Chapter 0142: Threat

Zhao Fusheng was not inferior to anyone in terms of intelligence; perhaps in family background he might not be as deep-rooted as others, but with decades of life experience accumulated there, those little schemes were simply not enough to fool Zhao Fusheng.

So, without waiting for He Yunzhi to lay out her terms and negotiate with him, Zhao Fusheng simply flipped the table.

"Xiao Zhao, Xiao Zhao..."

Li Jian quickly chased after him and grabbed Zhao Fusheng: "Brother, look at you, why leave in such a hurry?"

Zhao Fusheng stopped, glanced at Li Jian, and said seriously, "Brother Li, you're a good person, but I have to tell you, music isn't made this way. For a music company to succeed, it doesn't rely on the tactics of certain managers, but on whether your music can truly attract fans."

"The greater flaw in human nature lies in the virtue of endurance and the cleverness of adaptability. When one value is raped by another, when all conceptualized things are swapped or shattered, and order needs to be reorganized and reestablished, what is dignity, what is morality, what is friendship and truth are all redefined. After the heart is torn, it must endure pain, and the choice after the pain will be a bloody, greater, and longer-lasting suffering. Choosing compromise is precisely the easiest choice we can make; likewise, this choice undoubtedly minimizes the pain, reducing it to nothing but sorrow."

Zhao Fusheng said calmly to Li Jian, "Maybe my words are a bit harsh, but I cannot agree with the methods of Qingcheng Culture. So I'm sorry, our cooperation cannot proceed."

Li Jian stood there stunned, watching Zhao Fusheng's retreating figure. He suddenly felt that he had been overlooking a very important factor all along.

Although Zhao Fusheng was still a student, he appeared very mature, or rather, he always made people unconsciously overlook his age.

But the problem was that when a young person of this age discovers he's been treated like a fool, the intense emotions he displays can often change many things.

Just like now, in Li Jian's view, a mature musician well-versed in the rules of the music circle would definitely sit down and continue negotiating with He Yunzhi.

But Zhao Fusheng clearly had no intention of continuing talks with He Yunzhi.

Not only that, he even forced Li Jian to make a choice.

And usually, choice is the cruelest thing because you need to sacrifice some things to achieve others.

For Li Jian, the bait Zhao Fusheng threw out was undoubtedly tempting.

Others might think Zhao Fusheng was exaggerating, but as a musician with pursuits and ideas, Li Jian had long been dissatisfied with some of Qingcheng Culture's practices.

He was, at heart, quite a literary youth, the kind of artistic young person. A graduate of Tsinghua University, he could have had a brighter future, but to pursue his musical dream, he chose to form a band. When he found that being a band member couldn't advance his musical path, he chose to leave again and join Qingcheng Culture.

In fact, if not for the song "The Prose Poem Written by Father," Li Jian was already planning to leave. He had never been the type to enjoy making pop music.

And now, Zhao Fusheng's words stirred his restless heart, making it hard to contain.

"Fusheng, tell me honestly, will you really buy back the copyright of that song?" Li Jian called out to Zhao Fusheng and asked him seriously.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and nodded: "Brother Li, I said I don't care how much copyright income this song can bring me, because I'm not from your music circle. To me, respect is more important than a few thousand yuan."

Li Jian was silent. Though he was reluctant to admit it, as Zhao Fusheng had said earlier, the tricks He Yunzhi and Mu Qingwan played were indeed unspoken rules in this circle, and even composers had no choice but to accept being fooled.

But the problem was that Zhao Fusheng was not from the music circle, and he had no intention of entering the entertainment industry.

Thinking this, Li Jian looked up at Zhao Fusheng and said, "You go back first. For my sake, don't buy back the copyright yet, okay?"

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback when Li Jian continued, "I'll be shameless and say this: I really like this song and especially want to include it in my album. So, give me face and let me talk to President He and President Mu again, alright?"

Zhao Fusheng hesitated but finally nodded: "Alright, but I'll say it first: I can only wait two days. President Mu should know I still have to go back to school."

This was not a lie, because Zhao Fusheng really couldn't stay long in Beijing. The National Day holiday was almost over, and he had to return to school.

Otherwise, if this matter delayed him in Beijing and it reached his parents' ears, Zhao Fusheng was sure his father would blow up. Because in his father's view, nothing was more important than Zhao Fusheng getting his college diploma. Even making money was not acceptable.

All professions are base, only scholarship is exalted.

This was Zhao's father's lifelong obsession. He hadn't gotten into college himself, so he was extremely insistent on Zhao Fusheng attending university.

Li Jian nodded: "Okay, don't worry. I'll contact you soon."

Watching Zhao Fusheng leave, Li Jian turned and went upstairs. He didn't go to He Yunzhi's office but instead went to Mu Qingwan's office.

"President Mu, I think we should talk."

Li Jian said to Mu Qingwan directly.

Mu Qingwan frowned: "What's the matter?"

If it were an ordinary artist, she wouldn't care, but the problem was that although Qingcheng Culture had new capital injection, the only famous singer under the label was Li Jian. As for film and television resources, they hadn't yet opened any channels.

In other words, Li Jian was now the company's top star, so Mu Qingwan had to take him seriously.

"Zhao Fusheng just came to the company. I don't know what President He said to him, but they fell out. Now Zhao Fusheng wants to buy back the copyright of 'The Prose Poem Written by Father.' What do you think, President Mu?" Li Jian didn't beat around the bush and said directly to Mu Qingwan.

Mu Qingwan's expression changed slightly. She hadn't expected Zhao Fusheng to finish talking with He Yunzhi so quickly. Originally, she thought that after they talked, whether it was a stalemate or someone gave in, she would step in as a mediator, give everyone a way out, and smooth things over.

But she never expected that Zhao Fusheng wouldn't play by the rules at all.

"What happened? Why did they fall out?" Mu Qingwan was also confused and asked Li Jian instinctively.

Li Jian could tell from her reaction that Mu Qingwan probably didn't know the details either. He helplessly repeated what Zhao Fusheng had said to him and finally said seriously, "President Mu, you know I value this album a lot. The songs are either my own creations or carefully selected before being included. I admit President He's approach was for the company's sake, but if this leads to that song not being included in my album, I think there's no need to release this album."

"Li Jian, that's not what I meant. The company supports your work. We..." Mu Qingwan knew from Li Jian's words that he was dissatisfied with the tricks she and He Yunzhi had played.

After all, from the company's perspective, it was understandable: on one hand, to test Zhao Fusheng's talent; on the other, to verify what kind of person Zhao Fusheng really was.

In other words, if he was worth recruiting, according to He Yunzhi, they could offer him a decent exclusive contract and make him Qingcheng Culture's exclusive composer.

Of course, this was Mu Qingwan and He Yunzhi's plan, which they hadn't had time to tell anyone.

But the problem was that neither of them expected Zhao Fusheng to give them no face or way out, directly pushing things to an irreparable point.

Li Jian smiled faintly, very gently, as if not angry. He just quietly glanced at Mu Qingwan, then stood up and said calmly, "Since that's the case, please go and resolve this, President Mu. If I can't get that song, I won't release this album. Anyway, my contract expires in less than two months."

With that, he left Mu Qingwan, whose face instantly turned pale, and walked out of the office.