't reach the same heights as in his previous life, he would still be able to live a comfortable life.
But then, what's the point of him living his life again?
Any other agent would not have allowed him to act so recklessly, but after listening to his thoughts, Shen Huai nodded seriously: "I understand. Just go ahead and do it. Don't worry about anything else."
Although Ye Cang knew that Shen Huai always respected him professionally, the two were, after all, business partners. Making a decision without consulting him was indeed somewhat willful. However, Shen Huai not only didn't blame him at all, but also supported him wholeheartedly.
He felt as if something had tickled his heart, sending a tingling, itchy sensation through him. This made his intended joke seem somewhat inappropriate; his quick wit failed him, and he appeared rather dazed.
Shen Huai didn't think too much about it. He always kept his position in the right direction and never contradicted his artists on professional matters. As long as they made a decision, he would support them.
However, he didn't hear Ye Cang's reply and looked over with some confusion: "What's wrong? Is there another problem?"
Ye Cang snapped out of his daze and revealed his usual nonchalant smile, but only he knew that this smile contained emotions he had never felt before.
He put his arm around Shen Huai's shoulder again, seemingly ignoring his furrowed brows, and started the next song.
Shen Huai exclaimed in surprise, "This is..."
The song playing on the stereo was a well-known rock song by Lu Yang, but he could still tell that it was recorded by Ye Cang. Although the recording conditions weren't great, his performance was as excellent and stable as ever.
"You've prepared two songs?" Shen Huai asked.
Ye Cang nodded: "This is the song I prepared for the competition."
Shen Huai was even more surprised. Ye Cang was very confident in himself and didn't think he would lose at all, so he had never prepared a PK song since the top ten competition. How could he have done it this time...?
Ye Cang seemed to see his confusion and explained, "Although I believe that every song has its own charm, as a competition piece, it needs to conform to the tastes of the majority. In this respect, there is no difference now compared to thirty years ago."
He smiled and said, "I want to sing this song, but I also promised you that I would win the championship."
Shen Huai was stunned. He was used to the capriciousness and taken-for-granted nature of celebrities, but this was the first time someone had shown him such quiet consideration. A strange emotion surged through his mind, leaving him momentarily at a loss for how to react.
Ye Cang was initially a little awkward, but when he saw Shen Huai look away and appear even more awkward than him, he relaxed.
He leaned closer: "Manager, aren't you touched?"
Shen Huai frowned and pushed his head away: "Sit properly."
Ye Cang stared at Shen Huai's bright red earlobes, chuckled, and released his arms to sit back in his seat.
Shen Huai secretly breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his expression, and said, "Although the company's recording engineer is good, this song is extremely difficult and not something he can handle. I'll find you another recording engineer and arranger—it's not that I don't believe in your abilities, but time is too tight. If you have an excellent arranger to help you, it will be easier for you."
Ye Cang: "I..."
Shen Huai reached out to stop him: "In short, you must listen to me this time. You don't need to worry about the money."
Ye Cang wasn't that stubborn.
Since what happened with Fan Jing, he had actually guessed that Shen Huai was not the pitiful little manager he had imagined. Moreover, he was not the kind of person to show off. The arrangement of "Mulholland Drive" was extremely complex, and it was indeed a bit difficult for him to do it alone. Even though he was very familiar with PK songs, he still had to prepare.
Furthermore, his agent is unusually assertive, so we always have to give him some face.
He smiled and accepted the other party's kindness with a sense of "helplessness".