Chapter Twenty-Four: Your Name

“There are lawyers, of course!” Zhou Lun said. “But I advise you not to make things ugly with them.”

“Why?” Jiang Yun asked.

“Because Penguin Corporation is a leading enterprise, and Penguin Music is just one of its subsidiaries! We can’t afford to offend them,” Zhou Lun explained.

Jiang Yun was filled with anger. “Brother Zhou, even you can’t help?”

“If I were to take the case, I could win. But there’s really no need.” Zhou Lun tried to persuade Jiang Yun, hoping he would heed his advice.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s easier to deal with the king than his underlings! Penguin Music has committed infringements more than once or twice; you’re not an exception!”

“I’m not an exception?” Jiang Yun was surprised.

“Yes! There have been similar incidents before, but the others eventually swallowed their grievances,” Zhou Lun continued. “After all, your work needs exposure, and the Penguin Music platform is a good choice! If Penguin Music rejects your songs and bans you, that would be disastrous.”

Jiang Yun fell silent, weighing the pros and cons. How should he resolve this? After thinking it over, Jiang Yun decided not to back down.

“Then I’ll trouble you, Brother Zhou!” Jiang Yun didn’t mention lawyers again.

“Jiang Yun, you have a bright future ahead. There’s no need to ruin your own prospects over a small matter like this,” Zhou Lun made one last attempt at persuasion, sensing Jiang Yun was not backing off.

“I understand, thank you, Brother Zhou.”

“All right.” Zhou Lun knew further persuasion was futile and chose not to continue.

After hanging up, Jiang Yun started searching for lawyers online.

“Ding ding!”

His phone rang.

Jiang Yun picked it up and saw a message from Yu Qing on WeChat.

“Are you there?”

“What’s up?” Jiang Yun replied.

“Nothing, just wanted to chat with you!” On the other side, Yu Qing held her phone, cheeks flushed, heart pounding.

Yu Qing’s mind raced, anxiously wondering, “Ah, I sent ‘just wanted to chat with you,’ will he misunderstand? Oh, how could I send that?”

She waited a long time, but Jiang Yun didn’t reply. Nervous, Yu Qing gathered her courage and sent another message: “Are you busy?”

“No, just thinking about something,” Jiang Yun responded.

“What are you thinking about? Can you tell me?” Yu Qing sent.

“I’m trying to figure out where I can find a lawyer.”

Yu Qing paused, thought for a moment, and replied on WeChat: “Why do you need a lawyer?”

Jiang Yun briefly explained what Penguin Music had done.

“Maybe I can help you!”

“How?”

“My major is legal affairs!”

A legal professional? Jiang Yun was stunned, then overjoyed. Legal expertise—just what he needed.

He hadn’t expected the guzheng goddess to be a law major.

Jiang Yun calmed himself. Should he let Yu Qing get involved? Others would avoid this trouble, so Jiang Yun decided not to drag Yu Qing into it. Yet he couldn’t swallow his anger.

He urgently needed a lawyer, especially a top-tier one. Penguin Music surely had an elite legal team; he couldn’t go up against them without the best.

Jiang Yun decided to politely decline Yu Qing’s offer.

“I need a top-tier lawyer.”

“I am a top-tier lawyer. I helped the defendant in the xxx case.”

“This…” Jiang Yun now had no reason to refuse.

“Alright then. Tomorrow afternoon at three, Red Romance Café,” Jiang Yun sent on WeChat.

They set a time. Jiang Yun sent his recorded tracks, “One Night in Summer Beijing” and “Porcelain Blue,” to He Yong. He also sent “Crossing the Ocean to See You.”

After receiving the files, He Yong immediately arranged for them to go live. As soon as the two songs were released, they occupied the first and second spots on the hot charts. As for “Crossing the Ocean to See You,” it only ranked tenth—Jiang Yun’s lowest since his debut.

The reason was that everyone was already familiar with Li Mengya’s version of “Crossing the Ocean to See You.” Of course, Jiang Yun’s rendition had its own unique charm. His weathered voice sounded like an old friend recounting past memories.

“Hmm~ Jiang Yun’s ‘Crossing the Ocean to See You’ only made it to tenth place. This might be his lowest ranking ever.”

“I prefer Jiang Yun’s version!”

“+1”

“+10086”

After the songs launched on NetEase Music, Jiang Yun deliberately searched for them on Penguin Music. The result nearly made him furious.

NetEase Music had just released them, and Penguin Music immediately uploaded pirated versions.

Jiang Yun realized Penguin Music was nothing but a pirated platform—more shameless than any pirated novel site.

Chen Yi was a senior student, passionate about music, and had listened to nearly all popular tracks online.

That day, Chen Yi was walking across campus when the campus radio suddenly played a song he’d never heard before.

“A plain porcelain outlines the blue flowers, the brush strokes fade from bold to light. Peonies painted on the vase, just like your first makeup.”

Chen Yi was stunned. What song was this? How come he’d never heard it before? Its style was so ahead of its time.

The lyrics were refined, blending classical and pop rhythms. It was neither purely classical nor purely pop, but had a unique classical flavor—truly avant-garde.

Chen Yi quickened his pace, rushing toward the broadcast room.

“Huff… huff…”

Chen Yi arrived at the door, panting.

But the next moment, he saw a scene he would never forget.

A beautiful girl radiating youthful energy sat with her legs together on the table. She leaned back in her chair, humming softly along with the music.

“Huff… huff…”

Chen Yi caught his breath.

The girl stopped humming and looked at him.

Chen Yi slowed his breathing. “Classmate, what’s the name of this song?”

“You’re the thirty-second person to ask!” The girl frowned.

“Really? Did any of them ask your name?” Chen Yi smiled.

“What do you mean?” The girl was puzzled.

“Let me formally introduce myself. I’m Chen Yi. What’s your name?”

The girl blushed. “You’re the first to ask my name. The others only asked about the song.”

“You haven’t answered my question yet,” Chen Yi said.

“I’m Xia Tian,” she introduced herself.

“Is that so? Xia Tian—a lovely name!”

The afternoon sun was especially warm, lazily shining on everyone.

Low, intimate voices drifted from the broadcast room.

“Xia Tian, what’s the name of that song?”

“‘Porcelain Blue.’”

“Who sings it?”

“Jiang Yun. Haven’t you been keeping up with online trends?”

“I’ve been busy preparing for my grad exams…”

“Well, I’m just a sophomore, so I don’t know much about grad exams…”

“Tell me, what other songs has Jiang Yun sung?”

“Alright, he’s sung…”

…