Chapter 23: What Does It Feel Like When the Aloof Goddess Asks for Your WeChat?

"Mr. Wei, are you free today? Can you help me with the sound check later?"
"I'm free, I'm free. Whenever you come, I'll be free."
Jiang Yun smiled; this little old man was quite endearing.

Jiang Yun headed to the largest recording studio. Across the glass, Wei Meng flashed him an OK sign. Jiang Yun put on his headphones, and the music began to play. He sang into the microphone, "I don't want to ask anymore, where are you now!"

"I don't want to wonder, will you ever return!
Thinking of your heart, thinking of your face.
I want to hold you close to my chest and never let you go!"

Jiang Yun’s S-level vocal skill shone through. His voice shifted as he switched to a rock style.

"One night in Xiajing!"

Lost in the music, Jiang Yun sang with abandon, while Wei Meng nodded approvingly from behind the glass. The recording of "One Night in Xiajing" was complete.

Jiang Yun then began recording "Porcelain Blue," which required an orchestra. Wei Meng notified the resident band to come to the largest studio.

"This really is the top recording studio in Magic City—even a classical orchestra is on standby!" Jiang Yun marveled.

The orchestra was ready, the conductor in place.

"OK!" Wei Meng signaled.

The flute and guzheng began to play, and Jiang Yun started singing, "The white porcelain sketches blue flowers, the brush strokes turn from bold to gentle."

"Peonies painted on the vase, just like your first makeup.
Slowly, sandalwood drifts in through the window; I understand your thoughts.
The brush stops halfway on the rice paper.
The glaze colors a lady’s portrait, the charm kept private.
And your sweet smile, like a bud about to bloom."

The cello joined in. Immersed in the song, Jiang Yun’s S-level singing carried him through in a single flawless take.

"The fusion of East and West—this song is destined to be a classic!" Wei Meng exclaimed.

By the time Jiang Yun finished recording the two songs, the afternoon had arrived.

Yu Qing was the guzheng player in the band. True to her name, Yu Qing possessed a certain cool elegance. At thirty, she was still single—not for lack of interest, but because men were intimidated by her aloofness and kept their distance. Yu Qing had no desire to warm someone’s cold heart with her own warmth.

But today, the moment Yu Qing saw Jiang Yun, she felt her heart flutter for the first time.

After hesitating for a while, Yu Qing finally mustered her courage.

"Mr. Jiang Yun, are you free right now?"

"I am. What’s up?" Jiang Yun, affected by Yu Qing’s aura, responded with a coolness of his own.

"N-no, nothing!" she stammered.

Yu Qing's colleagues, witnessing her uncharacteristic behavior, let out gasps and started whispering.

"My goodness, what’s gotten into Yu Qing?"
"Our ice-cold girl is actually stuttering!"

The band was about to leave, and Yu Qing’s colleagues weren’t far from Jiang Yun and her. Both Jiang Yun and Yu Qing could hear their remarks clearly.

Yu Qing’s beautiful face flushed bright red, while Jiang Yun smiled politely.

"Mr. Jiang Yun, may I have your WeChat?"

"Heavens! Did I just hear that? The ice queen actually asked someone for their WeChat!"

Embarrassed and annoyed, Yu Qing turned her head with a fierce look. "You lot!"

The chatter stopped abruptly. They all stared, wide-eyed and speechless.

Yu Qing let out a breath and ignored her teasing colleagues. She turned to Jiang Yun, awaiting his response.

Jiang Yun thought for a moment and gave her his phone number.

Yu Qing took out her phone to search for him.

Beep!

Jiang Yun’s phone chimed. He took it out, saw the friend request, and accepted it.

Seeing that she had successfully added him, Yu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried he might brush her off with a fake number.

Having added him as a friend, Yu Qing smiled at Jiang Yun and walked away.

Jiang Yun found himself puzzled by her mysterious smile, his own heart skipping a beat.

After the band had left, Jiang Yun waited for Wei Meng.

Wei Meng produced the master tapes for the two songs and handed them to Jiang Yun.

On his way back, he received a call from He Yong.

"Mr. Jiang Yun, how have you been lately?"

"Pretty well. I just finished recording 'One Night in Xiajing' and 'Porcelain Blue' today. I’ll send them to you in a bit!"

"That can wait, Mr. Jiang Yun. There’s something I need to discuss with you first," He Yong replied on the other end.

Jiang Yun frowned. "What is it?"

"Did you know your music has been uploaded to Penguin Music?"

"What?" Jiang Yun’s mood soured instantly.

That was outright infringement!

His pleasant mood vanished. Jiang Yun immediately called Penguin Music’s customer service.

Ring... Ring...

"Hello?"

"Hello, how can I help you?"

"My music has been uploaded to Penguin Music without my permission! How do I resolve this?"

"Sorry, that’s not within my scope. Please dial xxx."

Jiang Yun was furious—was this just passing the buck? But he knew ordinary customer service could never solve this kind of issue.

He picked up his phone and searched his call history. Previously, Penguin Music’s director had contacted him.

He searched for a long time but couldn’t find the number.

Just as he was about to give up, an unfamiliar number called him.

Jiang Yun answered, "Who is this?"

"Hello, Mr. Jiang Yun. I’m the editor-in-chief at Penguin Music!"

Jiang Yun chuckled coldly. He’d just been wondering how to contact them, and now, they’d come to him.

"What do you want?" he asked, barely containing his anger.

"Here’s the thing, Mr. Jiang Yun. Your music has been uploaded to our platform. After discussion, we’re willing to offer you a thirty percent share. When would you be available to sign a contract?"

A cold laugh escaped Jiang Yun. This was a classic case of acting first and asking later. "First of all, I never authorized the release of my work on Penguin Music. You uploaded my work without my permission—this is infringement!"

"Mr. Jiang Yun, the thing is—"

"No need to say more. You’ll be hearing from my lawyer!" Jiang Yun’s tone was firm.

If he let them off now, it would only happen again—with Eight Goose Music, Nine Goose Music, and so on.

Jiang Yun resolved to put an end to it.

He began looking for a lawyer online.

Penguin Music Headquarters.

"Well?" the general manager asked.

"He refused," replied the editor-in-chief.

"Doesn’t know what’s good for him."

"He even said to expect a lawyer’s letter!"

The general manager scoffed and shrugged it off, quickly forgetting the matter.

Jiang Yun returned to his rented apartment, his face grim. First, he wrote thirty thousand words of "Battle Horses Across the Skies" and uploaded it.

Then Jiang Yun started contacting lawyers online.

He reached out to several, but upon hearing it concerned Penguin Music, all declined.

Jiang Yun thought for a moment and called Zhou Lun.

"Hello, Brother Zhou!"

"What’s up, Jiang Yun?"

"I wanted to ask if your team has a lawyer."

"What’s going on, Jiang Yun? Has something happened?" Zhou Lun sounded surprised.

Jiang Yun explained the whole infringement incident with Penguin Music to Zhou Lun.