Chapter 26: Releasing a Song?

……

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“I will remember you…”

Long after the final note faded, Li Li remained in her pose with her arms crossed, her exquisitely made-up face appearing exceptionally soft in the morning light.

“Sister Li, Sister Li?”

Gu Qing spoke softly, his tone tinged with a hint of nervousness. “What do you think of this song?”

He was naturally confident in the quality of the song.

His only fear was that the Li Li beside him might lack the capacity for appreciation.

The young man's voice snapped the dazed manager back to reality.

“Good! It’s very good!!”

Li Li hurriedly used the rhinestones on her manicured nails to wipe her eyelids, then suddenly grabbed Gu Qing’s wrist.

With burning eyes, she asked, “Baby, how many more songs like this do you have? Five? Three? Even if you just scrape together two more medium-quality tracks, I guarantee the album sales will be at least gold-level.”

“Just this one.”

His fingers tracing the edge of his phone case, Gu Qing shook his head in response.

He hadn't forgotten the small copyright trap in the contract he signed with the company.

Releasing too many songs all at once would clearly be more loss than gain.

Furthermore,

In a few years, the entire era would shift into the age of short videos.

Aside from boy groups and girl groups responsible for harvesting "leeks," most singers would primarily release singles, and it would be rare to release music in the form of albums.

After all, a company with vision understands that it's better to have consistent meals than one massive feast followed by starvation.

“Just one?”

Li Li looked slightly disappointed. “That won't meet the standard for releasing an album.”

“A single.”

Gu Qing looked up and said, “Sister Li, I plan to release it as a single.”

“Releasing it as a single? How much money can you make from that?”

Li Li shook her head. “You mostly rely on VIP click-through revenue shares, or selling a single for three yuan.”

“Baby, if you do that, people online will inevitably mock you for trying to harvest your fans like leeks,” she said with difficulty.

“Then I'll make it free,” Gu Qing replied.

“Free?!”

Li Li was about to get angry, but then she thought about it. “Eh~ Baby, don't say that, that might actually work!”

If a song were promoted purely through free methods, no management company would be willing to let their artist do it.

After all, promotion costs account for a huge portion of a song's budget.

But if this song could generate massive discussion without spending a single cent, that would be a different story.

“I have an idea!”

Li Li stood up excitedly.

“What is it this time?”

Gu Qing looked bewildered.

“Running Man is so popular right now. I'll communicate with the production team and have you perform a solo on the show. Wouldn't that save a massive amount of promotion fees?” Li Li smiled.

“Is that feasible?”

If Gu Qing were with the Moon TV production team, he certainly wouldn't let someone use their airtime for free.

Especially as *Running Man* grew more popular, it was no exaggeration to say that every second of the show was worth its weight in gold, with plenty of advertisers eager to buy.

“Baby, don't worry about that. I'll talk to the production team.”

Recalling the lyrics of *Just When I Met You*, the corners of Li Li's lips curled upward.

Freebies were naturally out of the question, but if she could weave in some "plot," it would be a different matter entirely.

……

In the two days leading up to the trip to South Korea for filming,

Gu Qing truly experienced the life of an artist.

From morning till night, he was incredibly busy.

He filmed commercials upon waking up and filmed commercials before closing his eyes.

When he finally found a moment of leisure,

Gu Qing wanted to continue seeking out Zhang Songwen for lessons to learn professional acting skills, so he wouldn't be completely lost when it came time to actually act.

But what frustrated him most was...

The company was unwilling!

From Li Li, he learned that the company said there was still a while before he would be filming dramas, so he should focus on variety shows for now.

They claimed it wouldn't be too late to find a teacher to practice acting once he actually signed a contract with the *The Journey of Flower* crew.

Their intention to save money was blatant.

Gu Qing didn't even know what to say to this.

Does the company not understand the concept of preparing for a rainy day?

They certainly understood!

It was just that,

In the eyes of the company,

He was still just an "idol/traffic" type artist. If they didn't squeeze every bit of value out of him while he was hot, wouldn't all the investment go down the drain once his popularity faded?

If they let him go study acting for a month or two, how much money would the company lose?

This was the prelude to the era of massive traffic!

The only ones suffering were the viewers behind the screens.

……

"If the company won't pay, I'll just pay myself."

"If I can't become the best, I at least won't be the worst."

"Making money is one thing, but I must have professional substance."

Gu Qing looked down at his phone at the recent bank transfer.

This was his confidence!

Tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundreds of thousands...

"Five hundred and seventy thousand and five thousand!"

Gu Qing's eyes lit up, and his heart pounded incessantly.

To be blunt,

In his previous life, even combined,

He had never seen this much liquid cash!

The exhaustion from a day of filming commercials vanished instantly upon receiving his salary.

Damn, is this the entertainment industry?!

In the past, when he heard about "208" (celebrity salaries),

Gu Qing had simply thought it was an exaggeration; since he hadn't experienced it personally, he didn't feel it deeply.

But now that he had spent two days

filming a few small sponsored segments for the shows and earned a million in income...

Even after splitting fifty percent with the company,

He still had over five hundred thousand coming in!

Over five hundred thousand!

How many years would it take to earn this through a regular job?

And how long had it taken him?

Two days!!!

His reflection on the phone screen was dark,

But Gu Qing could be certain that his face was glowing red.

The domestic entertainment industry—it's too damn good!!!

Suppressing the urge to throw himself onto the bed and roll around in celebration,

Gu Qing suddenly remembered the most important thing.

"Sister Li, has the tax for the money I received been declared and paid?"

He hurriedly called to ask.

"Baby, you just need to do a total tally and pay once at the end of every month. You don't need to pay tax every time you receive a payment; that would be too much trouble."

Li Li was quite surprised by Gu Qing's awareness.

It was truly unheard of;

Having been in the entertainment industry for so many years,

This was the first time she had seen an artist rushing to pay taxes immediately after receiving a salary.

"By the way, baby, the company has many legal tax avoidance methods that many artists use, you..."

"No need, Sister Li."

Before Li Li could finish, Gu Qing replied with a smile. They chatted for a few more sentences before he hung up.

Never mind paying a few tens of thousands in tax;

If possible,

Gu Qing would be more than happy to pay billions.

The more he paid, wouldn't that just prove he was earning even more?

After downloading the tax software and paying the tax on this income, his racing heart finally settled.

He remembered

That in his previous life, there was an unlucky top-tier artist whose career plummeted because he was too busy and forgot to pay a "300,000 yuan" tax bill.

Gu Qing did not want to make that mistake.

After finishing his work,

Gu Qing happily opened WeChat and sent a transfer of five thousand yuan to his Teacher Zhang.

"Teacher, I want to take lessons!"

Less than a minute after the message was sent,

At home,

"Who's looking for me?"

Zhang Songwen, who was practicing his acting in front of a mirror, looked puzzled upon hearing his phone ring.

He had very few friends in the industry, and only one "best bro" who contacted him frequently.

But his best bro was currently filming and was in a hiatus, so it was impossible for him to be contacting him.

"Ah Gu?"

Zhang Songwen picked up his phone, and upon seeing the sender, he was slightly surprised.

He had a deep impression of this student he had taught not long ago.

Handsome, humble, eager to learn, and he even knew Zhang Songwen and could name his previous works.

Naturally, Zhang Songwen's favorability toward Gu Qing soared.

He had heard this kid had just filmed a variety show and was very popular online.

Zhang Songwen was very happy for him.

Scanning the chat history, he gave a knowing smile when he saw the words "take lessons."

But when his eyes moved down to the transfer below, Zhang Songwen asked in confusion, "Ah Gu, why are you transferring money to me?"

……

……

(End of Chapter)