RAAS ## Chapter 23: Take It or Leave It
## Chapter 23: Take It or Leave It
In a private room of an upscale restaurant.
After listening to Jiang Zhongnan’s angry recount of the situation, Bao Yunyun slapped the table in anger, shouting, “This is outrageous! Those bastards!”
Han Han, encountering Bao Yunyun’s fierce demeanor for the first time, was startled. She looked at Bao Yunyun timidly, wondering how such a beautiful woman could be fiercer than a man.
Ma Xuken, sitting nearby, took a sip of fragrant tea, glancing at the composed Li Qing sitting opposite him. He smiled and said, “You don’t seem to be overly upset, quite the opposite of what I expected. It’s good, though; it saves me the trouble of comforting you.”
“Reality is cruel. I can’t challenge a giant like Yuanzheng Media right now. If I push back, I’ll only suffer more. Why make things worse than they already are?” Li Qing replied with a smile.
Ma Xuken nodded approvingly.
Bao Yunyun glared at Li Qing, “Qingzi, can you just swallow this?”
Li Qing shrugged, “What else can I do?”
Seeing him so resigned, Han Han felt a pang of sadness.
Ma Xuken put down his tea cup with a thud, saying, “Fight back!”
“How?” Jiang Zhongnan, equally furious about his younger brother’s treatment, eagerly asked, “Whatever it takes to give Qingzi a break, I’m in! Money, effort, anything!”
Li Qing seemed to guess Ma Xuken’s idea of a counterattack and was about to decline when he heard Ma Xuken sigh, “Qingzi, we haven’t known each other long, but from our few meetings, I have a good sense of your thinking.”
“You have talent, great talent, but you strangely want to hide it. Even willing to be sidelined for a year rather than let Yuanzheng Media exploit it. Such prudence, honestly, I’ve never seen at your age.”
Ma Xuken, confident in his assessment, continued, “Entering Yuanzheng might have been a mistake in your eyes, so you’re trying to break free. But on the other hand, you know you’re too weak to challenge a giant like Yuanzheng, so you’re cautious.”
“But playing weak might be a strategy, yet I must tell you, capital is ruthless, greedy, and aggressive. The more afraid you are, the more it will bully you.”
“Besides, time waits for no one. Some people, if they don’t show their strength when they are strong, may never get strong again.”
Han Han nodded in agreement.
Li Qing smiled nonchalantly, seemingly unmoved.
Jiang Zhongnan, seeing Li Qing’s calm smile, grew more anxious, “Hey, Qingzi, give me some reaction. Do you think Lao Ma is right?”
“Half right…” Li Qing sighed.
“There you go!” Jiang Zhongnan clapped, eagerly turning to Ma Xuken, “Lao Ma, tell us your counterattack plan!”
Ma Xuken glanced at the nonchalant Li Qing and seriously said, “Qingzi, you might not know your potential, but I trust my judgment. From the first time I saw you, I felt you were different…”
Jiang Zhongnan, initially all ears, frowned midway, “Lao Ma, can you cut the flattery?”
“Haha, you caught me.”
Ma Xuken laughed awkwardly, coughed, and then drew a circle on the table, seriously saying, “Qingzi, I remember you said you have more songs like ‘Those Flowers’ and ‘Suddenly I’m Myself’?”
The room fell silent.
Li Qing thought, ‘Exactly as expected.’
This Ma Ge seems friendly but is quite adept at taking advantage.
He steadied himself, feigning ignorance, “Oh, did I? I don’t remember.”
“…”
Seeing Li Qing shamelessly deny, Ma Xuken was speechless. This kid, who seemed mature earlier, was now acting like a childish brat, playing dumb!
Bao Yunyun, also realizing Ma Xuken’s intention, grumbled, “Teacher Ma, is this your idea of a counterattack?”
“What else?”
Ma Xuken cleared his throat and seriously said to Li Qing, “Qingzi, Yuanzheng Media is one of the top three media giants in Beijing, but their influence doesn’t reach me. If we work together to promote Yunyun, can you imagine your fame and status then?”
Collaborate with a platinum songwriter to create an album for Bao Yunyun?
Li Qing asked, “How do we collaborate?”
“Yunyun’s first album, I’ll personally fund the production, and you provide the songs for the album. Simple as that.”
Ma Xuken succinctly put it, “In simpler terms, I handle production, promotion, and you just create the content.”
Li Qing pondered for a moment.
His path to fame was blocked. Kicked out of “Star of Music,” he had no exposure. Without exposure, there’s no fame, and without fame, he can’t release his prepared quality songs to boost his popularity.
Being an internet singer was the quickest way to gain popularity, though a bit low-status.
But he dismissed the idea. The internet era was just beginning, and the rules were not as mature as in his previous life. Even if he lowered himself to be an internet singer, there was no nurturing ground for him.
His situation indeed seemed dire…
His path seemed blocked instantly.
This incident was a warning.
Once this crisis is over, he can’t rely on a single path. Too risky.
A cunning rabbit has three burrows; he should prepare multiple paths.
As he remained silent, everyone else waited for his decision.
After a moment, Li Qing looked at the expectant Ma Xuken and others, smiling, “Alright, but I have two conditions.”
“Name them,” Ma Xuken said, his face lighting up.
Li Qing raised two fingers, “First, I supervise the production of this album. Second, besides the standard fee of sixty thousand per song, I want a five percent share of the album sales.”
Ma Xuken’s face changed, firmly rejecting, “No way.”
Li Qing smiled, “Ma Ge, these are my minimum requirements. Agree, and we continue. If not, there’s no point in talking.”
Ma Xuken looked at Li Qing, hesitating.
The others couldn’t interfere and waited silently.
Han Han, meanwhile, was amazed. Since entering this room, her understanding of Li Qing kept breaking.
When did Qingzi meet these people? Who are they?
Li Qing calmly said, “If possible, I’d love to produce Yunyun’s album myself. But since it’s my first time, I’ll settle for less…”
Ma Xuken frowned, weighing the options, then asked, “Forget the share. An album usually has twelve songs. I’ve bought six songs from other writers, plus your ‘Those Flowers,’ making seven. If the remaining five songs you provide match the quality of ‘Those Flowers,’ I’ll add another ten thousand per song, totaling seventy thousand per song. Deal?”
Everyone in the room was stunned by the amount. Although the country was growing richer and more millionaires emerged, an eighteen-year-old with forty-two thousand yuan in assets was extraordinary.
Jiang Zhongnan, recalling his high school days of studying hard under pressure, eating plain food, felt nostalgic.
Bao Yunyun, thinking of her two years of struggle in Beijing with little savings, looked uneasy.
Han Han, from a wealthy family, was also shocked by the forty-two thousand yuan figure.
She didn’t know Ma Xuken’s real status. If she did, she might scream at the platinum songwriter proposing to collaborate with Li Qing…
Under everyone’s gaze, Li Qing flatly rejected, preferring a smaller buyout fee but insisting on a share.
He knew the potential of his songs.
Seeing Li Qing’s resolve, Ma Xuken sighed, “Do you really believe in your songs that much?”
“Don’t you?” Li Qing countered.
Ma Xuken sighed again, “Alright, 2% at most, and seven thousand per song.”
Li Qing smiled, looking like a cunning fox, sipping the now cold tea.
Ma Xuken felt relieved, thinking Li Qing would compromise.
But when Li Qing spoke, Ma Xuken felt frustrated.
“5%, take it or leave it.”