Chapter 48

Qin Qingzhuo waited for Shi Yao’s reply, which came two days later. Shi Yao called and said the production team wanted to invite him to dinner that evening.

“I want to talk to you about the Asperatus band,” Shi Yao said on the phone. “Qingzhuo, you must come.”

Qin Qingzhuo actually didn’t want to grace this occasion, but since it was about Asperatus, he still agreed to go.

During the dinner, Shi Yao frequently toasted, and his words hinted at reconciling with Qin Qingzhuo, from thanking him for stepping in as a mentor to asking for understanding about various oversights during the recording process.

Qin Qingzhuo patiently drank the toasts offered to him.

After a few drinks, his patience was wearing thin, and Shi Yao observed his demeanor, finally getting to the point.

“Qingzhuo, I’ve been thinking about the Asperatus band these past few days, and I’ve discussed it with the higher-ups of the platform. Currently, we’re considering arranging a revival segment in the next round.”

A revival segment? This was… specifically prepared for Asperatus? Qin Qingzhuo looked at Shi Yao, sensing that things weren’t that simple.

Sure enough, Shi Yao continued, “Also, we want to sign Asperatus.”

Qin Qingzhuo lifted his glass and drank silently, already guessing.

Shi Yao mentioned these two things in one breath, but they were probably not parallel. Rather, they wanted to use signing as a prerequisite for allowing Asperatus to revive in the show.

Moreover, once Asperatus accepted the terms of the contract, the production team could not only use their revival to generate more hype and harvest more traffic but also elevate them to a higher position, possibly even replacing Urban Collapse…

Compared to letting Asperatus advance directly, this move could first eliminate them, then use the contract to control them, and thereby trigger more significant discussions. Subsequently, by signing Asperatus, they could gain benefits for the next few years, or even decades or longer. This plan… was indeed quite clever.

Qin Qingzhuo thought back to the expression Shi Yao had when they talked after Asperatus was eliminated. At the time, he felt Shi Yao seemed oddly calm. Could it be that Shi Yao had planned to use this tactic from the beginning?

Qin Qingzhuo remained composed and set down his glass. “Well, we need to discuss this with Asperatus first.”

“We talked to Asperatus about this today, but these three…” Shi Yao sighed, “don’t seem too keen on signing.”

“Qingzhuo, you know, Jiang Ji usually doesn’t cooperate with the production team. We want to have a specific chat with him about this matter, but he hasn’t given a definite answer. I see you have a good relationship with him,” Shi Yao held the bottle and poured more wine for Qin Qingzhuo, “so I was thinking maybe you could persuade him.”

Qin Qingzhuo pondered for a moment before asking, “Is it signing with this show or signing with the platform?”

“With the platform.”

“Can I have a look at the contract?”

“Is there an electronic version with Chen Jia?” Shi Yao looked towards Chen Jia. “Could you show Qingzhu?”

Qin Qingzhuo took Chen Jia’s phone and scrolled through the contract.

“I also know a bit about Asperatus’s situation,” Shi Yao said from the side. “To be honest, given their current situation, signing with the platform should be advantageous and harmless. For the time being, signing the contract guarantees them at least the top three; in the long run, the platform’s focus in recent years has been on artist economics, and in the future, they won’t be lacking in resources for releasing albums, holding concerts, appearing on variety shows… and various other opportunities.”

“Qingzhuo, you’re experienced in this field, so you should be clearer about the pros and cons than those three,” Shi Yao took a sip of wine and looked at Qin Qingzhuo. “So, I was thinking, maybe you could help persuade Jiang Ji?”

After reviewing the contract, Qin Qingzhuo had a better understanding.

Shi Yao’s words weren’t entirely unreasonable. Honestly, the contract did promise the band quite a few resources.

For a new band, getting such a signing opportunity was already quite rare.

However, the contract was for twenty years, and if they breached it midway, the band would have to pay a hefty compensation.

“Qingzhu?” Seeing Qin Qingzhuo hesitate to respond, Shi Yao called out to him.

Qin Qingzhuo returned the phone to Chen Jia and looked up at Shi Yao. “Twenty years, isn’t that too long?”

“The contract duration is a bit lengthy,” Shi Yao admitted, “but Qingzhuo, you also have your own studio and have signed artists before, so you must understand our predicament. Nowadays, once newcomers become popular, they switch companies or breach contracts without a second thought. We have seen too many cases of ingratitude towards the company.”

“But for a band,” Qin Qingzhuo said, “twenty years might as well be a lifetime.”

Shi Yao fell silent for a moment before continuing, “But the contract hasn’t been signed yet. We can negotiate these terms. I was thinking, while we’re all here, why don’t we have Chen Jia call Jiang Ji, and you can discuss the pros and cons with him? If he has any concerns, he can raise them, and I’ll try to address them on the spot.”

Qin Qingzhuo traced his finger along the rim of the glass, originally intending to find time to talk to Jiang Ji face to face. But if, as Shi Yao said, everything could be discussed openly, then chatting wouldn’t be a bad idea.

After a moment of contemplation, he nodded. “That works.”

“Then, Chen Jia,” Shi Yao turned to Chen Jia, “give Jiang Ji a call.”

Chen Jia responded with an acknowledgment and dialed Jiang Ji’s number.

After a series of “beeps” indicating the waiting tone, the call connected, and Jiang Ji’s voice came through the receiver. “Jia Jie.”

His voice, transmitted through the phone, sounded colder than usual.

“Jiang Ji,” Chen Jia put the call on speakerphone and spoke into the phone, “Qingzhuo ge is having dinner with Director Shi and wants to talk to you about the contract. I’m passing the phone to him.”

Qin Qingzhuo took the phone from Chen Jia and called out, “Jiang Ji.”

There was a brief “uh-huh” from Jiang Ji on the other end.

Discussing the contract wasn’t difficult, and Qin Qingzhuo had talked to other singers about similar matters personally. But facing Jiang Ji, he wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.

He wanted to ask about Jiang Ji’s situation over the past few days but didn’t want to discuss Jiang Ji’s private matters in front of others.

After a few seconds of hesitation, with no prompting from Jiang Ji, who was patiently waiting, he decided to get straight to the point. “Has the production team talked to you about signing?”

Jiang Ji responded with another “uh-huh.” “They want you to persuade me to sign?”

The question was direct and somewhat impolite. Shi Yao might feel uncomfortable hearing it, but Qin Qingzhuo didn’t look at him and simply said, “They want me to talk to you about it.”

“Then do you want me to sign?” Jiang Ji asked again.

His tone was different from usual, with a slightly deeper voice and a lighter tone, emphasizing the word “you.” It gave Qin Qingzhuo an inexplicable feeling that if he answered “yes,” Jiang Ji would indeed agree to sign.

Across from him, Shi Yao also noticed this subtle change and glanced over.

“It’s not at that stage yet. I want to hear your thoughts first,” Qin Qingzhuo said to Jiang Ji without looking at Shi Yao. “Jiang Ji, do you have any concerns?”

“Let’s talk about it in person,” Jiang Ji said.

Shi Yao made a gesture to Qin Qingzhuo, indicating that he should invite Jiang Ji over to talk.

Shi Yao kept toasting Qin Qingzhuo one drink after another throughout the evening. Qin Qingzhuo didn’t want to directly rebuff him, and some matters were indeed better discussed face to face. If Jiang Ji really had thoughts about signing, he could also help negotiate the terms.

With this in mind, Qin Qingzhuo said, “Do you have time to talk about it in person?”

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, then Jiang Ji said, “Let’s talk alone. If you can come over, then I have time.”

Shi Yao immediately frowned, but Qin Qingzhuo didn’t pay attention to his reaction and said to Jiang Ji, “Alright, I’ll come find you later.”

After hanging up the phone, Shi Yao put away his previous displeasure and smiled at Qin Qingzhuo. “This Jiang Ji, he really only listens to you, huh?”

“He doesn’t necessarily listen to me,” Qin Qingzhuo handed the phone back to Chen Jia, “he has his own ideas.”

“But he still listens to you after all. That’s quite rare,” Shi Yao raised his glass towards Qin Qingzhuo. “Qingzhuo, I’ll leave it to you to talk to him later. Honestly, I think this opportunity is quite good for their new band. It’s a pity to reject it like this.”

Qin Qingzhuo nodded and drank the toast Shi Yao offered.

For the rest of the time, Shi Yao chatted casually with Qin Qingzhuo about various other matters, mostly compliments and flattery towards Qin Qingzhuo. Qin Qingzhuo was reluctant to engage in such superficial conversations with Shi Yao, so he kept his responses minimal, preferring to drink silently.

By the end of the dinner, he felt like he had drunk a bit too much. It wasn’t just a slight buzz; he was starting to feel a bit drunk. Fortunately, Qin Qingzhuo didn’t show signs of being drunk, and his mind was still clear, although he felt a bit dizzy as he walked towards the underground parking lot.

Behind him, Chen Jia hurriedly caught up and whispered, “Brother Qingzhuo, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Hmm?” Qin Qingzhuo turned his head to look at her.

“Yesterday, Jiang Ji suddenly asked me for your bank card number.”

Qin Qingzhuo didn’t say anything, just made a sound of acknowledgment.

“I asked him why he needed your bank card number, but he didn’t tell me,” Chen Jia continued, “so I didn’t give it to him, just told him to ask you when he got back. Why do you think he suddenly wanted your bank card number?”

“Could it be that he wants to bribe me to help him return to the competition?” Qin Qingzhuo cooperated with her speculation, pretending to take it seriously. “We can’t let that happen.”

“Is that so…” Chen Jia found it strange. “But if he wants to return to the competition, shouldn’t he consider signing a contract? And to bribe you… does he have enough money to bribe you?”

After saying this, she noticed Qin Qingzhuo smiling and suddenly realized, “Brother Qingzhuo, are you just joking around?”

“Yeah,” Qin Qingzhuo nodded, smiling at her.

With a smile, his eyes curved slightly, giving off a more charming vibe than usual.

Taking advantage of his beauty to do something sinister, Chen Jia thought to herself.

“Brother Qingzhuo, your alcohol tolerance is really good. You’ve had so much to drink, and it’s hardly noticeable.” Chen Jia approached and whispered, “I saw Director Shi stumbling around earlier, almost bumping into a stone pillar and falling flat on his face.”

“Miss Chen Jia,” Qin Qingzhuo continued walking, the smile in his eyes even stronger, “it seems you have quite a grudge against your leader.”

Chen Jia cleared her throat. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Hmm,” Qin Qingzhuo nodded with a smile. “I didn’t hear anything either.”

After bidding farewell to Chen Jia, Qin Qingzhuo sat in the car. The driver, as usual, asked if he was going home.

Leaning back in his seat, Qin Qingzhuo, though he had thought about going home, uttered a simple “no.”

But with the word “no” spoken, he hesitated to say where he wanted to go.

Should he go to Honglu Slope Street? His current drunken state didn’t seem suitable for discussing serious matters, but if he went without discussing serious matters…

“Then, to Honglu Slope Street?” the driver filled in.

“Hmm?” Qin Qingzhuo snapped out of his thoughts, looking at him. “How did you know I was thinking about Honglu Slope Street?”

“I don’t know,” the driver chuckled. “I just felt like you wanted to go there.”

Was it that obvious? Even the driver could tell.

Qin Qingzhuo thought for a moment, then smiled. “Alright, let’s go.”

Even if they didn’t discuss serious matters, he could still go see Jiang Ji.

Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, but suddenly he really wanted to see Jiang Ji.