While Murphy was diligently practicing her singing, Yang Yi wasn't idle either. Over the past few days, he had accomplished three major tasks.
The first was reaching a cooperation agreement with Fu Jun, the owner of Sahara Publishing House. Yang Yi invested five million yuan to acquire 49% of the shares in Sahara Online Bookstore.
Initially, Fu Jun refused. Although his Sahara Online Bookstore project wasn't very profitable, he treated it as his personal toy and was reluctant to let anyone else get involved.
However, Sahara Publishing House needed the physical copyrights for Yang Yi's two books, so Fu Jun still came. But not long into their conversation, he was captivated by Yang Yi's top-grade Blue Mountain coffee and also won over by Yang Yi's "advanced" concepts of internet development.
Fu Jun was the first person Yang Yi had met who understood and loved coffee, so Yang Yi brought out his珍藏 Blue Mountain coffee to share with him.
Fu Jun himself couldn't figure out whether it was the coffee or the ideas that intoxicated him. In a daze, he decided to treat Yang Yi like a brother and sold him 49% of his online bookstore's shares for five million yuan.
Of course, Sahara Online Bookstore wasn't worth ten million at the time, so it seemed like Yang Yi had overpaid. But Fu Jun kept muttering, "I'm the one who got the short end of the stick. If what you say is true, this online bookstore of mine could grow into a giant. Selling you so many shares for five million will definitely make me regret it later."
Yang Yi smiled and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Do a good job. Strive to make Sahara as massive as I described. Then you'll be a giant in the publishing world! Even if you lose a bit now, I'll let you come to my shop for coffee in the future. I'll brew it for you myself—Blue Mountain, Luwak, Mandheling, St. Helena. As long as I have it, you can drink as much as you want!"
Only then did Fu Jun leave with a beaming smile.
{Well, regarding the internet business part, I'll gloss over it like this from now on. This is just for making some money; there's no need to describe it in too much detail. I doubt anyone wants to read about business battles.}
The other two major tasks Yang Yi accomplished both involved rejections.
He rejected the olive branch extended by Tianxiang Records!
In terms of office space, Tianxiang Records, located in the pricey city of Hong Kong, was a bit modest. But in scale and influence, Tianxiang Records was leagues above small经纪 companies like Murphy's Tianmei Entertainment.
Although Mao Su, the producer of Chen Yijie's new album and Tianxiang's deputy music director, had previously recommended Yang Yi—an excellent songwriter—to Hu Yongxiang, Hu Yongxiang was too busy to remember, and the matter slipped his mind.
It wasn't until Chen Yijie's new album was released, achieving stellar results across Hong Kong, and reporters kept asking "Who is Mu Zi'ang?" that Hu Yongxiang remembered Yang Yi, a young man highly regarded by his father.
But to everyone's surprise, when Tianxiang extended its offer, Yang Yi calmly refused.
"Why? Have you already accepted an offer from another company?" Mao Su personally traveled to Jiangcheng to meet Yang Yi, eager to become his colleague and explore the true essence of music together. He was shocked by the rejection.
"No, I just value my freedom and dislike being constrained," Yang Yi said with a faint smile. "If the opportunity arises, we can still collaborate, but not as a signed songwriter. I prefer to write my own music, not music tailored to what you want."
As a fellow musician, Mao Su could understand Yang Yi's perspective. He nodded regretfully.
"By the way, please keep my personal information confidential at Tianxiang. I don't want my life to be disturbed," Yang Yi added.
Mao Su chuckled. "Of course. Tianxiang isn't that classless. Besides, we don't want our competitors to get their hands on you. A talented songwriter like you—we'll have plenty of chances to collaborate in the future!"
This rejection ended on a mutually acceptable note. But the third major task's rejection stirred up some unpleasantness.
As mentioned earlier, the editors at Iron Army Network wanted to poach Yang Yi to recover their dwindling popularity. They had instructed a familiar publishing house to gather intel at Qiyue, and that publishing house had come along with Qiyue's Manager Huang. Naturally, they were rejected too.
But the Iron Army editors managed to get Yang Yi's address. So, Lingyun Jueding and Yuwan excitedly traveled a long distance to try and persuade Yang Yi to join Iron Army Network with their silver tongues.
"Yang Yi, you used to be a soldier, right? Me too! I can tell we both have a special fondness for military literature!" Lingyun Jueding started by playing the emotional card.
Although Yang Yi received them politely, he stated that he already had a three-year contract with Qiyue.
"That's no problem!" Lingyun Jueding patted his bald head enthusiastically. "Iron Army Network has deep connections. Ever heard of 'Military Literature'? If you're willing, we can have you recruited under the military's name. Who would dare stop us?"
Lingyun Jueding didn't realize that his words only annoyed Yang Yi.
You see, Yang Yi despised people who flaunted their connections. Besides, his predecessor had retired precisely because he offended some big shot with deep connections. Though it had nothing to do with the current Yang Yi, the vivid memories in his mind made him empathize deeply.
"No need. Qiyue's terms aren't bad," Yang Yi said coldly, his tone sharp and chilling.
But Lingyun Jueding and Yuwan didn't notice. Yuwan even blurted out, "What's Qiyue? Can it compare to Iron Army in military literature? Come to Iron Army, and we guarantee your results will be far better than at Qiyue!"
Yang Yi didn't deny that point. After all, Iron Army was indeed the true gathering place for military enthusiasts.
But the problem was, even if the Iron Army editors' words hadn't rubbed him the wrong way, he still wouldn't want to join them. Yang Yi simply didn't like military literature that much!
Since he didn't like it, why would he switch platforms to keep writing it? Military literature was just a transitional phase for Yang Yi.
For his next book, he already had something else in mind—and it definitely wasn't military literature.
Of course, Yang Yi didn't tell Lingyun Jueding and Yuwan any of this. He just shook his head, glanced at the clock in the coffee shop, and said flatly, "Sorry, it's about time. I need to prepare dinner for my daughter..."
This was clearly a dismissal!
Lingyun Jueding's face darkened. As the deputy editor-in-chief of Iron Army, he had never been treated like this before!
"You'll regret this!" Lingyun Jueding said bitterly before leaving with Yuwan.
Yuwan followed Lingyun Jueding into a taxi, but his youthful impatience got the better of him. "Boss Ling, are we just letting this slide? Are we going to let Qiyue keep pushing us around?"
Lingyun Jueding's face was grim. "Let it slide? How could that be? Yuwan, when you get back, keep an eye on his physical publishing progress. Also, isn't 'Bright Sword' nearing its finale? Watch for when his new book comes out!"
"He refused a toast only to drink a forfeit. He will definitely regret this!"