Late August, airport.
Lin Xuan, Xia Fan and Sun Yaohuo sent Lin Yuan away together. This time Sun Yaohuo did not wear a mask or sunglasses. He had changed from not wanting to be recognized to wanting to be recognized by passers-by urgently.
“Is she a celebrity?”
“It seems to be true!”
"What's it called?"
Suddenly, there was a murmur in the distance.
Sun Yaohuo straightened his chest, turned his head and looked at the crowd with a smile, but his smile froze the next moment, because he saw several people rushing towards Xia Fan, some of them took pictures with their phones, and some took out notebooks to ask for autographs...
"Xia Fan!"
"Xia Fan!"
The excitement is theirs.
At this time, Lin Yuan had just boarded the plane and left. Sun Yaohuo had already felt waves of loneliness in this huge airport, but was numbly pushed to the periphery by the crowd.
"… "
Lin Yuan was not very used to the feeling of flying in an airplane. It was not that he was afraid of heights, but as the plane got higher and higher, his eardrums felt a little uncomfortable. He could only try to sleep as much as possible. After all, the journey was seven hours long.
My sister booked the flight ticket.
She bought a business class ticket directly.
When Lin Yuan found out, it was too late. He could only feel sad in silence. After all, there was a big price difference between business class and economy class. He didn't know how many egg yolks Lin Yuan could eat with the difference.
The villa is about to be delivered.
Lin Yuan also paid for the renovation.
Just let your sister take charge of the specific arrangements.
After this part of the consumption, Lin Yuan had little money left in his pocket. Fortunately, September was coming soon, and new royalties and song revenue would arrive in a few days, so Lin Yuan was not worried...
Seven hours later.
Lin Yuan arrived in Qizhou.
It was still daylight in Qizhou. Lin Yuan slept through half of the trip, so he felt dizzy when he got off the plane. He went to the check-in counter to pick up his luggage and washed his face in the bathroom before he felt a little more awake.
Qizhou, Yicheng.
This is the city where Lin Yuan arrived. As one of the most developed cities in Qizhou, there is a time difference of about four hours between this place and Sucheng in Qinzhou. It should not be difficult for Lin Yuan to adjust.
He took out his cell phone and made a call.
This is the number that Lao Zhou left for Lin Yuan, saying that he could contact him after arriving in Qizhou, and someone would pick him up to go to the branch company, and the people at the branch company would also arrange accommodation for him in advance.
The call is connected.
The voice on the phone was a girl's: "Excuse me, are you Teacher Xianyu? I'm waiting for you at the terminal on the first floor. My car is now parked in the parking lot downstairs. You can see me when you come out. I'm wearing a red coat..."
"I see you."
Lin Yuan looked at the girl in the distance.
When the other party saw Lin Yuan's face, she was obviously stunned for a moment, then she put down her phone and walked over, saying in a somewhat uncertain tone: "I am Gu Dong, an employee of Xingmang Branch. Excuse me, are you Teacher Xianyu?"
Lin Yuan nodded.
Gu Dong was a little surprised. The representative sent by the headquarters was so young. This was beyond Gu Dong's expectation. However, Gu Dong had investigated some information about Xianyu before and knew that he was a very good composer in Qinzhou. So he did not dare to neglect Lin Yuan just because he was young. "Then let's go to the company first?"
"good."
Xianyu is a man of few words.
He has a rather cold personality.
Gu Dong made a preliminary judgment in his mind and took Lin Yuan's suitcase. "You must be tired after taking a long flight. Leave your luggage to me. The parking lot is downstairs. Just follow me."
Lin Yuan did not refuse.
As the car drove out of the airport, Gu Dong introduced the situation to Lin Yuan: "I will be your secretary in the branch from now on. If you need anything, you can tell me. Also, I have a personal question to ask you. Is your real name Xianyu?"
"My name is Lin Yuan."
Gu Dong nodded. Xianyu was indeed a name similar to a stage name. "Then I will call you Representative Lin from now on. Or if you like others to call you Teacher Xianyu, that's fine too. I will communicate with the company."
"casual."
Lin Yuan’s words are concise and to the point.
Gu Dong laughed dryly twice and said nothing more, concentrating on driving. Lin Yuan took out his cell phone and sent a message to his sister. Apart from some time difference, there were not many other obstacles to communication between the two sides.
Finished sending the message.
Lin Yuan downloaded several popular music apps in Qizhou, two of which were also very popular in Qinzhou. It can be seen that there are many similarities between the two sides, which made Lin Yuan feel less homesick.
Put on your headphones.
Lin Yuan listened to the song.
He listened to the more popular music from Qizhou. The style was indeed somewhat different from that of Qinzhou, and the overall quality was indeed not as good as that of Qinzhou. In this respect, Qinzhou lived up to its reputation as the hometown of music, and Qizhou was indeed more popular here. Among the popular songs from Qizhou that Lin Yuan randomly played, more than 70% of them were sung in Qizhou, and the remaining 30% were sung in Mandarin.
I don’t know how long I listened to it.
The two arrived at the branch.
Lin Yuan and Gu Dong got out of the car together and came to the door of a company. On the wall of the company were hung the four big characters "Xingmang Music". However, the scale of the company was not comparable to that of the headquarters. Even the company name had faded and rusted due to long-term lack of maintenance.
“The company has three floors.”
Gu Dong introduced: "The recording studio and other equipment are all on the first floor, the second floor is mostly work areas, and the third floor is mostly offices. You are a representative sent by the head office and are on the same level as the general manager, so we have already arranged a representative office for you."
Lin Yuan nodded.
The location of this company is a little remote, but the advantage is that the surrounding environment is quite good and it seems relatively spacious. The scale of the three-story company is definitely not comparable to the headquarters, but when Lin Yuan heard that the branch company was not developing well, he could understand it.
There is no elevator in the company.
The two could only climb the stairs.
Lin Yuan didn't feel disgusted, but just followed Gu Dong to visit the company with great interest. When passing by the work area on the second floor, many employees looked at Lin Yuan behind Gu Dong with curiosity.
"Gu Dong is back to pick someone up?"
"Is that person a representative sent by headquarters?"
"Why do you look so young?"
"I guess he was sent here because he's young and easy to bully. Our head office never paid much attention to him. The manager begged for months before the head office agreed to send him here. Now the manager obviously treats him as a lifeline, but forgets that a straw can't save a drowning person..."
"I suspect this person is still a student."
"I'm starting to worry that the company will really close down this year. The headquarters sent a young man here, and it's obvious that he's just trying to put us off. It's not easy to find a job these days. Have you found your next job?"
"Don't talk nonsense, I am a loyal servant of the company!"
"I told you you were fat and you gasped. Before you came to our company, you had a glorious record of changing jobs five times. If our company wasn't really short of people, the HR department wouldn't have hired you at all."
"… "
Lin Yuan naturally didn't know about the discussion within the company. He had already entered his office under the guidance of Gu Dong. The space of this office was not large, but the view was good. Looking outside from the window, there was a large lawn, which reminded Lin Yuan of his position at the headquarters.
There is a sign on the table.
Headquarters Representative: Xianyu
There was a black desk and fresh green plants in the corner of the room. It was obvious that someone had taken care of it in advance. "We can have a meeting later to introduce you to the company's employees. The manager wants to hold a welcome ceremony for you tonight. He attaches great importance to your arrival!"
Gu Dong spoke with a smile.
Behind Gu Dong's smile, there was actually a lot of bitterness: "Dad dreams of having someone from the headquarters come over. He probably puts all his hopes for the company's future on this representative. However, the situation at the branch office cannot be easily solved by one person."
"No."
Lin Yuan refused directly.
He didn't like welcome ceremonies and the like. He was more concerned about the following question: "How should I arrange my accommodation? Is it close to Qizhou Art College? Will it be convenient for me to go to school in the future?"
Gu Dong: “…”
Her mood became increasingly bitter.
This representative was still a student. When the headquarters sent someone over, they had already made it clear over the phone. Zhou Ruiming even called the manager himself and repeatedly emphasized: "Xianyu's main mission in Qizhou is to study. He went there as an exchange student from Qinyi."
The implication is clear.
Don't give Xianyu too much work.
After cheering up, Gu Dong smiled reluctantly and said, "Your residence is a little far from the company, but it is very close to your school. This is something the headquarters specifically asked us to do. We have already rented a house for you, and the rental fee will be borne by our branch."
"Thanks."
Lin Yuan felt relieved.
At this moment, there was a sudden noise outside the door. The specific content was not clear, and Lin Yuan's office could only hear the general idea: "If your company can't do it, then go to the headquarters. We signed the contract with you because of the name of Xingmang headquarters. You also promised us..."
The sound is getting closer.
Lin Yuan heard a middle-aged man apologizing: "We will prepare a few more songs and send them to you. You will definitely be satisfied. We have cooperated well before. We attach great importance to your company's orders..."
The words haven't even finished yet.
Several men in suits passed by Lin Yuan's office and stopped when they saw the sign at the door. "When did your Qinzhou headquarters send a representative here without telling us?"
The door is not closed.
The leader saw Lin Yuan standing in front of the desk at a glance, and then looked at the sign on Lin Yuan's desk, and immediately raised his voice: "Are you the representative sent by Xingmang headquarters? Please help us contact the headquarters. Your branch company can't do our order, so let your headquarters do it. We signed the contract in black and white at the beginning!"
"Our representatives have just arrived..."
The voice of apology just now sounded, and then a middle-aged, slightly fat man appeared at the door. He had an embarrassed expression on his face. After bowing to Lin Yuan, he sent the group of people out of the company, and the voice gradually faded away.
Lin Yuan asked: "Who is he?"
Gu Dong said helplessly, "He is the general manager of the branch, Gu Qiangyun, and he is also my father. The group of people just now are the largest customers of our branch. We have cooperated with them several times before. However, this time, they were not satisfied with the work we produced, so they came to urge us. This is not the first time this has happened."
"oh."
Lin Yuan sat down.
Gu Dong felt disappointed when she saw that Lin Yuan didn't react. But then she thought that she was taking it for granted. How could the difficulties of the branch company be solved by just sending someone from the headquarters
"That's right."
The chair under him should be new, and it feels very comfortable to sit on. As far as the working environment is concerned, Lin Yuan quite likes it here. After adapting a little, Lin Yuan said, "Please send me the address of my residence later."
"Wait until I get off work."
Gu Dong said: "I'll take you there."
Lin Yuan nodded and saved some taxi fare.
At this time, the company manager Gu Qiangyun came back. He knocked on the door and smiled apologetically: "I'm sorry to encounter this situation just after joining the company. I'm Gu Qiangyun, the manager of the branch. Hello!"
He stretched out his hand.
Lin Yuan politely shook hands with the other party, and then asked curiously: "I just arrived, so I don't know much about the situation. Does the branch have many orders like the one just now?"
Gu Dong: “…”
Gu Qiangyun: “…”
The atmosphere was awkward for a few seconds before Gu Qiangyun coughed and said, "It's not that much. Music companies here will more or less encounter a squeeze on orders. At most, we can just pay some liquidated damages."
"How much is not much?"
"About four or five orders."
Gu Qiangyun was sweating. Although the representative sent by the headquarters looked young, he seemed a bit fierce. He must be very dissatisfied with our work. What if he complained to the headquarters
"Four or five orders..."
Lin Yuan didn't frown as Gu Qiangyun imagined. He was only concerned about the price of these orders from Party A: "Like the Party A just now, how much do they usually pay for a song ordered from the branch?"
"Eight hundred thousand."
Gu Qiangyun replied.
This time Lin Yuan really frowned. The price of this order was too low. When he took the order for "Dragon Dance of Fish" at the headquarters, the other party offered five million. Why was the price for internal orders in Qizhou so low
Fire pit!
This is a fire pit!
Gu Qiangyun carefully observed Lin Yuan's expression, and saw that he was frowning again, feeling a little heavy: "You may be used to staying at the headquarters. Xingmang is a top entertainment company in Qinzhou, but Xingmang Entertainment is actually a small music company in Qizhou. Because the order success rate is not very good, the highest-priced order we have received is about one million. Only large entertainment companies can receive large orders worth millions..."
“Success rate?”
Lin Yuan's heart moved.
Gu Qiangyun was stunned for a moment. It seemed that Lin Yuan didn't quite understand the situation here. He perked up and introduced: "Because Qizhou has a large number of film and television dramas every year, and of course some game projects, their demand for music is also very large. Top productions are generally customized from Qinzhou, but some small projects can't afford Qinzhou's prices, so they will look for some small music companies in Qinzhou to cooperate with."
Lin Yuan seemed to be thinking about something.
Gu Dong beside him added: "However, small music companies like us have limited strength, so if Party A is not satisfied with the songs we produce, our orders will be cancelled. At that time, both parties will negotiate based on the contract signed at the beginning. Sometimes the contract will be directly invalidated, and sometimes we will have to pay liquidated damages."
"etc."
Lin Yuan discovered a loophole: "What if Party A specifically uses the reason that the song does not meet the standards to defraud liquidated damages? After all, the quality of a song is a very subjective thing."
"Don't worry."
Gu Qiangyun smiled and said, "This kind of thing is impossible to happen, because we directly cancel most of the orders. Only when we face a party A with a good reputation in Qizhou, we will add a breach of contract option in the contract. The amount is generally not too large, so as not to let the party A risk its reputation to cheat us. In addition, Qizhou also has a special review association. If both parties disagree with the result, they will enter the relevant channels for judgment. The review association is still very fair. If you are not satisfied with the result of the review association, you can release the song and accept the judgment of the public."
Lin Yuan nodded.
Although there are still certain subjective factors, it is enough to achieve this level. If 90 out of 100 people listen to a song and they think it is not good, then even if it is a subjective opinion, it is relatively objective. Moreover, most companies do attach great importance to their reputation. If a company has a bad reputation, it will be difficult for it to gain a foothold in the circle.
"In fact."
Gu Dong further dispelled Lin Yuan's doubts: "Basically, there has been no dissatisfaction with the results of the Music Review Association. The members of the Music Review Association are all respected music veterans. They all have professional positions in Qizhou. This is their job."
"Understood."
Lin Yuan nodded: "So if we can increase the order success rate, the bids from Party A will get higher and higher in the future, and there may even be a situation where an order is worth millions?"
"yes."
Gu Qiangyun wanted to remind Lin Yuan that there were not many companies in Qizhou that could receive orders worth millions. If people were willing to spend millions to customize a song, why didn't they go to Qinzhou, a music town? However, seeing that Lin Yuan's eyes were a little ambitious, he shut his mouth obediently.
It's a good thing to have dreams.
Lin Yuan's mood improved. This place was not as bad as he had imagined. He said, "Then let's improve the company's order success rate first. Can you please send me the squeezed orders?"
"ah?"
Gu Qiangyun and Gu Dong looked at each other. How can you say that so easily? Let's increase the company's order success rate first. Do you know how many months it takes to complete an order
"Is it inconvenient?"
Lin Yuan raised his head and looked at the two of them.
Gu Dong said quickly, "Please wait a moment. I will bring all the orders here. These orders are all in the charge of the composition department. However, since they have not been completed, they have been put into the public pool. Anyone can take them. You can also see if there is an order that suits you."
"Um."
Lin Yuan has made preparations. Although the company's current order prices are not high, according to Qi Zhou, as long as the order success rate increases, Party A's bid will also increase in the future.
He was ready.