Chapter 9: It’s guaranteed to be fire, little sister.

Upon hearing Li Can's words, Chen Meijing was instantly stirred with excitement.

There’s hope! There’s hope!

It feels like I might actually have a chance!

“Ah, Teacher Li... could you please explain in detail what the problem is?”

“That’s easy!” Li Can nodded and immediately began to explain to Chen Meijing.

His straightforward explanation left Chen Meijing speechless.

“Actually, the company must have considered similar plans before, but they were likely rejected because they didn’t align with your original persona, and might even cause more harm than good.”

Li Can studied Chen Meijing carefully.

True to her name, she looked quite pleasant, with a calm demeanor.

While pursuing something abstract could indeed bring fleeting fame, the future prospects were uncertain and might even devastate her career.

Li Can’s mindset was years ahead of the world.

To him, the netizens at that moment seemed rather naive, too conventional, and notably free of any bizarre works.

The company and Chen Meijing themselves were unwilling to break their established image for these reasons.

The world was still sane; black was black, white was white, and pun-based jokes didn’t cost penalties yet.

People’s understanding of “going abstract” was still limited to news hype and such.

The new idol industry was just beginning to sprout in the market, still an emerging entertainment topic, with both hype and controversies being quite immature.

Though many companies had thought about strange personas, and the ideas seemed theoretically feasible, they remained cautious and hesitant to take the plunge.

This was precisely the fertile ground where abstract concepts were born.

“So what I’m thinking is—why not use something abstract, something big and bold, to stir up some buzz, then back it up with a few shockingly impressive songs to create a strong contrast?”

Li Can’s explanation grew more vivid, and Chen Meijing’s expression grew increasingly animated.

“If combined with B-level promotional resources like commercial performances, variety shows, and online interactions… there might be some potential.”

“Of course, you could also choose to pay extra for me to create a third work, reigniting the buzz and enhancing the contrast. So, the choice is yours.”

...

Chen Meijing felt uneasy.

Although she didn’t fully grasp what Li Can intended, her instincts warned her there might be pitfalls.

...

Her manager was silent as well.

Li Can’s words had struck a chord deep within.

Chen Meijing’s conditions were really not suited to anything too strange, as it could completely overturn her persona.

Whether such a reversal would be good or bad was uncertain, but at least in the current market, anyone whose persona collapsed never ended well.

At that moment, Chen Meijing’s mind flashed through the years of hard work and sacrifice.

The confusion during street promotions, the effort to avoid unpleasant situations during commercial gigs.

Endless days and nights of rigorous practice, with rewards far from proportional.

The forced smiles, and the blurry future that still seemed unclear as she neared thirty.

So, no matter how bad it might get, could it really be worse than now?

Without a moment’s hesitation,

Chen Meijing spoke with resolute certainty.

“Let’s do it!”

She stood up, energized, uttering what Li Can most longed to hear.

“More money! The biggest package! I’m all in!”

At that moment, Chen Meijing resembled a drowning person gasping for air, unwilling to miss any opportunity that might change her fate.

“Good! Chen Meijing, that’s the spirit!”

Li Can suddenly stood up, pumping his fist excitedly.

Lin Feng, standing nearby, shuddered in surprise.

“Come on! Let all the pent-up frustration out, shout it with me.”

“I want to be famous!”

“I want to be famous!!!”

“I will be famous!”

“I will be famous!!!”

At that moment, Chen Meijing’s originally quiet demeanor was completely gone.

After all, the pressure had been building for far too long.

The explosive energy she released perfectly matched Li Can’s expectations.

After venting her frustration, Chen Meijing calmed down and asked hesitantly,

“Will this... really work?”

“Don’t worry.”

Li Can smiled faintly.

“I guarantee it, sister!”

Chen Meijing’s worries faded significantly upon hearing such certainty, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Lin Feng stood dumbfounded, witnessing this grand spectacle of brainwashing.

He couldn’t help but yell inside:

What kind of crazy idea is this?

Is there really anyone daring enough to say this and anyone crazy enough to believe it?!

“Alright, next up is our part. Come back in two weeks to rehearse, and we’ll handle post-production and prepare for promotion.”

Li Can made the decision on the spot.

“Okay, I’ll pay right away.”

Chen Meijing was equally decisive.

From Lin Feng’s perspective, he briefly considered that Chen Meijing might need to download an anti-fraud app.

...

After seeing Chen Meijing and her manager off, Lin Feng finally spoke with a dark expression.

“She’s older than you, yet you keep calling her ‘sister’...”

“And are you really sure this plan is okay? It feels so unreliable.”

“Don’t worry at all!”

Li Can chuckled mischievously.

This world was indeed too normal.

It needed a little madness.

Lin Feng stood silently, unaware he was witnessing a turning point.

The year of the big break had begun with Li Can firing the first shot in the entertainment industry.

Yet at this moment, the signs of craziness weren’t so apparent.

“By the way, how much can you make from these three songs?”

Lin Feng asked curiously.

Starting from his undergraduate days, Li Can had been adept at making money from royalties and song sales, and after going abroad, he earned even more.

Altogether, over the years, he had made at least eighty thousand euros.

In an industry where single-song copyrights typically sold for 3,000 yuan, and a 50 million yuan breach-of-contract fee in 2015 barely secured a 13% share, Li Can’s steady reliance on quality to carve out a path was impressively extraordinary.

Ordinary people wouldn’t accept such terms; many wouldn’t even manage distribution, let alone promotion.

But this was only the beginning.

Seven hundred thousand yuan was almost unimaginable for a newcomer, especially a music newcomer, and for many music professionals, this was already a dream income.

“Three songs, all written, composed, arranged, and produced by me, twelve thousand yuan each, totaling thirty-six thousand.”

Li Can smiled brightly.

Lin Feng smirked, glancing at Li Can.

“That’s a high price in the industry, but I believe you didn’t just sell it at that straightforward rate.”

He laughed, putting an arm around Li Can’s shoulder.

“Tell me, what kind of unfair clauses did you add? Are you making her...?”

“What are you thinking? She’s dreaming!” Li Can’s eyes widened. “Why would I reward her with songs for free or for myself?!”

Pausing briefly, Li Can raised an eyebrow.

“Thirty-six thousand for three songs sounds modest, but there’s a wager—three years of usage rights, with copyrights reverting back after three years. If she wants to continue singing them, she’ll have to pay a protection fee.”

“As for how much... that will be dynamically evaluated based on market popularity, with a revenue-sharing model. If it falls below a baseline, no commission is taken.”

“I profit, and she certainly won’t lose.”

“Damn! I knew you wouldn’t take a loss!” Lin Feng’s eyes widened. “You just slapped your abacus right in my face!”

Three years isn’t long.

Li Can was somewhat known in the industry but not highly valued.

Clearly, he was leveraging the company’s promotional resources and the artist’s own traffic to boost his own worth.

If it flopped, no loss.

But if it succeeded, the song’s price would rise, and three years later, whether reselling or licensing, it would be quite profitable.

The singer would pay then.

“But... can it really go viral?”

Lin Feng frowned deeply.

“Guaranteed!”

Li Can pounded his chest emphatically.

“If there’s no buzz, I’ll take the hit myself.”