HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 202 [202] A deal with Warner: A major breakthrough is on the horizon next year.

For the next few days, Qi Yuan will be filming a music video in Canada.

On September 21, major news came from Taiwan.

Early that morning, Taiwan was struck by the largest earthquake of the late 20th century, reaching a magnitude of 7.6. Nearly 110,000 houses collapsed or were partially collapsed, causing economic losses of US$92 billion.

The clash between two superstars and Jay Chou's new album paled in comparison to major issues of right and wrong, and attracted little attention.

Zhou Jianhui immediately called Qi Yuan to tell her about it and asked if she wanted to donate.

Some celebrities are very stingy. They make a lot of money, and it hurts them to donate even a single penny.

There's really nothing wrong with this. Donating is a voluntary act, and everyone has the right to donate or not. Moral coercion is wrong.

What's most disgusting are those celebrities who hype up their donations, constantly claiming they'll donate their entire fortune to generate buzz. Then, when they lose their popularity, they turn their backs and say they never said they'd donate. They're utterly shameless!

“The company can donate one million NT dollars in your name,” Zhou Jianhui added after thinking for a moment.

Qi Yuan understood that Zhou Jianhui had made two plans: if he agreed to donate, he would use his own money; if he disagreed, the company would pay.

Qi Yuan wasn't a miser; he first asked, "How much did others donate?"

“Li Ming received 1.2 million NT dollars, while Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, and Chang Kuo-jung each received 1 million NT dollars.”

"Then I'll donate one million too."

Sometimes, donating money isn't just about how much you want to donate; it also requires emotional intelligence.

The seniors all donated around one million, so Qi Yuan doesn't want to be the first to do it; he can just do about the same as everyone else.

If he were to throw out five million right away, he would immediately offend a group of senior figures.

What, you think you're the only one with a kind heart, and none of us have one? You're donating so much, don't we have any pride?

Andy Lau's enduring popularity in the entertainment industry for so many years is due to his excellent interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence.

In my past life, during the 2008 disaster relief efforts in the entertainment industry, a famous director and his wife immediately donated 100,000 yuan. Andy Lau, being a very smart person, said he would also donate 100,000 yuan. After returning home, he actively organized fundraising activities and, together with many other artists, raised tens of millions of yuan in donations.

The same goes for Jay Chou, who only donated a few hundred thousand yuan, but changed his subsequent solo concerts into charity performances and donated all the ticket revenue.

A clueless young man who didn't know the rules came up and donated a million, but was ostracized as a result.

Jianghu is not about fighting and killing; Jianghu is about human relations.

Qi Yuan doesn't want to be in the limelight when it comes to donations; he plans to participate in some charity performances in the future to do good deeds in that way.

As he expected, things unfolded as he had anticipated. Liu Dehua, Li Ming, and Mei Yanfang called him one after another, inviting him to Hong Kong to participate in fundraising activities.

Qi Yuan agreed.

On September 22, Qi Yuan arrived in Hong Kong and appeared at a fundraising gala, where he sang songs such as "Jiangnan" and "Dongfeng Po".

Qi Yuan stayed in Hong Kong until the 30th before returning to Taiwan.

This fundraising event, which brought together Hong Kong's superstars, ultimately raised 30 million in donations, and Qi Yuan did his part in contributing in a modest way.

Back to Taiwan.

Qi Yuanlu's last song is "Happy Worship".

Zhang Shaohan arrived in Taiwan a few days ago.

At Li Xue's urging, Zhang Shaohan signed a seven-year contract with Star Wish Studio.

The cost of training a singer is much higher than that of an actor, so signing a seven-year contract is normal.

Jay Chou's contract with Alfa Romeo is also for seven years.

Zhang Shaohan isn't stupid. She would choose the easy choice between continuing to sell clothes in Canada and becoming the junior apprentice of Qi Yuan, the pop star.

More than a week has passed since the earthquake, but it is still a major concern, and the entertainment industry has not fully recovered.

Jay Chou has been busy promoting his album in mainland China and Hong Kong lately. Qi Yuan, on the other hand, isn't worried. He's only filmed one music video, "Nocturne," and his album won't be released until the end of October at the earliest, once it's finished.

Late October is not a good time either. Qi Yuan and Zhou Jianhui both agreed that November to December would be the best time, when people's attention to the music scene can be fully restored.

Zhou Jianhui found out that Qi Yuan had signed a female singer in Canada. He was quite curious, so he came over to see for himself, and then he was shocked.

Hey!
Qi Yuan actually signed a newcomer whose voice was no less beautiful than Sun Yanzi's.

In terms of timbre alone, Zhang Shaohan and Sun Yanzi each have their own merits; the former has strong penetrating power, while the latter is more magnetic.

Sun Yanzi's mid and low notes were more outstanding, while Zhang Shaohan's high notes were even better. Her high notes were bright and passionate, and her vocal abilities and singing skills were also very good.

In the song "Happy Worship", Qi Yuan's rap performance is outstanding, and he has a lot of screen time.

Zhang Shaohan was able to hold her own against Qi Yuan with only a few lines, which is a testament to her vocal talent.

The song recording is complete.

Zhou Jianhui's expression was somewhat complicated.

Qi Yuan smiled brightly and joked, "Shao Han is a signed singer in my studio. You wouldn't be thinking of stealing her away, would you?"

Could he steal her away? If so, Zhou Jianhui really wanted to.

After careful consideration, I think it's best to forget about it; there's no need.

No matter how good Zhang Shaohan's qualifications are, they can't compare to Qi Yuan's.

Zhou Jianhui wouldn't be foolish enough to offend Qi Yuan for the sake of a promising new talent.

The old fox rolled his eyes, smiled, and said, "Your studio has signed a good talent, and so have I."

Why don't we discuss a collaboration? You can handle the production of Sun Yanzi's debut album next year. Are you worried about the album producer?

In return, I'll arrange for Zhang Shaohan to release an album with a budget of one million, and she can sign a record deal with Warner Music.

A production budget of one million is a lot for a newcomer.

Many singers' debut album music videos are very simple. The music video for "Queen of Pop" is an example. It features only the singer singing, minimizing costs.

With a production budget of one million, the music video can be made very well.

Zhou Jianhui would never do a losing business.

With Qi Yuan handling the production of Sun Yanzi's debut album, and given Qi Yuan's talent, Sun Yanzi is very likely to have a huge hit with her debut album, making her an instant star.

Having another popular female singer can generate a steady stream of profits for Warner Music.

Zhang Shaohan is the first singer signed by Star Wish Studio, so Qi Yuan must value her highly. Zhang Shaohan's debut album is bound to be good. Warner Music will help release the album, so they'll still make money, right?

With just a record deal, Warner might earn a little less, but even a little less is still a profit.

Zhou Jianhui had calculated this matter perfectly clearly.

He could win twice in this exchange of interests; Sun Yanzi won once, and Zhang Shaohan won a second time.

Similarly, this exchange of benefits is also a good thing for Qi Yuan and Xingyuan Studio.

With the packaging, marketing, and promotion of Warner Music, a music giant, Zhang Shaohan's debut album is even more secure.

Qi Yuan had originally planned to transfer Zhang Shaohan's record contract to Warner, but Zhou Jianhui took the initiative to speak up, saving him the trouble of bringing it up himself.

After the high-five, Zhou Jianhui withdrew his smile and said, "I have one more request: Zhang Shaohan cannot follow the same path as Sun Yanzi. You don't want us fighting among ourselves, do you?"

Qi Yuan smiled brightly: "Don't worry, Shao Han is going for the dance queen route."

"Dancing Diva?"

Zhou Jianhui was taken aback for a moment, then pointed at Qi Yuan after he realized what was going on. This kid always managed to come up with something new and interesting.

　These two chapters are transitional and might be a bit bland. I've already written the third chapter; I'll revise it and see. If I think it's okay, I'll update three chapters; if not, I'll delete them and only update two today. I need to adjust things. The protagonist's journey after filming "Hua Wuque," then returning to Taiwan to release an album, filming, and future plans—it's quite difficult to write these in an interesting way.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)