I became a music industry godfather by writing confidantes.

Chapter 114 Fortune Turns Around

On November 13, Yang Du was featured in the China Youth Daily.

This article, titled "A Conversation with Yang Du: A 21-Year-Old Music Producer, Entrepreneur, and Philanthropist," mentions:

"...When asked by reporters which identity he prefers, Yang Du frankly stated that his initial role as a blogger specializing in emotional literature stemmed from a form of self-regulation during the creative process. Music is his profession and the foundation of his future career. As for his other identity, it will not affect his dedication to music."

See? See? Music is a profession, a foundation. I urge some people to wake up.

[The *China Youth Daily* has officially confirmed that he is a music producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist—a triple threat, and definitely not a relationship blogger, hehehe.]

【No, do you even know how the characters for "soulmate" are written? "Zhi" is the "zhi" in "soulmate," and "yin" is the "yin" in "music." "Soulmate" has two aspects, but "zhi" is primary, okay?】

"Oh yes, yes, you write a lot, everything you say is correct."

"Exactly, we should never forget those who dug the well when we drink the water. Music fans are really taking advantage of us."

"Hey buddy upstairs, what if you just used a different number?"

Seeing the book fans and music fans arguing yet surprisingly harmoniously, netizens exclaimed that you guys really know how to play the game, and maybe one day even Yang Du will be caught up in your schemes.

However, what's even more exciting is a little tidbit revealed at the end of the article: Yang Du's new song is titled "Big Fish".

So, the music fans and book fans stopped fighting, shook hands and made peace, and joined other netizens in looking forward to the new song.

Soon, rumors began to circulate.

[Insider information, absolutely true: I have an uncle who works at a music company. Yang Du's song "Big Fish" wasn't a collaboration with a singer from the Jinshi Music Group, but rather with Century Music.]

— "Is it true, a collaboration with Century Music?"

"Damn, isn't Yang Du a member of Jinshi? Is he going to betray us?"

"No, upstairs, Yang Du is a freelancer. He runs his own studio, Qiuniu Studio. It's just that he did collaborate more with the Jinshi Group before."

While onlookers were still arguing about the veracity of this rumor, the film "The Sea" and Century Music simultaneously released a concept poster in the style of traditional Chinese ink painting on Weibo.

It's official.

"The concept song for the movie 'The Sea' - 'Big Fish'!"

Lyrics/Composition/Arrangement/Producer: Yang Du

Singer: Xia Mingchen.

On this exquisite poster, the two largest characters are "Big Fish" and "The Sea", followed by Yang Du, with the font size almost matching that of the movie title.

[Waaaaah, Chenbao's really something! He just won the championship of "The Voice of Tomorrow 2," and now he's collaborating with Yang Du. Mom is so proud!]

Wow, this poster is actually using Yang Du's name as one of its promotional points.

[Looking forward to Xia Mingchen. I thought his voice was amazing during "The Voice of Tomorrow 2". After he signed with Century Music, I was worried that they would just give him catchy pop songs. I never expected that Yang Du would personally handle the production (super excited.jpg)]

Am I the only one worried that Yang Du might face difficulties at Century Music Recording Studio?

Yang Du certainly wouldn't be given a hard time; from the moment he entered the recording studio, he was personally accompanied by the deputy director of Century Music's artist and production department.

"Teacher Yang, our equipment here is no worse than Jinshi's." The deputy director, who looked like Maitreya Buddha, said with a smile, his attitude extremely enthusiastic. "If you really calculate it, the annual budget spent on hardware maintenance and upgrades is even more than Jinshi's."

"Amazing." Yang Du gave a thumbs up.

"Haha, you used to collaborate a lot with Jinshi, so everyone assumed you were signed to them. But since Qiuniu is an independent label, there's no need to limit your artists to Jinshi, right?"

Yang Du casually chimed in with a couple of "Mmm," since nodding didn't mean he agreed.

Seeing that Yang Du did not refuse directly, he laughed even more heartily.

"Okay, then if you have any inspiration in the future, Mr. Yang, but can't find a suitable singer for a while, please be sure to contact me. Century Music's mission is to let sound transcend the centuries, and we respect creators the most and will never interfere with your production rights."

After exchanging a few words, the deputy director left first. Xia Mingchen and his agent, who were waiting nearby, were about to step forward when the door to the control room was pushed open again.

The man who entered was wearing his hair slicked back.

"Brother Yuan." Xia Mingchen's agent, Zhou Jun, greeted him. The person who came was Yuan Cheng, Sun Qingning's agent.

"Excuse me, Producer Yang." Yuan Cheng quickly stepped forward, exchanged a few pleasantries, and finally got to the point, "It's like this, Qingning is also interested in launching a second album project. I wonder if Professor Yang would be interested in writing a song for Qingning?"

Yang Du raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by the other party's bluntness.

It's worth noting that he earned his first pot of gold in the entertainment industry with Tao Cheng's help. If he hadn't successfully secured the position of producer for "Flammable and Explosive," Yang Du would have had to endure for a longer period of time and seek new opportunities to make a name for himself.

Sun Qingning is Tao Cheng's direct rival, and it can be said that anyone who asks him to write a song has a higher success rate than Sun Qingning.

"Well... I'll handle the creative aspects, but you should discuss the business matters with my agent."

Despite being politely declined, Yuan Cheng remained unperturbed and smiled, saying, "I was just thinking of letting you know first, Producer Yang. I'll contact Director Yuan later to go through the proper procedures."

Not far away, Xia Mingchen looked at Yuan Cheng, who was stubbornly sticking to Yang Du's side and refusing to leave, with a somewhat gloomy expression.

As the singer of "Big Fish", today should have been Xia Mingchen's show.

He even did his homework in advance, preparing several humorous or sincere opening remarks and a few well-placed jokes, just to leave a deep impression on Yang Du.

But the result?

First, the deputy director of the artist and production department showed up uninvited, and then Sun Qingning's agent barged in directly, leaving him no chance to speak from beginning to end.

What's more painful than being looked down upon is being ignored.

"Do you feel very frustrated?" Zhou Jun asked in a low voice.

Xia Mingchen remained silent.

"That's the entertainment industry for you," Zhou Jun cautioned. "The deputy director is just doing his job. Yuan Cheng is Sun Qingning's manager. Although she lost to Tao Cheng and Jiang Yan in terms of singles, she's still one of the company's cash cows, and her commercial value is undeniable."

Looking at Xia Mingchen's defiant face, Zhou Jun continued, "And you? A newcomer, or to put it nicely, the champion of 'The Voice of Tomorrow 2,' with a bunch of fans checking in enthusiastically on the supertopic. But in the eyes of capital, your popularity isn't even worth mentioning."

"So Yuan Cheng can come in whenever he wants and ignore us."

"It's not casual at all. Didn't you see he's working? Getting a song for Sun Qingning is much more important than you."

"What if you were the top agent?" Xia Mingchen retorted.

"But I'm not." Zhou Jun didn't evade the somewhat pointed question. "So today, no matter how unwilling you are, you have to bear it, and so do I. Not only do we have to bear it, but we also have to see Yuan Cheng off with a smile when he leaves later. That's the rule of the entertainment industry: whoever is popular is right."

"Logically speaking, you've been in the entertainment industry for quite some time now, you should understand this. If you hadn't signed with Century Entertainment, you wouldn't have won the championship, right? Wait until 'Big Fish'—smile and say hello to Yuan Cheng!"

"Brother Yuan is leaving already?" Xia Mingchen forced a smile. "Please give my regards to Sister Qingning."

"Hmm." Yuan Cheng nodded casually. "Work hard and learn more from Producer Yang."

"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Yuan. I will do my best."