My son is a reincarnated soul; I overheard his inner thoughts and became the richest man.

"As for entertainment companies..."

Chen Xiaotian smiled confidently, "For now, let's just create an empty shell and focus on one business—ring tones."

"Didn't China Mobile recently launch a ringback tone service? I bought a few catchy songs online before, like 'Mice Love Rice' and 'Two Butterflies,' and I own the copyright to them."

"Auntie, after you register the company, record these songs and then go to my dad's Fengtian Technology to cooperate. Have them put the songs into China Mobile's ringtone library."

"Of course, you'll have to handle this. Just say it's your company. My dad will definitely give you a good price because we're family. Just charge a small commission as a token."

"If these songs become hits, we can just sit back and count our money."

After saying all that in one breath, Chen Xiaotian looked at Chu Yuan, who was still not recovered, and threw out the final bait.

"Aunt, even brothers should keep clear accounts. Although I provided the money and ideas for the company, you are the legal representative and have to run errands and manage it, so I can't treat you unfairly."

"Annual salary of 500,000! Plus year-end bonus."

"How about it? This is much better than working as a white-collar worker in a foreign company after graduation, right?"

Annual salary of 500,000!

In 2003, when the average monthly salary was only one or two thousand yuan, this was definitely a dizzying figure.

Chu Yuan swallowed hard, feeling that the world was too crazy.

After drawing up a pie in the sky for Chu Yuan, Chen Xiaotian's eyes darted around, and his gaze fell on Su Jin, who was elegantly wiping the corner of her mouth beside her.

"Sister Su, will you come and help me too?"

Chen Xiaotian chuckled, revealing his pearly white teeth. "Anyway, university professors don't have many classes during the week, and they're free during winter and summer vacations. Why not use my spare time to manage these two companies with my aunt?"

"Same benefits, annual salary of 500,000! How about it?"

Chu Yuan is still a student, and Chen Xiaotian was worried that she wouldn't be able to handle things on her own, so he brought in a mature and stable counselor to help her. This is called double insurance.

Su Jin paused slightly, holding the tissue, feeling both amused and exasperated.

This little guy actually set his sights on me?

Moreover, the offer of a 500,000 annual salary is an irresistible temptation in this day and age.

She glanced at Chu Yuan subconsciously.

Chu Yuan's eyes lit up.

Since we're already on this pirate ship, it's naturally better to have an acquaintance by our side, especially since it's our teacher.

"Teacher Su, please agree."

Chu Yuan advised, "This kid may be young, but he's got a lot of clever ideas. Besides, it's just a part-time job anyway, so it won't interfere with his classes. We can discuss things together."

Su Jin pondered for a moment, and was indeed somewhat tempted.

Five hundred thousand! That's a sum you'd need to earn to become a professor at a university and work on projects for over a decade.

Now you can earn money just by using your spare time; anyone who refuses would be a fool.

"Okay, I have some free time anyway."

Su Jin nodded, but then frowned slightly, revealing her concern, "But are you sure you want to do this? This is real money being thrown in. What if we lose it? How will you explain it to your dad? Will he think the two of us adults conspired to cheat you out of your money?"

This is the most troublesome part.

Although the richest man has a lot of money, if this gets out, it won't do him any good.

"Sister Su, you're overthinking it."

Chen Xiaotian waved his hand dismissively, "First of all, this money is my own private savings. My dad wouldn't even blink if I lost it all. Secondly, I'm confident I won't lose it."

"When you're building an internet business, you're bound to burn through cash in the early stages."

"Which of Tencent, NetEase, and Sohu didn't burn through a lot of money to grab market share when they first started out? Even JD.com is now losing money to gain market share."

"That's how the internet works: first burn money to acquire land, build up traffic, and the profit model will naturally follow. If I run out of my personal savings, the data will definitely be out by then. I can take the impressive data to my dad, or to IDG or Sequoia Capital, and they'll definitely be eager to invest."

Hearing this expert business analysis, the last trace of doubt in Su Jin's eyes disappeared.

This kid has a clearer business mind than many MBA students.

"Okay, since you're so determined, then I'll go crazy with you." Su Jin agreed with a smile.

"make a deal!"

Chen Xiaotian was overjoyed.

[Tsk tsk, a rich kid as hardworking as me is hard to find even with a lantern.]

[He clearly has a billionaire father; he could just sit back and inherit trillions of dollars. Instead, he chooses to create his own alternate account. Is this the self-cultivation of a strong person?]

Sigh, my simple, unadorned, and monotonous life of struggle...

After indulging in a moment of self-pity, Chen Xiaotian checked the time.

"Auntie, Sister Su, do you have any plans for this afternoon?"

"No classes, I'm free," Chu Yuan replied.

Su Jin also shook her head.

"That's perfect. Let's find a recording studio after we finish eating," Chen Xiaotian decided.

"A recording studio? What are we going there for?" Chu Yuan asked, looking bewildered.

"Of course it's for recording songs!"

Chen Xiaotian said matter-of-factly, "Didn't I just say we bought the copyrights to a lot of catchy pop songs? We need to record demos first, then register the copyrights. Once the company paperwork is done, you can take the finished product directly to my dad's Fengtian Technology."

"We'll get them to add these songs to the ringtone library and then license them to the iMusic platform. That'll be our first pot of gold."

Chu Yuan blinked: "Recording is possible, but who will sing? We don't have any signed singers here."

Chen Xiaotian held up a finger and waved it in front of the two of them: "Far away, yet right in front of you—just the two of you."

"Huh? Us?"

Chu Yuan was startled and waved her hands repeatedly, "Don't joke around! My singing is only at a karaoke level, and sometimes I'm even off-key. Recording songs is for professional singers; I can't do that."

Su Jin also declined somewhat awkwardly: "Yes, I haven't studied vocal music either. I can hum a little normally, but I'd definitely look awkward in a recording studio."

"What are you afraid of? It's not like we're sending you to participate in the CCTV Young Singers Competition."

Chen Xiaotian didn't care. "Those viral internet songs are all about being down-to-earth. If they're too professional, they just don't have the right feel. As long as you're in tune, leave the rest to post-production."

Have you ever heard of a million-dollar audio engineer?

"Although the technology isn't that advanced yet, if we fix the pitch and add some reverb, it will sound pretty good. Trust me, as long as the melody is catchy, anyone can become a hit."

Seeing the bewildered looks on their faces, Chen Xiaotian decided not to explain the technical details anymore and directly assign tasks.

"Oh, right, there's something else."

"Sister Su, your Computer Science Department at Jiaotong University is full of talented people. Could you please help me find a few technically skilled students to help me set up the framework for my novel website these next few days?"

"I'll write the requirements document for you later. The fee is negotiable; we'll pay the market price. We definitely won't let students work for free. Once the company is more established, we'll hire full-time operations and maintenance personnel."

This model of outsourcing to college students was very popular in college circles in 2003, as it was both cost-effective and efficient.

Upon hearing that this matter was under Su Jin's jurisdiction, Chu Yuan immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "This matter still needs to be handled by Professor Su. I don't know anyone in the Computer Science Department."

Su Jin nodded and agreed: "That's easy. I have a few students who are really skilled and also take on freelance work. I'll ask around for you later, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Alright, everything is ready."

Chen Xiaotian wiped his mouth, stood up, and said, "Let's go record the song first. Sister Su, are there any reliable recording studios nearby?"

Su Jin thought for a moment: "There seems to be a newly opened one near the south gate of the school. The equipment is quite new. I'll take you to check it out."

"Can!"

After quickly finishing the hamburger in front of him, Chen Xiaotian pulled out a few neatly folded A4 sheets of paper from the inner pocket of his backpack.

"Come on, let's assign tasks."

He pushed two sheet music sheets in front of Chu Yuan, "Auntie, your voice is quite clear and bright, which is suitable for a cute style. This song, 'The Pig Song,' and 'Mice Love Rice,' are yours."

Then, he handed two more songs to Su Jin: "Sister Su, your voice is quite magnetic, and you go for a more sentimental style. These two songs, 'Poisonous Perfume' and 'Two Butterflies,' are for you."

These songs were actually transcribed by Chen Xiaotian from memory by a professional to fill his father's MP3 player library, and he also registered the copyright for them.

Originally intended as a backup, it has unexpectedly become a stepping stone to starting a business.

Chu Yuan took the sheet music, glanced at it, and almost spat out the cola she had just drunk.

"Pfft... The Song of Pigs? That's such a random name!"

She pointed at the lyrics, laughing so hard she couldn't stand up straight, "Pig, your nose has two nostrils, and when you have a cold you have snot hanging from your nose... Good heavens, who wrote these lyrics? They're hilarious!"

"And then there's this 'Mice Love Rice,' with the line 'I love you, I love you, just like mice love rice'... That's way too blatant."

Su Jin, standing to the side, wasn't much better off. She looked at the book "Two Butterflies" in her hand, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"My dear, fly slowly, be careful of the thorny roses ahead..." These lyrics are so vivid.

As for the song "Poisonous Perfume," although the lyrics are somewhat melancholic, the melody is indeed catchy.

Seeing the two laughing hysterically, Chen Xiaotian calmly tapped the table: "Stop laughing, be serious. This is called being easy to understand, the most vulgar is the most elegant. The current ringtone market is all about this, the more corny the better, the more brainwashing the more money you make."

"Alright, hurry up and familiarize yourself with the melody. When we get to the studio later, just make sure you don't sing off-key."

The two stopped laughing and began to hum the song earnestly.

I must say, although these songs have simple and straightforward lyrics, the melodies are really catchy. You can hum along after listening to them twice. They're practically addictive.