As soon as Old John spoke, the room fell silent.
After all, plagiarism is the most intolerable thing for musicians.
Zhuo Feiyang's face turned bright red: "You're talking nonsense! What makes you say I plagiarized!"
Old John remained unfazed and sneered, "The lyrics, structure, and melody of your song are exactly the same as Tristan Hall's 2005 song 'Darkness.' Since you claim you wrote it yourself, why don't you write out the sheet music right here so we can compare?"
As Old John spoke, some curious people had already found the song "Darkness," and the moment the song was played, everyone's gaze changed.
Indeed, apart from the different lyrics, the melodies of the two songs are almost identical.
Almost everyone present was a musician, so they naturally understood what this meant.
Several guests addressed Zhuo Feiyang's table, saying, "Hey! Explain yourself! Why is your song exactly the same as 'Darkness'?"
Some were even more blunt: "Old John, contact Hall's company and have them sue this guy! He plagiarized and still dares to come to City C? He's got some nerve!"
Zhuo Feiyang's expression changed slightly. Before Old John could say anything more, he left angrily, but his hurried departure seemed to carry a hint of guilt.
He ran away, and naturally, the people at his table couldn't stay either.
The middle-aged man hadn't expected to lose so much face. His face darkened like the bottom of a pot. He snorted coldly and then hurriedly left with his men.
After they left, the restaurant returned to its usual state.
Old John returned to the kitchen, and the stage lights came on again, with many singers eager to try their hand at singing.
However, Ye Cang at this moment had completely lost his previous appreciation and instead had a heavy expression.
Seeing his expression, Nick couldn't help but comfort him, "Although they are your fellow countrymen, people won't hold a grudge against you because of their behavior. Every race has noble people and despicable people. You don't need to take it too seriously."
"Thank you, Nick." Ye Cang forced a smile.
Shen Huai gently patted Ye Cang's hand under the table; he understood Ye Cang's feelings at that moment.
Ye Cang's sadness wasn't due to fear of being blamed, but rather because he had witnessed the most prosperous period of Chinese music, which made him feel even more sorrowful at the current situation.
Because of the restaurant incident, Ye Cang lost his appetite and returned to the hotel with Shen Huai early.
However, the two did not expect to run into Zhuo Feiyang and his group again in the corridor.
They must have found another place to eat after leaving Old John's restaurant; they just got back.
Zhuo Feiyang recognized Ye Cang, and his expression suddenly turned ugly. Without greeting him, he walked past them with a gloomy face.
Instead, the middle-aged man stopped: "Mr. Shen, Mr. Ye, what a coincidence! I am An Yuanjie, the music director of Huayu Records. It's a pleasure to meet you."
As soon as he mentioned it, Shen Huai remembered that when Ye Cang was on "Rising Star", Huayu Records wanted to sign Ye Cang. It was this Director An who called him, but Ye Cang refused and the matter was dropped.
In addition to inviting nominees, the Cologne Awards also invites well-known music companies from various countries, and it is quite normal for Huayu Records, as the largest record company in China, to be invited.
At this moment, An Yuanjie was elegant and charming, a stark contrast to his disheveled appearance when he was kicked out of the restaurant.
He took out his business card and handed it to the two of them. Because of Zhuo Feiyang, Ye Cang did not have a good impression of An Yuanjie and acted very reluctantly.
Seeing this, Shen Huai simply exchanged business cards with An Yuanjie, then excused himself and returned to his room with Ye Cang.
After returning, Shen Huai told Ye Cang to take a shower and rest first, while he looked at the business card for a long time before finally dialing An Yuanjie's number.
-
Half an hour later, Shen Huai appeared at the hotel bar, and An Yuanjie waved to him.
Shen Huai's eyes flickered slightly, then he walked over.
An Yuanjie had already expertly ordered him a drink, and then said with a smile, "I didn't know Mr. Shen's identity before, and I offended you in my words. Please don't take it to heart. Consider this drink my apology."
Shen Huai smiled and said, "It's alright."
"That's good." After saying that, An Yuanjie casually chatted with Shen Huai about the sights and sounds of C City, rambling on and on without getting to the point.
Shen Huai wasn't in a hurry. An Yuanjie had clearly been waiting for them in the corridor. As the music director of Huayu Records, he was an industry leader and didn't care about companies like Chenxing. He didn't need to be afraid of Shen Huai's status like others did.
Therefore, his purpose is quite intriguing.
The two chatted casually for a while before An Yuanjie finally spoke up: "To be honest, Mr. Shen's reputation as a money-maker is well-known in the industry, but the entertainment circle is not a easy place to navigate."
Shen Huai paused slightly in his hand holding the cup, but a smile remained on his face: "Isn't that what makes it challenging?"
An Yuanjie laughed heartily: "Mr. Shen is right. In my opinion, even if you changed your identity, you would still be the God of Wealth. Otherwise, how could you have discovered Ye Cang's potential and promoted him to where he is today?"
Shen Huai disliked his contemptuous tone when he spoke of Ye Cang, and his expression turned slightly cold: "Ye Cang didn't achieve his current success because of my support. He has the ability to back it up."
An Yuanjie smiled mysteriously and shook his head: "Mr. Shen, Ye Cang is very strong, you could even say he is a genius that comes along only once in a century, but so what? If you weren't behind him, he might not have been able to get to where he is today."
Shen Huai sensed the hidden meaning in his words and his heart turned cold, but he remained calm on the surface: "Director An, please speak frankly."
An Yuanjie moved slightly closer to Shen Huai and lowered his voice, saying, "Since Mr. Shen puts it this way, I'll be frank. I guarantee that your singers will have a smooth career from now on. However, please don't meddle in other people's business. Sometimes it's better not to know than to know."
Shen Huai's gaze immediately turned cold, but he suppressed his anger and said, "So, it turns out that you were the ones who were dealing with Ye Cang from behind all along?"
Previously, Shen Huai sent people to investigate the new singers who were being suppressed. After arriving in City C, his subordinates sent him some basic information.
Shen Huai hadn't paid much attention at the time, but now he realized that what these singers had in common was that they weren't singers from Huayu Entertainment, and some of them had supposedly been in contact with Huayu Entertainment before, but for some reason, they hadn't signed with them.
Now, combined with An Yuanjie's words, it's clear that Huayu Entertainment was behind it all.
Shen Huai recalled that back when they were on "The Rising Star," Tang Ruoyi, a female singer from Huayu Entertainment, had greatly admired Ye Cang and later invited him to join Huayu Entertainment multiple times.
Tang Ruoyi probably knew some of the inside story. Perhaps she was worried that Ye Cang would encounter these problems after not signing with Huayu Entertainment, which would be a waste of his talent, which is why she invited him multiple times.
Instead of answering directly, An Yuanjie asked, "In Mr. Shen's opinion, what exactly do these celebrities in the entertainment industry represent?"
Before Shen Huai could speak, An Yuanjie answered himself, "It's a product."
Shen Huai clenched his fists.
An Yuanjie said nonchalantly, "A five-point artist can be marketed as a nine-point artist. The public doesn't care whether they've heard excellent songs or not. As long as something is popular, they'll follow the trend and buy it. The same goes for artists. On the contrary, no matter how promising an artist is, before they grow up, they're just a newly hatched chick."
"The masses are ignorant. They don't think independently; they just follow the crowd. When the whole public opinion thinks a person is bad, how many people can maintain independent thinking, distinguish between true and false rumors, and go against the tide to defend a stranger?"
Shen Huai remained silent.
Seeing this, An Yuanjie said, "Mr. Shen, you are a legend in the venture capital circle. You should know better than me that the key is always held by a few people in the upper circle, while the shareholders below are just worker ants that can be sacrificed at will."
At this point, Shen Huai had completely understood An Yuanjie's intentions. It seemed that his investigation into the suppression of the new singer had alarmed Huayu Records. They didn't want him to continue the investigation, but they also didn't want to offend a behemoth like the Shen family. So, they used An Yuanjie to subtly remind him.
If Shen Huai insists on continuing the investigation, they may not be able to do anything to him, but the artists under his management will not be so lucky, and Shen Huai himself will have to be careful not to harm them.
After An Yuanjie finished speaking, he gently touched Shen Huai's cup to his, then drank it in one gulp: "Please consider this carefully, Mr. Shen. See you later."
After he finished speaking, he turned and left the bar.
When he got back to his room, he made a phone call. On the other end of the line was Feng Yankai, the current president of Huayu Records.
An Yuanjie said respectfully, "President, I have already met Shen Huai."
Feng Yankai snorted through his nose: "What did he say?"
An Yuanjie said, "He didn't say anything."
Feng Yankai was somewhat displeased: "The Shen family is indeed a large and powerful family, but they are just starting out in the entertainment industry. If I didn't want to make a big fuss and attract the attention of those old fogies in the music association, I really wouldn't be afraid of him at all."
An Yuanjie quickly agreed.
Feng Yankai said impatiently, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on Zhuo Feiyang? What trouble has he caused this time?"
An Yuanjie quickly told him what had happened at Old John's restaurant.
Feng Yankai said coldly, "This good-for-nothing can't even plagiarize something less popular. If he wants to sell a talent persona, he should at least have some substance. He's always causing trouble, and the PR department is too busy cleaning up his messes."
An Yuanjie was scolded like a grandson. He cursed Zhuo Feiyang in his heart, but said obediently on the surface: "But Zhuo Feiyang is still very popular in China. Many fans like his style. Besides, there is a sea between us, so no one knows that he plagiarized. On the contrary, the all-English album is considered to be very high-class by netizens. The sales should be good."
His words seemed to improve Feng Yankai's mood a bit: "Alright, you arrange this matter properly. We brought him to City C to gain experience and prestige. If he causes trouble again, the company can easily find someone else to promote. Let him not think he's something special!"
An Yuanjie: "Yes, yes, yes."
After hanging up the phone, An Yuanjie breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze falling on the shortlist on the table. He chuckled, his face full of superiority.
☆, Chapter 114
Shen Huai returned to his room. Hearing the noise, Ye Cang immediately put down his pen and guitar and walked towards Shen Huai: "What you just did..."
Before he could finish speaking, he frowned: "What happened? You don't seem happy?"
Shen Huai responded softly, sat on the sofa, and remained silent for a moment before telling Ye Cang what An Yuanjie had said.
Ye Cang was filled with anger and could hardly believe it.
The cause he dedicated his life to, the cause he couldn't let go of even after death, was seen by these people as nothing more than a commodity to be bought and sold at will. What's even more despicable is that they not only treated art as a commodity, but also people themselves.
They looked down on and mocked those who had given everything for art, considering themselves gods who could control other people's lives.
They destroyed other people's dreams and messed up the music market with such despicable methods, yet they were still smug about it.
This is not merely driven by greed; it represents a breach of basic human decency.
Since his resurrection, Ye Cang had never been this angry. Whether it was being framed during "The Rising Star" or being chased by obsessive fans, nothing made him as furious and disgusted as he was now.
Ye Cang said indignantly, "Do they think they can do whatever they want just because they have money! The reason our country's music market has become like this is all their fault. Thirty years ago, the stages weren't as elaborate, and there weren't as many singers, but so many great songs emerged. As a result, the audience's enthusiasm made these businessmen see the potential for profit, so they all rushed in..."
Shen Huai sighed softly: "Actually, capital is not a bad thing. Only with the advancement of capital and the formation of a complete industrial chain can this industry become more and more prosperous. It's just that these people rely on capital to disrupt the market and try to use bad money to drive out good money in order to make profits, which is why we have the current situation."
Ye Cang regretted his words as soon as he finished speaking. He knew perfectly well that Shen Huai was right, but he was too angry and spoke without thinking.
Shen Huai understood his feelings, so he patted him on the back reassuringly: "If they do this, they will be punished by the market sooner or later."
Ye Cang calmed himself down, and his rationality returned.
He understood that Shen Huai would never let this continue, and since he had told him these things, he must already have a plan.
So Ye Cang asked, "What do you plan to do?"
Shen Huai smiled faintly: "Since they worship capital as a god, then I'll use capital to play this game with them."
If Shen Huai is just a novice in the entertainment industry, then in the capital world, he is a top expert. He is known in the industry as the "God of Wealth," which, although somewhat joking, demonstrates his strength in the investment field.
Huayu Entertainment refuses to stick to its core business and insists on dragging the battlefield into Shen Huai's area of expertise. If they get eliminated, they can only blame themselves.
-
After hearing Shen Huai's words, Ye Cang felt relieved. After all, in all the time he had known Shen Huai, he had never seen Shen Huai fail to do anything.