Chapter 350

"What's wrong, Mr. Zhou? Did you need something from me?"

Song Ke, who had been summoned, sat down calmly, gazing at the CEO before him with a smile that didn't show his teeth: "Summoning me so suddenly? I'm still collecting songs for the company."

As the newly appointed Deputy General Manager and Music Director of the Mainland Region after Warner acquired Maitian, Song Ke was usually quite busy.

"If you are in a hurry, you can delegate the matter first and let your subordinates handle it."

After taking off his glasses and wiping the lenses with a cloth, Zhou Jianhui put them back on and smiled peacefully: "It's not good to exhaust your body."

"It's fine, just a small matter."

Unmoved, Song Ke lowered his head and took a sip of tea, smiling while avoiding the topic, and did not look into his eyes.

"We have known each other for so long, so let's not beat around the bush."

Seeing that Song Ke was unyielding, the polite smile in Zhou Jianhui's eyes gradually faded: "Do you still have contact with Ai Dajin now?"

"I have contact, but not much."

Song Ke shook his head: "Maitian Music was founded by him and me, and given our friendship over so many years, it's impossible to say we have no contact at all.

"But Mr. Zhou, you know I'm this busy, and he is constantly spinning around in those internet companies; recently he has been busy preparing to shoot a movie, so the time we can sit down to gather and chat has become very scarce."

"That's good."

Zhou Jianhui, who was slightly rubbing the cap of his fountain pen, nodded: "Go buy a pile of dirt on Ai Dajin. I'll arrange an interview for you the day after tomorrow to fight back. Do you have any objections?"

Song Ke frowned tightly: "Dirt on Xiaosong? Fight back? What do you mean, Mr. Zhou?"

"The record market is sluggish recently, and new players wanting to enter the field have set their sights on A-Yi, wanting to ruin his reputation." Zhou Jianhui no longer hid anything; his serious expression gave Song Ke no useful information to read no matter how he observed.

"New players? What do you mean, Mr. Zhou?"

"You don't need to know the company strategy so clearly. As the Deputy General Manager and Music Director of Warner, you must respond to this matter and show our stance."

Speaking, Zhou Jianhui pushed the published newspaper over to Song Ke's side as a signal.

"I should respond?"

Song Ke looked troubled: "Mr. Zhou, there might be a misunderstanding here. How about this: I'll treat everyone to a meal at some point, invite A-Yi and Xiaosong to sit down together, and clear up the misunderstanding—"

Zhou Yi pushed up the glasses on his nose, showing no intention of listening to Song Ke, and interrupted firmly: "What else? I should respond? Is he worthy?"

"..."

"If you are too tired and lack the energy or ability for now, just take a break for a while."

Seeing that Song Ke still seemed very troubled, Zhou Jianhui tapped the table with his pen cap: "Just consider it taking a vacation for yourself."

"Mr. Zhou, what do you mean? Are you making things difficult for me?"

"You were the one who made things difficult for me first!"

"..."

The smile in Song Ke's eyes also slowly faded as he looked at the expressionless Zhou Jianhui: "Maitian has changed its flavor under your leadership, Mr. Zhou. Warner Maitian is no longer the Maitian of the past; you have not fulfilled the promises made when we reached the acquisition agreement."

"I am the CEO; I decide how the company develops. What about you? How many albums has Pu Shu released? How many appearances has he taken? How much money has he earned?"

Zhou Jianhui's action of tapping the table with his pen suddenly stopped, and he shouted sternly: "Who do you think the people under your hand are? Zhou Yi? Can they all refuse appearances?!"

"Zhou Yi's album is guaranteed to earn the company over 300 million USD during its lifecycle. Can the trash under your hand do that?!"

"Out of consideration for our past cooperation, I never urged you. How are you treating me now?!"

"Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Did Zhang Yadong give you the courage? Or Li Zongsheng from Rolling Stone? Could it be Liang Jingru?!"

Zhou Jianhui's scolding was very loud, and Song Ke, who had been thoroughly cursed, looked very grim: "Mr. Zhou, we are all adults; words must be responsible."

"What promises did Taihe give you?"

Zhou Jianhui still ignored Song Ke's question and continued to press him.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I have things to do, so I'll leave first."

Song Ke pushed the teacup aside, stood up, and was about to leave—

"Don't think that if you bring down A-Yi, you will get to eat the meat.

"A-Yi has been in the industry for so long; even the fierce Guo Tianwang Eminem in America hasn't scared him. Moreover, you might be overestimating the power behind Taihe." Before turning away, Zhou Jianhui interlaced his fingers in front of his abdomen, leaned back against the leather chair, and spoke.

He had personally run some channels, and Zhou Jianhui knew better than anyone the power hidden behind Zhou Yi.

"No, it's not just Taihe."

In Hong Kong, after exiting the airport and being escorted onto a van by reporters with long guns and short cannons, Qian Jiang shook his head: "Ai Dajin now plans to shoot a movie called 'My Heart Soars'. It is jointly invested and produced by Huayi Brothers and Happy Yangyang Film Company.

"I suspect there is a shadow of hype behind this matter."

Merely the interests promised by Taihe might not be enough to tempt Ai Dajin, but if you add his personally written and directed movie, it becomes different.

Huayi has no record business and has little conflict with Zhou Yi, but they are old hands at hype;

Happy Yangyang, however, has a solid record business. After Warner acquired Maitian Music in 2000, it can basically be considered the default number one domestic record company in the mainland.

It can be said that if there is a record company in the mainland that wishes for Zhou Yi's death, Happy Yangyang is definitely the prime suspect.

"It should be more than that; among the people I have offended, there are probably those who will kick them when they are down."

Zhou Yi, who took this completely lightly, rubbed his chin and speculated.

Putting aside those fragmented details, considering Ai Dajin's position at Sina, there is a high possibility that other shareholders behind Sina are at play behind his emergence, such as Duan Yongji behind Sinopec.

After all, his Guiyi just took away 10% of the shares from Yang Lan and her husband.

In 2000, Ai Dajin was invited by Sohu to serve as the Director of Entertainment Development based on his past reputation, but he was kicked out by Zhang Chaoyang in less than a year;

In 2001, he jumped to Sina to serve as a Strategic Advisor for Cultural Affairs.

This time he lasted longer than at Sohu; he and Sina's helmsman Duan Yongji were almost like kindred spirits. Sina's blueprint for entertainment and cultural strategy was laid down based on this and began to show initial influence, giving Ai Dajin a certain amount of say within Sina.

At this moment, Zhou Yi, who also has extremely high influence in cultural strategy, entered the field, and he entered after acquiring 10% of the shares...

"That doesn't make sense. According to your logic, if Duan Yongji didn't stop you from acquiring shares before, what is the purpose of bringing out Ai Dajin now to smear you?" Qian Jiang was utterly baffled.

Given the current trend of the internet, shouldn't someone be overjoyed and burn high incense if someone takes the shares?

"Perhaps he wants me to feel disgusted, then watch me sell my Sina shares? Is he taking the opportunity to take over the position?"

Zhou Yi speculated with ill intent.

It is now October 2002; by the end of the year, global internet enterprises will begin to gradually recover. After February 2003, Sina's stock will soar from $1.5 per share to over $40 per share in less than a year.

Duan Yongji's brain trust, who hold the core confidential information, could not have failed to calculate the imminent end of the internet cold wave.

Everyone now knows that Zhou Yi is notoriously intolerant of sand in his eyes; if disgusted, he will definitely strike back fiercely. Therefore, in the current climate where the wind of the internet cold wave has not yet passed, it is understandable that he would, in a fit of rage, dump his Sina shares.

After all, Dajiangnanbei is currently a person of Sina, yet this person of Sina has instead come to disgust Sina's shareholders.

At this moment, if Duan Yongji were to find a proxy to come out and pretend to be willing to fund the acquisition of shares, wouldn't that settle it?

Or perhaps it is not Duan Yongji, but someone else within Sina?

Of course, it is not impossible that this Dajiangnanbei indeed holds a grudge against the past events—

After all, before Myriad Fields Music was acquired by Warner, someone had contacted him, but because he disliked Dajiangnanbei's presence, he simply did not agree, not even going to the trial singing.

After pondering for a while, upon arriving at the hotel and getting out of the car, the reporters who had been lying in wait all around the hotel immediately swarmed up—

"Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi! What is your opinion on Dajiangnanbei's evaluation?"

"Zhou Yi! May I ask if you have been excluded by the mainland music scene?"

"Zhou Yi! It is rumored that Dajiangnanbei once thought of signing you; may I ask if his saying this now stems from a mindset of wanting to destroy you since he couldn't get you?"

"Zhou Yi, Dajiangnanbei claims to be the founder of mainland campus folk songs; his song 'Your Desk Mate' has been sung throughout Dajiangnanbei. He is your senior. Do you think his evaluation of you is too harsh?"

"Zhou Yi..."

The chattering interviews made it impossible for Zhou Yi and his team members to move an inch—

"Everyone, everyone, please calm down, ok?"

Speechless, Zhou Yi kept raising and lowering his hands: "Standing before you now is the holder of the mainland music scene's first-week sales historical record, the holder of the mainland music scene's single album highest sales record, the holder of the mainland music chart consecutive championship count record, with Chinese album global sales totaling nearly ten million copies;

"Two Golden Melody Awards with six trophies, two Hong Kong Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs, one Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award, totaling thirteen trophies, plus two Global Chinese Music Awards, Music Fengyun List, MTV Asia Music Awards, World Sales Awards, and other award ceremonies, a total of thirty-seven trophies, ok?

"Who is Dajiangnanbei? How many trophies?"

Never disappointing in leading the charge, Zhou Yi was ruthless, firing directly: "He said I don't understand the US and UK? My English album topped the charts in over thirty countries overseas; my US Billboard single held the championship for ten consecutive weeks.

"I'm putting my words here: Dajiangnanbei, what championship do you have?

"Are you even worthy?"

(End of this chapter)