At this moment, Bian Yuan, curled up in his small rented room, was reluctant to put down his phone.
He had finally escaped that beastly company and didn't want to sign with another.
Because that would mean being under someone else's control again.
But in his current state, he didn't seem to have any value to be exploited.
He had chosen to debut over studying, and now not only was his star path dim, but he didn't even have a decent diploma.
Even if he wanted to be a music teacher now, no one would hire him.
Since I have nothing left to be exploited, I might as well take a gamble.
Bian Yuan looked at the number on his phone screen and muttered to himself.
Recalling the past five years of dazed living, he felt an even greater hatred for the cold and ruthless Qian Yin Group.
Five years ago, they had stood by and watched him send off his girlfriend, and at his most painful moment, they had stripped him of all his resources.
Furthermore, to prevent him from ever making a comeback, they had used that contract to completely tie him down.
He hated them, he hated the heartless company, and he hated the cowardly Bian Yuan of five years ago.
Then, he directly dialed the number he had just received.
Wang Shu had anticipated this and, seeing the call come through, pressed the answer button.
"I want to see you!"
Bian Yuan's voice came from the phone.
"Certainly, I'll send you the location, and we can meet this afternoon!"
A smile played on Wang Shu's lips as he replied.
"Xiao Su, draft a contract for me, I'll tell you the details!"
After hanging up, Wang Shu turned to Su Yao, who was watching with a shocked expression.
...
At four o'clock in the afternoon, in a teahouse by the West Lake in Jiangnan Province.
In a private room, three people were brewing tea.
"Just tell me your conditions!"
Wang Shu took a sip of hot tea and spoke to the weathered man in front of him.
"I have no demands, as long as you can make me famous, make me the Heavenly King you spoke of!"
The tea on the table was boiling, but Bian Yuan paid no attention. He looked at Wang Shu with great seriousness and said.
"If that's the case, it's very simple. How long do you want to achieve this goal?"
Wang Shu smiled slightly and continued to ask the man in front of him.
"As soon as possible!"
Bian Yuan replied directly.
"Good! I like people like you. Then let's sign the contract!"
Wang Shu pushed the contract he had prepared directly to Bian Yuan and then leisurely began to drink his tea.
"You only want thirty percent of the profits for each song? And you won't interfere with any of my personal freedom?"
Bian Yuan was bewildered as he looked at the contract in his hand.
This was hardly a contract. He had never seen such a lenient contract from any company.
Previous contracts from entertainment companies not only demanded over ninety percent of the revenue from all works but also controlled the artists' personal freedom and even their relationships.
Some companies even wished that the artist would sell themselves to the company for their entire lives and not take a single penny in salary.
He had never encountered such a conscientious contract as Wang Shu's.
"Xiao Su, give him the things I prepared as well!"
Wang Shu then said to his assistant.
Upon receiving the instruction, Su Yao took out another A4 paper and handed it to Bian Yuan.
Bian Yuan glanced at the paper and saw that it contained lyrics for a song titled "Ten Years."
"If those two words had not trembled,
I would not have felt my pain,
How could I have spoken,
It was nothing more than a breakup.
...
Ten years ago,
I didn't know you, you weren't mine.
We were still the same,
Accompanying a stranger by our side,
Walking down the familiar streets.
..."
"The copyright for this song has been registered, but since you are an artist of the company, you can use it!"
Wang Shu said with a smile.
At this moment, after reading the entire song, Bian Yuan was deeply moved.
"Can we be friends?" This was the beginning of the story.
"Can we still be friends?" This was the end of the story.
Every word of "Ten Years" was a unforgettable past. The familiar melody played like a movie, projecting all the past memories onto the big screen.
How many people, in their youthful years, met someone they wanted to spend their lives with, only for this beautiful relationship to eventually drift away with the wind.
His emotional resonance was so strong that he hadn't even clearly heard what Wang Shu had said earlier.
"Is this song for me?"
Bian Yuan asked Wang Shu, his voice filled with emotion.
"You didn't listen to what I just said at all! I said the company has registered the copyright for this song.
But since you are an artist of the company, you can use it freely. You only need to hand over thirty percent of the profits to the company."
Wang Shu had to repeat what he had just said.
"Thank you, I think this song is wonderful, it will surely spread everywhere."
Bian Yuan said excitedly after receiving Wang Shu's affirmation.
Two days ago, during "King of Masked Singers," he was eliminated precisely because he chose an inferior song.
Now, with this "Ten Years," he was bound to make a comeback!
"If you need songs in the future, contact me!"
Wang Shu continued to look at the man in front of him, smiling.
He had already seen a trace of determination in the man's eyes. He believed that after enduring this period of obscurity, this man would eventually shine brightly again.
"Actually, I suggest you participate in some of these shows!"
Wang Shu took a poster out of his pocket and placed it in front of Bian Yuan.
It was the poster for "Weekly Good Voice" that Xu Yunshang had once given him.
It was precisely this program that allowed him to truly enter the music scene.
"Can I participate in 'Weekly Good Voice'?"
Bian Yuan asked with some apprehension.
"If you can't even win this, then there's no point in being a Heavenly King!"
Wang Shu said directly.
Based on Wang Shu's estimation, with Bian Yuan's current strength and the addition of his excellent song provider, winning first place would be as easy as playing.
Originally, his plan was to participate in this program once a week and earn one million from Hunan TV every week.
However, due to a conflict with Hunan TV later, he had to abandon it.
Now that he had recruited a capable subordinate, he couldn't miss this opportunity to "reap the benefits."
"Boss, don't worry, I will definitely win this competition!"
Bian Yuan stood up and patted his chest, his voice full of conviction after being spurred by Wang Shu.
"I'll go back and practice now. Wait for my good news next week!"
Bian Yuan then put away the lyrics and the poster, said goodbye to Wang Shu with a confident expression, and left.
Only Wang Shu and Su Yao remained in the teahouse.
"Boss, do you think he can do it?"
Su Yao asked Wang Shu, looking puzzled.
She felt that a has-been contestant who hadn't made any moves for five years might not be able to cause any significant ripples.
"Just wait and see. Hurry up and drink your tea, don't waste it!"
Wang Shu said with a smile.
In the past few days, besides writing, he had also searched for performance videos of Bian Yuan participating in talent shows five years ago.
Five years ago, Bian Yuan's singing condition and technique were impeccable.
Even comparable to other contestants at the same level.
If it weren't for that incident, Wang Shu guessed that Bian Yuan would at least be a well-known powerful singer in the Chinese music scene by now.
He also accidentally discovered that the company Bian Yuan signed with five years ago was Qian Yin Group, the same agency as Xu Yunshang.
Thinking of this, he wondered how the young girl was doing lately.
Since arriving in Korea, that girl hadn't contacted him again, as if she had vanished from the face of the earth.
However, perhaps Qian Yin Group had stricter management of its artists, and Xu Yunshang's personal freedom was so controlled that she couldn't contact him.
After all, five years ago, Qian Yin Group could easily sideline a champion contestant like Bian Yuan, let alone an artist like Xu Yunshang, who wasn't very famous.
However, at present, Wang Shu wasn't too worried about Xu Yunshang's situation. After all, Xu Yunshang was now considered an artist whom Qian Yin was heavily cultivating.
Sending her to Korea for further study was enough to show the group's importance. As long as Xu Yunshang didn't make any mistakes, there shouldn't be any major issues.
After finishing their tea, Wang Shu and Su Yao headed back to the hotel.
Tomorrow was the weekend.
He had to go to Beijing again to deal with various messy affairs.
Just thinking about it made Wang Shu feel exhausted.
In his past life, he was unremarkable and lived a carefree life.
Now, in this life, when he was truly busy, he realized that a quiet and unremarkable life was the most satisfying state.
Unfortunately, he could no longer go back. If he were to slack off now, he would only be waiting for death.
After a night's rest.
In the morning, Wang Shu and Su Yao took a plane to Beijing.
Unlike last time, this time, a Rolls-Royce was waiting to pick them up as soon as they exited the airport.
"Your dad is so nice, he arranged for a car to pick us up directly!"
Wang Shu exclaimed with a hint of admiration.
"I didn't tell my dad! This car isn't my dad's either!"
Su Yao also looked slightly taken aback and said directly.
Wang Shu was also surprised. He took a closer look and realized that it didn't seem like Old Master Su's car.
"Yao Yao sister! I'm here to pick you up!"
Just as the two were wondering, a man dressed in luxurious Western attire, wearing a suit and tie, got out of the car.
"Who are you?"
Su Yao was clearly stunned and asked with a confused expression.
"I'm William! We met in France. I just returned to the country the day before yesterday, and I wanted to see you!"
The man in the suit walked up to Su Yao very familiarly and was about to give her a French kiss, but Su Yao immediately hid behind Wang Shu.
"This is Dragon Country, don't do that disgusting stuff of yours!"
Su Yao said, hiding behind Wang Shu.
"Yao Yao sister, then let's go home, please get in the car!"
Refused by Su Yao, the man in the suit who called himself William felt a bit awkward but still made a gesture of invitation to get in the car with feigned elegance.
"Let's go!"
Wang Shu swaggered with Su Yao into the back seat of the Rolls-Royce.