raknovel Chapter 75 New Song
Chapter 75 New Song
"Chen Business".
"Not releasing it to the media?"
"Not issuing it."
Xu Wen opened his mouth slightly, wanting to ask why, but after thinking about it, he didn't ask and lowered his head to organize the data.
Zeng Hao picked up the documents on the table again.
Dingsheng chose a good time to make this move.
During Xu Kunkun's controversial period, public opinion was already rife with discord. Adding insult to injury at this time could make iQiyi reconsider its replacement plan. Once iQiyi initiates a reassessment, the revenue-sharing structure following the artist replacement clause will need to be renegotiated, and previously locked-in clauses will have room for negotiation.
This is what Dingsheng really wants. It's not about targeting Xu Kunkun, but about trying to pry open a loophole in the contract.
Therefore, the response was not directed at the media, but at Chen Shangwu.
A single page of data is faster than any statement.
The data was compiled in the afternoon, and Xu Wen sent it to Chen Shangwu with the note "For reference only," without any further explanation.
Chen replied with "Received," and twenty minutes later sent a message: "The data is good, we have no plans to reassess."
Xu Wen sent the screenshot to Zeng Hao, who glanced at it, didn't reply, and closed the screenshot.
By 4 PM, the number of reposts on that smear article had risen to over two thousand. In the comments section, some people were questioning it, while others were agreeing with it. However, one reply that was pushed to the top was a little different—"I was there, and that's not what happened. After the trainee finished the last part of the dance, someone next to me spontaneously clapped. It wasn't a shill; someone really started clapping first." It received over seven hundred likes.
Xu Wen saw this post, took a screenshot and sent it to Zeng Hao. This time, Zeng Hao didn't even look at it and pushed the phone back.
"No need to send it to me," he said. "You can see it yourself."
Xu Wen put his phone away, muttering to himself, "Then who am I supposed to show this to?"
Zeng Hao ignored her and continued reading the documents.
Xu Wen couldn't help but ask, "If this data is sent out, won't Dingsheng be able to—"
"Why send it out?"
"Let everyone know—"
"Business Manager Chen understands," Zeng Hao said, folding up the report. "That's enough."
Xu Wen muttered to himself, "He talks like Chen, the Minister of Commerce, is the whole world."
Zeng Hao put the report aside and leaned back in his chair.
iQiyi has stabilized its position, and Dingsheng's attempt has failed. But this is not the end; Dingsheng will definitely have more moves to make. The window before the talent show airs is the most sensitive, and there are still two or three months to go, with many variables.
The data from Xu Kunkun's side is real, but data is not the same as public opinion. It takes time for public opinion to reverse, and it's still early.
He knew the final outcome, but there was still a long way to go before that outcome, and every step was a real obstacle.
Xue Zhijian's rehearsal room is on the third floor of the company building. It has been soundproofed, so you can hardly hear anything from outside.
When Zeng Hao passed by, the door was open.
Xue Zhijian sat at the piano, not playing, but looking at a piece of paper, which looked like a song lyric. After looking at it for a while, he turned the paper over, closed his eyes, and moved his lips, as if he was reciting it from memory.
Zeng Hao stood at the door for a second, preparing to leave.
"Mr. Zeng."
Xue Zhijian opened his eyes and turned his head to the side.
"You're in?" He casually placed the paper on the piano. "A new song, still being polished."
"Um."
"I have a question for you," he said. "Does your company have any connections for registering for the Spring Festival Gala?"
Zeng Hao glanced at him.
Why are you asking this?
Xue Zhijian shrugged: "Just asking, I just want to know what the process is like."
"What's the use of knowing?"
Xue Zhijian's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't reply. He flipped the paper back over and looked at the lyrics again.
"There are channels," Zeng Hao said, "but not now."
Xue Zhijian looked up, as if to ask something, but Zeng Hao had already turned and walked into the corridor.
Xue Zhijian sat there, went over the phrase "not now" in his mind, picked up a pen, crossed out a word on the lyrics, replaced it with another, read it aloud again, and nodded.
He didn't chase after them to ask any more questions.
...
The copyright contract for Hu Song has seven pages of appendices, and Zeng Hao had Fang Qing revise the wording twice when he signed it.
Article 3, Paragraph 2, lists copyright ownership and exclusive operating rights in the same clause, without separating them or leaving room for interpretation. The industry standard is to separate them into two clauses, leaving room for future negotiations—Zeng Hao did not.
He didn't explain why he wrote it that way at the time. Fang Qing asked him a question, and he said to do it this way, so Fang Qing did it that way.
Now the seven-page appendix was on the table. Zeng Hao read through Article 3, Paragraph 2, and then closed it.
Last week, people from Tencent Music contacted the Husong team, saying it was for a "copyright reassessment and cooperation." They bypassed Sunshine Entertainment and went directly to Husong's assistant. The assistant didn't understand contracts, but he did understand one thing—you have to ask the company about these things first.
The news was only relayed to Zeng Hao last night.
The agent for the Husong team, surnamed Wu, arrived at Sunshine Entertainment at 2 PM. The first thing he said after sitting down was, "Chen Li said the copyright can be discussed separately. We don't know much about this, so we came to ask you."
Zeng Hao pushed the contract attachment over and turned to Article 3, Section 2.
"The copyright and exclusive operating rights belong to Party B (Sunshine Entertainment). Party A (Husong) shall not authorize or entrust any third party to operate the above rights separately. Violation shall be handled in accordance with the liquidated damages clause in Appendix Four."
Wu, the agent, watched it twice.
"So the copyright is not in our hands."
"right."
"So, Chen Li's suggestion of a copyright reassessment—"
"There's no room for evaluation," Zeng Hao said. "The copyright isn't in your hands, so how can we evaluate it?"
Agent Wu pushed the contract back and remained silent for a while: "Chen Li said that in the industry, these kinds of clauses can usually be renegotiated."
"The industry he's talking about," Zeng Hao put the contract away, "is not in our area."
Manager Wu glanced at him but didn't say anything more.
Xu Wen waited until Agent Wu left before speaking, "Did Chen Li genuinely not know the terms were written this way, or was he pretending not to know?"
"Anything is possible."
"Then he should talk to the Husong team directly, bypassing us—"
"There's no way around it," Zeng Hao put the attachment into the folder. "He knows there's no way around it; he just wants to see if the Husong team knows."
Xu Wen thought for a moment: "So he's betting that the Husong team doesn't understand contracts."
"Um."
"They understood."
"And then they came to ask me."
Xu Wen went through the logic in his mind, his lips twitched slightly, but he held back and lowered his head to organize the documents.
Zeng Hao put the folder into the drawer.
He remembered that line of numbers in the attachment very clearly—Husong's copyright assets accounted for a fixed percentage in the company's valuation model, and this percentage would be directly cited in the negotiations for the next round of financing. Once the copyright was leaked, that line of numbers would have to be recalculated, and he would lose a bargaining chip.
It has nothing to do with who you are protecting.
Xu Wen looked up: "Should we inform Chen Li and tell him that this is how our copyright terms are, so that he can stop contacting the Husong team?"
"No need," Zeng Hao said. "He'll know on his own."
"How do you know?"
"Agent Wu will tell him when he gets back," Zeng Hao stood up. "It's not that he doesn't understand; he's just here to give it a try."
Xu Wen said "Oh," and neatly arranged the folder. Suddenly, he remembered something: "Right, the final payment for iQiyi is due on the 45th. It should arrive in the next couple of days."
Zeng Hao glanced at her.
"Has Sister Liu confirmed it?"
"I confirmed it yesterday, and they said the money would arrive in the account within the next day or two," Xu Wen said. "I'll have Sister Liu send it to you when it arrives."
"Um."
Zeng Hao picked up his coat and walked towards the door.
Xu Wen followed behind, lowering his voice: "It'll be more than 5300 million on paper, right? That final payment will probably be—"
"We'll talk about it when we get there."
"Okay, okay, we'll talk about it when we get there." Xu Wen shut his mouth and followed the path down the corridor. After taking a couple of steps, he couldn't help but ask, "But do you have a rough idea of how much it will cost—"
"Xu Wen".
"I'll shut up."