This Star Only Wants More Money - Chapter 40
In the living room of the rental house, Xu Feng and the KTV manager had almost settled on the price.
“Alright, it’s decided then: 80,000 yuan for a six-month exclusive KTV license.” After discussing the price for ten minutes, Manager Zhao finally agreed to Xu Feng’s asking price.
“Let’s meet somewhere tomorrow and quickly sign the contract. Do you need me to hire a lawyer to review the terms?”
Manager Zhao seemed quite anxious… understandably so, since the summer vacation had already begun, and many students would gradually return home and organize events. In particular, various student reunions and karaoke activities would be in full swing, directly affecting his personal performance.
The sooner the contract was signed, the sooner the KTV could release Xu Feng’s song and use it as a selling point. Every extra day spent haggling over the licensing fee was a loss, so it made more sense to concede a bit on the price.
Seeing that the collaboration was practically finalized, Xu Feng yawned slightly, feeling a wave of drowsiness hit him. “Alright then, no need for a lawyer. Let’s meet at 11 a.m. tomorrow at the Wanderlust Café across from the south gate of Luohe University to sign the contract.”
Xu Feng didn’t need a lawyer for a standard contract—he could understand it well enough himself. He had some familiarity with the music industry, and the offered price was slightly above the average market rate.
After the system’s deduction, he would be left with 8,000 yuan, which was sufficient for now.
After handling the minor details, Xu Feng went to bed. The next day, he arrived at the café on time to meet with the KTV representative. The other party was very efficient, quickly signing the contract and making the payment.
Manager Zhao, a balding middle-aged man, was surprisingly friendly toward Xu Feng. After putting away the contract, he shook Xu Feng’s hand firmly and smiled, saying, “We have our own channels to obtain the audio files, so we won’t trouble you with that. It’s been a pleasure working with you, and I hope we can collaborate again in the future!”
They had sent someone to record at the campus party the night before, and with some post-processing noise reduction, a live version of the song could be made. Xu Feng’s performance was emotionally charged. While his singing wasn’t quite at the level of a human phonograph, it was comparable to many singers’ studio versions and wouldn’t feel out of place in a KTV setting.
Manager Zhao’s instinct was that Xu Feng wouldn’t bother providing them with such things—the payment was just for the rights, and they had to source the audio themselves.
After witnessing Xu Feng’s series of unconventional moves, his business partners subconsciously adapted to his unique style. They even assumed that Xu Feng himself might not have the audio file for the song!
“That’s not necessary,” Xu Feng said, maintaining his fair pricing style in recognition of the high offer from the KTV. He handed over a USB drive. “This contains the studio version. You can use it directly.”
As Xu Feng handed over the USB drive, Manager Zhao was nearly left speechless. He felt both flattered and somewhat confused.
He thought long and hard before cautiously asking, “Is this the studio version of Once You?”
“That’s right,” Xu Feng replied matter-of-factly. “I recorded it myself; there wasn’t much sound engineering involved—just a quieter environment. You offered a good price, so consider this an added service.”
Manager Zhao was at a loss for words.
From what he’d seen online, he had assumed that Xu Feng, lacking an agency, wouldn’t have the time or energy to create a studio version. But it turned out he’d had one all along and simply chose not to release it?
Did Xu Feng really need someone to hire him for a task and pay for it before he would do anything?
“Added service, indeed… what a character,” Manager Zhao mused.
Is this how a celebrity should act? Are you a star or a mercenary?
Unable to make sense of it, Manager Zhao could only muster a smile. “Thank you, Brother Xu. If you or your friends ever come to our KTV, just mention my name, and I’ll waive the charges for you.”
Xu Feng nodded, not particularly concerned about the offer. “Maybe in the future.”
For now, the most important thing was to check out the new commission and figure out how to complete the system’s task of expanding into other fields.
From the first task reward—a personal manager—it was clear that such tasks came with significant rewards. The sooner he completed them, the better!
After Manager Zhao and his lawyer left with the contract, Xu Feng picked up his phone and added the WeChat contact that Lin Shenghuan had shared.
After sending a verification request to the director named Song Shi, Xu Feng casually searched the name on Baidu.
He skimmed the information: this director had made a few small films with decent ratings and box office performance and had directed a well-received TV drama. There was also a project that had barely broken even.
Overall, his reputation was decent, his works were moderately profitable, and he hadn’t been involved in any scandals. The resource Lin Shenghuan introduced was indeed free of major pitfalls.
After reviewing the information, Xu Feng saw a notification pop up—Director Song Shi had accepted his friend request on WeChat.
Director Song Shi had no airs about him and immediately sent a voice message, “Hello, Xu Feng. I’m Director Song Shi. Do you have time to come to the set today?”
The voice had a formal, somewhat elderly tone. There was some background noise, suggesting the crew was still filming.
Instead of replying with a voice message, Xu Feng typed out his response, expressing his curiosity, “Director Song, I thought I was only responsible for the production of the ending theme. Is it appropriate for me to be on set?”
He hadn’t been on a film set before, but generally, for TV dramas, the fewer staff members who knew about the plot, the better. Otherwise, it would be costly and complicated to prevent leaks.
The composer for the ending theme didn’t seem like someone who needed to be in the loop about the plot. Upon arrival, he might be stuck on the outskirts, unable to get close to the actual filming area, which wouldn’t be very productive.
Two minutes later, Director Song replied, “Come and see what the show is about; it might inspire your creation. Don’t overthink it, young man. We don’t have so many rules here; you just sign a confidentiality agreement.”
That’s not bad!
Once he got to the set, perhaps he could find an opportunity to land a small role as an extra, completing the system’s task of branching into other fields.
Xu Feng knew that, with his current skill level, he couldn’t tell the director, “The more you pay, the better my acting will be.” If he said that, he’d be taken for a fool.
However, with his identity as a music producer, he could potentially snag a minor role or cameo, under the guise of having fun, to complete the task. Since Xu Feng had at least some standing and talent now, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for the crew to give him a red packet as a token of appreciation.
Of course, it would only be a “red packet,” not “pay,” since many big names and high-ranking figures might also visit the set for cameos. Their time was inherently valuable, and offering an official fee would be astronomically unwise.
Fortunately, the system didn’t care under what label the payment was made; as long as a commission relationship was established, the task could be triggered.
Xu Feng nodded and replied, “Alright, please send me the address. I can be anywhere in Luohe City within an hour.”