I became a music industry godfather by writing confidantes.

Chapter 068 Joint Arrangement

"No, Mr. Wang, is your wife's cousin mentally unstable?"

At Qiuniu Studio, Yang Du was scrolling through comments on Weibo while talking on the phone with Wang Shihui.

His politeness and good manners prevented him from saying "you're sick" to his face.

"She went to pick up the producer of Tang You's second album, clearly wanting to compete with me, which is understandable, it's business competition."

"But now she's directly criticizing me by name, accusing me of crossing the line in the pop music industry, which is a bit too much."

Jiang Yinglan's interview did indeed cause a huge uproar online.

Tang You's fans naturally took it as gospel, spamming everyone with Professor Jiang's speech and wildly criticizing him from their moral high ground.

However, setting aside the blind followers in fan circles, genuine casual netizens are not so easily fooled.

This is no longer the early 2000s, when you could simply believe whatever the experts said; in fact, it's more like a period of reverse preaching.

A visiting professor from the Central Conservatory of Music suddenly jumped out and gave Yang Du pointers, but instead of being admired, he was ridiculed by everyone.

Wait, who is this old lady? How did she equate Yang Du's success with the complete collapse of the Chinese music scene?

[This is alarmist talk and attention-seeking!]

【"Flammable and Explosive," "Painted Heart," "Red Rose"—I wonder, has Professor Jiang ever produced such beautiful songs?】

[When it comes to labeling people, the older generation really knows. They're always bringing up aesthetics and social trends—they're incredibly professional.]

I feel that every word Professor Jiang says makes sense individually, but when put together, it sounds like a set of fallacies and heresies.

I used to quite like Tangyou, but now I'm actually working with this old codger who's always trying to act superior. It's exhausting.

On the other end of the phone, Wang Shihui lit a cigarette with a weary expression and sighed, "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but every time we eat together during the holidays, she's never given me a second glance."

"Don't think she's targeting you on purpose. She looks down on everyone who makes pop music, regardless of their status."

Yang Du chuckled: "So she treats everyone the same?"

"So don't take it to heart, it's not worth it. Just think of it as being bitten by a dog twice."

"That won't do. There's no need to keep a dog that bites."

Yang Du retorted, "She's a visiting professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, after all, and has the aura of an expert. The music industry has a heavy hierarchy of contempt; those who work in classical music look down on those who work in popular music."

"Many people support me online, but there are also those who blindly believe in authority and her rhetoric. If she really labels me that way, my reputation will be damaged far more than just a little bit."

Wang Shihui wanted to try to persuade him again, since Yang Du was still a student of the Beijing Conservatory of Music and would inevitably be at a disadvantage in terms of status.

"Beep beep—"

Yang Du's phone suddenly rang with a call waiting tone.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Huo Xintong.

"Teacher Wang, I have an important call coming in, I'll hang up now, I'll treat you to milk tea another day."

"Hello, Director Huo?"

"Yang Du," Huo Xintong's voice came through, "have you seen all those messy reports and interview videos online?"

"I saw it, I was just complaining about it with someone," Yang Du answered honestly.

"Just watch it and don't take it to heart. Jiang Yinglan has been disliking pop music for a long time. She used to be so high and mighty, but what happened? Now she's taken over as the producer of Tang You's second album. To put it bluntly, she's bowing to the market and is eyeing the commercial profits."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Director."

"You're my composition student, if I don't worry about you, who will?" Huo Xintong said with a smile. "To put it another way, you're a student of Beijing Conservatory of Music, so even if you do something wrong, we'll educate you behind closed doors."

"But when did it become her place, a visiting professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, to point fingers and criticize others? Do we think the Beijing Conservatory of Music has no one else to rely on?"

"So, ignore all the rumors online. Just do what you're supposed to do for Tao Cheng's second album. There's no need to pander or compromise."

Yang Du felt a warmth in his heart after hearing Huo Xintong's words: "Director Huo, don't worry, I'm already thinking about how to retaliate against her."

"Yes, it's okay to fight back, so they don't think you're easy to bully."

Huo Xintong changed the subject: "However, it's useless to fight with someone like Jiang Yinglan, who claims to be an old academic, by relying on online voices and letting her fans argue. Otherwise, you'll just fall into her vulgar trap. After all, her status, qualifications, and titles are what they are."

"To deal with this kind of person, you have to stand on a higher level than her and crush her head-on with absolute strength and status to shut her up forever."

Yang Du nodded in deep agreement: "I understand, Director."

"Well, it's good that you've figured it out." After a pause, Huo Xintong softened her tone. "Also, Yang Du, there's something I need to make clear to you. You're rising to fame now; you could say you're a living advertisement among our students at the Beijing Conservatory of Music."

"However, as a prestigious institution of higher learning, Beijing Conservatory of Music cannot issue an official statement and engage in a debate with Jiang Yinglan over such a dispute. You should be aware of this and understand the school's difficulties."

"No way," Yang Du replied with a smile. "If the school really got involved in such a small matter, wouldn't that be giving her too much credit? I can handle it myself."

"It's good that you understand. However, just because it's not acceptable to confront them openly doesn't mean that we teachers will stand by and watch our students suffer injustice outside."

"Last Children's Day, we owe you a lot for saving the day with the elementary school's program. Not only did you save face for the Beijing Conservatory of Music, but you also got a lot of exposure on CCTV. The leaders all saw it and remembered it."

At this point, Huo Xintong finally revealed the true purpose of today's phone call.

"It just so happens that CCTV is currently preparing for this year's National Day gala, and I've been assigned a project to help with some music arrangement. Could you come to my office tomorrow or the day after tomorrow morning and take the sheet music to study?"

"You'll be my second assistant, try writing the string sections. The string section for 'Painted Heart' was excellent, which is one of your strengths. You'll get a name on the list of co-arrangers for this program."

Having said all that, Yang Du could easily see through Huo Xintong's intentions: to use his project to enhance Huo's prestige.

"Isn't Jiang Yinglan just relying on her seniority in the mainstream circle? She thinks what you're doing is beneath her dignity. As long as your resume includes credits for a national-level serious performance like the CCTV National Day Gala symphony arrangement, and you get official professional certification, she'll have to think twice before she starts criticizing you."

This is what Huo Xintong just mentioned about ascending to a higher dimension.

At that time, Jiang Yinglan's remarks will naturally fall apart and disappear without a trace.

This pie is incredibly valuable, far surpassing anything seen at the last Children's Day gala.

In a sense, this is indeed the best solution to Jiang Yinglan's evaluation at present, and also the safest path.

However, he does have songs suitable for the National Day Gala.