From unemployment in crosstalk to top star in Chinese entertainment

Five of the top ten trending topics are related to this episode, and four of them include the names of Kris Wu and Yu Liang.

The remaining trending topic is Yang Mi, the queen of trending topics.

Yu Liang smiled knowingly when she saw the trending topics. The top trending topics were full of screenshots and micro-expressions of her staring intently at the stage the whole time.

The comments section was filled with comments like, "The queen of trending topics is trying to piggyback on something again."

He didn't pay much attention, after all, this kind of thing was too common.

The entertainment industry is all about you riding on someone else's coattails and them riding on yours; it's just a matter of whether you're doing it online or offline.

To Yu Liang's surprise, the second most searched topic was also related to him.

#A Collection of Crosstalk Performances by Yu Heliang, a Crosstalk Performer from Deyun Society#

Yu Liang was curious, so he clicked on it and saw that the first video was one he was very familiar with.

It was the year before last when he performed "Taking Off the Long Gown" with Guo Degang and Yu Qian at the year-end gala.

He checked the trending topics list and found that this particular topic had once reached the top of the trending list.

The timing of his rush was precisely during the few minutes after Douyin's servers crashed, when Wang Han was interviewing him and Wu Yifan.

At that time, the situation on the scene was unclear, and no one knew how it would end.

So Guo Degang is supporting him in his own way.

Yu Liang felt a warmth in her heart.

Having gone this far, it would be really inexcusable not to make a phone call.

He took out his phone and dialed Guo Degang's number.

"Master."

"Who?"

"I am Yu Liang."

"Oh, Yu Liang...did you remove the words?"

……

The master and apprentice chatted for a few minutes.

Just before hanging up the phone, Lao Guo suddenly said, "Come back when you have time. Your teacher's wife and your Uncle Qian miss you."

Yu Liang paused for a moment.

"Okay, Master, I'll head back as soon as I'm done with this."

Yu Liang had just put her phone down when the screen lit up again. This time it was Guo Qilin.

"Brother, what are you busy with? I've been trying to call you but the line is always busy."

"Nothing much, just made a phone call to your dad."

Guo Qilin paused for a moment.

Has my dad mentioned me yet?

"It was mentioned."

"What did he say?"

"Master said you should go home when you have time. Your master's wife and Uncle Qian are missing you at home."

"...Brother, do you think what you're saying makes sense?"

"Whether it suits your taste or not, that's what Master said."

"...Brother, wait for me, I'll call my dad right now."

Yu Liang smiled and hung up the phone.

That evening, Wu Yifan's agent, Sister Chen, called.

"Professor Yu, we would like to meet with you in person to discuss the copyright of 'Big Bowl Wide Burmese'."

"Would tomorrow morning be convenient for you? It's at that coffee shop near your hotel."

Yu Liang leaned against the headboard, phone to her ear, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Just as he expected.

Kris Wu will not allow himself to hold only half of the copyright to this song.

He needs this song to be completely attributed to Wu, so that he can sing it on any occasion, anyone who covers it needs his authorization, and any commercial use cannot bypass him.

The biggest obstacle now is that the composer's name is listed as "Yu Liang".

"Okay, tomorrow at 10 a.m.

At 10 a.m. the next day, Yu Liang pushed open the door of the coffee shop on time.

Sister Chen had already arrived. In the booth by the window, there was an untouched Americano and a folder spread out in front of her.

She stood up, nodded, and put on a professional smile. Her opening remarks were straightforward; she directly presented the contract to Yu Liangmian.

"Teacher Yu, let's get straight to the point. Currently, the lyricist for 'Big Bowl Wide Burmese' is Mr. Wu Yifan, and the composer is you."

"According to industry practice, the copyright for lyrics and music is split equally, which means that you and Mr. Wu each own 50% of the rights to this song."

At this point, Sister Chen slowed her pace slightly, "So what we're discussing with you this time is buying out the 50% you own."

Yu Liang opened the contract and scanned it line by line. The buyout fee was listed as 800,000.

This price wasn't low for a newcomer. But Yu Liang signed the contract.

"Sister Chen, buy out a song that has already become popular for 800,000 yuan, and it's a song that's deeply associated with Kris Wu."

He pushed the contract back, his tone unhurried, "This price isn't quite right."

Sister Chen's smile remained unchanged, but the fingers that were holding the coffee cup paused slightly.

She did her homework before coming: Yu Liang's salary for filming "Joy of Life" was 800,000 yuan, for a new actor, his first role.

The price she asked for was based on his acting fee.

It means that writing one song is equivalent to making one movie.

But it now appears that the other party does not recognize this algorithm.

"Teacher Yu, 800,000 is already a top price for buying out the copyright of lyrics and music. You may not be familiar with the market rate."

"Sister Chen, I know the market rate." Yu Liang leaned back in her chair. "But the market rate is for ordinary songs. Our song is not ordinary. From last night until now, the number of plays on the music platform alone has exceeded 50 million."

"The search volume for Ele.me's 'Big Bowl Wide Noodles' increased by 850,000 times, and sales increased fivefold that day. The animated MV on Bilibili also surpassed 10 million views, with the barrage of comments being overwhelmingly positive, saying 'Brother Fan, I'm sorry.'"

He paused, looking into Sister Chen's eyes.

"You know these numbers better than I do. Teacher Wu's reputation is turning from bad to good, and his business quotes have already started to rise."

"This song is more than just a song in his hands; it's the theme song for all his new endorsements, a staple of his future concerts, and something that variety shows line up to invite him to sing live."

Sister Chen remained silent for a few seconds.

She realized she had underestimated the person in front of her. It wasn't that he was ignorant of the market; he understood the commercial value of this song for Kris Wu better than she did herself.

"So, Teacher Yu, what's your acceptable price range?"

Yu Liang did not answer immediately.

He picked up his latte, took a sip, and quickly went through the accounts in his mind.

Wu Yifan's popularity can last for more than three years. During these three years, this song will continue to increase in value in his hands, generating revenue through endorsements, variety shows, concerts, and digital albums.

But three years later...

By then, if the copyright is still in Yu Liang's hands, it will be no different from a pile of waste paper.

Therefore, copyright must never be retained.

We must sell it when Wu Yifan needs it most, cash out in one go, and secure our profits.

Yu Liang understood this better than anyone else.

He put the cup down.

"A flat price of five million. Exclusive buyout of the lyrics and music copyrights. Plus a 10% cut of all commercial revenue over the next three years."

Sister Chen put the coffee cup back on the table with a soft sound.

Buying out the copyright of a song for five million is not unprecedented in songwriting transactions, but those are the prices charged by top musicians who have been famous for many years.

Yu Liang, a newcomer, immediately asked for such a price; her instinctive reaction was to back down. But then she thought:

This song is more than just a song for Kris Wu. It's the key to his comeback and the central anchor of all his commercial schedules this year.

Five million is expensive, but compared to the endorsement contracts Wu Yifan will get for this song, it's nothing.

She remained silent for a long time before speaking.

"Five million is acceptable. Ten percent is not." She wasn't negotiating; she was drawing a line. "Three percent. In addition, the performance rights belong entirely to Mr. Wu, and you can no longer sing this song in any public setting."

"Five percent. The singing rights belong to Teacher Wu." Yu Liang leaned forward slightly. "But I retain the rights to perform on variety shows and for commercial endorsements. I will not release the music online; I will only sing live. I will not participate in commercial performances or song adaptations."

Sister Chen stared at him for a few seconds, then picked up the now-cold Americano and took a sip.

"Live performances are fine, and you'll retain permanent rights to the lyrics and music, but you can't release cover versions on any music platform. That's non-negotiable."

"make a deal."

-

After half an hour,

After signing the contract.

Yu Liang extended her hand. Sister Chen grasped it, with significantly more force than when she entered.

"Teacher Yu, to be honest, you could have asked for more than five million compared to the long-term profit sharing."