sinovels Chapter 64 Historical Misdeeds
Chapter 64 Historical Misdeeds
Inside Yang Chengang's rented room, Lin Feng lit a cigarette for him.
After a while, Yang Chengang wiped his face and began to sort out the past that had caused him so much trouble.
"Tian Chuanjun is a musician in Beijing and knows a lot of people from record companies. Two years ago, in the winter, at the Golden Age nightclub in Hankou, I was a resident singer there. He heard me sing 'Loving You Like This,' which later became 'Mice Love Rice.'"
After the show, he approached me, bought me drinks, said my song was good, and asked if I'd be willing to sell it.
Yang Chengang exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes somewhat vacant: "Back then, I was dirt poor. He immediately offered two thousand yuan, saying he would buy out the copyright. I... I didn't think much of it. I figured if someone wanted the song, it must be good, so I signed it. There was only one contract, and he took it."
"What happened after that? Did you keep in touch?" Lin Feng asked.
"We talk on the phone occasionally. He asked me if I had any new songs and mentioned wanting to introduce me to Beijing for a tryout, but nothing came of it."
"Before the Lunar New Year, he heard from somewhere that Wang Hu had also obtained the rights to the song. He called me, his tone very aggressive, saying that I was 'selling the same song twice,' which broke the rules, and that I should give him an explanation or he would take me to court. I was terrified and didn't dare to answer his subsequent calls."
Yang Chengang smiled wryly, "That guy is greedy and stubborn. He thinks that since the contract is in his hands, even if the King of Heaven himself comes, the song is his."
Lin Feng nodded, signaling him to continue.
"Wang Hu... Brother Hu is from my hometown. A few years ago, he went to Beijing to make his way in the world and opened a cultural company called Taige Impression."
Last year was a particularly difficult time for me, and he helped me by lending me money and introducing me to some odd jobs.
In March, he returned to Wuhan, heard me sing this song, and said he really liked it and wanted to make a good project out of it. He suggested signing a contract to put the song under his company's name, making it easier for him to use company resources to promote it, or sell it to a record company, and then share the profits with me.
Yang Chengang took a deep drag on his cigarette. "At the time, I thought, well, Teacher Tian's situation is what it is anyway, and Brother Hu is one of my own, he's helped me before, I can trust him. Besides, he said it was a 'free transfer' to the company, and we'd still share the profits..."
"So I signed another contract."
Lin Feng was utterly speechless; Yang Chengang clearly had no concept of copyright. But complaining was pointless, so he pressed on, "What's his attitude towards you lately?"
"It's even more troublesome." Yang Chengang frowned. "He heard that Tian Chuanjun had contacted me, and he got anxious. He called and said that the contract was in black and white, and the song already belonged to Taige Impression. He told me not to get entangled with Tian Chuanjun and to leave everything to him."
He implied that he wanted me to go to Beijing with him, sign with his company, and even said he would promote me and get the song released properly.
I neither agreed nor dared to refuse, so I just dragged it out. Later, his tone became less friendly, saying I didn't know what was good for me.
Lin Feng listened silently, his mind racing. The situation was more complicated than he had anticipated.
The two "creditors" have different demands. Tian Chuanjun holds the earliest contract and wants money and an explanation, taking a hard line. Wang Hu's situation is more complex, involving both personal relationships and financial ties. He wants to control the song and Yang Chengang as a person, employing both soft and hard tactics.
"In other words, Tian Chuanjun wants money, while Wang Hu wants not only money but also people," Lin Feng summarized. "Moreover, they may have already communicated and are aware of each other's existence, and are competing with each other."
"It should be," Yang Chengang nodded. "Both of them are pressuring me, putting me in the middle."
"Let them keep fighting, but we can't just sit back and take the hits." Lin Feng thought for a moment. "We'll go to the capital and take the initiative to find them. But strategy is very important."
He picked up a cup from the table and took out a cigarette case, placing them on either side. "Tian Chuanjun is a businessman, so business is easy to negotiate. We told him directly that we acknowledge the copyright dispute, but we only want the license for the 'ringtone' feature, and we're willing to pay a one-time buyout."
Although he has the contract, the early versions were unclear about the ringback tone feature. He's not guaranteed a win in court, and it would be time-consuming. We'll give him cash, solve his problem, and let him make a profit. He's the kind of person who knows the math.
"What about Tiger's side?" Yang Chengang asked.
"If we can get the agreement with Tian Chuanjun, we'll have leverage," Lin Feng said, pointing to the cigarette box representing Wang Hu.
"Wang Hu, we told him that we've already settled things with money with the person who sold the song the first time. The contract he has is no longer legally valid."
If you continue to resist, he might get nothing; all the recordings and favors he's invested will be wasted. We're also willing to offer compensation to settle this matter. But he's trying to use this to tie you down—that's impossible.
Yang Chengang was stunned. He hadn't expected that this young man, who was even younger than himself, could untangle such a messy situation so clearly, and that every step he took hit the nail on the head.
"What if...they try to make an exorbitant demand?"
"Then let's negotiate," Lin Feng shrugged. "We have our bottom line. As for Tian Chuanjun, he bought it for two thousand yuan; we can offer several times that, enough to sway him. As for Wang Hu, we'll compensate him for his 'investment' and 'affection,' but we can't let him lead us by the nose. The key is you."
He looked at Yang Chengang and said, "When you meet them, admit the mistakes you should admit, and show weakness where necessary, but there's only one bottom line: resolve only historical issues, and don't sign any new binding agreements. Your words can be soft, but your attitude cannot be ambiguous. Understand?"
Yang Chengang nodded. Lin Feng's calmness and composure were like a shot of adrenaline to him.
"I understand, I'll listen to you."
"Okay." Lin Feng stood up. "Pack your things, we're leaving tomorrow. We'll take a plane, quick."
"Fly... an airplane?" Yang Chengang was taken aback. These days, flying is still a luxury for ordinary people.
"Time is money." Lin Feng didn't explain further. "The sooner it's resolved, the sooner you can have peace of mind. You don't want things to get complicated, do you?"
Yang Chengang nodded quickly.
This trip to the capital is a true ordeal. Tian Chuanjun's greed, Wang Hu's scheming, and Yang Chengang, this ticking time bomb... every step must be taken with utmost care.
This gamble is on his understanding of human nature and on the potential value of this song.
The next afternoon, the two arrived at Jiangcheng Airport. Yang Chengang seemed a little flustered; he rarely traveled far, let alone by plane.
Lin Feng remained calm, exchanging his boarding pass and going through security, everything proceeding smoothly.
As the plane soared into the sky and Yang Chengang looked out the window at the increasingly smaller city skyline below, he couldn't help but murmur, "Wow, so fast..."
Lin Feng leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.
Speed is of the essence! He needs to seize the ringback tone copyright before everyone, including Tian Chuanjun and Wang Hu, fully realizes what "Mice Love Rice" means in the ringback tone industry.