Chapter 9 Job Posting

The post he had previously made on the system forum had become a hot post with thousands of replies, making Fang Zhuo's ID familiar to most business operators. The moment he started his live stream, the chat was flooded with comments.

[Wow, that's awesome! I don't even know where to look! Dude, you've got real skill! [Donate 2 points]]

[Is this the new account 822 that posted about speedrunning last time?]

[System IDs cannot be duplicated, so it must be the same person. But 822 only arrived in BC35 a few days ago, and they've already got such advanced technology? Are they just putting on a show?]

[Is that a movie scene in the very center of the big screen? It's so gorgeous! When can I experience the entertainment industry world too? [Donate 1 point]]

[Take this good fortune, I don't want to go to BC35 anyway. Why are most of the comments on the screen criticizing plagiarism? It seems to be saying that a new company copied some song by the goddess Yingying? Does anyone understand this?]

Based on another post from a big shot, this "Goddess Yingying" should be one of the reborn individuals, and Qiao is someone signed by 822.

The other side is really ruthless. If they just write down and release the songs Qiao wrote in his previous life, they can accuse him of plagiarism... It seems like 822 is going to go head-to-head with those reborn individuals?

[I understand now, but what can 822 use to compete with the other side? Once the audio track comparison results come out, it's all over.]

[Sigh, the new talent three-slot investment slot, it's already ruined so quickly...]

[Bro, since we've both been in BC35, here's a good thing for you, to make your journey a little easier [two painkillers]]

[! Take a group photo and capture a big shot]

On the screen, music critic Akai's live stream had just begun, and with the release of the "Hibernation" music video, the initially one-sided public opinion gradually turned into a back-and-forth debate in Akai's live stream.

Akai has already synchronized the audio of "Awakening of Insects" and "Hibernation" and is playing the intro at the same time.

Two musical sounds rang out simultaneously in the live broadcast room, reaching the ears of every viewer through expensive sound equipment.

In fact, even if the audience wasn't professional music critics, ordinary listeners could hear the huge differences between the two songs; the chords, melodies, and rhythms were almost entirely different.

Not to mention that "Hibernation" uses a lot of ancient Blue Star instruments, and puts the most catchy climax of the whole song directly in the opening, with chime bells and a lot of wind instruments being cleverly combined together.

The extensive use of uncommon instruments creates a somber and unique atmosphere in the song, setting it apart from 99% of pop music in terms of sound alone.

After listening for a while, Akai couldn't help but pause Chi Yingying's "Awakening of Insects," connect his headphones, and let "Hibernation" fill the stereo.

The latter made subtle differences in the left and right channels when recording the song, placing the plaintive sound of the sheng and xiao mainly in the right ear, almost giving the illusion of a sound coming from the horizon.

Although there is a few bars in the middle section with a faster tempo, perhaps prepared for promotion on the Yinxi platform, this segment blends perfectly into the whole song and does not break the overall classical feel.

This is the most amazing original track he's worked on this year. The entire production team clearly put in a lot of effort, both in terms of funding and creative energy.

Ah Kai nodded repeatedly in satisfaction, keeping time with the rhythm.

"Awakening of Insects" is far less elaborate and thoughtfully arranged; from his perspective, it's just a boring pop song.

He even laughed as he listened, and before even looking at the comments, he took off his headphones and put them aside.

"How can the internet be so heated? Let me draw a conclusion first: Qiao Ankuang absolutely did not plagiarize. These two songs have no similarities except for the song titles."

His reviews are exceptionally sharp, regardless of the status of any creator or singer. He never flatters famous singers, and even a perfunctory work by a top-tier singer will still receive negative reviews from him. As a result, he has a very high status and reputation in the industry.

Ah Kai cleared his throat and bluntly commented, "One of them is art, the other is shit. Everyone knows who I'm referring to."

The number of viewers in his live stream has now exceeded 80,000. Unlike the initial heated debate, Chi Yingying's fans have been overwhelmed by a large influx of casual viewers.

The conversation gradually shifted from plagiarism to the song "Hibernation" itself. Some people praised the song, while others took the opportunity to recommend the music video.

It's only been half an hour since the final version was released, and as more and more people actually start listening to the song, public opinion has reversed.

Just as Akai was about to close the live stream, some busybodies in the chat suggested that he also give a critical review of the initial version.

As the initial version of the accompaniment played in the live stream, the chat was flooded with question marks.

Nothing else, this initial version is very similar to Chi Yingying's newly released song. They use the same chord progressions, and even the chorus is extremely similar.

Akai's brows gradually furrowed.

He immediately clicked on Qiao Ankuang's previous release, "Burning," and discovered that these three songs were practically born from the same source.

However, professionals can immediately tell that even in the first version, Qiao Ankuang's handling of tone shifts and transitions is extremely delicate, while Chi Yingying's composition is obviously much more immature.

With his hands supporting his chin, he frowned and switched the live stream to Qiao Ankuang's StarNet account page, then looked at the times when Qiao Ankuang and Chi Yingying posted their updates.

In other words, Qiao released "Burning" first, and shortly after the initial version of "Hibernation" was released, Chi Yingying released a new song that was highly similar to them, trying to use the power of fans to force the other party to admit plagiarism. However, Qiao unexpectedly brought out a completely different final version.

Is Chi Yingying really that stupid and foolish?

What's the difference between this and practically offering your face to the other side to be beaten?

Based on A-Kai's understanding of the entertainment industry, Chi Yingying produced more than a dozen magnificent and tragic high-quality original songs in her early years, and her creative level was far superior to that of her peers. She really shouldn't have been so careless with her reputation.

He couldn't understand what was going on behind the scenes, but the only thing he was sure of was that these two versions, one before the other, were definitely an unprecedented marketing campaign planned by Joe's company.

"Neither 'Burning' nor 'Hibernation' constitutes plagiarism. On the contrary, Chi Yingying's song has some issues. The platform can discuss whether to remove it under the pretext of copyright infringement."

"The agency that Qiao Ankuang signed with is quite interesting. Let me see what other artists they have under their wing."

In a live stream with nearly 100,000 viewers, Akai clicked on the registration homepage of Giant Entertainment.

Due to the booming entertainment industry, the Star Federation requires all registered brokerage companies to disclose information, and the personal information of all artists must be registered on the homepage.

According to the homepage, Giant Entertainment currently only has three artists under its management: Qiao Ankuang, Jian Yujing, and Tong Qinglu.

Akai doesn't know much about fields outside the music industry, but the viewers watching the live stream have gone crazy.

[You mean this small company, registered less than two weeks ago, actually has a female idol with a stunning face, a rising star in the live streaming world, and a highly talented arranger? And it seems like they all became famous after joining the company.]

[Make way, everyone! Star Entertainment's Ziwei Star has truly arrived! Just who is the boss of Giant Entertainment? Is it good foresight or top-notch marketing skills?]

[A little-known fact: the registration page requires the company operator to provide a photo of their identification and basic information. It's so cool it makes my scalp tingle!]

[Wow, this handsome 25-year-old guy could easily debut as a celebrity if the boss dressed up himself!]

[Could you also send my idol to Brother Fang for promotion? My idol, who's been struggling for three years, wants to become popular again QAQ]

[Putting everything else aside, Tong Qinglu's fan meeting alone cost at least several million yuan. Even an investment of tens of millions wouldn't be enough to cover the production costs of the "Hibernation" music video and music. Fang Ge, just how rich are you? Will showing off your bank account balance just knock me out?]

[Seeing Fang Ge's face, I know who's right and who's wrong. @萤萤爱唱, come out and apologize. You dare to mess with the positive energy ancient style music produced in collaboration with the Ancient Blue Star Music Museum? You have some nerve.]

[Same as above, this boss came to Xingyu Entertainment purely to do charity; I can't even imagine how he's going to cover his costs with all the money he earns.]

It took T a whole week to prepare the music that was almost identical to "Burning," but it only took an hour to quell those doubts.

On the factory's large screen, the comment section of Chi Yingying's post had been completely flooded with comments. No matter how many mindless fans she had, they couldn't compete with the indignant bystanders.

The labels of "musical tailor" and "plagiarism dog" that fans had clamored for were returned to her intact.

After struggling for several tens of minutes, Chi Yingying was finally forced to slink away and remove "Awakening of Insects" from NetEase Cloud Music under the strong onslaught of passersby.

For the first time, Chi Yingying's carefully cultivated image as a serene and unassuming music goddess has cracked. Although it's not a complete collapse, a large number of posts about her have begun to appear on the unfollowing bot.

As she deleted her post accusing others of plagiarism, several topics such as #ChiYingyingFalsely AccusesPlagiarism#QiaoAnKuangGeniusComposer#QiaoAnKuangInHibernation#GiantEntertainmentBoss# successively became trending topics.

Although she did not issue an apology statement as requested by passersby, Chi Yingying also refrained from unnecessary public relations efforts and rebuttals, and even after deleting the post, she never logged into her account again.

She openly adopted a "let it all slide" attitude, seemingly intending to downplay this wave of negative public opinion.

This time, it didn't threaten Chi Yingying's core fan base, but it did cause her a lot of trouble. The few staff members who stayed in the factory to work overtime gave each other a simple high five.

Qiao Ankuang found it difficult to describe her current feelings.

Like the sun breaking through the clouds, he finally shed the burden of plagiarism that had been weighing on him for the first time.

Chi Yingying's seemingly strange act of slander also told him that he was not unconsciously imitating other people's style, but that those people were following behind him, smearing and chasing him, driving him into a dead end.

He spent five years alone in the darkness.

If it weren't for Mr. Fang's appearance, when would he have discovered all of this, and how would he have been able to clear his name of these unfounded "crimes"?

He, a grown man, felt a lump in his throat. Looking at the ever-increasing copyright fees and the endless stream of private messages from fans on his personal computer screen, it was hard to imagine that just two weeks ago he was living a life of aimlessness in the slums.

She had a million things to say and many questions to ask, but Qiao Ankuang simply pinched the corner of her eye, walked to President Fang's sofa, and said briefly:

"Can I give all the royalties from 'Hibernation' to the company?"

Fang Zhuo looked at him in surprise: "Why?"

Qiao Ankuang wiped his face hard and said a long string of words of gratitude.

These words came from the bottom of his heart. He knew that he could never have turned the tide so well on his own. It was President Fang who pulled him out of the mire and gave him a second chance at life.

"Hibernation" became even more popular than "Burning," and the plagiarism controversy actually brought the song even greater attention.

This time, it not only blossomed on the Yinxi platform, but also on major long-form video editing websites and Xingwang homepage, with official copyright fees exceeding 20 million yuan in just one afternoon.

Based on the development trajectory of this hit song, the copyright fees for the next six months will definitely easily exceed 100 million.

When Mr. Fang heard this, he simply smiled and refused, saying, "It's alright, I don't need your money."

Qiao Ankuang let out a short, surprised "Ah".

Is this still Chinese?

This isn't just a few thousand yuan; it's the copyright fee for a hit song that will break 100 million yuan in the future, yet President Fang doesn't seem to care about this money at all.

The boss's wealth was beyond comprehension, and Qiao Ankuang's admiration for him was boundless. He smiled obsequiously and said, "Is there anything else I can do for you, boss? Do the other artists in our company need background music for their dramas? I can do that. Just let me know whenever you need me. I'll always be here."

Fang Zhuo patted the other person on the shoulder to show encouragement—every copyright fee that Qiao Ankuang received was returned tenfold to him, and the return alone was quite substantial. He had no interest in misappropriating his employees' legally entitled wages.

"Hibernation" temporarily brought him an income of 230 million yuan, which he first used to try to buy ten days of life.

The remaining survival time has reached twenty-two days, and the exchange price has finally stopped rising and has stopped at ten million per day.

Having reached the cost limit, he didn't rush to convert his lifespan into the system's healthy survival timeline.

The stomach ailment persisted, and he constantly endured a subtle yet persistent pain.

However, the repayment conditions for the system's billion-dollar high-interest loan are very strict. Repayment can only begin 20 days after registering a company in the world corresponding to the loan, and it must be completed within 20 days of entering the next dimension, otherwise the victim will be annihilated on the spot.

The interest accumulated in just these twenty days amounted to more than 30 million. Compared to the crisis of possibly not being able to repay the loan and the opportunity to make profits by reinvesting the money on hand, Fang Zhuo was more willing to endure the physical pain.

Yi Dian felt a pang of sympathy as she watched him exchange his lifespan for only ten days, and comforted him, "[Host, you're so resilient! Although I don't have the authority to steal painkillers from the backend, I can help you alleviate the pain in another way.]"

Fang Zhuo: [Oh? What method?]

Yi Dian Dian: [I can not only give you lots and lots of money, but also lots and lots of love—love can heal pain.]

Fang Zhuo: [...There's no need to say things like that again, as they only waste each other's time.]

Ignoring Yi Dian Dian's sadness, he beckoned to Jiang Yu: "Is A-Kai still live streaming? Send me the job posting first."

Jiang Yu nodded and quickly transmitted the job posting to the boss via the personal terminal.

Akai's live stream had been going on for over two hours, and the screen was still showing the registration homepage of Giant Entertainment. He was explaining to the audience which section of Chi Yingying's song "Awakening of Insects" was the most obviously plagiarized.

While the number of viewers wasn't as high as at the beginning, it remained at around 60,000 to 70,000, and the live stream was featured prominently on the StarNet homepage.

Just as Akai was speaking with great enthusiasm, a recruitment advertisement suddenly popped up on the Giant Entertainment Company's website, instantly filling the entire live stream screen—

Giant Entertainment is hiring for positions including Artist Assistant, Advertising Planner, Copywriter, and Editor.

Our company operates on a five-day, eight-hour work week (including lunch break), with flexible clocking in and out. Overtime is paid at five times the hourly rate.

Minimum starting salary of 39,000 yuan, 16 months' salary. No upper limit, to be discussed in person. Social insurance and housing fund contributions will be made up to the highest federal amount. In addition to federal statutory holidays, employees are entitled to 25 days of paid annual leave upon joining.

Giant Entertainment is seeking talented individuals; we welcome you to join us!

A note from the author:

----------------------