Chapter 66

“Auntie, as a person from the southern countryside, being able to meet Nana and her sister in the capital is a kind of fate. Our friendship, the mutual help we offer each other, is something that money can’t buy,” Song Haowen firmly stated.

“Little Song, you’re taking too much of a loss by doing this. If you sold these songs to other singers, I estimate each song could fetch a good amount of money,” Su Yan hesitated, carefully choosing her words.

“If you were to provide one or two songs to Nana as a friend without charging, that would be acceptable. But for long-term collaboration, it’s not feasible.”

“Auntie, I write songs for Nana without expecting anything in return.”

“That won’t do. I believe even between blood siblings, there should be clear accounts. Among friends, financial matters should be even more transparent. Only then can friendships last. You’re still young, and just because you can’t see it now doesn’t mean you won’t regret it later. But as someone with experience, it’s my responsibility to ensure fairness in handling things. I came here today to talk to you about this, even if you’re Nana’s real brother, I can’t let you be at a disadvantage.”

“Auntie, it really isn’t necessary…”

“Little Song, don’t be in a hurry to refuse; listen to my thoughts first. I think you two, in terms of singing, are an extremely rare combination. Whether it’s a duet between you two or you writing songs for Nana to sing, your collaborations have produced Nana’s most famous songs that have consistently ranked in the top ten of music charts. However, you have many talents, singing and songwriting are just your hobbies. But for Nana, singing is likely to be her lifelong career. To continue improving, she needs a steady stream of good works. Nana mentioned to me that you had talked about establishing a music studio before. To make this venture successful, both the singer and the songwriter must be top-notch in the industry.”

“So, I came up with a win-win solution. I propose establishing a music studio in both your and Nana’s names, forming a small band of three to five people, where you each hold a fifty percent stake. After deducting expenses, both of you will share the studio’s income. Your main task would be to write more good songs, and when possible, perform with Nana at various events.”

“Auntie, this seems unfair to Nana. The studio’s income mainly comes from Nana’s performance fees, advertising fees, and sales of records and tapes. I would be benefiting just by writing a few songs, which doesn’t seem reasonable. I support the idea of establishing a music studio, and I’ll try to write more songs for it. But as for holding shares and dividing profits, I don’t want any of it.”

“Little Song, we’re discussing business now, not emotions. If Nana wants to go further, she can’t do it without your support. But your support shouldn’t be just as a friend helping out; that’s not sustainable. Because I’m thinking about Nana’s future development, I want to closely link you with this music studio. This way, the affairs of the studio will be your concern, and you’ll always keep it in mind. Of course, for now, I can temporarily handle the establishment and daily management of the studio. Your main job currently is to use your spare time to engage in music creation, which is not difficult for you and can bring significant rewards.”

“Auntie, let me think about it again.”

“Little brother, do you think fifty percent is too little? Do you feel like you’re at a disadvantage? If so, I can give you an additional ten percent,” Tian Nana said sincerely, blinking her big eyes.

“Sis, what are you thinking? Even if you give me ten percent, I wouldn’t feel right taking it,” Song Haowen hurriedly explained.

“Pfft, even if you feel awkward about it, you can just write a few more songs or make more appearances,” Tian Nana laughed.

“Little Song, you don’t need to be polite about this. If both of you have half the shares, it might seem like Nana is at a disadvantage now, but from a long-term perspective for career development, Nana is not losing out. She might even benefit from your talents.”

“This won’t do. If we have to give shares, I’m fine with just ten percent. Whether there’s a year-end bonus or not, I don’t mind.”

Su Yan disagreed. “If that’s the case, there’s no need to establish this music studio. The reason we proposed giving you fifty percent is not to be polite, but because we see your musical potential. We hope to cooperate closely with you for the long term and have the copyright of your musical works owned by the studio. In the future, our studio will also sign new talents, and to grow stronger, we need some copyrighted works as the foundation.”

Song Haowen sighed and said somewhat helplessly, “Auntie, Big sis, I don’t have the energy to manage this music studio. Whatever you decide, I’ll agree. The copyrights of my previous musical works can be assigned to the studio. In addition, I’ve already written two new songs, ‘Your Eyes’ and ‘She Slips Away Again,’ and I’ll give them to you later.”

Su Yan insisted on settling the matter of the music studio first. “I think, since you and Nana each own half, we can name the studio after a character from either of your names. How about calling it ‘WenNa Music Studio’ or ‘HaoNa Music Studio’?”

Song Haowen felt moved and smiled, “I think both of these names are good.”

Tian Nana suggested, “I think the one with the latter name is better. The first one sounds a bit like a girl’s name. What do you think, little brother?”

Song Haowen nonchalantly replied, “Sure. Let’s go with your choice, ‘HaoNa Music Studio.'”

Su Yan said, “Then it’s settled. Tomorrow morning, I’ll bring the studio’s articles of association and the draft contract for you to review. Once it’s edited, we’ll sign the contract.”

Song Haowen, somewhat dismissive, said, “Actually, it doesn’t need to be so formal.” He got up to fetch the two songs he mentioned and handed them to Tian Nana. Upon seeing the songs, Tian Nana immediately became excited, dancing and humming along.

In the evening, Su Yan invited Song Haowen for dinner. During the meal, Song Haowen shared the story of his family moving to Beijing. When Tian Nana heard that his second sister had also been admitted to a university in Beijing, she was surprised and expressed her desire to meet her.

Song Haowen assured her that it could be arranged, saying, “I’ll have her come to the business store to meet you tomorrow morning.”

After dinner, Su Yan and her daughter didn’t go back to the business store but directly headed home. Regarding the establishment of the music studio, Song Haowen later came to terms with it.

After all, it was a trend, and Su Yan accepting his suggestion wasn’t easy; this was truly groundbreaking for Tian Nana. Binding him to the music studio, creating a shared interest community to force him to continuously produce good works, this move was truly ingenious.

When Song Haowen returned to the business store, Zhu Hongyu and Ren Hua were still working overtime. He persuaded the two of them to finish their current tasks and go home to rest early.

He mentioned that he was going to the construction site to take a look, and he wouldn’t be coming back to sleep that night. Then, he pushed the tricycle out and rode away.

Currently, Song Haowen’s family was renovating the four-courtyard section of the third house, where his parents and siblings were living. When he entered, even though it was evening, the courtyard was well-lit due to the additional lighting he had requested outside. Despite the presence of building materials and a relatively small number of people, the area felt bright and had no strange atmosphere.

When Song Haowen arrived, the whole family was sitting together watching TV. The two newly adopted puppies kept circling his legs, trying to sniff out his scent.

He told everyone about Tian Nana’s desire for his second sister to meet her. Before his second sister could speak, his fourth and youngest siblings were already expressing their eagerness to see the big star.

His parents allowed Song Haowen to bring Song Haomin and Song Huaifang to the store tomorrow, in addition to her regular visit. Although Song Haowen and Second sister didn’t want to bring the two little ones over, fearing they might cause trouble, their parents insisted, and they had no choice but to agree.

That night, Song Haowen stayed in the four-courtyard house. His parents had prepared a room for him on the second floor.

Before going to bed, his parents talked to him about the ongoing construction since the renovation plan was proposed by him, and many decisions required his approval. After discussing these matters, they urged him to rest early.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Song Haowen had already gotten up. Thinking about the numerous tasks at the store that needed his attention, he didn’t wait for breakfast at home.

Upon his return, he learned that Zhu Hongyu and Ren Hiua, due to working late, hadn’t gone back to the school dorms and were sleeping at his place.

 When he arrived, the two of them had just gotten up. He invited them for breakfast, and the three of them ate breakfast together.

Afterwards, the three returned, and Wang Li and Qian Youlai had also arrived. They chatted for a while before getting busy with their respective tasks.

At half-past eight in the morning, Song Huaihua brought her younger brother, Song Haomin, and her younger sister, Song Huaifang, on a bus.

When the three of them were eagerly waiting for over an hour, the big star Tian Nana and her mother Su Yan finally arrived.

Song Huaihua was initially a bit shy when meeting Tian Nana, but Tian Nana was very proactive. The two of them quickly became acquainted, leaving Song Haomin and Song Huaifang on the sidelines as devoted listeners.

Su Yan called Song Haowen into a room where no one else was present. She took out the printed contract and the articles of association for the music studio, asking him to make some edits.

Song Haowen was initially not enthusiastic about this matter, and given that Su Yan had presented a contract draft that was very favorable to him, he had the intention of not signing it. However, he couldn’t resist her warm hospitality, so in the end, he reluctantly signed it.

After the contract was signed, Su Yan relaxed and began discussing the recent tasks to be handled by the music studio. This included renting office space, purchasing office supplies, obtaining a business license, forming a band, recruiting staff, and more.

Although Song Haowen felt overwhelmed, he dared not show any impatience. After all, from this moment on, the affairs of the music studio were also his responsibility, and he had an obligation to be concerned about its related matters.

Song Haowen suggested to Su Yan that if they were to establish a company, she and Tian Nana could each serve as legal representatives and chairpersons, with one of them taking on the role of general manager.

He, on the other hand, would only serve as an advisor, essentially lending his name. Regarding matters concerning the music studio, he would follow her arrangements. If money and effort were needed, he would comply.

After several interactions, Su Yan developed a favorable impression of Song Haowen. She found him not only intelligent and handsome but also talented.

 His demeanor was grand, unselfish, and non-dominating. No wonder her daughter liked him so much. If it weren’t for her niece Tian Yuxi knowing him first, she might even consider him as a potential match for her daughter.