Li Qian opened the door and saw Liao Liao following him too.

  Qijie is Li Qian's agent, so since Li Qian lives in a hotel, she came to Shuntianfu after that, even if it was just for convenience of meeting and chatting, it was natural to try to stay close to Li Qian. But Liao Liao had been arranged by the company to change to a super-large apartment, so she wanted Qijie to go over and live with her. Tonight, she sent Li Qian and Qijie back, and she didn't leave until Qijie finished reporting things to Li Qian, then she hurriedly pulled people away.

  Now Qijie is coming over to report on things, she doesn't want to stay there alone, so she might as well come and listen for a bit. Anyway, among the things Qijie has to report on, there must be something that also concerns her.

  They sat down casually in Li Qian's room, and Li Qian handed them two bottles of drinks before returning to his own position. He didn't rush to ask about the contract, but instead smiled and asked: "How was it? Was there a lot of pressure on you going alone to negotiate with such a big company for the first time?"

  It's just that a year ago, Qi Jie was still Li Qian's teacher, but now, after a year, she has become Li Qian's agent, which is really quite strange.

  However, for each other's new identity, the two people are still quite adaptable. For Qijie, Liqian's talent is there, and his age has become unimportant. As for Liqian, although Qijie was once his teacher, in his eyes, a girl like Qijie who is just over 20 years old is really just a little girl. Once they establish an employer-employee relationship, he will not hesitate to give orders without considering their previous teacher-student relationship.

  At this time, Qijie had already opened her laptop on her knees, smiled when she heard the words, and touched her hair with her hand. She said with a smile: "It's okay, the pressure is not small, but I can still hold it! It's just... actually, I found that being an agent is just about grinding people's mouths. I'm not afraid of anything else, only patience, I need to exercise!"

  Li Qian heard this and put away his smile, nodded slightly, and fell silent.

  At this time, Qijie picked up her notebook and said: "Today, I ran to Huage Records and Changsheng Records, these two companies. Hmm, overall, I estimate that my work results will not be too satisfactory."

  Li Qian heard this and smiled, glancing at Liao Liao with a hint of skepticism, saying: "That's not necessarily true!"

  Liao Liao curled up her lips and said, "What are you looking at me for? Are you afraid I'll hear your business secrets?"

  Li Qian smiled and said to Qi Jie, "Let's just see how much sincerity they can offer!"

  Qijie nodded and said, "This morning I went to Huage Records. The Mr. Li Jindong who had been in contact with me by phone previously just made an introduction, and then the person who specifically discussed the contract with me was a vice president of their company. Hmm, that vice president's attitude was a bit arrogant, anyway, it gave me a not very comfortable feeling."

  Li Qian heard the words and smiled, not saying anything. Liao Liao, on the other hand, curled his lips and said: "It's normal, it's been circulating in the circle for several months. I guess only those stupid girls from Wu Su didn't know! They want to cross the river and dismantle the bridge, of course they have to take out something to make you anxious, and then everyone can disperse!"

  Li Qian nodded and motioned for Qi Jie to continue speaking.

  Then Qijie said: "I followed the basic conditions you gave me and went back and forth with them for a long time, but... The other side insisted on one bottom line. The price of monitoring can be negotiated, the price of selling songs can also be negotiated, but the contract for sharing is not allowed!"

  Li Qian smiled and didn't say anything.

  Qijie continued: "Because there are huge differences between the two parties from the bottom line, I couldn't talk to them at all. Although we ground for more than an hour and a half, in the end, I could only bring back the initial conditions they opened - Huage's deputy general manager said that they need you to come up with three songs, specifically one fast song, one love song, and one Chinese-style song. The lyrics, melody, and arrangement are all included. They can offer a total of 1 million yuan, but they also said that the price is not final, just an initial quote. They said that if the price is not satisfactory, we can still negotiate."

  "Besides, it's about the production fee. If you're willing to continue producing for Wu Suo's next album, Hua Ge Records can offer 500,000 yuan as the production fee - I'm not very familiar with the market price, but the other party said that this price is already a top-tier price in the industry for producers and production teams. Of course, they still have that attitude, if you're willing to take it, the price can be negotiated further! In short, after discussing back and forth, their idea is basically the same: as long as you don't ask for a share of the profits, everything is easy to discuss; but if you want a share, then forget about it!"

  Li Qian smiled calmly, but before he could say anything, Liao Liao sneered and said bluntly: "As expected, Hua Ge's move of burning the bridge after crossing is getting more and more skilled. The Wu Xing Wu Su from half a year ago was nothing, you lent them some guts, they didn't dare to talk to Li Qian like this!"

  Li Qian spread his hands and asked, "Is that all?"

  Zijie hesitated for a moment, then said: "I went to Huage, and the person who came out to pick me up, Li Jindong, was very friendly. He repeatedly expressed his extreme hope that we could continue to cooperate. However, just before bringing me in, he quietly revealed to me that according to him, Huage had already completed all the work for Wu Suo's new album, including song selection, demos, arrangements, and even the final version of the accompaniment and dance. They're just keeping it under wraps, and those songs are being done separately under other newcomers' names. So, as long as we can't come to an agreement here, they can immediately start producing the new album over there. Therefore, he suggested that I should make some psychological preparations in advance... From his tone and words, I think he's trying to curry favor with you?"

  Li Qian pinched his chin and nodded after a moment of contemplation.

  Actually, from the first time they met, he could feel that Li Jinlong seemed to be extra polite to him, and this time when he came to Shuntianfu to pick him up, the implication was that he wanted to walk together with him.

  Is this considered good luck? Burning incense in advance?

  Of course, this circle is a circle full of various interests and disputes. Anyone's affairs, with multiple hearts and thoughts, are generally not wrong. As for Li Jinlong, there is no need to think of him as too simple-minded - in short, even if he really wants to get close to Li Qian who is still solo, it can only be that he sees more benefits in Li Qian.

  Li Qian thought for a moment, then waved his hand and said: "As for Li Jindong's place, don't worry about it for now. No matter what he means, it will slowly come out, and we can talk about it later. His musical attainments may not be high, but he is a good person, friendly and courteous, and having one more friend like him is not a bad thing. As for the condition given by Huage..."

  Li Qian smiled and rubbed his head, "What nonsense is this!"

  He burst out laughing when he heard this word, and immediately gave a thumbs up. "No wonder you're from a family of Chinese literature, no wonder your lyrics are so well-written, this word is used precisely!"

  She paused, turned her head to Qijie and said: "You don't understand, let me calculate the account with you. You'll know how crazy Huage is! The album that Li Qian helped them make has already sold 30 or 40 million copies. Let's not mention the commercial performances, endorsements and other things. How much can Huage earn? Simply talking about selling albums alone, within a year, this album will definitely sell over 5 million copies. Within two years, its sales should be between 6 million to 8 million."

  "Let's just calculate based on 6 million copies, their album is priced high. It's a standard price of 12 yuan per copy, industry norms, half-price release, that means... If they sell 6 million copies, Huaguo Records can get back the principal and interest of 36 million! Here, because Li Qian takes a share, so they have almost no pre-production costs, such as recording, accompaniment, cover design, post-processing, etc. Add up to 3-5 million at most, and for later promotion, on New Year's Eve gala, they would spend around 1-2 million, that's the maximum. So, okay, let's just calculate it as 2 million for them!"

  "Six million tapes, production costs will not exceed five million, Huage has its own recording factory, so it's estimated to be even cheaper. So, you calculate, six million tapes sold, the cost is about seven million, and then give Li Qian... um, one hundred and eighty million. According to what I know, the girls from Wu Su only get eight percent from record sales, which is less than six million. You do the math yourself, how much can they make just from this album?"

  Qijie bowed her head and calculated for a moment, then raised her head and said: "Over 12 million?"

  Liao Liao nodded and said, "The problem is right here. Before Li Qian made his move, how much money did the album in front of Wu Xuan make? Not even a million could make them laugh! But when it became popular, they refused to give him a share? If we just talk about selling songs, Li Qian's songs can't be sold to anyone for the price they offered."

  She turned her head and asked Li Qian, "How much did you sell that 'Half a Jar of Silk' to He Runqing for?"

  "Four hundred thousand!"

  Liao Liao waved his hand, "So, three songs for one million? And they even specified the style? They really have the nerve to say that! This is clearly a sign that they want to negotiate a breakdown!"

  Li Qian took a deep breath, subconsciously reaching for his cigarettes, but when he patted his pocket, he found it empty. It was then that he remembered he hadn't touched those things in over a month.

  Then he smiled and reached out to grasp his chin, swaying gently back and forth.

  It's not just about the money, following the principle that having one more friend is better than having one more enemy. With Wu Xiong's great success, Li Qian didn't think about how much he could make from their new album. Before Qi Jie went to Hua Ge Records for negotiations, his bottom line was to ask for 5%, and if it couldn't be negotiated, 3% would also do!

  Divided down to this level, it's already something that many big-name producers and songwriters in the industry can easily get, and to be honest, even if Wuyi's next album continues to sell 5-6 million copies, a 3% share would only be around 1-2 million. And his idea is that after taking the share, he wouldn't need to pay production costs.

  So even if the other party agreed to split, and even if this album continued to sell well, Li Qian could get at most around 30 million, including the lyrics and composition fees offered by the other party.

  It can be said that compared to the previous album, which made Wu Yusuo famous with the five elements, this time Li Qian basically gave up most of the benefits. Even if it's a conservative estimate, just for this album, Li Qian can let Huaguo Music earn at least 200 million yuan in pure profit.

  The price is low to this point, for Li Qian, half of it is that he feels that his works are so many in his hands, even if it's just to maintain the relationship with those five girls, or... simply for someone, it's worth it. The other half is considering that Huage is one of the three major super companies in the industry after all, sacrificing some benefits and maintaining long-term friendship can also be considered a kind of people-oriented investment.

  But... human hearts are not enough to swallow an elephant!

  They actually didn't even spare a bit of face-saving money, and had to swallow it all by themselves!

  …………

  Liao Liao and Qi Jie were chatting there, but after a while, they noticed Li Qian was frowning deeply in thought. Unable to resist, he furrowed his brow, stretched out his hand in front of Li Qian, and waved it back and forth, saying: "Hey, you won't even consider this condition carefully? Do you need to think about it? Just reject it directly! Who are you? You're Li Qian! Do you know what reputation you have in the circle? Do you know why our company's Old Chen... uh, I mean, CEO Chen, wanted to give you a test on their first meeting?"

  She paused for a moment, then said loudly: "Because now the whole circle thinks that you, Li Qian, are the golden finger of turning stones into gold! As long as you make a move, it will definitely be popular! Just this, even the contract that doesn't give dividends, if you dare to sign it, I estimate the whole circle will explode!"

  Li Qian heard this and smiled slightly. He said: "What's your hurry? When did I ever say I would agree?"

  He paused for a moment, turned his head to look at Qijie and asked: "What about Changsheng Records? How's the negotiation going?"

  Qijie was taken aback for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and replied: "That Chen boss initially quoted 500,000 yuan per song, but required you to be responsible for monitoring the production to ensure quality. Later, I mentioned your conditions, and he hesitated, although we proactively lowered the price to 200,000 yuan per song, with an 8% share of each album. For him, it's probably a bit painful, so he suggested whether it could be like when you produced the album for Wu Su, adopting a phased profit-sharing model. But I wouldn't agree, so... we didn't reach a deal temporarily, but we've already agreed to continue talking tomorrow. I estimate that we can bring it down to around 5% which just meets your expectations!"

  She paused, seemingly wanting to express something, and turned her head to glance at Liao Liao, saying: "As Liao Liao said, you're a renowned golden finger in the circle, with the ability to turn stones into gold, which is one-of-a-kind. So, it's them who need us more!"

  Li Qian heard this and smiled knowingly, suddenly asking: "In your hearts, am I really just a person who would rather suffer a bit myself than not yield?"

  Liao Liao and Qi Jie were taken aback by his words, but soon Liao Liao waved his hand and said, "Although I know your personality isn't like that, I don't know why you always put on a goody-goody face in front of others! You see, no matter where you go or who you're with, you're always so polite and courteous, not even a hint of... not even a hint of 'I'm awesome'!"

  Li Qian heard this and smiled with a chuckle.

  He smiled and shook his head, then suddenly looked up at Liao Liao and said, "Alright, next I'll let you see what it's like when I'm awesome."

  After finishing, he turned his head to look at Qijie, the smile on his face retracted, but said calmly: "First, immediately terminate any contact with Huage Records and directly announce the breakdown of negotiations! Even, you can reveal to them that I am very angry!"

  Qijie heard this and immediately perked up, solemnly nodding her head.

  But Liao Liao, at this moment, suddenly felt a bright feeling - having known him for so long, he had always felt that he should be such a proud and arrogant person, but he had been hiding it too well all along, until this moment, when he finally saw his sharp fangs!

  But men, especially men like Li Qian, can't even have a little bit of sharpness?

  A man must have dignity!

  At this time, Li Qian continued calmly: "Secondly, you go see Chen tomorrow and tell him that the four works I promised him will be treated with 100% sincerity. Moreover, I can personally supervise these four works for them. As for the conditions, it's as he said, 500,000 per piece! However, I have a request, which is that Liao Liao's new album must be released one week after Wu Xing's new album!"

  As soon as this was said, Qi Jie suddenly widened her eyes and slightly opened her mouth, while Liao Liao also had a frightened expression.

  She looked at Li Qian and asked timidly: "You want me... to fight it out with them?"

  Qijie reacted and quickly said: "Although Liao Liao is very popular, Wu Su of the Five Elements seems to be even more popular than her! If we force a collision like this, even if we can defeat them, won't it be... for Liao Liao's side?"

  At this time, Li Qian turned his head and looked at Liao Liao, his eyes calm and sharp.

  He faintly asked: "Don't you dare?"

  As he met his gaze, the two pairs of eyes collided for a moment, and Liao Liao suddenly froze.

  At that moment, Li Qian's eyes were as fierce as a lion.

  Suddenly, Liao Liao's heart began to beat violently and uncontrollably.

  After a moment of distraction, she suddenly puffed out her chest, "You're not afraid, what am I afraid of!"

  After finishing speaking, she hurriedly caught Li Qian's eyes at the first time.

  But what disappointed her was that after saying that sentence, Li Qian's sharp and powerful momentum seemed to have been released immediately, and in the blink of an eye, he had already returned to his usual calm and gentle smile.

  At this time, Li Qian heard the words and smiled slightly, ignoring Qi Jie's daze, and calmly nodded his head, saying in a firm tone: "Then it's settled!"

  Since it's Golden Fingers, then of course they must have the dignity of Golden Fingers!

  Since you don't even give me the most basic face, and think it's okay to dump me at this time, then let's just have a direct confrontation!

  ***

  The first update is more than 5,200 words!

  Don't worry, this is just the first update, there will be a second one today! (.)